As you can never step into the same stream twice, I am frequently reminded that I never teach the same class twice. Why is that you might ask? It's because I teach 30 students in a class, not a class of 30 students. This is an important difference. If I don't see each of you as individuals with different strengths and abilities who happen to be in the same room at the same time each week, then I may not see you at all. This is why every lesson you teach in the future should be predicated on the learners in your class. There is no such thing as a perfect lesson in a vacuum. A great lesson in one in which the students are engaged and learning. . .something you cannot know until you do it. Why am I writing all of this? It is to say that I think I need to slow down a bit for this class. I want to ensure that you can get the most out each assignment. With that said, this evening I want to revisit your Prezi presentations and perhaps talk about some tips and tricks to make it fun and interesting. We will also learn how to use Google Forms to create an assessment for your presentation.
The rest of the evening will be dedicated to understanding the NETS narratives and how to write them collaboratively using Google Docs. If you are in class early, I would really appreciate it if you could sincerely try and write your half of NETS I collaboration. This will be a strong paragraph, color-coded, on either the newsletter or the blog. Refer back to the instructions if you have any questions.
Journals 6-10 are posted and released on Cougar Courses. The format is the same as Journals 1-5, with some new content. Journal 7 & 8 are double-assignments. . .This means that they will count twice: Journal 7 is the PLN assignment and Journal 8 is the Adaptive Technology assignment. I will discuss both in a future class. You are more than welcome to write Journal 6 and 9 if you are bored this weekend ;-)
This Week's Question: What feeds your spirit?? Watch the following video and then respond!
What really feeds my spirit, my passion, is getting to interact with children and watch the impact I have on them. Sometimes its small (getting them to remember their manners) or sometimes its huge (having them remember that I love them even though its been days since we've seen each other) or sometimes its even silly, like when I say "That sucks" and my 20 month old niece repeats, verbatim, "that sucks!" (In which, I learn to never say anything even remotely expletive in her presence again) Seeing the positive change in our kids, that's what really gets me passionate.
What a perfect time for this video. Teaching has dramatically changed, in a matter of 7 years. Looking back, I was passionate about learning, teaching, changing. I loved how every day was different. Now, I am in a profession that is discouraging, unpredictable, and lacks creativity. The work load seems impossible, the caseload is barely manageable, and the students are lost in the shuffle. Today, my 5 year old son feeds my spirit. I love teaching him to read and write. I love his questions and his fascination with simple things. He reminds me that simple is always better.
My passion and love for teaching started because of the teachers I had in elementary school. I feel I was 'born to teach' although...I have days when I feel so overwhelmed because of the paperwork and demands of parents that I wonder if my passion will last for a career length of time? But what I love most about my job is interacting with my students. I never know what is going to come out of their mouths...but it is usually something that leaves me laughing and smiling. It is important to remember the funny and happy moments that I cherish on days that are filled with doubt and uncertainty.
What feeds my spirit? That's a very good question, because sometimes I have to really think about it and remember why I am in school and what I am striving to achieve. Interacting with the kids at my work (I am a receptionist at a Swim School) helps me remember why I am trying to become a teacher. Their passion, innocence, and excitement is contagious and brings a smile to my face. I want to make a difference in the life of kids, I want to stop hearing about how awful the school system is becoming and want to be a part of making it a little bit better. My spirit is fed by my drive to succeed and make a life for myself helping and interacting with kids on a daily basis.
Attending school feeds my spirit. This might sound awful and like I don't have a life but I truly enjoy attending all of my classes and obtaining new knowledge every single day. For this reason, I never see myself not being in school. I want to become a teacher because I want to share my knowledge with a new generation of students. I am positive that in a few years working at a school will feed my spirit.
Observing, I get a lot of what I have learned from simply observing. I take joy in watching a wave or a bird, seeing someone grasp a concept for the first time, looking at a piece of art. I love to observe things as they happen or as they are. This suggests why I am a visual learner.
My faith and values drive me. My goal or hope in life is that each individual I meet feel loved, worthy, accepted, and appreciated for who they are. I believe we are all unique, created for a specific purpose, with unique gifts and talents unlike anyone else. I get excited at the idea of helping students discover who they are, helping students to realize that they are worthy of attention, and that they come with a set of gifts that they can share with all they encounter.
The video is so true, because when you are doing something that you enjoy, time seems to fly by. There aren't enough hours in the day when you are doing something fun. But when you are bored or overwhelmed, time goes by soooo slow. Something that has always calmed me down and made me enjoy life is just playing video games or watching sports. It has been something I have enjoyed since I was a kid, and it will be something I enjoy forever.
What feeds my spirit? Learning feeds my spirit. This is because without education I would not learn about things I never knew before. I would not be able to expand my mind and think critically. Without learning I would not be able to gain knowledge of other cultures, or why people do the things they do. In fact I love learning so much I decided to have a career where I would learn for the rest of my life.
