Blog Post #11

Mrs. Cassidy is a first grade teacher from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. In her class of first graders she stresses the use and importance of technology in her classroom. She believes that not using technology is not adequate for students today. Technology is growing everyday and teaching has changed tremendously even in the past five or ten years. Teaching is not the same as it was when we were in elementary school and we should update our ways of teaching according to the times. I was very impressed with the video of the first graders in Mrs. Cassidy's class. The first grade students knew how to use technology such as Skype, blogs and SMARTboards. This blew me away because I did not write my first blog or use a SMARTboard until I was in college. They said in the video how important it is to be nice and respectful when commenting on blogs so no ones feelings get hurt. The students also said that the blogs help them improve their writing and grammar skills. I thought it was quite astonishing to see such young children able to utilize so many types of technology and  for it to benefit their learning so much. I also really like that students can choose what to do during certain parts of the school day when they get to choose what subject and type of work they want to practice  on the computers. I also like that the students are able to access the classroom blog from home and that they are all so excited to learn using technology. This is something I want to incorporate into my classroom. I really liked Mrs. Cassidy's statement when she said in the skype video with Dr.Strange about people who think technology is not needed in the classroom, she said, "You are handicapping your students and yourself by not taking advantage of those tools." I agree with this statement. Technology is growing each and every day and I think as a future teacher that we should take advantage of the technology given and use it in the best way we can to help our students grow, learn, and engage in the classroom. Technology is a great way to make learning fun and exciting for students. It is also a great way to teach students without them even realizing they are learning. When Mrs. Cassidy's first graders are skyping or blogging or even making the video's about the letters in the alphabet they do not realize they are learning. They are just having fun working together and using the different types of technology. The children love getting comments on their blogs and knowing that people are reading their blogs. It is much more exciting than using paper and pencil and the only person reading their writing is their teacher. The comments are a way of encouraging the students to improve their writing.

I want to use technology in my classroom to not only keep my students up to date but to help them learn and meet their full potential and I believe technology can help them to achieve that. I think technology goes far beyond textbooks and paper and can help students exceed the expectations for their age and grade. I think if every teacher utilized technology like Mrs. Cassidy does that in the near future students would be more intelligent and know concepts that are standards for grade levels that are one or two grade levels higher then them. I want to have a classroom blog, SMARTboards, and to also use Skype. I think allowing my students the opportunity to talk to other students or teachers around the world can be very eye opening and beneficial for them. I believe by starting to teach the use of technology as such a young age we are preparing our students for their futures. Technology will never go away it will only continue to grow. I like Mrs. Cassidy's approach to technology and I definitely intend to use technology in my classroom. I think Mrs. Cassidy is embracing technology and using it in a great way that benefits her students.