Reflection 10

This class has probably been the most useful class I’ve taken throughout my college career. I am actually thrilled about the content that was taught to me in this course. I was actually taught things that would help me and prepare me for higher education when I transfer. I loved the fact that I was taught things that I really needed to know. I want to be a teacher, and I was taught how to do so. I liked learning about the different types of lesson plans. The work put into one lesson plan is strenuous. Lesson planning requires a lot of thinking and pre-planning. We learned the value of the new technologies that would help the lesson planning progress be less time consuming. Before this course, I had no idea that lesson planning took so much thought and preparation. I loved learning how to use as many resources as possible to make that job easier. I liked learning about the digital stories. I had no idea that this was such a hit all around with teachers. I use to think that technology would lessen a teachers importance in the classroom, but after being in this class I know that it is not true at all. The digital stories help portray a message to the students. This form of storytelling is both effective and creative. A teacher can tell a story using bright colors, audio, text, music, animation and pictures. I think that this helps all type of learners learn. It is an easy way to teach and get your message across to everyone at the same time. I loved learning about this because it made me excited to be able to complete something so great. The most valuable thing I have learned in this class, to be honest, is everything. Everything I learned in this course would help me become a better educator. This class has prepared me for what’s to come. I know that with the material that I have learned will better my chances at surviving in a university. I know that my hard work will pay off. I will try my best to keep all this information in my mind and put it to good use. I am grateful to have had such a great course. I hope that I continue to have a passion to become a teacher. This course has assured me that I want to do nothing else with my life except become a teacher. And that discovery is something very valuable to me.

Reflection 9

Teaching styles have evolved over the years. More and more technology has been integrated in teaching. Every year or so a new invention is created to better aide the teacher in the classroom. Grade books use to be all written by hand, now they have a program which allows them to grade faster. This program is almost virtually error proof and gives the teacher more time to use for planning, etc. Before the use of technology, teachers would use verbal instruction and some visual aids such as: maps, chalk boards, and posters. This helped the teachers instruction be more diverse. Some students learn information better when they can see it. Some need a text book and others might just need to touch and feel for themselves. With the new technology, The learning styles of students are taken into consideration. It helps them to understand the material and be more open to learning it. I have learned not to shun technological advances. I use to be skeptical about a classroom that was run by this method. I am more open to the idea because I now understand the benefits this can create. There are so many options for a teacher now a days. I have seen this technique first hand when I was doing my service learning hours. The students were learning how to create compound words. The teacher used a the over head projector to show the students how to do this in a fun colorful way. For example, the screen displayed a picture of a brain and a storm. The teacher would drag the pictures together and it would create the compound word. The picture was animated to show a Student “brainstorming” ideas. I thought this was the most wonderful thing I had seen. If this type of method was used while I was learning, I probably would have been more interested in Language Arts. Computers are being used to do amazing things. I think people should be more open to letting the teachers explore what other things can be done. I Also have gotten to like the idea of the digital story. Being a Visual/kinesthetic learner, I know first hand what its like to be stuck in an auditory classroom. I think that auditory delivery paired with the new technology, would be pleasing to all the students in your classroom. I can’t wait to learn more about the benefits of technology in the process of instructional delivery.

Reflection 8

When taking the educational philosophy Survey, I wasn’t shocked to see that my results barely changed over the semesters. This was the third time that I have taken this survey in the past year or so. My results have remained pretty constant. The highest score on my survey was Progressivism. It was 83 % of my results. I decided to research a little more in depth to why I have gotten this result over and over. Progressivism is based on the principles of humans learning in real life activities. What was very intriguing about this information was that progressive teachers believe that students are like a scientist, they need to be aware of the problem, question it and come up with the answer themselves. To progressive teachers, the students learn more through testing and “Learn by Doing”. They let the students learn through hands on experiments and problem solving techniques. They use collaborative learning to stimulate the students integration. Textbooks are not the main learning source in this type of classroom setting. Other learning resources such as magazines, internet, computer exploration, charts and projects are used more instead. I really believe that this survey got me on point. I truly believe that this teaching style is going the direction of my own ideals. The teacher not only provides the students with materials they need to learn, but the they integrate real world knowledge. My belief is children need to learn what’s going on in the world. They need to see with their own eyes something outside of their little boxed minds. With this type of knowledge they will be prepared for any thing. Many ideals came out progressivism such as : women’s suffrage, civil liberties, social justice, fair trade, feminism, and ethical conservation to name a few. I really liked learning about this style in more depth. I have really understood why I am the way I am. Why I think they way I do and why I feel so strongly about becoming a teacher. Some famous progressives were Francis Parker, a superintendent of schools, Philosopher John Dewey, Stanwood Cobb who founded the progressive education association, and Herb Kohl who founded the open classroom movement. All these people made progressive education possible in schools and universities around the united states. I am glad to have found out what kind of teacher I will be based on this survey.

