You Can Be in Five Places at Once - Differentiation Made Easy

Assignment Title: Week 2 Blog 1

Creating a Modified Flipped Classroom with Short Recordings

http://www.emergingedtech.com/2014/10/differentiation-made-easy/

Kelly Del Gatto – October 21, 2014

In this article, Kelly Del Gatto talks about how she makes recordings of assignments to allow extra time for her to work with various groups in her classroom.  Gatto has found that she can record her spelling words so that her slower group can listen and replay as often as needed.  This is a great idea to use because students have different learning styles and more time is needed with some students than others.  According to Gatto (2014), “There are many benefits to recording information for small groups.  The obvious is that while I work with a small group face to face I can also be virtually working with any number of other small groups or individuals simultaneously.”

Gatto (2004) stated that the groups can see her modeling picking out certain details or even how to take notes.  This process enables the groups to work at their own pace.  Recording directions for projects has been another strategy used by Gatto (2014).  Gatto saves these recordings so that students and their parents can access them.

This method is beneficial to all students and parents as well.  My great-grandson has to miss time from school for medical appoints but his science and math teachers send entire lesson plan via email each week for student and parent.  “This helps to eliminate that age old battle of “that’s not how my teacher does it,” according to Gatto (2014).

Pros and cons of digital devices in the hands of young students

Assignment Title: Week 2 Blog 2

Pros and Cons of digital devices in the hands of young students

by Kelly Walsh on June 20, 2012

Walsh (2012) asked, “Are the benefits outweighing the downsides of potentially excessive use of these devices by younger and younger children?”  There seems to be much concern over the excessive use of digital devices by our young kids.  Every child has several digital devices and they seem to have taken over parents needing a nanny.  According to Walsh (2012), “Digital devices are all the rage among young people today, across all ages.” (Walsh, 2012)

Walsh (2012) questions what has happened to the activities children used to engage in back in the day.  Climbing trees, shooting marbles, playing tag and hop scotch are nowhere to be found.   According to Walsh (2012), “…are these still quintessential experiences for many of today’s youth or are they too glued to their small screens to partake in these types of activities?”  When I look at my grandchildren, who are young adults, their heads are bent and fingers clicking faster than a bee on their cell phones.  When my great-grandchildren are in my presence, they are clicking on a phone tablet or a cell phone. It’s incredible to what them.  Even my students cannot stay in class for 50 minutes without texting their friends. (Walsh, 2012)

The pros and cons to using these technological/digital devices are that with the smartphone helps you to always know where your child is; all students need computers for homework assignments; research and music; and don’t forget socializing – Facebook or Twitter.  However, the cons are devastating because there are health risk with students turning volume too high while listening to music.  Eardrums could be badly damaged while listening to music that is too loud.  (Walsh, 2012)

According to Walsh (2012), “…technology opens up an amazing world of learning and productivity to today’s young students …are clearly dangers and legitimate concerns surrounding the use of these tools…”  Since these tools are here to stay, Walsh advises us to monitor how our students use them as well as educate them on how to use them wisely. (Walsh, 2012)