Learning Experiences:
As this course comes to a close and I reflect on my time in the course, there are many things that I have learned. This class has taught me so much more than just technology in the classroom. In attempts to meet the ISTE standards, I feel as if we accomplished these as best as we could in an asynchronous class over a shorted amount of time. I learned a lot about myself in this class in attempt to meet these standards as well. For starters I learned about the importance of communication as a whole amongst group members. This is my first experience with a class where the entire bulk of the course was based around asynchronous group work. This experience presented challenges but also presented several learning experiences as well. I am very pleased with the group I was placed in and felt as if we all worked very diligently together. Our projects were very successful and I learned some important skills for each of my group members that will carry me well into my future classrooms. There were several technological tools that were used throughout the course. Some that I had used before, and some that I had never even heard of. Below I will reflect on each weeks task and reflect on the use of the specific tools during that week: Week 1: During this first week, we established ourselves by creating our Weebly blog sites and creating our first blog post. This was the first interaction I had had with Weebly, however, I had created websites before in the past so I found this site to be fairly user-friendly, solely due to my previous experiences with other website making sources. In hindsight, I do not see myself using a personal blog site such as this in my classroom, as it would be a little difficult to navigate with my content area. However, I enjoyed creating blogs each week and learning how to navigate Weebly. Week 2: Throughout Week 2, we were still establishing ourselves in our blog posts and getting used to navigating Weebly. We reflected on chapters 1-3 through a blog post on our Weebly account. Although these were individual posts, this was the first week we had to collaborate with our groups as we discussed who would answer each question. This group communication would come into play throughout the entire course. Week 3: Week 3 was very similar to Week 2. Our task was to reflect on chapters 4-6 in a blog post. We again used group collaboration to determine who would answer which questions. In my classroom, I plan to utilize discussion posts as a form of reflection. Using Weebly for this, was a great form an allowed for easy commenting. Week 4: Week 4 was when things began to change. This week was when we created our first group project, Project 1: Creating Your Ideal 21st Century Classroom. For this project, we were asked to created an ideal classroom for the 21st century utilizing technology, utilizing a grant that we were hypothetically asking to receive. Throughout this project, there were several aspects that we needed to collaborate on as a group. We had a group message as well as a google sheet that we used for collaboration and each of us. We used Google sheets and Google documents for this specific project. These are both platforms that I have used and will continue to use in my classroom as a vital resource. Week 5: Week 5 consisted of our group collaborating on Projects 2, 3, 4, and 5. Project 2 was a lesson plan that we would use in our hypothetical classroom, Project 3 was a survey that would be given to the class asking about technological backgrounds, project 4 was a google document and google slide presentation that would be use in cohesion with the lesson plan to teach the students, and project 5 was a podcast that was done individually to teach the students. We decided to create a topic that could be applicable to all of our subject areas. Our lesson was on how to create a MLA formatted paper and each of these projects were centralized around this lesson. For projects 2-4 we split these up individually amongst the groups so my specific job was to created the Google Slide attached to project 4. I really enjoy using Google Slides and I will continue to utilize this source in my class in the future. As for the podcast, I personally used the voice memos feature on my computer to record. I had never created a podcast before so this was a new experience for me. I enjoyed this process, however this is probably not a function I will utilize in the future. Week 6: Week 6 consisted of project 6-8. This week was a very enjoyable week for me as, this utilized features I was very familiar with. With distance learning being very prominent this past year, we had to utilize video lectures as a form of teaching several times. I was very familiar with filming videos through Zoom and even editing them in Edpuzzle. This was a refreshing experience as it was something that I was already very comfortable doing. I will continue to utilize this as a form of presenting information to my students as well. Week 7: Week 7 was packed full for technological resources. All of the technological resources that we used throughout this week, I had never used before. We began by creating a Quizizz for our students coinciding with our MLA format lesson plan. I personally had never used this plat form before so this was a very enjoyable experience. I will continue to use this as a resource in the future for my student, as I think this will be a resource they will enjoy. Next we created a rubric for our students paper using the platform, Rubistar. I had never heard of this before but it was very convenient when it came to creating the rubric. As a group we collaborated on using the platforms Padlet and ThingLink. These are both a great source for presenting information to students as reenforcement or remediation. I aim to be able to utilize both of these platforms throughout the next school year. Week 8: In our last week of projects, we collaborated on creating a group website for our lesson using the Google Sites platform. I did not know that this was a platform that Google offered but I found it to be very helpful and user-friendly. My group enjoyed collaboratively making this. Similar to Weebly, though, I do not see myself using this in my class particularly because of how it could relate to my content area but it was great to be able to learn and understand how this platform works. These projects taught me a lot about myself as a person as well as a teacher. I learned a lot about my role in a group but also about my role form a technology standpoint. Throughout this experience, I would say that my greatest weakness was overall communication with my group. The summers are ironically an extremely busy time for me and I do not have much time to be on my phone throughout the day. I was not expecting when I started this class for it to be so centered around group work, so I lacked on the communication aspect simply due to my lack in time over the summers. I would say that my biggest strength was completing tasks that were asked of me. I may not have been able to respond much in our group messages throughout the day but I was able to get anything done that was needed of me. In conclusion, I am very grateful for this class and how much I gained from it. The lessons I have learned throughout this class will carry me well into my career as an educator.
