Teaching with Technology and other things...

I'm not 100% sure what to write in this final blog entry, but I do know that this is the last class in my college career that I will ever take. There is a lot of joy in this, and also a lot of sadness, as many good times have came to a close. In this semester, I have tired to do an outstanding job, to go out of school on top. In my blog I have written over 30 reflections. A lot of my reflections are thorough and some are not quite as such, but none the less, I have given this class more time than any other class that I have taken in my college career, and that includes the C.I.A.
I have submitted my work on time and for the most part early too. I have put pictures, polls, music, surveys and games on either my blog, personal website, or wiki. My personal website has at least 12 pages on it with school items and other personal items in which I have added to give it that "personal touch." As I have stated earlier, I loved my group which consisted of Terri, Kelly, and Bill which I have taken at least four classes with in graduate school, and that right there has made a great foundation for our academic and personal friendships with one another. As for I'm concerned they are family and we do call each other as such. It's nice to have people who are caring, genuine and not fake, which there are so many in the world.
I have participated in class, with whole class discussion, and with our group discussion. Our group did a fantastic job in communicating effectively with one another in class. We connected through our blogs, discussion forums, emails, and via phone. Communication for us was not our downfall, in effectively communicating with one another, if anything it was our greatest assets with each other. We did not have a problem in getting any of our group work done, there were no questions of who did what, we simply did our assignments. The greatest thing about working with these professionals is that, they are professionals. It was absolutely fantastic to have met and become good friends with these people as they will become life long friends :).
As for teaching with technology I really enjoyed taking this class and learning on line at the same time. In this course we have learned about the advantages of technology and the disadvantages of technology. Technology should be used as a tool to guide in the learning process and not a tool to use as learning by itself. Technology can divide the students if not all students have that kind of learning access. We must be careful to not divide our students in the classroom at such a young age. We must make a solid attempt to keep the peace between the many economic divides that lie in the world and let children excel at being children. We must have them find their own interconnectedness, not force our own truths, or values on them. We must give students the opportunity to see where certain avenues in life lie. We must give students options and not tell them where to go. In a sense, Inquiry learning is lifelong learning for each person. We all must find our own way to the points in which we want to get to in our lives. With the role of teachers and technology we must be a guide, a mentor, and a friend to those who want to follow in their own right path. Not every student will go on to traditional college or college at all. We must be nurturing, accepting, and understanding of the world around us. If someone is teaching because they care only about their test numbers and achievement, then what is the point really?
If someone is so crazy about obtaining their so-called numbers then this is a business world and NOT an education world. School should be fun and everyday should a new adventure for each student with a chance to learn. I do believe that more ownership should go on the students and parents. A student needs more than just class time to achieve what they really want to achieve. I will say this, did Micheal Jordan simply go to practice, play games and go home? NO! M.J. is one of the greatest achievers of all times, he simply wanted basketball life more than anyone else every did. This same application goes to anyone in life who wants it bad enough! The real question lies, do you want it bad enough?
During this class learning at times was quite difficult and quite uncomfortable all at the same time. In our group it was our willingness to help one another. As the trusting group that we are we were able to ask for help with our technology needs. We were able to expose ourselves to one another just like kids do. We did not have walls in this course. We had lots of needs and we tried to meet one another needs too. I truly enjoyed the fact that we were able to be open and learn off of one another. We were quite uncomfortable and also we were quite comfortable with expressing it with one another. Our collaboration as a group was outstanding and I would give them a hug individually if I was not 1,500 miles away.
I hope as we enter into our own classrooms that we are able to be as open with our students as we are with ourselves. We must keep in mind that not everyone has or will have our own experiences in life. We must recognize that everyday we must have fun and work like it's our last day. Maybe for lots of students K-12 learning will be it for them; if it we must remember to make everyday the best for them and remember why we took on our teaching positions. This job isn't about the money, it's about the giving of knowledge, and helping students obtain different perspectives of life. We must give them the ability to reason and make choices for themselves.
As for my own learning experience this summer it has been an eye opener so far! I have completed this class from Jacksonville, Florida with the sweetest thing that I have ever know. Taking this class online has personally helped the rest of my life which really needed it. There was this girl who I used to go to elementary school, middle, and a little bit of high school with and then she moved at 15. This is the same girl who used to be in my elementary school, and it was a very small one that I went to. To think back and to reflect that we played with the same parachute in gym class and had the same art, music, and gym teaching is quite astonishing. She's the same girl who came over to my brother's birthday party when I was 7 and that was 20 years ago! After 12 years and talking to my brother about this girl I got a hold of her through technology and it is the single greatest thing that has ever happened to me, period. I was invited to come to Florida for the summer, and I was able to do it in all aspects. I'm greatful for being able to do it all this summer.