Blog Post 2

Mr. Dancealot

The video, Mr. Danealot, was a creative way of showing that it's one thing to teach material, but it's another to actually allow students to practice it themselves. The creator of this video portrays a dance class with a teacher who teaches the dance moves via a slideshow. He demonstrates the moves himself, but the students cannot see what he is doing because he stays behind a desk/counter the whole time. When it came time for the students' final, none of them were able to effectively execute the moves discussed in class because they had not had any practice with them. I don't agree with the way the teacher in this video taught because it is not a method that allows students to be able to try things on their own and learn from their own mistakes. I believe that students should be allowed to put what they learn in class into practice so they can get a feel for how different concepts work when actually executed.

Teaching in the 21st Century

In the video, Teaching in the 21st Century, Kevin Roberts thinks that if teachers are to effectively teach in the 21st century, they need to embrace the multiple internet sources students can use to gain information. Roberts talked about how teachers have almost become students' second source for gaining information due to the abundance of information that can be found on the internet. He says teachers should start utilizing those other sources in the classrooms because students are going to use them no matter what. Teachers should teach students how to properly use those sources. I agree with Roberts' view of teaching. I observed in a classroom this past semester for the first time, and I noticed that students we're allowed to use iPads and laptops in class. The teacher I observed under even had them use Google to search for different kinds of poems they felt related to them. If Roberts is correct on how much students use secondary sources for their information, I believe that I will be a teacher who accepts those sources in my classroom. I will teach students to use those sources to find valid sources and not just pull the first thing they find and use it.

The Networked Student

The video, The Networked Student, presented many interesting concepts and methods that I have never thought of. My personal favorite is that once students find a helpful website, they should share what they found with their fellow classmates. I find this interesting because I have always been competitive and if I find something I really like, I want to keep it to myself. The concept of sharing websites with my classmates is something I want to try because I know that I would appreciate the same in return. It is incredible how many places students can pull information from. The student discussed in the video contacted a movie director himself because he liked a documentary the director had made. I would have never thought of that as an option until I watched this video. The teacher who taught this student is the type of teacher I want to be. In relation to connectivism, I want to help guide students in creating many different ties to help gain information they need.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

In Vicki Davis' video, Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts, she says that she tries to create a class of students who are comfortable with any and all aspects of technology. She encourages students to use the internet to look up concepts and terms they do not understand. This helps them learn how to properly use search engines. I agree with this method of teaching because it allows students to discover things on their own.

Flipping the Classroom

The video, Flipping the Classroom, introduces the concept of sending home a "preview" of what will be covered in class the next day so the students can come to class already somewhat prepared. This is not really new to me because I do this same thing with different studies we do in my college group at church. We are currently doing a study out of "Gospel in Life" by Tim Keller. We have a reading that we do from the book before we meet on Wednesday nights, and then we discuss what we read during our meeting time. I like this approach because it allows people to get ahead and develop their own views and questions. So when the students meet the next day, the class is filled more with discussion than instruction. This saves the teacher considerable amounts of time that he/she could use doing more productive activities with his/her class.