1. Mr. Dancealot
In the
Professor Dancealot video, the central message was his teaching method and lack of evaluation, the professor lacked to assess his students and failed to evaluate the tools and material he was using to teach the students. The professor had been teaching the same class for 12 years and form the looks of it, he has not changed anything in those 12 years. Every year a teacher should do an assessment or an evaluation of the effectiveness of the materials that they used that school year. What worked last year, may not work this year,and what work this year may not work next year. The author of the movie made it clear that there is a gap between teaching and learning. Although the professor was teaching the material, it all got lost in the transaction between teacher and student, because of the lack of evaluation. At the end of the video it clearly showed hoe effective Professor Dancealot methods were, when the students were left clueless to take the final exam. He taught using diagrams, yet he tested the students on if they knew how to perform the dance. His method of teaching did not match his method of testing.
To teach in the 21st century a teacher must not compete with new technology, but embrace it. Information no longer only come from textbooks, but various sources. As the technology advance so should teachers, and if not teachers will be left behind. According to Roberts video, Teaching in the 21st Century,
Students get information from
-blogs
-Facebook
-Twitter
-Youtube
-Google
Skills students are learning
-networking
-editing
-tagging
-searching
-posting
-linking
Where are they learning this
-friends
-strangers
-themselves
Roberts think we need to rethink the tools we are using and I agree. While technology is transforming so should the teaching tools that are used. For me as an education major, I see this as an advantage. We as students are constantly trying to find different tools to help us with assignments and help us learn. With different tools being created, educators can enhance their teaching experience for the students.
3. The Networked Students While watching The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler, it asked a question,
"Why does a networked student need a teacher?"
In my opinion every student needs a teacher for guidance, reassurance, and to teach the proper way of doing things. The video listed all the tools a networked student has access to such as Skype, Blogger, Google Scholar, and social sites. While a student may have access to these tools and technology, one may not be comfortable with the new way of learning and finding information, therefore they will need a teacher for help. A teacher can, as said in the video, teach how to build their network, guide when stuck, and help organize the information.
4. Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts The thesis of this video was to teach students about the new tools and technology in todays century. I agree with the author Vicki Davis when she said "Where children have trouble is when you only have paper and only have pencil, then only certain types of children are going to succeed." The 21st century has become the century of technology to most students. We are always searching for the newest or latest thing that is out, so it is also important for the teachers to be up to date on the latest technology.
5.Fipping the Classroom
Flipping the Classroom was an informative video. I have not heard of that method of teaching. In the past I have had teachers do something similar to this method, where we were told to go home watch videos and read a few chapters for the next day lesson. This new approach is great and useful for teachers. It allows that students to go home and learn of familiarize themselves with the next lesson without the pressure of time. While at school teachers are only given so much time to teach a lesson, while some students are fast learners, others may not be. This approach will allow for students to ask questions (if any) and get a better understanding of the lesson. It also so allows the teacher to be more hands on with the students.
