Reflective Learning Blog #4

As my last sophomore semester at UAB comes to a close I must take the time to look back and realize just how much I have learned. Between my three classes I have taken this semester I must say that I have taken so much away than just basic textbook knowledge but also life lessons that I more than look forward to applying in my future classroom. One of these is the use of technology that I gained from my EDT 300 class. Not only have I learned basic and not so basic knowledge of technology, but also experience in presentation, which can only be gained from experience. The experience of completing work and then having to present it made me strive to make my work the best it could be the first time. The knowledge of knowing that someone is gong to se and hopefully be getting something from my work is very empowering. It empowers me because I know how much I have gotten from my classmates presentations. My classmates have pretend things that I would have never thought of but are now in my arsenal of teaching weapons. But, is that not what teaching is all about? Continuous knowledge? I personally think so. If there is one and only one thing that I take away form my time at UAB is that learning is continuous and that if I want to be good, productive teacher then I must never stop learning or ever think that I am done learning. 

Reflective Learning Blog #3

Since my last posting I have made quite a few accomplishments. First off, I created and completed my very first website. My website was supposed to be created as if it were created by students. The site was all about the settings of Peter Pan and I felt like it turned out pretty well. I learned how useful a website can be especially in a classroom setting. It can be used for class projects or as a means of communication between student, teacher, and parents. Really, the sky’s the limit with these websites and they are free. It cannot get much better than that. Also, we learned how to create a Prezi which I have never used before. A Prezi is pretty similar to a power point but a lot more active and engaging. They are absolutely perfect for presenting to a class of kids. How it works is that instead of making slides you have information all on the same page and you then create a path and that path will enhance certain things when needed. It is great for kids because of all of the movement and graphics. All of these things would be great for catching and maintaining a students attention. The more I learn about technology, the more I become excited to become a teacher and gain my own classroom and put all of my new knowledge to use. 

Reflective Learning Blog #2

             Since my last post to this blog, we have completed one more project for our unit plan. This project was a newsletter that was to be done as if we are the student. I had never thought of using newsletters for a student assignment. I had just thought of them as a tool for communication between parents and teachers (which is also a great way for sending home assignments and fun things for parents to do with their children to further the lesson plan at hime). For this assignment I had my imaginary class get into groups and create a newsletter all about a certain character from Peter Pan. The particular group that I presented as did their newsletter on the Lost Boys.

          The newsletter is an interesting tool to use for a writing assignment. It seems to me that it would seem less like a writing assignment and more like an art project for the students. This could be a great tool for any teacher to use. By making assignments fun and allowing them to be creative, students have more fun and sometimes do not even realize how much they are learning. A teacher would also be able to cover many standard; everything from language arts to art to mathematics because these newsletters can be used for any subject.

          This project really made me think about different ways I could use technology to teach and to use as assignments. I feel like by allowing students to explore their creativity for projects is the best way to really see how much the students know.

Reflective Learning Blog #1

            So far in EDT 300 we have completed two assignments. The first of these two assignments was our Unit Introduction. The Unit Introduction was very similar to a lesson plan in that it contained a summary of the unit, Alabama core standards, and learning objectives. This project basically set up what would be needed in all of our other projects.

            Through these projects I have expanded my knowledge Microsoft Word and Power Point. I have learned how to do several things that I did not know how to do before that could be very beneficial to my future class. These projects have also pushed my use of critical thinking and creativity. Also, they have required me to think about how a student would think or approach a project instead of just looking at it through the point of view of a teacher. This will be extremely helpful in the future when I am assigning projects to actual students.

            The second project that we were asked to complete was a multimedia project in which we should approach the project as if we were the student. I found this to be somewhat tricky because there was so much being asked to be put into this project and yet I was to be a 4^th grader. It really made me take a step back and think how I would assign this project in the future to my own class. I would obviously have to evaluate their own knowledge of Power Point before assigning the criteria.

            So far this class has been helpful in expanding my knowledge of technology and how I can apply this in the classroom. I hope to continue this learning process throughout the rest of the semester. 

First day.

Today is the first day of EDT 300 and I have just created my very first blog. That is right, I am now an official blogger! I have attended UAB for two years (currently in my third year) and I am very excited to take a class dedicated to technology that I will be able to use not only in my everyday life, but also in my future classroom. I know this class will be beneficial to my future as an educator because technology is becoming such an integrated part of the classroom. And I personally find this amazing. Technology has made such amazing strides since the first computer and it is only going to get better, so why not take advantage of all of our resources to improve the classroom? There really is no reason to not take advantage of todays knowledge and technology and personally plan to do more than just simply take advantage. I plan to master technology and use it to better my future students.