So this is a little late... oops! During class that day, my group presented about 1-1 laptop programs, in the form of the Colbert Report. We had fun doing that! I have mixed feelings about 1-1 programs. On the one hand, I think students need to have access to computers on a regular basis, in order to be able to learn the skills they will certainly need beyond school. There are also a lot of great resources on the internet, and computers really open up a door to another world. BUT.... I think if students had laptops in class, it could be very distracting. I suppose a teacher could make a rule about not using laptops unless she/he says to... and students then still take old-fashioned notes. But that defeats the convenience of computers and the ability to store notes and such in 1 compact place. Unless the computer crashes, that is. I think at the very least, students need access to computers both at home and at school, so maybe with the right rules set in place, these programs could be extremely valuable.
The other group presented about using wiki's in the classroom. Again, I was sort of ambivalent about this. I really don't have much experience using wiki's, so I have some difficulty imagining what I could use it for. But they presented many different options, and it really seems like you could do just about anything with them. I'll have to give it more thought, as to whether or not I'd use it in my class, but its definitely a pretty neat tool to have available!
The guest speaker was a science teacher from skyline, who does TONS of things on his website. It seemed like his class was basically centered around the content of his websites, and the students all contributed as well, by producing podcasts and such. I was extremely impressed by what he's done, and it seems like the students really enjoy it too. I sort of freaked out and thought "there's no way I could do all that!" but then he mentioned that he started out small and built his way up to this point. That was a bit of a relief, and who knows, maybe someday I will have an elaborate website for MY classes!! We'll see =)
I took the MTTC subject tests yesterday- I was frustrated by the econ one because there were more than 1 right answers for many of the questions, so it was basically a guessing game as to what they think the "best" answer is. That's so frustrating. The psych test went well too, I studied a lot for that since it is not as fresh in my mind. So I guess now I just have to wait and see what scores I get!
Fall break is this week, which is a relief. I can get some work done & work on the wedding & maybe even relax, if theres time!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Was the econ test that bad? Sounds about right though...more than one right answer...typical.
I appreciated your reminder that the guest speaker said he started out small. I was like you thinking - how will I ever take care of all this tech stuff and teach content and manage the classroom well and create a positive classroom environment and.....you get the idea. It is a relief to know I don't have to have it all done at once!
I just want to highlight Jeff B's comment that both you and Cristi caught, Kristin. It's all about small steps...any other way of thinking about things is unrealistic and unhealthy. I have an interest in smart, thoughtful people like you being in the profession and staying there for a while, and if you try to hoist the world on your shoulders you're too likely to become one of the talented people who leave the profession.
Think about what small change can you make...to a lesson or an activity...that you think might make a noticeable difference. Go with that...and be patient with yourself ;-)
Post a Comment