One of the educational technology
blogs I signed in was very interesting to me. It called to my attention as the
blog was called “10 common mental health problems students face.” I decided to
read it because it was very similar to a case I am going through with one of my
students in my classroom. It is very sad to see the students struggle in my
English class, but it was even sadder to see that the mom wants to deny the
facts of the struggle that his own son is going through. This blog talks about
the different mental health problems that the kids face, and in times it is not
that they are wanting to disrupt the class by constantly getting up, but
because it is a mental problem that needs to be taken care of. I really liked
how this blog mentioned the most common mental health problems and not only
described them in medical terms, but also described them as to how they look
inside the classroom. It was depressing to hear the parent say how most of the
blame was on the technology that the student uses and move away from the
possibility of the child having some mental issue that needs to be diagnosed by
the doctor.
Another blog
that caught my attention was called “Teaching Kids to Build Computers.” This was
an eye opener blog to me because it made me realize the things that were going
on around me that I was not focusing on or paying attention. Many times I have
told my students that they need to make sure that they pay attention and that
they understand the concept of what is being taught to them because that is
what they need in order to be successful in life. Yet, the century of students
that is in the classroom today feel more connected to have some sort of device
on their hands and many times as teachers we see it as a negative thing. Those
were my thoughts before reading this blog. After reading the blog, I realized
that they do indeed need math, science, reading and all the core subjects that
are required by law to be taught, but in side of that, they also need to be
updated to the world around them which is technology. Many times, many of the
students develop an interest on different type of things at a young age and it
is our duty as teachers to bloom those interests and curiosities that they have
because it will help them in the future.
Lorena,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog about educational technology blogs, especially the blog that is titled “10 common mental health problems students face”, because I can relate the experiences that some of those students went through. I too, as well as my son had similar struggles in school and we were label as trouble makers and lazy students. I survived and was able to finish school. As for my son, he was able to get help with some of the programs that are available today. I can say that educational technology tools that my son was able to use to help him with dyslexia and attention deficiency disorder, were great resources to assist him so that he was able to learn and graduate from school. Thank you for sharing your blogs.
The blog you mentioned called "10 common mental health problems students face" was very interesting and I've actually worked with special education students before, and you are right when you say that it is sad that parents do not want to recognize when their children need help. This blog is very helpful to assist teachers in recognizing students who need assistance, and how to identify these students. As you stated about your second blog “Teaching Kids to Build Computers”, I too am not very familiar with technology and students. Like you, I felt students need to have their hands free of things when we are teaching them. But giving them technology to use and engage them is something we as teachers need to recognize and implement into our classrooms to engage our students.
ReplyDeleteHi Lorena,
ReplyDeleteThe articles you read are both interesting. I am glad that you were able to connect personally to them and hopefully will give you some ideas of how to work with students that are struggling in your class with personal, physical, or mental issues so that you may help meet some of their needs. I also read the article on “Teaching Kids to Build Computers” and agree with you that we have to meet the needs of students and prepare them for their future by providing opportunities for them to use computers, be creators and problem solvers.
Hello Lorena,
ReplyDeleteOften as educators we can get so focused on teaching our content areas that we can ignore one of the most important factors in student learning: "mental health". I spend at least 40 hours per week with my students as school; seeing my students more than many of their parents are able to see them due to work. Because of the time we spend together, I feel it is my duty to ensure my students are emotionally stable as their parents are entrusting me with their child(s) for an extended period of time. Thanks for highlighting our duties as educators to not only focus on our students' academic success but also their emotional well-being as well.
Hi Lorena:
ReplyDeleteVery interesting the first article about mental health problems students face. As educators we have to be alert because sometimes it is difficult to detect that there is a health problem at first, so we think that everything is normal, but in other cases we notice something like the child suddenly starts yelling at you or you find yourself stunned and shocked when the child begins saying upsetting things you would not expect from a child their age. Maybe the child grades has suddenly dropped, and the child just does not seem interested in doing anything about it. In other cases the child has started skipping school. Children might be having dramatic mood swings from one moment to the next, or maybe they are starting doing things that they haven’t done in a long time.
Jorge Villarreal