Blog #4

Reading the article, I believe that since our educational society today is based off of 21st century skills, it is never to young to use technology if it is age appropriate for the learner. If it is for younger grades like K-6, I believe the teacher needs to have hands on activities along side of it. This will help the learner understand technology and the content. The example in the article was the teacher who had the students do activities on the computer like dragging the apple but made sure they had the construction paper version with it to make sure the students were physically doing the activity on their own. In my future classroom, I want to integrate technology because it gives students an interesting way to look at the content we are learning and I believe it is sometimes more exciting than just using pencil and paper.

I don't necessarily believe that technology makes students socialize less in the classroom but it can easily happen in their own home. I think it brings them together because it gets students to help others when they are having trouble or share their findings when using the technology. I believe that technology is necessary in curriculum but again if it is age appropriate and keeps the students talking and sharing ideas to increase the learning in the classroom.

Blog #3

When I was viewing the blogs and posting comments, I also read the comments that were already there. When they were the same thoughts as mine, it made it more enjoyable to read and write on other blogs. I feel like the comments help because it makes you sit down and really think about what others are reasoning and apply that to your own thought process. I feel like I learned more ways to think about blogging and the constructivist theory.

I realized that I am not alone when thinking about certain teaching aspects. Most were feeling the same way about blogging and especially about constructivism. It made me feel excited about the future of teaching because I realize more people are going to try to use the constructivist theory in their own classrooms. This may be a hard task but if we do apply the theory, our future students are going to understand why they are learning what they are learning and be excited about everyday lessons.

Blogging is more enjoyable now that I know what others believe. I would love to use blogs for my future classroom, for instance, with a science fair project. This way the students could write about their findings each day by saving them on this website and their own blog and worry less about losing a paper that they wrote their findings on and making sure that their lab reports are accurate. The students gain a new technology tool and are able to read others findings about different projects in the classroom.

Blog #2

In grade school, the teachers that I remembered most and learned the most from were those who used the constructivist theory. I am the type of learner that has to have hands on activities where I am doing the activities myself and with others or else I will not learn any of the material and will become distracted easily. Hands on learning to me is fun and worthwhile and I wish more teachers adopted this style.

Fourth grade was one of my favorite years because of all the hands on activities and projects that we were given. I thought most of the work was mainly busy work at the time but it helped me better understand the material, want to come to class, and participate. My teacher knew that she had to keep moving in the lessons or else she would lose us mentally. She was an awesome teacher and used constructivism well.

Unfortunately, I have had some objectivism teachers in grade school. In my ninth grade World History class, our lessons consisted of lecture based off of powerpoints. These powerpoints were always white backgrounds with black writing and little to no pictures and the teacher would randomly call on students sometimes but only if he remembered your name. Then, he would have us watch movies that felt like they went on for ages. This class did not make me want to learn or participate. I easily became distracted in this class and never felt the need to learn.

To me, Constructivism means you make students want to learn through activities, projects, and discussions while objectivism is mainly a lecture style. In my future classroom, I want to make my students want to learn through the constructivism theory because most students need to be motivated in order to retain information. I hope my students will see me as an awesome teacher just like I saw my fourth grade teacher. 

Blog #1

I have read many blogs and have been interested in them but never had a reason to start a blog myself. I am familiar with a site named Pinterest where there are opportunities to read multiple blogs about organizing a house, doing your hair or others hair, ways to decorate a dorm room/apartment, etc. Many of it is excessive and unnecessary things and in the end the things we pin will probably never happen but it can be an excellent way to gather ideas for those individuals who are motivated in the blogging world.

Those who write blogs on a specific purpose (like those of Pinterest) are helpful. The individuals behind the blogs are genuinely trying to share their ideas and help others. However, I believe that blogging is a time consuming activity that sometimes can be unnecessary. I always questioned why people would write about their daily life unless they had an interesting story behind why they blog. However, it makes me question those that have no real purpose how much real time they have and why write a blog.

I feel uncomfortable writing a blog because I have never been the type to spill my feelings out on a website or any website for that fact. I would rather be in the background of the pinning world than in the front and center of the blogging world.