Module 6

As a learner, I need a clear line of communication between me and the information.  Ways in which I encounter this communication has evolved over the years including instant information via the Internet, Skype, Twitter, Facebook now which is a dramatic difference from seated in rows listening to lectures.  Essential to my learning are ways to hear, see, and kinesthetically relate to the concepts and when confusion sets in, a relationship with the instructor is detrimental to success.  Differentiated teaching is how I display my learning style and give my students multiple opportunities to connect with the concepts in ways that they may not choose on their own.

Teacher student relationships are critical and non-negotiable in teaching and learning.  Teachers who create a rapport with students, especially on the middle and high school levels, allow room for learning opportunities that would not otherwise take place if the student doesn't believe the teacher cares.  School is merely one pathway to education when there are many educative experiences that lie within all aspects of life. 

Technology has infiltrated the schools and connecting with the world is essential to a competitive education.  Students need multiple pathways to become well rounded and equipped for "real world".  The use of the Internet, social networking, and digital science labs opens the doors to hearing, seeing, and kinesthetically connecting with many learning pathways.

Module 5

As a younger teacher, I often encounter older teachers who do not utilize the technologies I use in the classroom. An example is the interwrite boards. The interwrite board allows teachers to have a wireless mouse and pen virtually eliminating the use of dry erase markers and chalk boards and overheads are now obsolete. A teacher visited my classroom and asked about the interwrite board. He was hesitant to utilize his. He was aprehensive but I was encouraging and talked him through the process from downloading the software to applying it in his class. He was excited once the board was hooked up and he was able to write on his powerpoint presentation to reinforce a topic. He was amazed at the additional writing space and the various tools at his fingertips and he was not limited to the desk which was his favorite feature of this new technology. Other teachers are not as easily influenced by the novel idea of technology in the classroom.