A Vision of 21st Century Teachers
These teachers will be ready for the little girl I saw yesterday sitting in her stroller engaged in a learning game on her simulated netbook. It will be about 3 years before she enters into their classroom. Because they are learners themselves, they will be using current research-based learning strategies and supporting technology tools as classroom teachers.
With the" End in Mind"...
For the past week, I've been faced with the challenge of converting a Flash Video to another format that is accepted by our web service provider. Just like learning VoiceThread, it was starting from square one; then, researching for a solution...and a simple, quick one at that. Needless to say, I did find a simple and quick way to make the conversion. Next challenge is cutting the time...too large. Inquiry and problem solving at its finest!
In today's classroom there is heavy emphasis on inquiry and problem solving. With the "end in mind", technology enters the stage. Technology is a tool to help relay our message. It doesn't always come easy. Finding the right application to relay our message with the impact we want it to have on the reader/viewer can be a difficult task. Welcome to the stage inquiry and problem solving.
There are times when we struggle wth ways to engage our students in high level learning. Today, students are drawn to technology and will often find a way to incorporate it into their tasks. Sometimes it's easy...others, it's a challenge. That's where inquiry and problem solving enhance the movie, if you will. The students invite inquiry and problem solving as they determine how to use technology as an avenue to get their message across to others. The "end in mind" is the vision of the final product. How to get there and accomplish it through what interest's them invites inquiry and problem solving.
Double Duty...
I learned to use Voice Thread by watching the video selections through the Voice Thread website and the You Tube video, Wonders – Introduction to Voice Thread Project. I found the You Tube video to be the most interesting. The creator used a Voice Thread project to teach the viewer how to use Voice Thread. The creator of the video used a narrator and commentators interchangeably throughout the video to teach the viewer how to use Voice Thread. As the slide changed, so did the presenter. Actually what was happening was the viewer was learning Voice Thread by actually experiencing the components of the tool through either the narrator or the person who commented on the slide. Also, you were learning the content of each slide. Prior to discussing the Voice Thread technique, the individual (narrator/commentator) would talk about the content of the slide; then, lead into the Voice Thread technique that was being used and taught through that particular slide. The viewer was directly and indirectly learning Voice Thread and content. Most of the videos I viewed had a narrator from beginning to end of the video. I found the You Tube video to be one that left the viewer with both an understanding of how to use Voice Thread and also how it could be used in a classroom. Guess you could say it was serving “Double Duty” .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
