EDUC 431 – October 15, 2019 – REFLECTION

I loved this edu-visit to EDUC 431 from Karen Lirenman. I was so impressed by Karen’s introduction. She’s in a new school district, in a new school, and teaching grades 4/5 for the first time and THIS was her 28th year of teaching. IMPRESSIVE. I love how a seasoned teacher was willing to take the leap to leave the comforts of their well established career to change school districts, thus expose oneself to a NEW BEGINNING. This is not easy. Although she has experience in teaching primary students, she was honest and humbled by starting all over again. KUDOS Karen. Thank you for that introduction with my Teacher Candidates. Learning is inherent in this profession and having the courage to change roles, positions, or school districts needs to be recognized and acknowledged. Yay you Karen!!!

We haven’t talked about EdTech yet. Your passion for technology shines. I love that you are a STRONG ADVOCATE OF TECHNOLOGY and understanding your why behind technology and your pedagogy matter. I loved it when you said that technology should be used to CREATE knowledge, not consume knowledge. And, that technology should enable students to work at a level that works for them and that technology enables the student to express one’s thinking and document one’s work in an effective way. You recommended OPEN ENDED APPS, like Book Creator, for students from kindergarteners to adults to use to “tap into their thinking” via voice, images, and writing.  You emphasized the importance STUDENT VOICE many times and EdTech should AMPLIFY what we are doing.

I loved how you gave us time to discuss key questions about EdTech and how it supports student learning. These sense-making times are important and I appreciated how some of our students were willing to share their thinking with you. Personally, I loved the timer. Make our intentions VISIBLE. What a model of good instruction and pedagogy. I also appreciated how you zoomed from talking about technology that makes learning accessible for students then shifted into SOCIAL MEDIA and use of a class Twitter account to teach about DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP, digital literacy, and digital footprints (with young students). Social media is an excellent vehicle to teach young students about these concepts, but also for them to connect with people FROM AROUND THE WORLD. Having a global audience is such a BIG IDEA and I love that it could be as simple as posing a question to an author, a politician, or to another class. SKYPE is another platform from us to connect with anyone from around the world. I love how your students wanted to connect with another class they saw during one of their field trips.

Of course I had to get a selfie of us. I want to start a trend… selfies can be taken in person and virtually. It’s all good. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, expertise, and excitement for EdTech with us. You spoke of other ideas such as parent permission and informed consent, other applications such as MindCraft and Virtual Reality, and blogging. I really liked what you said… ADVOCATE, EDUCATE, AND ACCOMMODATE. 🙂