I can happily say I understood and enjoyed reading Chapter 18. I really found most of the techniques in this chapter to be interesting and valuable in the classroom. The two most interesting to me were Information Technology and Globalization of Training. As I read these sections I found myself picturing situations in my classroom over the past two years. In that event I decided that I could have prompted better end results.
I found the Information Technology, about the designer who had only paper and pencil or a typewriter and then how much easier computers made the job, to be somewhat comical. The first image that came to mind was the one time before computers that I had to use my mom’s typewriter. It was the most frustrating and nerve-racking task I had ever done. Of course I was not familiar with the keyboard resulting in many mistakes. In my class I thought about all the assignment that are done with paper and pencil. Granted first graders need to practice handwriting and even the use of a pencil for some but using the computer for occassional writing assignments would motivate writers. It would also give them a small introduction to how assignment will be completed in later years.
Globalization of Training is a concept I usually keep in the back of my mind but this section prompted me to be more aware of my students’ backgrounds. Like most American classrooms I have a wide range of knowledge and experiences that come with my students. In general I understand the differences, such as my students from the city often do not know all the different farm animals and my rural students lack some knowledge about cities. What I had not considered was how they preferred to work, in groups or individually, that some colors could be offensive, or even how they interpret the numerical form of the date. I don’t know that I could ever accommodate all these preferences at one time but I found it to be something to think about even if it just causes me to take a moment for a little further explanation and understand if assignments are completed based on the student’s culture.
Monday, July 21, 2008
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2 comments:
Lindsay,
As always I appreciate your blogs. I am glad that you are planning to incorporate the use of some computers in your first grade class. I agree with you, kids at this age need to learn how to write. It is in their first years of education where they learn this powerful skill. However, the use of computers (some of the times) could break the routine and get them more excited!
I also agree with you about the globalization part of the chapter. I used to work for a very diverse organization and I always had to keep in mind that everyone around me was different. I was always excited to deliver a training sessions there, as I always had to think of ways to engage people from different backgrounds and cultures in a very respectful and educational manner.
Thank you,
Mary Fuelling
Because I work in higher education, the challenges that I face are very different from yours. When you began discussing first graders using computers, it made me pause to reflect. Some of the questions that I have are: When is young, too young? Are motor skills developed enough to allow them to use the computer without large amounts of frustration? How well developed are the cognitive skills? From your refelctions, first graders are able to do more with a computer than I would have thought. This is a good posting to make me think more about the audience, what skills, what background, what knowledge, do they bring to the classroom.
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