Blog Post 10

  In the video, "First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class" (Little kids... big potential), Kathy Cassidy's class talks about all the way they use technology in their classroom. The students enjoy writing their blogs. They love seeing other people comment on their blog and how it improves their own writing skills. One student says to never say mean things on a comment, always say nice things! The students also show how they interact with their classroom webpage, wikis, and Skype. The students use Skype to contact students in other classrooms and in other states.

  In the video, "Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 1", Dr. Strange and Kathy Cassidy discuss aspects of technology in the classroom. Cassidy says she is always pushing the envelope when it comes to new technology. She is also adamant on protecting her students identities online by having students post only their first name, not their last. Her students love technology, and she says students and technology go hand in hand. Students won't learn by the same tools that were used to teach 10 or 20 years ago. We are limiting ourselves by not taking advantage of technology. Does every teacher need to be technology literate? Absolutely! Technology is not going away, it is here to stay.

  In the video, "Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 2", Dr. Strange asks Cassidy how teachers should begin the technology process in their classroom. She says the best way to start is with video, photo sharing, blogging, overall creating a network. Both also discuss the importance of Twitter. Following other teachers on Twitter has helped them in their own teaching skills.

  In the video,"Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 3", Dr. Strange's students ask Cassidy questions. One student asked how often Cassidy uses blogging in the classroom and replied by saying once or twice a week, depending on how things are going in the classroom. When asked about cheating, Cassidy says using technology to cheat has not really become a problem. Technology has created a shift to collaboration. To protect students while they search online, Cassidy teaches her students to not use their last name, to not post pictures of themselves, to not say negative things to others on the internet, and to not click on flashy ads or links to other websites.

  The main technique of hers I plan on using is internet safety. It is so important to keep these students safe and on track while they learn with technology. If students are taught internet safety correctly, a whole world of information is in their hands to educate and help them.