Reflection Blogging 3

The role of integrating technology in teaching and learning for today's 21st century learner is more important now than ever before.  The level of technology continues to grow each year.  In order for our students to be able to keep up with the new technologies, we as educators need to try to keep up as well and integrate it in our daily lessons.  As a teacher of the 21st century learner, I will need to be able to design, evaluate, create, and revise my lessons including technology tools that will be the most useful for my students.  The best way to be able to better teach my students I will need to get to know my students learning needs, come up with learning and performance objectives, and then provide assessments to measure their comprehension of the material.  Some of the technology tools I feel will provide me with success as an English/Literature teacher are Reading Plus, Prezi, and Google Classroom.  Reading Plus helps the students to increase vocabulary, comprehension, endurance, memory, silent reading fluency, and provides the ability to systematically master higher levels of text.  Prezi can be used by students to prepare presentations on learned reading material to show knowledge of context.  Google Classroom provides many ways for the student to collaborate learning with other students and the teacher.  All of these tools provide access for the teacher to give immediate feedback and suggestions to their students.

Reflection

My philosophy of education is to help my students grow as learners and provide them with instructional tools to allow them to blossom and grow into their full potential.  The learning theory of Jerome Bruner, a constructivist, will help me provide the type of learning environment I want for my students.  In his theory it states, "learning is an active process in which learners build new ideas or concepts based on their current/past knowledge".  I believe this to be true.  If students are not taught efficiently from the beginning of their schooling, it is going to be hard to build on.  Every student needs a good base "root"  in order to grow.  This theory provides many standards that can be used in the classroom.  Student and teacher knowledge of technology can help to enhance core content in areas struggle.  There is also opportunity for collaboration. The understanding of new knowledge comes better with a good basic knowledge of what was brought to them before.  A rose doesn't start out as a rose, it begins with a seed.  

My Teaching Philosophy

                                                         My Teaching Philosophy

As a teacher in the classroom, it is important to create an educational philosophy.  It can provide students with a basis for how you the teacher view their learning environment and classroom management.  It also provides the teacher with direction on how they want to provide instruction and maintaining a structured learning environment where their students will be able to embrace new learning.  My personal goals as a teacher are to provide my students with as many resources as I can to provide them with skills that will contribute to future learning and success.  Technology will be a major part of this learning.  There are new and exciting programs that I as a teacher can use to help students be more prepared for the future. Technology also makes it easier on both the teachers and the students in providing instant access to assignments and feedback.  I chose My Teaching Metaphor to be like a rose.  A rose begins as a bulb placed in the ground.  You can provide it with what it needs to grow.  As it grows, thorns (obstacles) arise along the stem, but eventually with love and care a rose blossoms.  I as a teacher want to provide love and care to my students and let them know that even though things are hard to learn sometimes if they keep trying they will blossom into something wonderful.