Blog Post #16

 Part 1:

What will be the methods of teaching I will emphasize in my classroom? – 5^th Grade.

As stated in my first blog post, I am, to a large extent, a fundamentalist in the sense that I will continue to implement the basic framework of our educational system. Just as in my coaching style, I find teaching the basics in a straightforward fashion is more effective for me than diluting the basics inside of games. Not every coach can teach the same way and I believe not every educator will effectively teach the same way. To large extent, the foundations of the traditional subjects, such as reading, mathematics, writing and science, will have to be taught without the ‘bells and whistles’ that technology offers. I do believe in supplementing the traditional subjects with student-driven projects that will require a student to use technology for research. But ultimately, I believe technology amplifies solid teaching foundations and will not replace those building blocks in my classroom.

In my first blog post #1, I discussed such courses as finance, building, automotive, and debate. I realize that the implementation of these learning centers on the scale that I imagine will not be very feasible. But diluting those grandiose ideas down to manageable and discrete projects results in a hands-on learning technique. I want to put plants into a child’s hand when teaching them the fundamentals of plant biology. I hope to continue to introduce new hands-on materials whenever I can. My learning methods will evolve as I gain new experiences in the classroom and interact with new teachers. I hope to remain open to new learning strategies as I continue to develop my classroom. 

What tools will the students and I use in my ideal classroom? — 5^th Grade.

I originally wrote blog post #1 with the assumption that funds were unlimited.  In the real world, I am aware that this is not the case in most schools. I hope to introduce subjects such as finance, building, automotive, and debate with the assistance of well-designed student-driven projects, applicable field trips and a little creativity.

My classroom experiences are limited and I am unaware of what types of technology are available in the average 5^th grade classroom.  However, many classrooms are now equipped with one or more desktop computers. Potentially, we could get lucky and have iPads that students could have access to as well. With these, along with the school library, students can have immediate access to researching tools. In addition, many schools are moving towards paperless assignments. Towards this end, I appreciate the infinite informative tools EDM310 has provided me in executing such a task. I hope I will understand enough to implement these types of school wide learning tools.

Furthermore, I believe technology in our culture will provide students the ability to research topics on their own prior to our discussions in the classroom. This strategy should give students the opportunity to teach themselves before introducing my teachings of the materials. Thereby, students will have a better understanding of the lessons being discussed. 

Technology will not only play a research role in my classroom; it will also be a tool for teaching communication skills. With the use of PowerPoint, I hope to give students the opportunity to develop their public speaking skills. Developing presentations will also create a means to teach logic. Communication in today’s world is changing. The tri-fold board with pasted written research is not adequately preparing students for the workforce any longer. In addition, being able to properly communicate via email is quickly becoming a requirement to successfully interact with people who are friends, employers, and future employers. Potentially, we could update the traditional pen pal to include emails.

Another tool that is very popular in the classroom is the SMART board.  As a future educator, I look forward to seeing, hands-on, what this tool can actually do in the classroom.  I wasn’t as impressed with the SMART board as other students in EDM310 have been. However, if it is provided to my room, then I hope to investigate how to better integrate the SMART board into our learning lessons. I can see where using the SMART board may help in building classroom excitement. This student enthusiasm could encourage student participation and aide in keeping students focused in the classroom. 

As a teacher, I will learn along with my students the new teaching/learning tools that technology will continue to offer. I firmly believe we must integrate technology into the classroom whether we like it or not.  If we deny such a powerful tool to our students, then we are holding them back from a true learning experience.  Earlier this week, I heard on the news that our nation’s test scores have been stagnant at a mediocrity level for several years. This information presents a daunting task for new educators. I hope that with some old school techniques integrated with the powers of technology, I will be successful at being a part of changing that statistic.  Nothing is off-limits in my classroom.

Part 2:

What have I learned in EDM310? Exit Video