Dr. Pytash Reflection

In class this year I was able to get some experience with making lesson plans. This is something I was not used to. I am so excited to start teaching now. I really think everyday is going to be so much fun. One thing we talked a lot about over the semester was how to teach students efficiently. A teacher should want to have memorable lessons, so students are able to do well on assessments and use the material to their advantage in their futures. I do not think anyone will be forgetting MC on the Track with her hit single “Anticipation Guides.” I feel very comfortable in front of a classroom now. We had to do a lot of talking and things in front of the rest of the class. I am no longer shy. Ask anyone in Dr. Pytash’s class.

Another valuable technique I learn about was modeling. I did not include modeling in my first lessons because I did not know how important it is. But how are student supposed to know what to do unless a teacher shows them? Modeling makes perfect sense.

Another major thing I learned about this year is using critical theories to examine texts. I now know about many different theories and how they open up different aspects of text. I also learned about sites such as readwritethink.org. I am so happy to know I can find lesson plans instead of making them all on my own.

I really value having Carol Jago’s text book as well. This has been my favorite book I have had to buy for a class so far. She explains things in a certain way that makes sense to me and will make sense for my future students. She talked a lot about levels of achievement and how you always want to push your students to the next level. If someone is a poor writer, he or she should become decent. If you have a good writer, the teacher should strive to make him or her excellent.

I thank you Dr. Pytash for always being there for our class when we needed something. You were always quick to answer emails and were very supportive of our questions. I was very appreciative of covering the topics our class wanted to learn about. =) Have a wonderful summer. Don’t forget about us!!

Multi-Modal Reflection

Over the course of this semester I have learned so much about incorporating technology into the classroom. This is something that I did not strongly think about before taking this course. But, HELLO!! It’s the 21st century. As pre-service teachers, we must use technology in the classroom. With the information I have been taught this semester, I will be able to make my classes more exciting for students. I mean, lets think about it. Who wants to sit around and use paper and pencil all the time? There are blogs, wikis, and social networking sites such as Facebook for students to use to their educational advantage.

I am especially excited to have the opportunity to present in Florida at this year’s NCTE conference. I am so grateful to have this opportunity. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience and I am more than thrilled to be a part of it. I am anxious to start planning for the presentation as well.

I am also happy I learned how to use a wiki. The wiki done in class will help me when I need to teach something from the cannon. I feel our class did a great job and I will definitely have something to turn to when I need some extra ideas for my lesson plans.

I also like learning about the team building activities. I do think it would have been helpful if we were provided with a worksheet with all of them written down, but I have the activities safely stored in my class notebook. I did a presentation in another class about team building activities and used Dr. Kist’s book as a reference.

Overall, I was very happy I had the opportunity to learn about incorporating technology in the classroom. I feel its greatest importance is about being able to connect with students. Everyone has those teachers who are afraid or unwilling to adapt to the new technology. A teacher needs to be willing to keep up with the times. It makes them more available to their students.

I feel over the course of the semester I have realized how many different way technology can be a part of the classroom. I found out how crucial it is to students' education this semester.