My first lesson plans

     I always knew that teachers had lesson plans, and that if I became a teacher I would one day have to write them, but I didn’t realize how difficult it was going to be.

     I have my first two lesson plans due next week.  I have a topic for both lesson plans, and I have an idea on how I want to teach them.  The issue I am having is using the template that we are given at Nazareth.  I think the purpose of the template is to get new educators/teachers to cover all areas of a good lesson.  The problem I am having is I am hearing from many current teachers that what I am learning will never be used.  This is where I have a huge problem.  I want to teach and to learn things that are relevant and will be useful in my future, but yet I might be being educated in a way that is counteractive to this.  so, this is what I have decided.  I am going to complete the lesson plans as instructed, but I am going to make sure that I question and try to expose any flaws or weaknesses in the function of this template.  I feel that education needs to be based on function and usefulness and if educators are being educated in a way that is not useable than that seems ridiculous and very counterproductive.  I realize and have seen in the classroom how important a good lesson is, but it seems that organization and the ability to analyze and adapt to the learning style of a classroom along with good classroom management is just as important.  I realize that many of my statements might seem rash and pompous, due to the fact that I have little to no classroom experience, but I do feel that I know how I felt and how I see children react in classrooms and something has got to change.  That is where I think the technology and the ability of a teacher to appropriately utilize and incorporate technology into the classroom will help change the function or the rigidness of the Naz lesson template.  I think for now I will stop with my complaining and take the next few days to complete my lessons, and then maybe some of my initial issues or complaints will subside or will change in nature. 

To be continued…..

                                     

                                                      

Winter Break- what break?

I spent much of my winter break trying to clean the house and do some of the daily tasks that have been pushed aside, now that I am in grad school full time.  I also picked up a few more hours working to try and put some money aside for when school gets busier (if that is possible).  I also spent some time on the trusty Internet looking for research material on a number of my upcoming projects, and again I was amazed at the complexity and patience it takes to find good material.  I am glad I have the new tools for surfing the web, because I am able to find more valuable information.  The one area I am still struggling is to find research articles by scholars.  If anyone reads this and has any clues, they would be much appreciated.  The break was good, but I miss the influx of new information and the feeling of learning and accomplishment, so I guess my batteries are recharged, atleast half full, and I’m ready for the next challenges.  As long as these challenges keep inspiring and exciting me to teach, I am sure it is well worth the hard work and will prepare me to myself excite and inspire the students or as I see them the future of the world. 

Internet: Fact or Fiction

I was amazed after we completed an exercise in class, in how many non-factual, or bullsh*t websites there are.  I think the story in our class reading about the young boy who did a paper on the Holocaust and stated that it was all about lice, is sad and ridiculous.  I see the Internet as a powerful and amazing tool to communicate across huge distances, and also as a powerful tool to expanding knowledge.  The problem is that some people have seen the Internet as a joke, or a way to make money.  I guess the saying that a few bad apples can ruin a bunch, can be true.  I think what I have learned is that as a user of the Internet, and as a future educator, my job is to teach or educate myself and my student to not be fooled by a few bad apples.  I think learning about the advance searches on google or any other search engine, and the power of the linked site search (google: type in the word link: and the website)) are huge to determining the authenticity of a web site.  I also like the fact that a user can tell alot about a website depending on its ending, like .gov and .edu being dependable and reputable sites because of their affiliation or sponsorship by the government(.gov) or by a university(.edu).  I also have learned to look for an author that will take credit for the information expressed on the website and for a recent date the site was update to help determine the validity of the information.  All of this information is simple and easy to investigate on the Internet, now my job is to use this information and to pass it on, so the Internet can continue to be a good thing, and not turned into ”rotten apples”.   

New Appretiation for Excel

I feel since I have returned back to school after 8 years in the “rat race” of the “real world”, that I am learning so much information in Grad school.  For instance, I am learning so much useful and practical information in my technology class.  I can’t believe I have had so many tools such as word and excel at my fingertips for so long, and I have had no idea had to utilize them to make life more organized and learning more fun.   My wife is running her fathers diner and she has been having issues with scheduling and who is working were and when, along with what needs to be done by whom and what the specials are on what days.  Now, just typing that was confusing, so living it was a nightmare.  We sat down last night and I helped her make a spread sheet for her scheduling of workers adn it is also going to be used to help with payroll.  We also came up with nice and organized checklists for job duties and also for daily specials.   Now that she see,s my secret talents, I have been informed that our next task will be organizing the ordering of supplies.  I am not so sure I like what I have learned quite so much, now that my wife is in control.   

