FROM+MY+HEART

Dear Dr. Stocker,

I started this class not knowing what the internet had to offer in terms of technology. My experiences were pretty simplistic. I knew about YouTube and could easily navigate around the internet but I did not know of all the different technology available that will help me in the classroom. I also have not had experience writing lesson plans for a whole unit.

I was excited to write a lesson plan about Original Plays but quickly became nervous that I had picked a topic that was too difficult to teach in the 3 week time limit. I wished I had stuck with my original plan of Literacy Genres. However, since I had started with Original Plays involving History, I decided to stick with it. I was glad I did. I did narrow my topics to the Pilgrims and then the Revolutionary War and these seemed to work within the time limit. I was also easily able to divide topics into different lesson plans that seemed to flow in order and provide students with different opportunities for using the computer for research and creating projects. With such a big topic, I was able to find information and pictures on the internet for presentations. I found it exciting to watch my Wiki evolve and grow into something I will definitely want to use for my classroom. I enjoyed finding things to add to it that would be fun and informational for my students and parents. I also learned how much detail is involved with writing a lesson plan. Objectives, lessons, and goals need to be carefully thought out in order not to assume information is already known by the students. I had to remind myself that this was just one unit and I’ll be writing many of these all the time. I can’t just keep using the same ones from year to year. I need to always be reevaluating their effectiveness and changing them to fit the classroom. I was proud of myself that I could break up topics into lessons and come up with creative ways to present them. I really enjoyed that I was allowed to be as creative as I wanted. Some of the weeks’ lessons I thought I’d never finish but then one day it would just hit me how I could make it interesting and would be excited to create it. Sometimes my ideas were beyond my technology capabilities and I would become frustrated when I couldn’t find what I was planning or get things to work properly. I would take a different approach with what I could do and end up making presentations I was pleased with.

Sometimes I became concerned that my ideas were too big for Elementary aged students. I think technology-wise, I may expect too much from them unless I’m able to teach them the tools they need to make awesome presentations using such programs as Animoto or podcasting. There were times when I had troubles using them so how could I expect my students to easily work with them. However, I think using technology in the classroom is invaluable. Students are learning differently than books and paper. As a 21st century teacher, I need to incorporate technology with lessons that will help my students learn better and hopefully easier. Kids are more excited to learn when technology is involved and especially if they get to create with technology. In my lessons, I tried to make them more interesting to elementary aged students by incorporating things like Charlie Brown teaching about the Pilgrims or a Rap about the Articles of Confederation. As a teacher, I need to keep learning about all the different technology available. I can’t let my students get behind in all the technological possibilities. Technology not only helps Native English speaking students but can be an invaluable tool when teaching ESL students. There is technology available specifically for helping ESL students succeed in the classroom and I want to use any tools I can. I’m just hoping my ideas aren’t bigger than what I can fit into the curriculum.

I hope to make a difference in my students’ education. I want to be a teacher that goes “outside of the box” and find inventive ways of teaching. I understand that students learn better when they are doing hands on learning, being creative, and are a part of the lesson. I think using technology is a way of doing just that. I hope I’m able to find a school that allows me to take a different approach with 21st century teaching and are not stuck in their ways of CSAP, CSAP, CSAP. I guess if I do end up in a school of teaching to the test and basal readers, I’m sure I can find a creative ways to incorporate technology with the curriculum.

 Sincerely,  Kim Wahl

P.S. I had to make an art presentation about how language influenced my education in Dr. Vigil’s class. Thanks to my budding technology expertise, I made a slide show with pictures using Photo Peach. I was proud of my presentation and I had a few people ask how I was able to design my presentation. Oh, and I received an A!!! It just shows how even a college student can take pride in a project they designed and created. Think of how wonderful a student in Elementary School would feel about creating something using technology, showing it off to everyone, and receiving praise for their creativity and technical knowledge. That seems more exciting and meaningful than showing off an A on a paper for writing a book report.