My Class Experience

By attending 2009’s fall semester at MDC, and taking a course in Introduction to Technological Education; I have learned the importance of understanding the purpose of becoming a teacher. I have learned, to listen to what my insight is responding to a class discussion on types of philosophy of education, I objectively analyzed perennialism, essentialism, progressive education, existentialism, social reconstruction and pragmatism/experimentalism and came to the conclusion that regardless of the educator’s philosophy on the method of teaching, it lays the importance sense of the educator to be aware of the current state we live on. Human beings, are in an oppressed society where they do not use their inner wisdom, only using primal senses. We have not tapped into our inner wisdom to its maxed. Therefore, for an individual to become a teacher, a guide into the innate, a sense of a higher responsibility should take into place. That is to be as awake as much as a being can be. Applying critical thinking to every action educators take at all times, not only inside of a classroom, but outside of the classroom As educators we need to tap into our wisdom and allow the flow of white light and radiate its light at all time. If a teaching profession is chosen, the individual shall understand fully the magnificent energy it holds. This energy has endless possibility to turn into a sour lemon or a sweet melon. We hold the keys to another being’s creation. It is important to be awake in the world we live on and begin to awake everyone else. One way I propose is to hold seminar using the transpersonal lesson plan and promote it through out the community so everybody can be involved in society’s molding. I have also learned about behaviorist lesson plan that is more of direct teaching and no collaborative learning; I have also learned about constructivist lesson plan where its integrated with collaborative learning, inquiry-based learning and is more student oriented, which I like very much.

Extra Credit - National Hispanic Heritage Month

I was born in Medellin, Colombia and left my country at 10 years old. My father came to the United States before my mother and I came; the reason for this new future was because of a horse. The horse’s name was Plebeyo; he was a white stallion full of brio and elegance. My father was his trainer in Colombia when the owner decided to conquer North America with the Paso Fino breed; taking us back to when I was two years old. It was our first trip across the Atlantic. We moved back shortly after I turned three years old because my mother was not happy, so we went back to Colombia to later come back to the states when I was 8 years old. He came to set a foundation for the family, then soon after I turned 10, my mother and I moved back to our new home, United State of America. Forming a new life in a new country was difficult, there were a lot of things that I had to adjust to; learning a new language, mix cultures, the roads, e.g. highways, the eclectic foods, and the amount of police patrolling the streets. But just like anything else that is part of nature, I adapted. I integrated my being to this new living and embraced its adjustments. I love how I became part of a new world, how I enveloped into the collage that forms the United States. I love waking up and reading the newspapers, always encouraging the Latin community to embrace their heritage. We are all now, Americans. Coming to the National Hispanic Heritage Month celebration this year at the Miami Dade North Campus, took me back or should I better say, it embraced what my background has brought into this new world we are residing today; United States of America. If it wasn’t for the spoken word uplifting our spirit to another realm, or the Mariachis that Professor McNair invited to proclaim what most of us Latinos grew up listening to, coming from our great grandparents, grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, cousins and friends singing their heart out to, or the Flamenco dancers taking us back to our true heritage, Spain. Reminding us how much passion, dedication and identity we have evolved from, or the salsa dancers from the New World School of Miami or Kiki Sanchez Latin jazz we would not be who this country has become to be. Thank you! America for allowing us to be all one.

Technology in the Classroom

I believe technology is a resource to increase knowledge to the inquirer. It is imperative for teachers to integrate different methods of learning into the curriculum. Technology is one of those methods used in a classroom that may become very helpful for both the teacher and the student. I believe that technology is a form of language that breaks down barriers that were once there, because teachers are able to automatically bring up worksheets and have it displayed in the classroom for example. Technology allows having the class review any resource and even write down the answers right on a smart board. Technology is used everyday; our houses are equipped with technology, from air conditioning as a commodity to the stove used to create the essentials of life, food. We use electric toothbrushes, electric razors, alarm clocks, and television sets where we obtain an ever increasing percentage of our knowledge. Computers have become the modern books, an easier way of accessing information; increases knowledge, increases ways of searching, it allows the inquirer to have all type of information at the end of their fingers tips from the comfort of their home. Technology disables the inquirer to go outside to search for knowledge; technology enables the inquirer to use it in a sufficient manner, well that is if indeed the inquirer is properly using it. I still believe in the importance for the inquirer to search outside of their comfort home, to create projects boards and use clay to form their hypotheses instead of using illustrator or Photoshop for example, but I am also very aware the importance of implementing the habit in students to use technology for their advantage; search engines is a rare form that it has taken a world of their own, because there is absolutely nothing that compares to having a thought or desire to enter it into a search engine and magically for it to appear, giving you the accessibility to the wishful knowledge that is typed.

