The central message of the movie, Mr. Dancealot, is that for certain skills, students need hands on experience to learn. This is especially true when it comes to learning a dance. The conclusion of the movie was that none of the students knew how to dance during their demonstrative final. The author made the case for this conclusion by teaching the students, but not in the way that the students could understand or learn from. The author demonstrated the dance moves, but was behind a desk, so that the students could not see what he was doing. I do not agree with the conclusion. I believe that students should be able to demonstrate what they have learned during a final with confidence and success.
Roberts states that teachers are no longer the main source of knowledge for students, but the filter. He also believes that teachers should teach skills rather than facts and content. In the video, Teaching in the 21st Century, Roberts asks the viewer (presumably a teacher) when the last time he or she had their students create something. Today, creating includes blogging, podcasting, animating, and programming. Basically, Roberts thinks that as technology is changing, teachers have to change the ways they teach. Teachers need to rethink the tools they use to teach and the problems they ask students to solve. There are now online ways for students to share work with teachers and collaborate with other students. Roberts argues that no matter what tools you use to teach, your lesson must be relevant, challenging, and engaging. Roberts also argues that new gadgets are not just used for passive entertainment, but for active engagement. I completely agree with Roberts. This will affect me as a teacher because I will begin my career while the change from a traditional classroom is still occurring. I am excited to be a part of this experience and implement Roberts' ideas.
I learned from the movie, The Networked Student, by Wendy Drexler, that the 21st century student is all about connections with each one having the possibility of being a new learning opportunity. I learned that there will be a problem with information management in the 21st century. The teacher of a networked student is responsible for helping the student build these connections and seek new learning opportunities. She also helps guide him in communication with others through the internet, how to tell good information from bad, and help with organizing the students surplus of information.
The thesis of Vicki Davis' video, Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts, is to use new software and technologies to connect student to the world. She believes that teachers do not have to know everything to teach and that one can learn from his or her students. I love Davis' positive attitude on using technology in the classroom. I like the idea of giving students new perspectives on what is out there in the world and using technology of every type so that all students can learn.
I have never heard of flipping a classroom until I watched Flipping the Classroom. Although I am all for using technology to teach students at home and in the classroom, I do not think that this approach will be useful to me as a teacher. As a future elementary or special needs teacher, I do not think this approach would be appropriate for my students.
"Roberts states that teachers are no longer the main source of knowledge for students, but the filter." This statement is very true. Information is at their fingertips but you have to teach them how to seek credible information and how to use it correctly.
ReplyDelete"The teacher of a networked student is responsible for helping the student build these connections and seek new learning opportunities. She also helps guide him in communication with others through the internet, how to tell good information from bad, and help with organizing the students surplus of information." Great point!
" As a future elementary or special needs teacher, I do not think this approach would be appropriate for my students." Many student have actually learned really well from this approach. This approach allows the teacher to spend more time engaging student in hands on activities and learning rather than lecturing. This also helps those students that do not understand a topic to be able to review it at home and spend as much time as needed, while those that understand can be challenged. This individualizes the learning process even more.
Be sure to include working links in every blog post.
Good job.
When teachers try to educate their students in a way that they "cannot understand or learn from", they're really falling short. Teachers should be able to educate and engage their students across all learning types, but when it comes to Mr. Dancealot, he's failed, and failed poorly. When a classroom turns into an environment as one sided as Mr. Dancealot's, completely teacher-centered with no class participation or engagement whatsoever, failure is immanent. Like you, I feel that "students should be able to demonstrate what they have learned" but not just during a final exam, but throughout the semester. Demonstrations will not only help the students to feel more confident in what they're learning, but help them feel more confident when the time comes for a final assessment as well. On this I feel you and I see eye-to-eye.
ReplyDelete"The times, they are a' changing" was what I thought of when reading your reflection on Roberts' argument. Like you and other posts that I've read, we're all a part of the changing generation that's becoming more technology based each and every day. We live in an age where a four-year old child can operate and work his or her way around a smartphone. Based on this, there is no telling what children in our future classrooms will be able to do! I, too, am excited about this change from the "standard classroom setting", but am a little nervous as to what the new definition of a "standard classroom setting" will become.
While I'm wary of having students being as networked as they will inevitably be, I do realize that there will be some perks that come along with it. I agree with you that students will be able to "seek new learning opportunities" through whatever connections they make, but my main fear is that this will be used as a crutch, versus good old-fashioned book-type research. Yes, technology and information are updated daily, but I guess I'm just a fuddy-duddy set in the old ways of elbow-grease and book-research. Technology is going to be a very powerful tool in the classroom, including my own, and I know that while I'll be teaching my students many things, I know they're going to be teaching me a thing or two as well.
You had a great post :) I really enjoyed reading it and responding to your views, especially since we agreed on practically everything haha! That always makes a response a little bit easier!