Blog Post #11

For our assignment this week we were to watch the learning techniques of Ms. Kathy Cassidy.

If you don't have time to watch the video, it basically overviews the teaching style of Ms. Cassidy. She teaches first graders in a school that has a large amount of access to technology and she appears to take advantage of it, in the best way possible. She allows(and I'm sure does quite a bit of assisting for) her first graders to have their own personal blogs. She also does technology based centers in which the children are given access to websites they may never have otherwise visited. They also use wikis as learning tools, where they pick topics to learn about and both ask and answer questions. They make videos and use social networking skills to make friends and learn from people in other locations. They also(my personal favorite!) use the Nintendo DS to play games focused on word choice and from this they learn to use problem solving techniques.

We also watched a Skype interview between her and Dr. Strange where we learned the "whys" behind her use of technology in such a young group. It was very inspiring to hear that she was not really encouraged to do this, although she had support, she accomplished so much of this on her own. I also liked seeing that the different administrators, were if not supportive at least tolerant of these procedures.

I am not under any stretch of the imagination a big "technology-with-young-kids" advocate; however I LOVED this assignment. I loved seeing the way she made it personalized for the kids, how she incorporated so many different lessons, subjects, and techniques in. Judging from the reactions of the kids in the video they were learning and enjoying every minute of it!!

The main technique that I would hope to incorporate into my classroom is the use of the gaming systems(whether it be DS, PSP, or even Ipod Touches) they are something the kids are familiar with and see as a source of enjoyment. To make something like this into a learning tool is GENIUS because it teaches the kids from a young age that learning and fun can exist on the same plane. I also really loved the concept of "reading buddies." Having older students "tutor" the kids remotely would be so good for both reading skills, social skills, and technological skills. It would also I believe be very beneficial to the older children.

I think that being a teacher in southern Alabama some of the problems I may encounter that she wouldn't would be less access and less assistance on the parental side. In Canada technology has been more readily available and is more common than down south.