Blog Post Assignment #11

Little Kids... Big Potential

Kathy Cassidy is a teacher in Moose Jaw, Canada. She teachers first grade and is a technology literate teacher. She integrates technology into her curriculum in order to help her students achieve skills they will need to become lifelong learners. The Skype interview with Kathy Cassidy was so inspiring and I enjoyed it so much. It just goes to show that one teacher can make a difference. It was her choice to bring technology into the classroom and make a change. No one forced her to, it was her decision and she was willing to do it for the student’s in her class. Teachers need to be willing to make choices for students, which allow them to be successful in and out of the classroom. Kathy Cassidy cared enough about her students to take those ten computers and USE them. She did not just let them sit in her classroom and “look” good. She chose to help herself, research, and find ways to make use of the technology she had available to her. It did not matter the age or grade of her class; it goes to show that technology is available for all ages. I also thought it was really great how she changes the way she uses technology in her classroom depending on the demands of her students.  This just goes to show that the students in her classroom are her priority, not just getting the curriculum standards in. What an inspiration!

After watching, Kathy’s interview with Dr. Strange, and after a semester of blogging, I look forward to using and having a classroom blog. I think this is such an excellent way for students to get immediate feedback, display their progress, and get validation for their work. Instead of having just the teacher or parents’ encouragement, they have the encouragement of the world.  It is so important for students to get encouragement! It helps build self-esteem, so they have the confidence they need to push towards the goals they want to accomplish.  Dr. Strange and Kathy Cassidy both agree having a personal learning network makes a tremendous different in  education and the success of creating lifelong learners. This should be our goals as teachers. Just like Kathy, we should want to help ourselves (become lifelong learners) and students to become technology literate. We should not handicap our students or ourselves because we are scared to change with the world as technology seems to be taking over. We should not expect students to “power down” when they are at school. Yes, at times, it may be a challenge but with the help of PLNs, teachers can find the support they need to push forward as technology develops, and find different ways to incorporate technology into the curriculum. Teachers want students to get out of their comfort zones and try new things so, is it too much to ask for teachers to do the same?

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~ Mark Twain