30 Matching Annotations
  1. Nov 2019
    1. Survey parents to figure out how comfortable they feel providing support for digital learning and develop rich learning experiences to help them provide better coaching and monitoring at home.

      This step is even crucial for integrating technology in teaching in the beginning. Some parents in my classes are reluctant to let their kids use digital devices at home. One of them even sold their iPad. By surveying parents, we could understand if we could conduct a digital learning project and let some of the students participate in first. If the learning project succeeds, the results will affect those parents to open the chance for children to get access to technology.

    2. Extending Attewell's anthropological work into the 21st century, researchers like Matt Rafalow (2018) have documented that depending on the population, adults in schools can treat kids very differently for the same behaviors.

      Yes. Also, different adults have different opinions about kids playing around computers. For example, Once, some parents found me and asked if they should let their children use digital devices because we treated them differently. I like to encourage parents to let children play video games or use iPad, while another teacher at our school criticize kids when they are playing phones or computers. The entire school must commit to shared value and mission so that educators will not confuse students and parents.

    1. Technology, when not used effectively, can distract or disrupt a student.

      Therefore, showing students when to use technology for learning and for playing and helping them develop self-discipline and time-management skill is of great importance. Maybe, it should be more important than teaching students how to use technology tools.

    2. This gives students a more authentic way to compare cultures than just looking at the illustrations in the book

      When teaching the word "pyramid" to my students, I played a short video about Egypt on youtube and showed it to children instead of using the traditional teaching practice, such as a flashcard. They were curious and really excited after the video was over. I let them share what they saw and liked in that video, and it turned out they learned many more words than I had expected. I believe that the most essential value of adopting technology methods in teaching children is that we could tap on children's curiosity and motivate them to learn more.

    3. Help students write a "plan of action" in which they create a personal learning goal for their technology time.

      I think this method would work! The plan of action written by students is similar to a promise, and children take promises seriously. Also, children, without learning pressures, are prone to learn at their will and link the knowledge with what they like and how they feel. A personal learning goal decided by themselves can be internalized to they will, along with keeping the promises of their actions.

    4. Students can quickly get distracted when using technology tools, and teachers should be careful not to assume that engagement in using a device or application is the same as engagement in the learning goal.

      Getting distracted soon is the biggest problem in my teaching as my students are very young, especially when using technology tools. If it takes too long, children will get distracted or be affected easily by other children who are doing something else. Generally, their attention span is 10 to 15 minutes, and using technology tools will excite them immediately. It always takes me several minutes to calm them down first and let them sit quietly to listen to the instructions. I think the tricky part is how to set proper goals and length for children to use technology.

    5. it should instead include opportunities for students to engage in meaningful conversations and reflect with others on what they are working on (

      This part resonates with two technology skills for 21st-century learners: Creative Communicators and Global Collaborators (OECD, 2018, p. 87). I find this topic interesting and believe it could be a chance for our next generation to form a globally shared language, which could enable people on every corner of the world to communicate with minimized understanding. It does not merely refer to a specific language, such as English or Franch; it is more like a global network language through which people can precisely express and receive the meaning of messages from others in the future.

    6. FIGURE 1. Triple E Framework Guiding Questions

      The questions below offer us an instrumental evaluation to assess if the technology is used and adopted effectively and appropriately. Considering that this figure mostly draws our attention to the positive aspects brought by technology, we need to list questions concerning the adverse outcomes and add them to the evaluation as well.

    7. the secret ingredient to learning with technology is found not in the tools themselves (despite the wealth of marketing on the benefits of particular educational apps or devices), but in the instructional methods the teachers employ with the tools

      I agree with Kolb. We live in the digital era, it is thus necessary for us, educators, to formally instruct and offer guidance to children for them to use digital devices properly. The overarching goal shared by educators all over the world is preparing our students for future needs with 21st century skills. Teaching them how to use digital tools, how to identify different categories of information, how to do research and play on the devices at the proper time should be officially added in teaching practices.

    1. While some schools have seen significant improvements in student achievement and engagement through their use of technology

      Integrating technology in teaching, however, is still not a promising idea in my working environment. My students are around three to six years old. Considering parents' rigid opinion that digital devices can make negative effects on eyesight, our school promise that we will not use digital tools over 15 minutes in the an-hour teaching.

    1. It’s important to resist allowing yourself to avoid situations that make you feel anxious. While you may feel better in the short-term when you stay home or opt out, in the long-term it makes things worse.

      This reminds me of the story happens on my son. Due to the long time he spends on watching TV and playing video games, we enrol a street dance class for him. He enjoys dancing and playing with other kids there, but he resists to step out of home and go to the class every week. My husband and I was confused as he really seems like the class and perform very well. I remembered that I might have the same feeling before accepting a huge job task or reading a hard book. However, that feeling disappeared immediately once we were engaged in. Now I could identify that feeling as the resistance to avoid situations that make us feel anxious rather than the feelings implying our true needs, and it is better not to reject it. This is profound for our family.

    2. Anxiety is normal and adaptive

      My mom has been suffering from Anxiety for more than 30 years. She deeply believes that anxiety is completely detrimental and is eager to get rid of her anxiety as soon as possible, which makes her feel even more anxious. Know that anxiety is normal and adaptive could greatly change her perspective towards anxiety, and maybe make anxiety her friend one day.