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Chapter 9: Imagine that you are a high school social science teacher. You have assigned students a ten-page research paper. How do you set-up the assignment to make it clear that plagiarism will not be tolerated and what tools would you use to check for plagiarism? What steps would you take if a student’s paper is found to have been copied in parts from the Internet?
Plagiarism is a very serious issue and is one that I personally have seen this upcoming generation not know very much about. In this scenario, there are several steps that can be taken to prepare students for avoiding plagiarism. The first thing I would do if I asked my students to write a 10 page research paper is to give them as presentation on what is considered plagiarism. I think using something similar to the software southern miss uses to teach students about plagiarism is a great way to provide information. In this presentation to my students I would include several aspects including the definition of plagiarism and the seriousness of it, tips on how to not plagiarize other peoples work, and how to do internal citations as well as a works cited. For this scenario, I would use a platform such as TurnItIn.com to check for plagiarism percentages. I would explain to my students that they must use this platform and have less than a 10% similarity score. This 10% would only account for a potential error in similarities when it comes to author's names or article titles. The students would be able to make adjustments to their papers if they receive above 10% on their first two submissions. It would be made very clear to the students that if they submit a paper with more than 10%, they would receive a zero. As harsh as that may sound, it is important for these students to understand that their work must be their own and that stealing someone else's thoughts or work is a very serious matter. I think the most important way to set students up to succeed and and not plagiarize is to make sure they are very well informed and have them continuously practice creating their own work. Chapter 10: This chapter suggests your role is to become a technology advocate and change agent within the education profession. Do you agree that this is indeed a responsibility of 21st century educators? Why or why not. In reading this statement, I would say that I neither agree nor disagree that the role of the 21st century educators is to be an advocate for the technology. As an educator, our main role and responsibility is to educate. Our job is the teach these students in a way that allows the grow in their knowledge in whatever way fits their needs. As we have progressed into the 21st century, technology has been a primary platform for student learning. I believe that this has had a positive impact on the school system, but it has also caused some drawbacks on student learning. In the instance where technology is allowing students to flourish and thrive in their knowledge, then yes I do believe our job as educators is the be a technology advocate. However, not all students learn or respond with to technology as an educational source. In these instances where technology is hindering students, then no, I do not believe teachers should press students to use a platform that is not benefitting them. Learning Experiences
Throughout the last week, we were asked as a group to create a Google Site that would be used for our ideal 21st century classroom. This site would be composed of several different pages, including a home page, course materials, assignments, resources, and comments & questions. We began this project by dividing up each page amongst the group members. We started communication of this very early on in the week, which was extremely helpful to me as I completed my comprehensive exam this week as well. I created the comments and questions page of our site. On this page, I had to create a google form which could directly be attached to the page for questions and comments to be posted. The rest of my group members did a wonderful job in creating the rest of the pages on our site and I think our site turned out really well. I found Google Sites very user-friendly and easy to navigate. I had never used this platform before to make a website but I really enjoyed this. I specifically liked that, because it is a google platform, you could attach any google document, sheet, form, etc. on to the site for easy linkage and access. I found this project to be a great project to end out our group work. Compiling all of our work throughout the summer term and working together one last time was a great way to end and see all of the hard work we have done put together throughout the term. I am very thankful for the group members I was given and am thankful for how well we were able to work together throughout our time in this class. I have learned so much from them and have enjoyed working with them each week. Project 11: Google Sites Learning Experiences:
This week, the primary focus of the assignments were to create technological, interactive tools that can be used for learning in the classroom. These can be very helpful for students and can account for great success. These tools provide students a fun and unique way of learning as opposed the the traditional pen, paper, and lecture. This week we were asked to complete a group project where we created a Padlet interactive information board and a ThingLink, as well as an individual project where I created a Quizizz assignment and correlating rubric. Project 9: Padlet and ThingLink Although these projects were a group effort there was a lot of individuality that went into them. My group began by creating a general page on Padlet, where we were all able to make posts to the board. These posts consisted of links to resources that could provide aid to students regarding MLA format. I had never used, nor heard of, this online resource before but in using it for this project, I greatly enjoyed it. I feel as if this is a great tool to provide students with additional resources, remediation, or even enhancement of topics in class, and this is definitely a platform I will be utilizing this upcoming year. The second portion of project 9 was to create a ThingLink. My group decided to have each of us create our own ThingLinks since this resources does not allow collaboration using the standard account. I found this part of the project to be fun, however there are some more amenities that I wish it offered. For example, I would have liked for there to be a feature that allows a text to be added to the picture above the buttons so that students can easily know what resource they are looking at without having to click each individual button. Nevertheless, I do think this tool