Authentic Learning..

First, give your overall impressions of this model of learning. Be observant of how the technology is used as a tool in this kindergarten classroom. What different applications or devices were utilized? What were some ways you saw the teachers using technology with their students? How did this support learning?


First of all, I think that this model of learning is absolutely wonderful and that every single classroom should use it, if not all of the time, at least once a week! This model of learning completely exhibits the authentic lessons idea, in that everything that students do in the classroom should reflect upon an authentic experience that happens in the real world. I hope to incorporate this type of learning in my own classroom, although it will be a little harder to do with high school science then it is in a kindergarten classroom. I love the idea that everything the students do in the class is connected to every single subject (its the ideal complete integrated classroom!). The trip to Brazil lesson incorporated math skills, technology skill, geography skills, writing skills, hands-on art creation, social skills and science! The students were not only learning something from every subject domain, but they were having fun doing it. Each student was generally interested in what they were doing, because it corresponded to something they could do in real life.

I also feel that this type of lesson planning is great because it makes learning fun for the students. First of all, it is essential that students take a huge part in lesson planning in order to keep them interested in the learning and for them to feel that learning is fun. This classroom gives the power to the students, in that the students' curiosity is responsible for everything they do. A lesson is created by student questions and the teachers find ways to integrate all of the subjects into that student question. Instead of just writing about anything to practice sentence structure and letter formation, the students write in journals about an experience one of their classmates had. The students are not only taught new information, but are taught how to learn. The students in the class are not expected to go to adults to find the answers, but to find the answers themselves using resources around the classroom. This is great in establishing the basis for self-mediated learning. It is also essential that students feel free in expressing themselves and have fun learning, and this classroom supports this amazingly. The students are not expected to do everything right, but just to try and have fun trying. Students are amazed that they are actually writing and are having fun doing it, rather than being lectured every time that they spell a word wrong or write a letter incorrectly. This reflects upon my blog last week in that students should be allowed to make mistakes, because they learn from them and have more fun in the learning process. This type of learning is so important in our society today because it builds self-esteem rather than tearing it down, which is essential when so many of our students suffer from extremely low self-worth.

The use of technology in this classroom was absolutely wonderful and astounding for a kindergarten classroom. The teachers took something basic like Show And Tell that is used in almost every early childhood classroom and made it special, by giving the child who is sharing a microphone. They also used a SmartBoard which is a great tool, especially for kindergartners who can get messy when dealing with markers and chalk. The SmartBoard also allowed for manipulation of whatever they were writing (pulling the letter d onto the letter b to show that they were different), which is impossible when using a marker or chalk board. The SmartBoard also allowed projection of the Internet onto a large screen, making group work much easier (everybody can see everything) and a lot cheaper than having a laptop for every student. I love how the used the Internet to teach the children how to use the resources they are given to find answers to their questions- for example they used dictionary.com to look up a word instead of the teacher just giving them the answer. During the Brazil trip lesson, the students also role played using telephones to reflect upon the communication between an airplane pilot and the airport/weather station.