Weekly Reflection and Report Blog #9

This week we used VoiceThread and PollDaddy. I found the PollDaddy activity interesting. All the class members were to decide if a digital communication scenario was right or wrong. I was surprised to see the different answers on some of them. When I thought the answer was clearly wrong others thought it depended on the situation. I think this was a good reminder that digital communication is not black and white and that we really do need to think critically but also open-mindedly when dealing with it. VoiceThread was also a really interesting tool (I wrote a blog about my experience with it previous to this one). I would like to add part of that blog post to this because I talk about how I would incorporate VoiceThread into my PLE.

I would add this tool to my PLE under professional. I can see myself using this in my classrooms as a way for my students to learn and share information. This may also be useful when I take notes. I have a horrible habit of writing or typing notes then when I go back to them I have no idea what they mean. If I can add speech or video to my notes I think that would make me more efficient in my learning. I recommend that people at least take a look at voicethread it could end up helping you out in the future. 

I really like that VoiceThread allows me to keep notes in a form other than just text. I find I am more of a visual and auditory learner so this is a nice addition to my PLE.

Feedly 

Dre Wiz (CC). 2013

This week I found an article through my Feedly that really represents what this course is about. The top ways digital tools transform learning. The title itself is relevant to the course. A quote I really like from the article by Evans is “We have a strong belief that today’s students should be well-prepared for the future, and digital tools can help ensure that they are prepared.”

 This article also showed how digital tools can be used in elementary school classes. I feel this is important to note because most people focus on using these tools for higher level students rather than the lower level. This topic could also be debated as having negative effects on the young students. We want to give our students other strategies to rely on rather than just technology. The more tools we introduce them to (digital or not) the more prepared they are for learning.

Ultimately, I think that the teacher needs to decide what is appropriate for their learners. The students’ available resources, skills and maturity level (to use these tools responsibly) should be taken into consideration. I really liked how this article focuses on the teachers use and integration of technology in the classroom and in their jobs in general. I think it is nice to see how teachers benefit from using technology for a change rather than just focusing on the students use. This article shows that using digital tools is not only beneficial for the students but also the teachers.