Failure Is NOT an Option

Failure Is NOT an Option: Collecting, Reviewing, and Acting on Evidence for Using Technology to Enhance Academic Performance
By Dave L. Edyburn

It has been a recent concern among educators of not letting children fall behind. The NCLB Act tried to fix this issue, but it still needs a lot of work. Teachers need to understand that some children are just not made to learn in the conventional and old style of teaching and it is too difficult for them. Teachers need to make the learning setting different, more entertaining and interesting for some students. Performance intervention needs to occur much sooner than it is, because we cannot not let the suffering students fall anymore behind than they already are.
This article discusses how we need to enhance our teaching to intrigue and gain the students attention. This has been showing a positive effect on the amount of knowledge children are retaining.

Q1. Why have teachers not caught onto the fact that technology is important to integrate into teaching?
A1. This maybe, because some teachers have it engraved into their mind that traditional ways of teaching are the best because they are what have been used since the beginning of time. Others may not yet have the opportunity to purchase the necessary tools to begin using technology in the classroom.

Q2. What should we do with the children who benefit by learning through traditional ways if there is such a large push on integrating technology?
A2. We should not eliminate traditional forms of teaching, just in addition to those ways also incorporate new ways of learning through technology.

Coloring Outside the Lines

Coloring Outside the Lines: A multimedia exploratory course combines the skills of technology with important art concepts

By John McCombs

This article discussed the difficulties the American Embassy School in New Delhi, India regarding its students not knowing enough technology. The school realized they needed to create a more effective technology program so that their students would be more proficient with computers. The students were given a project to complete that would include the use of Microsoft Draw, Microsoft Paint, Adobe Photoshop and Knowledge Adventure's HyperStudio. This allowed them to learn how to use the combination of different programs to create on thing at the end.
In this particular school, the students received either pass or fail grades in the class. They had the opportunity to look at the work done by their classmates and to critique and give helpful comments.
There is still a debate among some schools, whether technology should be integrated into the curriculum or to create separate technology courses for the students to take and learn from. It is important for schools to experiment with integrating technology into the curriculum, because it may be a very beneficial way for students to learn new and advanced technological systems.

Q1. At what age can you start to integrate technology into the curriculum?
A1. I believe you can start to integrate technology into the curriculum at any age. I think you should let children become familiar with computers at a very young age, this will give them a familiarity and an understanding of how to use technological devices.

Q2. Is it important to still use traditional ways of teaching?

A2. I think we should still use traditional ways of teaching. Children still need to be able to read out of a book and have the patience to do things like this. If we do not use some of the old basic ways of teaching, students will not have learn to have a decent attention span to study or learn in a proper manner.

#2 Final Version of Tomorrow's Teachers

This is where you can access my webpage: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=df92ccx4_5d2zdmpdn&hl=en

Why I Want to Teach

By Katie Lorton

    I have always had a love for children, so I decided I wanted to become an elementary school teacher. This way I will be able to help and educate children as a profession for the rest of my life.  I am always around children, whether it is while I am a nanny or volunteering in a first grade classroom.  I feel so comfortable in a classroom setting and am so excited to someday have a class of my own.

    I have some practice with teaching children.  While I am a nanny, I am constantly helping the girls I watch with their homework.  They are in sixth grade, fourth grade and third grade, therefore I helping them at different levels of schooling.  While volunteering in the first grade classroom I am also there to aide the teacher and help the students with math or writing during class.  I am glad I have been exposed to these things, so that I already know some of the things to expect when being an educator on my own.

    As a teacher my personal philosophy is to be there for the children in every way and to mold and form their developing young minds.  I hope that I will be remembered as a special teacher to my students in their later years, as a person who impacted and bettered their lives.  I want to let the children know that I believe in each one of them equally and I accept, love and want them to each succeed at their greatest potential.

    I hope that I will be an amazing and life-changing elementary school teacher.  I will be a life-long learner in my teaching profession and I will learn and improve from any mistakes that I make.  I want to try my hardest to boost children's self-esteem and let them know that they are capable of anything if they put their mind to it.

If you would like to contact me, please send an e-mail to katie.lorton@gmail.com or http://www.klorton.blogspot.com/

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 Making Learning Fun

By Katie Lorton

    It has always been a dream of mine to be an elementary school teacher.  I would like to teach any grade in elementary school, but if I had a choice I would choose to be in any grade level from first through third.  As an elementary school teacher I will be educating the children on all subjects areas, such as language arts, math, history, science, physical education and health.  I am particularly excited in teaching language arts.  Reading and writing are so important to learn and be familiar with at a young age.

    I have recently been observing and volunteering for a first grade teacher.  She has shown me that it is imperative to make sure that as the teacher, you always have the children's attention, especially at such a young age.  If you do not keep them busy with assignments to do, then their curious minds will wander and easily become distracted.  Keeping a routine is also good for the students.  This shows them normality and a balance and allows them to know what to expect next.  Some children may have difficulties settling into a classroom and becoming comfortable if their teacher often surprises them with assignments and things they are not expecting or excited to do.

