Evolving Classroom Education

Summary:
This article describes three examples of a shift of technology that is coming around in classrooms. The first being "BYOD" or "Bring your own device." The author describes that this provides a great benefit to students and schools alike because the students already have the technology, and the schools do not have to spend the money on it. A downfall to this being that some students cannot afford the technology. The second shift is to use "Natural user interfaces." Examples of this is the nintendo wii, and Xbox kinect. The potential of these devices is not described by the author, but the author describes enthusiasm that the ideas will four in throughout the next five years. The last shift is towards "Personal Learning Environments." This idea is centered in that students will essentially create their own future learning success. There are not a lot of details to this idea.

Opinion:
Call me old-school, but the shift to technology in Elementary Schools is happening way too fast, and is not the best of all ideas. It is overwhelming. The use of technology with ideas such as BYOD limits students who are not able to bring/afford devices, and sets them apart from other students. This is a greater limitation to their success in life over the "limitation" of just using a pen and paper. In addition to this, the use of technology may be fun, and it may provide many new resources for students, but this is leading students down a road to limiting physical social interaction. There are so many 4 and 5 year olds who cry at the idea of having to run around on a playground with other students, they would much rather sit inside and play on their iPad. I think using technology is a great idea, but we need to pull in the reigns, take a step back, take a breath, and evaluate the positives and negatives to throwing down so much technology at once.

Common Core in Action

Summary:
The article discusses the experiences of two science teachers, relating to them dealing with literacy in the Common Core for the first time. The first teacher describes that she had never had to implement literacy in her classes, and she was not used to it. It took her a lot of time, and working with others before she felt that she had a good grasp on what she would be doing in her classroom. The other teacher describes a similar experience. Both teachers discuss the activities and resources that they use in order to merge their teaching with Common Core and literacy in the classroom. The article ends with advice to both teachers to take things in small steps rather than leaps and bounds, and set goals for what you want to achieve in your classroom by the end of the year.

Opinion:
First, Science is already a had subject in my opinion. Not only to learn, but definitely to teach. Trying to throw the Common Core State Standards in to the mix seems a bit overwhelming. I was happy to read that these teachers were able to grasp the concepts with more ease (although it took time) rather than struggling through their teaching. I think that their parting advice at the end of the article is extremely helpful and will benefit many new, and current teachers who are struggling to incorporate the Common Core in to their classroom.

Voki

Cyber Bullying

Throughout the decades, everyone has heard of bullying. It has become a serious issue in our culture today, and a lot of people are working hard to make sure that upcoming generations are educated about the seriousness of bullying. This is wonderful, but a new kind of bullying has come to light in the last decade or so, cyber-bullying. In our culture today, technology has become more than just a convenience or something we CAN use, it's become something that we MUST use. Especially young adults who are growing up in a time where they don't know a world without a smartphone in their hand at every waking moment. In addition to the common use of cellular devices and laptops,  social media is playing a huge and important role in the lives of children. They are beginning to sign up for Facebook accounts and use twitter much younger than website developers have anticipated. Due to this, they do not understand how to use social media properly, and they do not understand the impact that their cyber actions are having on others. Bullying is never a good thing, but in the past it had to be conducted face-to-face and it took a strong person to hurt another, now it has become so easy for anyone to hide behind the words on a computer screen, and torment others without having to recognize facial expressions or the full impact of their actions. Now is the time to rise up and educate even more the importance of treating others the way you want to be treated, and how your actions can affect others. It is important to teach students how to use social media and the cyber world in an appropriate way, and it is important to show students the impact that ANY kind of bullying has had on others. Parents, teachers, friends, and family need to speak up and talk to their kids.

Augmented reality snags a coveted spot in classrooms

Summary:
This article explores the world of technology as a new and exciting way for students to learn and be connected. Augmented reality is a program that can bring learning to life through the use of a phone or tablet device. Students can feel like they are living what they're learning, and it is quickly being moved in to classrooms. One teacher describes how he has used the new technology to teach students about different periods of war, by breaking parts up and having them piece them together in order. Students are getting out of their seats and becoming more interested in learning with this new technology.

Opinion:
I think that we need to be careful about how much emphasis on technology we put in to the hands of students. The idea of augmented reality is a wonderful one, I think that students will be more interested in learning with something like this, but it will only benefit them in moderation. When you use a kind of technology too much, it becomes mundane and students become uninterested. We as a cultured have learned to always look for new things in technology and explore possibilities. The important thing is that we do not forget the art of writing with a pen and pencil, and taking students on field trips.

Five Essentials to Create Connected Students

Summary:
The article covers what most are thinking these days, students have a lot of technology at their hands. The article discusses the need for educators to take a step up and educate their students on how to use technology properly. The author says, "Otherwise, we're handing them the keys to the car without teaching them how to drive." The use of blogs, Facebook, twitter, and texting can be beneficial in classrooms and can help students feel connected, but it is worthless unless they are taught how to use it properly. The author discusses five essentials for well-connected students. 1) Being connected in appropriate ways. 2) Publishing their academic works. 3) Know how to converse on the web. 4) The ability to know when to put down their devices and focus on the real world. 5) Pursuing new things.

Opinion:
I like the point of view where this article came from. I think that most students have way too much technology in their hands today, and they should be further limited. A lot of people have their heads so far in to their phones and computers that they are forgetting how to interact with other people, and this is from a generation that did not grow up with iPhones. Can you imagine what will happen to this upcoming generation if they are not taught how to use the internet and phones properly, and the right time for them? Social interaction is going to become a serious problem. The idea for teachers to educate on proper tactics is a wonderful idea, and one that will definitely benefit this new generation of students.

Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results

Summary:
The article, "Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results" by Joanne Lipman describes the idea of bringing back the "old school" way of teaching as a means to motivate students in schools today. She uses a teacher from her past, who has since passed away, whose biggest compliment to his students was "Not bad." She and her peers feel that his methods, while frowned upon in today's society, were extremely successful in the education of his students. Lipman believes that her teacher taught students how to work harder when you're not doing well enough, rather than coddling students and complimenting them to strengthen self esteem. In fact, the author describes different studies which have found that compliments are beginning to make students soft, and not as strong or able to handle difficult situations when they are confronted by them.

Opinion:
While reading this article, I could not help but think back to the TED talk which featured Rita Pierson, a teacher who used positive reinforcement and an optimist view on life to motivate her students to keep trying and do well. While I do not agree completely with the article, I agree with some points. I think there is a healthy balance between being tough on your students and being positive to let them know what they're doing right. When I was going through school, i've found that the teachers I most looked up to were the ones who motivated me in a positive way. Every other teacher who was "tough" on me, has set a negative memory of themselves for me. When teachers can relate to their students, students will succeed. There is no need to coddle students or compliment every single accomplishment, but sometimes that is mostly what a student needs. I like the difference that the author pointed out between telling a student that they are "smart" and telling them that they are a "hard worker." While the statements are similar, each makes a completely different impact on students and how they carry themselves in to their futures. There is a balance, it's just a means of finding it.