    1. do

      If anxiety were not identified, the side effects of our anxious behaviours would affect other people. For example, if the teacher fails to realize the kid is anxious, the kid could not receive the help he or she needs, and his or her anxious behaviours might also influence other children in the classroom.

    2. Being able to recognize when you’re feeling anxious is an important first step in being able to manage it.

      Recognizing the signs of anxiety is also an important first step in identifying anxiety and offering help to students or other people to manage it.

    1. Anxiety is also helpful when there’s something important that requires your time and attention, as anxiety can prompt you to study for an exam or prep for an interview.

      Therefore, it is important for teachers to acknowledge the helpfulness of anxious feeling to students and children before an exam or a show. Also, teachers should offer practical help to help student manage anxiety, such as instructing students to schedule their time and energy properly and one-on-one mentoring.

    1. Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours

      I will have to keep reading related researches as my son seems to be with BFRBs. He keeps touch a part of his body no matter how many times we try to distract him to touch something else. It never occurs to me that it could be a kind of anxiety. This is really helpful.

    1. Externalize and push back

      I think this is a key step in curing anxiety. It could be extremely helpful. My concern is that separating from anxiety cannot go too far. Letting anxiety be the scapegoat for most of things could also result in an irresponsible attitude. Therefore, we have to also watch the ideas and be aware of them when the anxiety is cured.

    2. Giving anxiety a name and identity can help you picture what you’re up against, so you can start to fight back.

      This idea would be helpful for people to identify anxiety positively. It could be something fun, and that's not bad. Having experience with anxiety could also be a lifetime precious memory.

    3. gathering some information about the situations that make you anxious, your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.  You can use a small notebook to gather this data, take notes on your phone/tablet/computer

      Gathering information, taking notes, analyzing data. These are all systematic methods involved in the process of conducting a research. Approaching to anxiety through these methods is a scientifically helpful.

    4. Choose team members who have the role of reminding you to use strategies learned in this program

      This might be the hardest step as people might not be willing to admit to other people that they are with anxiety. In my context, it could be even hard for people to admit they are have anxiety to themselves. Nobody likes to be defined as a patient.

    1. One lesson done well, slowly, over several months

      Either fast or slow, finding the most comfortable pace for oneself is the most important. Sometimes moving so fast might not be instructive.

    1. Calm Breathing

      I let my son try all three methods. It seems that calm breathing is the most effective one to a 5-year-old. He got increasingly uncontrolled when trying muscle relaxation, and ran around the room when I tried to let him imagine. But after calm breathing practice, he could stay calm and finish his violin practice rather than larking about as usual. Maybe calm breathing could be adopted for helping children with anxiety.

    1. All of your senses are alive and focused on the present moment. This is being mindful

      There is a psychological practice in China, which is very similar to mindfulness, called "Zhengnian". It is about focusing on the right present moment. It requires people to do nothing, simply sit down with eyes closed, breath, and notice what is happening in mind. And the key is trying not to control any idea, just let them float, rise, and disappear. It is really helpful for me to calm down and stop thinking everything would go bad.

    1. Take note of situations

      I believe writing them down would be particularly helpful in increasing confidence of dealing with anxious thoughts. Most of people will not bother to write them down most of time, and they will forget about them very soon and be anxious next time. Writing them down will be a period of "history" with anxiety and reminds us of the bad thoughts we have overcome. The list is delivering the message to us that we could manage our anxious thoughts.

    1. negative and the neutral

      Do not exaggerate effects of positive and neutral aspects. Having a friend or a family member to look at them together would be better at the beginning of using balanced thinking.

    1. Others (like Jennifer) may spend hours obsessively washing or checking things

      I remember the days I did the same things: obsessively checked my phones or walked in my office again and again. However, those anxious feelings and behaviours disappeared when I hugged my son in my arm. I believe it is critical for new moms or people with anxiety to find the moment that they could calm down. That can be helpful for diagnosing where the anxiety starts.

    1. the goal is to learn to tolerate the unknown by facing it.

      This sounds like a helpful advice. But I am concerned that what if this method causes more anxious feelings as the girl just does not enjoy the feelings of trying something unknown. Would trying something she already knows the end help cause she could gain reassurance?

    1. gently remind yourself that they are just thoughts and let them come and go

      The mindfulness exercise in the "Calming Strategies: Learning to Chill, Lesson 3" would be helpful in this situation.

    1. If they’re truly good friends, they’ll respect what you want.

      Yes, and truly friends respect boundaries between you. I am the one who likes to focus on the quality of friendship rather than quantity of friends. I believe that people who respect boundaries in friendship are worth making friends with.

    1. It doesn’t mean that they love you any less.

      Not just teenagers, I think even adults need to acknowledge this fact. I felt the same way when my parents got divorced several years ago. I thought I could manage the situation well as I am already an adult. And more importantly, adults should not be embarrassed of feeling depressed during parents' divorce. There is nothing to do with our age, and we need to understand the parents made the choice for them to be happier, not abandon us.