Thing # 3: Oh, the Possibilities!
As I learn more about how a blog works, I am beginning to see so many possibilities for their use in both my future classroom and my educational program. For example, I could create a blog cataloging all of the useful classroom strategies, nifty ideas, and reward systems that I have observed during my observation hours. In one particular classroom, the teacher used a raffle system that entered students into a weekly drawing based on classroom participation. The idea struck me as a wonderfully creative way to boost participation in a fun way. With a blog, I could record all of these ideas in one easily accessible place, and when I am creating my classroom, I can refer to my blog at any time.
Likewise, I could create a blog when I am a teacher. I could chronicle my experiences as a first-year teacher and get feedback from other veteran teachers. I could also keep a working database of any initiatives that I implement in my classroom, as well as whether they were positive experiences. Other teachers could post new ideas on how to tweak my methods to achieve higher results. These are just a few of the many possibilities for writing a blog, and I cannot believe that I have not started writing one before!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thing # 2: The Wonderful World of Technology
Thing # 2: The Wonderful World of Technology
Welcome back everyone! I am going to begin today's blog with a little background on myself, which will allow you to begin to understand my quirky nature. My name is Miranda and I have an uninhibited fascination with words. The sound, the meaning, the connotation, and the syntax of words intrigues and delights me. My particular fascination, though, is with the innate beauty that words possess, their unfailing ability to paint a beautiful and vivid picture in a readers mind. Naturally, my fascination with the English language has developed into a desire to become an English teacher. Now that you have a general sense of who I am and what my interests are, it may not surprise you why I chose Wordwhiz23things as my posting name.
Although it was fairly easy to choose my blog name and my posting name, the process of setting up my blog was not so simple. In fact, it was mildly confusing. I started following the directions, but became slightly confused after I set up my blogger account and was then prompted to choose a posting name and a blog name. I guess it just seemed like too many "names." My avatar, on the other hand, was pretty fun to create. I made it very similar to myself. My avatar's hair and glasses reflect my own appearance, as well as it's attire. Considering that I hate wearing skirts, I chose jeans and plain top. Too bad there weren't more options, though!
My experience thus far has been pretty interesting. I have learned a lot about how blogs work and have had fun choosing a template for my blog that I feel reflects my personality.
Welcome back everyone! I am going to begin today's blog with a little background on myself, which will allow you to begin to understand my quirky nature. My name is Miranda and I have an uninhibited fascination with words. The sound, the meaning, the connotation, and the syntax of words intrigues and delights me. My particular fascination, though, is with the innate beauty that words possess, their unfailing ability to paint a beautiful and vivid picture in a readers mind. Naturally, my fascination with the English language has developed into a desire to become an English teacher. Now that you have a general sense of who I am and what my interests are, it may not surprise you why I chose Wordwhiz23things as my posting name.
Although it was fairly easy to choose my blog name and my posting name, the process of setting up my blog was not so simple. In fact, it was mildly confusing. I started following the directions, but became slightly confused after I set up my blogger account and was then prompted to choose a posting name and a blog name. I guess it just seemed like too many "names." My avatar, on the other hand, was pretty fun to create. I made it very similar to myself. My avatar's hair and glasses reflect my own appearance, as well as it's attire. Considering that I hate wearing skirts, I chose jeans and plain top. Too bad there weren't more options, though!
My experience thus far has been pretty interesting. I have learned a lot about how blogs work and have had fun choosing a template for my blog that I feel reflects my personality.
Thing # 1: Lifelong Learning: An Everlasting Journey
Thing # 1: Lifelong Learning: An Everlasting Journey
Someone once told me that "Intelligence is acknowledging the extent of your own ignorance." This seemingly paradoxical statement struck me as delightfully obvious and has since become the foundation upon which I have built my education. I wholeheartedly believe that learning and intelligence are not concrete and immobile, but are synonymous to a fluid river, continuously expanding and changing. Learning is a lifelong journey comprised of effort, persistence, and patience.
