What a great video Ms. Cassidy has created! This video needs to be shared with all teachers, especially those who are opposed to incorporating technology in their classrooms. In her classroom she has a SMARTboard, multiple computers, headphones, projectors, nintendo DS and more! She is very lucky to have all of these gadgets to offer for her students, but she also worked hard to get to where she is with her classroom. Her first graders all have blogs and operate them with ease. It was pretty amazing watching these "little kids with big potential" in action. By having her students blog they are always writing and improving their skills. She also has clear direct blogging rules, which all of the students are aware of and understand. I was a little shocked when I saw the nintendo DS in the video. However, like the children stated, they are learning how to problem solve and share. Her kids were obviously enthused with the educational approach being presented to them everyday at school. Ms. Cassidy's approach also allows parents to view an online portfolio of their children's work via blog. This is a huge advantage because they are able to constantly be aware and updated of their child's educational progress when convenient for them and not just at parent-teacher conferences.
Skype interview with Ms. Cassidy
This skype interview was very interesting, Ms. Cassidy is full of knowledge and has a lot to offer to her students and fellow educators. She started off her career with little to no technology in her classroom. Eventually she was given a sunray computer(something I have never heard of). What I liked most about the interview with Ms. Cassidy was the way she spoke of how she pushed for the things she wanted in her classroom. She wanted a computer that could do more than just go on the internet, she wanted a computer that could hold programs. So she worked for it, I think this needs to be a message to all future educators and current teachers. Ms. Cassidy worked hard for her students and was diligent with her visions. She started blogging about five years ago and has benefitted from it ever since. In the video when one student asked if she felt there was cheating involved in her students blogs she had a great response to the question. She said that, "you have to present information in your own way, piggybacking is not cheating it's collaborating and I agree with that."This is a great statement and I completely agree with her.
When I have a classroom I hope I can run it much like Ms. Cassidy does. She is innovative and creative. She also allows her students to venture out and be creative in their own way. I think allowing a student to be creative is a vital part of education. One of the problems I may encounter would be a student accessing a website that is not appropriate. Like Ms. Cassidy said in her interview, the students are aware of the rules and given specific instructions of what to click on and what websites to visit. Ms. Cassidy also said, "you are handicapping your students and yourself by not taking advantage of technology." This statement is very true. I also liked Dr. Strange's last question to see her backyard, lots and lots of snow! I am used to it being from NY!
Ellie, I enjoyed reading your blog! I like when you talked about how students' creativeness is a vital part of education. I was also shocked when they were using Nintendo DS's. It makes learning fun for the students because they consider it fun. The "it's not cheating, it's collaborating" phrase is dangerous. Some students may try to use that as an excuse, so teachers need to be extra careful. Great post, and keep blogging!
ReplyDeleteEllie,
ReplyDeleteMrs. Cassidy has worked hard to have this type of classroom. I hope all of us can have access to technology like she does. I think the resources she uses are extremely beneficial for her, the students, and their parents. Like you said, the children are learning writing and communication skills, problem solving skills, and internet safety. I love that the parents can always be updated with the students' work. This new way of communication is easier and more effective in my opinion.
I agree that all teachers can learn so much from Mrs. Cassidy. I love that she cared about her students to fight for better technology. Technology is essential to be able to grow, and we are handicapping our students by not using it. I hope that I can be just as creative and willing to fight on behalf of my students. Mrs. Cassidy is an excellent teacher, and her students are lucky to be in her class.