MrAlex2

Am I a better teacher with technology or without technology?  Many thoughts race through my head.  Initially, I would say of course I'm a  better teacher because I'm building a foundation for learning in a world where technology has no limits.  Then I think about what is really important in our classrooms.  It's the relationships and trust we build throughout the year.  An easy way to avoid relationships or break them down is technology.  It's a great tool but it does limit the time I spend in small groups and conferencing with the students.  More of my teaching involves mini-lessons which gives the students more time to learn and explore with each other.  So my role is shifting to a facilitator rather than a teacher.  So I'm not sure I'm better for it?  On the other hand, the parental piece is soooo much better because of technology.  Sure, it's less personal but the ease and ability to get information in parent's hands is a gamechanger.  Thoughts? 

Conversations or Dumping Words "The important thing is not just to talk to your child, but to talk with your child.  It's not just about dumping language into your child's brain, but to actually carry on a conversation with them."  Rachel Romero, a graduate student at Harvard and MIT. This is in contrast to the '30 million word gap' so many thought was the problem in regards to reading comprehension and vocabulary with kids entering kindergarten.   The 'gap' refers to the head start higher income students were believed to have when entering Kindergarten because they had heard 30 million more words before entering school than lower income students.  According to this research, things have changed.   If true, the playing field will start to become much more even.  The new research suggests parents should engage their kids in actual conversation rather than just feeding them words.  Crazy to think this is new and innovative.  The research is encour

I  Googled    "What are Real World Problems?" - the following two paragraphs are from the first article that popped up from Education Week.  Interestingly though, it brought up a STEM article despite the search containing nothing about "STEM."   "If you want to engage students and get them excited about what they are learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes, ask them to tackle a real-world problem. Then watch their amazement as they realize what they are learning in class actually has real-world applications. Working on solutions to real-world problems is the heart of any STEM investigation. These solutions may include devices and designs that improve our lives, fulfill our needs or wants, and make our world better. From designing a better pen to figuring out how to assist areas lacking access to clean drinking water...." As we try to make things better in the classroom for all, I sometimes think we are creating a greate