Recording Myself

I can't believe this semester is almost over. It feels like everything is due at the same time! On Monday in class we had a workday to work or ask questions about any of our assignments. I think the professors taking the time to do that is great. For Wednesdays class we had to record ourselves teaching our lesson. I was a little nervous in the video just because I didn't think I was prepared to teach just yet. It was weird talking to an empty classroom. I think my major issue was that I talk way too fast. I don't think my future students' will like that very much. Being able to reflect and change some of the things I am doing will help me improve instruction and help students learn. Having the ability to change and adapt will help me with the NCTCS by learning from what does and does not work. I will use this technique when I have a classroom of my own.I am doing a lecture/presentation on the circulatory system and while I was watching myself teach I noticed how boring it would be if I just stood there and talked so I found some useful advice on how to keep the students engaged during a lecture.
http://www.bbcactive.com/BBCActiveIdeasandResources/Tenwaystomakelecturesmoredynamic.aspx

I hope that when it is my turn to teach I will be calm and composed. I will have to make some changes but overall I am looking forward to it. But I am ready for Thanksgiving break! (:

SAMR

On Monday in class we learned about SAMR which stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. This helps us decide whether a technological tool is actually benefiting the assignment at hand. We watched a very meaningful video about what technology advances have done to improve the life of some of the disabled people in the world. It is crazy how many things technology can do. I didn't realize that you could control your house with just your phone! Computers can now follow your eye movements and can be controlled with just your eyes. Knowing all the latest technology advances will help me stay updated on trends and by using technology wisely I can improve my instruction. Being able to use and recognize SAMR will help me be proficient in the NCTCS and spark creativity in my students. For my outside research I found an article that talks about using SAMR and blending it with other resources to have the best learning outcome for students:

https://elearningindustry.com/applying-samr-model-create-effective-blended-learning-strategy

On Wednesday in class we got feedback on 2 of our assignments and it made me realize how important feedback is. Dr. Parker changed the due dates for the philosophy of education because he saw that were not going to be ready for the final due date. Him doing that made me realize that sometimes things don't go as planned but you have to adapt to the situation and make the best of it. If he hadn't taken the time to give us all feedback he would have been stuck with really bad educational philosophies and nobody wants that. Like Dr.Clark said this is the last final push of the semester so I'm going to try and work harder to end this semester well. 

TPACK

Today in class we watched a video that was very eye opening. It talked about how it was the first time that 4 generations were working together. It also talked about how we were preparing students' for jobs that don't even exist yet. We learned about TPACK, which stands for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. We learned about the diagram and how each of the things connect to each other. Blending all these together can help the teacher facilitate learning and have students' engaged. We learned the importance of having every single one of the components to ensure learning. Being able to use TPACK in my future classroom will help me integrate technology and differentiate learning. Recognizing the importance of technology in the classroom will help me be proficient in NCTCS. For my outside research I read an article that goes a little more in depth about TPACK and it's advantages. 

http://www.nadasisland.com/tpack/

Lets hope the rest of the semester goes smoothly! (: