Technology and Teaching: My Philosophy

    I was a little worried when I signed up for EDM 310. I heard so many stories of people dropping the class, and how the work is hard. I really did not know how the class would go, since there were new teachers. I was still a little overwhelmed after the first day of class, but I pushed through and made it to the stopping point. I have learned many new things along this semester long journey. These new resources are so helpful to my future career. A lot of the resources, that I have gathered, will be used in my future classroom. 

    I plan to use Google drive; I will use this to allow students to share and gather their group's work. Google drive is perfect for Project Based Learning groups. I also plan on using the SMART Board in my classroom. It was fun being able to play with the SMART Board. There are more technologies that I might try in the future, but these two stuck out for me.

    Technology is a useful tool  in any classroom. I believe that every teacher should use one form of technology. The world, outside of the classroom, uses all forms of technology, so it is important to teach children how to regularly use technology. Just like here at South, to become a teacher we have to take online tests, so it is only natural that students learn to use technology. This allows students the upper hand when it comes to college. If we do not teach them how to use technology at least let the students become familiar with it. 

    EDM 310 was a class that I was scared to take, but now that I am almost done, I understand that without it, I would be lost in some of my other courses. I plan to use so many of the new technology and resources in my future classroom. 

Project 16 Group Blog Post

Using technology in the classroom.

Technology is an important aspect to incorporate into any lesson. Students need to be taught how to effectively use technology. The modern day world has so many uses for technology. As teachers, it is important that we use technology in a way where students will learn how to use it as well. The SMART Board is an important tool to use because this allows the whole class to get information through technology. The SMART Board allows students to either get information from something, like a powerpoint, or through many of the interactive lesson templates. Computers are also important to the students’ technology growth. Computers allow students to independently gather information. This allows students to learn the importance of being independent when working on classwork. Students need to learn how to use all of the latest and newest technology. When using technology, in the classroom, it is important to model safe behavior, so the students will pick up on it and model it themselves. Technology is important to the knowledge development of students. The best thing to do is teach children how to use technology early, so each student is fully prepared for life outside of formal school.

Using a project-based approach to learning in a classroom.

Using a project-based approach to learning in a classroom is a very effective way of engaging students so they learn on a deeper level. While project-based learning is not a new concept, using it to replace traditional lectures may cause some teachers to hesitate. Think about this, if you had to tie a tie for the first time ever how would you learn how to do it? Would you research it, listen to someone explain step-by-step instructions, guess, would you pick up a tie and just go for it, or would you want to utilize all these resources to learn how to tie a tie? Using PBL in the classroom is very similar, you want your students to do the hands on work. Using a project-based approach allows students to be more creative with their work. Also, when they have an audience with whom to share their work, they will work harder and take pride is what they produce. Teachers can both create projects and find existing project-based lessons to cover the necessary state standards. By allowing the students to do the work for themselves, the teacher is free to work more on a one-to-one ratio.  By using a project-based approach teachers can better prepare their students for life beyond school by helping them develop important skills researching, collaboration, problem solving, and creativity.

Blog Post 5 Part B

    Earlier in the semester we were asked to make a Personal Learning Network (PLN). Some of the internet sources that I used was Symbaloo, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. All of these internet sites are a great help in making a PLN. I personally like using Pinterest and Twitter the most because I have used them prior to this class.

     Pinterest is great for anyone who want ideas that are coupled with tutorials. I have a board that is dedicated to future classroom ideas, and another that is for class projects. I find that Pinterest is perfect for anyone that just needs help with getting ideas for things. Pinterest can also link you with other people by the content of their boards. If someone has the same ideas on a board, there is an option to like the board and that allows everything the person pins, to that board, to be posted on your feed.

    Twitter is also great for making a PLN. Twitter allows people to interact with other people from around the world. I made a new Twitter for this class, so I would not mix school and personal life. Twitter allows you like and "retweet" other people's ideas. They can also like yours as well. This is great because it links people by what peaks their interest. I used Twitter to get ideas from other people who are teachers or who are currently in an education program. Twitter is user friendly as well.

    There are many sites that can be used when constructing a Personal Learning Network. I made account for Symbaloo, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. The two sites that eventually won out when I further used them were Pinterest and Twitter. I recommend that everyone should try each before they make an assumption that one is better than the other. PLNs can help anyone with any profession. 

Blog Post 14

    This week we were required to read Teaching Children Can be a Profession. This article was about the problem and solutions that arise with the teaching profession.

• Problem: Picking teachers who just have a degree.
• Solution: School systems should recruit from the top third of the graduates.

    I agree with this statement because some teachers really do not know what they are doing sometimes. Also, some teachers are not trained well in all subjects. Some teachers perform better at math and science and others perform better at history and language arts. This hurts the students in the long run. Also, some college graduates just go through the motions before they graduate, so they are not trained well in every subject. 

• Problem: It is hard to remove incompetent teachers.
• Solution: Every student that is an education major should be required to take a "national teacher examination" and should complete 1 to 3 years of supervised internship. 

    I agree with this because every teacher should be at the same level of knowledge. I believe, when the time comes for layoffs, the teachers who do not teach effectively should be laid off first. Teachers should not get too comfortable with their job, because that is when people start to slack. The school systems should not look at years, but at how well the teacher performs. Also, new graduates are taught the new and improved ways of teaching and class management. 

• Problem: Teachers who do not take their job seriously.
• Solution: Have teachers form a board to police the profession, and help teachers, who are not effective, by giving them a college graduate that serves as a teaching assistant.

    I agree with this because every teacher should take their job seriously. Students do not get a choice on if their teachers care about their knowledge well being or not. Some students who do not understand subjects, because of a slacking teacher, grow up to go to college to become teachers. This keeps the cycle of incompetent teachers going. Every student should get every ounce of knowledge from the teacher. 