Reflection 7

Before reading up on this, I had no clue to what a digital story was. Of course, for obvious reason, I knew that I had to do with telling a story through technology. I had never experienced this method before. It’s a remarkable to see how powerful a digital story can actually be. In the past, before their was any use of written records, stories were verbally passed down through generations. Stories of that nature still live on today because of the power of their meanings. Now we have movies, television, computers and all sorts of nifty inventions to be able to bring the story to life. Digital stories a new way to express the art of story telling. They are the modern day storytellers. They use expressive pictures, voice recordings, and music in a creative combination. All those things mixed together help make the stories more captivating. Digital stories are about 4 to 5 minutes long depending on the story. They are told in a first person narrative and usually contain the speakers own voice. Instead of just listening to a voice or reading in pure black and white, digital stories help bring the colors and deep dimensions to enthrall your senses. Now, some say that this leave nothing to the imagination. My argument is that this doesn’t not take away from anything of that sort. Yes, digital stories do display the essence of the story, but your mind will always alter things to your benefit. Still images are the main factor of digital stories. This leaves all the motion to the students own mind. I think this a great invention. Not only does it give range but it makes the story come to life. I have never seen one of these done by a teacher. I am excited to be able to learn how to make something so amazing. This technique has become very famous in the education field. I think that this gives the students the chance to see things clearly and to explore the story in depth. This can also teach the children that out of a regular black and white story, you can create a masterpiece. This can enhance the students sense of wonder and imagination. I am amazed at how technology is working to help benefit the education system. Not only do these digital stories convey a message but they can be beneficial if they touch someone’s life. I cannot wait till I have the chance to construct a digital story of my own.

Reflection 6

Before reading the assignment, I questioned to myself what tellacollaborative could possibly mean. so, I broke down the word to find the meaning. I know that collaborative means to work together. Tella , I’m not so sure about. So this must mean that this type of learning has to do with working together. This type of learning helps the students get more comfortable with working with different types of students. The students are not learning the lesson you intend them to learn, but they are gaining real world experience in the classroom. The teacher is there to guide and facilitate the students during this time. It is a very crucial moment for the students. They are gaining tools that will not only help them excel in school but also in life outside of your classroom walls. I found the reading to very powerful. The teacher made her two classrooms evaluate what a safe classroom is and their country. These classrooms where from two different parts of the world. The results where amazing. Students masked their true feelings because it was what they think is expected from them. The children from the Israeli classroom did not mention the terrorist attacks at all. But when asked about safety, their true feeling come to the surface. The Israeli students did not feel safe walking the streets or even coming to school. Even though the students were in the same age group, the Israeli students expressed situations that the Canadian students could never imagine without this assignment. This assignment helped broaden the view of these students. They opened their minds to the endless possibilities in the world. They now know that the world isn’t just about them and where they live, but now they know the world is much bigger than what they imagined. The students got a chance to feel what someone their age, in another country and a different school feels about certain topics. The teacher gave them the power to explore the world with their own eyes. She gave them a chance to experience something true. In middle school, I was encouraged to get a pen pal from another part of the world. We had weekly assignments where we would have to talk about one topic and print out our discovery. We analyzed how different and how similar we are with one another. I think every child should have the opportunity to explore the world around them.

Reflection 5

Before starting this reflection, I had never heard of Cooperative or collaborative learning. I was interested to see what they could be. As I began to read about this topic, I began to realize that this subject was familiar. Collaborative learning is when the students are working together for a common goal. The students are learning by helping each other out. A good example of this would be when students are helping each other during homework. If one student knows what to do, they pass on the knowledge to a fellow student. Not only are they learning the work skills they need but they are also learning social skills. Collaborative learning helps students learn how to work together. It teaches students that in order to succeed you need to work hard but also to be a team player. This helps the students feel successful and ready for anything. It helps the students feel positive and confident when they are around their peers. Since the discovery of the great results this learning gives students, the use of cooperative learning has increased in classrooms. Not only does it help them in the classroom but it helps them later in life. They can use the skills they acquire to better themselves in the future. As a teacher, you have to know what will help your students and what will hold them back. Some research has been done that sometimes gifted students are held back because they worked with weaker students. Also, the more members you have the group the less successful it can turn out. Smaller pairings like 2 or 3 are the most successful. Technology has also made cooperative learning so much more accessible to students and teachers. Students can now email, web chat, and video chat in order to get their assignments completed. Web pages are created just for this use. More and more students are enrolling in online classes that involve high amounts of cooperative learning. I found this reading very interesting. I never knew that grouping students in order to complete assignment was so helpful. I find it cool that it not only helps them in the classroom but it helps them in future. When I was going to school, my teachers used a lot of this technique. I loved working with my classmates. It made us come together as friends. I was able to learn a lot of things from some of the gifted kids in my class. I hope that when I become a teacher, I will use this style of learning effectively for my students.

Reflection 4

Before this taking this course, I had never heard of inquiry based learning. I was interested to see what is was all about. The first the that caught my attention was the fact this it is based on the involvement of the student. It is a hands on experience rather than a show me and I shall copy. This type of learning pushes the students to ask questions and not be afraid to seek the truth of the matter. Students now a days are discouraged in asking too many questions because it takes away from the lesson and causes side tracking. But I disagree. I think students should be allowed to use their minds to find the truth for themselves. This helps students to use their minds in a complex manner. If nurtured correctly, the student will be able to convert and process complicated data and turn it into something they can understand. I remember growing up, a lot of my teachers made us memorize useless facts. I would only remember it for the test and then after that it was complete gone from my me memory. This is to me is not teaching at all. Memory for the sake of passing a test to me is not knowledge. Inquiry based learning is so much more than that. It is about comprehending the facts and material that is in front of you. Without understanding, what is the use of the information? If the teacher is acceptant toward this type of learning, the students will have gained a valuable tool for furthering their education. I think this a great method and I would probably be happy if my students would be confident enough to question things. I know that even today, I am always asking questions. When something sounds strange or expressed in a complicated manner; I have learned to use my mind to decipher the meanings. In high school, I was allowed to question the material that was being taught to me. I was always looking for a deeper understanding of what I was learning. I think that this learning type is a great way for students to break out of their comfort zones. They learn how to break information down and understand it from their own point of view. I really enjoyed learning how great inquiry based teaching is.