Thinking Differently, Doing Differently

The teacher inside of me was touched and changed by what I saw. The last video (seminar) was very touching. What a great way to be honored as an educator. I think the best part was the student in the beginning introducing him because his teacher had clearly touched him. Being a teacher myself it is very rewarding to have students say positive things about what you are doing. It is essentially what "makes it all worth it". Teaching has been one of the hardest jobs I have ever done. I definitely did not go into this profession thinking it would be easy but I really did not understand exactly what I was getting into. It is hard work. It is not only physically tiring but also mentally exhausting. I am challenged everyday by my students and even though at the end of the week I feel like I could sleep for a week every minute is worth it especially when you have positively influenced even just one child. I LOVED the advice his wife gave him before he started "Love your students and they will love you". It is something that I will take with me and share with my fellow colleagues.

After watching the second video, I felt a mix of things. It would be typical to say I was shocked but I am not. Some of the facts presented have been true about me at some point in my life. I also think that my students could agree with some also. It is so easy to get caught up in our own little worlds. Having the opportunity to go to school or buy a $2,000 laptop and not think anything about it. What about the world around us? Those that do not have nor will ever have the opportunity to spend 3 hours a day on facebook. And what about those that make less then $1 a day? How are we going to solve problems like poverty or war? After watching this and thinking about it I feel sad. Sad that this is the world we live in. I really enjoyed watching this clip because it has got me thinking. I mean I probably will never have the answer to solving poverty or world hunger but at least I can become more proactive about things that should matter. Maybe spend less time on facebook and more time helping those in need. I will be re-showing this video to my students. Most will probably not be affected but it may just get them thinking. And even if it only touches or changes the life of one student it would be time well spent.

Words are extremely powerful. Whether written or spoken they make the world in which we live go round. The second and third videos are prime examples of influencing the world through spoken and written words. This leads me to mention the first video, which was a great testament to words especially as they relate to this class. Not only is it a testament to words but also how we use the Internet all together. It has reminded me to be more cautious as to what I write and do especially on the Internet. These videos have been simple reminders that computers are machines but can be very influential especially noting how they have already changed the world.


Some sites worth exploring:
1) Schoology.com or edmodo.com...For any teachers that want to get their class online. This is set up so that the student can submit and see assignments. Schoology has an amazing gradebook and edmodo is set up very similar to facebook! It is simple and a great way for kids to keep up with their work.

2) Box.net...if you are looking for a flash drive online this is a great site. I use this for kids who do not have a flash drive. t holds their information. You get about 5 GB free and you can pay to use more!

3) Glogster.com...If you want to give your students a new way to present information (or if you want to prevent information) this site is a neat source. You can design and create pages that are colorful and creative.