An Open Letter to Educators

What does it mean to receive an education? This is how Dan Brown starts off his video. He states in the video that education needs to change to become more in line with the information age. I think that he is right to a point. Information is readily available in today's world. Can't think of the person who stars in that movie? Just pull up the information in your IPhone. With the internet at our fingertips 24/7, the value of information has decreased as stated by Brown. He says he dropped out of college because it was interfering with his education that is free to him if he wants to put in the time to find the information. I think that an education is still necessary from an institutional standpoint, however, the methods in which information is transmitted needs to change. Teachers need to consider the implications of the information age on their students. They need to take into consideration the technological skills their students will need to have when they enter society in order to compete and survive. So... I do agree with Brown in that education needs reform to meet the needs of the students in the information age but I do not agree that institutional education is not necessary. See what you think, view the movie below.

Google: So Many Tools... So Little Time

Recently I researched all the tools that Google has to offer. I was surprised by the number of tools that Google has to offer that I was not aware of. So I would like to share some of these tools with you.These tools can help you collaboratively work on an assignment with colleagues or students. They can help you stay organized as well as make your space personal. My personal favorite is Gmail. I went from an AOL account to a Gmail account and loved it. I will never use anything but Gmail.. so I say now.

The Shift: Education 1.0 --> Education 2.0

Education 1.0 is the traditional model and methods of teaching. Education 1.0 is fading as the Education 2.0 model is coming into view. Traditionally if you walked into a classroom you would witness students sitting quietly completing a worksheet or answering questions from the back of the chapter they just read in their textbook. You might see the teacher teaching information to the whole class using lecture. Children now find this method to be boring. Kids fall asleep and are learning less because they are not engaged. To engage today's children we need to use technology, we need to use the Education 2.0 tools. Education 2.0 involves group work/collaborative assignments where they are active learners. Previously students would submit papers and essays. Now students want to complete assignments using videos, digital posters, and podcasts. The students want to be engaged in the world they live in and contemplate the complex ideas that are presented by society. They want to be current and so should we as teachers!

Personal Learning Environment Video Reflection

After watching the video about the personal learning environment I was very intrigued. Those students have a great advantage. They are 2.0 students. By learning online and attending class online these students are learning skills that will help them in the future. These students will be able to function as adults in the NET generation. These students logged on each day and checked an agenda to decide what they needed to accomplish for the day. They worked using many different technology resources to complete assignments. They blogged about what they learned that day and found experts to video chat with about their work. This model allowed for students to experience more freedom and independence by deciding what to do and how to do it. They were only guided and received feedback from their teacher. This classroom is operating at a the highest level, refinement, of the LoTi scale. This environment is completely learner-centered. It is fabulous, but I don't know how practical for many of our schools.

Literacy Takes on a Whole New Meaning

In today's world technology is running the show. This can be seen especially in the students that are in the classrooms. These students are now know as 21st Century learners in a digital age that has consumed them. So what are 21st Century learners? I think the following video explains it nicely!

My Digital Prints O.o

Recently I was asked to think about my digital prints. So I asked myself, what are digital prints? They are the footprints you leave behind when you create new things on the Internet. When I really started to think hard about this, I realized that at 25 years old I have already left a ton of digital prints behind. The funny thing is, once you create something on the Internet, it is there forever even if you "delete" it.

Welcome!

Hello all! I invite you to read and write on my blog. I am a middle school Math teacher. I teach 5th and 6th grade. I am constantly looking for new and exciting activities to use in the classroom, especially those that include technology. 
Technology provides amazing opportunities for students to learn. I try to use many different forms of technology on a regular basis in my classroom. I am a traveling teacher, meaning that I share rooms with other teachers. So, sometimes I have access to wonderful technology such as a SmartBoard, Elmo, and projectors and other times i'm lucky if I have an overhead projector.
The constant change in materials available can be frustrating, but it challenges me to be creative with all of my classes. So, please share whatever you have!