pura vida

There are many different goals that I have in regards to advancing my professional development in technology.

The first thing I am going to do and am in the process of doing is to make a list of my favorite websites according to their category. For instance, I am making a category for website related to social studies that I think are good websites to use as references. I am also doing the same for Spanish. Having these website on hand will save me a great deal of time in looking them up.

I would also like to be involved in some organizations that can keep me up to date with technological advancements or teaching techniques using technology. I am still learning about finding these organizations for teachers, but I will definitely consider the websites mentioned in class.

I really like working with technology so I might end up taking some classes that would possibly be information students will learn in school. I think in the near future there will be classes specifically for learning computer programs and I would like to be able to teach one of those classes.

I feel that I am fairly proficient using power point, excel, word processors, and the web which are great tools for education, but I want to be able to use them in a very timely manner. That is to say that I do not want to waste all of my time trying to figure out computer programs. I love the use of tutorials for this purpose and I would like to get a membership to the tutorial website used in class or something equivalent.

Finally, a great deal of my professional development in this area will be directly related to the advancements in technology in the school district where I will work. I will work to be as technologically proficient as the school room allows me to be. I will, however, be involved in trying to get grants for technology in my classroom.

These are some of the ways that I plan on advancing my professional development in the area of educational technology.

Title: Martin Luther King, Jr. A True Historical Examination
Curriculum Area: Social Studies
URL: http://www.martinlutherking.org/

Authority: No Author and No E-mail that I could find.
Affiliation: It is unclear what institution supports this information
Objectivity: The page contains extreme bias.
Audience: The content is not appropriate for my audience.
Currency: Information has not been revised since 1998 or no date can be located.
Content: The information on the page does not relate to my objectives.
Web Site Design: The web site is difficult to read

This is a very poor rating for a web sight. However, when I looked for this site in a google internet search I found it third on the list which is very disturbing. Mainly because it is supposedly an organization website, and yet I could not find any real affiliation the website has with any established organization. Also, there is no e-mail on the site so there is no way of contacting the author. While there is some documentation of sources the author also adds extremely biased opinions that he/she gives absolutely no account for.

The only representation of this website is that it is hosted by Stormfront which is a forum for the White Nationalist Community whose slogan is White Pride World Wide. It is most likely that this organization is a white supremacy group whose sole aim is to tare down advances toward a multicultural and accepting society in the United States and around the world.

The fear is of course that students who access this site might put to much stock in its accuracy which of course is extremely questionable. One reason students might believe the information is valid is because it is a .org site which usually means the information is more trustworthy since it is not a personal web site. Also, the site does use documentation, and students may not realize how narrow the representation of those documents might be and that the site admittedly adds detailed information that has no base. However, if students learn to follow the criteria for getting information from good websites, then they will quickly find out what information is more trustworthy.

There are benefits and disadvantages to learning on line.

Learning through online courses can be really beneficial because it allows a student to take any course they would like without having to worry about whether it will fit into their busy schedule. In addition, if a student knows they will have to travel at some point during the course session they can still take the class. Another nice feature of most online classes is that due dates for assignments are usually always due at the end of the course week which allows the student not to be quite as stressed about trying to fit assignments into their busy schedule. As far as learning is concerned, the student is asked to learn independently. The benefit is that students have to put more work into the subject and it helps to solidify the material.

However, there are some disadvantages to taking online classes. One is that many students think that online classes will be easier. This is a myth. Usually, they are more difficult because one cannot ask a teacher in the moment they have a question to clarify something they don’t understand. Also I have found on the whole that some online classes have taken more time than traditional classes. This largely depends on how much a particular teacher demands. If a teacher demands as much “homework” in an online class as in a traditional class then it is likely that the online class will demand more of the student’s time. One of the hardest things about an online class is that if the directions are flawed, misleading, or difficult to follow then students may spend an exorbitant amount of time trying to understand them and learn incorrectly. They don’t know that they are learning incorrectly because there is no one to let them know they have misunderstood the direction.

In order for an online class to be successful their needs to be excellent feedback from the teacher, directions need to be clear, and teachers need to be assessable if the student comes to an impasse. Also, a student must be self motivated and well disciplined.

The first most important application a student should be able to use is a word processor. I would suggest Microsoft Word, but most of the word processors are fairly similar so understanding one can expedite learning another. This application is important because it allows one to publish many different kinds of written works. The outcome is neat and can be stored on file. It can be a real help for those who struggle with spelling and still want their writing to be professional.

The second most important application one should be familiar with is Windows. Knowing how to manage a micro-computer is going to be an essential skill in the near future. Knowing how to manage windows will help one install new programs, save and access files, and do maintenance on the computer.

The third most important application one should be familiar with is how to use a web browser. One of the most common ones is Internet Explorer. Knowing how to use a browser correctly can help one manage internet activities. Internet activities have become vital for so many individuals and managing the internet browser can save a person a lot of inconvenience and time.

The fourth application that I think a person should know how to use is Power Point. Power Point is such a great tool that can be used in so many different contexts and does a great job. One can present information to colleagues at work with it. Power Point is often used to give presentations at churches, weddings funerals, and other gatherings. Power Point files can also be sent over the internet so that individuals can communicate through multimedia presentations

Finally the last application that a person should be familiar with is excel. Excel is a great program that also one to take information and do quick analyses that my take a long time if done by hand. One can use the program to create charts as well. A common use of this program is to use it to run budgets. Teachers can use the program to manage grades. This program has so many uses that it can really apply to just about anyone’s needs.

The reason I placed these applications in this order is because I feel that the applications that a person uses most often in everyday life and work should be the program with the most emphasis.

When teaching these programs in schools, teachers can began at a very early grade level. Many of the processes involved in these programs are very logical and young students, even as young as the first grade, will be able to handle some of these programs. However, I think that teachers in the elementary levels should use the programs to incorporate into their lessons and only teach those skills that are essential to the assignments given. When students are in Middle and High School they should be taught more of the networking of these systems.

Dealing with tragedy in a young persons life is a very difficult process. I feel very inadequate at this point to say that I have any idea of how to deal with it. I think I can always say that above all else students want to be listened to. Sometimes not knowing what to say and not saying anything at all is the perfect response. Students should feel supported and comforted. Knowing your students is key. Many kids might not want to talk about something that is really bothering them at school with other kids around while other students may feel like they need to talk about tragedy in order to deal with it. Teachers should try to cultivate a atmosphere of acceptance in their classrooms so that if a tragedy does take place students feel safe around their peers. Age appropriateness is also important. One can know if the subject matter is appropriate by determining how sensative the subject matter is and how mature the students are. If students are mature enough to enter into meeningful and balanced dialog, they are probably mature enough to handle it, but if talking about the subject causes students to clam up, become upset, or get angry it is likly that the topic or teaching moment is not appropriate
These are the ideas I have about how teachers should deal with tragedy in the classroom, but I have many questions concerning this. I would aprreciate any idea related to this subject.