Why I Want to Be A Teacher

* I wrote this  after graduating from high school in 2005. I'm working on an updated "Why I Want to be a Teacher" to  analyze my growth from high school.

Everyone has a dream, an aspiration to make a difference, and mine is to be a teacher. I want to teach the art of language and literature at the secondary level, and it is my opinion and belief that every student has the potential to excel in these fields of studies. It would be a tremendous honor and challenge for me to help guide them along the way.

I have aspired to be a teacher since grade school. I was lucky enough to have teachers who left imprints on my life that taught me not only about the academics, but also about morals such as character, determination, teamwork, and commitment; all of which are important to me today. I hope to instill these morals in my students because they will be able to apply them both inside and outside of the English classroom. Along with writing and grammar skills, students will be spending a lot of time discussing and comprehending (together) the meanings of stories and poems. Knowing the symbolisms of works of literature will bring students to a higher level of understanding and appreciation for the material, and will be working closely with their peers. I plan to create a learning environment where my students will feel comfortable with the material being taught and enjoy it at the same time.

I want to teach not only because of my passion for the English language and the beauty and art that is literature, but to help young adolescents understand the meanings beyond the book. Although reading and writing call for mechanics, there is also a lot of room for creativity. It is so important to encourage students’ thoughts and ideas so that they are challenged to think for themselves instead of quoting from the text. As a result, it becomes a fun learning experience for everyone. To me, learning should be fun; not fun and games, but fun in a way that motivates students to want to learn. Anyone can read out of a textbook and assign the various exercises, but a teacher, a good teacher, will go beyond the curriculum to give her students as much knowledge and insight as she possibly can. This is my goal. I have heard about the pure joy and feeling of ecstasy that comes from seeing your students succeed, and that is definitely something that inspires me to be a teacher. 

My First Observation as an Education Major at U.O.G.

Here it is!

There's More to Technology Than Google and MySpace!

I have always considered myself to be a "decent" computer, internet, multimedia user, and when I registered for this course, I figured that it would be relatively similar to what I always do at home. When I thought of "integrating technology in the classroom," I naively thought of PowerPoint, email, and YouTube videos. This course has showed me just how "un-techy savvy" I am. Thanks to this course, I am a just a tiny bit more knowledgeable about what it truly means to incorporate in the classroom.

MOODLE

I Love the Moodle! In toher classes, we keep in touch with each other via email and forwards to the entire class. However, the MOODLE tool is so efficient and effective in that it provides direct contact to the teacher, and to every one else in the class individually. It is almost like a giant bulletin board of upcoming events and assignments, an email service, a discussion board, a blog center, and a multimedia presentation maker at the same time. I am so impressed with its capabilities and am seriously considering using it for my future teaching career. 5/5

Firefox

Again, I have learned that I don't know have as much about multimedia and internet services as I thought. I am part of the large popuilation of people who are disappointed with Internet Explorer yet still use it. I have heard of Firefox and its faster, more reliable services, but never took the whole 2 minutes to see for myself how much improved it is. Thanks to Firefox, I will never use Internet Explorer again; it's not worth wasting my time and frustration :) Because Firefox has proved so useful, I also looked for other web browsers and found that Opera is extremely efficient as well. Very fast, I love the speed dial feature, and it's pretty. 5/5

del.icio.us

Delicious is an awesme tool for keeping track of research, of favorite websites and videos, and it saves space in my "My Documents" file. When doing research, I usually save whole pages to my computer and then waste time looking and sorting through them later on. With Delicious, I can access the site on the spot by looking at the description of it and the date I saved it. I have used it a lot this semester for research in other classes as well. It's great. However, because I am not used to using it (first time user), I had a hard time learning its other features (bundles and such). It's fine now. 4/5

Google Suites

As much as I have used google for email, for researching projects, and looking up pictures for presentations, I had no idea that it could do more than that. I enjoy blogging, and Google's blogger feature allows for a lot of creativity (links, videos, pictures, etc) and it's very easy to use. My favorite Google Suite, however, is Google Groups. I'm used to networking through myspace, email, and msn messenger, but none of them allow changes to occur in real time. I really appreciate its ability for users to input new information, pose questions to other members, and edit work without waiting for a replied email. 5/5

