ePals Global Community

So when I first read the term ePals, it reminded me of Pay Pal. When I went to the site, I couldn't have been more off. I loved the fact that teachers and students can use this website to talk to other students or teachers in other countries in a way that is protected since security is so important these days especially on the internet with underage children. I liked that as a teacher you have the option to sign up for a bulk registration where the whole school/district can sign up. What I would be concerned about is for the children ages 13 and under needing their parents email address and having the parents not give it or not follow through and having that student not be able to partake in a class activity using ePals. I really like the fact that there are precreated projects to use as a teacher, but you can also upload projects for others to use. It really is great for collaboration. I also like that I could find a classroom in Germany speaking either English or German. That would help students get involved with the culture even though it is in their native language if they are still beginners or have them get the change to speak in the target language if they are advanced. Another thing that I was surprised to see is that it is not just classes who are on here but some families have signed up as well. For example when I was searching through the Germany section, I saw a family of 4 that was interested in getting to know English speakers in the US. Not only would I use this in my classroom, but I am actually going to sign up my class and show the other foreign language teachers in my school and district this website. I had often contemplated the concept of having penpals with the students before but I never really found a site that I thought was reputable. But since this site has National Geographic and Truste Kids Privacy backing it up, I feel both the school and parents would trust it.

Mod 3: Video Reaction

Well when I first looked at the list of videos to choose from, I decided upon A Vision of K-12 Students Today, because it seemed both relevant and interesting. I got more than halfway through watching and taking notes when I realized I had actually seen it already. I know that the instructions said to choose a video that I hadn't seen before, so I decided to go with Educational Change Challenge. I was picturing some sort of a high energy video with the word "challenge" in the title, but I got anything but.

I honestly have to say I did not care for this video. I understand that the main point it was trying to make is the importance of technology in the classroom and how education and the classroom itself needs to be updated, and that students don't learn like they did hundreds of years ago. At one point in the video the narrator makes a point of saying that if you take a doctor from 100 years ago and put them in an operating room today they would be lost but that if you take a teacher from 100 years ago and put them in a classroom today they wouldn't. That to me is a little much since so many classrooms do in fact incorporate technology at least minimally in the classroom. The narrator mentions that the classroom is born of an industrial mode of thinking. I completely disagree with that since classrooms have been around way before the industrial revolution in the 18th century. He also states that society doesn't have a clear vision as to what school is for. I know that when I went through undergrad at Canisius they told me that a teacher's job is not just to teach their subject but to help students to learn how to become productive future citizens. That to me is what school is for.

What I did like about this video was in the beginning when the narrator mentions how all students learn at different times, through different ways and at different levels speeds. Thats very true and it is something that an effective teacher should constantly be taking into account while hitting upon different learning styles and paying attention to Gardner's multiple intelligences. I also liked the quote at the end where it is said "Because the generation of students that I am teaching is an instant pudding, drive-through, microwave, download-it-from-the-Internet, media-driven generation, I know that I must be innovative to keep their interest and to inspire in them a creative curiosity." Doug Martin. I notice this everyday, even with myself and my lack of patience. Students are so used to

getting everything within a few seconds, it is tough to keep their attention.

Again I do agree that it is important for teachers to constantly be changing and improving upon their practices and making sure their instruction meets the needs of the students, but I also think we have really come a long way from the time of one room school houses and 100 years ago and it is unfair to say that education has not been advancing.