can be utilized in a classroom. My group members all did a wonderful job creating theirs as well. Project 10: Quizizz and Rubric For this weeks individual project, we were asked to create a Quizizz for our lesson as well as a rubric to follow it. Personally, I LOVED making the Quizizz. I think this is such a useful tool to help students with reinforcement on a particular topic and I greatly enjoyed creating questions on this platform. I also enjoyed making the rubric for the writing assignment from our lesson plan as well. Using a platform like Rubistar made it very easy to organize the categories, however, I found myself struggling to come up with descriptions for some of the point breakdowns. All in all, rubrics are very important for showing transparency with students and sharing with them the expectations of how to gain success on each assignment. I felt as if this weeks assignments were very beneficial and I gained a lot of new tools and knowledge that I can take back to my own classroom next school year. Project Links: Project 9: Group Padlet Project 9: ThingLinks (see Google Doc) Project 10: Quizizz Project 10: Rubric Chapter 8: Have you had any distance education or blended course experiences? Try to remember what were the benefits and the disadvantages of that experience. If you have not had either type of course, try to imagine what it would be like and what characteristics of it you would like and which ones you would not. Why? I have come to learn that the concept of distance learning is very different depending on which side of the table you are on. My experiences with distance learning as a student are completely different than my experiences with distance learning as a teacher. As a student, the only distance learning experiences I have encountered were through a few online courses during my undergraduate years and throughout my time in the MAT program at Southern Miss. I found there to be many benefits, especially throughout this graduate level program. For starters, if this program did not offer distance learning courses, I more than likely would not have been able to attend this institution. Having the program composed of nearly all distance learning courses allows me to be able to attend this institution and receive a degree while not living in Hattiesburg. Another benefit is that it has allowed me to work around my own schedule of teaching and other commitments. Aside from synchronous class meetings, the work for this program can be completed on my own time, at my convenience. This is has been very helpful in balancing work, school, obligations, and my personal life. Now I have found that there are a few disadvantages to this experience from a students perspective as well. For example, it does require a great amount of time management, planning, and responsibility to be able to keep up with the work load. Especially for asynchronous classes, most of the work is self-paced, so it is up the student to be responsible for reading materials and completing work in a timely manner. However, from a students perspective, this is only downside I see to this form of learning at this level of education. As previously stated, my teacher perspective of distance learning is completely different. During this past year, our school faced many challenged when it came to distance learning. There were several students who were at home learning who would not complete assignments, not feel connected to the teacher, and simply just not even come to class. With distance learning comes a vast amount of responsibility and self-accountability and, if we are being honest, most students at this age do not have that. They lack the motivation to be able to complete work or attend class at home. Overall, however, distance learning in my school over the last year was most difficult on the teachers. Trying to manage a classroom full of students while also trying to manage and motivate online students was a very daunting task. It was a highly difficult task that we had to maintain while also in the midst of a very difficult year that was full of changes. Through several trial and errors, though, we prevailed and made it through the year, but I am hopeful that moving forward, teachers will not have to worry with managing both in person students and distance learners at the same time Learning ExperiencesThis week we were tasked with the assignment of creating and editing a lecture video. Throughout this pervious year, I actually used this as a tool several times for my distance learning students, so this assignment was one that I particularly enjoyed. I started by creating my video through Zoom. I found this platform to be a very user-friendly platform that allows me to easily record, share my screen while also showing my video, and quickly save my video for uploading. I created this video demonstrating how to set up an MLA formatted paper in Google Documents. Once the video was complete, I used the Mac application, iMovie, to cut the beginning and end of the video, add a title slide to the video, and add credits to the end of the video. It was during this part of the project where I was thankful for the two year of broadcast journalism that I took in high school. Once the video was edited, it was uploaded to Edpuzzle where various questions were added to it in order to engage in student learning and comprehension of the topic. This application is also one that I have used several times and I find to be very user-friendly. This week I learned how valuable lecture videos can be to student learning. Not only is this a way to include additional content for students to view before arriving to class but this is also a great way for students to be able to go back and view class content that they may have missed or that they may have not understood fully. I plan to continue to utilize these in the future and will continue to use the skill learned throughout these projects to heighten my students' overall learning experiences. Project 6: Screen Capture youtu.be/5_mV98oj4Dk Project 7: Video Editing youtu.be/e9NYhmcefOU Project 8: Interactive Video (code: ocfufvo) edpuzzle.com/join/ocfufvo Chapter 7: Many are concerned about the use of social media in school. Describe your views of the pros and cons of using social media. How will you use this tool in your classroom and what are your greatest concerns in doing so? Social media is a pressing matter that has continued to evolve drastically over the past decade. The development of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the latest, TikTok, has slowly taken over everyone's phones and free time. There are many positives to social media. Unfortunately, there are also several down falls to social media that can create a toxic environment, especially for a