Isleuth

I have started using Isleuth's seach engine instead of Google and Yahoo because even though there are not as many hits, they are very relevant to the searches I make. In addition to relevance, I have also found articles and websites in Isleuth that do not show up in Google, which then give its users an upper hand in terms of "new information." 4/5

Synthasite

I am a "ready-made" kind of person, in terms of creating websites, simply because I am not familiar with the technicalities. Synthasite is a website-builder that makes web building easy, colorful, and fun. I have used it for a few assignments, and found it to be very efficient. It does not load as quickly as other web-builders, but it allows for so many other application that make up for it. 4/5

Authorstream

I really like using Authorstream because it nakes it so eas to upload videos into an online presentation without the hassle of encoding and embedding URLs, etc. In many presentations, I have a separate window open for videos because it was too much of a hassle for me to include it in the original presentation. However, Authorstream allows me to put it directly to websites, other online presentations, without any hassle. 5/5

Webs

This is another website builder, and while it is does not have as many applications as Synthasite (inclusing discussion groups, widgets, etc., it is very easy to use, has colorful and professional templates, and allows music to play while another is going through the website. 4/5

History in an Engilsh Class? Why not =)

I approached this multimedia lesson plan lightly, assuming that it would not be very difficult to integrate technology in my lesson and in turn, require students to complete an assignment using technology. My first thoughts were, "Teach the Parts of Speech using a PowerPoint and a School House Rock video and then have students present their own." But, that was too simple, too common, too boring. After long contemplation, I decided to give a lesson that involved a brief lesson on the Civil War, which is relevant to my subject area in that its effects strirred writers and song writer to react in the literary world and the music industry. Majority of my lessons for education courses are spefically English (grammar, writing, literature, for example), so I found it difficult yet fun and interesting to incorporate history and music in a lesson.

After figuring out how to present the lesson, I found it even harder to give an assignment in which students had to use technology other than a PowerPoint presentation to show their understanding and creativity. Because music plays such a big role in peoples' lives, I decided that a fun and different way to get students to participate was to have them make their own music, along with a music video. A problem I faced in making this lesson was that not all students are equipped with a video recorder or video makerprogram on their computers. For the sake of this lesson, my classroom was already equipped with video making materials for the students to use during class, and after school (for those who do not have these at home).

The NETS*T Standard that I thought very important in the making of this lesson plan was 3B, which is to use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students. I realize that this is a big project and not many students (especially in middle and high school) are mentally disciplined to work as hard for their grades. But, I think that because it involves music (and they can create it however they wish: rap, reggae, hip-hop, etc) there is a lot of room for creativity. This standard calls for precision on the teacher's (my) part to avoid any confusion in the students, as they will be working with their peers to complete the assignment. The project, I think, is very relevant to the subject area: students are required to use their creative writing skills and create a rendition of a song on slavery (or create their own) and then make a music video (they can dance, they can create an animated movie; whatever they like), and it will force them to use technology (which they often use for pleasure and fun) and use it for educational purposes.

The Civil War and Its Aftermath

Gettysburg Address

Click here to watch a presentation of the Gettysburg Address on YouTube!

                                          

                                              

Course: 11th Grade American Literature
Unit 3: The Civil War and Its Aftermath
 Lesson Plan: Songs About Slavery 

Time: 85 minutes; 4x4 Block Schedule
                                                               

Analyze Learners

Students are in the 11th grade and have been studying the effects of the Civil War  in the literary world.  By this time of the school year, students are familiar and comfortable with discussing and presenting in class; participation should not be a problem.  Students work well  individually and in groups (this assignment calls for group participation).

State Objectives

 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Identify the purpose of songs during the slavery era. 
2. Identify the meaning behind certain slave songs.
3. Identify the biblical and historical backgrounds of slave songs.
4. Identify the connection between slave songs and previous lessons, especially those regarding slavery (e.g. Underground Railroad, Frederick Douglas, etc.).
5.Students will also be informed of their next project, which is to sing a slave song in a group, with their personal touches (including melodies, dance moves, costumes) added on to it, and create a music video using the class’ video recorder, and present it to their classmates.

• Students’ knowledge and comprehension of the above is expected to be 80% on a test.


Content Standards (GPSS):

Content Standard 1
1.B.11/12.2 Analyze how clarity is affected by the patterns of organization, hierarchical structures, repetition of main ideas, syntax, and word choice in text.

