Final Blog

As I sit in my living room and think about the last few weeks assignments, all the information that we have taken in, and the thought of this semester coming to an end I become a little overwhelmed inside. My first thoughts are that if this semester is coming to an end so is my summer break from teaching. My sweet time home with the kids, traveling, sleeping late, junk food eating because I consider this MY three month vacation, and catching up on family time. This includes visiting those in laws/family members who I give my usually excuse throughout school year. For me this excuse usually starts off, “if I didn’t have so much work to grade I would stop by maybe next week.” My next thought that goes through my head is that school will be starting back in the next two weeks. I am excited for some reason or another to get back to work. I very seldom return after summer break ready to work. For those wondering no I am not sick or anything just bored. But hey, in eight weeks or so I will be saying when is Thanksgiving break and how many days until Christmas. One thing for sure I have obtained a lot of knowledge over these past few weeks. Some of which my not be useful to my age group but I am considering tweaking it just a bit so it would be a little more appropriate.


Thirteen weeks have gone by and I think about all the information I have taken in and what I have found to be the most useful, what I liked the most, and what I found to be not so good. Then I think will I be able to teach a class and live up to the expectations that have been stored upon me by other students or good I even be as half as good as my instructor over time. I think the answer is still forthcoming. I want to say yes because I am one of those people who may be considered arrogant. But then again I know my limits and have to so no (for now). So I ask myself what do I know now and what do I need to learn. This is what limits me from saying yes I can. I know as an educator I must have respectable knowledge of applications of the learning theory and instructional strategies needed for online learning. I also know that my teaching should include the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education.

1. Encourages contact between students and faculty
2. Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students.
3. Encourages active learning.
4. Gives prompt feedback.
5. Emphasizes time on task.
6. Communicates high expectations.
7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

I am confident that I can teach online and still adhere to the seven principles just as if I was teaching face to face. Of the seven principles I think number #7 respect diverse talent and ways of learning is often left unaddressed unless the class included some type of group project where different minds were able to come together. This is one that I would pay close attention to and try to include throughout the semester. I must always learning experiences, and learning styles to the classroom.

The biggest adjustment for me would be moving from face to face to online learning. This requires a teacher to adapt his or her teaching style to a more learner-centered approach. Coming from teaching younger children for seven years I am very familiar with this approach. It can be the most difficult because everything is outlined around the student, such as, the lesson plans, teaching, and testing. With this in mind I must pay close attention to what topics are covered weekly because this could reflect my student’s participation. One of the benefits of student centered because then the student is responsible for what is learned. Most students thrive off of the thought of having more say so in their education and the classroom which in terms increases participation, curiosity, and grades. The biggest benefit of this approach is that it is designed for any student despite their learning style.

What was the biggest and most memorable subject that I had in the course? Umm, this is a hard one but I’ll have to say that is was wiki. Wiki is a website that allows individuals to edit information. It served as a wonderful online tool for communication within a group. Wiki is setup by one individual but can be edited by anyone with the password. Wiki would be very useful and helpful at the upper education level for students who are assigned to a group project in any subject. Wiki is definitely something that I am going to use in my future with older students. However, I am in the process of trying to create a wiki to use for communication between me and my parents now. I want to be able to link it to the school website or my classroom website for announcements, questions, etc. We currently use the email to communicate but I find this to be much better and just a little more personal. Not personal in regards to who is seeing it but the site would be designed so that it is a continuation of my classroom.

All in all like most students I am definitely ready for the semester to come to an end. Unlike most students in college I will walk away with fifteen weeks of wonderful knowledge. What I have gained in the last few weeks I don’t have to wait until after graduation to use and can always build upon to make better.

What I Take With Me

After completing this course I know believe in using a wide range of teaching approaches. I still believe in a well designed environment is the main key in learning but after this course I now believe in support learning. I have gotten away from my previous belief that the best way for students to learn was for the teachers to support them directly and have them practice what they learned. I am more in favor of student initiated learning and direct learning. But I have come to realize that there is still room for many teaching approaches that use elements from each. Because every student has unique learning style and needs I am now capable of using the full range to guide their learning. Upon completion of all of this it is important for the teacher to remember that in order for various skills and concepts to be learned different teaching approaches are required.

I have learned that when you want a student to explore and construct an understanding on their own, student initiated learning is proven to be the most effective. This can be even more useful when students participate in collaborative group projects. When completing an assignment of this nature the instructor chooses the project and sets the basic needed but the students get to choose the information and the action. By doing this student alone or together interact with materials/resources freely and in many different ways. In a group each learner develops different concepts through reading, research, engagement, and conversation. After this is complete it is up to the teacher to decide how to scaffold the student’s learning by building on explorations to further learning at the moment or at a later time. Though student initiated learning is a good thing and can prove very educational substantial teacher involvement is still required. So what role does the teacher play in online teaching if there is going to be student initiated learning? While student’s can learn alone or through interaction not all experiences lead to meaningful learning some things just require distinct teaching.

Both student initiated and teacher initiated learning each involve different types of teacher interaction. It is well known that teaching on campus requires a great deal of teacher involvement and online teaching is not different. Actually, online teaching requires just a little more. As the teacher you must be available at certain times, aware of everything (within in your control) that goes on online, non bias, very flexible, computer literate and a whole lot more. Teachers must also be able to support student’s learning using a wide range of approaches. Teachers must interact with students throughout the day to a certain degree. We must determine when a reply is needed, when to observe, encourage, or intervene. Nevertheless, everyday will not be the same. On certain days all you have to do is model a skill or behavior and just guide their students learning. In situations like this open ended questions are very useful because it generates critical thinking. Just remember the teacher is the one who provides the platform to extend students learning. To do this you must be available when teaching online learning.

Teaching Computers to the Young

The way a teacher supports children’s use of computers will impact if their experiences are successful or frustrating. The teacher’s role is to help children learn to use computers as a tool for learning, problem solving, creativity, and fun. The best way to introduce children to computers is in small groups; under your guidance support you can comment on their actions. Such as, the way they hold a CD, the location of keys needed to operate the program, how the mouse moves items on the screen, how to advance through the program, sounds that indicate when the printer is working, and how to exit the program. To assist children’s learning in computers you have to take time to observe every child. While observing their usage on the computer try to think of how you might enrich their learning experience. Paying close attention to whether he or she uses the computer independently or relies on others for help, stays occupied in the program, asks to use the computer or is required to use it, etc. By doing this you are likely to observe a wide variety of skills which in terms helps you plan each child’s needs.

Because computers can be used to present small bits of information in a outlined sequence and offer repetition, individualized instruction, and immediate feedback, it is ideally suited to children with special needs. Studies of children with developmental delays show that they enjoy and learn from computer experiences. Children with developmental delays respond to computers in the same ways that children without disabilities do. Both groups of children are capable of engaging in computer activities for fifteen minutes or more per session. When educating children with mild developmental delays you shouldn’t have to alter your approach to computers. One of the most important benefits of computers is its ability to respond to children’s individual timetables. Children with developmental delays can get the repetition and reinforcement they need by using the program as any other user would. After the computer usage and basics are explained to the child you may consider pairing a child with developmental delays with a child who is not disabled. The more advanced child, which maybe the developmentally disabled child, will be able to encourage and boost the confidence of the other child. Both children will be enriched by their time on the computer together.

Computers offer may opportunities to integrate learning across all content areas. Computers help to expand children’s vocabulary and language development by introducing them to software that labels vocabulary with pictures, written words, and the spoken language. It teaches children number concepts, helps them to discover patterns and relationships, and promotes the understanding of measurement. It also teaches children science by letting them explore how things work; it introduces children to life science on the computer. There are also programs available that help children learn about the earth and its environment. The computers itself helps to make children aware of the technology by involving them in their everyday classroom life as a natural tool.

As the teacher knowledge grows about computers and the many ways computers can be used effectively in the classroom, children’s learning opportunities will multiply. Computers should be used for children to have while exploring the many exciting things that computers do. If used correctly Computers will help children demonstrate self-direction and independence. Computers aide children’s intellectual development and close the gap between concrete and abstract thinking.

Permission To Speak My Mind

As week 1 and Lesson 5 comes to an end I start to reflect on all that I have learned, all that I have accomplished thus far, and all that is too come. Like most students in the course I have taken the telecourses and maybe one or two online courses so I come in with the pre-assumptions of what this semester has in store for me. Yet, at the same time I am eager to learn more about online teaching for future references and teaching online as it may help me in the elementary through high school years to come. But I still entered the course a little skeptical of what’s to come? The course even started out on a bad note with me being given the wrong advice from the college.

Week 1 focused on the basic functions of Webct for first time users, familiarizing yourself with the course, getting to know each other, and just refreshing yourself with the computer skills that we have not used in a while. Here I was also introduced to “the Blogs”. I have always heard about blogs but never really felt the need to create one. But after we were required to do our first blog I started to get an understanding of what people get out of it. Yet, I never really tried to understand it either. From my research I have come to realize that a blog is a website where entries are written in chronological order and displayed just the opposite. As a verb the meaning means to maintain or add content. I have come to realize that blogs basically gives the writer someone to communicate with in areas, such as, commentary or news on a particular subject such as food, politics, or local news; some function as a personal online diary. I kind of like the idea of being able to communicate with others without having a bias response or someone telling you what they think you want to hear. The readers have the option of answer or just moving on to the next person’s blog without responding. Plus, it gives you that set of ears that you sometimes need when things are a mess. And for this I have grown to like to enjoy blogging. On the negative side I am still a little skeptical about what I write and who may read it. The questions that I constantly battle with is can a reader track you down from your information? Do I really want to share anything with strangers and to what extent? I do know the answers to these questions but I still have my doubts. All in all I enjoyed the assignment after I got it up and running. However, I wasn’t as happy with my grade as I was to finally learn to do a blog but that is another story.

Week 2 examined online learning environment, the importance of incorporating high touch and high tech to achieve effective learning outcomes. This is the assignments where we got to respond on our own feelings on constructivism and high tech high touch. I loved the constructivist approach because I believed children learned from other children and this perspective really helps them to do so. Plus, children learned more so from observation and their environment and this goes hand in hand with the constructivist perspective. This approach fitted this particular class because the teaching and interaction process is completed through the student's active construction. It places the responsibility of learning on myself; I am responsible for what I get out of this class and what I don’t. This is true for any class on campus or online but I get to play an active role in my learning while the instructor facilitates. It also allows me to meet new people, complete group projects, and for me to learn from other students. What more could I ask for?

Week 3 shredded light on the various models of online learning starting from fully-online courses to web-based resources to enhance learning in the traditional face-to-face environment. I really enjoyed this unit because it was able to give me an idea of what model I learn from and made me more aware of the other models that I deemed useless to me. In this unit I had the pleasure of completing a group project. The project started out a little ruff because my group got a late start but after all work was assigned we were able to get the ball rolling. I came to learn different models of learning from a first hand perspective since we all were different models or assigned to a different model. I found this useful as a educator because I must be able to touch into all students model and learning style. I got the opportunity to go back to what I consider lesson planning 101 also known as goal writing. To be able to write a lesson plan I must first set goals for my children and this was no different; however, it was strange to incorporate web-enhancements to enrich the on-ground version of the course.

Week 4 concentrated on learners in the online environment, reviewing learning styles, and factors that influence a student’s ability to be successful in online learners. After taking part in the learning styles inventory I learned that I am an auditory learner who likes to like to brainstorm, and talk with people which was much true in my case. The results seemed so accurate that it was scary. I always tend to brainstorm through things before reacting and I also have a tendency to check over things at least two to three times before reacting. Again this unit on learning styles became helpful to me in pin pointing students weakness as a learner and their strengths. With knowing their strengths I know what angle to come to them at in hopes of them learning and understanding an assignment. This was a great unit for future references in my career.

