I recently enjoyed reading a few posts by Lisa Thumann, a senior specialist in technology education at Rutgers University. From the very first post I read, I could tell I was going to have to do some research to understand some of what she was talking about. She began talking about QR codes which I had actually recently heard my friend talking about earlier that day. When I heard Lenore say something about scanning QR codes and doing something with banks, and checks, and stuff, I freaked out and thought, "Well, I don't want to learn about that because it sounds complicated, and I'd have to buy a new phone, and then pay for the internet package on it,and then..." So when I read her post and watched this awesome video on QR codes being used in PA classrooms, I opened my mind almost immediately. It was really amazing to me the way these teachers have gotten so creative and really geared their instruction and projects on visual and kinesthetic learners. It gave me great hope for the future of education!
The next blog post I read by Mrs. Thumann was equally as interesting and inspiring. Like I told Mrs. Thumann, The Flat Stanley project is a much more interactive and engaging version of Where's Waldo. I kind of found it like a Where's Waldo of Facebook. It is a social network that is geared towards children and incorporates academic concepts within its network. Students can make their own character. They can dress them from head to toe and send them on a trip. These trips let the students see where their Flat Stanley is and view other Flat Stanleys around the world. It is a great way for children to begin learning culture and geography in a fun and creative way.
I was very pleased to begin reading posts by Mrs. Thumann. I also enjoyed checking out the rest of her blog which really blew me away. There was a blog post just a month before the QR post in which she gave a speech on the ten skills students should graduate with. I was remotely familiar with just a few of the technical skills she mentioned. I am motivated to get out of my internet closet and enhance my resources, thus improving my technical skills.
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