1.B.11/12.4 Make warranted and reasonable assertions about significant patterns, motifs, and perspectives by using elements of text to defend and clarify interpretations.

1.B.11/12.5 Analyze an author’s implicit and explicit philosophical assumptions and beliefs about a subject.

 Content Standard 4  
4.A.11/12.7 Use appropriate rehearsal strategies to achieve command of text, skillful and artistic staging, and attention to performance details.

4.A.11/12.10 Evaluate when to use different kinds of effects (e.g., visual, music, sound effects, graphics) to create effective productions.

4.B.11/12.5 Recite poems, selections from speeches, or dramatic soliloquies with attention to performance details to achieve clarity, force, and aesthetic effect and to demonstrate understanding of meaning (e.g., Hamlet’s “To Be or Not to Be”).

Select Instructional Methods

Teaching Strategy:
In this lesson, I will use a combination of lectures, a question and answering session, as well as a multimedia presentation (playing a song) and a PowerPoint to highlight the events of the Civil War in order to present the information.

Anticipatory Set:
The setting for this lesson will be in a block schedule-style classroom, and will utilize the entire class period.

Utilize Media and Materials

 I will begin my lecture by discussing important points of the three songs of slavery that have been assigned, which include: 

 “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”
 “Go Down Moses”
 “Follow the Drinking Gourd”

I will discuss, in relative detail, the purposes of songs such as these, as well as any hidden meaning that may be found within the lyrics to the song. I will also discuss how at its most general sense, slavery songs helped slaves pass the time as they labored in the fields of their masters.

Require Learner Participation

I will briefly prompt the class to offer any suggestions as to what they might think the songs mean, and I will point out any common motifs between what the students point out as well as what I point out.

During the question and answering session of the lecture, I will ask the class if they have any questions or comments about the songs that were covered, and I will attempt to answer them to the best of my knowledge. I will also provide leading questions, including “What do you think slaves meant in this song?” and questions of the kind. The question and answering session will be intertwined with the overall section, so questions and comments may be offered and entertained at any point during the lecture.

Once I feel that the class’s questions have been adequately addressed, I will then play them two versions of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” that I have in my music library. This demonstration of the two versions is intended to give the students a sense of variety of the ways in which the song has been interpreted, since this song is such a popular piece when one considers the slavery movement. Exposing the students to variant versions of the song will demonstrate to them that there is no one way to “hear” a song, and that its meaning, while clear-cut for slaves, may be totally different in today’s society.

Evaluate and Revise

Once the two songs have been played, I will then introduce the Slave Song Project (see Slave Song Project handout). The class will have the rest of the period to discuss with their group mates their ideas for the project.

Songs of Slavery Project
Objectives: In small groups, students will choose one slavery song, interpret the lyrics themselves, then “remix” the song, including in the new version any additions they see fit (e.g. different melody, reordering of the verses, dance moves, etc.). After one week of development and rehearsal, students will perform their song to the rest of the class.
Instructions:
With this project, students will:
1. Choose one of the three songs that have been assigned (“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, “Go Down Moses,” or “Follow the Drinking Gourd”)
2. Decide among themselves what additions will be made to the song
3. Practice the changes made to the song
4. Present their music video in front of the rest of the class
a. Clapping of hands and stomping of feet are required
* Important: EVERY STUDENT MUST SING. Not singing during a group performance will be considered refusing to participate, and a significant amount of points will be deducted. Also, students may not have any papers with them as they perform. Memorizing the song is not required, but highly encouraged. If a group cannot memorize the piece in time for the performance, that group may create a background with the lyrics printed on it (butcher/construction paper, poster board, etc.).

Alternate:

Students can also  give a live performance of their rendition of a slave song.  However, they must provide the lyrics, background music, and or/pictures relevant to their song in a PowerPoint or other slideshow for their classmates.
Extra Credit: Extra credit points will be awarded to groups who “go the extra mile.” This includes groups who come in costume, groups who develop original songs instead of renditions to slave songs,and individuals who choose to lend their musical talents to other groups who may not have limited or no musically talented members. Furthermore, the best performing groups will be asked to perform to other classes, and those that do will be given extra credit as well.

