Reflections of a Blogger

Since the beginning of my blogging experience, I have come to realize what a great tool blogging can be. Not only do I get to express my views for the world to see, but I am able to check out fellow classmates and bloggers, seeing what they find interesting. Sometimes it can be hard for people to express their opinions and I am definitely one of those people. When I began blogging, I didn't know how to approach it or if it was really going to be worth while. Now that it is coming to a close (for now) I must say that it has been beneficial. Blogging allows me to point out key points I enjoyed in lectures and have a dialogue, even if it's with only myself.

Classrooms are a place where I can see blogs being used, especially with upper elementary students and even the teacher using it. Like websites, blogs can help keep the parents and other members of a students family in touch with the classroom. I feel like blogs help out a lot in this department because it allows the blogger to write their thoughts as if a conversation was going on. Although it is great for this use, I believe that it is still important to keep contact with the parents of the students and to not rely completely on the blog.

As we step into the future, new forms of communication are being formed and blogging is a major possibility in classrooms of all types. Whether teachers require their students to blog for an assignment or the teacher uses a blog to communicate with others about their clasroom, blogs are full of possibilities. The ease of the format and accessibility (for most) is great and allows for anyone to express opinions, thoughts, or ideas.


Check out this article for information on a teacher that uses blogs to teach composition

Alcohol, who knew it could damage your brain!

This evening our Psychology class had the opportunity to attend a lecture on the adolescent brain and alcohol. The beginning of the lecture began with the speaker, Karen Williams, explaining the brain and a bit of the anatomy that goes along with it. I found this lecture to be very informative and a great topic especially for middle school students(her intended audience). The main emphasis was on how the developing brain can be damaged when effected by alcohol.

As I sat listening to the lecture I was intrigued with the information she presented and how it was presented. I will not disagree that alcohol can have negative impacts on the brain, but I feel that the evidence provided was exaggerated and since Karen Williams is only interpreting the information, I don't know how much it is correct. So, on that note, I don't want to put down the lecture, so instead I tried to focus on the educational aspects of it, particularly her lecturing method.

The power point that Karen had was a very effective tool for the lecture. Unlike other power points that I have seen, this one had information that mainly consisted of pictures and videos. These quick videos helped to keep the audience engaged and focused on the visual kinesthetic needs of those listening. The way in which the information was presented was also very well done and it is evident that she usually talks with younger students. She was energetic and broke down concepts so that her targeted audience would be able to understand. There were a lot of analogies used which assisted in describing the concepts to a general audience.

Overall the lecture brought light the developing brain, and an unintentional example of an effective lecture. Karen demonstrated subject matter competence(though this could be argued) and audience interaction. This will be good to look back on to, especially with the great visuals she had.

Give me a second to remember... wait, what was the question?

Within the content areas of teaching, I would like to say that I have many strengths. It's hard to say that though because how much do you really know? I have learned a lot in books and what is to be done "theoretically" but is that truly enough when it comes to teaching? Over the years I have acquired a set of skills with problem solving, time-management, and even public speaking skills. Fortunately for me (and those around myself), I have been able to practice those skills in the real world and build on previous knowledge bases to get where I am at today with those skills. In teaching, it is important to be knowledgeable in your content area, especially when teaching others what you know. In our text it talks about expertise and the different expertise's with learning. I personally have a harder time with learning and comprehending things at first, but over time I am able to become more fluent with my retrieval of information. In the books section of expertise it talks of fluent retrieval and how over time one can get information out of the memory storage quicker. As I teach and become more informed of the classroom I will be able to retrieve said information more easily, as well as answer student questions about a given subject. Once you are able to get passed what I like to call the awkward stage of teaching(your first couple of years) can you truly succeed in the content areas of teaching. Of course, who am I to talk considering I am only a mere sophomore in college with no teaching experience. Yet, even though that is the case, in a sense we go through that awkward stage with any step of life and in a sense it's the initiation into the cool kids club of knowledge.

Chalk and Wire

Oh the life of a future teacher, filled with worries, tests, preparation, and... your favorite online portfolio,"Chalk and Wire!" In all sincerity, it really isn't that bad. I believe the idea is that we will use these to show future employers our wonderful ideas about teaching and the artifacts to back up our claims to fame of competencies. I definitely was confused the first day I walked into an Education class (not Ed. Psych) and heard about this. Now that every class I am in uses the system, I understand it a lot more. Although, I do wonder if these will actually be looked at in the future. I like to hope that my hard work will get checked out; this will be my motivation to make it spectacular.

It's important to understand the reasons behind teaching, ensuring that you understand why you are going into the profession. Each of the competencies that we are required to analyze brings to attention aspects of my future that I can't wait to embark on. Yet, at the same time I am freaked out by the idea that I, Sabrina, will be in charge of the minds that will go off into the world and help create everyone's future. Am I capable of doing such a big job? I like to think so at times, even if I am not getting A's on my lesson plans. Comprehending the competencies as well as putting them into practice within your classroom is the important part. I know that my classroom will be fantastic and my students will be just as great. So, thanks Chalk and Wire for creating more work in my school schedule, but helping out in the end :)

Relationships of all Sorts

Marriage is a topic that can be hard, especially when looking into the future of teaching and how that can change any path you are on. At our Monday night class for Ed. Psych. we had a wonderful speaker from Japan, Doan van Dieu, who discussed marriage as well as the role that parents play in the selection of a spouse. Dieu began by asking if in America we consider ourselves to be free to marry whomever we wish. A key thing to think about this topic is to consider the people that are influencing the choice of a spouse. Whether we like it or not, we are influenced by others, especially by our parents if they are in our lives. Dieu explained that our parents love their children and want the best for them as well as know things from experience. They(parents) are able to decide and see from an outside perspective what is right for their son or daughter.

Looking at the relationship of parents and marriage for their children, it shows how important parents are to children's lives. I definitely take advantage of my parents from time to time and the amazing help they give me with my everyday life. When I look into the future, it's hard to say what will happen in my classroom, and how involved my students parents will be. If they aren't that involved, it can be hard on that student to see how other parents interact with their child. I can only hope that in my classroom I make all my students feel loved as well as show them how adults can be positive influences in their life.