The advances in today’s technology allow us to communicate with anyone and everyone in the world regardless of our location. We can communication through blogs, discussion boards, emails, or video chat. Technology can also be used to enhance any educational experience. I would use my blog as a reflection and feedback forum. My blog would be a place where my students and I could reflect on a lesson, classroom activity, review what has been taught, and most importantly provide suggestions and advice on what could be done to improve. This type of communication would not only enhance the lesson, but the overall classroom and learning experience as well. In order to become an effective teacher and ensure students are learning, it is important to reflect on any lesson to determine what worked or went well, what did not work, and how you can improve or enhance the next lesson. I teach Business Law and Microsoft Office 2010 to high school students. I use technology in my classroom for variety of reasons. For starters, it is a part of my curriculum, but I also use technology because my students use technology daily outside of my classroom. Nearly all of my students walk around with an iPod, iPad, laptop, a smart phone or some type of electronic device. Because different types of technology interest my students it is a great learning tool to incorporate these technology interests into my lesson so I can gain my student’s attention and help them learn.
Using a class blog for reflection is a powerful tool. I feel I do not make enough time for my students to reflect on lessons and ways to improve them and using a blog could also increase student engagement and taking responsibility for their own learning. Great ideas for your class blog!
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I have looked into using in my classroom was a class twitter account because as you mentioned nearly all students walk around with their smart phones. One thing I like about this idea is that not only can my students follow be but parents can as well. One was I was thinking about utilizing this learning tool was to take a picture of the daily lesson on the front board to inform my parents first what we are doing that day and also to allow them to see when upcoming tests and quizzes are announced. The difficult thing about implementing this idea is because students are not suppose to have their phones in schools because of what else they maybe doing on them during school hours. I go back and forth with this idea what do you think?
ReplyDeleteIt is true that students will be able to access our classroom blog via their smart phone devices but you raise an interesting question about the use of these smart phone devices in school. Our school has adopted a policy where students are allowed to use their cell phones before school, during class changes, at lunch, and of course after school. I think if a deadline or time requirement is place on blog post and replies then students should be ok. For example, most students can ask a question on the blog during a class change, or post a reply during lunch. Most students may even post their reply as soon as school is over or on the bus on their way home. The great thing about smart phone devices is that they allow us to access the web regardless of our location.
ReplyDeleteI have the same situations, we are constantly encouraged to use technology in classroom from smart boards, to notebooks, cps systems and so on, every year there is something new that has to be implemented. It is also true that younger generations are strongly attached to technology and I think students expect us to use some sort of technology in classroom. At the same time, this brings a lot of responsibility, particularly in what way technology is used.
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