Well today was an interesting day, I actually understood the programming of the IPOD touch, so I am feeling a bit more relaxed with the technology. Then I played with Kidspiration 2 to design our grids for the group project on the IPOD touch, it was very user friendly and I had a wonderful time playing with the software. The difficulty with this is that I took time away from my other responsibilities to explore the possibilities of this software, something I did not have the time for before this course. Summertime and staying in Wolfville has afforded my the time to explore the learning and extend my understanding of some of this technology that is available and accessible to all our students.
As a facilitator I understand the importance of effective communication so having solutions to support non verbal students is a definite asset for our ability to continue to support our students. I can not say it enough, the biggest gem I received from this masters is the phrase from you barb, create independent learners, I know this is where we need to be headed in order to support all our students in making informed decisions and this can not happen if we can not show them how to become independent. The education community talk about students taking ownership for their own learning and how important it is to be accountable and yet we do not teach this model, independence because we are data driven.
I know that our students are technologically savvy and that this device the IPOD touch would be a challenge and very exciting for them to use to support their learning, although it can be frustrating and there will be some down time, ultimately I think it will be the team and the support staff that get frustrated more than the student. I think this because this generation of children have incredible skills as it relates to video games, music, cell phones, Iphones and yes computers, so this would be just another gadget for them to master. I have a vision that laptops for every student would give them the opportunity to use what they know and expand on that knowledge. The days of paper and pencil are dwindling because the immediate access of technology has shown students a faster way to gain information. For society it would allow students to be more environmentally friendly and less wasteful because computers can be their binders and organizational piece that would support time management and effective work habits, less stress on the struggling readers and writers. I am excited about all the software that is accessible that can support reading, comprehension and word building skills, this could be a turning point for the disengaged student.
I do not understand why if we have access to all this wonderful information it is not shared and distributed in the school sites for student development. I attended a Professional Development day for grade 4 teachers that was aboard initiated roll out of technology that was comprised of movie maker and a design program for graphic novels, I totally enjoyed making a movie and sharing it with my colleagues, I was able to have hands on experience and training that showed me what is available on the board sites that is accessible to all school sites. In the learning centers in elementary classrooms there is limited access to technology, I am not sure why but I think we need to be asking the questions, after all our job is to improve student learning.
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