On any given day there can be many little things that feed my spirit. Lately I think what feeds my spirit is adventure. No matter if its taking an adventure by being introduced to a new class, a new math formula, traveling, meeting new people, etc. I look forward to adventure and try not to get lost in the day to day of work and school. That is what drives my spirit.
I would have to say that learning how to teach would be my passion. Ever since I was in 2nd grade I wanted to be a teacher and now that I am learning how to teach, connecting with young students is my passion. Through my observation hours I have never been more excited to spend everyday in a classroom and connect with them on all levels of educating! wooo! =]
I love this guy. He makes you think, and that's what I like so much about it. For so long I've only had one thing that I've been really passionate about. That was running. For the past 8 years, my life has revolved around it. It was the first sport that I was good at or that I just understood. I understood what it took to get faster. You train harder, you push yourself more, you'll see the results. But at the same time I feel as if I haven't lived my life, or explored other things entirely because it would have interfered with my running goals. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I feel I haven't really figured out my other passions. I got so deep into one passion that I neglected pursuing other things that interested me. Running is part of my life. It will be until the day I die, but it no longer is my life. I'm reaching out and pursuing other interests. I want to get into kayaking and surfing off the top of my head...someday I want to kayak from the coast of California to Catalina Island.
Basically what I'm trying to say is, find what fuels your spirit, but don't get too caught up in whatever it is and miss out on life.
My first reaction to the video was standardized testing. I don't know one child who enjoys taking tests and it seems that in school that now that's all children are learning. When Ken gave the example of how if you love something your doing time seems to stop. I think that if schools could engage students in this matter then we would have less dropouts and more people attending college. Right now ASL seems to be feeding my spit and because I enjoy doing it I don't mind spending endless about of time learning it.
People feed my spirit, hands down. Interacting with others, laughing and sharing stories and learning from one another is what feeds my spirit. There are many people in the world who are servers and crack jokes about it because they are miserable. I became a waitress when I was 16 and I've never done anything else. I love meeting new people every day, and I am genuinely happy at both work and school people of the people around me. I could be doing pinterest crafts with my best friends, having drinks with my family, or in the most boring and dreadful class, but as long as I can be around and chat with others, I'll survive. The love for people is one reason that I look forward to teaching so much.
I am passionate about educating. I love that I know something and I have the power to give someone else that same knowledge. Further, then that person can teach someone else. My drive feeds and creates my spirit. I never want to quit and will try as long as there is another step to accomplish (And the beauty is that there will always be another step).
Things that feed my spirit is people, interesting people for the fact that everyone is different no matter what. They interest me for the fact that everyone has a different race, culture, and are all raised differently. Everyone has a story that is either sad or happy and being able to listen to it makes me feel like they are appreciating me for being there for them. Another thing that feeds my spirit is the fact that as a teacher i will help students develop into a knowledgeable individual and they will dream big and know that there are no limits in wanting to everything that is available to them!
What a great video. I think the thing that feeds my spirit is traveling and getting to know people from all walks of life. The world is a classroom full of interesting stories and lessons that can be taught from all different perspectives. To me, it's refreshing to get out of my comfort zone and experience someplace new with help from the locals, and to hear their personal stories. When I am teaching, I hope to bring a sort of global view to my classroom and really show my students just how much there is in this world to learn about, and how much it can open up the mind to new ideas and cultural influences.
I agree with the speaker in the sense that education is much like the fast food industry, it is standardized and fast food depletes our bodies. I also agree with him in on the topic of passion. When you do something you enjoy, time takes a different course in life. An enjoyable activity may take an hour, but feel like 5 minutes, and the opposite with a negative activity. I think that if we enjoy what we do for our career, we will never work a day in our lives.
I would have to say that being with my family and friends feeds my spirit. They are the closest people to me and I can be myself and talk to them about anything. It's a good feeling knowing that people are there for you. My journey to becoming a speech pathologist also feeds my spirit. I love going to different facilities and observing different SLPs in their work. It really encourages me to keep going through school so that I can be successful doing something I love someday.
I loved this video! I absolutely agree that we should be concentrating more on teaching the things that students love and will keep them engaged, as these are often the subjects that will inform their future decisions, like the type of employment they will choose. For me, the things that feed my spirit are art, being in and learning about the outdoors, working with animals, and literature--specifically folk tales and mythology.
My family, my friends, and music feed my spirit. My family and friends bring me comfort and joy and I am so blessed to have them in my life, because they revive me when I have no energy or spirit left.
Music is something that has always been a huge part of my life. From the time I was a baby, my parents say, they would play music and I would wiggle around on the floor to the beat. Growing up singing and playing piano I've always found music as the best form of expression. There's a song for every emotion- happiness, sadness, anger, no matter what you can find a song that is exactly how you feel. That relatability in a universal form feeds my soul, because I always know I'm not alone.
