Video Reflection.

       Through the course of this class we have done many projects implementing different technology tools we have been learning about. This video essay was by far the most beneficial project we have done all semester. I enjoyed incorporating my thoughts and beliefs into technology. For the first time I had a chance to sit down and come up with my own ideas. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, I guess I just never realized the true reasons. Becoming a teacher is one of my biggest dreams. While doing this project I got to use technology the way I wanted. Now this may be easy for some but for me it wasn't. I'm not the smartest when it comes to technology. I learned how to use windows movie maker, a voice recording mechanism, incorporated background music, and scanned childhood photos into my computer all for the final outcome of this I believe video. That was difficult. It took me exactly 10 times to finally get what i wanted. I will keep this video forever. It was truly a rewarding experience I look forward to sharing with others. I only wish I could show this video to all the teachers I have had in the past so they know the impression they have left in my life. I hope one day this video can be used to show parents at open house who I am and where I come from, or I can show my class they things they can get out of life at an early age. This project was all around a great experience.

This I Believe.

I Believe

Believe.Inspire.Dream.Believe.Inspire.Dream.

        I believe that a teacher who inspires leaves an unforgettable impression. Inspiration is one thing that can’t be taught, for me it was learned. My teachers instilled meaning in my life, they inspired me. Since I can remember I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to be that person that always made me feel welcome, that person that taught me school is fun, and that person who showed me I could get through anything. Lucky for me I was fortunate enough to be inspired by every teacher who took the time to go through life’s journey with me.

         Education was never just limited to what was taught in the classroom as it shouldn’t be. Life is one big lesson. We learn from it, and we move forward. However, if life were that simple wouldn’t we all succeed? One of the most essential parts of learning is falling down and struggling to get back up that’s when we learn the most. Not only was I blessed with the most remarkable teachers but with the most loving family, and the most caring community. Every time I fell there was someone there to help me up but don’t let me fool you the climb up was never an easy climb. I learned, I learned a lot, I learned inspiration, and the people there for you at your weakest times can sometimes impact your life the most.  I believe that struggles make you stronger, and in the end life works out as it should fair or unfair.

        My struggles made me strong. They inspired me to want to teach, to mold the minds of our future with a warm and open heart, to help children face what life throws at them, just like my teacher’s did for me. School wasn’t always easy for me at one point I lost all motivation, I was in fifth grade and thought the world had just ended.

         My mom had been sick for a couple of years fighting cancer and one day her fight was up I was 10 and not ready for what life just through at me. I’ll never forget that day. I stayed home from school and watched everything unfold before me, while my dad called the school to let them know what was going on. I wasn’t alone that day my family, friends, community and teachers were right there behind me. My teachers showed up at my house on their lunch break. The support I received from my school was unbelievable. That day my teachers made a difference in my life. They showed they cared not only about reading and writing but about my brother, my dad, and I. That day I felt it, inspiration. I may not have been aware of what it meant then, but I do now. From that point on I knew I wanted to be just like them. Inspiring children to believe that they can grow, learn, and succeed even at their weakest points.

         My whole life I have been inspired to do the things I love by the people I love. I passion life and wish that one day every child can be inspired just like I was. I hope that dreams stay big and worries stay small. From this I believe that education is not limited to what is learned in a classroom but inspired by the people in it.

Open Educational Resources

OER.OER.OER.

Open Educational Resources are any resources available at little or not cost that can be used for teaching, learning, or research. They are online textbooks, course readings, lesson plans, tools, games, and many other educational documents. Tuesday's class was the first time I have ever heard of OER's.The best part about these resources is that they are free! Nothing these days are free especially when it comes to education. These links I have shared with you go in depth and explain the who, what, and whys of OER's. The best information I found about Open Educational Resources was a website that says where it all started and lists who was all involved. It was interesting to find out that it started at a college institution and grew so large. This site breaks down the different resources available making them easy to find. I Believe this might be one of the best technology advances yet, it helps me as a student, a future teacher, and researcher.

   

It's not always Bullying

            I have gone back and forth for days now searching different issues in schooling systems. I finally figured out what I wanted to share with you all. I believe this issue is looked at lightly and as a student becoming a teacher it terrifies me. As teachers we need to be aware of the surroundings, the students, the classroom, the cafeteria, and even the home lives of our students. We all think it can't happen to us, right? Wrong it can happen to anyone. Teen violence has been a distressing issue for students all around the world. But has this taught us anything, did we learn from the mistakes of other’s. Have we portrayed the image of violence enough? I want to share major events that throughout my lifetime have opened my eyes and not only frightened me but have affected communities around us all. The reason I picked this issue is not to scare one, but for one to realize it can be prevented, it can be changed. There is help out there but we must seek it. These stories and blurbs can change lives if we hear the real message being conveyed. Many of us ask ourselves why this happens, and many of us simply will never truly know the real reason. This blog post starts with massacre and ends with slaughter, crazy right! I question the fact of prevention being taught in the classroom. Are people careless because of bullying or due to other extreme issues, one thing is for sure it’s all wrong.

            When I first heard of teen violence I was young I didn’t understand the outcome of it, but these stories are shared with us to give us courage and a chance to reach out. Four to ten percent of youth have severe behavior problems and are at an increased risk for delinquency.

