"Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition." - Jacques Barzun
The traditional methods and tools that have been used in teaching cannot be forgotten. There is a tendency to get complacent in this day and age when we begin to rely on so much technology. Textbooks, homework, quizzes and tests will still have an important place in my classroom.
Textbooks:
The textbook will still be the foundation of all lessons in my classroom, but the lessons will NOT be limited to the textbook. I will strive to expose my students to the must accurate, unbiased information that is relevant to my class.
Homework:
I was never a big fan of endless amounts of homework when I was in school, but it is critical to the success of a student. I will attempt to keep homework constructive and interesting.
Quizzes:
Quizzes will be the measuring stick for my class. Weekly pop quizzes will allow me to quickly gauge the progress of my class, see who is falling behind and make the necessary adjustments to my lesson plan or teaching style to make sure that all those who at least try, will pass my class.
Tests:
I believe in giving a balanced test. Nothing super hard but nothing super easy at the same time. A simple balanced test. If a student has studied and paid attend in class then they should have little problem with the exams I plan on giving. The most balanced format for an exam in my opinion would be a multiple choose test with an essay.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Teaching Methods: New Methods
"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." - John Cotton Dana
Technology is moving quickly. It is revolutionizing our lives on a daily basis. It is also revolutionizing the way we educate the future doctors, lawyers and teachers of our country. In the last few years we have seen Podcasts, Blogs, Google and iTunes become apart of our culture. While many use these as entertainment and recreation, they may soon become important tools in education. It is vital that we as teachers never stop learning and always use new tools and technologies to help it endless quest to educate and inspire.
Podcast:
The first podcast I ever listened to was from one of my favorite shows. After watching an episode, I would go and download it and listen to it in my truck while I was on a run. It became a way to learn more about the show and what the creators were thinking when they developed that episode. Why cant the same be true in education? After a lesson on a subject, why cant a student download a podcast and learn more about a topic? I envision using podcasts as a supplement to the textbook. Lets say we discuss Dr. Martin Luther King in class. As an homework assignment or even extra credit, I would require my students to download and listen to one of his speeches and write a short essay on it. Quick and simple. This is just one example I can think of of the top of my head but the potential is limitless.
Another way I would use podcasts in my classrooms is as a class project. It would be nice to have students create their own podcasts at the end of the semester and discuss what they have learned about history.
iGoogle:
I have always used Microsoft Office to do all types of school and office work, but after this semester in school I believe that I have found a set of office tools to take its place. iGoogle has won a place in my heart because its simplicity. Here are some of the reasons why I believe iGoogle will be extremely useful in my classroom:
1. Students can create an iGoogle account and have access to a free word processing and spreadsheet program that is online. All work is saved online with the iGoogle account. The student doesn't have to worry about saving work on a flash drive or on a hard disk. Where the student has internet access, they have access to their work.
2. Students can share their work through iGoogle with myself and other students. No need to write an essay, print it up and take it to class. A student can simply do their work and share it. No more "The dog ate my homework" excuses.
Web Blogs:
This semester I have learned a lot about the potential of blogs in the classroom. Blogs are an easy way for teachers and instructors to post information online about class activities, assignments and progress. Parents and guardians will be able to quickly go on line and check to see whats going on in the class. Students who have missed days due to illness or emergencies can check the class blog to find out what was discussed in class. In the a nutshell the class blog will be the students and parents 24/7 access to my class.
GPS:
I was inspired by Dr. Alice Christie's GPS and Geocaching Guide for my next idea. My spin on GPS in education will be a little different. Mobile has a lot of interesting and historical locations. Just walking downtown there are historical markers everywhere. I will go around the city and find locations that have historical significance to my class, record the GPS corridnates and encourage the students in my class to find them and write a brief essay about what they found. This would probably be an extra credit assignment. I will have to work out all the little details and tweak the idea before I try it but hopefully it will encourage my students to get out and discover the history that is all around them.
Technology is moving quickly. It is revolutionizing our lives on a daily basis. It is also revolutionizing the way we educate the future doctors, lawyers and teachers of our country. In the last few years we have seen Podcasts, Blogs, Google and iTunes become apart of our culture. While many use these as entertainment and recreation, they may soon become important tools in education. It is vital that we as teachers never stop learning and always use new tools and technologies to help it endless quest to educate and inspire.
