Friday 11 January 2013

Very First Blog and Introductions!

         Hi! My name is Rebecca and I am excited to welcome you to my very first blog! I grew up on a dairy farm, in Northern BC, looking up at the northern lights, and being surrounded by ice capped mountains. But my journey has led me halfway across the country to Redeemer University College where I am an aspiring fourth year, primary/junior teacher in the Concurrent Education program. I am also currently finishing my BA with a major in Psychology, and a double minor with Disabilities, and English Literature studies. I love working with kids and I can’t wait for the day I get the honour of teaching, and learning from my very own classroom. 
I am passionate about creating an inclusive classroom environment and finding ways to help those with disabilities feel accepted. I also believe that as teachers we need to be instilling intrinsic motivation and helping to foster a love for education within our students. As a teacher I want to provide “hands-on” experiential learning and allow my students to have a voice in the classroom. I believe in the importance of allowing our students to engage in meaningful learning. This means that we are inviting curiosity into our classrooms, and allowing students to make connections between their own experiences and the curriculum. Finally, I believe in incorporating restorative justice practices within my classroom to keep my students accountable, develop competency, and create a loving community.
I am currently taking a “Computers in the Classroom” course. I believe that technology can be a very useful tool in the classroom and I would like to learn new ways to apply technology in my own classroom. I also hope to become more competent in using technology, and being able to create effective lesson plans using electronic templates, powerpoints, or smartboards.
One study completed by Bonds-Raacke (2008), indicates why I believe technology should be implemented in the classroom. In this study, upon entering a classroom, students had a dry idea of how teachers implement technology in their classrooms; by only using technology in ways like powerpoint for lectures, or using email to give assignments. However, in the experiment, they were given Tablets to work with and other creative means of using technology for learning. After this experiment students proved to be much more excited and curious about their learning. Students reported their classroom to be both engaging and interactive and found that they benefited from this technology use. As a teacher, I see this as fundamentally important to our classrooms. First of all, it is because I believe that as teachers we need to stay current with what our students are engaging with. And finally, I believe that implementing creative and effective uses of technology in the classroom allows our students to become personally invested in their learning.  
That is all for now! I am excited for what we will be learning and discovering in the next few weeks!
-Rebecca
Bonds-Raacke, J. M., & Raacke, J. D. (2008). Using Tablet PCs in the Classroom: An Investigation of Students' Expectations and Reactions. Journal Of Instructional Psychology, 35(3), 235-239.

 

 

5 comments:

  1. Hi Rebecca!

    I really enjoyed your first blog. I have been hearing a lot about restorative justice in the classroom lately and think it is such a great way to implement a loving community in the classroom as well. The harmonious learning environment created by restorative justice will encourage students to self-regulate their own behaviour and learning. I have learned that schools who use a whole school restorative justice approach to behaviour management have found that incidents of poor behaviour have decreased.

    I also agree with you when you point out that students have excitement for technological use in the class and are willing to participate in the class with extra technological tools.

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  2. I wish you the best as you pursue the use of experiential learning. One of my profs used experiential learning in an Ecological course that I recently took. It was amazing how he was intentional about making sure that our whole being experienced the learning. One of the best courses that I have ever taken!
    Thanks for the resource!

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  3. Hello!!
    Sweet blog, my friend. :) I think it's great that you want to work with children with disabilities. You have such a kind heart and those kids are going to love you so much. :) And so true, we need to stay as current technologically as possible that or be willing to learn through the students. :) All the best!

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  4. Hi Rebecca! I really enjoyed reading your first blog entry and learning about what you are interested in incorporating into your classroom one day such as an inclusive space, acceptance for all your students, restorative justice,and hands on experiential learning.
    I also agree with you that teachers need to stay current with what students are engaging with...I think it's an important way in being able to connect with them. We need to be active in this. Great entry!

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  5. I share your passion for creating an inclusive classroom for individuals with disabilities. You may find this article interesting!
    Using Contemporary Technology Tools to Improve the Effectiveness of Teacher Educators in Special Education by Chris O’Brien, Nancy J. Aguinaga, Rebecca Hines, and Richard Hartshorne
    http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8fc5af58-3c82-4378-98aa-79785dfc9665%40sessionmgr110&vid=5&hid=102

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