Blog Post 10

What can we learn from Mrs. Cassidy?

Learning from Mrs. Cassidy Video Series:
1. Little Kids…Big Potential
2. Cassidy 13 Part 1
3. Cassidy 13 Part 2
4. Cassidy 13 Part 3

Mrs. Kathy Cassidy is a 1st grade teacher in Moose Jaw, Canada. Her initiative to bring technology into her classroom is something that all educators should admire. Even though Mrs. Cassidy was already an experienced teacher when laptops were given to her classroom six years ago, she wanted to learn more about how to use technology into effective classroom teaching. As future teachers, we must realize that technology and our teaching methods will and must evolve in the course of our careers. Each school year will bring new students, new challenges, and new opportunities. This reminds me of a quote my mom tells me: "Don't be a teacher who teaches the same class for 30 years."

I learned that even students as young as first graders can (and will be excited to) have a blog. As shown in "Little Kids…Big Potential," her students were excited to write posts for other to see and also liked making connections with others across the globe. Student blogs are a great way for parents to see their child's progress in class instead of waiting for a Open House night or a parent-teacher conference. A classroom blog can also keep students (and parents) up to date with due dates for assignments as well as dates for classroom and school events and activities. Any teacher can keep a classroom blog, even Physical Education teachers. I also liked seeing the use of wikis, which I had not thought about using before. This was another great way for students to make worldwide connections and also allowed to learn more about different cultures. I think that creating wikis about how holidays are celebrated worldwide would really excite my students.

Of course, teachers and parents will always have to address internet safety and student privacy. I was intrigued by Mrs. Cassidy's method of posting pictures but not identifying each student in the images. I also think that we as teachers need to teach our students about internet rules and safety at a young age, because the internet (and technology) is going to forevermore be a part of our students' lives. Mrs. Cassidy is a wonderful role model for us as future teachers to learn how to integrate technology into any type of classroom.