Philosophy of Education

My overall philosophy of life is that human beings are to develop their own identity for the benefit of society. This philosophy is what leads my life, which melts into what I believe my philosophy of educations is ought to be. I do not believe teachers are to impose their own wishes on the students neither believe that facts are to have the last word. I believe factual information can be expanded and be changed by new ideas and theories. I believe teacher’s solely purpose in a classroom should only be a medium between the student and resources needed to expand their own thought. Teachers are to assists inquirers; it is imperative for teacher to think ahead and have guidance questions to the new path. When problems arise, student’s purpose is to think deeper and find a solution. I believe that wisdom in the animal race - human beings, is innate. I believe is a necessity for the schools to find ways of teaching that provides tools for human beings to advance their knowledge to have advantage over any type of situation. As human beings, we need to be inquisitive within our own selves, a form that only may lead to a sort of form of knowledge. With knowledge, a student has the upper hand to dissect principals in the attempt to find their meaning. A student should be thought the basics, and what are meant about basics are writing, reading, math, and natural science; furthermore the curriculum should be designed accordingly to the student’s interests. The importance is for teachers to evoke student’s imagination; for the students to activate their creativity and explore its surroundings. I also believe human beings have a role in society, and the role in society needs to be completely chosen by its author and for it to be executed to the highest form of responsibility for the overall benefit of society’s wellness.

What is a Digital Story

Human beings experience things through visuals. We wake up and open our eyes and we receive light, then we begin to see shapes and these images go straight into our brain. These visuals are process internally to later be expressed externally. A digital story is a collection of visuals anda audio dedicated to capture a moment to be an informative message. Teachers in classroom, use digital stories to tell events, history, biographies or be applied to any subject that they choose to express. It is a form of expanding the objective. Digital stories are to be received by the viewer after it is processed by the viewer’s mind. Using digital stories is a good way to expand forms of learning. Now these days, society has become more technologically advance and have taken further steps to apply to ways of receiving knowledge. Some people may say, that we no longer sit down and read a book, it has become more convenient to turn on a computer, dvd, tv, projector, iphone, etc.. Where we can search for anything we want to know about; maybe a digital story clip of Darwin’s seminar when he traveled to Africa. The author of the digital story may even choose to include to Darwin’s seminar, images of the elephants, zebras, hyenas, lions, and hippopotamus among the many other animals that Darwin talked about at an auditorium when he recorded it. Even further, the digital storytelling author may decide to select to add part of his own images, representing his own trip to Africa. Digital story can be manipulated in endless forms to display emotion, moment, place, ideas, experiences, etc. A digital story is much effective because it allows the viewers to form a physical bond to the story since it broadens the viewer’s knowledge, transmitted via images, voice, music, and visual effects. Digital stories should be implemented to all classrooms, because it will engage the student to learn and pushes the learner to express itself outwardly.

Telecollaborative Lesson

In today’s time, most of the people’s routine begins with checking up on their e-mail, blogs, online networks, news updates, and many more of the web links they enjoy and incorporate into their lives. The World Wide Web has become the new modern library; here you have an endless possibility to gather information about any interests there is to imagine. Teachers across the world have created a way to use the endless wire ring the net provides in order to expand the knowledge in classrooms by exposing their students to others experiences who leave across the globe. Teachers are organizing formulated telecollaborative projects by tying them in directly to the student’s curriculum. This method of teaching must be established with a clear objective, and its purpose must prove that it can only be accomplished via the structure of a telecollaborative project. Before beginning a telecollaborative project, teachers should learn about other’s telecollaborative projects that have already been delegated by other teachers; this gives teachers a better understanding of the dynamics of a telecollaborative project. Teachers must be aware of all of the necessary work this type of project involves before deciding to go into it. They are required to allocate time to respond to all of the correspondences they will be receiving from students or anyone who gets involved. Teachers should also understand there will be many factors that will come in into play when using technology and classrooms that are not physically present. Like dealing with people’s schedules, technical errors, time differences, etc... Teachers should also maintain all records of the telecollaborative project, that way the knowledge found, can be distributed to the overall community either by individual’s online search or by the teacher informing the media. This is a great method of sharing knowledge; it uses the World Wide Web as a piggy back ride in order to develop a world community. The telecollaborative project gives the citizens an enormous gift of compassion and the understanding that we leave in an inter-dependent society.