Response to Dewey and Technology and Using the Web to Support Inquiry Based Literacy Development

Not having none much about John Dewey, I was interested in reading his philosophy of education: learning by doing. It is our personal experiences that allow us to find meaning in those experiences. I am not sure that Dewey would feel that the computer is a substitue for a different mode of learning but an additional resource or opportunity to have new and purposeful experiences. Dewey would approve of the use of technology as long as we used it in meaningful ways, such as inquiry based units. The cycle of inquiry begins with asking, and moves around to investigating, creating, discussing, and reflecting. This type of literacy development allows students to take ownership of their learning, while the teacher guides them in asking the appropriate questions to foster deeper levels of thinking and comprehension. Teachers can integrate curriculum areas to this form of learning. In turn, the students will first hand experience learning and construct their own meaning of the new acquired information. Amazing! But at what grade level would we begin doing this? Many of the inquiry based units began with middle school students to the college level. I am consistently trying to take the new ideas I've learned and adjust them to meet the needs of my first grade students.

Last, I've been chewing on the following statement from the reading. "Many have trouble connecting what they know of their learning process, or the experiences from their own teaching with the canonical articles and theories they are given in university courses." Are teachers 'struggling' to integrate new theories into their classrooms? Will we ever be "caught up" in the current trends in educations? Just when I am comfortable using technology in my classroom, what new theories will present themselves? I enjoy learning new theories and furthering my education for myself and my students, but will us educators fully have our head above water? Probably not...if we're dedicated.

Internet Frustrations!

I've been on board with the use of technology as a means of communication. However, today, leaves me feeling frustrated with how much we rely on the internet. I've been having difficulties with my wireless service on my laptop. When writing a lengthy reply to a scavenger hunt, I was booted offline! This was done after four hours of technical work on my computer because it wouldn't start. I rely on this computer to communicate for class and share my knowledge and learn. Because of my computer, I've had an unproductive day! If I'd simply been working on word, I wouldn't have had these problems! In the classroom, we must be prepared for situations like I had today! I think there is still something to be said for traditional literacies: reliable and still meaningful (because of best teaching practices). Not only to we need to learn how to explore the worldwide web, but do we need to learn the technical aspects of our computers and internet to ensure success and productivity? I am sorry for all the exclaimation points, but you can imagine my frustration. Has anyone encountered any frustrations such as this in concern with our class or in the classroom?

My Pride and Joy

Hi All! Now the videos to the right are my bragging rights as a proud aunt! There are two videos of my nieces; Abby, my 7 month old niece is roller girl. Hannah, my 3 year old niece is starring in "She'll go to heaven." My sister and her children live in New York and I am not fortunate to see them often. But with the use of technology, I am able to watch them grow and view those small, proud moments. Technology is a useful form of communication and a meaningful way to remain current and updated. And although it is not a cure for motivation and teaching children how to read, it sure is engaging and enjoyable!

E-Portfolios

The most meaningful aspect to portfolios is the reflection piece. Because of portfolios, students are not just submitting a project to meet a deadline (as I certainly did in my high school years) but taking the time to examine the purpose. The most learning that I've experience occured when I took the time to reflect on my teaching and graduate work projects. For teachers of the higher grades, students are able to manage their portfolio independently while the teacher can comment electronically. But I am wondering how to manage an electronic portfolio in first grade. Currently, I select student work. I have in the past had students keep a writing portfolio. It is extremely time consuming and I found it hard to manage student-teacher conferences with all to the teaching content I had to get through. Rubrics work well though. Any suggestions? But from our readings, what I found to be most useful to me were the templates to produce web-publishable mulitmedia projects. I can create alphabet books and various slide shows. From experience, some the best learning that took place in my classroom were collaborative internet research projects. After such work, the students could create a slide show as a culminating project! Wow! The resources are endless. After the completion of such a project, individual students can reflect through conversation or written work as to what they learned, why the choose the topic covered and question what else they may want to know about the topic. Anyway, I am curious to hear how other teachers manage and use portfolios with their students.