I picked the "The Savvy Teacher" for my professional development because I have a growing interest in finding ways to get our teachers more engaged. If we do not engage our teachers, our students will never have the opportunity to use the web to enhance their learning, creativity and especially their self confidence!
This is also very timely because my major project is a professional development day for engaging middle years teachers on the importance of using the web to help bring them and our students into the 21st century. They can learn to enhance their teaching and expand strategies to allow them to teach to the multiple intelligences. Our students need to be opened up to a variety of opportunities and to explore their learning styles, to learn and express themselves in ways which are meaningful to them.
Research shows that kids playing video or online games are faced with decisions every 1 to 2 seconds and they are rewarded for those decisions, positively or negatively, every 7 to 10 seconds. This is the world they live in. We need to be able to engage them in a way that matches that world. We can only do this by using technology to engage them, help them create in ways that are meaningful to them and allow them to connect to others in the same way.
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I haven't seen the savvy teacher, but will have to look at it. I wonder if tehcnology is truly the only way to engage students, or rather just oen of the ways we can use to hook kids in. I know the technology tools are cool, but I do think our job as teachers is to make them move beyond the "coolness" of the tools to the ideas, creativity, and information inherent in them.
ReplyDeletei sure like your idea of a middle years day forcused on 21st century skills.
I would like to say this about technology and other ways of engaging students. We need to blend as many ways of engaging students as we see the need to. Technology can teach students to move beyond the coolness of the tools if we as teachers become models of learning for them.
ReplyDeleteI can feel your excitement about your new confidence and knowledge about technology through your writing.
ReplyDeleteI do still believe that children and adults need inspiring happy role models who use technology and share what they know as they grow to become excited and motivated to want to use it. You are that role model!
My class's Nursery Reading Buddy group spent 20 minutes on the computer during a reading session with us. My students were the teachers and not one bit of misbehaviour from anyone!! Share the stage I say!
It has been great to see our fellow classmates learn so much and filter the info down to others- there is so much to read and so much to learn...it like a great book that you want to never end.
Take Care