Blog Post #2

Did You Know?

In the assigned video, I believe Dr. Strange is making sure we "know" the facts of our growing society: in size and in knowledge. The information and statics on technology usage today versus what it was only three to four years ago is mind-blowing. The funny thing is you don't need the numbers to know that technology has caused our world to change drastically. I remember getting a cell phone in seventh grade at the age of 13 and only because my parents both traveled for work and needed to keep in touch. That $.99 flip phone was nothing compared to my 10 year-old-cousin's iPhone 5 now. Today technology is so much easier to obtain that even a four year old can have a personal iPad. But what does that mean for this new breed of learner?

Imagine. That used to be a word frequently used in my classes growing up. Fellow classmates and I had to imagine, for example, the magnitude of a solar flare compared to the size of the Earth. But today, students can easily wait for their teacher to google an image or video and show them.

A 500,000-Mile Long Solar Flare Exploes From the Sun

Now the universe is literally a finger swipe away because there's an app for that. I think Dr. Strange is trying to show that most of the methods used by our teachers will be of little use on such a technologically based generation of students. We as future teachers should be up-to-date with technology because the students we will encounter in the future are definitely going to be up-to-date on the newest and latest tech. Also, we need to be looking into new educational technology ourselves. If we're teaching students who will be using technology not yet created, then we should be teaching them out to adjust to new technology now. By bringing in new products or programs they've never seen, you open their minds to learning how to adjust for future technological advances in their lives and workplaces. You're not only adding to your own curriculum, but helping them learn a valuable skill that will help them keep up in a world of continually advancing technology.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

I think Mr. Winkle is unfortunately showing the reality of many classrooms today: a teacher unwilling to stray from teaching methods they've used for years and a new generation of learners unable to stay focused during class. Today's students rely too heavily on technology, me included. But why listen to a teacher's lecture when I can google the topics and, many times, find the blogs or videos of a different teacher who has brought a new and updated light on the topic I’m currently learning.

Instead of leaving students to find interesting blogs or videos on their own, why not be the teacher that uses them to your advantage? If you see your students struggling to understand or not paying attention to your lectures, maybe take a break and show them a video from another teacher. The internet is a vast place and it's easier than ever to find fellow teachers willing to share their technics and ideas to help keep your class fun and exciting for your students. In my opinion, it is impossible to be a great teacher in today's society and not be using technology in the classroom.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

In the video Sir Ken Robinson discusses his opinion of today’s school systems and how the current set up is hindering children’s creativity. Our education system is structure so that it covers the average student and their learning style, when in reality learning is extremely individualized. Unfortunately, if a student in today's society just can't sit still or focus on the subject at hand they're tossed to the side and labeled as ADD. It's not that the student isn't smart; they're just not made to sit still for hours at a time listening to a lesson. Instead of creating a system that helps "busy body" students blossom, we've created one that tells them they're unlikely to succeed. Growing up, many of the people I believed to be "smart" were people who were simply able to retain facts and spit them back at me. As I encountered more people throughout my life I've found that I was wrong.

During his speech, Sr. Robinson defines creativity as "the process of having original ideas that have value." Have you ever had a younger sibling or family member that constantly asked "why?" when they were younger? At the time it probably seemed silly and annoying but I think we all should revert back to that "why" stage. Many students who have ADD or other learning disabilities constantly ask why. Teachers and leaders in the field of education should strive to build a system that doesn't muffle the whys. Every child is different and I feel that we should build a hierarchy of teaching with the flexibility to encompass every type of student.

Pinterest: Using Available Resources

I LOVE Pinterest and use it daily. I will definitely be using pinterest to help organize my lesson plans. Because of the setup, pinterest is a great way to find teachers to network and collaborate with. I would love to make a class account where students could pin interesting things they have found and want to expand on more in class. Also, after reading the article "Four Ways to Use Pinterest in Education" I would like to see how students used the site to work together on a group project. The students would all have an organized area to throw their ideas together. In the same fashion, teachers within the same subject matter could also use a school wide board to share school event ideas.

