ePaLs in the Classroom

If you are a teacher who enjoys advice from other experienced teachers on curriculum, fun activities, and successful lesson plans, then the ePaLs website is for you. ePaLs is a great tool to use when looking for a book to read in class, interactive lesson plans, engaging activities, the list goes on and on. Personally, although I try and make all of my lessons creative and engaging, I do not have that internal creativity that just comes to me. I look through all sorts of websites, collecting a lot of fun and educational activities that I find online. Although I like this website to help aide as a lesson plan builder, there are interactive activities for students to use as well. A great tool I found on this website is called in2books, which gives a student a pen pal to interact with on books they are currently reading in the classroom. The pen pals write back and forth, asking questions and giving opinions about every aspect of the book. ePaLs also posts questions for children to answer and post online, giving them accreditation for their thought out answers. This encourages and motivates children to take pride in their work and answers, especially because their writing will be up for others to view. Furthermore, one of the most influential aspects of this website is that teachers and students from all around the world are members of ePaLs. Sometimes children need the perspective of an outsider to help piece the puzzle together. This type of website allows both students and teacher to think outside of the box by the thoughts, comments, and perspectives of children who are the same age and grade, yet in different parts of the world. Whether you need help with creativity, curriculum, interactive activities, or motivation in the classroom, this website will be beneficial to you!

The Learner of Today

It is well understood that students no longer rely on one source of information to gain knowledge and better their understandings. Would we want our student's to rely on one source anyways? Isn't it believed the more sources the better, because not only do you get more reliable data, but you get the opinions of many to help us interpret and evaluate in order to come to our own decisions about a certain topic. Looking at the learner of today, so much more is available to help foster critical thinking in the classroom then just ten years ago. One aspect that plays a very important role in fostering such growth is technology.

The learner of today collaborates, shares thoughts and opinions, and is always up for gaining insights from others. This learner of today is like a team mate, knowing that there is no "I" in team. Team mates know that collaboration is extremely important, otherwise a wrong play could have been made if only 1 person was allowed to voice their opinion. This goes for the learner of today. Listening to others views and opinions help to engage and enlighten a certain topic, opening doors where one may have not thought to go before. Like a team mate, the learner of today (teachers as well) has to stay current with what is going on. If a player doses off for a split second, the other team may have a chance at scoring. Similarly, technology is always advancing, always opening new doors to collaborate, share opinions, and enhance our education. If we do not take advantage of this ever changing atmosphere, we may miss out on something that can really impact our learning. Teachers especially need to stay current because as times change, so do learning styles. Technology is a great way to enhance education and and to motivate students because most students are already familiar with new technology, and they may become more engrossed as the learning options multiply.

George Siemen's learning theory of Connectivism supports collaboration and understands that learners must utilize what is given to them. In his article, Connectivism, A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, Siemen's makes it known that learning no longer has to take form in memorization, as long as the learner knows where to find his information. He is quoted, "Know-how and know-what is being supplemented with know-where (the understanding of where to find knowledge needed)." This could not relate more with the digital world we are living in because information is constantly at our fingertips. We will be learning more in knowing how to utilize this information then trying to remember everything we have ever read, which would be impossible. Furthermore, in his YouTube video The Network is the Learning, Siemens takes note that we are constantly able to stay current with people all over the world through collaborating, either through the internet, skype, phone, etc. Because technology is constantly evolving and stays current, it is essentially the learning because so much can be done with something that is constantly changing and constantly connected. We use the internet to learn from others, whether it is reading their blogs, asking for advice, or collaborating for a meeting. The learner of today utilizes what is at their fingertips and is essentially preparing themselves for the future.