July 8 Afternoon Reflection

There are SO MANY ways I can see myself using technology to modify and redefine my lessons in the future. One idea that immediately comes to mind is having my kiddos type a paper on google docs (rather than write on paper) which can be shared via google docs with a partner in the class for collaborative peer editing. The document would be shared and edited between the writer and one or more peer editors, as well as myself (in order to correct any misconceptions). The next day in class, I would have all of my students re-open their paper on google docs and as they are correcting their papers (based on comments left by their peer or myself), they are able to ask questions verbally, face-to-face with me. The students can also use the chat app on google docs to ask the peer editor questions of clarification on any corrections. This is such an awesome and efficient way to help my students enhance and redesign their writing, peer editing, and collaboration process.

Another project that I would absolutely love to implement in my classroom is for my students to connect with students from another class (in my big dreams… globally!) As a class, we would research historical events and find an historical event that effected our country as well as the country that we are going to connect with. Students could write to (using google docs) the students from the other classroom and communicate through a blog shared by the two classes. The grand finale of this project (my personal favorite part) would be to connect the students as a class through facetime or Skype in which they could talk with each other face to face via technology! This would be such an awesome cultural experience for kiddos to learn how historical events are viewed differently based on the part of the world in which you live in. Skype in the Classroom is an awesome site to utilize for this project and many others, future teachers! I encourage you to explore the link for future lessons :) Here is a tweet from a teacher utilizing Skype Field Trips in the Classroom! How COOL! 

Virtual Field Trip Virtual Tour of MEDF Teaching Farm Kenya #Skype @SkypeClassroom @DePedagogics @MicrosoftIndia

I believe that this lesson is at the redefinition level because the technology is providing an avenue for my kiddos to connect with students from another country in a way that would not be possible without technology. Technology is not only enhancing both of these lessons, it is a whole new way for students to learn and collaborate. If this assignment were to be done via “pen pal”, the lesson would take months, with giant lags in between responses. Without technology, the students simply would not be able to talk face to face via faceitme or skype with the students from the other country. We have these awesome tools so accessible to us, teachers! Why not utilize them in the most creative ways possible to help our kiddos learn through outside of the box ways?! We can change how these kiddos learn, like Jeff said, let’s do old things new ways!