young, impressionable teen. My view on social media may be quite different than others. I feel like the use of social media and knowing how to use it wisely, professionally, and strategically goes hand-in-hand with being a 21st-century skill. Nowadays, almost all businesses, schools, and organizations use social media to some extent. If they do not use it, they are monitoring that of those who are employed by them. Teaching students how to portray themselves on social media, to me, is a very important lesson that can in fact be taught in the classroom. One way I plan to incorporate social media in my lessons is to use them as a means for completing an assignment. For example, instead of having the students complete a labeling worksheet of the body's muscles, I could have them create a TikTok dance identifying at least 5 muscles that they are using to perform that dance. Not only are they still receiving the same knowledge and content that they would with a simple labeling sheet, they would also be applying that knowledge to a real-world scenario while also getting to have some fun. Another way to incorporate social media in the classroom would be a task similar to what we do for this class and have the student create a blog demonstrating their knowledge of anything that is covered in class. My learning ExperiencesThis week was a vast amount of work for our group, however we came together to create an organized and well thought out plan. We began with a zoom meeting where we divided tasks of the 3 group projects amongst the group members. Eli created our lesson plan about how to create an MLA formatted paper, Kimberly and Carletta were to work together to create the survey, Sarah was to create a Google Doc to go along with Eli's lesson plan, and I was to create a Google Slides to teach the students the information. Sarah and I primarily worked together this week on Project 4 to create the goole doc and google slides that would be presented in our class. Sarah created a google doc following Eli's lesson plan on how to create and MLA formatted paper, complete with images, text, and directions. From there, I created a Google Slides presentation that went hand-in-hand with Sarah's Google Doc. The presentation included several slides that were composed of directions that the students would follow to begin creating their MLA formatted paper. The presentation concluded with a writing prompt that the students would be asked to complete to demonstrate the knowledge they learned about how to conduct an MLA formatted paper. As a group we decided to have most of our drafts of each project completed by Wednesday in order for the other group members to have ample time to provide feedback. Any and all changes that needed to be made were done on Thursday and Friday and all projects were completed by Friday night. Overall my group members did a wonderful job and I look forward to continue to working with them. Project 5 was a podcast that was created individually. This podcast was on the instruction that was based on our lesson plan, google document and presentation, on how to create an MLA formatted paper. This project was actually fun and a good way to get instruction across to students in a different way. I usually will make lecture videos for my students as a means of instruction before a lesson but I think I may attempt to use podcasts this upcoming year. This way, my students can listen to the instruction anywhere they want. Even if they want to listen to it on the way to school, they will have that option. I learned a lot from creating this and really enjoyed this project. This week, I learned the importance of communication and management. This was an extremely busy week for me. I had a lot going on with my job and had events that consumed my entire day. I had to make a conscious effort to pull my weight and get my work completed for the sake of my group. My group was great about communicating with me and with each other and did a wonderful job on their portions of the projects. I think we have built a strong connection with our group and we will continue to have strong communication with each other. Project Links: Project 2: Lesson Plan Project 3: Survey Project 4: Google Document Project 4: Google Slides Presentation Project 5: Podcast This week, the primary focus was to collaborate with our groups to create our ideal 21st century classroom. I must say, I am very blessed to be in the group that I am in. I have never created a paper, per say, as a collaborative group effort but my group members did an absolutely fantastic job. We began the project by joining together as a group via zoom to discuss the project and its details. My group was very gracious and understanding towards me as I was unable to attend the zoom. They recorded the meeting and made sure I missed out on no part of the task at hand. Throughout this project, our group stayed very organized. We created a running Google Sheets page where we all collaborated on furniture, technologies, and equipment that would be needed for our ideal classroom as well as a sign up for the tasks that each member would complete. Along side this, we had a running Google Doc where the actual project itself was created. By using these platforms, we were able to see what each group member was contributing to and also allowed us to leave comments if we saw anything that needed to be adjusted. My task for the assignment was to create the executive summary, which served as our proposal for the grant. Once the list of items we wanted were created, I drafted a proposal for our ideal classroom and added it to the running google doc. In this executive summary, a list of our needed items, and a brief rationale of our purpose for applying for the grant was included. After completing the executive summary, I created the purchases list that included the item, price, and vendor information where Kimberly added the rationale for each specific item. Each group member played a vital role in completing this project and we all worked very well together. From this experience, I learned that communication is key. With any group project, communication played a vital role in the success of the group. I feel as if our group did a wonderful job with communication through our meetings, group message, and even through comments on the Google Doc. I look forward to continue working with this group and seeing all of the success we will have in this class. m._martin_itd_645_project_1.docx Chapter 4: Give two examples of technologies that were used when you were in middle school (it could even be as simple as the chalkboard). How have those technologies been transformed and what replaced them today? If you could choose only one of today’s technologies for your classroom, which one would it be? Why?
