Blog Assignment #10

What can we learn from Mrs. Cassidy?

After watching Kathy Cassidy's video Little Kids...Big Potential it became very apparent to me how easy it is to incorporate technology into the classroom. The first graders in Mrs. Cassidy's class are doing exactly what we students in EDM 310 are doing. Mrs. Cassidy's first graders have their own blogs that they regularly post on, and they also use Wiki pages and Skype to connect with other classes and people from around the world. In my classroom, I hope to not only incorporate blogs, but also Skype. Students will be more excited and inclined to write when hundreds of people from all over the world can see what the students have written. As Mrs. Cassidy mentioned, having a blog is also beneficial for the parents since they can track their child's progress and see how their child is improving throughout the school year. Skype would also be beneficial in my classroom because I can have people with different occupations talk to my students, and my students will be able to directly ask that person any questions that the students may have.

One problem that I might encounter with the use of technology in my classroom is teachers who are completely against the use of technology in schools. These teachers might be opposed to the idea of technology because they do not want change, or because they do not know how to incorporate technology into the classroom. I could overcome this issue by stressing the importance that technology has in our everyday lives now. I could also show these reluctant teachers just how much children learn when they have access to an unlimited amount of information. 

In Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 1, Dr. Strange asks Mrs. Cassidy various questions related to her use of technology in the classroom. One question that Dr. Strange asked Mrs. Cassidy is if she believes that all teachers need to be technologically literate. Mrs. Cassidy answered immediately by saying yes. She mentioned that technology is here and that it isn't going to go away; it is only going to continue to advance. I completely agree that teachers need to become technologically literate so that we can help our students learn more information. As teachers, we have to be willing to constantly learn new things so that we are able to effectively guide our students in their educational journey.

Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 2 is a video in which Mrs. Cassidy suggests using something that you are interested in so that you can begin incorporating technology into your classroom. An example she gives is if you like photography then join Flickr, and you can begin to build your personal learning network through that. Another example she provides is if you enjoy writing then perhaps blogging is for you. Mrs. Cassidy also stresses how important it is to have a personal learning network (PLN). PLN's allow us to connect with others who could possibly answer any questions about anything that we may have  PLN's also allow us to help others in the same way.

During all three parts of the interview, some of Dr. Strange's EDM 310 students were able to listen in on the conversation. In Part 3 of the interview, the students even had the opportunity to ask Mrs. Cassidy some questions of their own. One question that was asked was how to incorporate technology into a physical education class. Mrs. Cassidy suggested blogs and even sending texts to the student's phones to let the students know important information, instead of having to use the intercom system to alert the students. Another question that was asked was if Mrs. Cassidy believed that cheating was becoming more of a problem as blogs become more accessible. Mrs. Cassidy replied by saying that things are becoming more collaborative and that teachers need to be more creative with the way they ask students to present their ideas. She also believes that students should use other people's work as guidance, but present it in a way that would make it their own work.