Focus The Nation

So after reading all baout Focus the Nation, I decided to read more about global warming and what I can do, my small part, to help the environment. I researched it on the internet and found about a million articles on global warming so I went to wikipedia. I really did not know a lot about the environment and how we truely are destroying our world. I learned what global warming acutally means, the causes, greenhouse gases, solar variation, temperature changes, climate models, and debate about global warming. This really opened my eyes to how precious our world is and how easily it can be destroyed. I learned that.....

• "Global warming is an intensification of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect which refers to the natural system that keeps Earth warm enough to sustain life."
• "If fossil fuel use increases or decreases, atmospheric carbon dioxide will also increase or decrease proportionately."
• "The melting of glaciers around the world have been contributing to sea level rise around the globe, which means damage to the United States' booming coastal counties that are now home to more than half of the U.S. population."

In my classroom I would love to have students write a blog about global warming. Then I would assign a project where they needed to go into the community and help with an organization or on their own to do something to improve the environment. They would then make a blog entry everyday for two weeks about how they have improved the environment. Then they would write a final blog about how they felt before the project and after. Then I could use their experiences in the community and relate it to the story or material we are studying at the time. For the final grade they could write a paper how the entire experience affected their view on global warming. This activity would not only make the students use their english skills to write a blog and a paper, but it does include technology into the classroom. It also helps the community and environment, making not only the students but the people around them aware of how we treat out community.

I could then challenge them to continue doing things to help our environment along with me. Such as.....

• Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer
• Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
• Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases
• Recycle at home
• Cover your pots while cooking
• Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full
• Take a shower instead of a bath and use less hot water

Doing all of these activities produces a chain reaction, informing others and promoting the right actions to take to help keep our environment a clean place.

Web 2.0 Educator

I decided to read about Cool Cat Teacher Vicki Davis. After reading a few of her postings, it is clear to see that she loves to use technology within the classroom. She is a teacher in Camilla Georgia who has been involved with many projects that have won awards and are technology based. Her specialty is using wikis and blogs. She loves to incorporate these two things with her lessons whenever she can. She seems like a honest person who truly wants the best for her students including understanding the technological world around them.

Vicki Davis seems to be a very intelligent teacher especially when it comes to technology. She creates projects for her students to get them experienced with things that they may use later in the future. She has kept priorities to herself, the highest of which is her students. She allows time to accomplish not just the goals of her student but her own goals as well. She wants to connect with the students and other teachers, to make a positive environment and atmospere for all. She also wants to keep the curriculum and material interesting and fun. Davis tries hard to inspire and to keep herslef motivated. Without her being motivated she can not motivate her kids and her fellow staff. She also realizes that without reflecting upon her work and her students' work she can not properly keep teaching. Assessing is one of the most important tools as well as reflection.
One of the major reasons Davis is so intelligent with technolgy is becuase she is constantly using and looking for new tools. She encorporates them into her classroom and gives the students' the opportunity to take their education into their own hands. She would like to eventually see technology in classrooms everywhere. She hopes as many teachers probably do too, of one day creating a classroom of students who are technologically smart as well as book and street smart.


I definatly agree with Viki Davis' approach to teaching. I like to use technology in the classroom. I think it allows the students to take a different look at what they are doing and re-evaluate it. However i do believe that sometimes technolgy can take over the classroom. the ultimate goal is to incorporate technology into the classroom not make the entire classroom technology. Maybe one day we can be emersed into a classroom environment where all students recgonize the word "wiki" and "blog".

Type I and Type II Technology

Type I and type II Technology seem to be colliding with more and more classrooms. However, knowing how to recognize the two types and use them properly is still a work in progess. Type I uses computers or similar technologies to help foster the "old school" approaches to teaching. The user is usually inactive and the computers tend to do most of the work. Type II uses computers as a tool to find new and better ways to teach the students. The computer is very important but here the learner is recognized as being the controller. Skills and independent thinking are emphasized more. The difference between these two is how important a role the computer or technology plays. They differ in how active, mentally, the student is involved within the task.


In my high school I would definatly say that Type I was common. In so many of my classrooms the teachers would get bored and then take us down to the computer lab when they had nothing better to do. So when we would get there the teachers would try to have us research some random topic and it did absolutly nothing for our learning.