Students need to know they are not alone in this world. Violence is real; it is a variety of different activities such as gang violence, fighting, school shootings, suicide, bullying, dating abuse, and drug abuse. These activities are all interchangeable and can lead to the worst. The abuser is almost never the only one hurt by their uncontrollable actions. The victims are most often other teenagers their age and more often than none they end in tragedy. Teenagers who commit these violent acts are typically involved in other unhealthy behaviors or are in unfit environments to function correctly. As well as the parent it is our job as teachers to know and understand what is going on in the child’s life. As educators we ask ourselves why did this happen, what could we have done? School is the safe zone for children, they are suppose to feel safe and welcome. Unfortunately for many students these days teen violence has taken over that safe feeling and forced some kids to do the unthinkable.

           

            Columbine High School located in Littleton Colorado, a small suburban town was forever changed on April 20, 1999. It was one of the first major eye opening experiences. Two high school seniors Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris embarked on a massacre killing 12 students, 1 teacher, and sadly themselves. Heart wrenching to read those were not the only people planned to be killed that day. They wanted it to be the biggest bombing in America. When the bombs failed they started shooting at whatever was in site. These were troubled teens that were in and out of trouble with the law. They were two high school boys at war against society.  After reading the article, At last we know why the Columbine Killers did it, they shared the message that “these are not the rantings of an angry young man, picked on by jocks until he’s not going to take it anymore. These are the rantings of someone with a messianic-grade superiority complex, out to punish the entire human race for its appalling inferiority. It may look like hate, but it’s more about demeaning other people.” The boys posted on websites and had journals of things they were willing to do to take people down. The rumors about bullying here only conveyed the wrong message, these teens weren’t bullied they were depressed.

            Even though precautions were practiced regularly on February 27, 2012 another school shooting incident occurred in Chardon Ohio, at Chardon High School. The gunman TJ Lane, 17 years old attended a nearby vocational school, where he took the bus from Chardon every day. He shot at a group of students in the cafeteria, killing 3, critically wounding 2, and slightly missing 1 but nicking his ear. It was said to be an act of bullying, or a drug related matter, and even a possible brokenhearted teen however, when the gunman turned himself in he announced he brought a knife and a .22- caliber pistol to school shooting 10 rounds at random students. He admitted he was not a victim of bullying. We later found out he had a disturbing home life with abusive parents. So we wonder again who is to blame? Bullying was just an excuse that covered up the shameless acts of the past.

            Ironically in my SPED 210 class on Monday night the same day of the Chardon High School shooting we watched a movie called, Bang Bang you're Dead. This play was written to raise awareness of school violence and its causes. Through my high school career I have sat through numerous amounts of bullying prevention classes that said the same thing over and over. However I never sat through a depression awareness class or any other type of teen violence class. This movie was most influential to me. It was a script to stir up talk between students to talk about not bullying and not using violence to deal with problems. It takes you on the other side of things, the story behind the abuser.

            Teen violence is a tragedy, but we can’t always stop the bad from happening. We need ways to prevent and change the bad, we need an environment students feel safe in, we need to stop this wave from growing, and start being more cautious about the violent themes being portrayed in society. In order to prevent violence we must learn when it starts. Since teen violence has occurred in many U.S. schools they have taken many precautions. With these precautions need to be aware of the difference between the different events that happen in teens lives.We need to stop blaming bullying and start getting to the real answers.
one heart beat

Tweet. Tweet.

During class on Thursday we learned about Twitter however I already had a Twitter account. I’m not a huge fan of Twitter I usually just go on to see what other people have to say or see what a celebrity is up to, like it really matters anyway. It is a way to stay connected but aren't all social networks. Just because it keeps us connected I don't agree it's a good idea to incorporate it in schools. Some things are private and better left outside of the classroom. In my opinion Twitter as well as Face book should be. Allowing students to use Social Networks at schools could be a bigger hassle for the school. Some parents don't allow their children to use social networks, they believe there unsafe. Allowing these to be used in schools opens the door to more trouble. As a teacher the only reason I would use Twitter is to update my students on important information, but that’s what e-mail was created for, right. I would never require my students to create a twitter or face book account. Not only are some kid’s distracted by them but once some kids sign in their way to connected to sign out. Just distracting them from their school work. In my case as a student I would use it to stay connected to classmates to see when our homework is due or when the next test is, then again I could just whip my phone out and text them. With all this being said I do believe it is important to be a networked learner but on one's own time when and if they want to be. The networks are out there they just need to be consumed the right way.

Follow Up

With the recent high school shooting in Chardon Ohio my technology world is crazed. I was always against social networks like Twitter, and Face Book being allowed in the school. Having teachers or school authority see my personal information was wrong to me. However on Monday my eyes were opened to new possibilities. The alleged gunman had a Face Book and Twitter that were both taken down the day of the shooting after confessing to his actions. The night before he tweeted telling everyone that follows him he was bringing a gun to school. Now many may not have taken him seriously but if the education system saw everything on these sites would the outcome have been different would someone have taken him seriously. On Face Book about a month before the shooting he posted a poem that ended with “Die all of you” sure enough if the right person saw this they could have helped him or red some of the signs he was sending out. So not only did that day change many lives it changed my outlook of technology in education.

We Educate.

Power Point Presentation

This project was a great way to get us connected with teaching. I enjoyed finding a standard for a kindergarten class I hope to eventually be teaching one day. Finding and putting together a power point of what the class will be learning is a great way to get started. My power point was the alphabet letter A. I used a YouTube video that taught the different sounds the letter A made. It explained that letter A was a vowel, and it even gave words using the different sounds that created a catchy little song. I added  different tools  such as traceable letters so they will learn how to write letter A and lowercase a. I also added short fun little matching games to access the students after they are taught the letter A. This project really got us connected to educate.