Technology In the Classroom

I believe that technology is becoming a more prominent and helpful form teaching in the classroom everyday. I want to be able to use it the most effective way I can in my classroom.

First off I feel like blogs and google documents will be a good way to keep my classroom organized and keep the parents involved. I will use the blogs by making daily posts on activities in the classroom and the progress of the children. I will also use it to keep my parents updated on upcoming events so they can be prepared. I will leave room for comments and discussions on it and so the parents can be involved in what their children are learning everyday. The google documents I will use to organize my classroom and the spreadsheets I can use for schedules. Google documents and email can be a means of talking to the parents in a more private way in case they have personal issues in which they want to speak to me privately about if they cannot call me or speak to me in person.

I want to use to Education podcasts to listen to and hopefully learn more and more new teaching techniques everyday.

As far as applying technology to the classrooms i'll do my best to create programs and lessons and projects that they can do on the computer. I can find educational games that can help to advance their reflexes and critical thinking skills. Videos and tapes and songs will be involved as well.

How I Plan to Contribute to This World as a Special Education Teacher

I am very excited about gettin my degree in Special Education. It is something I have had a passion for for a very long time. As the need for special education teachers grow, I think more and more about how I am going to contribute to it.

I plan on devoting as much time to my kids as needed. Whatever is needed to make sure that they are excelling everyday and making progress I will do it. These kids are amazing to me and I love to see how much potential they have to be the best they can be and I want to do my part in making sure that happens. On top of being just a regular teacher I would like to create a summer program whereever I live in which students can come to during the week and make sure that they keep up to speed with everything they have learned. The summer, as relaxing and amazing as it can be, can also put a damper on any child's learning progression. If they have a place in which they can come on a regular basis to make sure that they do not get "rusty" and lose these skills, I will believe it will be much easier for them to excel later in life. I also understand that parents work a lot in the summer and may not get the same breaks their children do and it can be difficult for them to find someone to take care of their kids everyday when they are not around. I want to provide a safe and educational place in which the parents can trust to leave their children during the summer and know that they are gettin the attention that they need and deserve.

Dr. Strange's Class

My time in Dr. Strange's class has really made me think about how I want to organize my classroom. I have come up with many ideas on how I want to involve technology in my classroom and teaching strategies. Though getting the students involved in technology will be a little more difficult with special education, I feel it is an important part of their learning process. Thanks to Dr. Strange's class I have the tools on a computer that I can use in my classroom as a future teacher.

My Personal Philosophy on Teaching

I believe that ALL children have the right to go to school and get an education no matter what their status is. Learning is an important part of life and without it our world would not progress the way it does. Every child should be treated fairly and given the same opportunities as everyone else. I want to be able to make an impact in children's lives and help the to learn and grow as a person and student. I want to be a teacher that helps maximize a student's ability to learn and live in the real world and be able to take whatever comes their way. In my case, special education students need to be abl to help take care of themselves and be able to have a job after high school if possible and be able to be efficient at it.

Why I want to be a Special Education Teacher

I can honestly say I was never completely sure what I wanted to do in life until about my senior year in high school. I have always had a passion for special education and the students involved. They have always brought joy to my heart and I really enjoyed spending time with them. For the longest time though, I ONLY thought it was a passion I had. My senior year, I spent every morning on school days at and elementary school where I was considered a "student teacher" in several different classes that I spent time in. Then when I would go back to my high school I spent another part of my day with the students in the special education classes. The more time I spent with them and in my teaching internship, the more I excited I got about becoming a teacher. I love being involved in students' lives and I want to be able to make an impact on how they live and learn in life.