Since the
time I graduated in 2006 from the education program at the University of Akron,
much has changed in the educational landscape and our world. Today’s world requires a skill-set that requires
a proficiency in technological communications and what the application of the first
amendment means in an online world. For the first time, everyone can have a voice
in the ultra-democratic world of the internet.
No longer does a publisher have to be sought out to send out the written
word or each individual person contacted with great news on the phone. Instead we live in a world that celebrates
speed and efficiency that only systems like Facebook and Instagram can provide. As a teacher I would like to be able to teach
my students how to be an active and responsible participant in the booming
field of social media and why I have chosen to apply to the 2014 Annenberg Newseum
Summer Institute.
The Annenberg Newseum Summer Institute
represents a unique perspective that can help me become a better educator in different
ways. I have always been interested in
technology and began my college education as a computer science major, but soon
realized that I loved history and had a desire to teach. So I left computers behind to become an
educator, but the bug to work online and integrate computers into my teaching
has never dissipated. I have begun to
dabble in using technology to learn when I can and have begun to use the SOLE
style of learning, using a blog to post things for my students, and social
media to connect with my students. It
seems that if I was to join the Annenberg Newseum Summer institute that I would
be able to collaborate with other educators and professionals that share my
passion. It would be amazing to be a
part of the larger online world of educational professional collaboration and
could bring these ideas back to the classroom and my school to teach those in
my building about these new techniques.
I would love to be the one that is the pioneer in my school and would
bring new technologically based lessons with me to expand the use of these
technologies in my school.
I
have been using Civilization IV to teach social studies concepts, have created
a blog for my students, a blog for my thought son education, a twitter account
to connect with my students, an Instagram account to connect with my students
in today’s modern world, and have used chatrooms for my students to share their
knowledge with each other. I am convinced
that educators need to engage students not only in the classroom, but in the
students’ space as well. In the past
adults were not able to engage the youth of America in their space, but now through
social media we can send messages into their closed off world. I use Instagram to send pictures of historical
objects I see in everyday life to show students that history is everywhere and
alive all around. I have slowly been
expanding my use of these tools and my students respect me for trying to reach
them on their own level. I also have the
unique experience of working in a public charter school that was designed to
use technology seven years ago and have worked in a public school for the last
six years, which I could share with other participants. The
use of social media techniques I have been working on would benefit everyone who
attends the conference that I come in contact with.
My students have been receptive to
my efforts to engage them in their corner of cyberspace and I would like this
to continue. I feel that the only way
that I can continue to reach my students is to find out all available ways to
reach them. The times are truly exciting
in terms of technology and the newness of what is available. By attending the conference I believe that I
will learn new ways to engage my students and help them be successful in the
brave new world we have created in the 21st century. I also am excited to see what else has been
developed for common core that can help me better reach my students to prepare
them for the next generation of tests. A
trip to the Newseum would also be an excellent experience and would love to
talk with the staff at the Newseum more.
The museum is a great experience and would inspire my students to carve
out a space for their own story in the use of our new media. Overall, I would love to learn new ways to
reach students and hopefully transfer the love of my subject to them as they
become young adults.
In my building most teachers are
still using the 1.0 model of teaching and use of technology. There are so many technologies that my
students know how to use, but the teachers are afraid to touch or do not know
exist. I would like to change that and
bring some of this technology back for our staff development. I also think that the use of the primary
sources that are available at Annenberg Learner would be of great benefit to my
school, which has devoted using primary source activities two to three times a
quarter. I also think that I could bring
back the issue of 21st century literacy, which includes being able to
decipher, which is a good site to use on the internet to pulling information
out of a video and being able to read a webpage effectively.
It is my belief that this conference would be a great way to
expand my own horizons and learn some new techniques. When I saw about the conference I finally
felt like I had found some likeminded people that could share the discoveries I
have made. I would like to learn from others
who are doing the same thing and might be going in a different direction. I always ask my students to work together and
discuss their findings. I wouldn’t want
it any other way in my own learning and would love to contribute to the
discourse on the use of technology in the classroom at the Annenberg Newseum Summer Institute 2014.
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