When I begin my student teaching I will treat student teaching as if I am a staff member at the school, being paid to teach the class. I would try to stay away from the teaching style that I had observed because the class was not creative in any sense. The teacher would feed the students the answers, and the students were expected to remember them. I would want to allow my students to find the answers themselves. I would have them do independent or group research so that they can find the answers for themselves, and they are getting something out of the lesson. I would try to incorporate technology in my class as well. I feel that technology helps keep the students attention because it is something that they are not acclimated to having in the classroom, and it can be something that they can look forward to. I want it to be a learning experience for me as well as an enjoyable experience for the students. School should be fun for students, and I would be there to teach them, and help them have fun.

Once I graduate from Susquehanna and start my first teaching job, staying on top of the latest trends on education and technology will probably be the hardest thing for me to do. Technology is changing every day, so that makes it harder already to stay informed of changes in technology. With all the work I will have in teaching, it will make it even harder. One way that I believe can help me stay on top of the latest trends is by talking to other teachers. One of the best ways to learn about teaching, is learning from your piers. You can talk to other teachers by going to workshops, talking to teachers in your school face to face, or by researching blogs on the internet. Another way to stay up on trends is to see what is new in technology. Wired is a good magazine for the advancement in technology. Just because something is not created with education in mind, does not mean that i cannot be used in education. Teachers can use creativity with new technologies and implement them in their classroom. Another way to stay on top of the trends of technology in education is by visiting other schools. You might be able to visit another school that may be more advanced technology wise then your school. There is also the chance that you visit a school who is in the same boat as your own.

ShiftHappens

The video "shifthappens" was an eye opening experience for me. It helped me realize that our country is not emphasizing education as much has other countries in the world. To hear that China will be the largest English speaking country in the world, and that more chinese students took the English AP exam was astonishing, and is not right. I believe that our country should be spending more money on education, because it will help every other aspect of our lives if people are educated.

I feel that my role as a teacher is increasing day by day. With the status of our country today, I feel the problem is in education, because the people are not recieving the best education they can get because schools are underfunded, and under resourced. I feel that teachers have a major role because the future of our country depends on the education of students. If no one becomes educated, then no one will know how to deal with problems in our country, and therefore our country would not be a "superpower" any more.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhnWKg9B2-8