Thing #5

When I read the blog posts from the list, I was struck by two specifically. The first was Web 2.0 is the Future of Education. This post gave me some food for thought. We truly are in the midst of a "tidal wave of information." There is so much out there for us find. It is overwhelming for me at times. As a future teacher, I am a bit concerned if the traditional teaching model will even be needed in the next 10 years. I truly believe that teachers will always be needed but our roles are changing. We will be more of a facilitator rather than a lecturer. This is the transition from traditional schools to School 2.0. We will move forward into this age of quickly accessible knowledge and teachers will be needed to guide their students through this process. We can help them navigate and decipher what information is important and what is not. I believe that the schools of the future will be much more fluid that the schools of today. There will be more collaboration between educators and more opportunities for students with different learning styles to truly blossom. It won't be students simply regurgitating facts from a book. Schools in the future will have the student exploring different ways to solve problems by using the limitless information that they find online and teachers will facilitate this kind of learning. 

My vision for the schools was partly shaped by another blog post that we were asked to read. In the blog post, When memorization gets in the way of learning, the blogger revealed how much he hated memorization. Students get so focused on memorizing equations and facts that they never really understand why it is important to know the stuff in the first place. How is the information relevant to their life?  That is way more important than memorizing some equation or theory. Hopefully, more teachers will begin to think this way in the schools of the future.  

Thing #4

Commenting on blogs can open up a path to great communication and collaboration. When someone takes the time to comment on one of my posts, I should treat that effort with respect. I should respond as soon as I can with a thoughtful response. In addition, I look at commenting as a great way to network with fellow professionals and pull from their knowledge base. As a new teacher, I know I have so much to learn from teachers who have been working in this field. I can also provide an outsiders look into a situation that they maybe going through. Another way that commenting helps create a sense of community is when you comment on your blog, you should hyperlink your own blog. I would be curious to find out a little more about the person who comments on my blog. 

By reading through the linked posts, I was struck about the importance of responding with respect and in a timely matter. I never want to have someone believe that there comment is unimportant. I also want to make sure that my responses are vague and meaningless. A person who comments on my blog has put themselves out there and I want to ensure that their comments are treated with respect. 

I have chosen the following seven blogs to follow and comment on:

#1  Susan Peterson (aka Sunny) from the Fort Campbell class. I have been in several classes with Sunny and I enjoy her sense of humor and wisdom. 

#2  Catherine Ericson Catherine was the first person to respond to my blog and she is also in my EDUC 5540 class. I look forward to getting to know her more both in class as well as through her blog.

#3 Nicole Petrik I have also been in classes with Nicole here at APSU. She is an early childhood education major in the MAT program and I am excited to see what kind of wonderful blog entries she will post. 

#4 Stephanie Freeman  I have read most Stephanie's blog and am thoroughly enjoying her unique take on education and life in general. 

#5 Jim Akins  I thought it would be interesting to have a male perspective in this blogging adventure.

#6 Live Teach Alaska I have a dream to one day teach in Alaska in the bush. I am just amazed at the natural beauty of the state and the unique needs of the students there. 

#7 Cool Cat Teacher Blog I read a post from this blog for this task and immediately was hooked. I look forward to learning more from her. 

For the first comments, I simply introduced myself and told each blogger why I was commenting on their blog. 

Thing #2

I do follow a few blogs online. Mostly, they are mom and house related. I enjoy reading about another person's experiences and how they see the world. That is fascinating. However, I know that there is so much out there that I have not even begun to discover. Years ago, I created a Yahoo 360 blog to keep my family members updated with our travels overseas. I would post pictures and stories for them. Yahoo 360 went away for some reason and I ended up joining Facebook in order to stay connected.

I have used my real name for my blog. I am who I am. I make no apologies for that. I kept things simple when naming my blog. I just went with Tonya's Blog. Short, sweet and simple. Just like me.

I found it super easy to create this blog. Again, I was starting to feel overwhelm when the professor mentioned it during our first class. I followed the steps and found it very user friendly.

I picked an avatar that looks a great deal like me. She is casually dressed with a refreshment in hand ready to tackle the blog world. I did not want to go crazy because that just isn't me but I will admit that I played with the program for  while with my daughter and it was fun.

Thing #1

When reviewing the lifelong learning presentation, I was struck at how quickly I could identify my strengths and weaknesses. I have always looked at learning by beginning with the end goal in mind (aka Backwards Design). I know that I have a test and I want to score well. I have used my notes to create an outline of what will most likely be on the test and reviewed the important information so I could perform well on the exam. I generally do really when I approach learning this way. I am a good student and I do have a love for learning that has stayed with me though all these years.

However, I struggle with technology. I am always worried that it will let me down. I am also worried that I will never understand how to use technology accurately. I get frustrated trying to upload a song from I-tunes so in my mind, I am just not meant to use technology. It overwhelms me and I get so frustrated when others take it for granted that I should understand it. I sometimes look at the tech gadgets and wish I could understand them more and find some joy in them.

Even as frustrated as I get, I do realize how important it is for me to understand and use technology in my classroom. I plan on teaching in a SPED classroom and there is so much assistive technology that is out there that could help my students. I need to get over my fear and open myself up to technology and all of the amazing things it could do for me and my students.