Task # 1

This article was pretty interesting and really breaks down what we as teachers need to do in order to break the "traditional" settings in classrooms.

• "We need to unlearn the idea that we are the sole content experts in the classroom, because we can now connect our kids to people who know far more than we do about the material we’re teaching."

Could this idea be any more true? Many students are far more advanced then I am with technology so there is no way I can walk into a classroom expecting them to sit there and watch me try to conquor their brains when we can all show each other how to work and use different tools in the classroom. I need to walk into a classroom knowing that we are all teachers and we are there to teach other. (Do you think this is something that needs to be explained to the students?)

This specific notion of "unlearning" completely connects with Curriki. We now have the ability to show our students what others are learning globally and that they will not only be learning just from me. They will be learning from other numerous teachers and students.

• "We need to unlearn the idea that learning itself is an event. In this day and age, it is a continual process."

All of us have done this: as soon as class is over, we close that notebook and think "thank God this class is done for the day." This is not the case anymore. With the use of blogs (especially) and wiki, students are able to continue their learning not only outside of the classroom, but at any time they want. I must come on my blog at least once or twice a day to see if anyone has responded to something I wrote, to see if my classmates have added anything new to their blogs, and to research something new that I can post. My learning does not end at 6:50 on Wednesday evenings. It continues for the rest of the week. This is something we must expose our students to.

• "We need to unlearn the practice that teaches all students at the same pace. Is it any wonder why so many of our students love to play online games where they move forward at their own pace?"

This thought never occurred to me until I really thought about it. I can remember back to the fifth grade when I could not grasp the material we were doing in math. A large percent of the students understood and moved on to the next lesson. For others, such as myself, that did not understand, had no other choice but to move on to the next assignment before even learning the first! The teacher was so content with getting that particular lesson done before the end of the day, that she was not even focusing on those who were falling behind.

This is one of the worst things we can do in a classroom. What good is rushing a lesson going to do when not everyone understands what is going on? I do see a problem here though: One teacher, thirty students. Do we need more professionals in a classroom so that one can move along with the students that understand and one can really focus in and help those that don't?