It is apparent that the technologies between now and when I was in middle school have changed drastically. I specifically remember in middle school math using what we called an "ELMO". This was basically a projector where the teacher had to write math equations with a dry erase marker on a clear slip to teach. This form of technology was used in several of my classes as well. Whereas at the time I thought this was such an effective form of teaching, I see how there were many complication that needed to be reinvented. As this technology has progressed, we have seen it in many forms. The form of this technology that we would see today is the SMART board. The SMART board allows the same capabilities as the ELMO such as writing equations or problems, but it also always the streaming of a presentations, videos, programs, and so much more. Another major technology that was used when I was in middle school was the use of a computer lab. The computer lab consisted of several rows of desktop computers that were just as long as they were wide. We would utilize this lab for research or for writing essays occasionally. We got to use this less than once a month and it was such a privilege. I remember being so excited when my teacher would announce to the class that we would be in the computer lab for the day. Today, these computer labs don't really exist. In my district, we are one-to-one which means that all students in our district are provided with a technological device. Elementary students receive ChromeBooks and secondary students receive MacBook Laptops. It is very convenient for the students to be able to just use their technological devices in the classroom and teachers now do not have to fuss with booking the computer lab, but there was always something so special about being rewarded with using technology. If I had to choose one of today's technologies to use in my classrooms, it would be the use of visual presentations. I personally am a visual learner, so even if it is just words on a powerpoint, it helps me understand the lesson when I can visual see the topics that are being taught. My students respond in the same way. They like being able to see the words, pictures and even embedded videos of the topics we are learning. Chapter 5: Recall a class where presentation software, such as PowerPoint, was used. Did you enjoy the experience? Was it easy to take notes? Did you stay focused on the presentation, or did your attention drift into other thoughts? Could the presentation have been modified to make it more interactive, more interesting? How? Select a grade level and subject matter that you would most want to teach. How you would use three different types of academic software to teach a specific topic. Explain why you selected these three academic software packages. PowerPoint is one of my favorite and most preferred form of learning. I greatly enjoyed the experience of learning through a PowerPoint when I was in school. Visual presentations such as this one helped me personally with being able to visually see what was being discussed. I liked being able to visual see pictures and words and use those to guide my note-taking. My teachers did a wonderful job presenting information through these and I do not think they could have been enhanced any more than they were. As of now, I teach 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. We use several different types of technology in my class. PowerPoint is the biggest form of technology, but we also utilize Canvas Learning Management Tool and EdPuzzle. These three technological tools are imperative to success in my class. These three tools are used for teaching, learning, submitting assignments, remediation, and enhancement. My students respond extremely well to them and even enjoy learning with these technologies. Chapter 6: Learning content within the framework of a language that is not your native language can be challenging. Consider how you would respond to this challenge. What technologies would help you if you were facing learning new content in another language? Working at 6A school in a very diverse area means that we have several students who are classified as English Language Learners (ELL). English is not their native language and some of them do not speak much English at all. If I were in their shoes, I know that this would be a great challenge. I would respond to this challenge by using the advancements in technology that are available to me. In today's culture, we are all about inclusivity. Most platforms have a translation option to translate text or even describe pictures. These are the technologies I would utilize to translate learning content to my native language. As a teacher, it is imperative to be sensitive and aware of those you teach that are ELL students. Taking the initiative to translate certain forms of learning content to their native language helps set these students up for success. Chapter 1: What standards do you feel are most relevant to your teaching and to your content area and that will challenge you the most? What strategies will you employ to become familiar with these standards so that you can more easily address them in your classroom?
