What's your name?

Plug in baby.

I would absolutely love to use the Smart Board in my classroom. It instantly captivates your attention whenever it is being used. I think that Smart Board could be used in any classroom, ranging from elementary to secondary. As a secondary teacher, I would use the Smart Board for daily presentations. I think that the Smart Board could virtually take the place of an overhead projector. You would be able to make presentation that would both engage and inform your students. I would also use the Smart Board as a review tool. For example, if I was doing a unit on American poets, I could devise some kind of game on the Smart Board. Students would want to play, instead of filling in a boring worksheet. There is also the opportunity for students to directly interact with the Smart Board. They can come up and touch the screen themselves. This gives them the experience in case a career in education is in their future. The Smart Board is going to provide countless opportunities for educators and students alike.

Hit me with your best shot.

1) Technology should be used in education for the benefit of the students. We are living in an age of technology. Students are constantly using computers, cell phones, i-pods, and other such technological devices. In order to reach students, it is incredibly important to use technology, not just in teaching, but also in order to truly engage the students.

As a teaching aid, technology opens up many different opportunities within the classroom. It could start simple, such as taking attendance and recording grades on a computer. This easy process will save time for teachers and help keep their abundance of papers down to some extent. Technology could also help teachers to captivate their students directly to their lesson. Perhaps I am teaching Romeo and Juliet. I could use a DVD to show clips from several different versions of the movie in order for students to have a visual to go along with the text. Technology can serve in several different ways to benefit the classroom.

2) I have only been in my classroom once, which poses a difficulty for me to know exactly what technology my students have/use. However, I did see one girl today bring in a flash drive, containing her homework assignment for that day. I did not see any cell phones, though I am sure students have them. Also, there were no laptops. Students wrote in notebooks. As I work more in the classroom, I am sure that I will be able to see more of the technology that the students themselves have.

Of the technology that I have seen, I believe that I could definitely use flash drives with my students. But I would have to make sure that they had somewhere to connect and print their documents.

3) Again, I have only been observing in my classroom once, so I am not 100% sure of all the technology that is used in the classroom. I did see however that the teacher had a computer on her desk. I also saw an overhead projector. As time goes by, I may see more technology, but at this time I am not entirely sure. I know that she has open e-mail communication with her students, which is both profitable for her and the students. But most of her work is done by hand, with paper and a pen.

I think that several things could be added to my classroom. One such thing could be a class website. Mrs. Warren, my cooperating teacher, does not at this time have a website to post assignments. I think that would be very helpful for my students. They are incredibly busy and I think they would find this extremely helpful. Also, being that my class is an AP junior English class, I believe that technological aids would be extremely helpful. For example, the class is reading The Scarlet Letter. They are mainly using just discussion to study the book. I would want to bring in outside sources and maybe show clips from the performed play. Visual representations help to solidify the text into the student's minds.

4) Currently, the classroom that I am observing has very little technology. I am not sure if at there is a computer class/program that my students have to take in order to meet the NETS standards. So it is difficult for me to say how I could help my students with technology standards, especially since my class is solely an English class.

If this was my personal classroom, I would probably have my students help me design a website for the class and then implement some kind of discussion forum so that students could ask questions and receive answers from their classmates. This would help them understand what it is like to use html and to format their own website. This would work in the basic operations and concepts. I would also make sure to address that class on how to correctly format a document for completion of an assignment, which would work under the demonstration of understanding technological systems. Finally, I would have my students read about technology changes and growth, etc. through newspapers and websites and then have them write their thoughts. This would work under the information management section of the NETS.

5) My Professional Preparation Performance Profile
http://www.box.net/files#0:f:9423549

Mrs. Darcy

http://deadpoets1.googlepages.com/home

Where does the good go.

The King's School website is excellent. The page opens with a picture of students and above them reads, "Inspiration happens here." This opening thought instantly attracts the eye and sets the tone for the whole website. Below the picture is information about everyday events that occur at school. To the left is a directory listing all the places you can go from the school's home page including High School, Staff, Calendar, etc. When my observation begins, I will be working at the high school. As such, I clicked on the high school page in order to find out more. As the page opened, I read of the high school's philosophy and expectations. On the left, again a directory appeared for me to look at Student Life, Academic Life, etc.
I found this website to be very accessible and easy to understand. I knew exactly where I was going when I clicked on the directory. I believe that I received an accurate picture of King's school.
The only thing that I would want to change would be for there to be access to classroom's websites. Through the King's website, I could only see basic pages. I did not see anything that had to do with a subject matter or a class.

http://www.kingsschools.org/

A whole new world.

Tonight I read the article, "Engage me or Enrage: What Today's Learners Demand". I found it incredibly eye-opening. The article began with a description of three types of students: 1) those who are self-motivated, 2) those who go through the motions, and 3) those that "tune out". I recognized myself within that list. I am a student who goes through the motions. If I enter a class that does not engage or interest me, I will do whatever I need to do to get an okay grade, but nothing more. I can also be a student that tunes out. I have sat through countless classes imagining what I would say to the cute guy in my next class or doodling on the side of my paper. I was so completely bored in one class that I spent three consecutive class periods listing all of the movies I had seen.

I completely understand what Marc Prensky was attempting to reveal. Kids these days need to want to learn. They need to be challenged. They need to have options and some kind of control over what they are doing. They need to be impressed with a class, instead of put to sleep. Many students live for their technology, ie. laptops, i-pods, cell phones. As educators, we need to understand the importance and relevance of these items. It is our job to bring recognizable technology into the classroom in order for students to feel intrigued. There is so much out there that can be used to light up a classroom. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to find that light and let it shine.

That thing you do.

I have always know that I wanted to be a teacher. The passion fills me. I make up lesson plans in my head. I adore red pens. Literature is my life. Teaching is how I am going to spend my days. As such, I entered the concrete pathways of Northwest University with anticipation and great excitement. I had heard through connections that the education program was fantastic and as I bought my school supplies, my heart lept at the chance that I was getting.

I moved into the dorms, carefully placing my overflowing boxes on the floor. I looked around, catching a glimpse of Lake Washington out my window. Everything seemed perfect. Roomate was friendly. Floor seemed amazing. There were next door neighbors to chat with. And then....

I had to go downstairs to get my computer hooked to the wireless internet. 2 hours later, frustrated and angry, I finally had access. On that day, I realized once again how much I truly hated technology. Not technology on the whole, but the fact that I didn't have any conceivable idea how to do anything.

Now I am writing a blog. On a computer. Using the internet. Being forced to use technology. But I think I am going to get the hang of this. During our first class, we were introduced to the Smart Board. I was instantly intrigued and began thinking of ways to use it while teaching. It was at that moment that I realized how much technology can benefit a classroom. Technology will impress students into learning. They will want to use clickers to answer questions about Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart or use the Smart Board as a game of Jeopardy about the themes, setting, and characters of Romeo and Juliet.

I am going to give technology a go. There will b e times when Iwill get frustrated and "hate" it once more, but in the end, I believe it will be worth it.