This week we had to solidify our thoughts about where we are currently on the continuum of whether or not teachers should be able to decide what technology tools they and their students should be allowed to use.
With:
1 - very little control --> 5 - complete control
I was around a 4. I think it is important that teachers be treated as professionals and therefore be given control of what they do in the classroom, but I think that teachers need to be trained specifically in technology and digital citizenship so that they can model those skills for their students.
This week we also had a quick presentation from Everfi. From what I understood, they have online courses that teachers can have their class work through. The courses center around online citizenship as well as STEM topics. On a side note, I just learned what STEM means! (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
One of the courses that I thought might be really interesting to have a look at and possibly use in the class is one that they hope to have out this summer called Math and Science of Hockey. I think that this would be very engaging to students who don't usually think that math is fun. It said that it was for 5-8 but I'm sure a lot of the topics would also be applicable to grade 9 or 10.
Math and Science of Hockey - that would be a great one to try out! Sometimes it can be really hard to engage students in classroom lessons, but if you can find something they are interested in, it can really help!
ReplyDeleteI'm also glad you posted what STEM is, because I was wondering myself :)
I agree with you comment about teachers being professionals and should be given control of what they want to do in their classrooms. Sadly, this is not the case. Some teachers I have talked to mention how their principals give them some space but make sure their presence and way of doing things is known. I hope that my principal will be trusting enough to respect how I teach in my classroom. With that being said, it is important that teachers take the time to make sure they are properly trained, especially when it comes to using technology in the classroom.
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