This chapter is very important, the reason I am saying that is because it is teaching us about the uses of technology in digital-age lesson design and development. We have to have lesson plans in order to teach. I think it is vital because I believe in a structured way of education. If we don't have a plan on how we are going to teach something we can lose touch of what we want to get across to our students. This was important before technology became prevalent in the classroom, but now with technology we have an easier and more efficient way to develop a prefect lesson plan that our students deserve. I read that the lesson design and development includes 3 decisions by teachers the first one is what to teach, the second was how to teach, and the third one was how to know what students have learned. With technology we have ways to do all three of these things.
Another thing I read about was "UDB" which is Understanding by Design. This is an approach to lesson development in which teachers formulate enduring understandings and essential questions as the basis for teaching, learning, and assessment activities for students. The reason that we want to have an in-depth lesson plan is because we want our students to successfully learn the topic that we are teaching.
The book also demonstrates how teacher connect educational standards to lesson planning. We have common core in New York and our curriculum to help us narrow down what we should put in our lesson plans. We can use the internet to help us with what we could and should put in our lesson plans to help us become more effective teachers.
The last thing that I found interesting is how technology is giving us different ways to test the students after teaching them a lesson. We should in some way after teaching something to students make sure that they have actually learned the information, and not just coasted by the lesson. This chapter showed that there are many ways to make sure that the students have done so. This is going to be very helpful when I start to teach.
In class we also we asked if students should be taught differently since technology progressed. I think they should but to a certain point. I think it is great to use technology, but I still think there has to be some old fashion ways that we have to keep around. We are using Ipads, smart boards, and laptops, but we cannot lose sight of the fact that the students still need an actual teacher in support of all of these new things.
Carmelo,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your last statement. I think technology is great, but nothing can replace the role of the teacher. In an attempt to increase our test scores, my school recently bought into iReady ELA test prep and Khan Academy for math. These are computer programs which follow the students and direct questions and instruction based on their previous answers. I think this is great because students are provided with immediate feedback and many of the students DID do better on the tests. However, nothing can replace being a human teacher that can respond to a student. Often the children would get bored with the program and I think a teacher can add that extra layer that computers cannot.
Carmelo,
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more about teachers needing to be prepared to teach their lessons. My school mandates that we have fully planned out lesson plans, which can be frustrating and time consuming, but overall it is a good thing. I need to have everything I am going to do and say mapped out- although I find myself forgetting half of the stuff I have planned out!
Carmelo,
ReplyDeleteYes, teachers should have fully planned out the lesson plans, It can be done both ways, and time consuming especially, if you have 20-25 students in your class with special need students. But it can be done. It is a lot of work on teachers, and each subject base on 30 minutes with your students. one of my friend does her lesson plan every night before she goes to be for the next day class. She goes to bed later every night.
I just couldn't pass on a comment. Doing planbook late at night is my habit. I have 2 preps a week, and often stay in the classroom to help the special content teacher (with three-year-olds, every pair of eyes and hands help), and I don't get lunch breaks, so my planning is done at night, after my kids go sleep and after I get everything ready for the nest day. I use PlanbookEdu.com. I like it because I can copy periods. The most time consuming part for me is writing Common Core Standards into my lessons.
DeleteI do agree with you! about that teachers need to make traditional ways and the new technology together. I feel like that some teachers just focus on how to use the technology in the classroom and forget the most important thing for teachers is to make our students learn something from teachers and classes.
ReplyDelete