Blog Post 11

First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class

Ms. Cassidy is really an inspiration to me. She has set the bar very high for education form here on out. She has really given me a different outlook on teaching just by watching these two videos. Ms. Cassidy's students really enjoy learning and all the fun technology they are using to learn.

Ms. Cassidy incorporated technology in the classroom very well. The many resources she used was first the Blog. I thought it was very neat that students who were only in the 1st grade had blogs. I would use blogs in my classroom also. I see that the students benefited from blogging because it is boosting up the students confidence level because, they really enjoyed when someone else commented something positive on their blog. The blogs are another great accessory to the classroom because the students are becoming better writers and are learning how to write and their wording is becoming better. Another great tool that I found very useful in the classroom that Ms. Cassidy's class used was the Wikis. The Wiki was a very creative tool to help the students learn how to look up information on the internet to help them get a better understanding of things. The students can also make their own Wiki to put on the internet. Ms. Cassidy's class did a Wiki video on the alphabets. By doing this it was helping the students learn how to work together in groups, think outside the box on how to make a creative video, and also interact with other students. What Ms. Cassidy is doing with her class is very amazing and shows you that technology should be used throughout the classroom.

The ways I could benefit from the techniques Ms. Cassidy used is that one she incorporated learning with the technology and also to continue to make learning fun. In my classroom I will use definitely use technology especially the blog. I also plan on teaching the second grade so using blogs will be helpful for the children. It is always nice for them to be able to get other view points besides mine. Another benefit from Ms. Cassidy is she made learning fun. She used the Nintendo DS in the classroom. By using the game she taught children how to problem solve to figure out the game and also to another fundamental the students learned was sharing. In the skype video with Dr. Strange, Ms. Cassidy said technology is a way of life. She mentioned how if people are not using technology in the classrooms and learning from it then they are "handicapping" themselves and the children. I have realized that you can not run or hide from technology it will continue to expand and it is here to be used for the better of society.