Project #2

Blog Post #2

Did You Know?
In this video by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod there are many facts that inform us of things we might not have known. My eyes have been opened after watching this video. I did not realize some of the facts it discussed. There are so many reasons why technology is important for us to keep up with. Technology is taking over our world and if we don't keep up with it we will be left behind. There has been a huge technological boom in the last twenty years and there is no stopping now. As future teachers, we have to take advantage of the technology in front of us so we can show the generations we will teach to do the same. The jobs we have today may not be here in ten or twenty years. Only time can tell what the future jobs might include.
Depending on technology too much can be just as much of a problem. Although I know technology can be very useful, I have a tendency to avoid some of it because of the effort I would have to make to figure it out, which is not always the best decision. Some countries pride themselves on being proficient in using and make technology. As one of the clips in the video suggested, some countries have a higher percentage of students that graduate with honors. I think this is correct because American people have a tendency to be very lazy. People in some countries don't have to freedom we have to slack off. Other countries are very hard on their students. Parents and teachers know the importance of grades and make sure the students do well to increase their chances of getting into college and ultimately have a better life, which I completely agree with. So many of Americans sit at home and want all the wealth and knowledge in the world to fall in their laps without any effort.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
In Mr.Winkle Wakes, an old man, wakes up and discovers the world around him is very different than when he last saw it. He sees all the technology in a work place and a hopital and began to feel very uneasy and uncomfortable. Then, as he walks through a school, he sees everything like he remembered it to be. In the school there was one dusty computer. I think this is very accurate in many of today's schools. Alot of schools have very few computers. Even if computers are in the schools they are not used very often or students are not being encouraged to use them. This is a very sad reality that needs to change. When the world around us changes we have to adjust with it.
How can we expect to teach students about the world around them if we leave out all the technology that they will come in contact with on a daily basis? Schools need to learn how to incorporate technology as much as possible. The more students use these tools the more comfortable they will become with them and the more prepared they will be when they get out of school and into the real world. Teaching students to use the technology around them can show other ways to communicate with others and found out information. Although technology can be good, there can be a problem with too much technology if we become too dependent on them. Teachers need to make these changes in our world a priority in the classroom. It is very important to find ways to incorporate these daily.

Sir Ken Robinson: Importance of Creativity
In this video by Ken Robinson, he talks about how creative arts classes in schools are being discouraged as being important. Schools today teach that Math, English, History, and Science are the most important above everything else. If you ask a small child what was their favorite part of the day, I assure you, it will not be the class where all they did was sit at their desk while the teacher lectured to them. The child will tell you how they made a craft, did a science project, sang a song in music, or show you a picture they drew in class. Then, as children get older they begin to let go of their childhood creativity because, as they are taught, it is not as important as other things learned in school. I agree with Sir. Robinson I think supporting creativity in children as they get older is very important. What if we talk a child into being a teacher when they long to be the most incredible drummer the world has ever seen? I believe being creative is not held to a high enough standard.
As I watched this video I began to think of all the people that I know that were considered ADD or ADHD and are talented in music or dance, including family, friends, famous writers, singers, and artist. There are so many people that could have walked away from what they love just because a someone said it was not a good career choice, unrealistic, or you could never make it. Doctors hand out ADD and ADHD medication like candy now days. Instead of finding other ways to help a child work with these types of personalities, doctors are so willing to label it and give a child medication to "fix the problem". Although some children need a little help to focus, these medication can also keep the children from having a normal happy life. These medicines can keep them from continuing to be creative and cripple them in the long run.

Pinterest
In Four Ways to Use Pinterest in Education it describes a few ways teachers can use Pinterest to their advantage. I believe I could use all of the different sites and suggestions this site provides. Pinterest is a very useful tool. It has many creative ideas for everything you can think of. Organization can be very helpful to me because I lack natural organization skills. I have to work at organization and get ideas from others so I can improve. Lesson plans are something every teacher has to do and sometimes it is hard to come up with new fun ideas. This site has many different fun ideas that you might not have thought of. Teachers have to stick together and share ideas. When a teacher finds something that worked very well with his or her students, it is only polite to share it so other teachers can enjoy it too. I think anyone can use Pinterest. It is a very useful tool, not only for now but for future use. I have already began to pin pictures and sites for future use in my classroom.
On the website "20 Best Pinterest Education Boards" I have found so much fun information on this website to help in a classroom setting or just for fun. One of my favorites is Ted Ed News this pinterest takes you to the Ted Education site, which has alot of videos. These videos are very entertaining, educational, and funny. I would suggest them to everyone that is a teacher or wants to be a teacher. Another one of my favorites, out of the twenty boards, is Vicki Davis'. This board has many pins for teaching ideas, lesson plans, decorations, helpful suggestions, games and organization. Kathy Schrock's Pinterest has anything you could ever need for teaching resources,ideas to bring technology in the classroom, working with special needs children, and helpful assessments. For anyone in their first year on teaching to someone in their twenty-fifth year of teaching, these sites have enough information for the rest of your teaching career. There should be not excuse for anyone not making their classrooms fun and inviting. This site has make being a teacher more fun and less stressful by not having to rack our brains trying to come with something to keep the children's interest.
Although I am still in school, I am very glad to have all the difference resources that Pinterest provides. This type of technology has so much information for me to use in the future. I can pin lesson plans, organization ideas, crafts, and room decorations now and use them when I finally finish my degree. It is better to be prepared now than struggling to figure it out all on my own. There are plenty of resources at the tip of my fingers so why let them go to waste? This website can, make the learning environment more inviting, help me improve my teaching skills and make school fun so students are more excited about learning.

