Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Teaching Philosophy
Not too long ago, I posted a document on the EDU 255 blog that reflected what I considered to be my teaching philosophy. I'm going to write a new one.
I honestly never thought that several years of teaching would change my perception so dramatically--and not in a good way.
When I was in the business world, I used to tell people that "I am the most positive and enthusiastic person I know." And I was! In my early days of teaching, I think the teachers I worked with would have agreed with my proclamation. Not anymore. Even I don't say that about myself now. It is simply no longer true. Teaching has changed me. Teaching in the public school system has taken its toll on me. I'm beyond tired. I'm even beyond weary. I'm totally disheartened.
I honestly never thought that several years of teaching would change my perception so dramatically--and not in a good way.
When I was in the business world, I used to tell people that "I am the most positive and enthusiastic person I know." And I was! In my early days of teaching, I think the teachers I worked with would have agreed with my proclamation. Not anymore. Even I don't say that about myself now. It is simply no longer true. Teaching has changed me. Teaching in the public school system has taken its toll on me. I'm beyond tired. I'm even beyond weary. I'm totally disheartened.
Working toward the end
I've started my new and certainly-not-improved philosophy of teaching. In the meantime, I thought I would embed a PowerPoint presentation as a warm-up activity to prepare the reader for what is ahead. The truth, however, might be closer to this: I'm doing a warm-up activity to prepare myself for my new and certainly-not-improved philosophy of education.
Rick Burd, EDU 255
Rick Burd, EDU 255
Saturday, April 9, 2011
My useful Jing
On Friday, I mentioned to one of my CTE colleagues that my classes were creating their own blogs. He asked me if I could send him a link on how to do that. I agreed to, and then I thought 'why not use jing and post it on my EDU 255 portfolio as well.'
So, if you would like, you can see a 5-minute attempt to walk a novice through creating his first blog. TaDa.
I would also suggest that teachers should watch the video that is included in this post. It follows the John Kotter steps of change: see, feel, change. It seems to me that most of us teachers live as if the way we have learned, and how we have taught is the same way it is always going to be. "Just get me through today." This video can be a paradigm shifter, in a positive way..
I struggled over the many options we had in choosing a vehicle to display our course portfolio. I started to create a Ning social network for my business classes, but I had not checked to see if Ning is accessible at our school. It's not.
I also really liked the idea of a wiki as a useful teaching tool, especially for the collaborative nature of the platform. Also, I loved the idea of separate pages for distinct projects. However, wikispaces is blocked at my school. Here is a link to my not-too-advanced wiki.
Thank you,
Rick Burd, EDU 255
So, if you would like, you can see a 5-minute attempt to walk a novice through creating his first blog. TaDa.
I would also suggest that teachers should watch the video that is included in this post. It follows the John Kotter steps of change: see, feel, change. It seems to me that most of us teachers live as if the way we have learned, and how we have taught is the same way it is always going to be. "Just get me through today." This video can be a paradigm shifter, in a positive way..
I struggled over the many options we had in choosing a vehicle to display our course portfolio. I started to create a Ning social network for my business classes, but I had not checked to see if Ning is accessible at our school. It's not.
I also really liked the idea of a wiki as a useful teaching tool, especially for the collaborative nature of the platform. Also, I loved the idea of separate pages for distinct projects. However, wikispaces is blocked at my school. Here is a link to my not-too-advanced wiki.
Thank you,
Rick Burd, EDU 255
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Final
These past eight weeks have seemed to fly by. I learned so much about web 2.0 and its many and varied uses in the classroom. I finish this course with mixed feelings: I'm sad to see it end (I feel I still have so much to learn), and I am really glad I took this course (I would love to repeat it).
I have other mixed feelings, too. I teach computer apps classes at Bradshaw Mountain HS, and I am considered fairly knowledgeable with computers. However, the school has such incredibly limited computer power and so many controls in place that I would be considered "knowledgeable" if I knew only MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel (2003 versions) and "searching" the internet. That is just plain pathetic.
I have other mixed feelings, too. I teach computer apps classes at Bradshaw Mountain HS, and I am considered fairly knowledgeable with computers. However, the school has such incredibly limited computer power and so many controls in place that I would be considered "knowledgeable" if I knew only MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel (2003 versions) and "searching" the internet. That is just plain pathetic.
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