There's quite a bit that can be gleaned from a story. Stories can show us where we've been, where we need to go, what the over-all picture of a situation is, or they're just plain fun to listen to.
Stories can portray emotion - fear, joy, frustration, pride....
I have quite few of my own stories to tell. Of course, the ones I'm talking about and am looking for from you are about technology.
We certainly have an abundance of technology, don't we? For the most part, it would seem apparent to me that it's changed the way many teachers instruct.
So....here's a task for you: Write me a story about technology. I don't care how you get it to me - respond to this blog, email it, tell it to me in the halls. It can be 2 sentences or 300 words. Just share with me a story. I don't care if you whine or shout out for joy. Just write.
As an example, here's one from me:
I was in a classroom the other day and the teacher had signed out a set of laptops. The students were huddle together, two in a group per desk. The look on their faces were of focus. They dared quick glances at other nearby groups, but snapped right back to work. The mood was harried..
And then I heard the giggles. And I literally felt radiated joy. Simply said, they were having fun. I didn't know exactly what they were doing, but it didn't seem to matter at that moment. Everything seemed suddenly clear.
What was even more interesting, was that this was Math class. Not that kids shouldn't like math. But, they seemed to really like what they were doing.
While I was in there, the teacher yelled out some directions or questions - the specifics failed to make my long-term memory. What stuck there though was that not one kid looked up.
The teacher yelled out louder.
Still, no takers.
I saw his face, for the briefest of moments go angry, then melt into a knowing satisfaction.
He had realized that the math website the students were on, was so compelling and motivational, that they were in fact - learning.
Ahhhh
4 comments:
I have been using a class blog, which has been pretty cool. It allows me to learn about the students' independent reading books without having to meet with them individually. It also allows the students to read about each other's books--then they can share books they are reading and give one another some recommendations. Last of all, it is a way to check in and make sure they are understanding what you have taught during class, without having to give them a worksheet, exit slip, etc. So far, so good.
I am so excited that so much of what has been verbal by necessity is now verb-visual! Not only can I explain, but using the Elmo, I can show, demonstrate, model, on a copy of the very handout that students have in front of them! I am definitely a visual and kinesthetic learner, not auditory AT ALL, and I REALLY appreciate having tools to meet the needs of ALL kinds of learners!
Who wasn't overwhelmed the first week of school with all the new technology?
Like most things, the more you use them the more proficient you become with them. The ELMO, the Projector and Progress Book are all far more managable now, and they have changed the way I teach. I think the best is yet to come.
I set a goal of employing just one new thing at a time, getting really comfortable with it, and then moving on to the next thing. So, starting with just showing my desktop on the projector and showing my students a word document file version of the handout in front of them was a beginning point. I think if you tried to do everything at once, it might be discouraging.
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