Education as a Student Teacher

Have a listen to my PODcast on Resnick’s article Rethinking Learning in the Digital Age

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Have a listen to my PODcast on “my greatest passion” as a pre-service primary school teacher.

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Have a look at the comic Rachel and I made in class. It depicts our ideas of e-learning in the classroom!

Image taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/laffy4k/27695419/

I noticed that one of my class mates Emily had viewed the same VODcast that I had a couple of weeks ago. The VODcast is about incorporating podcasting into the classroom. Emily made the point that teachers have to continue to stay up to date with changing technology. Children are becoming more and more familiar with technology as it pervades their lives. If we’re not up to date with the technology it will be the kids that are teaching us how work the programs!

A debate came up in one of my subjects based on this quote from an article Learning Skills for the Millennium by Idit Harel “The three Rs of Reading, wRiting and ‘Rithmetic, while invaluable, are not the only skills they need now and for the future. The most important skills we can foster in our children are what I call the three Xs: eXploring, eXpressing and eXchanging ideas by using the new digital media.”

It got me thinking, I wonder if a time will come when children no longer hand write but do all their writing on computers?!? and then what will happen with art? what will their drawings and paintings look like if they aren’t practicing fine motor hand skills in writing?

Check out my first VODcast in which I evaluate the kids’ website: kidsites.com

Lynne Schrum suggests in her article Technology as a Tool to Support Instruction that the best way to use technology is as a tool in the classroom. Students aren’t and don’t need to ‘learn’ technology, rather they need to learn how to make use of it to help make other learning activities easier.

Lynne also highlights the importance of teachers being involved in the planning process of integrating technology into their programs, rather than being given programs developed by others.

While most other articles are trying to highlight the brilliance of new technology and how it is going to revolutionize the way we teach, Jamie McKenzie examines exactly how all the technology is going to fit in the curriculum.

In McKenzie’s article Stuffing Technology into the Curriculum, she explains that more thought is needed when technology is introduced into schools. What will it be used for? Is it really better than the methods or strategies already in place?

Something I must think about when I start to teach is what will be the best method to get the information or idea across to the children. Not discount traditional methods of teaching and not to force technology into every aspect of teaching.

Learning is often thought of as information being delivered from one person to another. People often think that learning and fun cannot happen simultaneously. Mitch Resnick explains in his Podcast that one of the best ways to learn is to explore the world around you, try things and experiment.
Resnick has invented a way of combining computers with traditional construction kits such as Lego or craft material so that children can bring their constructions to life. With this invention children can program music, movement sounds and sensors into their constructions. (I wish I were still a child!)
It widely recognised that an important skill for the future is creative thinking, to come up with new solutions to old problems. This invention is helping children to become creative thinkers and explore and experiment.

After reading just a couple of articles about the Internet in general and how it can be used with children, I feel like I have a lot to learn in my e-Learning class. I am a strong believer in getting children outside and really learning about their world be being in it and exploring it. With the whole issue of obesity becoming more prevalent, it is even more important to get the children out of the classrooms, and off the couches.

However, after reading Three X’s by Idit Harel, I’m beginning to learn that the Internet is a great resource for children. Harel explains that children not only need their basic skills in reading and writing, but in the ever increasing technologically driven world, they need to learn eXploring, eXpressing and eXchanging ideas by using the new digital media.
Exploring comes naturally to children and they learn best when they discover for themselves as opposed to being told something. The Internet provides a great place for students to discover all sorts of things in all different areas of learning.
Expressing is made easy with the Internet. Children cannot just make things out of paper and glue or blocks or Lego, but they can actually make things “work” and “go”. Lights can actually turn on and cars can move with out being pushed by the child when using the Net!

The third X is exchanging. Harel believes that learning is increased in social situations where children can discuss and question and where learning is not just passive absorbing of information. The Internet opens up ways of connecting with people from all different areas.

I feel that even though the internet is an amazing resource for kids, a balance is needed and children should still be encouraged to explore their world immediately around them…