All About Me
My name is Heather Colleen Vickrey. I live in Huxford, Alabama where I have been raised my entire life. My family consists of my dad, mom, and brother. We are a very close family. I graduated from JU Blacksher High School in 2005 and then attended Faulkner State Community College for two years. I loved Faulkner so much and would get my B.A. there if I could. When I was at Faulkner, I majored in Dental Assisting. After seeing that was not for me, I then decided I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. I then started taking night classes at Jefferson Davis Community College as I worked full time at United Bank. This is my first semester at University of South Alabama and it is wearing on me. I go to school now full time and work part time at PCI Gaming (WindCreek Casino). My life is busy between work and school, however I know it will pay off in the end. My reason for wanting to be an elementary school teacher is because I want to help children. I love children and would like to be around them daily.
My Teaching Philosophy
In teaching, it is very important to know what strong points I have in order to pass these traits on to my students. The values that I strive to pass alone to my students during this school year are respect for others, compassion, leadership, commitment, and honesty. When these values are involved in a student’s life early, the student is aware of these values and tends to carry the values out later on in his/her life. Here is what the values mean to me and how I will carry the values out in my classroom.
Respect for others is the ability to get alone with someone even if they are different in your eyes. I will carry this value out in my classroom by making sure I treat each student as being his/her own person. As a class we can be respectful to others by respecting each other’s property. The students will learn that even if you do not care for a fellow student, you still should respect that student.
Compassion is shown when we honor one’s feelings and give them the love they deserve. This value is carried out in the classroom by listening to each student’s input and by providing efficient answers. I envision leadership as taking charge of an activity and encouraging others in the process. Concerning the classroom, I will make the students aware of each activity and give clear direction for the activity so the student will do their best. Leadership is what builds a strong team and as a class, we are a team. Commitment is putting forth the most effort you can to complete a task. I show commitment to my students by pushing each one to the fullest. This allows the student to know that I am committed to him/her and care about the outcome of the task performed. Last but definitely not least is honesty. Honesty is the ability to carry out the truth. In the world today, honesty lacks. The children this year will know what it means to be honest and the consequences that come with being a dishonest person.
What I Learned in EDM 310
I have realized since I have taken my EDM 310 class this semester, how technology has changed since I was in high school. There are many different ways teachers can use computers to help them save time as they teacher and also to make their jobs easier. Also another advantage of technology is all the information that is avaliable and easy to find.
A blog is a wonderful way for a parent or teacher to communicate with the teacher. With our fast moving society, parents can go online while at home or work and see what the is learning each week and see upcoming events inside of the classroom. The teacher can also email parents on events instead of sending notes home with the student. Notes can get lost and by sending emails money is saved. The teacher does not have to worry if they have enough paper to get through the school year.
Another wonderful device that I learned about this semester is Skype. Skype can help students learn about other countries and cultures. While the teacher is teaching about a particular subject, the teacher can also connect with someone in that area so the students can learn first hand. This makes learning fun for the students and helps the students really understand what the subject is about.
A great tool for teachers to use is podcast. The teacher can go online to iTunes and search for educational podcasts. Teachers can learn new techniques that will help them in the classroom from these podcasts.
There were times in EDM 310 that I would get frustrated with the assignment. Now looking back, I feel that I am more computer friendly than I was at the beginning of the semester. This class has taught me how to be a better teacher and how to obtain great resources that can be used inside of my classroom.
A blog is a wonderful way for a parent or teacher to communicate with the teacher. With our fast moving society, parents can go online while at home or work and see what the is learning each week and see upcoming events inside of the classroom. The teacher can also email parents on events instead of sending notes home with the student. Notes can get lost and by sending emails money is saved. The teacher does not have to worry if they have enough paper to get through the school year.
Another wonderful device that I learned about this semester is Skype. Skype can help students learn about other countries and cultures. While the teacher is teaching about a particular subject, the teacher can also connect with someone in that area so the students can learn first hand. This makes learning fun for the students and helps the students really understand what the subject is about.
A great tool for teachers to use is podcast. The teacher can go online to iTunes and search for educational podcasts. Teachers can learn new techniques that will help them in the classroom from these podcasts.
There were times in EDM 310 that I would get frustrated with the assignment. Now looking back, I feel that I am more computer friendly than I was at the beginning of the semester. This class has taught me how to be a better teacher and how to obtain great resources that can be used inside of my classroom.
Why a Professional Blog is Important
What is the importance of a collaborative professional blog? To me, this question can be answered with many different responses. A professional blog allows people to connect with each other and also learn from each other. In At the Teacher's Desk there is a question posted that states some suggestions on a website for students to do probability games. Within minutes many people commented and gave websites that they had used in the past themselves. This gave the teacher websites yet at the same time the teacher had good websites that had worked for other teachers in the past.
Within At the Teacher's Desk ,I looked over many blogs. Some that really got my attention were Pencils & Crayons Banned at School, Facebook as a Teacher, and Skype to Connect Foreign Language Students. While I was reading these blogs, I observed to myself what really gets my attention. Some things that stand out to me are the pictures on the website, the length of the post, and the title of the post. These factors can really bring attention for me or it can turn me away. To me, a post should not be to very long. The person needs to express what they are saying and support what they are saying, without having many paragraphs.
Within At the Teacher's Desk ,I looked over many blogs. Some that really got my attention were Pencils & Crayons Banned at School, Facebook as a Teacher, and Skype to Connect Foreign Language Students. While I was reading these blogs, I observed to myself what really gets my attention. Some things that stand out to me are the pictures on the website, the length of the post, and the title of the post. These factors can really bring attention for me or it can turn me away. To me, a post should not be to very long. The person needs to express what they are saying and support what they are saying, without having many paragraphs.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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