Personality Type

I believe that some people learn better by conversing in learning communities, while others learn better by traditional instruction. Some people even learn best by themselves. In my opinion, a person can learn one way with one subject matter, and learn better another way with a different subject matter. Based on my own personal experience, as well as my experience with children, I have found that children can learn many different ways.

I think students definitely have different learning styles based on their personality types. As I stated above, students' learning preferences may change as the subject matter changes. According to the personality test that I just completed, I strongly believe that it will help for me to get to know my students better. In order to do this, I might give them a personality test similar to the one I took. Based on the results, I can tailor my teaching manner to the majority of the class, while still considering the other students' learning preferences.

Excel in the Classroom

Excel is a very useful program. Since I am going to become a high school math teacher, I definitely plan on using Excel in my classroom. I will probably use it to create worksheets, as well as use it for my grade book. Using a spreadsheet for a grade book will help to eliminate errors, because I can create formulas to figure grades instead of using a calculator. This will not only minimize errors, but it will save time, allowing me to spend more time teaching.

Some other applications of Excel in a math class, might be to show students how to create a graph using formulas. I would begin with simple formulas and then gradually increase the complexity. In addition, older high school students could make models for younger students. They could employ their knowledge on how to work out a specific type of problem and then create a spreadsheet to teach the younger students how to solve the problem.

Week 3 Discussion

Inspiration looks like a great program for students to use when writing papers. It helps students get started, organize their thoughts, and visualize their ideas. In addition, it looks very user-friendly and easy to teach the students how to use it. The most interesting aspect is the ability to switch to the outline view, which is created for you when you design the concept map of your information, and any editing done in the outline view is automatically transferred to the map view. In my classroom, I would most likely use Inspiration when the students are required to write research papers.

In my classroom, I would probably have the students use the Writely program for collaborative writing when working on group science projects. This would enable the students to import their research information and then compose and edit their documents. Once they have created a rough draft, they could send it to me for high-quality feedback or to another group of students for peer review. Since I will most likely be teaching high school students, I could save my teaching time by allowing the students to use blog posting on the internet for peer review.

The first time I taught math, I felt like I knew the material pretty well. However, explaining it to very young students on their level was much harder than I thought it would be. After teaching the concept of multiplication facts several times, I definitely felt like I had a better understanding.

Chapter 6 Blog Discussion

I think using blogs can be very beneficial, especially if used in an educational setting. First, writing blogs can serve as a journal, and this would get students to do more informal writing. Informal writing seems like it would be much more appealing to young people than having to write formal essays. Also, writing down feelings or thoughts in a journal is very therapeutic. Second, blogs that are used for discussions would be helpful for those students who are too shy to speak up in class or need more time to organize their thoughts. This would enable all the students to participate, instead of just the outspoken, aggressive students dominating the discussions.

When I become a teacher, I think it would be a good idea to integrate several of the technologies mentioned in Chapter 6. As I mentioned above, blogs for journal writing and discussions would be beneficial. In addition, I would probably try to connect my students to other students around the world through KidLink, iEARN, or Global Schoolhouse. Interaction with students from other countries would promote dialogue and understanding of the many different cultures, along with giving the students new perspectives of other nations. And since these students will one day become our world's leaders, what better way to begin bridging cultural gaps than to get them interacting at young ages, while their minds are still young and more open.

About Me

I am a junior at Texas A & M University - Commerce. This is my second year here, and I am majoring in Education - Life Sciences. My ultimate goal is to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Science with Teacher Certification. With my degree and teacher certification, I plan to teach high school level Biology. In addition, I plan to become certified to teach high school Mathematics.

Outside of school, I keep very busy with my huge, loving family. I have seven children, ranging from college age to 18 months old. I love my children dearly, and I love learning, so I hope to create a fun, loving classroom experience for my future students. In my spare time, I love to read, do puzzles, cook, and spend time with my family.