Joomag

My Philosophy of Education

            What is my philosophy on education? Why is education important to me and especially to my students? Is education really necessary to our survival? Firstly, I would like to discuss why education is important for everyone, not just to me. Then talk about my purpose or role as the educator. Lastly, what have I come to understand is the best ways a student learns and how to teach them.

            What do I believe is the purpose of education? I believe that education has many purposes and uses in our lives.  Most importantly education guides how we think or behave, our understanding about the world and its people, and our economic gain. When we make choices, such as choosing a restaurant to eat in, we usually make informed choices in regards to: if its affordable, the rating, and past experiences we’ve had while eating there. With whom we choose to associate with is also guided by our knowledge of someone and how we relate to them and they to us. The jobs we hold is also shaped by what we define as success or our happiness. These are in fact educated choices we make. Carpenter and Hughes state that education helps us in finding or defining our self-actualization or realization, human relationships, and economic efficiency (pg.3, 2011). Through education we define or develop our place in society, how we interact with others (feeling of empathy) and career success. What we define as our happiness, which everyone deserves and has a right to the attainment of. In our daily lives we are always learning something new. We learn best through the mistakes we make. But, as stated by Milliren and Messer this requires the development of a students potential to do hard work or be dedicated, and understanding of theirs and others interests (pg.20, 2009), whom I believe together shapes character. We develop these characteristics through learning or acquiring knowledge. These are the main reasons why we push our children to go out and get an education. The institution that is dedicated in teaching and act as the center of learning in our society are schools. Kids in our country are fortunate to receive education for free. But when they enter through the school doors, the educators entrusted with the obligation to teach must do their best to engage the minds of each student, to want to learn. So as a dispenser or teacher of information how do I best share these knowledge with my students?

            Holding the responsibility of being an educator in a classroom is very daunting and challenging. Sometimes some of us actually teach subjects we aren’t even well versed in. Also a few students in class don’t even want to be there, they just show up to be a thorn in your side and disrupt teaching and learning. Handling 15 students is difficult enough, but 25 to 30 students is a big challenge. Sometimes I feel like telling them that if they don’t really want to be here then they should tell their parents to pull them out of school. Because truthfully, sometimes these students are the students with behavior issues and often disrupt your lessons and the students who want to learn from learning. But usually they misbehave because they don’t understand the material and don’t want to look ignorant. As the teacher I have to work around this and make them understand the value of education and learning. One way to get them to learn is to make sure the material I am teaching them is relevant and that they understand it or can relate it to their lives. Another hurdle to jump over are the materials and textbooks used for teaching, which are often outdated or insufficient. Even the student desks are falling apart let alone the whole school. This is what most teachers face on Guam and quite possibly in other parts of the nation. But as the educator my main goal and purpose is to spark the need or want to learn in the minds of my students, so that they can attain happiness. Regardless of the material I have to work with or if the air-conditioning is not functioning. I want to inspire them but most of all I want them to inspire themselves. I teach math, and math is a subject that most students hate, because they find it difficult to understand. But just like math and also in life, if we persevere there is an answer to be found and I hope my students take this to heart. I have had a few students ask me why do we need to learn this or why do we need to be in school. I explain to them that knowledge and the attainment of it will help them develop who they are and shape their minds and thoughts, their character. In turn it will help and guide them to finding their happiness, whatever it may be. My hope for my students when they leave my classroom is that they are fully equipped to meet the next challenges in their lives. But even if they leave without a complete knowledge of the skills that I have taught them, at the very least they have an understanding that with hard work and perseverance they can accomplish anything. This is my hope as their guide and teacher. But I must also take into consideration on how my student’s will best learn and retain the material I teach them.

            I have come to believe and learn; from past experiences, information recently acquired from graduate school, and as a first time teacher, is that all students learn differently. Everyone is different meaning they also learn in various ways. Carjuzza and Kellough have identified 3 different learning modalities; which are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic or tactile modalities (pg.56, 2013). From what I’ve observed in my observations of other classes and also in my own class is that this is true. Especially if you include them all in your lesson plan. When we teach we mainly engage two of the sensors, which are visual and auditory so it is also important to make sure we find a way to incorporate kinesthetic modality. If we engage all three we can be sure that all the students in your class will participate and learn. Another important way to teach and for students to learn is the use of cooperative learning groups. Again as stated by Carjuzza and Kellough students learn better when they work and support one another with the guidance of the teacher (pg.230, 2013). I have had the opportunity to observe and also assign my students to work in groups. What I have come to conclude is that, with strict guidance, learning becomes more fun and engaging for students when they work with one another. I also agree in fostering this type of learning. Because it helps them understand the idea of working with others, which most working environments promote.  With this understanding about the importance of the learning modalities and cooperative learning groups, I am more aware of how I can best teach my students. I have also started to include them in my lesson planning. Because a well planned and researched lesson with the inclusion of the learning modalities and of cooperative learning groups, teaching and learning can be achieved at its highest level. And as the educator this is my main goal in teaching my students the importance about education. If I don’t take these ideas into account it will lead to teaching and learning failure.

            In my conclusion I believe that education is important for everyone. It doesn’t matter what your station will be in the future. Attainment of knowledge is important because it helps build character, self-realization, develop human relation, and economic productivity. As the educator I am charged in making sure that my students realize this and that I inspire them to want this for themselves. So I must make sure that I utilize and develop instruction that will engage and capture their minds to want to learn in order for them to achieve their goals. Ultimately it is happiness, contentment, and satisfaction that everyone is looking for in life and education is important and a key in achieving these aspirations. 

