Now is the time of year when I yearn to get my camera out and capture the new beginnings of life...new flowers, new nests (one robin has created a nest under our deck since we moved into our house in 2004) and of course, the girls discovering the outside world all over again. Spring is like a new beginning, a chance to look at the world with fresh eyes that have just woken some the deep sleep of winter.
Just like the thaw that comes with Spring, technology can de-ice a classroom and re-open the eyes of the learners as well as the teachers.
There are many "new beginnings" that technology can bring into the classroom, including digital primary resources, video and live events from experts. In a recent UStream presentation (http://tinyurl.com/5el54f) Jim Beeghley, IT Policy Specialist for PDE (http://tinyurl.com/5bf6wr), shared his expertise with students about the Battle of Gettysburg. During the live presentation he zoomed into digital images from the Battle of Gettysburg for the students to really "see" the pictures, even down to the bullet holes in the windows of the Gettysburg Cemetery (http://tinyurl.com/5lzuuo). Not only was he able to share these images during the presentation, but the students has access to them at any time since the images are posted on a Web site (http://tinyurl.com/5lecft).
The Internet, social media and electronic communications (synchronous or asynchronous) allow us (teachers, parents, guest speakers) to be "enlivening" (as a faculty member from my University puts it) in our classroom and to share with our students, peers and lifelong learners our expertise and passions.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment