C4T Summary for April

For my first C4T comment for the month of April, I viewed Kelly's Blog, which had an article on replacing the Friday folder with a podcast. She had her students record 30-1:30 seconds each week via podcast with the Voxie Pro recording system. This idea allows the teachers and parents to gain insight on how the student is progressing in terms of the class. I plan on incorporating this feature into my classroom also because recording a podcast allows students, teachers, and parents to witness progress first hand. The fact that it is only 30-1:30 means that the podcast will not be too demanding. I enjoyed the idea and believe that it will be a success and allow students to progress more quickly in the future.

          For the second C4T comment, I read Kelly's post on using a new system, Ted-ed, to open new doors for a new style of teaching. Ted-ed is a site that allows students to watch educational video lessons and take a quick quiz on the subject covered. This site opens the door to what she refers to as "flip" teaching, which changes up the classroom model. The main difference in this style is that instead of the students getting instruction and doing there practice work as homework, they watch their instuction at home and practice in the classroom. This allows the students to recieve teacher support, meaning that the focus of the classroom is on higher-level thinking instead of instruction. Video is a great way for students to learn, and the videos on Ted-ed are animated to appeal to the students. I think this is another great idea that will allow more flexibility and options in the classroom of tomorrow.