A Teacher's Eyeopener!

I have to admit that in the beginning I thought that the job of a teacher was as easy as cutting a piece of cake. In the perfect society that lives inside my head the students were well behaved, easy to teach, and that the lessons just sprung up from out of the ground. I was very wrong! After observing in the Guam Public schools I was faced with the harsh reality that I would have to make lesson plans myself, and because I am majoring in special education I would have to mold them to accommodate the needs of my students.  This multimedia lesson plan assignment was a real eye opener for me. It showed me a glimpse of what I would be going through as a teacher, and I now understand/see how much thought goes in to creating a lesson plan.

The NET Standard that I feel applied to this assignment the most was NET Standard number two which was to Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, and to be more specific article A which according to the International Society for Technology in Education (2008) states that a teacher should “design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.” I really feel that in this digital age it is important to teach all students with at least 1 form of digital device. In my lesson plan I chose to show 2 YouTube videos, and for my students to play 1 online game. We cannot deny that the world is changing each and every single day, so we as teachers must adapt. By incorporating digital devices into our lesson plans we are teaching our students how to be more rounded learners, how to use different devices, that there are different ways of teaching/learning, and we are also promoting group discussion, cooperation, and independence.

Mrs. Lolita Siguenza once told me that “as a teacher it is our job to assess our students, and make sure they are receiving the best possible services that can be provided.”(L. Siguenza, personal communication, September 2011). This is especially true for students who are receiving special education services. There is so much that goes into creating a lesson plan for them, but they are still people that deserve proper help. I have heard stories of students that have just been left in the back of the class to rot, and this really breaks my heart. I believe that every child has the right to a free and appropriate education, and this is one of the reasons why I chose to get into special education. By using digital devices in lesson plans we are opening a whole new door for children with special needs. Of course there will have to be revisions to all plans when dealing with students who have special needs, but it is really hard to determine what those revisions are without knowing the exact disabilities that the students have.  The special education teacher is trained to look through a child’s (IEP) Individualized Education Plan, and make decisions based on the assessments of the child’s doctors, physical/speech/occupational and leisure education therapists, and by his/her personal assessments.

           

All in all I feel that I learned a great deal by being assigned to make my very own multimedia lesson plan. I am not going to lie and say that I enjoyed it because I didn’t entirely. It was very hard work, and it did stress me out a lot. Aside from that, I feel like it was a crucial component to this ED-271 course. By being tasked to make our own lesson plans we were challenged! It was something that I had never done before, and was a complete eye opener for me. I had to think about what students the plan would be made for, their ages/ethnicity, what I wanted to say, and what I wanted to show. I now feel that I am a more informed teacher candidate, and I feel confident that with the proper training I could one day become a good teacher. I will most definitely include some forms of digital technology into my students’ lesson plans.

References:

International Society for Technology in Education. ( 2008). NETS FOR TEACHERS 2008.

ITSE(International Society for Technology in Education. [Retrieved] December 1, 2011, from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx

L. Siguenza, personal communication, September 2011.

The Tools That I Have Discovered This Semester

Hello Readers,

This is the link to my technology assessment. I hope you like it! I decided to attempt to make a video on windows Movie Maker. Mind you, it was my 1st time making a movie (with this tool) on my own so it is a little bit simple, but I tried.

- Inez

http://vimeo.com/32727070

P.S.
In celebration of Thanksgiving! My cutie cousins dancing in the rail : )

How to Stay Safe in a Digital World

It is true that the world is changing in every way, and at every moment. The trees grow dead, and cry red tears of sadness. Buildings are made then destroyed, people are dying, and countries are falling. It is true that the world is changing in every way. So what of the digital world one may ask? Well, that too is changing. Every day our digital world and its’ devices are growing more complex. What was once believed to have been a safe way to communicate/study is now an ever increasing danger for our children.  It is important to remember that even if we have not grown up during a time when this world was invented; we must be aware of the internets’ digital safety & privacy in order to keep our younger generations safe. 

In this day and age it is very difficult to keep the use of digital devices out of schools. With advances in cell phone/computer/other hand held devices children now have access to the digital world from anywhere at any time. As good teachers or parents it is very important to be aware of the dangers there are when referring to the internet/digital world. The dangers range from: stalking, bullying, identity theft, and even death. According to the International Society for Technology in Education it is the teachers’ job to promote/model digital responsibility and citizenship. This includes educating students about the legalities of being on the internet, ethical use of the internet, and also the dangers that are associated with the internet.

I myself have grown up during the movement of a new digital age. I have seen people get hurt, and whose lives have been ruined due to this new world. “Teachers and schools can actively block websites on desktops, laptops, and iPads but when it comes to a student’s personal phone… that’s a tricky area (“The Teacher’s Guide to Keeping Students Safe Online”). Teachers can only do so much! It is up to the parents to monitor their children’s activity. There are so many dangers out there the biggest being predators. Predators are people who lurk on innocent people with the intent of doing harm. My so called uncle (by marriage) is a prime example. He was one of the men that were caught on the TV documentary “To Catch a Predator”. He not only caused dishonor to our family, he caused dishonor to his wife and self. I am very thankful that he did not harm an innocent child (although he could have). I am also thankful that he went to prison, and is now a registered sex offender.


For this presentation I was a member of group Delta. We really only stressed what we felt were the most important topics dealing with digital safety & privacy. We chose to do a series of skits because we believed that it is through visuals and comedy that students learn the most. We covered the topics of: not giving out personal information, the dangers of predators on the internet, and inappropriate material on the internet. We also tried to present them in a way that even a younger child would understand. The video was made so that teachers could one day use it as a reference, or short discussion in their own classes. All in all, I feel that we did a very good presentation covering the important aspects of digital safety and privacy.

References:

Edudemic. “The Teacher’s Guide To Keeping Students Safe Online.” Edudemic, 2011. Edudemic: Connecting Education & Technology. 11/6/2011. <http://edudemic.com/2011/10/student-online-safety-guide/>

  

      International Society for Technology in Education. ( 2008). NETS FOR TEACHERS 2008.

ITSE(International Society for Technology in Education. [Retrieved] October 9, 2011, from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx