PLN

My personal learning network is not as big as I would like it to be and its partly my fault mostly because I haven't been putting toward the effort I should and could have. Right now at this moment I would probably say the only people in my PLN is my classmates, my professor Dr. Strange, and Mr. Chamberlain and a few others who have left comments on my blog. I think having a PLN is a great idea especially if you need new ideas for your class or maybe if you just need someone to bounce ideas off of. In the months to come I should have more time on my hand and I hope to expand my PLN then.

iTunes

I think iTunes can be a excellent tool in the classroom. You can use it to subscribe to podcast and to keep up with whats going on in other classroom and whats going on with technology. iTunes can be used to learn in the classroom because you use it for record lectures. You can upload your own lectures on it and let your classroom subscribe and best of all is that it is free all you need is a computer.

Learning Inside and Outside The Classroom

I think as a educator you cannot limit learning to just inside the classroom. You need to always keep your eyes open for coll new ideas. You never know what you might see. I feel like you must also teach your students this, so when the leave the classroom their brain doesn't just sit down. I wouldn't want my students to leave the classroom thinking "well I'm not in class right now so their is nothing else for me to learn". Some teachers don't realize how much of a negative or positive affect they have on students.

Fun In The Classroom

Fun in the classroom I think is very important. I don't feel like you have to have fun in the classroom all day to learn, but I most definitely feel that students would love to have fun while they learn. Its even better when they are learning and don't even know it, they think they are just having fun. I know children love to have fun while they are at school and they be motivated to learn even more when they know they can have outside of P.E. at school.

Why I Want To Teach

I want to teach because I feel like I could be the building block for a students life. I want to that teacher that a student never forgets. I want to be the teacher that students come back to three and four years later and say thanks for everything. Some teachers wonder why some students hate school so much and its because of them, they embarrass students and make them feel like nothing. I want to be a teacher because teachers make the world go around and I don't want the world to stop spinning.

Teaching Philosophy

I know as an educator respect, fun in the classroom, tough love, fairness, and intelligence will take me far.
I know you must show respect to get respect. By respecting my students I feel like they will respect me. I will also teach them the value of respecting each other.
I know you must have fun to learn. I believe students can have fun and learn at the same time. You can have fun and learn without even know it. My students can play a game in the classroom and not even realize that they have just learned how to count. I feel that humor in my classroom will allow my students to want to learn.
I know you must show some tough love to your students. If I always give my students the answer how will they ever learn? Sometimes you just have to light the candle so they can see the direction they need to go. If I do not show tough love, I feel like they will never learn.
I know fairness in a classroom is necessary. I feel every child needs a chance to shine. If I always call on one student, it discourages other students from raising their hand.
I know intelligence will take you far. My students must know it is not cool to be dumb because dumbness will get you nowhere. Intelligence is very important in your life and you need it to succeed.
I know the classroom is not just a room, but also an environment for learning.

Technology

Technology, for you reach today's generation you must use technology in your classroom. Students use technology in their everyday life and when they come into the classroom they expect to use it also. Teachers need to start moving away from the chalkboard and towards the computer with presentations. Students don't have to just use the Internet for junk learning it can also be a very educational tool. I think if a teacher is in today's classroom and they refuse to integrate technology into their classroom they should be fired.