Ch 2 Blog 6&7

It is important for students to learn effective communication skills on the internet. I really like the idea of students communicating with other countries. I would like to see communication between my students and other countries in the near future.

Last week I was in Minnesota with two students for the NYLC National Service Learning Confrence. Desmond Tutu was a keynote speaker and greatly peaked their interest. I would love for them to speak with other students from South Africa so they can learn about the state their contries are in. Perhaps it will inspire their next service learning project.

Also my students had the opportunity to meet other kids from all over the country and began to establish important relationships. As their sponsor I can facilitate their communication with their new peers by using technology. We have internet classes in our library, so I plan on getting with my technology director to see if we can use it as means to keep in contact. They can also keep in touch by using email, or perhaps starting a blog that discusses some of the critical subjects they learned about at the conference.

I am sold on the idea of giving students the opportunity to improve on their critical thinking and communication skills. I personally would like to see a shift in the use of technology in our school. If students in my class begin to communicate with students in other countries, perhaps their learning will filter into other classes such as Geography or World History.

I liked the video and found it inspiring. However, I really enjoyed reading all of the comments on Youtube. It helped me to gain a larger perspective on the issue of integrating technology into the classroom. When I watched it, my thoughts revolved around making students think critically, analyze and apply data. The video obviously wants schools to integrate technology into the curriculum so that students are more engaged and are perhaps thinking at higher levels.