I am doing my field internship with the famous "Guy in a Tie." I have visited his classroom now on three separate occasions, and I must say that I am impressed. Not only is Jeff a great teacher (organized, enthusiastic, approachable), he truly engages his students by using technology.
Many of you may be aware of some of the tools he uses, but I will name the two that I have witnessed and am most impressed with. Podcasts. I have seen Jeff's students record podcasts on two occasions. The most notable is he had his 6th graders write papers about evolution as if it was a sporting event. For example, one student described the progression from single-celled organisms to humans as a soccer match, complete with fights and goals. The kids read these stories into a microphone, hooked up to a computer, and recorded their podcast in Garage Band. It was extra credit this time, but this kids really got into it.
The second cool use of technology that Jeff uses is that he has his students take quizzes on-line. Wait, didn't I do that in college? The students, at the tender age of 11, are responsible for getting on a computer, taking the quiz, and doing all of this before the website closes at an established time. I like this because it is something the kids will likely have to do in the future, and it teaches them to be responsible.
I am excited to see the other ways the students use technology in Jeff's classroom!
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5 comments:
Courtney,
I think it is really impressive that Jeff is able to get eleven year olds to be responsible enough to take a quiz online. I agree with you that this is good for them and will help prepare them for the future - both in school and the work place.
I've found my opinion on whether or not schools should use leading-edge technology has shifted over the course of this program. I'm starting to see that if our goal as educators is to prepare children to be future productive citizens, we must teach them to use the technology that is advancing faster than most of us can comprehend.
It's really wonderful that you've had this experience, and I hope that you can learn from him and take it into your future science classrooms.
Courtney,
I agree that teaching younger students to be responsible for their assignments and quizzes online will only add to their academic accountability and responsibility. Also, it will not be a shock to them once they enter college as to the weight professors put on students to submit their work themselves or fail an assignment.
However, how does your field internship teacher, Jeff, plan for those students who do not have access to the Internet or have a computer conveniently in their household? Does he allow students extra time to use the labs at school? Encourage them to use the resources at the public library? While it's a great idea, I hope that no student would feel at a disadvantage if he/she does not have access to technology at home.
I think that Adrienne raises an important point about access and I'd also be interested in how Jeff thinks about this...I'm sure that he's had to consider it.
I am also interested in your conjectures about what the "take aways" are for the students doing the podcasts you describe. How do you think it enhances their learning experience, and how does it connect to them as people?
Courtney,
Jeff sounds pretty creative. Have you asked him about his process for coming up with applications of technology in his classroom? My problem is that I love the idea of certain tools, especially podcasts and movie-making but I struggle with coming up with good, practical ideas for using them in a chemistry class...
-Tafaya
Jeff sounds great and very progressive! I think its wonderful that he is preparing these students for their future, after all isn't that why kids attend school, to be prepared for life? Its important that we as future educators, as you have already noted in your blog, be cognizant of ways to make learning fun, while also educating them about how to use various tools to better prepare for their future jobs whatever they may be.
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