7.+From+My+Heart

//**"WOW, I'm done with my wiki! And I want to tell you some things."** //

//1. What did you learn about yourself (as a person) as a result of doing this wiki and the technology products?//


 * I learned that I have the tenacity to finish a project even if it takes me three times as long to do it as I think it should. A couple times, especially during the first Web2.0 lesson, I found myself getting very frustrated with the time it took me to find Web2.0 tools I could implement into my lessons and then the time it took to actually get them put together. It really just comes down to having to complete an objective, and then completing it.**

// 2. What did you learn about being a teacher from writing your unit? //


 * I learned that planning is going to be more of a time consuming project then I predicted and I am going to have to prepare well in advance. I will also need to stay very organized in order to not waste time while planning. I also learned that clarity is key in your lessons in order to cut down on the amount of uncertainty within your students.**

// 3. What are you most proud of as a result of doing your products? //


 * I am most proud of the fact that all of my products turned out extremely well. I am also proud that I spent so much time and effort making them the best I could. I feel that my entire project turned out exemplary because all of the pieces were constructed well.**

// 4. What would you do differently next time you write a unit and use technology? //


 * Next time I would definitely evaluate how much a student would get out of using the technology in the lesson and if it turns out they would not gain very much, I would throw the lesson out and write a new one. I feel some things are definitely enhanced by the use of technology, however, I feel technology just gets in the way of some things.**

//5. What are you most concerned about with using technology and how you will overcome obstacles with technology?//


 * I am most concerned about the amount of time students will have to spend in order to use the technology verses the time they would have to spend without the use of technology. A solid balance between wasted time and useful time will be key and I will spend a great deal of time looking into the usefulness of the technology I plan to implement in order to overcome this obstacle.**

// 6. What are you most concerned about with teaching and how you will overcome obstacles? //


 * I am most concerned with making sure I relate to all my students. I will attempt to overcome this obstacle by being open to meeting with all of my students outside of classroom hours to help clarify anything I explain in class. Also, with organization being a main concern of mine, not to be confused with me being concerned I will be unorganized, I will strive to remain very organized because one thing I have found to be constant across the board for all levels of students is their zero tolerance for teachers who do not grade their work in a timely fashion.**

// 7. What are you most excited or intrigued about with regards to using technology? //


 * I am most excited about my student's interest level in history increasing because of my implementation of technology. We live in a technology driven nation and therefore, students are constantly surrounded by technology. Students feed off technology making technology a necessity for teaching if you expect your students to show interest.**

// 8. What are you most excited or intrigued about with teaching? //


 * I am 100% most excited to show students a new way of teaching that will actually help them in life. It is one thing to force feed kids information about something they have little interest in, but it's another thing to teach them something about life. So many students feel their time is being wasted in school because they are being taught things they will have no use for later. A steady supplement of life teachings is critical in teaching the youth within the school system of today's world.**

// 9. Which century will you teach in--the twentieth or twentyfirst and what indicators will be present that most epitomize your classroom? //


 * I will teach in the 21st Century. I will encourage students to bring their laptops to class rather then paper and a pen. Being that I will be teaching history, a lot of my lessons will be based around asking my students to find information on their own in order to answer bigger questions. Reading books is good for this, but using technology can be better simply because of how much more information we have access to through using it. Using technology also allows us to access more information in a far more timely manner.**

// 10. What difference will you make? //


 * The biggest difference I see myself making is reaching students through my ability to check my ego at the door. With most of my teachers I have encountered, I notice their ego getting in the way of their teaching. It is sometimes easy to forget that teaching is about the students, not the teachers. Putting yourself on your students' level is not always an easy task, but I feel it is something that is required to reach your students. I feel I have the capability to put myself in my students' shoes, which I believe will significantly help me spark their interest level in what I have to say and teach them.**