Blog Post 14

InJose Picardo's Top Ten Tips for Using Technology in the Classroom he explains ten ideas for getting students interested using methods that some traditional teachers might find counterproductive. Skype and social network sites are two of the more unusual approaches to teaching, but both can be used in very important ways. He also suggests the use of Smartboards, music, and blogs. One important statement he makes regarding the use of technology in the classroom is that it should always serve as a vessel for furthering the lesson rather than simply an unnecessary addition. Using technology just for technology's sake is counterproductive.

There were several of his ideas that I would like to incorporate into my classroom. For one, the use of Facebook could be beneficial to both myself and students who miss days of class or need further help on assignments. In my opinion, it would be a great idea to create a Facebook page for each class and use the page to explain assignments and help students who were absent. Many of his other techniques would be useful as well; that is the one I feel could be most successful though. I also enjoyed his glossary of tools for teachers. I saved the link for that because a brief exploration of the material there showed me all kinds of useful ideas.