Digital Blog C

What I found to be interesting was the four teaching methods to actively engage students in learning, from the textbook “Transforming Learning with New Technologies”. Being engaged in how you learn is very important. That is where you will decide how you will really grasp the material. The four learning methods are: One on one tutoring, Learning groups, Inquiry learning, and Metacognitive thinking. All great methods on how to engage your students, I have some personal experience with the one on one tutoring. When I observed a kindergarten classroom the teacher put me in charge to help the students who did not understand the assignment. I worked with each student individually. Each child I helped seemed to leave my desk with confidence of what to actually do now. I will not give myself the compliment that it was because I taught them so well. Instead I think it was because it was one on one. They could not fully grasp what their teacher was saying when giving the assignment for the whole class. I know I really helped those children and when I am a teacher I know I cannot rely on someone coming in to help like I did. I will have to make time for the students who need one on one tutoring.

By Melbell59 | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

 What I thought to be important was the reading on digital, media, and visual literacy . Being able to use technology in today’s world can be life changing. It is more than just being able to text someone or look up information on Google. Digital and Media literacy’s can be used for so much. You can create whatever you would like on a computer; it goes beyond paper and pencils. You can be engaged in your learning, for example what we are doing for these digital posts on blogger. We experience new sites and new ways of how to use technology. Having Visual literacy can be a skill you will use your whole life for education. Visual literacy is used through graphs, charts, and the huge one that you see every day, pictures. Teachers usually use visual aids when teaching to have the student really grasp what they are teaching. It is a great way to burn that lesson into their minds so they can think back on that picture to help them with tests.

I was surprised to read just how much we are redefining creativity with technology. I have trouble with being creative. I have my moments but I see how creative some of my friends are and I think it’s great. Believe it or not technology has helped me become more artistic. Pinterest has the ability to give me endless ideas; I can put my thoughts into my computer by typing or for some instances just by speaking. I know I am not the only one who was helped in this area from technology. Many students have the ability now to be as creative as they want to be. It also gives teachers ideas they can use for lessons in their classroom.

In conclusion, there are four teaching methods that are great to engage students in learning. I went into the most detail about the one on one tutoring. They are all great. Another favorite of mine would be learning groups. I think putting children in groups is a great way for them to interact with one another and have their different opinions. Digital, media, and visual literacy are skills that you will use as long as technology is involved. To read over ways that make you more creative with technology was a great reminder that I can be artistic and use that for my future class.

References:

Collaborative Classroom Technology: Naturally SMART. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21, 2015.

Crowley, B. (2014, October 24). What Digital Literacy Looks Like in a Classroom. Retrieved September 21, 2015.

Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Tutoring by Melbell59 - ToonDoo - World's fastest way to create cartoons! (n.d.). Retrieved September 21, 2015.