As listed in a previous post, there are a few barriers that I have encountered, or observed in classrooms. Now that I have had some time to reflect, there are ways to solve these challenges and overcome them so that we can be as productive as possible in our lessons. It's always important to know what students have knowledge of before starting a lesson. I feel that this will help the instructor know what is lacking so that it can be reviewed before beginning a lesson. Students also enjoy working together, so those students that struggle with a concept or web app can get help from the student that has a better idea of how to do it or use it. I feel that Network problems are always going to be unexpected. Having something in place in case that happens will always be key, or waiting to do that particular lesson would also be beneficial so that the students can still be accountable for their work. As for data transfer and ability to access sites that aren't approved by the school? Well, we have to find ways to work around that. Possibly downloading the video onto a device so that it can be used in the classroom, or finding an app that will be allowed to be used in the district. Many sites require emails and such. Sometimes it's easier to find the sites that don't require these because students become confused as to what they need to enter and/or forget what their information is. One solution would be to have the students write down their information in a notebook where they would keep this information throughout their school career. Having it online in a folder would be a great method also. I've found a a website that has many blog posts on technology in the classroom that I think will be beneficial to me in the near future. Together, teachers and students can learn to overcome these challenges by seeing the problem together, and coming up with alternative solutions.
Edutopia-Classroom Tech-http://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/classroom-technology
I follow Edutopia on Twitter. They have some fantastic ideas on how to infuse technology! I am glad you found this site helpful as well. I agree with you that students helping students on how to use web apps can be a powerful tool to use in the classroom. Empowering students to teach each other requires students to think at a higher level.We have some help for you next year as you use YouTube videos with your students. Gaggle.net has a section called Gaggle Tube that teachers will be trained on once school starts. This will make it much easier to assign those YouTube videos to your students to watch.
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