HELLO

Hello, I just would like to say that this was a great class and sad that it has to end but I learned alot and will take all that I learned and use in my future classroom.

Teaching Philosophy

As I am preparing to educate young minds I will be reflecting upon my military experience as a reference. I have been accustomed to instructing and preparing soldiers in tactical strategies for combat. Were losing is not an option and taking no for answer is not acceptable. In today teaching environment it is similar to preparing for combat. However in the educational field one has to develop lessons plans to capture the student’s attentions. The battle is to ensure that all students are engaged and work to their potential. As an educator it is up to us to ensure that students are provided with the best education that is offered. To avoid failure one has to guarantee that every attempt is made to help each student. Parents entrust educators to encourage students to obtain the knowledge and skills to succeed in the academic. As will as to instill social and personal skills as well.

All students should have the opportunity to comprehend and utilized the skills being taught to advance in their educational career. As an educator one needs to understand that not all students learn the same way. Modifying and adjusting students learning to master the necessary skills taught should be considered. One needs to continuously expand their minds through formal and informal training, as educators are students themselves.

The use of a variety of multimedia and technical education tools such as video, social networks, and the internet are effective ways to integrate the traditional lecture and laboratory courses. As education evolves, educators should evolve and their teaching philosophy as well, teachers strive to give students the best one can offer. At times our best in not good adequate enough but we continue to strive and make a difference and that’s all that counts at times. So to ask me my teaching philosophy is simple to do my job as an educator and continue to learn from my students as they will learn from me.

My Reflection

            My reflection wow this was a class that I went in blind folded and didn’t know what to expect. I was a little skeptical about this class, I guess just the word technology scared me for so long I have only used these technologies to stay in touch with friends and family so to use them as a teaching tool wow. I have used the internet and such other technology tools while I was deployed, I took online courses then I used them as a student but to change roles was a scary challenge. So going in to this class I knew it was going to be a challenge because I have never been in a classroom teaching environment just as a student so to ask me to put a lesson plan and use these technology was asking a lot. As the semester went on and we started getting into our assignments I found myself getting a little more comfortable with the lessons. I also found myself getting computer literate and enjoying the course and getting rid of my jitter bugs.

The more I found out about the use of technology in the classroom and how great of a tool and resource it is I was shocked to use and find out how little it was shunned and frowned upon in the classroom. All the great information sources at our finger tips that could be used in education to grab the attention of today’s youth was eye opening. These were simple technologies we used every day, many people are only used to using these for everyday things and we take for granted. To use this in the classroom was a great idea and this course helped see the bigger picture and how simple technologies we use on a daily basis can be used to teach. The future is in our hands, we have the technology and resource to make a difference or even change it so this course has thought me how to use the technologies.

 I know that what I learned from this course is just the tip of the sword but has set me off on the right path for me to continue my teaching journey. So in my final thought I feel that I have expanded my knowledge as far as what technologies can be used in the classroom and how to use them the right way effectively. Great Course and my Web 2.0 always be with you and remember that this was just a stepping stone of our journey and the world of possibilities lay ahead and wow am I looking forward to what’s next.

Social Networking in the Classroom

Wow using social networking in the classroom, this is a very interesting Idea that I’m not too sure about and have mixed feeling about. I have not taught in a classroom environment so my thoughts on teaching are vague but this is what I think. The use of such social sites like Twitter, Facebook, Ning and much more could be used in the classroom to post class syllabus’s homework and much more. I’m sure that the use of networks in the classroom and be more proactive way of learning for students. Like the Ability to chat live many people and exchange different ideas with fellow students. This would also allow students to ask questions about things in class that they could not understand, or were too shy to ask in class. This also allows students to view videos of class and notes that they missed if they were not able to attend class that day due to sickness ect. This is definitely better then relaying on someone else’s notes, which may have a different way of taking notes and learning from the student who missed class. I would also use this to allow students to comments on the lesson thought that day and ways to improve the class. This allows the students the opportunity to make the way they learn easier and fun, allowing them to learn at their pass outside the classroom. I feel that allowing the students feel like they are a part of the way they learn allows them to learn better and more interested in their studies. Many of these sites allow you to chat with whoever is online in that particular social group and allows for question to be asked amongst each other or the instructor. These sites also allow students to publish their work and also drafts that it took to get to there. So peers can revise each other’s work and in all essence learn from one another. This is a blog page that I found to be interesting maybe helpful to others; Julie Lindsay wrote a very interesting blog on Social networking in the classroom http://123elearning.blogspot.com/2006/09/social-networking-in-classroom.html .

I’m still skeptical about the safe use of these social networks in the classroom and exposing students to all that goes on, on these sites.  Yeah we can restrict who has access to the class page, but many students can be exposed to a lot of unwanted interactions that many parents and teachers fear. We cannot control who they interact with or add their page’s, but if we can teach the students about the dangers, maybe they will have a better understanding of how to use the sites and what dangers to watch out for. So to say that the bad outweighs the good is hard to say, I feel that there is a lot of good in using these social networking  sites in the classroom but also a lot of unwanted exposure. Yes it is scary to think of all the bad but the good is also there. Many of these social networking sites are aimed at the youth, so we might as well use it to our advantage many of today’s youth spend a lot of time on these sites anyway. I think this is a good way of connecting back with today’s youth and making learning fun again, but without the dangers.