After watching Mr. Dancealot by Mrs. Johnson, I flashed back to all of the teachers I have had that would have benefited from watching it. I feel like the Mrs.Johnson's case was that maybe there should be a Dummies guide to teaching next to "College Planning for Dummies". My point is the Author shows how to be a bad teacher in many ways. First was the teacher reading off a power point. Doing this sends a message to the students that maybe Mr.Dancealot does not even know the material that well. Another mistake Mr.Dancealot made was the suppression of student interest when he got up to try dancing himself. The biggest mistake, in my opinion, is when Mr. Dancealot sets the class up for the final and leaves. As a student with a former teacher like that it made me feel like he or she could care less. Having experienced a teacher like that I would have to agree in the negative teaching styles, as I would never want to take a course with that teacher again.
Teaching in the 21st Century
I feel like Mr. Roberts recognizes a need in change with the role of the teacher with his video on Teaching in the 21st Century . With the new technology out there the Teacher needs to become more like a moderator of learning. Meaning they need to teach the students on how to utilize what they have at their finger tips, give them a task to accomplish, and then get out of the way. Of course staying close making sure the students are staying on task, because that game of Mahjong sure is tempting.
Following that intro is a outline of the arguments and points Mr. Roberts is trying to make:
A.) Teaching will be different in the 21 Century.
1.) Teachers can not get away with just teaching the content.
2.)The students have access now to unlimited information via.
- Youtube
- Wikipedia and so much more!
- How to validate.
- How to communicate with iformation.
- How to problem solve with information.
D.)Learning to create.
E.)Teaching moral standards.(professionalism)
F.)Rethink the classroom entirely.
- How to test the student.
- Reliable source using.
- How to publish and evaluate work.
- Student collaboration.
Since education is going to the internet I could not agree with him more. I am also torn by this as well. My interest in teaching comes from seeing that spark of understanding in the eye of the student. If the "new teacher" becomes more like a filter it might take away that motive. Utilizing the internet will change me as a teacher though. The part where he talks about engaging the student really made sense. Too many teachers want to entertain, and get frustrated when the student snoozes in class. If a student was more engaged I doubt the teacher would have that problem.
Networked Student Ms.Wendy Drexler introduced me to a term I had never heard of before in her short video Networked Student . This term that she introduced was connectivism. Connectivism is the idea that a student can learn from connections he or she has made all over the world with help from the teacher. These connections can be made anywhere, Ivy League Schools, to universities abroad, and can include any technology that is available. Within the idea of connectivism the teacher is more like a filter or moderator. One may think the teacher is not needed, but that is quite the opposite. The teacher is there to teach how to use the technologies available such as skype , google, teachers' blogs, and sites like Itunes. I am totally for the idea of sharing, but I do have one issue on the topic. Will the student truly understand the material? From personal experience I have reviewed several articles and topics on the internet. One such topic is the 3-D printer, I understand that it can print out any object, but I have no idea how it actually works. Also in Biology, say a student looks up the attraction of genders. He or She may understand the very complicated levels to it, but will they understand the chemical make up that drives it?
Harness Your Students' Digital Smartness Ms. Vicki Davis shows her belief, in her short video Harness Your Students' Digital Smartness, that it is important for students to collaborate with others. I agree that this has it's place in the educational system, but I do not believe that it should replace everything. Within the video she states that she is for the movement, because some students may be be limited by pencil and paper. I agree with this, but could this very same argument be made for the opposite? Is it not possible that some children may be limited through this new process? My opinion of what she said about the teacher knowing everything is that, yes as a teacher you do need to know the material. Do you have to be an expert? Not by any means, but if you are going to teach something you need to know it.
Flipping the Classroom Ms. Munafo's , youtube short film Flipping the Classroom, 4th Grade Stem , brings some really interesting aspects to the educational table. It is new to me I will admit, but the ideas behind it are excellent. The whole idea to flipping the classroom is for the student to do the core learning at home via recorded video. The student watches the recorded video of the teaching. He or she then fills out an outline, and prepares questions for the next day. This way the teacher can get straight to the material at hand, meaning no wasted time on homework, and more quality learning. One word that came to mind was accommodation. the fact that if the student has no access to a computer at home it will not be held against them. knowing this is really comforting, it shows that the teachers behind this idea understand that not everyone is the same. I think that flipping the classroom is a positive innovation to the learning enviroment. I would also be thrilled to see the same innovation applied on the college level.
Great job. Don't forget to include links to the videos.
ReplyDeleteEvan, I used to think the “Mr. Dancealots” much like you did until I finally figured their teaching style out and what they were really trying to do. On the surface, Mr. Dancealot looks like a real jerk, but in the deep recesses of the video is the value of communicating with others and being self-motivated to get things done. I watched that video several times because I felt it had to be more than a teacher being a jerk(I read other posts who would agree with that synopsis also), but I asked myself, “If he gave me the information he gave to the students, could I do it?” My answer was yes, I could. With the vast amount of media these days, it would be much easier than when I first started college, but it was feasible even back then. Your experience with the “bad teacher” left an impression that is hard to overcome, but I guarantee if you look at that video, take any one part of it, find the task he mentions/talks about, see if you can do it, you might be surprised at what you find.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with you on Teaching in the 21st Century and how the role of the teacher is tantamount to a student’s success in the classroom. Technology is changing so fast that any classroom not following the outline of what Robert’s is talking about will be left behind, which makes our student’s left behind. I applaud the way you are challenging your inner disappointments with the internet, while embracing the inevitability of a more technologically-based classroom. Since the student’s have so many gadgets, I think that putting them all together and engaging the student’s in the classroom with them will be a step in the right direction of future education.
You really got your motor running when it came to the Networked Student, Evan. Did I detect a little geek in you? Believe it or not, that is a good thing. The idea of connectivism, which will one day be a real word in the dictionary, fascinated me as much as it did you. That concept and what they are doing is a real game changer for the way students bond with one another. We have all of this technology, so seeing someone use it like that is refreshing. As for your question about the student’s understanding the material, I think that they will understand it much more and be able to do more with the knowledge they gain from it.
If the Networked Student has a cousin, it would be Harness Your Students’ Digital Smartness, because it goes to reason that such technology can go far beyond the classroom. My favorite part of your argument here is that you are willing to change, yet be reserved when it comes to accepting it as the gospel. It was so fascinating to me that Ms. Davis took such a smart approach to learning and bringing so many different cultures together in an educational setting. I don’t see it as a movement, like you do, since starting EDM310, but the inevitability of technology reaching out to the classroom is already in effect.
Your response to the Flipping the Classroom question was very much like mine. I’d never heard of it, either, but after seeing what it was all about I was willing to give it a try. It would be great to get right to tweaking and applying the assignments rather than piecemeal it out over several days. It seems like a good way to get our student’s more intelligent because it should limit their interest in the “Idiot Box” and “Idiot Phone,” among others. You seem more at ease with this response because it still gives that old comfort of keeping your students more centralized. I miss those days, too, but like you, I think that flipping the classroom is innovative and a real asset if properly administered.
I really appreciate reading a post that was at times an antithesis to my own points of view. Seeing things in a different light is what makes us all unique individuals, while showing that we do have lots of similarities, too. Keep up the great posts.
Thank you Kevin for your response! It is nice to see someone take the time to review my work with such detail. I am hoping that our education system in general will improve with these new innovations. Thank you also for the words of encouragement, this is not an easy class, but I enjoy it.
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