From+My+Heart

Dear Dr. C,

Thank you for a great semester! I really enjoyed the class and learned a lot in the 16 weeks that we spent together. I was surprised at the amount of resources that are out there for teachers and techies alike. While I consider myself a pretty tech savvy person, I learned that I can be pretty creative as well. I had a lot of fun coming up with ideas to incorporate technology applications into lesson plans. I was excited to learn that you do have some freedom in how you put together and deliver your lesson plans. It can sometimes be difficult to create plans that are challenging as well as fun. I think that one project that I am the most proud of is my digital story on Douglas the star. It was educational as well as creative. I would be excited to implement that lesson to see what imaginative stories children would come up with.

 I think that the next time I wrote a unit I would prepare a more developed plan of what specific items and topics needed to be covered. This would ensure that the learning aspect was strong before I introduced the technology aspect. I think that doing this would help prevent my biggest fear of using technology-that the technology overpowers the learning goals of the lesson. I think that it is exciting how much technology is constantly changing. It seems that the amount of free and useful materials is always growing, and you are really only limited by your imagination.

As far as teaching goes, I am most concerned that I will end up in a school where the principal’s philosophy does not match mine. I hope to teach at a school where new ideas and techniques are welcomed instead of stifled. I think that one of the only ways to overcome these obstacles is to do as much research as I can on schools before I accept a position.

 I am excited to instill a love of learning in children. I am excited to facilitate discovery and exploration and foster growth. I think that it is amazing how much you can continue to learn in the process of teaching others. I want my class to be a classroom of the twenty-first century. I want children to have access to things that will prepare them to handle the ever-changing world around them. I want to utilize the capacity of a child’s mind that has been brought up in this new era. These days children have a tremendous ability to multitask and problem solve. A classroom of the twenty-first century embraces these skills.

In closing I hope that I can inspire children to become lifelong learners. I want to be a part of teaching a generation that is brighter, stronger and more enlightened. I want to give children the skills to make a difference in their world, as teachers of my past have done for me.

Thank you Dr. C, for continuing to light the way for inspired teachers and giving them skills to pass down to other generations.

Cheers! Mary Brady