Podcast:
The first podcast I ever listened to was from one of my favorite shows. After watching an episode, I would go and download it and listen to it in my truck while I was on a run. It became a way to learn more about the show and what the creators were thinking when they developed that episode. Why cant the same be true in education? After a lesson on a subject, why cant a student download a podcast and learn more about a topic? I envision using podcasts as a supplement to the textbook. Lets say we discuss Dr. Martin Luther King in class. As an homework assignment or even extra credit, I would require my students to download and listen to one of his speeches and write a short essay on it. Quick and simple. This is just one example I can think of of the top of my head but the potential is limitless.
Another way I would use podcasts in my classrooms is as a class project. It would be nice to have students create their own podcasts at the end of the semester and discuss what they have learned about history.
iGoogle:
I have always used Microsoft Office to do all types of school and office work, but after this semester in school I believe that I have found a set of office tools to take its place. iGoogle has won a place in my heart because its simplicity. Here are some of the reasons why I believe iGoogle will be extremely useful in my classroom:
1. Students can create an iGoogle account and have access to a free word processing and spreadsheet program that is online. All work is saved online with the iGoogle account. The student doesn't have to worry about saving work on a flash drive or on a hard disk. Where the student has internet access, they have access to their work.
2. Students can share their work through iGoogle with myself and other students. No need to write an essay, print it up and take it to class. A student can simply do their work and share it. No more "The dog ate my homework" excuses.
Web Blogs:
This semester I have learned a lot about the potential of blogs in the classroom. Blogs are an easy way for teachers and instructors to post information online about class activities, assignments and progress. Parents and guardians will be able to quickly go on line and check to see whats going on in the class. Students who have missed days due to illness or emergencies can check the class blog to find out what was discussed in class. In the a nutshell the class blog will be the students and parents 24/7 access to my class.
GPS:
I was inspired by Dr. Alice Christie's GPS and Geocaching Guide for my next idea. My spin on GPS in education will be a little different. Mobile has a lot of interesting and historical locations. Just walking downtown there are historical markers everywhere. I will go around the city and find locations that have historical significance to my class, record the GPS corridnates and encourage the students in my class to find them and write a brief essay about what they found. This would probably be an extra credit assignment. I will have to work out all the little details and tweak the idea before I try it but hopefully it will encourage my students to get out and discover the history that is all around them.
Involvement
"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand." - Chinese Proverb
Teaching is a team effort. I truly believe if a student fails, then the parents and the teacher have failed that student. Do not get me wrong, at a certain age a student has to take their own education into their hands. I will not spoon feed my students. I will give them the tools they need to be successful. I will make very effort to keep the parents involved and informed about the progress of their child, whether it is good or bad. This is where I plan to use emails and the class blog to keep the parents up to date. If everyone works as a team, there is no limit to the success of the class.
Teaching is a team effort. I truly believe if a student fails, then the parents and the teacher have failed that student. Do not get me wrong, at a certain age a student has to take their own education into their hands. I will not spoon feed my students. I will give them the tools they need to be successful. I will make very effort to keep the parents involved and informed about the progress of their child, whether it is good or bad. This is where I plan to use emails and the class blog to keep the parents up to date. If everyone works as a team, there is no limit to the success of the class.
Overview
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. ~Henry Brooks Adams
I still have two years left in school. Two years to grow and learn. Within this time I plan on learning as much as possible to become the best teacher I can possible be. Things I have learn in this class I will definitely use when I finally step into a classroom of my own.
Last week I was delivering a forty foot storage container to a construction site in Saraland. While I was waiting for the foreman, I struck up a conversation with an older gentleman in the mobile office at the site. The conversation got around to my education and what I plan on doing after I graduated from South. He said, "There is no money in teaching. Satisfaction doesn't pay the bills." I thought about that for a second, then replied, "Money cannot buy satisfaction."
At least once or twice a week someone reminds me that teaching is a hard, low paying, thankless job. But I am not in it for the money. Being a soldier was a hard thankless job. Being a professional driver is a hard thankless job. But the satisfaction it what makes it worth wild. The satisfaction of knowing that I serviced my country is something that no one can ever take from me. The satisfaction of knowing that drivers like myself keep our great country going is something I am quick to remind anyone who whats to talk badly about truck drivers. And soon I will have the satisfaction of educating our young people. So many people complain about the state of our education system but soon myself and many other future teachers will have the chance and satisfaction of making a difference. And it starts right here, right now learning how popular technologies can be used to make that difference.
No, there might not be a lot of money in teaching but I will make a difference.
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