Personal Learning Network

I went to the website of Giselda dos Santos from her Twitter page. Once there, a video appeared from YouTube which read, "Why not use the technology our students love to reach more effectively?" This was a very interesting video which touched on ideas we have read or have made a point in our blogs. The video emphasises the point that our students are digital learners (iPods, cell phones, Internet, computer, etc.), but instructors are not taking advantage of this in the classroom. Instructors need to incorporate these devices for students in order to become more effective. The example that it used was to have your students text someone and in ten minutes get the some information. Bonus points would be awarded to students who received the information from persons in another country and in another language. The information the students get can then be used for statistics and graphing.

The second person in my PLN is Wendy Drexler. I posted a comment on her blog for our blog assignment last week. She quickly commented on my blog which was quit exciting because I was not expecting her to reply. I watched her Networked Student video and she said that she would be trying this out in the middle school. I see that she had implemented it in the middle school. There were many obstacles that she encountered however. The problems were not created by the students but involved the computers themselves. From her experience I realize that instructors HAVE to come out of pocket to help engage their students in something new; a new way of learning. The return value of that is priceless.

I am following Steven W. Anderson on Twitter and I have viewed his most recent blog on grades. It was a debate whether or not an actual letter grade is a good thing or has any real value in the classroom for students, teachers and parents. Should this traditional assessment be trashed for a more modern way of the students' progress? Some commented on education being taken over by grades and a supplementation to the grading system. Also what does a 98, 90 and 95 really mean? I honestly do not think there is a way to just do away with the traditional grading system anytime soon because generations upon generations have grown up on this system and may enjoy the satisfaction of seeing a letter grade. The numbr grades also serve a sense of satisfaction. The closer you are to 100, the more you are achieving. I think the best way to solve this problem is to have a supplement to the traditional grading system. I have not yet come up with a specific one, but if you have any suggestions, please feel free to express them!

Larry Ferlazzo is an inner city Biology teacher. I emailed him to ask him what is the best way, as a new teacher, to handle a class such as his. I was directed to read his blogs on "Class Practice." I found some useful information that I think can be used in all classroom settings. The first thing I noticed repeatedly was a chalkboard with "I will respect m students" written on it several times. This is so true. Adults often believe that respect is a one-way street but all human beings deserve the same amount of respect. Classroom rules was another interesting topic. I found it interesting that rules can be created by the students. These rules will hold greater value to those who created them. As adults, we have a great influence over our students. Sometimes we are all they have to look up to. Therefore, we must practice self-control so that they can do the same. What we have to remember is that we are the adults and should act as such. Just because we are having a bad day does not mean we take it out on them or the faculty and staff of the school. Students have bad days also which are sometimes much worse than what we are experiencing.

The next person I am following on Twitter is Judie Haynes an ELL instructor from New Jersey. She explains challenges ELL students face in the content areas of Reading, Social Studies and Math. For math, in particular, she notes that these students have different ways for arriving at an answer and may calculate their answers mentally which means that they are not able to show their work. The differences in cultures mean that students are not familiar with our measurement system, the decimal point and comma may have a different meaning and calculations may be all they know when they come to our classrooms. This information is very pertinent for me because I may think a particular student is a discipline problem because he or she does not do it the way I expect him or her to when the student is only having cultural issues. Instructors must be knowledgeable about their ELL students cultures while addressing them in the classroom.