Texas A&M Meeting 1

After everything came together, the meeting with my group went very well.  The discussion we had about SL showed me that all my doubts/thoughts about SL weren't only shared by me.  My first point I brought up was how they felt about the voice feature, since when we began they were using the chat feature.  They like myself found it very strange and hard to get use to.  We discussed how we thought the kids might feel about this and we all thought it would be easier for the kids and not as strange from them.

We also discussed negatives and positives of using SL inside the classroom.  My group brought up great points on both sides.  We talked about how SL could take away social interaction between students which could be a downfall for some students.  We also talked about how it could be hard for a teacher to monitor students on SL.  Kids today are much more tech-savvy then teachers, so whatever precautions the teacher puts in place, we thought the kids probably could figure out away around it.  We all agreeded SL could defintely allow students new and exciting opportunities that they wouldn't get in a regular classroom.  We all really liked how in the article the teacher was able to change scenes for students to put them in a different stiutation.  It was so easy and quick for the teacher.

My group talked about different ways to implement SL in the classroom.  We talked how teachers could set up a "pen pal" group with another class which I know for my kids would excite them.  We also thought SL could maybe be used as a reward rather then just a teaching device.

Over all the experience went well.  We hope to meet later next Sunday.  A few of my group members had to leave a little early because they went home for the weekend and were heading back to school.  We hope by meeting later everyone will be settled for the night and not be as rushed.

Reflection on GCC Interview

The interview on genders in the classroom went very well.  My partner was very well prepared and asked some excellent questions.  Some of his questions really got me thinking.  It was also nice to have another teacher involved in the conversation to hear his views on gender and in his classroom.  Matt (the other teacher) teaches high school in a very affluent community.  I teach elementary school in an urban city community, so hearing his thoughts was very interesting to me. 

My partner really got me thinking about how I view gender in the classroom.  Before the interview, I never thought that I treated any gender any different from the other.  However, questions my partner asked really got me thinking that I may "favor" one gender over the other.  I love all my kids of course, but I feel like I can get more from my boys then my girls.  As I told my partner I feel like I can kid around with my boys more then my girls.  Because of this I've realized that I communicate with my boys better then my girls.  I know more about what is happening with their everyday life then I do my girls.  I realize I need to step back and get to know my girls on a more personal level as well. 

I also enjoyed the conversation we had about how boys are more pressured to do well with sports then they are academically.  Girls are seen as the gender that does well with school work and boys are the sporty ones.  As I told my partner though I have seen the opposite of this many times.  Many of my girls in previous years have been more atheltic then my boys.

Overall, I really enjoyed this interview.  It really got me thinking about different things and I enjoyed listening to what everyone was saying!

Social Networking

Does Social Networking have a place in the classroom?


Social Networking is a hot topic these days because of Facebook, Myspace and blog sites all across the internet.  Students of all ages know about these sites and take part in these sites, so should teachers incorporate them into the classroom?  In my opinion yes, however I believe teachers should use school friendly networking sites.  I don't believe teachers should incorporate Facebook or Myspace because I believe teachers can't fully control content or what students are doing on these sites.  A school friendly website is more likely to allow teachers to monitor students and make sure they are doing the assigned school project.  I really think social networking sites can lead to wonderful discussions/ideas/projects/etc. again however, I would hesitate to use any sites that aren't made for educational purposes.    I also believe social networking sites should be used for upper grades (upper middle school and high school).  Being a 4th grade teacher I don't believe my students are mature enough or ready enough to use a social networking site.  Listening to conversations my students have about Facebook or Myspace shows me this.

Introduction

My name is Laura Hiestand and I am currently a 4th grade teacher at Chester Community Charter School.  This is my 4th year teaching at Chester Community Charter School.  Often at school I am faced with different challenges.  School for many of my students is an escape from everyday life in Chester.  Due to this I try to make school fun and educational at the same time.

I graduated from Bloomsburg University with a degree in Elementary Education. In the Fall of 2010, I started at West Chester University to earn my Master’s in Special Education.  I hope my Master’s in Special Education will help me better meet the needs of all students in my class.  I also hope to take away information from my classes that I can use now and in the future within my classroom. Emerging Technology is one of those classes that I can incorporate within my classroom now and in the future!  With the use of different technology, my students as well as myself have an endless possibility in more engaging education.

As stated in the syllabus Emerging Technology is a class where we will be developing skills in accessing, anaylzing, evaluating and creating using emerging technologies.  We will focus a lot on virtual worlds collaborating with other students using second life.  We will be able to take away this information to be able to use in our own classrooms