Reponse to Mike Wesch

What does Mike Wesch believe about how students learn?

Students need to work on themselves. They are the final project. Climbing a mountain, step by step, working together, helping each other get to the next plateau, they need to learn about who they are, where they want to be, and  what they want to do.

Individualized learning is important because every student learns differently. We as teachers need to get to know our students and what interests them. We need to differentiate instruction and assessments. We need to take time to sit down and talk with our students about their lives, not just their academic goals. 

Students are reshaped by living inside the learning and by doing something they love and challenging themselves. That’s what makes it worth it. In reference to his son George learning how to go down the stairs he states, “Those are the things that will allow us to get through those hard times and pick ourselves back up when we are down.” We need to be challenged as learners. 

He also talks about how learning is more than just a score or a grade. It’s about persistence not just getting by or a check done type of approach. Learning is about growing and acquiring knowledge. I can relate to this because I have thought many times about how I could just memorize content and ace a test just to get a good grade in the class. As soon as the information made it to the paper, I didn’t think about it anymore. Throughout college, I felt like I was doing a balancing act. I never took the time to focus on my why and my beliefs in regards to education. I wish I had more teachers who gave us time to think about our “why” and change the ways they grade us. Never were we asked to take an exam orally. The professors were not clever in their assessment approaches. 

Remember to keep loving yourself and you will make it. You will be what you want to be and get to where you want to go.

Boyd and Prensky

What do you make of the (divergent) positions of Boyd and Prensky?  What do you hear each of them saying about who youth are?  Where do you stand on the “digital native” terminology? 

Prensky is saying children this day and age are digital natives and that older people are digital immigrants. I do not fully agree with this terminology but I think what he is trying to say is that we can learn from our students and children. We shouldn’t just assume we know more about technology than they know and we should be open to learn about how they access technology. We need to be mindful of how they navigate and process the information. One thing that stood out to me was the students read pictures more than the words. I also think it’s important to keep use what they know and are interested in to our advantage. Boyd is saying we can’t assume children know how to use technology just because they were born into this advanced technology era. Children still need to be taught how to use technology from the “immigrant” population. She mentions how technology is very easy to use now (no lengthy manuals needed) and children often are able to navigate it but they don’t always understand what they are doing and how to get the information they need. She talks about Wikipedia getting a bad name and that it’s actually better than Google because it shows edits and the thought process/debates that occur behind the edits. I can relate to being told Wikipedia was not a good source to use. My teachers in high school told me the same. My students this year did not know how to log onto computers. They needed my assistance. It didn’t come naturally to them. They had to learn how to type, how to log in, how to navigate the learning platforms, and I had to be their guide. They didn’t come in being tech savvy. My students are underprivileged and many do not have internet access at home. Those who do usually just use their parents phones. Just because they have access doesn’t mean it’s quality access like Hargittai stated. This applies to the population I work with. I find they are at a disadvantage when it comes to technology because it’s not readily available or at their fingertips to be able to play with all day long and especially after school. Technology is not part of the curriculum yet I spend hours teaching my students and their parents  how to use the computers. If students automatically knew how to use technology in the classroom, I would know.  The student’s  computerized test scores would not be so inaccurate either.

All About Me

Hello! 

My name is Emily Shea and I am a mother to three beautiful kids who are 7, 3, and 1. They keep me extremely busy. When I am not playing with them,  I enjoy cooking, taking walks, and listening to music. I am a 2nd grade ESL teacher in Providence. Previously, I have taught in a bilingual classroom. I love speaking Spanish with my students and their families. I love my job and the students I get to work with.   💜