As we look to the start of a new year, my school is focusing many of our back-to-school faculty week discussions on technology. It is an exciting time for education, and as a member of the generation that spends a huge portion of my day connected in some way (smartphone, tablet, computer, TV . . .) I look forward to a shift in educational philosophy that embraces this connectivity.
I wanted to share this video of a interview with Professor Alec Couros about how inter-connectivity is so important for today's educators. Here is the link where I stumbled upon this information: http://dmlcentral.net/blog/howard-rheingold/professor-alec-couros-connected-teacher
If you are reading this blog, you are already participating in the human network connection that technology affords us. This is a good thing! And there should be more of it! Let us stay connected, let us share ideas, learn from eachother, and better education in our classrooms by exploring all that is out there.
My goal this year is to bring more of my out-of-the-classrooom connectivity into the classroom. My students are connected too, and walking into a classroom where I shut the door, tell the students to turn off their phones, and disconnect them is counter-intuitive to learning another language. Spanish opens doors to connect more with our world, with other cultures, and with people. Connection should be a focus of the class.
I'll let you know how that goes!
~ La professora
