Best and Worst

The best and worst of this class is the same thing.  The technology is the best and the worst.  Every class I would see something else that was really interesting or informative.  However the thought of figuring out how to use it was intimidating many times.  Computers are not the area I am most comfortable.  For the most part the computer has been a typewriter, and a mailbox for me.  This class has shown me that there are many better uses for the computer and the internet.  While the amount of options available to me now is limitless, I at least know where to start looking.  I have really enjoyed this class and I am really going to focus on trying to become better able to use the technology that is available to me.

Presentation Tools

I found many of the presentation tools helpful.  With my experience I would not say I am that knowledgeable of any presentation tools.  I have used Power Point only a handful of times and that has only been recently.  I have not had a reason to present very often so I do not have the experience.  I really enjoyed the options that Prezi, and slide rocket.  I used sliderocket to make my presentation and really found it helpful in making a professional looking presentation.  In teaching I think that the more ways you can find to grab your students in a way they are not used to the better chance you have to reach them.  Students are becoming more involved in using technology in their daily lives.  We as teachers need to find ways to integrate this into our classrooms to reach our students where they live.

My PLN

I joined a PLN that deals with teaching students with special needs.  I think that this will be helpful to me as I begin my career cause it will just give me an additional resource for seeking assistance.  I can use the people who are connected to sound off ideas and get a larger group response then just using the teachers that may be in my building.  Having access to the whole world gives us more likelihood that we would have access to someone that has already had a problem very close to the one that we are dealing with.  I look forward to being able to use this as a resource as I continue my education, and as I get into the classroom full time.

Legal Concerns of a Teacher to be

I do not have a ton of concerns about legal issues arising as a teacher.  I have been in coaching for 10 years and I am very familiar with what situations to get into and not get into with students.  I understand the many of the difficulties that teachers face being married to one.  I do expect it to get more difficult for teachers to a point.  I see it much like a pendulum, that is swinging at teachers right now, but will eventually stop and start heading back in the other direction.  As it heads back in that direction the restrictions and requirements are going start to focus more on the students responsibilities.

Blogging

I am new to the idea of blogging.  This class is the first time I have ever spent anytime what so ever with a blog.  I have enjoyed the experience.  I am in the process of adding a blog to my job outside of teaching.  I think that it is a great way to share and ask for advice from a group of people much larger then what you would consider friends.  I know that having a blog would be very valuable to me as a way of getting information about my other job out to a whole group of people who are interested in what we have going on, but do not have direct contact with me.  The blog is a way to share that information quickly and effectively.  There are obviously drawbacks in that you do not want to put too much information out at one time, and you have to be diligent in controlling the information that you post and that others post in return.  However I think that the good far out weighs the bad for me.

21st Century Teacher.

Right now, today I am not a 21st century teacher.  I am not a teacher at all, so being a 21st century teacher would be very difficult.  I would like to be a 21st century teacher when I complete this program and get into the classroom.  I think that the things we have talked about in this class would be excellent ways to keep students engaged, and engage students in new and exciting ways.  Technology has always scared me some.  I have not spent a lot of time with technology in the past, but this class has opened my eyes to just how much technology can be used, and how easy it is with just a small amount of practice.  I am going to use the information in this class to become more tech savvy, and to find more ways to use the information here in my life.

Seeing Me on Camera

I do not think that anyone likes how they look on film the first time they see it.  It is an opportunity for us to be really self-conscious and look at all the things that are wrong about how we are doing things.  My voice always sounds deeper on camera then it does when I hear it in my head.  Your mannerism always seem so exaggerated when you are on camera.  I think that I was able to communicate my thought in a clear and concise way, and I know that the more times you are on camera the more comfortable you feel.  I have seen myself on camera enough to not be too uncomfortable, but teaching on camera was a new experience for me.  I have had to be on camera twice since doing this lesson opening and I think I looked a bit better each time.