My Reflections in Digital Learning

Trinity Christian College Field Experience Form Context for Learning Description of School and Students About the School Where You Are Observing or doing Field Experience School Name and City: Lynne Thigpen Elementary School Type of School: Elementary school, Middle School, High School, or Other:   Elementary School Setting: Urban, Suburban, or Rural: Suburban Write your responses to the three questions below in paragraph form. 1. List any special features of the school or classroom setting (e.g., themed magnet, classroom aide, bilingual, co-taught with a special education teacher, pull-out program). 2. Describe any district, school, or cooperating teacher requirements or expectations that affects the planning or delivery of instruction, such as required curricula, pacing plan, use of specific instructional strategies, or standardized tests. 3.     For special education only: List any educators with specialized expertise in the sc...

With the end of our Educational Technology course coming, it is amazing to look back at how fast these six weeks have flown. It amazes me with how much helpful information we learned in such a short time span. I have to admit, I was not too thrilled to be taking this course before it began, since I already had to take it years ago with my undergrad. To my surprise, now I am so happy that I was enrolled in this course, because technology in education has changed substantially in the last five years. I had never learned anything that pertained to Google for the classroom and now I have so much interest in incorporating it into my lesson plans some day. There are so many amazing features that Google provides and the fact that it is a FREE, reliable source is wonderful for teachers.  The technology piece that impressed me the most, was the Mood Check-In's that we created on Google Forms. I think it is such a good idea to make this a part of the daily work when students come into the...

This week, I stumbled upon a wonderful video clip and news coverage of a classroom full of kindergartners who learned sign language to send a special message to their custodian. Their dedicated custodian has worked in the Tennessee school district for over twenty years and is known to have a hearing impairment. As we learn when studying to become teachers, every 2-3 students out of 100 have some sort of hearing impairment in one or both ears. This story tremendously impacted me because it is so heartfelt. Using sign language is a very difficult task and the fact that kindergartners were dedicated enough to plan this surprise of signing the happy birthday song is truly amazing. I think this teaches a good lesson to the kindergartners, as well as, all of the current 488,455 viewers that have made this video go viral. The reaction that the custodian had was very special and one can see that this act of kindness touched his heart. This story shows that putting in a little extra effort ...

One day I have high hopes to stand in front of a classroom and be a role model to a class full of kids. Ideally, I would like to teach third grade, however, my passion for teaching will settle for other grades if necessary. One element that is nerve wrecking when going into the education field is the fact that the students' rely on you, and starting out without a lot of experience is scary. Below, I will discuss some various factors that can help me prepare for my future third graders. Take advantage of their age - third graders are not little kids and they aren't anywhere close to being teens. They are at a young age where they still have an interest to learn, they yearn for a relationship with their teacher, and they care about their school. It is important to take advantage of this age group, because they are preparing to do things independently, however, still heavily rely on the teacher.  Start the day with a "morning meeting" -  this can include a self-r...

Recently, we learned about an instructional strategy called flipped learning. This is a type of blended learning that reverses the traditional learning environment by delivering instructional content outside of the classroom. In these cases, the student's prepare the material before the information is presented in class. This way of learning allows for student's to work on their "homework" at school so that they have the teacher's assistance to get through it. The teacher may do a brief recap of the section that is being learned, but the material is not presented in a way that we are use to. By following this learning process, there are many pros and cons that come with it. Pros of Flipped Learning: Students have more control - students have the ability to re-watch lessons or even pause and watch lectures at their own pace. It promotes student-centered learning and collaboration - students can use class time to clear up any questions that they have, as we...

The Pros & Cons of Technology in the Classroom: In today's world, the internet and technology advances have taken over. This ideal, yet complicated way of life has definitely changed the way in which classrooms around the world are run. Although, one would believe that bringing technology into the classroom would only be a positive experience there are many aspects to consider in this tech-driven world. The following points will discuss the pros and cons of technology in the classroom. Pros: Gain instant feedback - tools such as online polling and quiz questions help to engage students and they can lead to instantaneous results. Full participation takes place - online surveys and polling can help to get shy students to participate and share their insights, which they normally would not engage in. Most online sources for technology make answering a mandatory process. Streamline simple, tedious tasks - tasks such as taking attendance and student performance can be ...