Ms. Cassidy feels that technology is very important and it is not going away. College students today that are studying to become teachers should realize how important technology is and how big of a role it plays in schools today. We need to learn how to use technology now because no matter what age we teach or where we teach, we will always be faced with modern technology and we will have to use it everyday. She also talks about how important it is to have a PLN (Personal Learning Network) and to use it to our benefit. Twitter is a great resource to find people to connect with and share ideas with.
Ms. Cassidy also talks about how she keeps her students safe when it comes to the internet. She tells her students to never put their last name on anything they post online, not to post pictures of themselves, and also to be positive when commenting on other students' work. She puts safe sources on the class webpage for the students to navigate to when they need to. She also teaches them what they should do when they come across something that they know they shouldn't see. It is all about education and teaching them what to do, even on the internet too.
I really enjoyed watching and listening to Ms. Cassidy talk about technology. I learned quite a bit about how it should be used correctly in the classroom and how to keep the students safe from the dangers of the internet. I learned that technology is very important in any classroom and it will always play a role in a student's learning from here on. Technology is always changing and always advancing, so as teachers we need to keep up with it to ensure our students get the best possible learning environment they can get.
Jasmine,
ReplyDeleteYou certainly understand the significance of teachers not only becoming technologically adept, but accepting and open to using technology in their classrooms with students. I found it interesting Ms. Cassidy even allowed her students to use their Nintendo DS devices to incorporate technology and increase student interest. I have always thought if students were allowed to use tools they are already familiar using, it helps them associate with new things they are learning in the classroom.
One of the teachers I was assigned to follow this semester has a wonderful set of Internet Safety Tools you may be interested in checking out since you mentioned Ms. Cassidy making sure her student knew safety protocol. I have downloaded several of her documents for my personal use, and wanted to pass them along to you. You can find Kathleen Morris' Internet Safety Tools by following this link:
http://primarytech.global2.vic.edu.au/internet-safety/