Mr. Dancealot: the central message for "Mr. Dancealot" in my opinion, is that teachers can't always just lecture about things and expect students to grasp it. In the video Mr. Dancealot was showing instructions on the overhead on the proper steps to various dances such as the waltz as opposed to having the students practice them with one another. The teacher is very clueless. With things, such as dancing, teachers can't simply tell students what to do and expect them to be ableto perform well. At the same time, teachers also can't do the work for their students. In the video one student said she tried to practice the steps at home but kept tripping. Regardless of whether she was successful or not, she took the initiative to practice the dances on her own which is important. I agree with what the author is saying about teaching methods 100%. As a student I demand that my professors don't simply come in and go through the motions and not teach me anything especially since I'm paying as much money as I am. I expect them to come in and be eager to teach.
What it means to teach in the 21st century: in this video, Roberts main point is that teaching has evolved drastically in the last 10 years. Going from books in the library and newspaper articles to onlineresearch using search engines such as Google, Bing etc. Roberts makes arguments such as, what is more important to a curriculum? facts and content? Or life skills such as how to fix a car, how to mange financials, how and where to invest etc. I agree 100% with Roberts. Students in the 21st century have access to almost unlimited resources throughthe Internet. I personally don't believe I'll be affected but his technology era because I will be a gym teacher and I will engage my students in physical activity.
The networked student: this video made some very good points. Points such as how students can access and learn information at any given moment as a result of Google, Bing etc. students can share what they've learned with other students as well by using social media such as twitter, Facebook and Skype. With that being said, students can only learn so much without teachers. Yes we can explore the Internet and discover things on our own but it's our professors who guide us through them and help us grasp the material to the fullest extent.
Harness your students digital smarts: In this video, Vicki Davis explains that she can reach the students better by catering to their interests. Davis explains that she uses every type of technology that she possibly can to spark the students interests, ultimately encouraging them to learn and discover new things. Davis reiterates that yes she does follow the curriculum but in a way that not only her students can learn from her, but that she can learn from her students. Her ultimate goal is to open small doors by teaching her students how to operate new software which ultimately open limitless doors for them to learn.
Classroom flipping: this is indeed new to me. I have never heard of the concept of skyping with students. The goal of this is to prepare students with knowledge of what they will be learning in class so they can prepare questions and ideas the night before to conserve classroom time. I personally agree with this method. I agree that it conserves precious classroom time but gives students an advantage to prepare for what's ahead. I personally don't see myself using this method as a gym teacher because I will like to surprise and challenge my students to not only succeed athletically but to challenge the,selves.