As most of you can guess, the one habit that I find the easiest to incorporate into my journey of learning is "Accept responsibility for your own learning." Without drive and insufferable motivation, a person is doomed to have a stagnant and idle mind. However, there is an easy remedy: accept responsibility for your own learning. Become active, become creative, become curious, and become inquisitive. There is no better learner than the four year old who perpetually asks, "But why?" and finds such joy in discovering the wonders of the world. I think that sometimes I, and I am sure the majority of other adults, get so caught up in the whirlwind of life that we can no longer find the curious, and slightly obnoxious, four year old within who is screaming to delve into something wholly unknown.
On the other hand, I find Habit 3 the most difficult habit to overcome and incorporate into my life. "View problems as challenges" is a sentiment I wish I embraced, but I often find myself downtrodden and frustrated when I am overcome with a plethora of problems. Plus, problems seem to come in groups of three or four, for me anyways. It seems to me that as I have grown, had children, and embarked on this new chapter of my life (graduate school), problems have sprung up around every corner. However, I have recently realized that I only impart damage upon myself by becoming frustrated, and should tweak my perspective slightly. By seeing problems as challenges, the problematic scenario seems to develop an adventurous aura rather than being bathed in a menacing light.
In regard to my feelings toward learning and exploring the Web 2.0 tools, I am excited to acquire new skills that will allow me to be a more effective teacher. That is not to say that my excitement is not tinged with a hint of apprehension, because it definitely is. Technology has always seemed a bit daunting to me, even though I do consider myself proficient. For example, I was able to set up this blog with relative ease; however, it did take me a minute to figure out that my blog account is separate, yet distinctly intertwined, with my new gmail account. Either way, I found myself successful, as I plan to find myself at the end of this new exploration of technology.
Someone once told me that "Intelligence is acknowledging the extent of your own ignorance." This seemingly paradoxical statement struck me as delightfully obvious and has since become the foundation upon which I have built my education. I wholeheartedly believe that learning and intelligence are not concrete and immobile, but are synonymous to a fluid river, continuously expanding and changing. Learning is a lifelong journey comprised of effort, persistence, and patience.
As most of you can guess, the one habit that I find the easiest to incorporate into my journey of learning is "Accept responsibility for your own learning." Without drive and insufferable motivation, a person is doomed to have a stagnant and idle mind. However, there is an easy remedy: accept responsibility for your own learning. Become active, become creative, become curious, and become inquisitive. There is no better learner than the four year old who perpetually asks, "But why?" and finds such joy in discovering the wonders of the world. I think that sometimes I, and I am sure the majority of other adults, get so caught up in the whirlwind of life that we can no longer find the curious, and slightly obnoxious, four year old within who is screaming to delve into something wholly unknown.
On the other hand, I find Habit 3 the most difficult habit to overcome and incorporate into my life. "View problems as challenges" is a sentiment I wish I embraced, but I often find myself downtrodden and frustrated when I am overcome with a plethora of problems. Plus, problems seem to come in groups of three or four, for me anyways. It seems to me that as I have grown, had children, and embarked on this new chapter of my life (graduate school), problems have sprung up around every corner. However, I have recently realized that I only impart damage upon myself by becoming frustrated, and should tweak my perspective slightly. By seeing problems as challenges, the problematic scenario seems to develop an adventurous aura rather than being bathed in a menacing light.
In regard to my feelings toward learning and exploring the Web 2.0 tools, I am excited to acquire new skills that will allow me to be a more effective teacher. That is not to say that my excitement is not tinged with a hint of apprehension, because it definitely is. Technology has always seemed a bit daunting to me, even though I do consider myself proficient. For example, I was able to set up this blog with relative ease; however, it did take me a minute to figure out that my blog account is separate, yet distinctly intertwined, with my new gmail account. Either way, I found myself successful, as I plan to find myself at the end of this new exploration of technology.
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