The “Super Powers” of Microsoft Word

In class on Thursday January 31, we dissected the unknown powers and potential of Microsoft Word.  I have used Word for over 15 years and have always thought it was a great word processing program and I knew I few little tricks like hyperlinks in a paper, but I had no idea how much could be done with Word.  I am now capable of inserting pictures and clip-art from not only my harddrive, but also from the Internet.  I can make pictures hyperlinks to the Internet and pictures as backgrounds or pictures with text.  I can change the color of the text, as a way of puting emphasis on certain words or phrases, or depending on my mood or just for a change of scenery.  I think it is great that all of this can be done, and none of it was mind boggling, I just needed someone to show me it was there (thanks Dr. Ransom).  I think it is a great tool to be used by teachers to try and make learning more fun and interactive for children, but is also great for students to learn to use and utilize easy technology to express themselves.  The other amazing thing about Microsoft word, was brought up in our class on January 24th.  I never realized Microsoft had developed a simpler version of Microsoft word, power point and excel for younger age children to use.  Click hereto view the software.  I especially like the software because it takes away allot of the options or buttons that exist in Microsoft Word that are not needed by younger learners , yet it still allows the children to accomplish tasks that they will use throughout their education, all while using software that will become important in their future development as learners.  Like I have said in past posts and will continue to say, we as teacher and as a society need to change how we teach because how children learn has changed.  I still believe in the fundamentals that have existed in teaching and learning for a long time and the foundation of reading and writing is crucial, but if children aren’t interested or stimulated by education, they have no reason to want to learn.  Learning needs to be fun and their are lots of ways to learn and to teach that inspire learning along with inspiring fun.  It is up to the teachers and parents to push for these new and technologically advancing ideas and programs to be funded and to be put into practice in schools.  There is no time like the present, and the longer we wait the greater the gap grows between teachers and learners.  No more finger pointing or excuses by schools, teachers, parents or students is going to fix this problem.  It has far exceeded the time for everyone to look at the bigger picture, being the survival of our society, and lets all figure out how to compromise and make these changes for the good of our nation and the good of our future.       

Watching PBS (and not because I had to)

I was flipping through the HD channels of my wonderful new 50 inch Plasma television (another realm of amazing and ever changing technology), and since there are far fewer HD channels to choose from, I stumbled upon a special on PBS about the Internet.  The special was intriguing because it gave numerous real life examples of the goods, the bads, and the uglies of the Internet on society, families and individuals.  I always have looked at the Internet as a necessary evil, but now as I start to look at the Internet as a teacher, and now I feel I need to learn to try to teach children the goods and bads of the Internet.  I think myself, like many others, see the Internet as a world of vast information, and that is true, but for the younger generation it is a world of no boundaries and a social experiment that is growing and evolving by the second.  I think my biggest concern with the Internet is trying to regulate it in some fashion.  The problem is that what I just said sounds good, but in actuality, it seems impossible.  The technology and knowledge of people and children who have grown up on the net is amazing and at time scary.  I want to use my experiences and knowledge to try and utilize the Internet and its vast opportunities to expand and make learning for children fun and exciting.

     Another issue that arose in my new journey of using or utilizing technology as a teacher, arose after doing the reading by Robert Taylor.  The excerpt from his book talked about the use of the computer,  as a tool, a tutor or a tutee.  I found this even more ambiguous in that all three have a useful aspect, yet it seems impossible to gain and sustain enough knowledge to utilize the computer fro all three areas.  I see the computer as the tutee as the most helpful, yet it forces the teacher to poses the ability to program, which seems way to far out of my league.  So, at this point, early in my journey, I know I need technology, I want more mastery on technology, yet I still feel like technology is to fast and to complicated for me to effectively use on a consistent and appropriate basis.  So, the journey continues……..

Technology- Scary or Cool?

Today was my second day of Graduate school after 8 years away from college and working in the “real world”.  I consider myself a relatively technologically competent person, but after our first class, I am not sure that I am.  I have an MP3 player, Sirius radio, a laptop, a computer, a cell phone and a TV in almost every room in my house.  The problem is, in class we watched a video about technology and how it is growing and it blew my mind.  I can not believe how fast things in this world are changing.  I knew things had changed last summer when my wives niece (8)and nephew(12) came to a family dinner and they came with a portable DVD player, 2 cell phones an ipod and some electronic pet thing.  I asked them why they were not out side playing on such a beautiful day and they both looked at me like I was an idiot and said that it was boring outside.  I was very upset by this comment because when I was a kid we would spend countless hours outside with no technological gadgets to entertain us.  Now that I look back on this day I see that I am acting just like my parents and their parents before them by ostracizing the younger generation where I, especially as a new educator, need to try to embrace and utilize the new technologies to help make learning interesting for the next generation.  I guess the old saying is true, “if you cant beat them, join them”.  I guess its time for me to catch up with the times, lets just hope I’m ready!!!!