CEDO550 Week 6

I feel like it’s hard to keep up with the change in technology today. What the future holds is amazing and exciting, but I can’t teach what I don’t know. On the other hand will I really be teaching? Will we need teachers? Will we have classrooms? It’s exciting, but scary at the same time. I hope that in the near future, I am able to teach in a classroom filled with computers. I can’t wait to use more technology and tools in my lessons. One of the major issues I face is not being able to get my students in the computer lab as often as I would like. I think it would be cool if every student had an IPad, or laptop at their desk. I think the biggest thing to expect about the future in teaching is to expect the unexpected. I don’t think anyone can imagine what it is going to be like in 20 years. The changes are going to be so beyond my thought process. I don’t event know what I should expect. How exciting is that!
I think that future schools will be a blend of online and classroom work. I think teachers will be a guide to students and not a full time teacher. They will not run the classroom, the whole 45 minutes of a period. Students will be learning as we guide them. They will be collaborating with children around the world and learning from material on the Internet. They will be using their cell phones, Facebooks, chat rooms, and any other technologies that allow them to be interactive on online. Schools will no longer be pushing 21st century tools away, but they will embrace them and allow students to use the sources available to them. Classrooms will be filled with computer work stations and not chairs and desks. Students will no longer be asked to stay in their seat and wait until the lecture is over to move around.

CEDO550 Week 5

Meeting students needs can be difficult, but using the right tools can make it easier while adapting an assignment. I think we use differentiated instruction without even thinking about it. We don't say to ourselves, "I just used differentiated instruction". It comes natural to teachers. It can be a small adaptation, or a large one. I know that I change assignments all the time, based on my students. I can't remember a time, that I turned a student down when they came to me with an alternate way to do an assignment, or project........ With in reason!! :)
I think children have great ideas and we should listen to them and how they learn. It's important to their success. Letting students show you their talents will make them successful at what their doing, allow them to feel confident, and maybe teach me a new way of teaching the lesson. We learn from each other and that is one of the most important parts of being a teacher. Allow your students to be themselves, listen, and learn from them.

CEDO550 Week 4

It's been interesting hearing all the different topics. I guess there is a lot to think about when talking about online learning and how to make it successful. Some of the major concerns that people have are cost and success of the students in the program. I think it's more of the "unknown" feeling that scares people away. I was afraid to take an online masters program. I was dead set on sitting in a classroom. I couldn't be happier with my choice now! I don't have to drive anywhere and I can do my class while sitting in my bed. Doesn't get much better than that! I think the more people learn about and experience online learning they will learn how successful it can be, with the right instruction. I know that I'm excited about it and I hope to have the opportunity to teach an online course in the future.

CEDO 550 Week 3

It's interesting how this course teaches how to facilitate online learning, but at the same time I'm learning a great deal of other things as well. My topic this week that I chose to do my presentation on was children with disabilities. The readings that I did were interesting. I wanted to do this topic because I thought it would be interesting to see how to facilitate these students. I thought it would be difficult to do, but it's actually just as, or more facilitating to the students. Virtual schools are flexible and give students time to complete their work. I know that my nephew types all of his homework. He has autism and his handwriting and concentration is weak. He loves being on a computer and when asked to do work on the computer he does well. I'm not sure if it's just preference because he likes technology, or if it gives him confidence that his teacher will be able to read it and as a result gets better grades. Either way, I have seen how working online is successful, and I wonder if he would do even better in a virtual school. There would be less bullying as well, but that is a whole other topic.

CEDO550 Week 2

This week has been a little trying to say the least! On Saturday night I thought I would get a start on our group work. Well........I guess I should have just waited because I wasted a great deal of time being confused. It would have been better to be confused with my group members than alone. HA HA I wish we had some solid directions on the group project. I'm very interested to see what everyone comes up with. I just hope that ours was correct. I know one thing..........I learned how important communication, expectations, and clear objectives are. I will definitely work to be clear and not put my students through this mess. Well.....the instructors wanted us to struggle with this assignment a little..........we did ................can we have our A now :) Other than that, I'm looking to some time off and relaxing on spring break!!

CED0 550 Week 1

Well.........here we are starting another new class. It was interesting using brainhoney. It took me a little while to get used to, but I'm glad to learn a new tool. I was surprised that throughout all of our courses so far, I had never heard of synchronous and asynchronous online tools. I never thought to categorize them before. It definately makes a lot of sense though. I was excited in class to learn some of the tools on Elluminate. I was always afraid to touch anything and screw up the class. It was fun and it made me a little more confident trying new things and clicking on different icons. I have enjoyed the courses thus far and I hope that this class is another success for me. I'm looking forward to it.

CEDO540 Week 5

One week to go and I survived. The sites that we worked with for the assignments this week were interesting. I'm familiar with the DPI sites, but I enjoyed the other ones as well. I also just got back from a convention about similar topics, so I was interested in the sites even more. I attended a convention on teaching economics in the classroom. I was GREAT and I learned a lot. It was funny because we did a great deal of stats. Normally, I would have groaned about it, but lately I'm really enjoying it. I never had that feeling about economics and stats before. I guess I'm more confident because I understand it so much better now. If anyone ever gets a chance to attend a convention given by Economics of Wisconsin I would jump at it. It was well worth your time even though it usually falls on a Friday and Saturday. Some of the incentives are $200, they pay for your sub, and we received $130 in classroom books. I was really excited and learned soooooo much. I don't know what to say about government and corruption, but hey we already know that. haha
It was great and I highly recommend it.