Field Experience -- April 12

I truly enjoyed my field experience that I just completed. I was initially supposed to go into a 6th grade class but then was switched to 5th grade. I have never had a desire to teach 6th grade, so I am glad I was switched. The school that I requested to go to was the elementary school that I actually work at. I wanted to go there because I thought it would be so much fun to teach the kids there, that I already knew and have them see me in a different perspective, other than the “teacher” that does recess duty. We taught two lessons the first and third week and three the second week. When we were just sitting there the first day, I could not believe how boring I thought it was. Within a few days, I really started noticing little things, that I have never thought about, with becoming a teaching. I never realized how much time goes by when you are doing a lesson and how you need to pace your lesson so you don't leave out anything, or finish too fast. The kids were complete angels while we were there and getting observed. In fact, Dean Rowley asked us how much we had paid the kids to sit there and be quiet. We had to inform him that they really are that quiet and respectful while they are being taught. I had the fear that while we would be up there teaching our lessons, that when we asked them a question, no one would raise their hand. If no one raised their hand, then I was going to have to come up with the answer, and let me tell you, I am no Civil War expert. That was never the case. I also was not too thrilled to be teaching social studies, and especially the Civil War. I do not care much for history, but as we started into the unit, I realized that the kids really like the history stories and activities, which made me start to enjoy it. They really seemed to be interested and liked what we were teaching. After we were finished, I was sad to say good-bye, even though, I see them everyday. It was fun to get to know how they are inside the classroom and not just out on the playground. They were all so sweet and wrote us the cutest cards to give us on our last day.

My Beliefs -- April 12

I believe that technology should play a huge part in how we teach the students of today. It is what they have grown up on, it is what they do when they come home from school and how the communicate to their friends and family. I have seen second grades at the school that I work at, with cell phones. That just goes to show you that kids are being introduced to technology younger and younger. My 2 year old has a play computer, which proves the previous point.

I believe that for some students, not all, technology is going to be the only way they may understand what they are being taught. I never think that technology should be taken out of the classroom and every child should have access to a computer and the internet. Not necessarily at their homes, because of some families financial situations, but they should always have access to one at school, for the right reasons.

Lessons Learned -- April 12

The video, Millennial Generation, was really fun to watch. I liked seeing people who are around my age, and thinking in a way that I thought, ten years ago, would be happening today. It amazing how technology is around, yet there are so many people who are missing out because they are afraid of it.

I also really enjoyed the "Tools for Change" page and how it went through the old and new ways of technology. I liked how it showed the day in the life in 2004. I graduated high school that year and to me, technology was not that big. Or maybe it was and I just did not notice. I remember having my friend ask me if I had "texting" on my cell phone, which I borrowed from my mom so I could feel cool. Now look where all that has gone!

These article, movies and websites were very informative, some kind of slow with reading, but in the end, I enjoyed them.

Strengths and Weaknesses -- April 12

With my strengths, I was a novice or an apprentice for most of the sections. I understand computers and how important they can be in teaching our students. Some of the ares that I feel I am close to "practitioner" would be: Use internet and email to communicate with others. I think I use email more than the average person, especially being in school and having to communicate with a lot of people, email makes it very easy. The areas that I had a pre-novice answer was: Use of video conferencing such as the Iowa Communications Network to communicate with others. I am aware that there are such things as video conferences, but I think i have never got into them, because they have never been an interest to me.

The first short course I would use it a podcast I found called "Technologies For Special Needs Students". In this, is talked about all the different types of technology that students with special needs can use, and how it can help them. I think that kids with special needs have always made me nervous because sometimes i feel like I wont know how to meet their needs.

My second resource I found to help me is called, "Show and Tell: Using Visual Thinking in the Classroom". This is an online work shop that teaches you about how important it is to use audio and video to help your students succeed. I want to use technology all the time in my classroom, but I think what makes it a weakness, is that it is scary. It is scary because I start to second guess myself on my technology skills. This is just another way that I am able to develop the ones I have, along with gaining others.