Blog Post Assignment #11

Little Kids...BIG Potential By: Kathy Cassidy

Let me start off by saying that this video is absolutely precious! The stars of the video are adorable! In this video, Ms. Cassidy's class is engaged in working on blogs, wikis, Skyping with different classes, and different online educational activities. One thing that was very interesting to me in this video is that Ms. Cassidy allowed her students to play on their Nintendo DS'. They of course only played educational games and I believe the game was called "Word Dog". I couldn't quite understand what the children were calling it. I also need to mention that this is the work of 1st graders not 4th, 6th, or 8th graders. These first graders are able to learn about different traditions from around the world by using wikis this is where they post questions and people from around the world answer their questions. In the videos the students tell us that they are not allowed to put their last name on their blog, they only go by their first name. This ensures the children's protection over the internet. By using blogs in the classroom parents are able to view their students work, such as their writing progress. These are only a few tools that Ms. Cassidy's class mentioned in this video.

During the Skype interview, by Dr. Strange, with Ms. Cassidy she was able to answer and elaborate on several interesting questions. Some things that I would use in my classroom would be blogs, wikis, Skype, and if I had older children I would use Twitter.

1. Blogs- The ways that I would use blogs in my classroom would be endless. My students would be allowed to post different assignments in the blog. Students would be able to communicate with their classmates. I would also try to find other classes around the world, colleges, and their family members to comment on their work.

2. Wikis- I am not very familiar with wikis, but I am interested in learning about them. Seeing the response Ms. Cassidy's class got from their wiki makes me want to incorporate these into my future classroom. By using wikis in my classroom, my students will be able to learn from around the world. Not only will my students be able to communicate with people on their blogs, but they will also be able to post a question on the wiki and people from around the world can answer that question. This will help students realize how different other parts of the world are.

3. Skype- One way I would use Skype would be to chat with other classes in the world. Ms. Cassidy used Skype with another class and create a Reader's Theatre play. That is a fabulous way to incorporate Skype into the classroom. I could also find several people to speak with my class about things we are studying in science, math, and social studies, ect.

4. Twitter- At this point in my education experience, I am not entirely sure how I would incorporate Twitter into my classroom. Although I am quite sure it will include a lot of trial and error.

By incorporating these four items into my classroom I am almost positive I would encounter a lot of negative feedback. Before I incorporated these items into my classroom, I would make sure to have a strong support team. This support team would know just what and how I am going to use these tools in my classroom and how effective the tools are. If I was approved to do these things, I would also brief my parents on each item and how it would be used. I would make sure my parents knew all of the security precautions I would use and how each tool would make a difference in their child's education.

I am mostly excited about the outcome of these new learning tools in my classroom. I am anxious to make a change into the education system and teach older teachers how effective this new learning style is. I am also excited to see the look on my students' faces when they are able to use the Internet for their in class assignments.

View the interview,HERE!