"Steer Less and Suggest More"

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am trying to get all my work done so that I can enjoy the last few days of break (homework free). Since I have some free time now I decided I would work on my blog. I am also a little sad :( to say that this will be my last entry into this blog. I enjoyed keeping it and I would love to keep another one. My main problem is that I do not have motivation to write in one on my own. I do not really have anything to write about or any extreme passions or what not. Hopefully one day I will find my passion to blog about something. One kind of blog that I really enjoy are ones that are like year long projects. For example after reading Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project (2009), which was turned into a book. You can see her blog here:http://www.happiness-project.com/. I really enjoyed her idea of documenting one year of her trying various techniques to find happiness. (I highly recommend the book). Interestingly enough, one of her projects was to start a blog. She found that it brought it her a lot of happiness because she was able to interact with her readers on an intimate level through the comments section. If I were to start my own blog, I would definitely model it after hers.
Anyways, in closing I would like to make a few remarks about my experience in the Introduction to Teaching with Digital Tools course. I highly enjoyed this course. It opened up my mind to the myriad of possibilities of using technology when I teach. Prior to this class, I had a slight interest in technology but I never knew how to apply it to my own pedagogy. This class definitely provided me with a lot of inspiration that I plan to implement once I start teaching. I love the idea of using a wiki. I would love to set up a wiki for my students in which they can access assignments, websites, documents, and interact with one another. I also plan on implementing skills for Twenty First Century learners into my lessons. I feel that this class has prepared me for becoming an educator in these modern times and provided me with positive attitude about creating and implementing change in the classroom. One quote that I really liked and would like to leave you with was, "Steer less and suggest more" (S.Nash as cited in Richardson p.143). I think this quote summarizes the direction that 21st century educators should be moving. They should move toward a goal of not spoon feeding students with information but with providing them with the knowledge and tools that they need to find the information for themselves. I would like to implement this style of teaching into my own pedagogy.

Teachers and Apples

(picture from: http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/files/2011/02/ipads2.jpeg)

          Teachers and apples go way back. I am sure you have heard the old cliche about the teacher's pet giving the teacher an apple. But what does this adage mean for today's classrooms. Clearly the apple has fallen off the tree and into your local mall or electronics store. The technology company Apple has seen success in a way like no other. For the past twenty years (or so), they have been light-years ahead of their competition with their innovative products that have essentially changed the way we live. Currently, the iPad (see above) is being adapted for use into classrooms for instruction and other purposes. As Dr. Falkenstein mentioned in the screen cast (http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cX6tqoOMk), iPads provide many benefits within the education world. 

            He mentions benefits for both teachers and administrators. I have first hand seen some of the great instructional benefits that iPads and Apple Applications can provide in the classroom. Unfortunately, I do not currently have an iPad but I do have an iPod Touch and an iPhone. I have used these devices to supplement my lessons that I am currently teaching at a private learning center. The kids absolutely adore the innovation and creativity that the applications from these tools have brought to the classroom. I can specifically recall that I did one lesson with the students about the Magic School bus and the human body. I was able to use my iPod to show the students video clips from the television show and we were able to calculate specific events in our lives according to the human body calculator app. I loved using these technologies with my lessons and I hope to use more like them in the future! Some other useful apps that I have found on the Apple network are the Math Puppy Bingo Game, (where the students can play bingo to solve math problems), I feel ...Electric! (This application teaches the students about different feelings and various vocabulary words, the students can listen to music and create their own mood pets in this app as well. I also want to discuss the Talking Tom app. This app repeats whatever the students say. My friend who is a speech pathologist uses this app in order to help her students hear and understand their speech and language. Below, I have included some screenshots of these apps from my iPhone:

(In their respective order: the first picture is a screenshot from Math Puppy Bingo, the second is from an application that allows the students to practice writing, the third is the feelings and emotions app entitled I feel Electric, and the last one is Talking Tom). 

         With these applications and more the possibilities for iPad use in the classroom are endless. Also, I would like to include this video that further demonstrates the uses of iPads in the classroom. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw6oZh_spAs.

        As Dr. Falkenstein has mentioned, the iPads provide tremendous benefits for classroom instruction as well as administrative duties. Since the iPads are small and portable, they are very easily used by students in small groups or centered activities and the teacher can also the iPad to monitor the student's progress. The administrator can also use the iPad for walkthroughs of the classroom, since they are small and portable and allow for mobility. 

         I can not wait to see how this technology is going to change the world of education!