Ironic: Video To Keep Students Interested is...Not Very Interesting

Although the video on Assistive Technology contained a lot og good information and tips about incorporating interesting, colorful, fun, and up-to-date technology in the classroom, it proved to be a contradiction of itself in that there was no incorporation of any interesting, colorful, fun, or up-to-date technology.  

At first, the video captured my attention because it had a mysterious appeal to it, and each word appeared as if it were being typed by another person, drawing me in to continue watching.  Additionally, any piece of material that is relevant to a person's personal preference of study is alluring in itself.

I assumed that after the first few slides of black background and white text, there would be a picture of teachers using technology in the classroom, or streaming video of examples of an effective technology-efficient classroom.  Unfortunately, there were not.  I began to lose interest after the first couple minutes and only managed to finish watching for the sake of having comments to make on it for this reflection.

If, however, the creator kept his or her presentation short, then choosing to use the same text, pace, and background would have been effective instead of losing any viewer's interest.  Again, while the presentation provided very useful information on using technology in the classroom to keep students excited and interested in learning, the creator failed to do just that, keep our interest.  I strongly that if he or she had added a bit of color to the video, or simply enlarged the text and positioned it in different areas on the screen, then the viewer's attention would have been kept for a longer period of time.

Are you a Victim or a Victimizer?

WHAT IS CYBER BULLYING?

• When a child, pre-teen, or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarassed or otherwise targeted by another child using the internet, interactive and digital technologies, or mobile phones.

• Cyber Bullying VS. Cyber Harassment/Cyber Stalking

• Limited Methods

• Biggest Effect of Cyber Bullying

Cyber Bullying Works in 2 Ways

1. Direct Attacks
2. Cyber Bullying by Proxy
   

Student Centered Learning

Group 3

            When one thinks of the word “games”, fun and entertainment come to mind. However, games do not have to be all about enjoyment. They should offer learning experiences and be complement learning in the classroom. Aside from puzzles and board games, games found on the Internet can also be used as learning tools in the classroom.

            Our group discussed some appropriate instances in which  online games can be introduced to the classroom. Games can be introduced before the specific lesson is taught as anticipatory sets or as ways to assess what students already know about the upcoming lesson. The games can also be introduced during the lesson. They would be a way to check if the students truly understand the subject or they could simply be fun, educational breaks from the teacher’s lectures. Games can also serve as follow-up activities for the lesson. For example, after teaching multiplication or SAT vocabulary, students will be given the opportunity to play games reinforcing these subjects. In addition, students may play these games as homework or extra credit if Internet access is available.

            Another key element is teaching is allowing students to take control of their learning (student-centered learning). Our group was able to discuss a variety of ways in which the teacher can choose appropriate and similar games before teaching the lesson. Students can later choose among those games for their activity. They can even search for the games themselves and play them with the teacher’s approval. It will also be very student-centered simply because it is an online game.  While the teacher explains the main rules and objectives of the game, the students are held entirely responsible for their understanding and performance in playing the game.   Similarly, students can share their responses to the game (just like what we did in class) first amongst each other in groups, and then in a mini presentation to the class.  This way, the teacher will only serve as a mediator, and not as an active participant in the assignment or students' learning. If they play the games on their own time (not in school), the teacher will be completely absent and the student is left to figure out the rules and objectives of the game. A variation of this idea is to simply have the students placed in groups and discuss the advantages of the game with each other instead of having a presentation in class. 

Teaching is More than Just...Teaching

             Teachers have it easy, people say; seven hours a day, weekends and holidays off, summer pay, they do not have much to worry about, do they? The perspective of one who is not a teacher or who is not well informed of the responsibility of teachers knows that the saying, "those who cannot do, teach" is absolutely, without a doubt, correct. Why should anyone pursue criminal justice, nursing, or microbiology when the educator's path requires less studying, less effort, less doing, less passion? A teacher does not have to do much except come to class every day, assign readings, essays, presentation dates, and ensure that his or her students report good news about their day to mom and dad. Nevermind the grueling preparation that goes into making a lesson plan, the continuous piling up of assignments to grade and then return, the responsibility to evoke thought, emotion, and the will to act in students. On the contrary, teachers put in as much work (although not as physically demanding) and time as any other profession. The actual teaching is much easier compared to the preparation that goes into creating a lesson for students and can prove to be very difficult.

