Blog Post #10

What Can We Learn From Mrs. Cassidy?

First Graders in Mrs. Cassidy's Class

Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 1

Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 2

Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 3

      In the videos I've listed above, I learned the ways Mrs. Cassidy uses technology in her first grade classroom.  She first started incorporating technology into the classroom when she received 5 computers for her classroom. She started her learning by creating a webpage for her classroom that her students could go to in order to see announcements and find links she shared for research or educational games. She then expanded to blogging which she uses to show her students progress in all areas especially writing. Now, her students use wikis, video, Skype, and Nintendo DS on top of the webpage and blog. She also has a Twitter that she uses to build her Personal Learning Network and  to collaborate with other professionals. 

     Mrs. Cassidy is a great example for those who aren't sure about using technology in the classroom. She makes the case for technology by expressing that the children are really engaged and that teachers should be changing along with how our society is changing. Now that technology is so prevalent in our everyday lives, it is important to use it to our advantage as teachers. The students have fun with it and get to collaborate with other students and professionals from all over the world, and the parents can get online and see their child's progress throughout the year. For those who don't know where to start with technology, she suggests starting with what you are interested in. For example, I love writing, so a great place for me to start would be with blogging which I have already done. Information from all over is readily available at our fingertips if we would just give it a chance.

     I plan on becoming a secondary language arts teacher, so I think that blogging would benefit my students. They could improve their grammar, reading, and writing each day just by creating blog posts to fit the standards I've given them. Then, they could peer edit through commenting on their classmates' blogs. I know I used to have to journal entries at the beginning of my language arts classes, so blogging could easily take the place of that at the beginning of each class. Also, Skype would be effective in my classroom as a way to talk to professionals in the literature realm and maybe even some authors. I think that would really get my students engaged in what they are learning. However, there could also be some problems with changing to technology in the classroom. The school I'm at may not have the funds for computers or the resources necessary. There may not be support from the administration. Unfortunately, it would also be hard to monitor what my high school students were really doing on the computers. I believe I could overcome these impediments if I can get the support and funds from others who believe that the dynamic of education should be changing to one that revolves around technology. In regards to trusting my students to do as they are supposed to, I guess it's just something I would have to figure out over time as it happens.