Week 5 takes a closer look at teaching styles and ways to adapt it successfully in online learning. Week 5 was fairly easy because it gave us a chance to reflect back on our ability to work in groups. This was good for future references since we will have another project with this same members before the end of the semester; but bad because we did not get to know our team members responses. I would have loved to know the responses (not who wrote it) to better improve myself. I feel that if we were given a grade for our ability to work efficiently as a group then I should also be allowed to read the criticism for future references, especially since I will be working with these same individuals in a few weeks. This does not mean that I would work no differently only harder. How am I suppose to correct my ability to work as an efficient team member if I am only allowed to see the responses to question like: How did you think the project went? What worked and what didn't? What did you learn from this project that you can carry forward into the next project? How do you feel about using group projects in courses that you might teach in the future? People tend to hold back their responses when they know that they may encounter the person who is reading this one day but if they are forwarded as anonymous then it is nothing to fear.

As of today I have learned a lot about online courses and have grown rather fund of it. I enjoy running to the computer my every spare moment to see if my response was eye catching enough to get a response or if the instructor had something good or bad to say about my post for the week. I have learned not to read too much into the instructors or the other students post because this does not reflect what your grade for the week might end up being. I look forward to the weeks to come. If I had to pick just one thing that I have enjoyed the last week it would be blogs. It gives me the courage and opportunity to speak freely about the course and the direction I think it has taken in my education. These are things that I would have never said in class or on an email for fear that it would reflect my grade.

Changing Lives Today

When we hear the word disabilities we tend to think of physical or developmental delays. Yet, these are the disabilities that are more noticeable to the human eye. One of the biggest disabilities that exist today in the public school system is learning disabilities. It is estimated that nearly 2.9 million students are currently receiving special education services for learning disabilities in the United States. This disability is not evident to the human eye. The fact that it is not visible and has many characteristics makes it even more questionable and controversial. Yet, one thing that is not disputable is that today’s children are faced with a number of obstacles, including but not limited to, family, economic hardship, violence, drugs and alcohol, and lack of community support. These internal and external issues throughout the lifecycle can affect ones social and emotional behavior, thoughts, and ability to succeed. Fifty percent of students receiving special education services through the public schools are identified as having learning disabilities. Two-thirds of secondary students with learning disabilities are reading three or more grades levels behind. Twenty percent are reading five or more grade levels behind. More than 38.7% of children with learning disabilities drop out of high school, compared to 11% of the general student population. Student achievement is not a matter of what happens in school but a combination of factors, such as, school, family and self, social incentives, and socioeconomic factors. Student achievement is not a matter of what happens in school but a combination of factors, such as, school, family and self, social incentives, and socioeconomic factors.

The deeper the poverty the more powerful of an influence it has on a child’s life. Poverty, unfortunately, is not left behind in the miseries of these homes when the children enter the school doors. Although no direct links have connected disability among children of poverty status, poor children are more likely to engage in behavioral problems, academic failure, family management problems, low neighborhood attachment and community disorganization, grade retention, reading disorder, attention disorder, and other learning disabilities. Though no data currently links disability and poverty together, studies have indicated that health problems, such as, asthma, lead poisoning, and low birth weight are higher among the poor.
Being born poor in the United States does not fate a child to a life of failure, but the sharp effect of poverty on children can be severe and long lasting. Children from high-poverty environments enter school less ready to learn. They fall behind their wealthy classmates in their ability to use language and solve problems. They also face higher rates of health problems such as asthma. Their drop out rate is much higher, they get pregnant early, or have a hard time paying attention because they don’t get a nutritious breakfast and/or may not have eaten dinner the night before.