PBS Video

This video brought many good ideas to the forefront and other thoughts to ponder.

One key point was the use of the cell phones as a tool for a lesson.  The students created a scavenger hunt in which the cell phone was utilized as a camera and source of information to find what they needed to look for during scavenger hunt.  This information could also be shared among the class with the use of messaging.  This concept was something I had not though about. 

Another concept was the use of You Tube videos to learn how to do something.  I did this with my science classes.  If I had something I wanted them to recreate or if I wanted to do some modeling, they could view the video and gain a better understanding of what the outcome should be.  

The comparative of people that are focused on the computer can be viewed as addiction, yet someone engrossed in a book is not looked at that way.  Computers have created a sensitivity to things we had not thought of but it is knowing where to draw the line.

The way video gaming was presented was also interesting to me.  Looking at video games as mastering a level before you could move on to the next level was something I did not contemplate prior to viewing this story.  It was compared to learning and not moving on until what you were learning was mastered and how it gave the student more control and ownership over their knowledge.  I thought there would be more "buy in" on the part of the student if we could design lessons this way since we do live in a digital age and kids are grasping this with the practice they get on video games.  It was mentioned how it prepares them for things that do not exist.  This is not only true in the gaming industry but in the field of technology which is ever changing.  They also broke it down from orally telling a story, to writing the script, creating a graphic which ultimately becomes the game.

The benefits of blogging was discussed and the one that stood out in my mind was that student who would not speak aloud in class but would feel comfortable posting thoughts in a blog.  They can share ideas through writing and also get feedback.  This is a technique I would probably use in class but now that I am working with elementary grades as opposed to middle school, it is a good way to develop writing skills, and also supplement with images for the lower level readers.

By Sharon