I love to impart knowledge and learn from others. It's one thing when people come together to discuss opinions; it's a totally different world when new facts are revealed and influence is being exercised. I remember growing up in NYC and being exposed to a lot of politicism, very estreme ways of thinking, and then learning through my own life experiences that I did not agree with nor believe most of what was being taught to me by self-styled scholars. While I consider myself Conservative, the intellectual realm benefits greatly from Liberal ways of thinking. I feel that the more we share (that is backed with concrete facts and not just conjecture or faith), the better of we all are.
What really feeds my spirit, my passion, is getting to interact with children and watch the impact I have on them. Sometimes its small (getting them to remember their manners) or sometimes its huge (having them remember that I love them even though its been days since we've seen each other) or sometimes its even silly, like when I say "That sucks" and my 20 month old niece repeats, verbatim, "that sucks!" (In which, I learn to never say anything even remotely expletive in her presence again) Seeing the positive change in our kids, that's what really gets me passionate.
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect time for this video. Teaching has dramatically changed, in a matter of 7 years. Looking back, I was passionate about learning, teaching, changing. I loved how every day was different. Now, I am in a profession that is discouraging, unpredictable, and lacks creativity. The work load seems impossible, the caseload is barely manageable, and the students are lost in the shuffle. Today, my 5 year old son feeds my spirit. I love teaching him to read and write. I love his questions and his fascination with simple things. He reminds me that simple is always better.
ReplyDeleteMy passion and love for teaching started because of the teachers I had in elementary school. I feel I was 'born to teach' although...I have days when I feel so overwhelmed because of the paperwork and demands of parents that I wonder if my passion will last for a career length of time? But what I love most about my job is interacting with my students. I never know what is going to come out of their mouths...but it is usually something that leaves me laughing and smiling. It is important to remember the funny and happy moments that I cherish on days that are filled with doubt and uncertainty.
ReplyDeleteWhat feeds my spirit? That's a very good question, because sometimes I have to really think about it and remember why I am in school and what I am striving to achieve. Interacting with the kids at my work (I am a receptionist at a Swim School) helps me remember why I am trying to become a teacher. Their passion, innocence, and excitement is contagious and brings a smile to my face. I want to make a difference in the life of kids, I want to stop hearing about how awful the school system is becoming and want to be a part of making it a little bit better. My spirit is fed by my drive to succeed and make a life for myself helping and interacting with kids on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteAttending school feeds my spirit. This might sound awful and like I don't have a life but I truly enjoy attending all of my classes and obtaining new knowledge every single day. For this reason, I never see myself not being in school. I want to become a teacher because I want to share my knowledge with a new generation of students. I am positive that in a few years working at a school will feed my spirit.
ReplyDeleteObserving, I get a lot of what I have learned from simply observing. I take joy in watching a wave or a bird, seeing someone grasp a concept for the first time, looking at a piece of art. I love to observe things as they happen or as they are. This suggests why I am a visual learner.
ReplyDeleteMy faith and values drive me. My goal or hope in life is that each individual I meet feel loved, worthy, accepted, and appreciated for who they are. I believe we are all unique, created for a specific purpose, with unique gifts and talents unlike anyone else. I get excited at the idea of helping students discover who they are, helping students to realize that they are worthy of attention, and that they come with a set of gifts that they can share with all they encounter.
ReplyDeleteThe video is so true, because when you are doing something that you enjoy, time seems to fly by. There aren't enough hours in the day when you are doing something fun. But when you are bored or overwhelmed, time goes by soooo slow. Something that has always calmed me down and made me enjoy life is just playing video games or watching sports. It has been something I have enjoyed since I was a kid, and it will be something I enjoy forever.
ReplyDeleteWhat feeds my spirit? Learning feeds my spirit. This is because without education I would not learn about things I never knew before. I would not be able to expand my mind and think critically. Without learning I would not be able to gain knowledge of other cultures, or why people do the things they do. In fact I love learning so much I decided to have a career where I would learn for the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteOn any given day there can be many little things that feed my spirit. Lately I think what feeds my spirit is adventure. No matter if its taking an adventure by being introduced to a new class, a new math formula, traveling, meeting new people, etc. I look forward to adventure and try not to get lost in the day to day of work and school. That is what drives my spirit.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that learning how to teach would be my passion. Ever since I was in 2nd grade I wanted to be a teacher and now that I am learning how to teach, connecting with young students is my passion. Through my observation hours I have never been more excited to spend everyday in a classroom and connect with them on all levels of educating! wooo! =]
ReplyDeleteI love this guy. He makes you think, and that's what I like so much about it. For so long I've only had one thing that I've been really passionate about. That was running. For the past 8 years, my life has revolved around it. It was the first sport that I was good at or that I just understood. I understood what it took to get faster. You train harder, you push yourself more, you'll see the results. But at the same time I feel as if I haven't lived my life, or explored other things entirely because it would have interfered with my running goals. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I feel I haven't really figured out my other passions. I got so deep into one passion that I neglected pursuing other things that interested me. Running is part of my life. It will be until the day I die, but it no longer is my life. I'm reaching out and pursuing other interests. I want to get into kayaking and surfing off the top of my head...someday I want to kayak from the coast of California to Catalina Island.