The teaching of Technology within the classroom is a very intricate and complicated process. With technology advancing as quickly as it does, it is imperative to stay up to date with the newest technology trends. This chapter discusses all of the standards of teaching technology in the classroom. The standard that is most relevant to my teaching is the Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21). P21 is all about integrating the teaching of 21st century skills with the instruction of core content to adequately prepare students for life after school. After high school, some students will go on to college and some will move straight to the workforce. Teaching these students the skills they will need to be successful in whichever endeavor they chose, is just as important as teaching the core content. I can implement this standard in my class by integrating 21st century learning with the activities that I have my students do. For example, rather than assigning an individual assignment, I can create a more complicated group project, where students are to research and collaborate with a group of people to reach a goal and present this to the class. This not only allows students to be academically successful, but it is teaching them those core skills of working with others and public speaking, both skills that they will definitely need in the real world. A standard of teaching technology that is a challenge for me to implement in my classroom is the AECT standards. Human Anatomy & Physiology is a lot of facts and memorization. I often find it challenging to engage my students in more inquiry-based or high-order-thinking learning. One way I can implement more of this in my room is having my students conduct more research on a new topic they are about to learn. This allows them to form their own questions and opinions on things before learning thew topic rather than just learning and memorizing the information I give them. Chapter 2: What technologies are of most interest to you to support the teaching and learning strategies you prefer? How will you prepare yourself to use these technologies in your classroom? There are several technologies that are of interest to me. Programs that now can be used as a learning platforms in the classroom are being created every single day. I think one form of technology that I would like to implement more throughout learning in my classroom is the use of social media. Social media is second nature to these students. They use it every single day. Social media has now also become a major market for businesses, entrepreneurs, schools, and many other work forces. I think that by incorporating the types of technologies that students are already using, students will be much more engaged in the process of their learning. I can begin to prepare for this integration by doing some research on how social media can be used in the classroom and then take that research and apply it specifically to Human Anatomy & Physiology. Chapter 3: Think back on a classroom environment in which you were not as successful as you might have wanted to be. What were the factors that you encountered from the teacher and/or other students that may have hindered your learning? How will you mitigate such factors in your own classroom? When I was in high school, I encountered some amazing teachers and some who maybe needed to grow a bit more as a teacher. It was always a trend that the classes in which I was not as successful were those whose learning environments were not welcoming. I am a visual person, so I always found success in the classrooms that were decorated with posters and various presentations and the teachers showed enthusiasm for what they were teaching. I remember specifically one class in high school where there was not a single thing on the walls, the teacher used no visual presentation, and lectured the entire class in a very monotone voice. This specific teacher showed no desire to actually teach us the material and I found it very difficult to put forth effort when I felt that effort was not reciprocated. I chose to run my classroom very differently because of this experience. I make it a point to create a warm and welcoming environment and, even on my worst days, try to show excitement about what I am teaching. I believe this creates an environment that allows students to learn comfortably and efficiently. Hi there!
