Reflection #2 and Technology Concept Map

http://www.bubbl.us/

Yes I believe parts of this align with what I put into my philosophy.  As I did my research there were new ideas and information that arose while I was filtering through the websites.  All of this information means so much to me, especially addressing the way I will eventually teach my future class.  Seeing and reading about all these new ways to use technology makes me excited and ready to implement it. 

The videos left me speechless.  Especially the one about us lagging behind other countries and not using what we have to teach with.  Also, it talked about when the internet first started, and I remember being in middle school when it came out.  We really started using the internet in High School for our research papers, but the teachers then were so skeptical about it, so we were only allowed to use one source from the internet.  The other video had so many clever ways to implement what the students already have, for example cellphones.  I do have to add that you do have to be careful with that, because a couple of 5th grade kids got caught cheating, because they were texting each other the answers.  I do like the idea of a quick pop quiz and the send you the answer.  Also, it went over Gardner's Multiple Intelligence's and I believe we need to add Digital Learner to that list, because all kids in school fit under this category very easily.  I believe using technology in the class room would truly make learning more enjoyable and maybe put the U.S. back in the lead for education.

Blog Reflection #1

At this point, what potential uses do you see for blogging?  Stephen Downes' article on Educational Blogging was written in 2004. Have we met this potential? What's preventing us from doing so?

I see blogging as a way to communicate to your audience what you would like for them to hear.  It is a good way to make announcements or if you forgot to go over something or would like to add something to what you had taught you could.  I don’t think we have met this potential yet, because there are so many people that fall into the baby boomer and up to the end of the Generation X category that are just not comfortable with getting to know how to work all the different types of technology that are offered.  I look at my parents that fall in the baby boomer category and they had a computer, but never had internet.  Now that they have internet I find them trying to Skype me every night and sending e-mails all the time.  Thinking about this I have heard a lot of people say they are scared and don’t know how it works.  So I believe we need to help each other to be able to take technology to the next level and help the Millennials learn to use this vastly changing technology accurately.

November's article, Creating a Culture for Teaching and Learning outlines six areas to think about and changes on the horizon with technology and education. Which one stood out to you the most and why?

Live videos in the classroom was the one that stood out to me, because I think about when I was working in a private preschool the parents had access by internet to view what was going on in the classroom.  Taking this into the classroom could be a good thing or bad thing depending on how it was used.   I really like the opportunity for parents to watch their children’s presentation and maybe taking that a step further and making award assemblies, plays, etc. available for parents to see.  So many parents now days have to work so much and it is hard for them to take off work to see these great moments in their child’s lives. 

My big thing is I like the possibility to Skype with another class from across the states or even overseas, so my students could see how other students learn and for them to learn about their cultures and heritage.

What are some of your expectations for this class?

I hope to learn how to become more of an informate then an automate, because I know what I do now in technology has a lot to do with automate.

My Educational Philosophy

After reading the assignments and the different philosophical schools of thought, it made me really think about how I would like to see my future classroom to run.  I loved doing the written assignments because it really made the wheels in my head spin.

To start off my 5th grade math, 8th grade math and Algebra II teachers were the best teachers I had during my years in school.  My 5th and 8th grade math teachers always had activities that were hands on and it seemed that we always worked in groups.  They made learning a lot of fun and they seemed to care about you as an individual.  My Algebra II teacher was hard, but what I loved about her class was she made us think outside the box, we weren't allowed to use a calculator at all; and she prepared us for college.  She made us accountable for all of our work.

Thinking back all of my history teachers were not great teachers at all.  It seemed like all we ever did was listen to lecture, write pages of notes over and over again, and they would pop in a movie.  It was almost like we never learned anything, I think that is one reason I don't like history.  They would also, get mad at us if we failed a test, but the reason no one seemed to past is because we weren't retaining any information.

From my experience in with my best teachers; you have to make learning fun, hands on, keep it interesting, and make student learning a big part of it all.  She also held us accountable for ourselves.  These are things I will implement in my classroom. 

Constructivism and Pragmatism are ones I closely relate too, because looking at the teachers that did a great job teaching, they seemed to use these philosophies in the classroom.

I want to be able to help my students to be better prepared for the future that lies ahead of them.  Thinking of all the ways I can implement technology in my classroom to help students become more aware of what is out in the real world.

I believe I would teach this way because I feel students should have that social interaction and working in groups is a great way for students to learn.  Along with making them be held accountable for what needs to be done by them.

A great teacher is someone who lets student learning occurs naturally.  Helping the students take real world situations into consideration when teaching. 

I want my students to discover that they learn differently than others and to gain the confidence needed to work well with others and to learn that it is okay to speak up when something is wrong or right.

I chose constructivism and pragmatism strategies because thinking about when I was in school and looking at how I plan on teaching my students, I believe these two are ideal for the perfect classroom.

I would select different assignments for different learners because of the knowledge some students have that the others may not have acquired yet.  If I were to take this a step further and split up my groups so there are a variety of different learners in each group. 

My definition of great teacher is someone who is hard working, thinks outside the box, open to new ideas and criticism, and someone that has a student lead classroom.

I would love to take technology to the next step and possibly use Skype in the classroom.  I would love to possibly Skype another class across the world or across the United States.  Maybe make this into one of my stations and have to students be set up with a pen pal and they can share what they have been learning or even share what it is like where they live.  This could even be a great use for research for a project. 

I believe we need to be prepared for the changing future in our classrooms or work environments.  I know I will keep my mind open to new ways of teaching and new ways of implementing technology in my classroom and making sure our students are ready to take on the world by the time the graduate.  But that is up to each and every one of us teachers to keep that going.