    Every teacher is not like these mentioned in the article. This article is based on teachers who do not really care that their job impacts so many lives. A teacher effects the lives of his or her students, the parents, the immediate families, and his or her own families. When a teacher slacks on any part or his or her job everyone in the system will fall as well. Teachers are the basis of every future job, so they should treat it that way.

C4T 4 John Burke

Guided Reflection in Physics Class: John Burke constructed a blog post about the importance of guided reflection in physics class. He references a tweet by Andy Rundquist, that contains a link to an essay about guided reflection and self evaluation. This essay is called "Attending to Lifelong Learning Skills through Guided Reflection." This paper begins to talk about asking physics students things they would like to work on from the week before. This process is known as self evaluation. Burke went on to explain that he contacted the writers of the essay, and received many useful resources for his class. He also explained that he thought of using these techniques in his classroom to help the students work on different things. He noticed that his students began to understand more of the things that they struggled with on a weekly basis. He ended his blog post with the idea that guided reflection and self evaluation will not only help in the classroom, but also in normal life.
    Hi, Mr. Burke. My name is Brandi Wescovich. I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently enrolled in the EDM 310 course. I am in the Elementary Education program and I liked reading your blog post about self evaluation and guided reflection. I plan to use this in my future classroom. This will help me determine who does not understand each concept that I teach. I like how you included the actual documents that you used. I would defiantly tell other future teachers about this resource.

Blog Post 13

    This could be used for blog post 1. I would make a blog post about time management. This skill is useful for the rest of our college career, and our future jobs. This is especially true for elementary teachers. Elementary teachers need to manage their time wisely in class, and also outside of class. My blog post would consist of having the students research and find 3 different effective ways to manage time, in the classroom. The students will also need to site where they got their information, and what sites are great resources for teachers.

    Time management is so important for an Elementary Teacher. Each teacher has to effectively teach every subject within a certain time frame without leaving any information out. Also teachers need to manage their time outside of class, in order to have a personal life as well. Time management is also important for future teachers, in college, as well.
    The first time management site I found was How to Work a 40 Hour Week as a Teacher. This site is useful because it gives teachers the knowledge of how to budget their time wisely. One of the examples listed was to replace worksheets with hands-on activities. These activities could be performed as PBL activities. This site also explained that it is a good idea to make the most of morning or bell work. This could mean the teacher checks homework, attendance, or respond to parent notes. Another great time saver is to make a bulletin board timeless; where the teacher does not waste time thinking and constructing a new bulletin board every season. The example that I love is to keep the room clean throughout the day instead of cleaning up everything at the end of the day. Creating a self running classroom is a great way to help students and teachers. This allows the students to feel involved and helpful, in the classroom.
    The next time management site I found was 10 Tips for Getting More Done Every Single Day. The best thing to do first is evaluate the day's priorities. It is a good idea to set a timer and make sure that everything that needs to be done is finished, by the end of the timer. Another great idea is to regroup every now and then. This stops everything from getting overwhelming. It is also important to set goals and stick to them. One that I already use everyday is making a checklist of everything that needs to be done. It's also a great idea to involve the kids in everything that needs to get done. Divide and conquer is another great time management strategy. Waking up earlier helps the body become more alert and helps anyone focus on the tasks at hand. And finally, taking breaks can also help with the struggle of getting things done.
    The last time management site I found was Rethinking Teacher Time. This site is useful because it helps teachers understand the importance of great time management. The first strategy that is mentioned is to redesign school schedules to prioritize learning. It is also important to have teacher-driven learning communities. This allows teachers to get together and talk about things that have to do with life inside and outside the classroom. Another point that is made is to rethink the classroom structure. This could mean turning the classroom into a PBL style classroom rather than the traditional style of teaching.
    All of these sites helped me understand the importance to learn time management skills now. If someone tries to learn these skills later, it will not be as easy as learning them now. I obtained all of these sites by searching for time management skills on Pinterest.

C4K Summary 3

C4K #1
Drew N.
    Drew's blog post is about a book he read. The book is called Eagle Strike. He explains the plot, setting, and main characters. He talks more about Alex, who is the protagonist. He also explained that understanding the main story of the novel, comes from reading the series from beginning to end. Drew described the book to where you get the plot, but he did not give any of the book away. I enjoyed reading this blog.
    Hi, my name is Brandi Wescovich. I go to the University of South Alabama. I enjoyed reading this blog post. I will consider reading this book, as well as the whole series. You seem like you enjoy suspenseful books. I like suspenseful books, as well. I hope you find more books that you like to read.

C4K #2
Harry
    Harry's blog post was about a hello from 2015. He explained that he played in a basketball game, but his team did not win. He also explained that he participated in a swim meet. He was in the freestyle, backstroke, medley, and freestyle finals. He also participates on a rugby team. Harry sure is an athlete. I enjoyed reading his blog about his sports activities.
    Hi, my name is Brandi Wescovich. I go to the University of South Alabama. I enjoyed reading your blog. I have figured out that you are an athlete. I think it is pretty cool that you participate in so many activities. I wish I had enough time to do so many things. I hope you have fun the rest of the year. Good Luck!

C4K #3
Nicole
    Nicole's blog post was about April Fool's Day. She talked about spaghetti. The spaghetti was in a tree. People picked the spaghetti out of the tree, like you would pick apples. The overall theme of the post was "How did April Fool's Day Begin?"
    Hi, my name is Brandi Wescovich. I go to the University of South Alabama. I enjoyed reading your blog post. Was this your take on how April Fool's Day began? If so, your reason is very creative. I found it very interesting, the idea of picking spaghetti out of a tree. Always be creative!