Comment on Mel Henderson's post: I'm right there with you! Figuring out how to teach those who grew up with this stuff will be interesting.
Students will be more motivated to learn when they have a voice and are given choices in regard to how they are evaluated on their learning. For example, providing students with choices on the kind of assignments they will need to do, whether quizzes should be open or closed book, or how many short answer questions the quiz should have will allow students to feel more empowered as it is tailored to the needs and wants of the student.
This course has made me more aware of how to use technology and to strucure the classroom to students who, solely, rely on technology.
Due to my situation, a prison school, none of the students can have access to the internet. So, the only real technology I can use is PowerPoints and videos. I do have access to a school web (intranet) that has thousands of videos but it would take some planning to figure out how to incorporate those into my sessions.
Clear expectation and appropriate positive and negative consequences develops a positive learning environment.
I appreciated that you mentioned the socioeconomic factor in that some students may not have had the same kind of advantages as others with respect to using technology and therefore, these students may not be as "techie" as I might think they are! Always best to not assume ;)
Agree that the use of technology is vital in the classroom for the current generation.
Flipped classroom was very interesting to me. I will challenge my self to see how I can implemet this with labs. Another topic that was interesting was students like control of choices. I now see how this can be beneficial to students getting more accomplished and higher grades
I would like to learn more about web quest and I like the idea of rewarding students for being on time and on task for class. The idea of a flipped classroom seems interesting but I wonder would the students consider the outside work as homework.
I have learned that giving the students the ability to make many choices is actually beneficial to them. Going forward I will look for ways to incorporate choices for the students so that they are able to feel empowered to be in charge of their learning.
Providing control to the adult students is one of the effective ways to manage the classroom. Let students make choices regarding the grading system or number and type of assignments to be completed during the course as this helps to motivate the students and increase in participation. Make assignments interesting and the "want to" type rather than the "have to" to receive a better response from students and allow them to research on the topics and critically think. Flipped classroom model also benefits the adult students by making them more interactive in the class and a successful learner. Use of technology by the instructor is really important, beneficial and a must for the Net generation students because they grasp the content so much easier and better through technology.
I like this module because it deals more towards benefits for the students. Of course this is what we do and it is our mission, but I have learned even more techniques to help keep my students on task for objectives and outcomes!
The difference between a Baby Boomer parent and his Net Generation child might be illustrated by what happens when they are watching an episode of the television show Jeopardy together. When the Final Jeopardy clue is revealed, the Baby Boomer parent racks his brain to try to come up with the answer, and provides a justification for his choice. His Net Generation child simply uses a smartphone to find the answer. Both feel a sense of accomplishment whether they recalled or found the correct solution.
In this section of the module, I focused on two key things. First, the idea of a flipped classroom. Allowing the students to get the work done prior to class so that the teacher can take a deeper dive for mastery of standards during class. One challenge, is so many students are becoming accustomed to not completing homework which can cause students to be lost and unprepared. Also, I focused on the power of student choice when completing assignments because there is more buy-in.
Technology is not my friend, as I am not technologically competent. Therefore, this lesson has been precious in understanding why I need to learn to be better at incorporating technology into my classes.
Students feel more in control when they have a choice as to what type of assignments to complete, or which outside readings to be tested on.
An easy way to incorporate technology in a lesson is to assign webquests. Also a good idea is to using technology to help with flipping the classroom. It will allow students to get much of the content before actually meeting in the classroom. This will give more time for them to be evaluated and work in groups
The flipped classroom is a new concept for me. I teach a career tech elective. I try not to give homework, since I am not a core subject. A flipped classroom would not work for me. I like technology...sometimes. My students want to Google a one-word answer instead of reading the textbook which explains and gives examples. I think they would remember more if it made sense in the context of information, not by googling a quick answer.
Students need to know what is expected of them as well as how their work will be graded. The expectations should be made clear to the students perhaps through samples of acceptable work.
I love the idea of a flipped classroom. It puts the control of learning in the hands of the students.