            I was not worried when this assignment was given. I approached it with a light mind and figured that it could be completed in less than a few hours. My content area is Secondary Education with an emphasis in English, and I knew that it would be simple to create a lesson, as there is so much in English that can be taught. My original idea was to have my students locate the different elements of literature (allegory, metaphor, simile, etc) in given poems/short stories, and then create a digital spreadsheet to show how many they were able to find. They would have to explain how the elements worked either successfully of unsuccessfully in the piece of literature. It seemed simple and decent enough. However, when I presented this to our class, I was wrong. My original plan did not have anything for my students to count, nothing to really examine and explain to their classmates that they had not already learned. I had to go back to the drawing board and make the lesson more than simply identifying the elements of literature. It was proving more difficult than I thought.

             I let the assignment sit the next day, to allow myself to reassess my teaching strategies. Typically, and sadly, many teachers in primary and secondary school only expect students to do the bare minimum: answer the questions, and present the findings. Examination and application of findings is usually given as extra credit, and most students are not willing to put in the extra work to show their teachers and themselves their ability to assess new information. In addition, the typical classroom is teacher-based: the teacher lectures, assigns, does majority of the talking, and the student silently listens, and follows the teacher's directions. The disappointing truth about changing teaching styles from Teacher-based to Student-based is that it takes more time, research, and responsibility to allow students to take responsibility for their learning. The teacher must be positive about the content he/she is covering, must be sure that the students understand the material before they take hold of the assignments, and must create a very positive and conducive environment for students to work.  

           The NETS*T objective that I decided to focus on was the second, Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences. In this objective, teachers create an environment in which students feel comfortable working with each other and individually, are able to openly discuss assignments, and find ways to integrate technology in their assessments of work. According to Carl Simpson’s “Classroom Structure and the Organization of Ability”, 
        Conceptions about the ability apparently take shape primarily in the school setting. As Dreeben (1968)                 notes, when students enter school, they leave the family setting in which individual uniqueness is valued and           enter for the first time a system of universalistic performance comparisons. In the school setting, ability to             perform intellectual tasks becomes central to students’ personal identities; it influences their position in status         and power orderings. (120)
Creating a healthy classroom enables students to take hold of their learning, while the teacher stands by as a reference and guide in times of confusion. Student based learning not only holds students accountable, but it also allows them to develop their interpersonal skills, which in turn enhances their confidence as speakers.
 

         After developing some kind of focus, I decided it was time to continue working on my lesson plan. I wanted to keep the lesson close to my content area, so I knew that the lesson would still focus on Short Story Elements. The only kinks I had to work out were finding out exactly what the students would be counting and how they would examine and apply those elements on a wider scale. After brainstorming ideas and creating rough drafts, I had my final idea for a lesson plan. Students would be required to work in groups of four or five, and choose four or five short stories/poems, each written by different authors, or written by the same author during different times. In addition to identifying the short story elements, they would track the usage of elements among authors or time periods. Herman Melville, for example, might have been known to use many metaphors in his writing (which defined him as a poet) but as years passed, his usage decreased and his career as a short story writer heightened. After I had a clear idea of what I wanted to teach, writing the objectives and directions was simple. However, I spent a great deal of time deciding how students could effectively utilize materials and how to examine their learning at the end of the lesson. It was very difficult to maintain the idea that this lesson was to be student-based instead of teacher-based.
 

           It took me over a week to complete this lesson plan, the longest it has even taken, and I learned some things about being an effective teacher. First, my appreciation for those who are already in the classroom increased because of their ability to create detailed, and effective lesson plans for their students every day. Creating this assignment also reminded that in order to be an effective teacher, being prepared is one of the best things one can do to teach a lesson, especially if it being taught by someone else. Once a complete and focused lesson plan is made, teaching the material becomes much simpler because every detail is covered, there is not much room left for confusion (for both teacher and students). Writing lesson plans using the ASSURE model also allows teachers to improve for the next time the lesson is used, and the students will be able to actively participate because it is they who are doing majority of the work, and not the teacher. I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment, not because it was fun, but because it helped me to realize that there is more to teaching than teaching; preparation is key.

                                                                     

                                                          Works Cited

Simpson, Carl. "Classroom Structure and the Organization of Ability." Sociology of Education, Vol. 54, No. 2               (Apr., 1981). American Sociological Association.  pp. 120-32.