overwhelmed in a good way...

My mind is on overload; there has been so much for me to process even in the last week. I think what is most on my mind is the concept of equity in the classroom and how technology can aid teachers in providing equal opportunities for every student in their classroom. 

I had not thought of the fact teaching all students the same way does NOT constitute equity in the classroom. In fact, it is the opposite. This should have been obvious to me, seeing as I know that all students do not learn in the same way. And now realizing that I most likely will have students with disabilities in the classroom, I need to be prepared to teach accordingly to each student. When Sara was talking about students with disabilities and how the general education teacher must be prepared to teach this student, all I could think about was how there are specific programs in order to train teachers for special education. I did not choose to be trained in this way, yet I will be expected to perform in the classroom. How will this work out?

My heart is for every student, so I am open to learning ways to attend to every students' needs. I know differentiated instruction is an area where educational technology must come in; however I feel pretty ignorant even as I am writing these words. I did a little research on the web and found some resources:

Being an Informed Consumer of Educational Technology

Assistive Technology for Children with Autism

The Alliance for Technology Access

but please post some more! I want to get into this topic and be as prepared as I can!

it's all about the students...

I cannot believe how plugged into the world of technology I have become. Wikis, twitter, blogging...my world is expanding. I have been able to connect with some edubloggers and learn from educators' tweets. A teacher from Johannesburg posts links to interactive math tools...another teacher interested in educational technology posted this description of a school in Canada that had been displaced by a tornado and reconstructed the school as follows:

"By reallocating resources and using recycled furniture, principal William Demille made a commitment to transform this new school into a universally designed environment with Speaker systems in every classroom, Smartboards, document cameras and much more. The staff and students will always feel a sense of connection after experiencing such turmoil and change. The transformation has just begun."

Then I read quotes from students that a teacher in the Bronx shared with his readers. The students lifted up their teacher and provided him/her ( I can't tell which yet :)) with encouragement. The students' comments reminded me why I am in this program, why I care about learning educational technology, why I want to learn and fight against institutional oppression, why I want to research educational reform...it's all about the students. I think it is a school's job to prepare students for a job, for higher learning, for life beyond high school. I like Dewey's idea of "filling in the gap" between students' parents and themselves. I think even in an ideal world where parents are involved in their children's lives, other adults need to step in and share their wisdom and love with the children. It's that "it takes a village to raise a child" idea. I've experienced the benefits of this "village-raising" in my own life. My parents were (still are actually) very involved in my life and sacrificed a lot for me, but without the input of my high school teachers, adults from my church, and my friends I wouldn't be who I am today. Seriously. 

So I definitely agree with Dewey when it comes to the importance of the social aspect of school. Communicating with people, learning about people's humanity-knowing and valuing our similarities and differences, and learning who we are in the process is invaluable. Through relationships in my life, I have been able to identify my strengths and weaknesses and value as a human being. Putting work into relationships develops character and selflessness which the world definitely needs more of. All of these thoughts are what would keep me from homeschooling or even putting my child in a private school. I would want my child to experience the challenges and rewards that come with being in a public school environment, especially those in areas with diverse populations. Going to school and interacting with students of all different economic, religious, and racial differences as well as differences in ability and sexual orientation. Heck, if I want my child to be sheltered. And that is what I would want for children in the U.S. 

As a teacher, I plan on creating an environment where it is safe for students to interact with each other while at the same time being themselves. I know this will take encouragement on my part as well as high expectations that are explained and upheld. I want students to learn from each other, and I think educational technology will help support my desire for students. The internet with its twittering and wikis and blogging, provides a vector for student communication. I will, of course, never forsake face-to-face discussion, but am excited to implement all that I am learning about technology in my future classroom.

reflection on my drawing...

When asked to make a list of the types of technology I would want in my future classroom and then draw this classroom, I immediately cringed. First of all, I hate drawing. Second of all, I am not that versed in technology. I mean, I am a product of this generation so I do my fair share on a computer, on a cell phone, and with a digital camera. But I have never thought of technology in a classroom, and as a student in my high school did not experience much technology in my learning. Needless to say, my drawing did not include much technology. I drew a Macbook pro, a stereo system, a record player, and a projector and a screen.

I am familiar with Macs and love all the software that comes with the computer. As an English teacher, I would love to use sources from Youtube and poetry site. I had a professor that showed us videos and links of people reading their poetry which gave us insight into the reading of the poem. Making a text visual and audible is very powerful for a student. 

I really want to be able to show films that challenge students' thinking and also supplement the novels we will read. Reading films as a text provides a different view of what a text is. I would use the projector and sound system for this purpose. 

The sound system would also be used for the music unit I want to include in my teaching. I want to extend my poetry unit to include music and wold love to play old records for my students. The quality of records give a certain feel to the sound of music. 

I also hope to teach mathematics but have not experienced any technology in teaching math. I am so open and feel privileged to have the opportunity to learn my options for technology in my future classroom. I already feel confident that I am going to use the text polling activity in the future. I am sure that after this course my list of technology is going to grow; hopefully, I will not have to draw it. :)