ReplyDeleteBasically what I'm trying to say is, find what fuels your spirit, but don't get too caught up in whatever it is and miss out on life.
My first reaction to the video was standardized testing. I don't know one child who enjoys taking tests and it seems that in school that now that's all children are learning. When Ken gave the example of how if you love something your doing time seems to stop. I think that if schools could engage students in this matter then we would have less dropouts and more people attending college. Right now ASL seems to be feeding my spit and because I enjoy doing it I don't mind spending endless about of time learning it.
ReplyDeletePeople feed my spirit, hands down. Interacting with others, laughing and sharing stories and learning from one another is what feeds my spirit. There are many people in the world who are servers and crack jokes about it because they are miserable. I became a waitress when I was 16 and I've never done anything else. I love meeting new people every day, and I am genuinely happy at both work and school people of the people around me. I could be doing pinterest crafts with my best friends, having drinks with my family, or in the most boring and dreadful class, but as long as I can be around and chat with others, I'll survive. The love for people is one reason that I look forward to teaching so much.
ReplyDeleteI am passionate about educating. I love that I know something and I have the power to give someone else that same knowledge. Further, then that person can teach someone else. My drive feeds and creates my spirit. I never want to quit and will try as long as there is another step to accomplish (And the beauty is that there will always be another step).
ReplyDeleteThings that feed my spirit is people, interesting people for the fact that everyone is different no matter what. They interest me for the fact that everyone has a different race, culture, and are all raised differently. Everyone has a story that is either sad or happy and being able to listen to it makes me feel like they are appreciating me for being there for them. Another thing that feeds my spirit is the fact that as a teacher i will help students develop into a knowledgeable individual and they will dream big and know that there are no limits in wanting to everything that is available to them!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great video. I think the thing that feeds my spirit is traveling and getting to know people from all walks of life. The world is a classroom full of interesting stories and lessons that can be taught from all different perspectives. To me, it's refreshing to get out of my comfort zone and experience someplace new with help from the locals, and to hear their personal stories. When I am teaching, I hope to bring a sort of global view to my classroom and really show my students just how much there is in this world to learn about, and how much it can open up the mind to new ideas and cultural influences.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the speaker in the sense that education is much like the fast food industry, it is standardized and fast food depletes our bodies. I also agree with him in on the topic of passion. When you do something you enjoy, time takes a different course in life. An enjoyable activity may take an hour, but feel like 5 minutes, and the opposite with a negative activity. I think that if we enjoy what we do for our career, we will never work a day in our lives.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that being with my family and friends feeds my spirit. They are the closest people to me and I can be myself and talk to them about anything. It's a good feeling knowing that people are there for you. My journey to becoming a speech pathologist also feeds my spirit. I love going to different facilities and observing different SLPs in their work. It really encourages me to keep going through school so that I can be successful doing something I love someday.
ReplyDeleteI loved this video! I absolutely agree that we should be concentrating more on teaching the things that students love and will keep them engaged, as these are often the subjects that will inform their future decisions, like the type of employment they will choose. For me, the things that feed my spirit are art, being in and learning about the outdoors, working with animals, and literature--specifically folk tales and mythology.
ReplyDeleteMy family, my friends, and music feed my spirit. My family and friends bring me comfort and joy and I am so blessed to have them in my life, because they revive me when I have no energy or spirit left.
ReplyDeleteMusic is something that has always been a huge part of my life. From the time I was a baby, my parents say, they would play music and I would wiggle around on the floor to the beat. Growing up singing and playing piano I've always found music as the best form of expression. There's a song for every emotion- happiness, sadness, anger, no matter what you can find a song that is exactly how you feel. That relatability in a universal form feeds my soul, because I always know I'm not alone.
I love to impart knowledge and learn from others. It's one thing when people come together to discuss opinions; it's a totally different world when new facts are revealed and influence is being exercised. I remember growing up in NYC and being exposed to a lot of politicism, very estreme ways of thinking, and then learning through my own life experiences that I did not agree with nor believe most of what was being taught to me by self-styled scholars. While I consider myself Conservative, the intellectual realm benefits greatly from Liberal ways of thinking. I feel that the more we share (that is backed with concrete facts and not just conjecture or faith), the better of we all are.
ReplyDelete