Additional Assignment #3

"Changing Paradigms"
      In my opinion, the most beneficial thing Sir Robinson brings up is the fact that we are trying to teach children how to make a place in the future economy 20 years from now, when we don't know what it will look like 2 weeks from now. We live in an ever-changing world. So yes we must adapt. I don't think it's as important to teach kids how to make their place, as it is to teach them to grow with the changing world. If we give them the tools to do something and let them find their own way, instead of  just giving one particular way for them to do something, they'd be much better off.
     I think that the College of Education does gives us the tools we need, not just one way. After all, this class is doing that. We're being taught many ways to do something and we're taught how these tools can be beneficial.
     I think the best thing we can do to put his words in to practice, is just not to get caught up in the "teaching" aspect. We should be more into the learning aspect. I also agree that the ADHD thing is an epidemic. I think it's an excuse in most cases, an excuse for kids' behavior. If we didn't "put them to sleep" as Sir Robinson puts it, they might surprise you with their creativity.
     In this kind of project, I think I would probably be a designer or an author. Maybe even a director or narrator. Art's not really my thing. My stick people always look pitiful and homely (yes stick people can look homely).

Blog Assignment 10

"An Open Letter to Educators"
     I think in a way, we've all felt cheated out of our education. Some classes are boring, some aren't. It's the ones that aren't that we tend to cling to. We just battle through the boring ones. It's tough but then again, that's life. Sometimes we'll be given projects, chores, assignments, or whatever the case may be, and we just have to toughen up and do it. That doesn't mean though that we can't take a stand on trying to liven things up. That's definitely what Dan Brown did, he livened things up a bit.
     I agree with most of what Dan had to say. I completely agree with the fact that our schooling is interfering with our learning. Most teachers no longer encourage creativity. Like he said they give us facts, we give them back, and most of the time, we forget said facts. It's all a repetitive cycle. The more interesting you make something, the more likely is that the fact will be remembered. I think creativity should be encouraged at all ages, whether a child is 3 or 16. Even we as adults need to be encourage to be creative sometimes.
     I liked Dan's video. I love his radical idea of just quitting school. I don't think I could ever do that, so more power to him. I hope all works out with him, but no matter how much we hate the system, we have to conform sometimes in order to get a good job. Like Dan says if don't conform to the changing world, we'll get left behind. So sometimes we have to do the things we don't want to, which may mean sitting in a boring class from time to time.

"Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home"
      I really enjoyed this post! It was quite funny, and it definitely made a point. So many teachers, in my opinion, focus on tests. That may not have been the point of this, but it made me think. Standardized tests rub me the wrong way. Teachers will spend all year practicing for the graduation exams, the ACT, and other tests that make the school look good or bad. I can't stand that! In my opinion, we should focus less on getting them to pass a test, and more on what could help them pass the test. Let me explain. If we just teach kids and focus on a variety of things, they might retain something. When facts are shoved down their throats to pass one test, it doesn't accomplish anything. We get that "burp-back" education. That's not the kind of education I want my children to have.

"Two Questions That Can Change Your Life"
       I loved this video. Sometimes we don't think about the legacy that we're leaving behind. This video was a huge encouragement and it made me think more about my actions. We should all do something worthwhile, something for people to remember.
"She's learning today for one, to make a better tomorrow for many." --my sentence :)

SMARTboard Lesson...Rocks!!

My PLN

It took me a while to I guess figure out what my PLN really was. I like the idea of being able to connect with people all over the world and developing a PLN. Symbaloo is a really cool way of organizing everything I access. I love organization [even though sometimes I struggle with it]. This is a really great way to keep my focus straight. I also really like blogging. I guess I never really new how big the world of blogging was! I keep realizing that a lot of things I find on the internet are on people's blogs. A few weeks ago, I was looking for a birthday cake recipe and I found a wonderful blog on party ideas. I was so excited! I felt like I was actually using what I'd learned in this class for something that seemed so small. I also like the idea of twitter. I have yet to create an account because I am still a little hesitant to it. A friend in this class actually explained what you could use it for and how you could connect with other teachers. He made it sound very beneficial. Before, I just found the idea a little silly, but now I know it's just because I didn't understand it. I am gradually expanding my PLN and learning more about it.

Blog Assignment 9

"What I've Learned This Year" by: Mr. McClung

I truly enjoyed reading Mr. McClung's post. He made so many good points about his first year of teaching. I think some of the things he mentioned are the things we tend to forget.

First of all he says that we need to learn how to "read the crowd". When he brought this up, my first thought was, well of course we should know our students. He took it a bit farther. I think that most teachers do get so wrapped up in getting the point across, they forget to make sure the students get the point. We need to be focused 100% on what the students are understanding, after all, isn't that the point of being a teacher?

I really liked the next point he made. We have to be flexible. When it comes to things I've planned, I'm not as flexible as I should be. Mr. McClung tells us not to stress over things that don't go as perfectly as we plan. I know that is something I seriously need to work on.

The next point Mr. McClung makes is about how important communication is. It seems like something we should already know. However, I think it's one of those things we don't think about. In my time working with kids, I've learned that sometimes they just need to talk. They feel a million times better if they know someone cared to listen.

The next point he makes is to be reasonable. I agree. A lot of teachers hold students as being perfect and that their class is the only one we have. Now I'm not saying we should all be slackers and not do anything, but we aren't perfect. As a teacher, I feel like it's important to understand the capability of students and hold them to that standard, not one for them to be perfect.

Don't be afraid of technology. That's a mouthful for some of us. Mr. McClung tells us to embrace technology and not be scared of it. Most of us [or maybe it's just me] tend to like the way things have always done. I like change, don't get me wrong. Technology is just overwhelming sometimes. This class is definitely helping through my anxieties though.

He talks about listening to our students. I think I already touched on that before. It is extremely important and I agree with him wholeheartedly on this point. Next he encourages us to never stop learning. I don't think we ever stop learning. Ever. Sometimes it might be a small fact we never knew...[Did you know iguanas hibernate? Yeah, neither did I until last year when I watched an episode of Go, Diego, Go.] or it might be learning how to use a new piece of technology when we're 90 years old. The point is...we never stop.

Overall, I really loved this post. Like I said before, it reminds of somethings we don't always think about it. I will definitely take these and apply them to my teaching. Actually if you think about it, many of these apply to life in general. This post gives us all somethings to think about.

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