Blog Assignment #11

Little Kids, BIG Potential

In the video, First Graders in Mrs. Cassidy's Class, Mrs. Cassidy and her students take us on a virtual tour of her classroom and introduce us to all of the interactive technology used every day in her room. They use a variety of different technologies ranging from Nintendo DS, Skype, Wiki, blogging and many more. Her students are only in the 1st grade and know more about blogging than I do and most people that I know do, too.

Some of the students in her class were giving tips on how to blog properly. They told us to never say anything mean about anyone or to anyone, because it could hurt their feelings. That is such a great statement. I love the idea of this coming from a 1st grader. Not only do her students know how to blog at age 6, but they are also learning life lessons throughout this. Her students are at the perfect age to learn about social media, too. This is the age before they embark on Facebook, Twitter, and who knows what other websites will be out by the time they are old enough to use and understand them. It is great that they have grasped an understanding on how to respond to people and what they post BEFORE they enter this other area of social networking. I think that is a huge problem with my generation today. We were never properly taught how to respond to others' ideas, and Facebook is a direct correlation of that. These children are going to grow up with an understanding of how to positively speak to others, even when their ideas may not be the same. I am very excited to see how this generation transforms.

Skyping With Mrs. Cassidy

Dr. Strange set up a Skype interview with Mrs. Cassidy to discuss some of her views on technology inside and outside of the classroom. He asked several questions and then gave the floor to some of his students.

During the interview with Mrs. Cassidy, Dr. Strange asked the question, "How do you see blogs?" Mrs. Cassidy answered with a statement similar to, "The world could go on without blogs and they would find some other sort of tool to communicate through, but it wouldn't make it as interesting." She mentioned that without blogs, the kids would be writing for their teacher, not the world. Now, when they are given an assignment, the students understand that their papers and assignments are out there for the world to see and that they have an unlimited audience. This gives them the pressure to write to the best of their abilities and gives them higher standards for themselves.

Dr. Strange also asked the question, "Where do you think is a good place to start with technology in a classroom?". Mrs. Cassidy responded with, "Start with what you are interested in the most." I think this is an important concept, especially when embarking in on a new or unfamiliar area such as blogging, audios, podcasting, wikis and many others. If you start with what you are most interested in at the beginning of your journey, you will be more motivated to keep it up.

A student in one of Dr. Strange's classes asked the question, "With blogging becoming a more common thing, do you think that cheating is becoming more prominent?". In Mrs. Cassdiy's response she made the comment that there is a difference between collaborating and cheating. Collaborating is when we feed off of others' work and cheating is when we actually steal it. I, personally, feel that is one of the primary purposes of blogging, podcasting, audios, videos and so on; so we can share our work and give information to the world. I loved her answer!!

This interview was very useful. I got a lot of questions answered from this. I want my students to be able to communicate with other students. I think that is wonderful. Children require interaction, and it would be beneficial, engaging, and fun for them to be able to communicate with other students across the world and see what they are engaging themselves in too! Also, I enjoyed seeing her backyard. I am so envious of all of the snow!