Another experience with this problem is the reliance on powerpoint programs. Instead of actually teaching a lesson, I had a teacher that only used power point. There was no interaction with the class she put the powerpoint up and read off of it for the entire time. The sad part was that if you went online, you could print out that powerpoint, making it almost redundent to go to class.

Many teachers rely on the simple art of movies to fill up class time. This, along with out dated random worksheets make the class almost unbearable. I had a computer class one year, which you would think would make it more of a Type II since there are so many possibilities. However instead of teaching class and using programs and worksheets that helped us, we recieved worksheets several years old. I was given this sheet and told to just go, no instruction no fun, no variety, just simple, plain, old directions, many of which were so hard to follow. This whole experience made me not like the class. It was not until the end of the class where we go to do a project on anything with anything, (besides a few guidelines) that I liked the class.




On the opposite end of the spectrum we have Type II. This although not as common was still seen in my classrooms. The best project ever done with the technology was an art class we had at school. The art project was making a webpage for the school, the background and such and putting new pictures and art work on the site. But they learned how to make a page, use different settings and tools, and how to work together in a group. It was so much fun and it helped the teacher and students do something new and creative.

Another experience I had with this technology was with my AP english class. Not everyone did the same thing because of the porject but those who chose this option loved it. So we had to research two professions other than the one we wanted to persue in college and then turn it into a project. With this we had to interview people, make a presentation, and a paper. I chose pyschology as one of my professions. Not only did I interview a teacher but then I turned it into a movie using a new program on the computer. My teacher challenged us to do something that we have never done before and possibly use the computer. It pushed me to be creative and use the computer in a whole new way, which I then got to share with the whole class.
One of the last and most obvious examples of this Type II is this blog right here. I have never used a blog before nor have I ever used the computer like this in the classroom. Given a little guidence then forced to work on my own to use this technology is interesting and new experience. I have to make a blog, learn how to use it, then go to another site and follow directions. This allows me to multitask as well as create something new and fun.

My MEL Experiences

• Student/Teacher Relationship: Almost everyone of my teachers has made a lasting impact on my learning and succeeding. I usually feel connected to my teachers which allows me to talk to them, and to feel comfortable inside and outside the classroom setting. I like being able to be close to my teachers so they can know me personally and what I am like. Having a connection with my teacher helps me to feel confident in learning the material as well as the class itself.
• Helping Students Succeed: In order for a teacher to help me best succeed, I need to feel as if I am being pushed. I need a challenge and I need to work hard for the A. My AP English teacher was rough, an assignment due everyday, projects, and classwork galore. I felt that I worked harder in that class then three of my other classes put together. But my final grade in the class was a B+. I felt like I deserved that grade and I had worked so hard for it. It made me feel like anything that I put my mind to, I can accomplish. I loved being challenged and pushed.
• Hands On: I am a very verbal and social person. Therefore whenever I was asked to do group work or hands on activities, I was in my element. I felt that I could be part of a group and be more relaxed and let someone take the lead. But I also felt that I could step up to take charge if I needed too. I love doing funny activities where I know I will be out of my comfort zone. If a teacher can make me do something where I have butterflies in my stomach, then I know I will thank him/her for it later when I have a new found confidence in my abilities.
• Learning Styles: My learning style tends to change depending on my mood. Some days it is extremely frustrating to be a part of a class that has to deal with students who learn slower than me. When the teacher is taking time for them I feel as if my needs and wants as a learner are not being met because I am slowed down. It's awesome that the teacher can help everyone but sometimes I feel that if those students instead of being catered to, were pushed a little harder they might find something inside themselves they never knew they had. They just may develop better learning skills and increase their abilities. The idea of using all the multiple intelligences is interesting to me. I find it to work for all people, letting each learner experience the classroom in so many new and fun ways. I hope that future classes utilize the learning methods that can help all students at once, not just one specific group. I guess that is where the problem lies in how to help all students (who have so many different needs) at once.
• Interest: I always enjoy a class where the teacher can encorporate my interests into the lessons. I think it makes the environment of the whole classroom seem more amicable and fun. But I also think that interests are not the only things that should be considered. I love classes where the teacher can encorporate life experiences, the news, media, and the surrounding culture into the classroom. Everyday is a chance for the teacher to tie in a new interest with the lesson. So why not take advantage of that and try several of them? There is no harm in trying, only in not trying at all.
• Autonomy: Any class where the students can feel like they are in charge or they have power is fine by me! I feel that it is sometimes the job of the teacher to let the students think they are in control of everything even when they are not. The teacher should always have control of the classroom. However allowing the students to take control of their education and their learning can help them to learn better and maybe even increase their chances of understanding all the material. I like choices, even if it is the smallest thing such as what color to use on the white board. It makes me feel as if every decision and word I make is important to my teacher.
• Avoid Rewards: I actually feel wierd about this because I like and I hate rewards in the classroom. If I have done something really well or recieved a really good grade on a test I would love to have a reward. If the class has met some goal or done really well with a task, why not have a reward? But I also feel that if the teacher is dependent on these rewards then the students lose focus of the ultimate goal and aim for just the reward. I believe in rewards in the classroom but I believe they should start small and end small. Recieving a sticker on my test when I get a grade above an 85 makes me feel proud. But these rewards should not be done in front of everyone, they are for one on one, such as handing back papers and saying, "keep them to yourself". If one person is rewarded and others are not, it can cause some to feel inferior and stupid. I believe that rewards, small ones, should be put into the class only when the atmosphere in the class and the relationship between the teacher and students is a strong one.
• Connections: One of my favorite experiences within the classroom is when the material in one class relates to another class I am taking or have taken before. It makes me excited and I feel as if, wow, I really have learned something. It enhances my interest in the class and makes the material seem as if, I know I can do this class.
• Context

