"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." -Nelson Mandela
"Once you stop learning, you start dying." -Albert Einstein
"Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be." -Rita Pierson (She is a retired educator who did "Ted Talks Education" I strongly encourage looking up the video, it is inspiring.)
Connection. That's what education is all about to me. It is a connection to each other, to the outside world, to ourselves (meaning we learn more about who we are), and to the Lord.
Chapter 5 in our text is titled "Connecting Learners Using Web 2.0 tools" it discusses cyberlearning literacy, and web tools: onine audio and video, collaboration websites (social networking, wikis, and data mashups), mobile broadband, security, student interactions, and the advantages and limitations of using web tools in the classroom.
After reading the text I think that cyberlearning opportunities provide ways to expand learning and make all kinds of different connections. Using Web 2.0 tools enhance learning and expand the classroom to the whole world; making resources not limited to the classroom. Using the internet and technology makes the entire world a classroom, providing students with experiences that they would not have in the traditional classroom.
Connections are readily available for students in the classroom, especially with the use of technology. The quotes that I used at the beginning of this post were the result of my mind wandering and pondering on the topic of what education is to me and what it means to be an educator. I think there is a valuable connection between student and teacher (or there can be), a priceless connection available between a child and the world, and necessary connections between the students. I think education is priceless.
Melynda,
ReplyDeleteI like your analogy about the world being our classroom. Lately, students are needing more stimulation that only nontraditional classrooms can provide, in my opinion. The real challenge is finding ways to incorporate the worldly classroom into the confines of our own literal classroom. I appreciate sources such as virtual field trips, which let students get outside of the classroom without actually leaving. (See: http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech071.shtml)
I also appreciated your personal take on this otherwise objective blog post. It is fun journeying with you! :)
I loved this statement! "I think there is a valuable connection between student and teacher (or there can be), a priceless connection available between a child and the world, and necessary connections between the students."
ReplyDeleteI believe we sometimes take background experiences of our students for granted. We do need to connect them to the world! That was so hard to do before technology. I am actually going to blog about this idea next. :-)