Week 3: what I learned.

In addition to learning about how to download a YouTube video, I learned a little bit more about how "social" media can be used as "educational" and "management" media. For example, I would never have guessed that you could use Twitter and Instagram as educational tools. I really loved that idea of taking tweets written by football players and having students in perform grammar and spell checks! this especially creative because it incorporates athletes and Twitter, both which are things that young kids gravitates toward. Social media has a bad reputation but when it is used for the right purposes, can really motivate learning.

Chapter 1 & 2

    These past two chapters have really gotten me thinking about my personal experiences and motives. Technology is actually so imbedding in our lives yet we barely ever think about it. I've definitely started thinking about how technology plays a role in my teaching and education. For example, when I find resources, such as worksheets, that I like, I will scan them and save them on my computer. This way, I won't have to pay for the book and I can make multiple copies for any of my students just by hitting "print". In this process, I am utilizing a scanner, computer, printer and USB.
     The beautiful thing about technology is that besides being ever-changing, it is incredibly versatile. There are so many uses for even just one technology! Think about your cellphone; Many of you carry around smart phones, whether be it Androids or iPhones...cellphones these days are not simply phones anymore. They are calculators, cameras, banking tools, email inboxes, tracking devices, etc! Technology also has the ability to impact human behavior and even make or break a market! The arrival of Netflix (and other convenient TV-streaming media) killed Block Buster. Online journalism and blogging is setting print journalism on the verge of extinction. So as teachers, we have also have to change with the demands of the time as well as the demands of the curriculum. I would like to integrate technology because I believe it has the power to "develop creativity and innovativeness" in our students, which is a "central theme of NETS-S" (page 1). Young students are immediately drawn to technology because technology is both attractive and easy to handle. Plus, it helps students get the work done faster and easier. In a similar vein, I would like to get better at using technology so I can meet the demands of education with as much assistance as possible so it will not be as difficult or time consuming.

Questions:
1) How can I gauge that a technology is making things more difficult than actually helping?
2) Despite the ever-changing computer-based technologies available, what are some "old-school/classical" resources that we cannot and should not get rid of?
3) With respects to technology, what are some necessary, traditional skills that our students have to know?

                                  Week 2: September 16 Lesson Learned

        It was interesting exploring education through the ages. Much of education has evolved from its beginning. At first, education was only given to upper class white males. Through the ages, it began to extend to other people in society. We forget that adults need an education just as much as children do! For example, my parents and some of my aunts and uncles have taken English classes. My cousin, who is a housewife and recent college graduate is attending classes on financial planning and insurance!
       From the slide that we viewed, it's clear that education will only continue changing and evolving at a rapid pace. The goal is to serve a diverse population and to keep up with the changes  and demands of the time. Even as college students, our education is also ever-changing. We now have online classes that we can take to get a degree. Working mothers are finally going to school. Adults are doing career-changes and therefore need to return to university. Even something as simple as blackboard is a form of  educational technology that is used now that wasn't before.

My Personal Learning Goals

My Personal Learning Goals

           It's cliched to say that "I want to become a best teacher that I can be", but that in short, is what I am striving for. I've had an excellent experience so far at SJU, adequate field experiences and over four years of tutoring. In this time, it's allowed me to learn so much about effective education but also my personal teaching style. 
         I've come to realized that I am full of creative ideas and I'm always thinking. The difficult part is turning those ideas into actions and also trying to stay organized. Before I become an effective educator, I think I have to make it my goal to be an efficient thinker and worker. How do I transform my ideas into actions? How will my actions pay off? How do my ideas become real things that will take place in the classroom? I hope that taking part in this class will shed light on these questions and I am sure technology can facilitate this process.