Sunday, May 30, 2010
Technology Integration in Classrooms
One of the most recent experiences I've had with seeing technology in the classrom was in a lower elementary special ed (LD) classroom in Lansing. There are 13 children in this class, all functioning on very different levels. I was so impresse with how computers brought out skills in the children that I had not seen in the classroom, only in the computer lab. One of the main websites they used was a PBS kids website that had all kinds of games which enhanced skills ranging from colors, to shapes, to math problems. In the classroom, the children were sometimes not engaged, were bored with the lesson, didn't want to sit still, but in the computer lab they were completely focused on their computers. The educational games that they were using seemed to be working very well, because the teacher said she saw a difference in the skills they learned and applied in the classroom after playing the educational games for a couple of weeks. I have only been in special education placements, but from what I have seen it has been a great tool for children with special needs, in particular one with motor skill development difficulties. This particular child could not write/draw easily so he was not always capable of completing the work, even though it was just because he couldn't put down his ideas. Using the computer with a large mouse attached allowed him to play the games and type in a way that suited him best, so that he could still get the content from the lesson, and could focus on improving his motor skills in therapy sessions and other practice times. I have yet to see a bad example of technology used in any placement that I have been in. From SmartBoards to picture slide shows, I have seen students react very positively to all technology used.
Political Correctness v Old School Teaching
http://freedomedium.com/2009/10/we-need-politically-correct-classrooms/
I think this post represents many things that I personally struggle with on a daily basis when it comes to working with children. I can just imagine the sarcasm in this writer's mind as they wrote this, because some of these issues seem so ridiculous but are real issues that teachers are faced with every day. When is it ok to drop the political correctness and just be the person we are, or is it better to think twice before we let any words come out of our mouths? The issues discussed in this article really made me think about the kind of teacher I want to be, compared to the kind of teacher I might have to be. When I think back to elementary school, I have very fond memories of my teachers, librarians, janitors, and other faculty/staff. I remember sitting in my kindergarten teacher's lap on occasion for story time, getting hugs when I fell off the the play equipment, and the librarian letting me stash myself away next to a bookshelf during recess so I could see what mystery the Boxcar Children were going to solve this time. Now, we're not supposed to hug the kids or have them sit on our laps because they could "interpret it as a different meaning" and we can be sued for assault. I also know many schools have a policy that a student cannot be alone with a single staff member, so being the only student alone in with the librarian would never fly.
I think in order to be a successful teacher, I'm going to have to look at my students differently than I look at other children. My job right now is beinga full-time nanny for two 6-year olds and a 4-year old, and I also babysit for other families around the Lansing area. I hug these children, they sit on my lap to read stories, and when they hurt themselves I put bandaids/ice where they say it hurts....for me not to be able to show my students the same compassion is going to be very difficult. I know that school rules are going to be very strict, and the desire to keep my job and good reputation will outweigh my wanting to give my students hugs when they need one...but it will still be hard.
I want to become the teachers I had; the ones who taught me to think outside the box, to not judge a book by its cover, to memorize my "times tables" by marching and chanting down the hallway. Those things I can be, but I know I won't be able to be my kindergarten teacher who let me sit on her lap when we read Madeline, or my librarian who hugged me every year on the birthday we shared, or my science teacher who held my hand when we were allowed to pet a snake at the zoo but I was too scared to walk up alone.
I don't really have the experience to say which is better; that the no-touching policies won't prevent any innapropriate contact, or that every student should be hugged...those don't seem right either...but I think it's going to be hard to not have any options on what a student/teacher relationship can be. I wish I could be the teachers I had in almost every aspect, but it looks like today's rules and regulations are going to delegate what kind of teacher I have to be.
I think this post represents many things that I personally struggle with on a daily basis when it comes to working with children. I can just imagine the sarcasm in this writer's mind as they wrote this, because some of these issues seem so ridiculous but are real issues that teachers are faced with every day. When is it ok to drop the political correctness and just be the person we are, or is it better to think twice before we let any words come out of our mouths? The issues discussed in this article really made me think about the kind of teacher I want to be, compared to the kind of teacher I might have to be. When I think back to elementary school, I have very fond memories of my teachers, librarians, janitors, and other faculty/staff. I remember sitting in my kindergarten teacher's lap on occasion for story time, getting hugs when I fell off the the play equipment, and the librarian letting me stash myself away next to a bookshelf during recess so I could see what mystery the Boxcar Children were going to solve this time. Now, we're not supposed to hug the kids or have them sit on our laps because they could "interpret it as a different meaning" and we can be sued for assault. I also know many schools have a policy that a student cannot be alone with a single staff member, so being the only student alone in with the librarian would never fly.
I think in order to be a successful teacher, I'm going to have to look at my students differently than I look at other children. My job right now is beinga full-time nanny for two 6-year olds and a 4-year old, and I also babysit for other families around the Lansing area. I hug these children, they sit on my lap to read stories, and when they hurt themselves I put bandaids/ice where they say it hurts....for me not to be able to show my students the same compassion is going to be very difficult. I know that school rules are going to be very strict, and the desire to keep my job and good reputation will outweigh my wanting to give my students hugs when they need one...but it will still be hard.
I want to become the teachers I had; the ones who taught me to think outside the box, to not judge a book by its cover, to memorize my "times tables" by marching and chanting down the hallway. Those things I can be, but I know I won't be able to be my kindergarten teacher who let me sit on her lap when we read Madeline, or my librarian who hugged me every year on the birthday we shared, or my science teacher who held my hand when we were allowed to pet a snake at the zoo but I was too scared to walk up alone.
I don't really have the experience to say which is better; that the no-touching policies won't prevent any innapropriate contact, or that every student should be hugged...those don't seem right either...but I think it's going to be hard to not have any options on what a student/teacher relationship can be. I wish I could be the teachers I had in almost every aspect, but it looks like today's rules and regulations are going to delegate what kind of teacher I have to be.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Technology Experiences and Expectations
I have almost no experience with technology, which is exactly why I decided to take this class before I am in the classroom full-time. I am fine when using basic programs on computers, such as Word and itunes, but when it comes to more advanced programs and editing I have never been successful (not that I've really given it much of a try). I have done simple PowerPoints and Prezi's for classes, and have also made online photo albums that didn't require editing. My most recent project has been scanning and attempting to edit some photos for my younger sister who is graduating high school this year, so that we can use the older photos in scrapbooks without having to put glue on the originals that might ruin them. This semester I would like to learn the basics about more technology sources, and how technology can be transfered into classrooms for younger students and students with special needs since I am an Elementary Ed/Special Ed.-LD major. I do not neccessarily expect to master any sources, but would like to become more advanced in searching for appropriate technological tools and different ways to incorporate them into lessons. Learning the basics of programs would allow me to have a great starting point on advancing my technology skills.
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