What do 1st yrs need to know before coming down? Where to start....
First of all, I want to say that I am very excited for the first years. They are about to get rocked!! (in a good way, of course!) MTC has been a wonderful experience for me so far, and I am going to try to give some suggestions that will help the first years think the same:
- MEET PEOPLE - the way MTC is set up, you have the opportunity to meet a lot of people around your same age, education level, and that have at least some similar interests. You get to spend the summer with them and they will be your biggest allies when the year gets started. Creating a support system for yourself (and tapping into the ones you already have in place) is key. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Things will happen to you that you can't believe have ever happened before, but I guarantee they have happened to someone in the program. ASK, LISTEN, TALK, MAKE FRIENDS......
- ENJOY SUMMER - summer is AWESOME. It is busy, and sometimes you may think you couldn't possibly be more tired. Believe me, you can be, and you will be. Get out and play frisbee or BEACH VOLLEYBALL and have fun!!
- TAKE BREAKS - During the year, it is very important to take mental-health days. Take a day off and use it for YOU. Go visit a friend, go check out the Delta or Tunica or Memphis. Go shopping. Do something different from school. Teaching is a 24/7 job. Every now and then, you need to take a break and remind yourself that teaching isn't ALL you do! (My principal says "sick" days can be used if you are just "sick of the kids"...I agree)
- KEEP AN OPEN MIND - Don't come into this thinking you know the way things need to be done. Try new approaches, try suggestions, and keep an open mind as much as possible. Being willing to change things that aren't working is crucial to success, especially in this profession. Also, don't be too hard on yourself. A lot of people that get into this program have never had to deal with a challenge like the one they are about to encounter, and you will make mistakes. You will get tired, and you will feel like you aren't making the difference you set out to make. Remember that things can and will get better (if you're willing to try new things), you ARE making a difference, and you are here for a reason. Enjoy it and TALK TO SOMEONE (a 2nd year, your mentor, Ben, Ann, SOMEONE) if you are having a bad day.
- GET INVOLVED - I coached all three main seasons in the year. I coached two sports I have very little experience in and one that I have a ton of experience in. All three seasons were SO much fun and made me love my job even more. It is so awesome to get to know some of the students outside the classroom, and it kept me sane when I thought all I was doing was classwork. If you're not into sports, help out with a club or drama or start something. It is helpful for you AND the kids - they need and want things to be involved in. Even if you think it will take up too much time, try it. Yes, you have very little time as it is, but it really helped me out so much.
- STAY ON TOP OF TASKS - When stuff gets backed up and you feel like you're buried under paperwork, it is much easier to get stressed and feel like all you do is teach, grade, lesson plan..... Find a way to maximize your time and DELEGATE responsibilities whenever possible. I didn't learn this one until the middle of the year, but it helps so much! Why do everything yourself when there are people willing to help! (Be careful with which tasks you delegate, though...some things shouldn't be out of your hands and/or will not be done with high quality...stick to handing out the menial tasks that just take time!)
- SMILE
According to Hooper and Reiber, educational technology can often be misunderstood and misconstrued in a classroom. The purpose of educational technology is to place the student at the center of learning; the student “becomes the subject rather than the object of education.” We have talked in class in many different ways about how children learn the best when they are doing a majority of the work, rather than the teacher. The type of teaching that supports this model the best is one where the teacher does all their work ahead of time, preparing the lesson and searching out programs and websites for their students, and the students do all the work and exploration during class.
Cognitive tools support Hooper and Reiber's model of educational technology because they can be used to advance the learning of the student in less time. The student can become familiar with and use these tools to do all the mindless tasks for them. They do not have to waste their time with basic set-up tasks, and they can spend their time learning and exploring. They also get to take learning at their own speed.
There are many ways that this model could be used in a classroom for a lesson, and there would be many benefits of doing so. If you have not yet reached the evolution stage (which none of us have), and are faced with trying to overcome the deficit of technology in a classroom, chances are the students would welcome some variety in the instruction. This model also gives them more opportunity to get hands-on work and to have their own successes to be proud of. An example of a lesson that I designed with this model in mind was the lesson I did on transformations. It required the use of our computer lab for two days (could have been longer), and some preparation on my part of the sites used. The students were paired up with the task of completing several different transformations on a virtual geoboard. The computer programs used provided the questions for learning and reflection and allowed maximum time for the students to be thinking. They did not have to put together geoboards to create the transformations, and they were able to complete the lessons on their own time. This is a major benefit of Hooper and Reiber's model of educational technology.
II.
Educational technology is making its way into the K-12 classroom and succeeding because it is so important in today's society. You could be a very intelligent person and be under qualified for a job if you are unable to perform basic to complex skills on a computer. For a child to learn and use these skills on a regular basis early on, they will have more marketability in the job market later on in life. Schools are integrating technology slowly but surely in Mississippi. My school has spent quite a bit of money on technology this year, and it seems to be helping some students that may otherwise have trouble in a classroom.
One reason that educational technology is failing in classrooms is because a lack of knowledege about some of the programs available and, a lot of times, a lack of money and existence of technology. When plenty of technology is present, I think it can fail because of overuse or inappropriate usage of it. Teachers may use it as a copout or a babysitter for their students and not monitor that it is being used for the right reasons.
In my particular classroom, very little would have to change in the big picture to reach the type of success with educational technology that Hooper and Reiber are talking about. As it is, I would say my classroom is at the integration level, and at times approaching the reorientation level. My students have access to calculators, graphing and scientific, and computers on a daily basis. I have access to all of those, projectors, a digital document viewer, a mimio, and more. I consider myself very lucky to have all of these tools available to me, but I think sometimes I have so many to choose from that I do not utilize all of them to their fullest potential. Some lessons could be enhanced with the use of a particular technology, and I may not even think of it because I have gotten in the habit of using another one. I think it will be much easier for me to adequately plan for lessons using all my technology and tools next year having a year of experience to draw back on.
