Reflection Day 2

I am off to a start on my own project.... not really sure if I’m headed in the right direction.  I have wanted to create an interactive  website (decided on a blog) for a while now. Here comes the excuse .. there is never enough time and I never have felt I had enough tech skills to do it well.  SO what better time than this week!  This year I found myself frustrated with trying to find new creative ways that will entice parents to read about what is going on in the classroom.  I constantly hear parents say “I didn’t know about that event.. even though I put the information into my newsletter for 3 weeks.  I want something that parents will use  as a tool and can go back to previous posts to refresh them about what is happening in our classroom. I would also like the blog to be a place where students’ can showcase their individual learning.  I am excited for this venture... not sure how it will turn out. 

I liked your article Adam, I have to admit that I’m not even sure how to protect my own WiFi at home :(   Would love to learn more about this. I think talking with kids about morals and ethics is very important.  You never know maybe one day one of your students will design a securer credit card. How cool would that be!   I do not talk with kindergartners about this. I question if they are too young.  I definitely monitor what sites I let them view and what apps they use.  I'm curious about others' thoughts are on what age do you start talking to kids about this?

The podcast on Rethinking the Way College Works was very informative.  I was constantly thinking about  what would this mean in the elementary grade levels?  What skills would students need in order to do this successfully in college?  My thoughts are students would need to be directly taught how to be good listeners (a challenge most of the time... it’s all about me attitude).  They would need to be able to defend their own thinking, and back it up with research. The last and most important skill they would need is to be able to learn how to learn (as stated as the goal in the podcast).  I loved the 2 skills that the University of Minnesota Rochester has stated as what students need to be successful: critical thinking and communication.  I see all of these as goals we could meet (even in elementary school) while still allowing children to personalize their own learning.