Friday, January 25, 2013

Blog Post 2

Did you know?
The video poses the question, "what is your role in preparing your students to use technology that does not exist yet?". Technology has and will continue to be a part of the world, especially in education. Teachers now have a great privilege to use technology as a major tool in the class room, and if used properly can benefit majorly from it.

As a educator in today's society teaching a child to use technology is an important part of their learning process. We are not only teaching them the typical subjects, but we are also preparing them to succeed as an adult. The society today is dependent on technology in almost ever aspect of the work force. It is almost impossible to get a job with knowing at least the basics to working a computer. Keeping not only yourself, but also your students up to date on the world of technology is important to the aspect of their learning. Companies like Apple are always trying to better themselves and continue to come out with newer products like clock work. It is highly important that we also teach our students to accept change with in technology and prepare them to learn how to use the next big thing!

Mr.Winkle Wakes
In the video "Mr. Winkle Wakes" it jokingly talks about how the school system never changes to better itself and keep up with the world. Mr. Winkle wakes after a 100 year slumber to find that he does not recognize the world around him. The only thing he actually does recognize is a classroom where the students are just taking notes with a pen and paper.

The video makes the same main point as the "Did you know?" video. In order to prepare students for their future, they need to be able to keep up with the outside world. America is known for being behind other countries when it comes to our education. This is mainly due to the refusal to incorporate more technology in our classrooms. Our society as a whole could truly benefit from adding different forms of teaching using technology. Are students would be more prepared for their future jobs if we did this as well.

Sir Ken Robinson
Sir Ken Robinson said "If you are not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.". In this video Sir Ken Robinson talks about creativity and how important it is to keep it in schools. Teacher's are made to enforce the norms in life. It is normal to want your child to pursue a career in the medical field, but most would not encourage their child to pursue a career in music or art. Fitting in with the norms of society is not always best.

In Sir Ken Robinson's speech, he makes a major point on how schools have taken creativity out of schools. Schools have put more focus on subjects such as Math and Literature. Sir Robinson stresses the fact that creativity is as important as all the other subjects. He is absolutely correct! Teaching students to express their inner emotions will help them go farther in life. This is something I will truly take with me as a teacher. I want my students to be able to use their creativity and show me all the wonderful things they can come up with.

Pinterest
Pinterest is an amazing website that helps people share their ideas about crafts and so much more. Using it in the classroom can be extremely useful. Following education boards can help teachers come up with new lesson plans and creative projects. Pinterest is a very organized way to keep up with all the ideas you fall in love with. A idea I've had pinned is a "turn in" system. It is a super system to see who has turned in homework. Students flip their clothespin to the smiley face side when they turn things in. Pinterest is an amazing resource that I will defiantly be using in my future classroom.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Blog Post 1

About Me
My name is Gwendolyn Mullinax and I am majoring in Early Education. Teaching is my passion and I can not wait to be in the field! I transferred to USA from Faulkner State Community College this Spring. I have always planned to go to USA, but I wanted to save some money, and with Faulkner being closer, I decided to go there first. I hope to one day teach Kindergarten at Robertsdale Elementary, my home town. About a year ago I moved to Magnoila Springs, Al. Other than those to places, I have never lived anywhere else. I am truly a small town girl. I work full time as an Ast. Manager at Eddie Bauer.

I am getting married on October 5, 2013 to my high school sweet heart Jeremy Merchant. We share a beautiful white boxer, with one blue eye and one brown eye named Zeus. Zeus is our only pet so he is a bit spoiled. Family is a big part of my life. Jeremy and I spend almost every Sunday with one of our families. That is something I truly value. Knowing we can all take a day out of our busy schedules to at least have dinner together is one of the best feelings in the world. Between class, work, and my home life I do not have much time for anything else.

My Future Classroom
When I think of a Kindergarten classroom, I think of laughter. A place where children come to learn and also have fun. At such a young age, children are still forming their opinion about school and they do not truly realize they are learning. The experience of school is important to how they view learning for the rest of their lives. Being in a classroom for the first time also effects their social skills and it is important that they enjoy this.

I plan on teaching in a very interactive way. Getting students involved in a hands on projects help to peck their interest. Getting students involved in hands on projects with each other also pulls in their social skills. It helps them learn teamwork, sharing, responsibility and many more traits that will be important to their education. I also know that not every student learns the same. As a teacher, I plan on being able to read my young students and create lesson plans that help fit their needs.

With new technology, students have a chance to experience learning in a whole new way. Smart boards and Apple products give students a way to learn that they actually enjoy. Instead of the boring paper and pencil students will iPad's and other technologies that will not only teach them the importance of technology, but it will give them a new way to fall in love with school. Apple products have many different applications that give teachers a different option of teaching as well. Like, many different learning games that students can play at school and at home.

My future classroom will be filled with color. There is nothing worse than walking in and seeing a boring room filled with nothing. I want my classroom to be fun and children to be excited everyday when they walk in. My teaching style will be filled with surprises that benefit each child's learning. I want to walk into work everyday and see a room filled with children's art work and toys. Nothing more would make my heart warmer.

Time Management
Randy Pausch talks about the importance of time management. I have always had a natural ability to manage my time wisely and many of the things he speaks of are already in my life. He talks about having a plan for each day, week, and semester. Having a goal and setting a plan to get there is very important in everyday life. I always tell my staff if you do not know where you are going, how do you expect to get there. I use a little black planner that I carry everywhere and I even have a backup schedule on my phone. Check list are also helpful to keep people on track. I use them when I have a overwhelming week of school and at work so the staff and I are on the same page and we know what has been done and what needs to be done. Check lists are also nice because I feel accomplished when I am done. Following the steps in Randy's video can truly make a difference in you life.