    I hope that I will make the classroom a fun learning environment, where the children feel comfortable and are eager and excited to learn.  One way I will grab my students' attention, is by using fun lesson plans to capture their interest and keep them focused in the topic of discussion.  I will follow the California Content Standards by using both books and traditional forms of teaching as well as fun, hands-on lesson plans that hopefully the children will never forget.  Sometimes it is easier for a child to remember something they have actually experimented with rather than just read, which may make learning easier and more fun for my students.

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From Hobby to Career

By Margarita Hernandez

    I've found that literature provides you with an entry into another place and time; whether you're reading Things Fall Apart, Twilight or Green Eggs and Ham. The numerous interpretations that readers have shows the vastness of their imagination.This type of dissecting of texts is what I want to teach children to do. Children do this type of inquiry all the time; they are always asking why things happen or how is it that they happen.

    I would like to teach English, especially literature. I am not certain yet of what grade I would like to teach; If I had to choose it would have to be between eighth grade and tenth grade. I do not have any experience working with students in those grads yet, but I have worked with kids before. When I was in middle school I volunteered at my old elementary school, assisting the teacher and helping students during group work. Besides volunteering, the only other experience I have had working with kids are the few occasions that I've helped my niece and nephew with their homework. I really enjoy helping them because I am going with them through the process of discovery and I am  helping them discover the different ways to look at a problem and try to solve it.  

     As a potential future teacher I see my teaching philosophy being more group oriented. I think that students have a vast potential of knowledge and a teachers role is to help them tap into that knowledge. I know that their is a lot that my students will not know and as a teacher I will have to give them that information. I also think that my role is not just to impart them with knowledge,but instead to teach them ways to reach those same points by themselves or with the help of their classmates. I hope to have a mutual relationship with my students, were they learn from me and I learn form them. Rather than lecture them, I want them to work in groups. I want to teach them skills that they can apply to other aspect of their lives outside of school. 
 

 If you would like to contact me, please send an e-mail to margaritahrnndz001@gmail.com or http://margaritahern.blogspot.com/

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Expanding Your Imagination Through Literature

By Margarita Hernandez

    I think that through literature children can expand their imagination and develop their critical thinking skills. What I like about teaching literature is helping children analyze a text and write a paragraph or an essay about what they think the text is saying. I know that this type of analysis would be taught ideally in high school, at least that was the case with me. I think that in middle school students are being taught more about the grammar of English. This will help them write those analysis that I will have them write.

    I am more interested in the process that goes into writing a paper, the students logical thinking and their presentation of the work than if they have a few grammatical errors. I know that writing a grammatically correct paper is essential for the success of a student, however I think that developing their critical thinking skills is more important. If a student has trouble with grammar they can always hand in their paper earlier and have the teacher edit the paper or they can work in groups and correct each others papers. Through time and practice they can improve their grammar.  However, analysis is a process that a student must develop and work on, they need practice and in the end they will be able to see that they can take any form of literature and interpret what they think the text or the writer is saying.

    The part that I enjoyed must about my English classes was when as a class we went over our interpretations of a text and as a class decided if those interpretations were validated by the text. I think that analyzing a text produces a kind of eureka moment for students, when they take the pieces of a puzzle, in this case the evidence provided by the text, and assembles what they think the text is saying or what the author intended to say. The numerous possibilities of interpretation ensure that a student if taught the skills of critical analysis can experience their eureka moment.

Sources:

California Content Standards http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss

Imagination: www.salford.gov.uk/learning/salfordla.wearereading/drop-everything-and-read.htm (Retrieved February 9, 2009)  

Reading: http://www.teachersandfamilies.com/open/tr/trtchrlib.cfm (Retrieved February 11, 2009) 

Books image: http://nj.iiaa.org/books.gif (Retrieved February 12, 2009)

Chalkboard image: http://www.writers.creativemumz.com/education.html (Retrieved February 12, 2009)

Creating a Differentiated Classroom article reflection

Creating a Differentiated Classroom
By Susan Keck and Scott C. Kinney
   

     In this article, there was an account from one teacher who discussed how she had a creative student in her English class, who wrote amazing paragraphs weekly and they were a continuation of a whole story. Sadly this student of hers did not receive good grades in her class otherwise. After the school year was over, she realized that each student is different and they each bring something different to the class. She had not pushed each of her students to reach their full potential and she realized that they suffered if they were not encouraged. This English teacher changed her teaching ways after this life lesson she learned and evaluates each of her students differently and caters to them specifically.

     Another story was about a boy who's first language was Spanish and he could read, write and speak fluently in it, but he could not do the same with English. I understand that it is extremely important for this boy to learn English, but it does not mean he does not have the potential. He is already intelligent; he now just has to apply his capabilities to learning and living through English.

     As teachers, we need to cater to all of our students in every area and situation of learning. The article discusses that the level of difficulty regarding how much work educators put into providing the proper attention and level of education for each student can be lessened and made easier, also with the use of integrating technology.

Q1. How does a teacher become accepting and understanding of each of his or her student's individual needs?
A1. The teacher needs to pay close attention to the learning styles and personalities of each student, so that they can learn what works best for each child and what it takes for each to succeed.

Q2. Is it a difficult task for some teachers?
A2. I believe this can be a difficult task for some teachers, but as long as the teacher has a love for his or her job and is open-minded to putting as much effot in as possible to better the students, I believe every teacher is capable.