EDUC 597 Comes to an End...

Well the summer term has come to an end. I have thoroughly enjoyed my technology class this mini term . I had no idea how much I was going to learn. Web 2.0 was a completely foreign concept to me at the beginning of this term. Now I am not only aware of what it is, I want to implement lots of ideas into my classroom this year. In class, we learned everything from how to blog, what a wiki is, how to Wordle, and everything inbetween. I also enjoyed hearing about the behind the scenes work that goes into keeping Madison County technology up and running.

I plan to implement blogs into my classroom this year. I look forward to having the students create their own blogs and comment on others' writings.

I also want my students to use Wordle this year. We will use it as a "getting to know you" activity at the beginning of the year. I think it would also be beneficial to do word collages at the end of a unit using the words we have learned.

Technology Conference

I attended the NATC last week. I was impressed with how knowledgeable the instructors were!

My first session was about using technology in math. The instructor talked about setting up wikis for your students to share ideas. I also liked the idea of using online newspapers. You could use the stats from the sports pages to develop math problems!

The next session was the general session. This absolutely blew me away. The speaker knew an enormous amount about protecting our children online. I had never thought about how easily someone could take a picture off of a social networking site, alter it, and put it out there for the masses. I also never thought about children setting up alternate social networking sites that would be "parent approved," while having an alter site that they truly use.

My last session of day one was about how APT online has changed. It was very beneficial to see how to find clips, create slide shows using pictures from the site, or set up assignments on APT.

The final day, I only attended one session. I went to a session about pod casting. I have always been curious about pod casting and wanted to know more about it. All of my questions were answered. However, we were taught how to podcast on Macs, which didn't help me much. My school doesn't even have one Mac in the building!

Overall the sessions were incredible, and I learned tons!

Why do I want to be an administrator?

This question plagues me sometimes. Why would I want to be an administrator? Don't they have to deal with the hardest problems, organize an entire school, and deal with public scrutiny? Why would anybody want this job?

My answer is simple: God. I was called by God into the education field at a very early age. Third grade to be exact. That calling molded everything I did from then on. A strong passion was developed for school and teaching.

When I began realizing my leadership potential, I began praying about where God would lead me. I would have been more than happy to simply stay in the classroom. Through opened doors and answered prayers, I realized I was being called to the area of administration.

I believe that I have not lost focus of what we are here for. All of the decisions that we make as administrators should be based on what is best for our children. I think I am still young enough to where I have not lost that vision. It is my goal to make every child succeed and feel successful in a safe and positive learning environment. I believe I can best achieve this through the field of administration.

Blogging by the Couch

I am so excited about starting my first blog!! I've always wanted to use one in the classroom, but wasn't really sure how to start. I hope that I can use this blog with my students in creative ways.

I will also be blogging on here about my Samford technology class, so get excited!