Project #2 Wordle

Blog Post #1

About Me
My name is Paula McKinney and my twentieth birthday is actually Monday the 21st. I was born in Biloxi, Mississippi but grew up in the neighboring town of Ocean Springs. Thankfully, for the past sixteen years my family and I have lived in the same town, on the same street, and in the same house. Now that my younger brother and I are both attending college, it's just Mom, Dad, and our two dogs: Daisy and Jeffy. As child I loved to learn. I'll admit I was the crazy kid that wanted to move to a school district that had school year round. I love music. I began playing the clarinet in fifth grade and continued to the end of my freshman year of college. I remember loads of random, sometimes useless, information. I'm a nerd and proud of it.

My senior year I found myself struggling to decide what I wanted to do after graduation. For years I told my family that I wanted to attend a culinary school and become a pastry chef. However, after sending out applications to various universities and culinary schools I realized that I wasn't ready to trade my pencil in for a spoon. Truthfully, I chose to attend USA because it was only an hour from home and I made the marching band. I entered last school year as an undecided freshman just going through the motions and trying to decide on a major. It took some time, but I eventually fell in love South and felt that I had made the right choice.  Fall semester of 2012 I finally decided on double majoring in education and biology. I'm extremely excited to see what the future has in store.

My Future Classroom
After graduation I would like to teach 8th or 9th grade biology. My science classes were always my favorite classes because the teachers kept the class interesting. I would like to adapt similar up-beat and entertaining methods to keep students intrigued. I love hands on learning and feel that science is a subject best taught with visual aids and by physically doing experiments.

 

As a student I understand that every student is different and learns best by different means. It’s impossible to say how my students will learn. I hope that they will be responsive to my teaching methods. However, part of the reason I want to be a teacher is because every group of students will present a new challenge. Obviously my first set of students will be completely different from later generations due to society and the advancement of technology. All I can say for certain is that I will continuously be learning how to improve my own knowledge and skills to provide my students with the best education possible.

I love technology and think that teachers tend to have mixed feelings on using it their classroom. I feel that it is very help during class and even after. I will definitely be using PowerPoint for lectures. I also plan on using a blog to post after class discussion forums and to help with any questions about assignments. My high school had a program where portions of the student body were issued tablet computers as a test for allowing computers in classrooms school wide. Being a student in the program, we rarely used them because our teachers either preferred we physically took notes or they were unable to actually use the software and programs that came with the computers. I would definitely be open to learning how to effectively incorporate student laptop usage in my lessons.
 

As a student I hate when a professor is unorganized and seems flustered in the middle of class. Therefore, I hope to be an organized teacher with a neat class room. Also, because I hope to have a very visually based teaching method I will definitely have props, pictures and examples on display. Hopefully my school will have the financial resources to have working a relevant technology for a biology class and laboratory. And I would not be a proper science teacher without some type of animal living in my classroom.

Dr. Randy Pausch on Time Management

After watching Dr. Pausch's video, I learned that I need to begin officially setting goals and planning better. Every year I buy a planner but only end up using it for a few weeks. Instead I need to try harder to plan ahead and set goals to accomplish. Also, instead of just writing down goals, I should think about why I've set the goal and what my end result will be once I accomplish it. I should begin planning on various levels, such as weekly and monthly, and not just a daily to-due list.
 

Dr. Pausch's video also touches on completing more challenging tasks before simpler ones. I tend to put things off because I'm afraid of doing them incorrectly. In the video Dr. Pausch touches on turning the focus from doing the right thing to doing things right. He mentions the importance of a person's experiences and how one learns from them. So even if I fail at a task, the important part is that I've gained and hopefully learned from my experience. As a habitual procrastinator I really enjoyed hearing Dr. Pausch's ideas for breaking the habit. I had never heard of Dr. Pausch before this assignment.

Test Post Number One again

Test Post Number One again