Blog Post #1

About Me

My name is Jennifer Whitley and I am twenty-two years old. I live in Hurley,Mississippi. I have worked at Magnolia Blossom's Daycare for four years. I am currently majoring in Elementary Education. I began my college life at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gautier,Mississippi. After graduating with my Associates Degree, I transfered to University of South Alabama. I am the only one in my family to have been to college more than three consecutive years. While I am going to school, I am living with parents until I graduated and find a job. I have a brother,Jarrod, and a sister,Amanda. My sister is married with one child. Thankfully, she lives twenty minutes away so we can visit often. Unfortunately, my brother and his wife live in Texas,ten hours away, so we don't get to visit with them often. We only see them twice a year.
Ever since I was a little girl I have always been obsessed with office supplies,played teacher with my friends and said I would be a teacher when I grew up. As I got older I wanted to be a counselor. After working at a daycare for a year and going through my first year of college, I changed my major to Elementary Education. I just love working with children because they are so loving, energetic, and eager to learn. I absolutely love having fun with the kids and acting just as goofy,singing and dancing as they are sometimes because I am truly a big kid at heart. I love finding things that will keep the kid's attention and cause curiosity.

My Future Classroom

I am the type of teacher that expects alot out of her first grade students because I know they are capable of more than they realize. In my class I will encourage them to do their absolute best in every subject, taking into acount that every student learns at his or her own pace. Sometimes it may be challenging but in the end they will be proud of what they have accomplished. Learning will be reenfored by giving homework because it is a reflection of what students have learned at school, but this work is not only sent for the students. Homework helps to involve the parent in the the learning proccess.
Coming up with fun ways for the students to learn is my goal,it may includes songs, games,or dancing to help students learn. I believe if you make learning fun students are more likely to remember what they learned and will want to continue to learn. The students will learn by working in groups to improve their skill of working together with people with different ideas. They will work together as a class to answer questions. Students will also work individually to show how much they have learned without depending on help. Students will learn by asking questions and working together to problem solve.
I will use a large whiteboard or a smart board to teach on. The classroom will have small,portable whiteboards, dry earse markers,colored markers, crayons, work books, reading books,and learning centers for all the students to use. Learning centers are used to help students learn to work together or individually. It also helps them get away from their desks and get into a less stressful environment. Students will also learn by singing songs together, such as School House Rock. Fun games will be played with the class to encourage them to enjoy math. Science allows us to explore the world around them with experiments, explorations,and projects.
I will use Pinterest, other internet sites, ideas from other teachers, and ideas from my prior teaching experience to find fun ways to make my class room more comfortable for the new students coming in my class. Before the students even come in the classroom, they will be greeted with a fun decorated door to makes them feel more at ease about coming in to my classroom. The classroom will be colorful, fun, and inviting. Fun facts will displayed for the students to have a little laugh to start of the day. Music will be played for a transitioning que so the students will hear the music and know what is next without the teacher having to say a word. Yelling for the student's attention will not be allowed in my class. Time will fly in this class because every subject of learning will become fun for everyone.

Randy Pausch On Time Management

I think time management is a very important. Randy Pausch's video can be very helpful to someone that has problems with managing time, figuring out priorities, and having a plan. To-Do Lists can be very helpful when managing what needs to be done.I have recently had to start writing down to-do lists to be able to keep track of what needs to be done. These lists can be very helpful when there is so much going on in our lives. Dr. Pausch says, after you realized what all needs to be done, then figure out which ones are more important and why. When you figure out why then you can know how important it really is. When you do the bigger one first then the smaller ones can be handled earier.
Procrastinating is one of the main reasons my life has been so stressful in my life. I wait to the last minute. I think I have plenty of time and I end up stressing out because I am rushing to get finished last minute. Having a plan is very important. When you have a plan then stick to it until it needs to be adjusted. I must have a plan for classes, work, class work, remembering due dates, what is due, when work it due,and making time for spending time with family and friends. If I don't have a plan set ahead of time then it will be complete chaos. having a plan and making a to-do list prevents so much chaos. It causes me to be less stressed and makes my life so much more. This video has reminded me to get back on track with my organizational skills.