Blog Post #16

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.
-Finding Nemo

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE Disney fan, and also a huge fan of living my life by the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout my semester in EDM310, there were many times I felt overwhelmed! For some silly reason, when I became overwhelmed with my load of school work in EDM310, I always thought to myself, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming." This little quote off of Disney's Finding Nemo got me through many hours sitting in front of my computer (along with the Disney Pandora station)! EDM310 has been by far the most challenging college course I have taken thus far at The University of South Alabama, but this course has also been the most inspiring, informative, and thought provoking class I have ever been enrolled in. Read along below as I share with you my initial thoughts on certain subjects regarding my future classroom, and how some of those thoughts have changed and how some thoughts have remained the same.


My Thoughts Regarding My Blog Post #1: If I Built A School

In my very first blog post, If I Built A School, I wrote about my thoughts regarding my future classroom including what tools I will use, what tools my students will use, my methods of teaching, and what kind of learning will take place. The main aspects of this blog post that I have now changed my thoughts on are the tools used in my classroom. In my blog post, I included that I would have my students use technology such as the iPad, computer, and SMART Board daily, but I did not include to what extent. At this point in time, I had not the slightest clue what I would have my students do on an iPad, computer, or SMART Board! With the knowledge I have now, I would have my students do numerous activities on these technological tools! The last areas I have had changed thoughts about are my methods of teaching. Not included in my Blog Post #1 is how to asses myself and change my methods of teaching with advancing technology, evolving education, and our changing world and economy.

Tech tools that I have become acquainted with that I will implement in my future classroom include Blogger, Twitter, iMovie, iBook, YouTube, Skype, and the creation of podcasts. When I created my first blog post, I did not even consider the use of these items because I had no clue what some of them were! I have become a huge fan of blogging, and I will definitely have my students blog. From my recent experiences with blogging, I have realized how much more I strive to produce quality writing and blog posts knowing I have such a vast audience, the web. If I have my students blog, I believe they will also strive to produce quality work knowing they have fellow classmates, parents, teachers, college students, and possibly the entire world viewing their posts. Blogging is a tool I will definitely implement in my future classroom to improve my students' writing. Twitter is tool that I will use frequently when I become a professional educator. Twitter is a great part of my personal learning network and is a great tool to rely on when you are are just purely "stuck" on something. A vast number of educators have Twitter accounts and are actually willing to answer questions and help you in all possible ways. It is almost like educators and educational tools have a huge tribe that is there waiting to help you out. How awesome is that? When I become a professional educator, I know I can rely on my PLN on Twitter if I ever get "stuck" on something. iMovie is another awesome tool I have learned to use in EDM310 that I did not know how to use prior to my enrollment in Dr. Strange's class. iMovie will allow my students to express their digital creativity through the creation of trailers and projects. iBook is another awesome tool I have learned to use in EDM310. Depending on what grade I teach will depend on whether or not I will have my students create iBooks, but I believe 4th-6th graders could definitely handle the creation of an iBook! I also look forward to creating iBooks myself in my future classroom. YouTube is a great communication device that I will definitely use in my future classroom. I could create YouTube videos for my students' parents to keep them up-to-date with what all is going on in the classroom. My students will also frequently use YouTube to present projects and embed these projects in their class blogs. Skype is another great communication tool that my students and I can use to communicate and connect with other teachers and students around the world. Podcasts are great to use for communication also. I could also have my students create podcasts to reenact stories from books. There are so many technological tools I can and will implement in my future classroom that I did not know about when I created Blog Post #1. I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn about such awesome tools that I will be able to implement in my future classroom.

The last areas in my Blog Post #1 that I have changed thoughts about are my methods of teaching. In the "Primary Ways of Teaching" section in my Blog Post #1, I included that I will implement project-based learning and all activities will be hands-on! This statement is very true, but I did not include how I will asses myself in order to be an effective teacher. I have learned over the course of EDM310 how important self-assessment is. In my future classroom, I will have to asses myself daily and ask myself the following questions: Were the lessons I taught today effective? Did I give all my students opportunities to learn today? Were my students engaged in the lessons being taught? Did I create an engaging classroom environment? I will have to ask myself these questions and asses myself daily in order to be an effective teacher. With self-assessment comes with the changing of teaching methods. Education is constantly evolving and our world is constantly changing, therefore, I must adjust my pedagogy in order to provide my students with an education that is relevant to their lives.


Final Reflection
Below is my final reflection of what I have learned, what I will take with me, and what I will use in my future career as an elementary school teacher from my time spent in EDM310.