My name is Michaelah! I am a secondary education teacher in the central Mississippi area. I currently teach Anatomy and Physiology, which I greatly enjoy. My journey to education is quite unique and is one that is still continuing. One thing you should know about me is that I am a planner. I genuinely enjoy all things planning; planning events, planning lessons, planning my life, buying planners, all of it. When I was a senior in college at University of Southern Mississippi, I thought I had my whole life planned out. I was engaged to my high school sweetheart who is now my husband. We got married the June after I graduated and I was going to take a year off of school to work as a Physical Therapy Technician before applying to PT school. And for the most part, that all played out accordingly. The only problem was, I did not enjoy Physical Therapy. Now don't get me wrong, I loved the people I worked with and I loved my patients, but I found no fulfillment in work I was doing. It became a mundane, routine task everyday, but I kept going, because in my head, I had to see my plan to fruition. In August of the year I was working as a tech, I got a call from my old high school asking if I would serve as a paraprofessional coach for the dance team. I have been dancing my entire life and was apart of this dance team when I was in high school, so of course I accepted the position. I fell in love with the school all over again and within the course of the next three months, I was coaching, substitute teaching, and pursuing a Master's of Arts in Teaching through Southern Miss. Teaching & Technology Philosophy I immediately fell in love with teaching. From substitute teaching, to getting hired half-way through a school year, to now having completed a full year of teaching. My students are what drive me and keep me going. My teaching philosophy, though it may seem cliché, is if you respect your students, they will respect you in return. High school students are definitely that of a different bread, yet, at the end of the day, they just want to be treated like adults. Now, I am not saying that they are adults yet, as they definitely still have a lot of learn, but treating them with respect as the young adults they are earns respect from them in the long run, allowing for a functional and fun learning environment. As a person who is fairly active on social media, I think technology has greatly impacted society. The use of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkdIn, and even TikTok to stay connected, promote businesses, and even receive employment has been drastically increased in the last several years. The use of spreadsheets, technological programs, and internet is now an integral part of the workforce. Technology is ever evolving and has become classified as a 21st century skill. Therefore, the introduction and usage of these technologies should be apparent in the classroom. Personally, I use technology in various ways in my class. I have had students use google programs to create documents or slides presentations, create and edit videos demonstrating anatomical movements and terminology, and even discovered a way to prerecord lectures on Edpuzzle for when I am out of school and have a substitute. The possibilities for technology in the classroom are endless. The purpose of this blogfolio will be to hear my thoughts on technology in the classroom and to dissect reading on the same matter. I hope you enjoy reading along and following on this journey with me! |
About AuthorMy name is Michaelah Martin and I am a Human Anatomy and Physiology teacher in the Jackson Metro area. I love teaching, dancing, and DIY projects! Hope you enjoy my blog! BlogrollVictoria Parker
John Thompson Teresa Washington Marlee Orrels Gregory Sanders Elijah Morgan Michaelah Martin Courtney Blount Steven Winters Sarah Holder Brianna Hofman Jennifer Everitt Ashton Treadaway Jason Felts William Washington Carletta Hurt Paulette Vargas Kimberly Jefferson |