All people should be enriched and enlightened by receiving an equal, fair and quality education. The knowledge gained from educational technology encourages and promotes intelligent and responsible citizens to function, contribute, and adapt in a society that is continuously changing. The opportunity that I have as an educator is significant in the development of one’s skills, attitudes, appreciations and disciplines necessary for building one’s future. As an educator, I believe that it is through dedication and commitment to help build a bright future and strong community.
A few years ago, I took an enjoyable and interesting science class in college. The instructor of that class was the best teacher I have ever had. I did not particularly care much for science until I had his class. I realized that I loved science and had much appreciation for it. I learned so much. It was how he presented his lessons. He made science enjoyable and fun for me. I actually looked forward to his class. He integrated technology, had us do many hands-on activities and put so much expression/emotion into his teaching. You could tell that he truly loved his job and it never bothered him to answer my questions. Every now and then, when I look at a tree, I think about him and the knowledge I have gained.
I cannot even remember my worst teacher’s name, but I can picture his face. He was a science teacher that I had in the ninth grade. He would lecture and lecture without doing any hands-on activities and no technology was involved except for an overhead projector. His voice was always mono-toned and he never used expression. I was constantly bored in his class. I determined right then that I did not like science.
Both teachers had a big impact on me in how to and not to teach. It is somewhat funny that both my best and worst teacher taught the subject science. This was an eye-opener for me. Since the ninth grade, I did not like science. I just thought science was so dull and boring. However, after taking the college science class, I realized how much I love science. His method of teaching inspired me. I believe that teachers have a strong impact on their students especially after having experienced it myself. I realize that students respond differently. I try to take into consideration what styles/methods of teaching relate best with my students. I integrate technology into my lessons to help with this. My goal is not only to engage all my students into learning, but also to have them truly learn something and that they have enjoyed it along the way. I want to be the teacher that will be remembered.
I tend to lean more towards the Constructivist point of view. I like to provide a learning environment in a real-world setting. I also prefer learning environments that support collaborative construction of knowledge through social negotiation, not competition among learners for recognition. I try my best to serve more as a facilitator and keep my learning environment student-centered rather than teacher-centered. I always encourage higher-level thinking.
I am a teacher because I like helping people. I like to be the center of things and make things happen. This is the main reason why I am taking this technology class and striving to become a librarian. I believe the librarian is the center of the school. I like the thought of being in the middle of all the students/teachers/administrators. I feel like my personality will allow me to help all those in need. Whether a teacher needs help on the computer or a student needs help in researching his report, I want to be able to provide them with assistance.
I teach with one purpose in mind. This purpose is to have all my students become successful learners. I want my students to know that I truly care about them. It makes me happy knowing that my students like my class and that they are engaged in learning. I am the type of person who likes to get it right. If something I teach is not a success the first time, I will re-teach it another way. Using technology for educational purposes is great for this. I try to make it fun for my students. I believe that I teach like this because I put myself in my students’ shoes. I never liked school if the lesson was dull/boring or the teacher was mean/uncaring of his/her students.
Being a caring teacher is what makes one great. If a teacher cares, he/she will put the effort in planning quality lessons that will engage the students. In addition, he/she will listen to the students, hearing what they have to say. From the experiences that I had as a student, the teachers that cared enough about me to actually stop, look and listen to me made the most positive impact. I want my learners to gain knowledge, respect and a love for learning. If I achieve this, I feel like I have succeeded as a teacher.
The reason I choose the teaching strategies that I use is to hopefully accomplish the goal of my students remembering and comprehending the lessons. I want my students to be able to remember what we did in class a month ago. I want the lessons to be remembered rather than forgotten. The types of lessons that get my attention are those that fully engage the learners. I like to choose hands-on assignments that are modeled first by the teacher. I like my students to know what is expected and how to carry out the assignment while enjoying it. Synonyms for “teacher” that accurately describe what I believe myself to be are caring, friendly, patient, goal oriented motivator, success driven, and educator.
I incorporate technology in many ways. I integrate technology into my lessons. I have taught the hardware and software components to my students. We use evaluated websites when learning curriculum. For example, one of the websites my kindergarten students use is: www.starfall.com when we go to the computer lab twice a week. This is an excellent site for learning the alphabet letters and their sounds. I use an LCD video projector to model how to use software and the internet. I have used United Streaming for viewing educational and informational videos. I have taken my students to NASA without having to actually go there by the way of video conferencing. I have used an ELMO document camera for viewing books and manipulatives. I use the traditional overhead projector to model writing and phonemic awareness activities. I have also used the Fly Pen for basic counting and math.
I realize that there are so many educational technology tools that I have not yet used. I understand and value the importance of educational technology and what it can provide me and to my learners. Providing a meaningful and quality education is what is important for our future, our community and all of us. Therefore, I strive to gain knowledge and better myself as an educator and learner through discovering new ways to incorporate educational technology.
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