Sunday, May 3, 2015

Final Reflection Video

Post Presentation Reflection

1. What additional technologies and/or networked information resources may have further enhanced this lesson?

For this presentation I believe there are not any other technology or information resources that may have further enhanced the lesson. I believe the best tools to use were the tools we used which were the Smartboard, iPad, and Youtube.
 

2. If I/we had the opportunity to present this lesson again to a similar audience, would I/we do anything differently? What would I/we do? Why would I/we do it?

If I had the opportunity to present this lesson again to a similar audience, I would do one thing differently. I would focus on presenting to the whole class instead of focusing on Dr. Lomax. I would focus on the entire class because I was presenting a lesson and should have treated my classmates as if they were my future students.


Presenting

Project #16

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Project #16- Important Technology Tools

Blog Post Assignment #5 Part 2

Before being introduced in EDM 310, I had no idea what a Personal Learning Network was. Now that the end of the semester is near, I have come to realize that I have had a Personal Learning Network all along and have developed some new ones. A Personal Learning Network or PLN is a network used to help you continue to learn and connect with others about information you are interested in. My Personal Learning Networks include Blogger, Facebook, Google Docs, Twitter, and Youtube. Before taking EDM 310, I did not know anything about Blogger and Google Docs. I thought I would never get the hang of using these tools and that after completing this class I would never want to use them again, but I was wrong. Now that I am almost finished with EDM 310, I have grown to love Blogger and Google Docs. With blogging I have learned so much from reading various posts to connecting and commenting with teachers and students from around the world. Blogging has introduced me to a new world in technology and I will continue to use it throughout my career.

 Personal Learning Networks

Technology and Teaching: My Philosophy

My philosophy of technology and teaching has changed so much because of EDM 310. Before beginning this class, I believed that technology should be included in the classroom but with limitations. I believed that technology would be a great thing to include in the classroom but that it would also be a distraction. Now that I am reaching the end of the semester in EDM 310, my philosophy of technology in the classroom has totally changed. Technology is becoming apart of everyone's daily lives and I believe that we should educate our children on how to properly use it. Throughout this semester I have learned so many ways in how I can incorporate technology in the classroom and also make it fun for the students. My favorite technology tool is blogging. Blogging helps students improve their writing, teaches them how to be safe on the internet, and it is like an online progress report for their parents. I also like how students are able to take a virtual field trip without leaving their classroom and can connect with other students around the world. With technology the opportunities are endless! The students are learning, having fun, and being prepared for the real world.

Teaching with Technology

Blog Post Assignment #14

For this assignment I read Teaching Our Children can be a Profession by Joel Klein. In this article Mr. Klein discusses professionalizing teaching and making it more respected like law and medicine. Throughout this article, Klein states problems and gives solutions for these problems.

First problem: Lack of academic training for prospective teachers.
Solution: Recruit teachers from the top third of graduates.

I agree with this problem. If future educators are not properly trained, how can they teach children? I believe that education programs need to strengthen their requirements for teachers in math and reading. With this idea, future educators will be more capable of teaching math and reading to their students. I also agree with the solution to this problem. Recruiting teachers from the top third of graduating classes would ensure that schools will have the best educators possible.

Second problem: Seniority.
Solution: Letting the teachers success in the classroom decide their fate.

I agree with the problem about seniority. I believe that if a new teacher comes to a school and is more successful in the classroom than the teacher that has seniority, the teacher that is not as successful should be replaced. Teachers should be rewarded for their success, not rewarded because they have been in the field longer than another teacher. I agree with Mr. Klein that this solution would not only be beneficial for students but also teachers.

Third problem: Incompetent teachers.
Solution: Establishing a board.

Lastly, I agree with this problem also. Teacher Education should have a board that establishes standards for teachers. I like the idea of teachers being promoted based on specialty exams. I believe that teachers who pass this exam should be rewarded and those who do not, should not be.

In conclusion, Klein had some great ideas for teachers and the education program. I agree with all of the problems and his solutions. I hope that some time in the near future there will be a major improvement in the Teacher Education field.

 Teachers