Teaching Today

I have been following scratch discussion in mahara forums and find that there are mixed feeling towards the program and others like this. I still lean towards the side that I this is not my cup of tea and find it is taking up too much time that I don’t have to put towards a program that I wouldn’t use in a classroom. Again where is the flexibility in this subject!

Please view my curated collection at http://www.scoop.it/t/teaching-technology-and-the-effects-on-food

Yes, it has been a long time, mainly because of avoidance. I am trying to be professional about this assessment, but personal emotions keep clouding my judgement. I am yet to complete SCRATCH activities as this is not my cup of tea, I am yet to further engage in social media as I am rather against it and feel that this assessment does not consider or allow for those who don’t engage with social media for one reason or another. The curation component is fine though, I fail to see how much of what I am searching for will help me with teaching in a special needs unit where I mainly teach children basic literacy and numeracy (very basic!). One thing this assessment has taught me is how a student would feel completing a task that appears to have little or no relevance to them or that they are very uninterested in. I am looking to my internship and have therefore revisited past courses about assessment and have looked further into ways to make assessment more meaningful, engaging and flexible while considering learning outcomes, abilities and personal beliefs of my students.

Last night I had set aside time to complete the EDP4130 task one.  I live in a rural area and even though I am not far out of the town centre I am unable to use ADSL for internet, therefore I have wireless.  I love wireless a lot of the time and the rest I spend cursing Telstra.  When there is not a lot of TV or overcast, I end up with limited internet, to the point where pages can’t load and things become idle.  It is one thing to have the abilities to provide all of these wonderful things because of technologies, but there is not much point when you can’t use them (even though you still pay for them!)……and have we become a race that is in constant need of entertainment?

I was in the school grounds (Prep -7) this morning as a parent and I encountered a student’s behaviour far from favourable. The worst part of what I witnessed this morning is that two teachers just kept walking and ignored the swearing, kicking and throwing other students school bags and full lunch boxes. Is this a common problem that is occurring more in schools (I certainly see it more), if so why?

I think at this stage I could compare myself to a baby taking its first breath of air and opening its little eyes to bright lights, unfamiliar sounds and places.  I think that like a baby I would like to cry only unlike a baby it is not the sound of my mum’s voice that would calm me right now I think that it is a glass of red (or maybe a bottle).  This whole new world of blogging, twitter, Facebook, etc. is so abnormal to me and very against my values and personal beliefs.  EDP4130 talks about this, but so far has not allowed for ones like me whose values don’t extend to blogging, tweeting and FB.  I guess like a baby my bare bum is out there for all the world to see..……..Baby Steps…..Right?