Blog Post #11

Ms. Cassidy's Approach to Using Technology in the Classroom

     Ms. Cassidy, person on the left in above picture, is a great example of how teachers can use technology in the classroom. Her students write blogs, make wikis, make videos, use Skype, and use the Nintendo DS. Her students get excited that the blogs they write will be read around the world. They are excited that somebody wants to see what they write. I think this is a great way to get students excited about writing, no matter what they are writing about. They get to see on a cluster map where it is that people are viewing their blog from. They also get to see the number of times their blogs are read. I really liked the part in the video that showed them playing on the Nintendo DS. They played Nintendog, a game where they had a pet dog they had to take care of. They said that it helped them to be better problem solvers. They also said that it taught them how to share, which isn't something many people would think they could learn from a game on a hand-held gaming device.

     As a high school English teacher, I would like to incorporate the use of blogging in my classroom. I think it would be a great way for them to share writing assignments with the rest of the world. I think that some students might be more willing to hear what other people have to say about what they write, not only what I have to say as their teacher. I also think that they would work harder on what they write, instead of only doing what is necessary to get it done, because it will be accessible by the whole world. I think a problem I might encounter is that students get on websites that they are not supposed to be on while they are working. A way I could address this problem is to try to keep a closer eye on them. Also, the school places restrictions on certain websites in which they can access. There might be problems in using technology that we can't anticipate, but if we don't try just because there might be problems, we aren't doing anybody any good. As Ms. Cassidy put it, "You are handicapping your students and yourself by not taking advantage of the tools available."