From+My+Heart

1. What did you learn about yourself (as a person) as a result of doing this wiki and the technology products?
// As a result of constructing this wiki and the corresponding technology products, I realized how antiquated my view on education is. Being an older student, I grew up without the benefit of computers in the classroom, and without the luxury of the internet. I, therefore, was just stuck in the mindset that school work and research is done in, or with, books. This class has opened my eyes not only to the benefits of technology, but also to the fact that there are so many tools available to educators via the internet, many of which are free of charge and easily accessible. Information is not necessarily better on the internet, in fact in most cases, it is best to double or triple check any facts you may find on-line, but the internet provides us, as educators, easy and instant access to a whole world of new ideas and practices to help students be successful in our classrooms. //

**2. What did you learn about being a teacher from writing your unit?** // In writing this unit, the most important thing that I learned is that I have a lot more to learn before I begin my career! It is easy to conceptualize a unit, but when it comes to designing the individual lessons within that unit, making sure that each lesson is properly placed in the chronology of the unit, and ascertaining the effectiveness and or plausibility of each lesson within the unit, that is a whole other story. It was very helpful to create the scope and sequence, because it gave me a 'map' of sorts to follow. //

3. What you are most proud of as a result of doing your products?
 //What I find the most pride in after completing this course is the fact that I opened my eyes and thinking to a whole other realm of educational techniques and tools, the existence of which I was totally unaware of. I was admittedly hesitant in accepting that technology could help me as a teacher, mainly due to my ignorance of the subject. I am proud that I am open-minded enough to see that I was wrong to think negatively, or not at all, of technology in terms of a career as an educator. I am proud that I now have a virtual 'toolbox' to use in the future with my students. I am also proud that I have my own web site.//

4. What you would do differently next time you write a unit and use technology?
//The next time I write a unit and use technology, I will make sure that I am more mindful of the cognitive ability of my students needed to complete each product. I think I have chosen some products during this course which may potentially pose problems for students with special needs. In the future I will be more cognizant of who I am working with, and their capabilities, so that I am able to build their confidence and independence, thus making them more apt to be successful. //

 5. What you are most concerned about with using technology and how you will overcome obstacles with technology?
﻿//The thing I am most concerned about in using technology is the amount of monitoring that will be needed for internet use. As I mentioned in many of the technology reflection which accompanied each of my lessons, even with school districts blocking the majority of inappropriate web sites, there remains a small chance that the students will be exposed to questionable material. With the budget crisis in schools,and the lack of priority that Colorado gives it's education, staffing will likely be minimal and in a computer lab scenario it will be difficult to monitor every student at every moment. One solution for this would be to place the students in small groups so that it is easier to watch their work and progress. Another solution would be to prepare the computers in advance for the students by bookmarking the sites they will need to minimize the amount of 'surfing' they would have to do.//

**6. What you are most concerned about with teaching and how you will overcome obstacles?** //I am honestly not concerned about teaching. I fully expect to have difficult students, difficult parents, and or difficult co-workers throughout my career. I am not naive enough to think that things will be bright and shiny everyday. I am confident in my abilities to deal with these situations as I have had many years of experience within schools. I look forward to learning from my peers in the profession and working closely with parents. In the grand scheme of things we are all on the same team with one common goal, to make our students and children successful, not only academically but throughout their lives. Perhaps the one thing that does bring me some stress is the ability, or lack-there-of, to find a job. When I am finally ready to begin my career I will be 38 years old, and I am afraid that I will be deemed too old to be considered employable by some schools.//

 7. What you are most excited or intrigued about with regards to using technology?
//The most exciting aspect of technology is that it is always evolving. Who knows what the future will hold in the educational technology field? New and exciting tools will be developed, and with each new development the students have one more opportunity to achieve their goals. Nothing is out of reach for students with special needs. It was not too long ago that students with special needs were cast aside and forgotten within schools. These children often had no hope of doing basic things such as communicating or participating in their classrooms. Technology has helped these students change their lives for the better. //

 8. What you are most excited or intrigued about with teaching?
<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">//The aspect of teaching that I find the most exciting is the potential of changing the lives of students with special needs for the better. It is my sincere hope that I can help my students realize their self-worth and help them realize that their disabilities do not have to be anchors that will hold them back throughout their lives. I will provide them with the academic and social skills necessary to be productive members of society. I also look forward to promoting acceptance and tolerance among the typically developed students within the schools I work in, and blurring, if not completely erasing, any lines that separate them with the students with special needs.//

===<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> 9. Which century will you teach in--the twentieth or twentyfirst and what indicators will be present that most epitomize your classroom? === //<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">As I have mentioned, I am a converted techno-phobe, and as such I will be teaching in the twenty first century. Relying solely on books and worksheets would severely limit not only me as a teacher, but more importantly, it would limit the students as learners. It is important to realize that there is not a 'one size fits all' approach to teaching. I must be open to new ideas and pedagogies. Teachers are life long learners, and good teachers are constantly looking to better themselves within the profession. Technology will play a major role in my learning and improvement as a teacher, and I am eagerly awaiting the time when I can apply the skills I have gained in this course, and the skills I will gain in future courses or professional development opportunities, to my career. //

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">10. What difference will you make?
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">﻿ // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">This question is difficult to answer because truly, anyone who teaches makes a difference. I will make a difference by building strong, positive relationships with any student I have the privilege of teaching. Building a strong rapport with students is essential for teachers to be able to reach their students, and for gaining the trust needed for students to feel safe and valued. I will do my best to build similar relationships with the parents of my students in order to create a strong community that reaches from home to school, and beyond. I want to foster a system of support of people who care for my students so that they are able to maximize their independence in a dynamic world. I want to provide guidance to students with special needs so that they are able to realize their full potential and be self-sufficient as adults. I want to be a teacher, and as such I will make a difference. //

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal;">"Curiosity as restless questioning, as movement toward the revelation of something hidden, as a question verbalized or not, as search for clarity, as a moment of attention, suggestion, and vigilance, constitutes an integral part of the phenomenon of being alive. There could be no creativity without the curiosity that moves us and sets us patiently impatient before a world that we did not make, to add to it something of our own making." -Paulo Freire, // Pedagogy of Freedom //