Learning Style Inventory Results

I found this test interesting because when I finally saw he results I realized, wow, they are extremely acurate! I am an extremely social person as well as verbal. Any person who knows me could attest to the truth behind these results. So it was fun to take this test! I think that the physical and the aural aspects are correct as well because I see myself as utilizing both of these skills. All in all, this exercise showed me that I am a good learner, especially with others but I could always be looking for a way to improve my skills.

Chapter 2: Respect, Liking, Trust, and Fairness

There are many things that are important for the overall atmosphere of the classroom and I believe one of these is respect. I feel that in order to have a well balanced classroom and a fully functioning classroom, students and teachers must be able to respect each other. However I feel that there defiantly needs to be a “difference between respect and liking” (17). Students must know that individually, the teacher needs to meet their needs. However, they need to consider the fact that there are 20 other students who have needs as well. Students should give teachers a little leeway with what they are doing. I do believe that students ultimately want to have good teacher rather that having a fun teacher. However it is not always easy to feel comfortable in class when you are being judged by your peers. In the long run I believe that the students want to put their work in front of their popularity. I also agree that “kids want teachers to put good teaching ahead of popularity” (19).

I really understand from a student perspective as well as a future teacher that having respect in the classroom is important. But I think an obstacle arises when students are expecting more of a friend then a teacher. I would love to have a classroom of 20 new friends, however I am there to teach, help and guide. Along the way if a friendship should develop then that is one positive aspect of teaching. But to be professional and to be a great teacher I believe there needs to be a distinction between a friend and teacher. These teachers are there to be a teacher first and a friend second.

Chapter 1: Knowing Students Well

One particular idea that I found really interesting is that the students could shape and mold their own education by a few simple changes made by the teacher. This made me feel that it was not only the teacher’s fault for not listening better but the students as well for not communicating better. I think the most important concept in chapter one is that students just wanted to be treated as equals and as a friend. They need someone to talk to and to understand them as well as critique them. However one particular quote that made me mad was on page 5 which is a comment made by a student, “Teachers are for teaching.” This statement makes me feel as if, from a future teacher perspective, students do not understand all the important roles a teacher must play besides simply a teacher of the material. Improvement on both ends, student and teacher, is needed if any change is at all reachable.

One particular section caught my attention because of one of my strong beliefs. On page 13 the author discusses the idea that “if teachers know more about what their students care about, it’s easier to motivate them, by connecting academic work to their existing interests.” I firmly believe that teachers should be connecting the material inside of class to material outside of class. A great teacher prepares a student not just for another year of the academic world but of the real world as well. Integrating a student’s interests is not only going to help them become more interested but it will help them learn more.