Nafiza's Project

Digital Generation Project Youth Portrait: Nafiza is an amazing example of how Second Life and other tools can be rich learning tools. I am amazed at the amount of technology equipment, access, and awareness that is present in Nafiza's school and teacher. I still find most schools in this area to be quite different.

Blogging Buddies

The video We Like Our Blogging Buddies: The Write Stuff with Blogging Mentors is a good example of how many possibilities there are for learning with web 2.0 tools. I remember when I was able to connect with a Grade 3 class in England through Skype. They shared with a 3rd grade class my granddaughter was in at the time. Getting to see students the same age engaged in sharing the simplest things, like what each one did each day was amazing. I think humans have a natural desire to connect and virtual tools can be used to enhance a learning experience even at a distance.

Teaching Cameron

The video Digital Generation Project Youth Portrait: Cameron is worth thinking about for several reasons.

There are three different perspectives I would like to explore. First, what would Cameron think if he were a student in my class. Would he be excited about the learning experiences I have constructed for him? Would he benefit and learn valuable lessons as a result from being in my class? Secondly, what about his parents. Will they respect my contributions to their son's education? How will they anticipate being involved in his learning experiences? The last perspective to question is my own. As a teacher, how will having Cameron in my class change my approach to teaching? Is this an issue of control or need? What if I've been teaching the same way for a long time and it has always worked before? Why wouldn't it work now? There may not be any conclusive answers to these questions, but certainly the time spent thinking about the possible answers will serve us well.

Several articles have been written about Teaching in the 21st Century, so it seems as though things are always changing and teachers will always be adjusting to meet the needs of students in every century.

Week 1 Assignment

OK, I have created my blog and I'm ready for the first post.

Short bio - I have been teaching for 32 years at still love learning new things to share with others. My professional goals seem to always be exploring new ways of teaching and learning. So, this is definitely a good match . The problem is I'm not a digital native and sharing my thoughts to a virtual audience is a new experience to some degree. I'll keep you posted as the semester progresses.

1. Share an initial post on your T4T Personal Learning blog, sharing a short bio about yourself and/or some information about your professional goals as an education student. What do you want to teach? Why do you want to become a teacher.