At The Teacher's Desk

I really enjoyed reading Mr. Mcclung's post! I must admit I'm so nervous of how my first year of teaching is going to be. Actually I'm terrified, nervous, excited and anxious all at the same time. I really don't know what to expect, because I know when you get into a classroom all by yourself it's a different ball game than student teaching. I'm also told there's nothing you can do to prepare yourself for this. Therefore I'll have to deal with the situation when it arrives.

I agree with Mr. Mcclung when he said you need to focus on our student's and not on yourself! You have to learn how to read your student's and provide their needs. Show them that you care about them and it's not all about a paycheck! You have to know how to communicate and be flexible with your student's. Last but not least don't set the bar to high for your student's and set them up for failure, let them set the bar themselves.

Can Wikipedia be Trusted?

I don't think Wikipedia can be trusted source for information. This bothers me because I have always used this site to look up information that I needed for class or some research paper. I had no idea that it could be edited by anyone at anytime. I can say from here on out I wont being using Wikipedia to look up any valuable information until they get some kind of security on the site.

I really can't faul Wal-mart, Dieblod, or anyone else for going into Wikipedia doctoring their images so they won't look as bad especially if what is wrote could tarnish their future. I probably would do the same thing if I was in their shoes. Who wouldn't, it's not like it illegal.

Comments for kids week 3

I just finished commenting on Studamyer, Logan, and Ahsin retelling of the story, "The Lion and The Mouse 2." These kids did a very good job! I encouraged them to keep up the good work!

Comments for kids week 2

I just finished commenting on Alexis's blog. He had some really awesome pictures he made from this website called befunky.com. When I get some free time I really plan on visiting this website and making my own pictures.

Angel Marial Dixon

Did You Know 4.0

This video, "Did You Know 4.0 has once again shocked me with it's interesting facts. I'm not surprised because the world is changing drastically everyday, and technology is playing a huge role in it. I wonder what the world would be like to years from now. Will everything be operated by computers and technology? If so I can sure say I want be surprised!!

Randy Paush's Last Lecture

I enjoyed this inspirational yet long video. Mr Paush is a very intelligent man who is living everyday like his last. He's a mot just a professor he's a motivator that makes you want to succeed. His talk was about persuing your childhood dreams. Anyone can be almost anything they want to as long as they set their mind to it, and if you can't be it you can learn from it.

One of the things he said in this video that really caught my attention was," brick walls are there for a reason; they let is prove how badly we want things." I can relate to that phrase so much. Prior to coming to the University of South Alabama I went to Bishop State where I was taking up physical therapy assistant. It wasn't something I wanted to do, it was something my parents wanted me to do. I was in the PTA program and when the work load picked up I lost interest, not because I was dumb, but because it wasn't something I wanted to do. That's the brick wall Mr. Paush was talking about!

Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Wow!!! I must admit I am speechless with Mr. Fisch and how he was so blunt about his opinion on teachers who are not technologically literate. I do agree to him to a certain extinct, but I don't agree that someone is smarter than the next person because they are not technologically literate. I mean we have some older doctors that I'm pretty sure is not up with the latest technology. I think technology is quicker not better. I know it may be a lot of people who may disagree with me, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

As for me, I'm not up with the latest technology, but I want to learn for the simple fact I think it's going to be beneficial for my students. What I'm not going to do is criticize or step on anyone else toes for not wanting to learn. Like Mrs. Hines stated, " technology is useless without good teaching." There are effective teachers that have been teaching for years without technology impacting thousands of students lives, so if technology is not what floats their boat so be it!

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines

I agree with Mrs. Hines about a lot the things she stated in her blog. Just because you have completed a specialized teacher preparation program doesn't mean you've learned everything you will need to know to be a successful teacher. You must be prepared to go above and beyond to reach your students. You must fine ways to keep them interested in learning, because most kids see school as something they are forced to participate in by their parents anyway.

Mrs Hines also stated, "technology is useless without good teaching." I strongly agree with this. I do not want a teacher who's going to teach me through power points or video's. I want a teacher that's capable of teaching me the material I need to know and if they need to incorporate technology in there lesson to make me understand better then that's fine. I mean if your going to school just to teach through power points, why are you going to school, anyone can do that!

Micheal Welsch: A Vision of Students Today

This documentary by Micheal Welsch is very true and captures my college experiences. I have bought so many books that I have never opened more once or twice. Some classes are so crowded that the teachers don't know hardly any of there students. Needless to say the students may not know them either. Most of the time I just know the time, subject, and place I suppose to meet for class.

Technology is not used in most of the classrooms. This bothers me because people are coming up with new technology everyday. As far as being a teacher, you should try to incorporate technology into your classroom to capture your students attention and keep them engaged in learning. Because I know when im sitting in a boring classroom listening to lectures im there physically but not mentally. Think about if your students have access to a computer or phone, I will say 8/10 are not paying attention to you.

Comments For Kids

I enjoyed listening to the students retail there version of The Little Red Riding Hood. It was a great opportunity to see how teachers are teaching all around the world, and incorporating new technology into the classroom. It also gave me a chance to encourage the students to keep up the good work. I think encouragement engages students in learning and keep them focused!

Last Summer Podcast

I'm not the one to criticize, so let me start off by saying all the podcast from last summer were descent. While listening to the podcast there was some room for improvement. During the some of the podcast some people sounded like they were reading straight from their paper with no prior knowledge of what they were talking about. Then you had some people who sounded like they had rehearsed their part like they were getting ready to give a speech. What I mean is they didn't sound natural at all.

From my understanding a podcast should sound very lively. You should do your research on your topic until you fully understand whats going on so you can podcast about it. I think one of the biggest mistakes by some of the students last semester was they didn't really understand the information. I don't think you should try to inform anyone about a topic if you don't understand whats going on yourself. Lastly I think I was privileged to listen to the podcast from last semester so hopefully I don''t make some of the same mistakes.

I must admit, I was not a big fan of podcast, nor am I up with the latest technology because I hate change, but I've found more pro's than con's with using podcast. Especially if you have some important information you would like to share with the world. I think it is one of the most effective way to interact with people. The thing that fascinates me the most is that you can talk to numerous of people all around the world in seconds

Also I found podcast to be a very effective tool for teachers. I like the idea that it gives parents a chance to see whats going on in there child's classroom. That way there will be no more wondering what's going on in the classroom they will actually know! It's also offers distant learning opportunities for students who are at home sick and can't be in the classroom. That way the student won't feel so or overwhelmed after missing a day or two of school work, or try to come to school sick just so they don't get behind.

Video in the Classroom Introduction

I found this to be a very creative video. Mr. Needleman found ways to increase his students reading and writing skills. I think Mr. Needleman is a very effective teacher because he is going above and beyond to impact his students lives. When I start teaching I hope I can find ways to impact my student lives also.