Thursday, May 17, 2012

Week 1- Readings

One of the readings that I found interesting this week was The Clearing House by Susan R. Cramer, particularly the section entitled Twenty-First-Century Learning on pages 128-129. This section discusses how important it is for teachers to incorporate technology into their classroom and that twenty-first-century tools need to be used to develop learning skills. This section challenges teachers to move away from the traditional whole-class structure and mastering basic skills, to focusing on authentic instruction and assessment.

In the world in which we live today, I think that this is very ideal and necessary. I think that this idea relates to teachers today because the students we are going to teach have not known a world without technology, so why not incorporate it into the classroom? A higher education is needed in today’s world to get a great job, and teachers need to be preparing students to succeed. Students need to learn beyond “the basics” and become challenged and learn to think critically. As stated in this section, learning objects and technology work together to allow students to think critically and engage in real-world discussions. Authentic instruction and assessment involves engaging students through discussion about the topic and posing questions that have value beyond school. Whether teachers plan for it or not, discussion about real-world events will occur in the classroom. Teachers can use technology to help create a context in which students can learn and develop critical thinking.
    

1 comment:

  1. Nicely stated, Alecia! I'm enjoying thinking about all the different uses of a learning object.

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