Technology: Teaching and Learning

This week's videos and readings were really interesting. As I was thinking about how they all applied to me, it hit me and I thought, I use Pinterest all the time for ideas in the classroom. If it weren't for other people sharing their ideas all around the world, I would not be able to utilize the information. As this semester progresses, I am slowly figuring out all the ways I use and contribute to sharing, and it is very beneficial. My spirit of openness is captured when I and others share information through Pinterest. I love being creative in the classroom and I used this picture the other day to decorate my classroom door. I had the children help me complete it, and although it does not look exactly the same, it still turned out great!

Open access in the classroom does not look a certain way. As teachers always vary from classroom to classroom, Teachers can have a daily blog or twitter post from the students, research experiments, or look for creative ideas for the classroom like I do. As long as teachers are providing some online learning, that is considered a 'blended' classroom. I love that term. I have never heard it before until this week. A blended classroom gives students access to outside the walls of the classroom while still having the structure of the classroom environment. If classrooms are not open, then at the end of the school year, all students' contributions are deleted. It's like deleting all your pictures and friends and unsubscribing you form everything and starting over again. (Referencing David Wiley) Students' accomplishments need to carried over form year to year, so students have a sense of where they started and can see annual progress or just see all of the things they have created.

I do not necessarily like the idea of education happening anywhere. I know it is necessary as it is hard for some to access education, but children need the face-to-face interaction with a teacher. It would be harder to have a class online with other students because like in a classroom, some need further help to learn the content. How is a teacher supposed to explain effectively for the student to understand the content if there is no face-to-face interaction? Maybe it's just me, but I know I learn better if the teacher can come down to my level and be right beside me, walking me through each step, rather than being in front of me, only seeing my face and not really how I am struggling. Also, I struggle with reading print on a computer versus in a book. Teachers always told students after typing a paper to print it out because mistakes are more easily seen if they are on paper. How am i supposed to print out a 300 page book to effectively comprehend what I just read? Another thing about online coursework is turning in a digital copy for a paper. It is harder to get feedback on a digital paper rather than comments on a printed paper. Clearly I still prefer face-to-face classes rather than online, but I am adjusting.

Textbooks can get rather expensive, so it is a great thing that textbooks are being converted into digital form at a fraction of the cost. However, as I previously stated it is harder to grasp the content as it is harder to read digital versions rather than print. That is really the only downside that I can think of. Technology has given students access to books and information they have never been able to use before. Technology allows for students to get new versions of books for cheaper. A lot of schools do not buy new print textbooks often because they are so costly. Although schools would have to cover the cost of the technology to access books, the overall cost in the end is ridiculously less than the cost of print textbooks. I think over time, print textbooks will be used to a minimum. Over the past several years, I have seen digital textbook versions take over the textbook world.