This video was a very interesting video about how technology was used in learning about different birds. The students not only used traditional means of finding information from books and encyclopedias but also from the internet. I liked the part of the video when the computer had problems with the internet and the teacher was trying to fix the problem. Unfortunately the video never showed whether or not the teacher was able to solve the problem but it still showed that she was trying and knew something about computers.
I also liked that the students were taken on a field trip to the park to look at bird and they used different kinds of technology, such as the handheld computer, to record what they saw. Also after the first day of the teacher teaching the students how to use the different devices, the students became the teachers when they had to teach other students how to use the devices. It was interesting to see the students creating their own websites about different birds and then talking about them.
There were some things about the lesson that I thought were a little weak. One was that there was too much instruction and the teacher leading the class instead of letting the students work on their own and learn naturally. On the other hand, that might just be from the editing of the video to just show the teacher. Another thing that I thought could have been improved was that the teacher did not remember who asked what question or even how the question was asked and she even said that she forgot to write it down. I think that the teacher should have written down those questions and remarks so when she referenced them later, she would have exactly what was said.
One of the reasons I chose this video for us to view is because it incorporates so many technologies – and I think the teacher does an exceptional job integrating them. There is always room for improvement (as with all of us!), but overall, I think this video does a great job of showcasing how technologies can make a potentially dry topic more engaging. And quite frankly, I admire anyone who’s willing to have his/her teaching recorded and critiqued.
ReplyDeleteOne area I’d like to point out is the practice of students teaching students. When implemented well, it can be a great way to empower students. But I feel that before we can ask students to teach each other we need to teach them how to teach. And we need to be confident that they understand the skills they’ll be passing on to others – otherwise, we can end up with a version of the game ‘telephone’ where the content can become filtered and twisted. So I’d encourage you to take the time to model for the students how you want them to teach (not just tell them what they should teach) and have guidelines in place to make sure they themselves understand the content well enough to teach their classmates.
I only wish I could promise that you’ll have such great technologies available in your future schools…