Nearing the finish line...

     As the semester comes closer to an end, there are always some thoughts that come to mind. The first one is always a thought of finality. It is over. It is a tough thing to go back to school for the purpose of bettering yourself and your family, while also juggling other commitments and a career. The second thought is one of self-reflection about what was learned. Honestly, this can be something that is easier said than done at times. This is due to the amount of information that is put in front of students. This often makes me wonder if I did my best. I wonder if I tried a little harder, would I remember more? I try and remind myself that not retaining every little detail is normal and that I should be proud of the accomplishment of this semester. 

    It has to be stated that I have learned a good bit of useful information this semester. This could all be described as technology based information. As I have stated before, I am not great when it comes to technology. Now I am writing a blog, so that is progress, right? There have been many new platforms that I have learned about that should help me tremendously in the classroom. Some of these platforms are used for testing, organization, video creation, and even lesson plan making. In the spirit of being transparent, I personally feel that I need more work on the lesson plan front. We do have one more big assignment of making a lesson plan so I am hopeful to navigate that project with a bit more ease and a bit less stress. 

    Overall, I have enjoyed this semester. I did take on a heavier load, which will be decreased going forward. I do feel more prepared to embark on the education journey and I hopeful that will continue. In keeping with tradition, I would be remiss if I did not mention that this football season has been one for the ages! It has been so fun to watch my favorite team, the Tennessee Volunteers, catch the college football world by storm. I am equally hopeful that their success will continue. 

Best of luck going forward and Go Vols!!!! 

Learning from students...

     Hello again! Finishing where I left off last time, it is fall time in Tennessee. This is my favorite time of the year because of football season. It gets cooler and the tailgates are going. My family loves going to Knoxville to enjoy Volunteer football, especially this season. It takes up a good bit of time, but it is totally worth it. If you happened to watch the Tennessee/Alabama game this season, you may have spotted me and my 11 year-old daughter jumping the wall and running on to the field. It was truly an experience that she will never forget. 

    I am not the most technologically savvy person. This semester of learning has been so interesting on that front. There are so many sites and platforms that are available to us that I would have never known about. This has led me to a discovery that I believe will be very beneficial to me. Not only am I learning from the instructors and the material, but also my peers. You see, I am not in the classroom yet. Most of peers either are or have been in the classroom recently. That is a wealth of knowledge for me whether any of them know it or not. 

    The best example I can give is that of the WebLessons. I will not lie, I was overwhelmed. It seemed to be a very daunting task. So I put my best foot forward, read the material, used the guides, and created my lesson. While reading the discussions, I looked over some of classmate's lessons. I was blown away! Some were so creative and interactive, while others were very simple and straightforward. In both cases, I was left wondering why I hadn't thought of some of the ideas. This is also true of the ideas of activities and assignments. Again, I am gaining ideas of things that I can do in the classroom. 

    I can only hope this trend continues as we streak towards the finish line.

TED talks, social media, and pigskin!!!

     I have learned a lot since my last post. We have taken personality tests to see what type of personality traits we may or may not have. There have been TED talks about our educational system and our idea of what that should look like. On my part, I watched a TED talk with Bill Gates speaking on the shortcomings of feedback to our teachers. What struck me is that in every part of life we need feedback. Why should educators be any different? Even those who are great in their own professions seek feedback. I think back to Peyton Manning and Kobe Bryant. Two athletes at the pinnacle of their own sport. On top of drive, dedication, and pure ability, they both were always looking to get better. They both sought after feedback in their own way. However, I as much as I respect them, we are talking sports. Shouldn't teaching be treated with much more importance?

    I would be remiss to not mention the material that surprised me the most. A few weeks back, we watched some videos on social media in the classroom. The numbers regarding social media and the digital age were staggering. It is something that, admittedly, I will have to get used to. When I was in high school, you could count on one hand how many people had a cell phone. However, even those that did were not allowed to have them out. This didn't matter because a cellphone then was only just a cell phone. Now, students have the whole world in the palm of their hands. The biggest takeaway from those videos is that there may be a place in the classroom for this digital world, we as educators just have to find the key to utilizing it in the right way. 

    On the way out, Fall is in the air. The heat is leaving (although not today). The air is crisp and cool in the morning. This can only mean one thing...football season is upon us. 

First take!

 If someone asked me a month ago what my tech goals were, I probably would have laughed. Me and technology are not on the best of terms. It is just a frontier that I haven't successfully navigated yet. In honesty, I would say that my goals would be to just get by. Even now I feel as though I am flying by the seat of my pants. Basic things I am good with, but these new technologies are a bit overwhelming at first. Now a blog? This is a big step. 

However, after starting this new course I can see that my tech goals must change. The expectations I have for this course, and others, is that I can a much better understanding. Dare I say fluent? Look, I am not going to say that this will be a breeze. What I am saying is that I want to get better. I have not taken an EdTech class in the past. This is my first. The truth is that technology can help in the classroom. What I am finding out is that there are so many formats and routes that I can utilize to help get my point across in the classroom. Students today are not the same as when I went to school 20 plus years ago. 

The fact is that the technology available today is the way education is going. It is not only my goal, but also will be my job, to be on board with this. If I want to be the best educator that I can be, shouldn't it be the least that I can do to know how to do some of this? Especially if it benefits the students? So yes, my goals have changed. I desire to learn how to navigate these platforms to in order to be the best that I can be.