Strenghts and Weaknesses

As anyone who has ever read this blog (all one of you) may attest I do not know ANYTHING about technology.  Needless to say there is most definitely room for improvement in that area of my future classroom.  I really should not say I do not know anything, but technology is something that I see and understand that it is extremely beneficial in classrooms but also something that I tend to shy away from because I do not feel entirely comfortable with it.
However, there is one area that I would really like to work on and become familiar with so that I can use it in my future classroom, that would be to learn to apply technology to assess and evaluate my students.  Students get bored with the written exams and paper work everyday.  I feel that being able to incorporate technology into their assessments presents it in a new, fun, and exciting way.  In the article, Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum it states that technology is allowing teachers to reach their students in a way that they have not been able to before.  In the article The New WWW  it states that technology is amazing for students because it is available whenever, wherever, and whatever. 
Students are going to be using technology one way or another so we as educators may as well learn to embrace it and show them the proper and most efficient ways to use it to their advantage.

My Beliefs

As I have mentioned in my other posts, I am a strong advocate for technology in the classrooms. It allows both teachers and students the opportunity to research or display information that they may not have been able to previously.  However, I also feel it extremely important that students still receive the opportunity to read from a text book, and write on paper.  Students are so influenced by the media today that they still need the opportunity to put the world on hold and go outside and just be kids. 
Also in my case, technology causes great stress.  When it works, it works so very well but when it is bad it can be the source of a major headache.  I think that it is important students are able to learn the curriculum in new and exciting ways it keeps them interested and engaged in learning.

Lessons Learned

I have to be honest it was a little guilt trip seeing how wonderful these teachers are, I don't understand where they find the time to make all of these amazing lesson plans.
I understand that technology is a tool that can be extremely beneficial inside of the classroom however, I fear that in some schools it may be used too much.  When children return home from school they spend countless hours on computer, gaming system, and television sets I firmly believe that students need to flip open a book at least everyday, incorporating to much technology into the classroom does not allow students this opportunity.  Also, showing students to many videos can put a hold on their creativity.  There has to be a happy medium for students and integrating technology.

Week four in Field

I cannot believe that field is over this next week! I am really going to miss it. 
This week my supervisor came and watched me teach.  I thought it was going to be extremely difficult, but  for the most part the students were well behaved, and I only had to deal with a few management issues. 
During our observation the students made a possibles pouch because we have been learning about the mountain men. After their pouch was completed the students were given a piece of rabbit fur, and a piece of leather to store in their pouch just like a "real" mountain men.  During my observation I was terrified that I was going to ask the students questions, and they were not going to know anything that we had been discussing for the last four days.  However, I had got a great self assurance when it came to time for the kids to answer questions they knew the answers! I was very relieved that the information I had been presenting to the students was sticking. 
On Wednesday a "real" mountain man came an spoke to the students.  He told them stories of what it was like to be a mountain man, and exactly what being a mountain man entailed.  This was something that the REALLY REALLY enjoyed.
I know that I am going to miss being in the classroom.  It has been a tough, but awesome experience and makes me excited to one day have my own classroom.

Bye, Bye Love

This was our final week in field for the semester.  I do not even know where the time went!! I loved being in the classroom and working with the students, all of the observing in the world could never prepare someone for the actual experience of teaching.  I have a new found respect for full time teachers.
This week we continued working with the students on their mountain men presentaions.  Since the school uses MAC's rather than PC's the students were using a presentation program called key notes, one that I was not familiar with but seemed similar to Powerpoint. 
I really enjoyed my experience, and now am looking forward to Spring semester field.  However, I do not know if I could ever love the students as much as I did this semester :).

Week Three in Field

Each week is getting better, which also means however, that each week we draw closer to the end of our field experience.  For the most part I have loved field, and while this group of students is rowdy, I have loved getting to spend time with them. 
This past week I have been teaching the students about mountain men.  Yesterday (Monday) I was going to show the students a digital story I had made about the mountain men life. However, when we went to present it to the students it would not play.  In lou of showing them the video I read to them about mountain man myths in hopes that I could work out the kinks and present it to them today.  I am now hoping that third times will be charm, and that when I attempt tomorrow it will work.
Last Friday I did my technology integrated assignment.  As I mentioned earlier, I have been teaching the students about mountain men so I wrote a list of items we had discussed on the board.  The students were then able to choose one topic and during their computer time they began researching, and compiling information to put together a PowerPoint presentation for the students to present to their classmates.  Hopefully all continues to go as planned.

Week Two in Field

Who knew that teaching was so wonderful.  My entire life I have never fully understood why myself, or people like myself have wanted to make a career out of teaching.  I mean let's be honest, the hours are terrible, the pay is border line for government assistance, and to many people it is glorified baby sitting.  But after one week in field I think that I am beginning to understand it.  I didn't realize how comfortable I was going to be with the students, but it is almost second nature. 
As for technology in the classroom, instead of the school having their own computer lab they have about sixty mac laptops that they wheel from class to class and that is how the students get their computer time in.  When I saw this I was shocked, I did not have this luxury until I was a senior in high school!  Technology is defiantly something that this generation will not be able to remember what life was like without it.