In class today, we shared our Digital Me Projects! I have done this once before so I was very familiar with what the assignment was. On the first day of class we chose which program we wanted to use and I chose a Google Slides Powerpoint. This program was fun to use because you can be creative as possible! You're able to use fun fonts, include pictures, videos, music, and do anything you want with the program essentially. I had a lot of experience during my college career making presentations so using this was a breeze for me. I included fun facts about me, pictures about the important people in my life, information about my work opportunities, my future goals and a slide to see what the class remembered about me!
Some of the slides looked as so:
This program got the class to briefly know a little bit about me but I think it might have opened the doors to a new program all of us future educators can use with our own students! I shared what this program has to offer and how it can be used to describe someone or even teach an entire lesson. Since our project presentation only had to be about 5 minutes long, we didn't get to share much information about ourselves but it was important to get up in front of the class, introduce yourself and have everyone learn about you and the program you used to make the presentation happen. Other classmates used Thinglink, Kahoot, Wordart, Glogster and many more interesting platforms to create their own digital me projects! I came across a lot of new programs that seem very interesting and creative to use not only for introducing a person, but for future lessons! I really enjoyed seeing one of my classmates presentation using Wordart. Their project was so aesthetically pleasing and it really captured who she was, just by using words and pretty fonts! I think that this will be a tool that I will try to use in my fieldwork group for sure! This project is a great way to get to know each other but to also become familiar with different technologies!
An interesting aspect of this course was developing my philosophy of teaching. This philosophy shows what I believe in, as a future educator. Having a philosophy of teaching will guide instruction and the way a teacher develops their classroom. Because of the teachers I've had in the past and currently, I am grateful for the education I have received. I have had good and bad experiences with teachers, but every instance has been a learning experience for me. I have teachers to this day that I still look up to that have made my years of school so great. Even though professors have taught me more academic and fundamental skills, I still admire the elementary school teachers that taught me "2+2!" The teachers I have had throughout my life have taught me to confident, hardworking, and stand up for what I believe in at all times. For this reason, my philosophy falls under Humanism.
The teaching philosophy of Humanism can be defined,
"Humanist educators consider learning from the perspective of the human potential for growth, becoming the best one can be. The shift is to the study of affective as well as cognitive dimensions of learning. Beliefs include: human beings can control their own destiny; people are inherently good and will strive for a better world; people are free to act but must be responsible; behavior is the consequence of human choice; and people possess unlimited potential for growth and development. There is a natural tendency for people to learn, which will flourish if nourishing, encouraging environments are provided."
I believe that students are capable of becoming who they want to be through education. Even though they may learn the basic academic skills, that is not all students learn in school. Teachers are able to teach children how to function in a society, the apparent rights/wrongs, and other life skills students might find helpful, whether they agree or not. Having a classroom be a safe environment for children is incredibly important. Students want to feel as though they can discuss whatever they need to, as long as it's appropriate. Students should be themselves and know that the classroom is always a safe environment for them. Also, one way of teaching does not benefit every student. As a teacher, you must differentiate instruction in order to have each student succeed. You can't expect everyone to learn in the same exact ways. If you don't offer different forms of help, a certain student may not succeed. At the same time, students in a way, need to teach themselves. They need to figure out what they're strong in, and what they struggle with. Students need to learn how to problem solve on their own, not just run to the teacher for help right away if they need help. Of course as the teacher you need to help your students, but give them a chance to be their own person and figure out who they are, as a learner. Like our social studies methods course fieldwork, students had to construct their own knowledge during the inquiry-based lesson. They needed to create a hypothesis, collect data, and come up with a conclusion based on what they believe in. Students need to be able to work affectively alone, but also with others peers. Doing this will only benefit their lives in the future, especially when it comes time to getting a career. As a future teacher, no matter what age of students I have, I will make sure to teach these skills and life lessons as early as I can. It's never too late to get ahead of the game! An encouraging environment is what I will provide for my students at all times. No one will feel left out or behind. My goal is to make students feel accomplished at the end of the day, not only with their school work, but how they are progressing as a person.
First Day of Adventuring Science Through Technology!
Today was the first day of my Social Studies Methods class! We began the day by watching the video shown below. It featured children holding up many different signs stating how many hours they spend watching tv, on the computer, and reading. This was to show that majority of the children spent multiple hours using technology, rather than reading. One child held up a sign that she only reads for two hours a week. When I was a child, I remember reading way more often than that. Using technology is great when you are learning or for entertainment purposes, but sometimes technology has it's negative aspects. Reading for just two hours a week? That should not be! What this video did do was show many different ways that kids learn through technology. Whether it's through websites, videos, podcasts, and much more, children find using technology helpful, yet entertaining. Rather than just listen to a teacher lecture, using technology is a great way to enhance knowledge. During my college career, I've had to listen to lectures but one of the most helpful ways that I learned from was technology. Creating power points, watching videos, browsing websites became the norm for me and just sitting and listening to a lecture didn't work well for me anymore. It's great to use technology in a classroom. Sometimes it may be too much and a lecture is needed from time to time, but for the majority of the time, as the teacher you need to keep your students engaged and learn in the best way possible. Technology doesn't suit everyone, but it can serve as a treat to those who may learn better from a lecture. Listening to a lecture and then watching a video, may enhance that student's knowledge. I know for me, in my future classroom I will make sure to use as much technology as possible. In the video, kids were telling us to let them "create." With technology, you can do so many different things and learn through all different perspectives. It's a great way to learn and I think everyone should take advantage of technology in the classroom as much as possible!
Take a look at this great video!
We ended class by talking about our plans for the rest of the semester. But before we move forward, we have to get to know our classmates. Our task is to create a Digital Me Project using some form of technology and carry out a mini-lesson to our classmates about our lives. I chose to do a Google Docs Power Point in order to explain my life. It's very brief but it incorporates important information about me that I want my classmates to know!
Check out the class slideshow showing everyone's digital me projects below:
