RSS Reflection

I didn't know anything about Google Reader and omg! It's such an interesting tool to find very useful articles, webs, blogs,... and besides, it is really easy!

While we are studying in the University of the Basque Country we are told that a teacher has to be learning every time, renewing his/her knowledge and trying to adapt it to the days in which we are living.

Definitely, Google Reader offers you this chance and I am sure that I am going to take advantage of it. Some years ago, you couldn't find so much information in your house (the Internet) but now you don't have to go too far to improve as a teacher!

Do you know which one is the worst thing about Google Reader? That it is too easy to suscribe to blogs and in this moment I have a bunch of them waiting to be read...

But don't worry! I will read them in order to enrich my knowledge, my view of the education and my ways to get the Standards.

Assistive Technologies

First of all, you will be wondering why I had so many links when I was supposed to provide three of each one... To tell you the truth, it wasn't fair to show only three when I was watching plenty of them.

I am 20 years old and I will graduate on September. Too early to start working in my point of view. I want to study another degree in order to broad my options to work and I have been always concerns about this students that are not able to do everything that they would like to do only because they are limited genetically, because an accident,...

So, this project was a good way to start studying one of my possible next degree and taking into account the importance of this links, I believe that it would be a good resource for those that they want it!

http://www.cinchcast.com/jayadgasteiz/100100

Balkan's Wars in the Internet

I am really keen on this great and conflictive region of Europe and probably is one of the best way to teach American children European geography and history, as it is a really interesting topic, which undoubtedly is going to make bigger the curiosity of the students.

Besides, I learned of my father the helpfulness of a wiki, so interesting and useful that we can build an empire of wisdom! Bearing this in mind, the mixture between an amazing topic and a great resource can make this project very appealing.

Moreover, working in small groups as we will do with this project can improve the efficience of the learning process.

And of course, everything based on the standards. Balkan's wars can be included in the fifth Standard in the Social studies area from 6th to 9th grade, inside the World Civilization and History section.

The standards, my classroom and my self

Contents, standards and the teacher. These could be the greatest components in the teaching process. Like the Three Musqueteers they can't go in their own, because otherwise they will loose some fights, they won't compenetrate as well as they know...

The same happens to us, but with slight differences. We have to use the Standards because Education tell us to do so in order to be taken on and we consider the standards as a great resource to plan our lessons. So there is no point in ignoring them.

I understand that some parents can be quite reluctant about our work and if we follow the standars or not,... I understand their worries so that I must tell them to come to my classroom and I will be happy to meet them, listen to their questions and take into account any suggestion that they have.

Are the parents D'Artagnan?

Internet safety and classroom rules

As you have already heard me, I am very concerned about the importance of the Internet in its whole consequences, so I think it's fundamental to teach students to use it properly.

For these reason, I believe that after starting to ask them to make something in their own we should proved them some clues to use it properly such as don't providing many personal information, avoid chatting with strangers,... We have plenty of situations that children should be aware of, so it is our responsibility to help them.


Besides, as for the classroom rules it is proved that the imposted rules are better to have a disciplined classroom but the classroom that establishes them 'democratically, can work better, as children believe that they are part of it (as they have set the rules).

http://www.cinchcast.com/jayadgasteiz/100096

Teacher Updating!!

As the magazines, websites, expositions,... the teachers must update themselves periodically. We can update our teaching skills and methodology, our use of the voice and especially, the knowledge of a topic, class, lesson, detail,...

Technology is one of the most important knowledge that a teacher can have and I am very proud of my level of it. Technology can help us to improve the efficiency of our work: it can make the learning process easier, funnier, more rewarding,...

I have already had a good command of Word, Power Point and Excel, so that these resources will be important in my lessons.

But I am glad to tell you that what I did learn in EdTech 202 is a good base on Monkey Survey, Cinch, Voki, Blogger, Delitious,... I believe that we can take advantage of this huge variety of resources.

However, I need to improve my skills with the computer in order to work faster and easier, and what I really need to improve is how to handle with Portfolio. Hopefully, I will get it by the time.

This is what technologically I can offer the children as a teacher. Moreover, I am really curious about every new method of teaching. What for? To be a better teacher.

Let's Update!

http://www.cinchcast.com/jayadgasteiz/97202

My opinion of the technology in the class

Dear parents,

In these days in which the most important discussion in the education is the presence (or the lack of it) of digital and technological resources in the Net, I am not going to feed this bulk, as I believe that we are forgetting something essential: the quality of the education.

I am not from the United States, but at least, in the Basque Country, I see every kind of behavior faults, loss of important values,... and this decrease of the children's behavior is directly related to parents' work and the presence of the new technologies.

I consider fundamental the division of the resources by their educational profits. Bearing this in mind, I would only choose the resources that can help us to improve the actual ones, not the ones that can decrease the quality...

So, this would be my list and the decision with different resources:

+ Highly recommendable: digital chalkboard, Internet for searching information, Power Point, Word, Excel and every similar programs...

= Not a great change: iBooks (but I prefer the traditional books)

- Not recommendable: the individual laptops to take notes of the class, write compositions and so on (they should write with the pen); unless exceptions, the cell phones in the class (if emergency, the school and the teacher would have the obligation and the possibility to call),...


As you would have already noticed, I am not the greatest supporter of this new wave of modernity (of course I feel like adding it to the classroom), but I have my reasons and experiences. I want to take advantage of this new and additional help, but I believe that we have to teach the children how to use these stuff, as they can be damaging.


Kind regards,

Benat