As I learn about becoming a teacher, I am pleasantly surprised by all of the resources that are available for me to use. I am a relative newcomer to the computer, well anything past email, and am so excited about the programs I get to use that teachers just a few years ago didn't have access to. All of these programs and tools will help me not only stay organized and on the right track, but also help me keep students and parents informed about classroom rules and schedule and help me connect with colleagues.
The Google Calender will be a big part of my life as a teacher. Because it is important to be organized, it will be helpful to have one calender with all of my responsibilities on it. I will be teaching, coaching, and hopefully having a personal life, so I like that the calender is color coded for easy reading and can be as specific or general as I want it. I also like that calenders can be public or private on Google so that I can have one for me to look at, and also one available for my students to view.
As a PE teacher I will not use the computer much IN the classroom, however I can see the usefulness of having a class website or a class blog, probably both. They will be a place where the kids and parents can look to see what will be happening in the upcoming classes and also see what they have missed. I know that kids aren't always the best at telling their parents how they are doing in school, so having a website with student scores and participation will keep the parents involved and up to date on their child's performance. I hope this will also be helpful in keeping misunderstandings about student grades to a minimum.
I want my class to be a place for students to improve themselves and I believe that it is important for them to be held accountable for their actions. I think it would be great to have them set up their own workout or nutrition blog where I can check on their progress and dedication to the goals they set. I am also now a big fan of gmail. It is a great way for students to ask questions that they don't want to ask in a classroom setting. This is also a great way to communicate with parents.
I think that I will use Google docs with my colleagues. It will be convenient to be able to work with teachers teaching the same subject to make handouts or presentations together without having to be together. It will also be a way to have someone look over a lesson plan and give feedback on it. I will definitely try to learn from teachers that have been teaching longer than I have.
Video presentations are great to have in class. They can be serious and instructional or funny depending on what you are going for. I loved the fraction division video. I just keep thinking "take the top number, divide it by the bottom number". It is so corny, but I don't think I will ever forget it! Its like when I was a second grade and learned 'Fifty Nifty' to learn the fifty states. I can still recite them in order and I can do it faster if I am singing. Video presentations are a good way to introduce a subject or break up the day. I would like to use them as a teacher to show different sports or exercises.
I am excited to become a teacher in this time period because there are so many tools and resources available to help make me a great teacher.
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