All Good Things Must Come to an End

As I look back at this class and think of all that I have learned I feel a mix of emotions. I am very excited about all the possibilities that lay in my future, but I am also sad to see this class end. (and that's not just lip service)

I have gained so much knowledge and now have so many practical ideas about how to use technology in my classroom. I am no longer intimidated by the prospect of creating a movie or a website. I now know how to create a podcast, and, what's more, I know how useful podcasts will be. I know what is and what is not copyrighted and how to keep from plagiarizing information. And I know that if I have to create another PowerPoint presentation that I am likely to scream.

I honestly do not believe that there was one negative aspect to this course. We have worked hard all the while enjoying the process. And, best of all, I know that even if I forget some of the information that I have learned, I have documents in place to secure my memory. This class has been filled with practical information, and I greatly appreciate that.

Classroom Accomodations

As a mother I know that my twin boys are completely different from one another, and if this pregnancy is any indicator at all, their baby brother, Charlie, will be different from the twins. As a future teacher I know that none of my students will be alike as well. It is interesting to me that we have the word "normal" in our vocabulary, because not one distinct thing can be described as "normal". Our "normal" body temperature is supposed to be 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. When I tell the nurse that mine is always 96.8 degrees I am told, "Oh, that's normal." But I thought it was normal to be 98.6. A baby in his mother's womb has a normal heart beat of 130-180 beats per minute. That's a 50 beat range. But anywhere in that range is normal. Huh? That just doesn't make sense.

Nor does it make sense to suggest that students that have different learning needs are abnormal. Every child has slightly different learning needs. I need for my instructor to be quiet long enough for me to think. My friend who is dyslexic needs all the instruction she can get. I need to either wear my glasses or a football helmet. Some other student might need an interpreter. There are so many different needs that it can be difficult to prepare for each possible one.

In fact, I do not believe that we can prepare for each need our students will posses. But I do believe that we as teachers can learn how to think on our feet when assessing these student needs. And I also believe that we can be tactful in presenting these aids to our students. Imagine how it would have hurt 10 year old Mandy's feelings to be told "Mandy. I see you forgot to wear your glasses. Again. Here wear this football helmet." Nor do I think that a dyslexic student would love for the teacher to write every word backwards on the board. We must be both sensitive to the need and to the method in which these needs are met.

Rubrics and Checklists

Rubrics. It is a word that I have heard for quite some time, but I had no clue what it meant. Little did I know that it referred to the criteria set to grade a student's work. Now I can completely see the usefullness in creating a rubric. Not only will it make work easier to grade, it will also keep me as a teacher from letting personal bias from affecting the student's grade. (Not that I will ever be bias...)

All that being said, I feel like a rubric can perhaps be a little too regimented for my tastes. I currently prefer the Checklist. A list of things that must be accomplished in order to receive full points. The checklist is broken down into sections, and each section has a number of total points available. Complete each item in that section of the checklist and the full point potential for that section will be received. Complete each item on the checklist and receive full points for the project.

I have checklists for every aspect of my life. Child count: Conner (check) Oz (check) Charlie (check). Is everyone wearing pants? Okay. We're good to go to church. Grocery Checklist: Diapers (check) Milk (check) Malt Liquor (check). Okay we've got it all now we can leave. Checklists are already a huge part of me, so the idea of checklists and teaching just makes me happy.

Project Based Learning Samples

I already knew that if we could make education more tangible for our students then it would actually excite them and maybe even stick in their little minds, but I did not know that this concept was the central focus of Project Based Learning. Imagine my excitement when we were told that we were going to create our own PBL unit and then actually create the project!

For my PBL unit I have decided to have the children become Roller Coaster Engineers. They will create Roller Coasters on funderstanding.com. Then they will create a PowerPoint presentation under that guise that they are presenting their roller coasters to a theme park and must rate each roller coaster for safety, function and thrill level and decide which roller coaster is the best.

Creating the project myself was a great way to get all of these ideas that have been floating around in my head and making those ideas a tangible thought. I think that I have stretched my PowerPoint skills and I know that my students will learn some science, math and computer skills in this exercise.

Making Connections

I never realized that I was such a law breaker. Me. A model citizen turned hardened criminal. What did I do that was so horrible? I infringed on copyright law. I shamelessly played Disney videos to innocent children. I carelessly handed out mass copies of my sister's wedding video that was filled with stolen songs. I even made a Christmas gift out of Christmas songs I captured off of YouTube. Yes. I have done many things that I am not proud of.

But I have learned the error of my ways. Through this Module I have learned what is and what is not acceptable, and I have found several websites that will allow me to use their information for free. I have also learned how to document the information that I use to prevent plagiarism. Perhaps now my boys will not have to see their mother in those all to familiar (and way too unflattering) horizontal black and white stripes behind steel bars.

PowerPoint Quiz

We were charged with the task of creating a quiz using PowerPoint, and I really enjoyed this assignment. It forced me to really understand how PowerPoint works, and it caused me to think more about my unit. Although there were some frustrating moments, like when I couldn't make my links work correctly, I was able to work out each problem without having to ask for help. It would have been very helpful to have been able to attend the lab day last Wednesday, but since I was too sick to make it I was relieved that it all worked out!

Project Based Learning Publication

I had a love/hate relationship with this project. I loved that it made me learn more about Project Based Learning, and I loved I was using PBL while doing a PBL project. I even loved the whole creative process involved. But I did not like, I might even say hate, trying to format my newsletter on MS Word. I never have been able to get Clip Art to move around the way I want it to. It doesn't have to be that hard! I worked on my high school yearbook staff and it was so easy to move around pictures. Why can't Microsoft make this easy, too?

Even though I was very frustrated, once I totally gave up using Clip Art I caught myself smiling. Let's hope I'm still smiling when Dr. Shumack gives me back my grade!