Blog Post #2

It was clear as I watched the Mr. Dancealot video that the author is trying to relay that students need more than notes and lecture to fully understand certain concepts. As shown in the movie, the students were never allowed to practice the dances as they were taught and could not even see the teacher demonstrate them properly. As a result of the teacher's poor teaching approach, the student's could not perform the dances for their final exam. I agree with the author that the students failed to perform on the final because of how the class was taught. The students needed time in class to gain experience with the different dances and as a result they could have had a greater understanding of them.

In Kevin Robert's Teaching in 21st Century his approach for teaching is very aggressive. He believes that if teacher's do not stay current and do not use the resources available the classroom will become completely obsolete. Robert states that students can obtain information at any given moment. They have access to google, blogs, facebook, youtube, and other websites. Student's have access to all types of information. It is up to the teachers to show the students where they can find credible information and how to determine if something is credible.

According to Robert students need to be taught skills rather than how to regurgitate facts or formulas. In our world, it is more valuable to posses a certain degree of skills than it is to have a brain full of random facts. Teachers need to teach their students to still remember information, but to also understand, apply, analyze, and evaluate the information. We must also allow our students to use the necessary tools to utilize these skills. Some teachers have expressed concern on how to regulate the tools in the classroom. I love this quote from Robert "the tools provide temptation, but they are not the source of the negative behavior". Why should teachers keep students away from all the benefits of these tools because some students decide to behave poorly?

I agree with Robert on how beneficial and necessary technology is for 21st century classrooms. Do I think that technology should consume 100% of the class? No. However, I do believe that it should be incorporated at least half of the time. Throughout EDM 310 my view on this may very well change and that is ok. At this time without me fulling knowing all that is out there I cannot make a definite claim. I can state that I have learned more in these two weeks about technology than I have ever in any other class. As I am exposed to all the benefits of technology the more my opinion changes.

Wendy Drexler's The Networked Student allows her viewers to see what it takes to classify a student as a "networked student" and what role the teacher can play in that student's life. Drexler believes that a teacher is there not to simply give their students information but to help them build their learning network. The teacher is meant to teach her students to seize learning opportunities and is there for guidance. I agree with Drexler in regards to certain aspects. Yes, teachers should help students use all the resources that are available but that is not all teachers are responsible for. I feel that it is the responsibility of a teacher to teach their students about more than history, math, english, or science. Teachers can help students in many ways that a computer cannot. I feel that Drexler's video makes the teacher into nothing more than a facilitator of self-learning. While there is a time for a teacher to facilitate self learning there are times when a student is going to need a teacher's help.

The thesis of Davis's video Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts is that technology can help students succeed in ways standard teaching cannot. Davis points out that there are certain students who can learn and succeed with old fashion pen and paper teaching but there is a large number of students who need to learn in new ways. I agree that technology allows students to be more independent and gives them a sense of empowerment. I feel that in this day and age teachers need to teach their students to do things on their own. The older I get the more I realize that students expect everything to be perfectly laid out for them and they have to put forth little effort. Technology is an incredible way to do this. Allowing technology to be a part of your students' every day routine will help them not only academically but also to prepare them for the work force.

The concept of Flipping the Classroom is completely new to me. I think this approach has the potential to be great for students but I am concerned for students with extracurricular activities. I realize that school should always take priority over everything else but it is unrealistic that students will only focus on school. After a student has spent 8 hours in school and then spent a few hours practicing, rehearsing, or volunteering they are not going to be excited to watch a new lesson online. However, because I have not seen a flipped classroom personally my reservations may be due to a lack of knowledge. Maybe if I were able to observe a flipped classroom or talk with teachers who have successfully flipped their classrooms then I could be more supportive. I think the theory behind flipping a classroom is innovative and has the potential to help students tremendously.