Journal 3 NETS 2

I read an analyzed an article relating to technology in education, and I provided a summary/response to it, along with proposed questions and answers.

McDermon, L. (2010). Bring the world into your classroom. Learning & Leading with Technology, Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20100910?pg=36&search_term=bringing%20the%20world%20into%20your%20classroom&search_term=bringing%20the%20world%20into%20your%20classroom#pg36

Reflection:
I think using video-conferencing technology in the classroom is a great idea. I've never heard of this before, so it was interesting to read about it. I specifically like the Read Around the Planet program. Linda McDermon talks about students reading stories they've written to another class or the class performing skits. This sounds like great fun. I think the students would be more motivated to create a story or learn a skit knowing they get to present it to other children. I'm sure it's great fun for them also to watch other classes perform. Also, connecting with classes around the world helps them learn about geography. When connecting with a class, the teacher can show the students on a map where the other class is located. Since technology is becoming more and more useful, this project gets children more familiar with computers and the internet.

When I was living in England, the middle school I went to would hold assemblies where a group of students would act out a skit that the headmaster was reading. We would then walk to the neighboring elementary school and act it out for them. I always found this very exciting as a child, so would imagine the Read Around the Planet would be just as fun.

The megaconference Jr. program seems like something students could look forward to. It is only held once a year, and there is a 12 hour window to present. This sounds like it would be fun for the class to present a topic that they have been working on. It could be made fun by including costumes and decorations which I like the idea of.

Q1: How would I use video conferencing in a speech therapy group?

A1: I plan on making my speech therapy sessions as fun as possible. This is different than a normal class, with a small group of students for 1 hour sessions. We will be playing many games to help with the development of speech. I could contact another speech therapist, or group, to plan a video conference. In the conference, my group of students will teach another class how to plan one of their favorite games. Then they will be taught by the other class a new game to try. Then after the conference, we can play our new game, which will also be designed to improve speech.

Q2: How would video conferencing benefit my speech pathology students?

A2: I can see one of the biggest benefits being that my students can see that they are not alone. They may feel shy or embarrassed about the fact that they have a speech impediment, so seeing other classes of students will help them see that there are a lot of people with the same problems. Also we can learn new games from other classes, and become more familiar with technology.