7 Stupid Mistakes and 7 Brilliant Things

Out of the 7 Stupid Mistakes Teachers Make With Technology, I chose the two, "Not Backing Up Data" and "Not Supervising Computer-using Students." It is important to always back up any data on your computer, especially at work. I used to work at various law firms, and the server was always backed up for protection. If your computer crashes, the information is all gone and there is no way to retrieve it. And when students are online they must be supervised! There is so much out there that their eyes should never see, and let's face it, kids are going to seek what is forbidden. I can't imagine a teacher not watching what their students are doing on the internet. Plus, you need to ensure that they are working and learning.

For "7 Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology", I chose "Use Kids Own Devices to Teach Them" and "Accept the Role of Co-Learner." Teachers can use their students iPods/MP3 players to create podcasts and download class lectures. They can also use students' laptops to encourage blogging during class time. By using their own technology gadgets, students will play a greater role in their learning future. Secondly, a teacher should readily admit they do not know the answer to a question. By doing this, it not only shows their intelligence, but also their self confidence to their students, which will eventually turn into respect. For New Classroom Rules, I feel "Using Polite Speech When Speaking" is very important. I like the way the old rules are turned around to fit our era now. In this new age of technology and communication, learning to speak politely when blogging or sending tweets. Just because a students is not speaking with their voice, does not mean they should abandon all etiquette rules. "Don't Talk to Your Neighbors" is a rule from the old days of school. But today it means, you can talk to your neighbor, if you have something to share with your classmates or need to collaborate for a project that is due. The classroom rules are changing along with the technology in teaching. We must change along with it.