Mike Wesch TED Talk

Question:  What does Mike Wesch believe about how students learn?

Answer: Wow where do I begin, there are so many take aways that I had gotten from this, my largest came when he spoke of the student that always sleeps in his class and how he changed his mindset and provided him with an outlet for him to grow and develop as a whole.

        I want to know how I can bring this into my classroom to better accommodate the students that have other interests and the way which I need to present it to not only the student but the families and administration.

I have pure admiration for this man and how he effectively changed course in the way which he interacted with the "sleeping student". This just goes to prove that he like many others has a strong relationship with his students and he changed his way of teaching to better and more effectively reach his students- this is a true goal that I have set as well.

Response to Prensky and Boyd

Question:  What do you make of the (divergent) positions of Boyd and Prensky?  What do you hear each of them saying about who youth are?  Where do you stand on the “digital native” terminology?

Answer: Based on the two articles that we read and the TED talk we watched about Robinson's point of view it makes me feel as though there are many parallels that can be drawn between all three.  

    Prensky: This article made me think about the way in which I teach and how I can use the students strengths and weaknesses as a tool for my classroom.  However the terminology that was used " digital natives" and "digital immigrants" made me feel a bit uneasy as i thought about it.  Based on the interactions I have had with students over the past few years however digital savvy the students are they still need to understand the basics to some extent.  Something else that I did notice when I was reading is the way which the font changed from line to line or statement to statement which reflect an almost childlike play on the main themes in the text.  

    Boyd: When reading chapter 7 of  "It's complicated" one would notice that the author had given the students a similar title as Prensky did but not as problematic of terminology.  The labeling of students as digital ‘natives’ leaves out the nuances and inequities that exist in any skill acquisition.  Boyd seems to show that the skills that is being acquired on any and all levels is where it all starts and that the educators are the ones that facilitate that action. On some level I can see this when new students arrive from countries with less technology experiences- this is where the students need to have direct instructions that are explicit.

    Robinson: When watching this TED talk, it really resonated with me as I felt that he grasped the way that Education is presented in the United states - that it is TEST CENTERED and not as student oriented as it should be.  

Overview and connections: All three of these people seem to be getting at the fact that there has been a global change in the way that students learn and develop.  the epitope of this occured when this Global Pandemic hit and we all had to become more digitally adapted and formed spaces for the students to communicate, learn and grow.  

About Me

 

My name is Jenna Bettez, I am a teacher at Roger Williams Middle School (RWMS) I am currently teaching grade 6 Core English and grade 6 English Language Development (ELD).  The 2020/2021 school year I was also able to teach grade 7 Core English and it was a breathe of fresh air. Most of the student in that class are students that I had taught the year before and I was able to spend the school year watching them grow and develop. 

I am currently finishing my MED in TESL and a Second Bachelor's degree in English as I currently hold a Elementary education 1-6 certification, Middle level 5-8 Emergency Certification and Expert Residency in Teaching English as an other Language. I also have a background in history as that was the minor that I had chosen when I was in college at Rhode Island College.  

Last but certainly not least my main priority is my two beautiful babies.  They are very young (Luke 3yo and Bella 2yo), they are my World.  I am a single mother of these two amazing little humans.  Luke and Bella bring pure joy to my life and make me so thankful that they are mine.  I do enjoy many things here are some of the ones i love to do with my Little Ones; hiking, walking, playing outside, long car rides to the beach, picnics, and running around in the sprinkler with the babies.  I do like to do other adult things like go to dinner with friends, socialize, read books and enjoy alone time (as I can only do this occasionally), attend weddings, bridal showers,baby showers ect.