Reference:

Carpenter, D. M., Hughes, H. (2011) Gubernatorial Rhetoric and the Purpose of Education in the United States. Retrieved Dec. 2013 from; http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ963737.pdf

Milliren, A., Messer, M. H. (2009) “Invitations” To Character. Retrieved Dec. 2013 from;

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ871349.pdf

Carjuzaa, J., Kellough, R. D. (2013) Teaching in the Middle and Secondary Schools. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Online Safety

            During the project presentations I feel that I have gained a better insight of how to protect, avoid, and solve problems that may arise when we make use of the Internet. I have learned that we may inadvertently put ourselves into compromising situations if we do not take into consideration the actions that we make when we utilize the Internet in our daily lives. The four topics I felt fit cohesively into an educational unit because all are issues that we must take into consideration when using sources that come from online. It teaches me important step in how to combat and protect myself from problems that may arise. I would add the privacy section to the presentations, which I would add to the Fair Use Practice (FUP) and Copyright Issues, because it would fit perfectly along with these same topics. I personally would not delete anything from the presentation. In fact I would rather add to it because everyone today have come to relay on the Internet as an important tool, which we use to purchase, communicate, share, etc. so we must all become more proficient in the legalities in order to eliminate the negative problems that happens during its use. As stated by Chen and He (2013) that as more people use and depend on the internet there have also an increase of illegal activities and security threats taking place on the Internet. So we must become more educated in how to protect ourselves from such problems.

            It is important that my students learn about online safety in order to make it effective I will design it as a cooperative learning group lesson. This is not just to increase and promote positive social interaction but also for them to share their individual knowledge or experiences of the problems that happen with their use of the Internet. The other reasons are that there are limited resources and time. I would most likely introduce the biggest issues first that they usually will encounter, which is Cyber Bullying, Textual Harassment and Sexting because I know that these are the most rampant problems among adolescent. I will have them create an online presentation with the use of Google drive for its simplicity and because it is free. But I will have to make sure that the presentations follow strict guidelines in order to minimize problems, such as plagiarism and various risks. As stated by Ranguelov (2010) that the Internet opens a world of possibilities for children to expand their knowledge but it also exposes them to risks, such as giving private details and sexual abuse. As the teacher I must first educate them about safety and proper use of online research so that they and I are not compromised by any problems that come with use of the Internets as an educational tool.  

            For this project as a group we decide to use Wix and Google Drive and Apps to complete our project. We decided against the use of Wiggio because we felt it was easier to use Google Drive to share the work and Google Hangout to communicate with one another during the planning and creation of the project presentation. We also ended up using Wix to create our template for our presentation because we wanted to try something that we felt would be fun to know and learn as a new tool for presentations.

            Overall the importance of this presentation about online safety for my personal knowledge is significant. But it is also invaluable knowledge for everyone else to know because today everyone uses the Internet for almost about every activity that they do, either paying bills or sharing pictures. It is also important that we educate our students about these problems so that they can properly protect themselves. When we use the Internet it is important to keep in mind that we put ourselves at risks to all the issues that comes with it. So it is only proper that we must at least have a basic knowledge of how we can minimize or eliminate the threats.

References

Chen, Yong, He, Wu. (2013). Security  Risks and Protection in Online Learning: A Survey. Retrieved June 2014 from; http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1017552.pdf

Ranguelov, Stanislav. (2010). Summary Report Education on Online Safety Schools in Europe. Retrieved June 2014 from; http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ966666.pdf

Tool Evaluation

1.

I never used moodle before until attending UOG during the beginning of my MAT program. I was first baffled with its use, I was not quite sure how to navigate my way around, and I often was confused of how to properly gauge it. But now I have become more proficient in its use and understanding how to navigate around the site. It is still a bit cumbersome but after a while I have grown to appreciate it.

I give moodle 4 out of 5 rubies

2.

The FireFox 

I have been using FireFox for many years now as a web browser on my Mac's. I have always found it very easy to use and safe. It is also free, easy to download, install, and update. It has rarely crashed when I have used it. It is still my browser of choice even though I have been using Chrome lately because I guess the familiarity of the system keeps me coming back for more.

I give FireFox 5 out of 5 rubies




3.

Google apps

One of my favorite sites and literally the best idea ever created. Google has taken the use of the computer to another level. So many applications to choose from and everyone of them made to make your life a lot more easier, I also love the fact that it is educator friendly with the creation of drive, spreadsheet, slides, etc. The fact that it is all bundle up, makes it even that more appealing. All one needs to do is register for an gmail account and the amazing discoveries begins. 

I give  Google Apps 5 out of 5 rubies



4.

This class has introduced me to LiveBinders. I have never known or would have never used LiveBinders without taking this class. It is actually an awesome online organizing and sharing tool. It is a bit confusing at first but is actually easy to use once you get the hang of it. Really seamless and easy to share, just put the folder in public, copy, paste, and send the url to whoever and your done.

I give LiveBinders a 4 out of 5 rubies

5.

Found this little gem again in this class. Have totally fell in love with it. It is incredible!! Amazing sound/music making tool and it is really fun to use. There are three versions to play with so you can never get board. Eventhough you have to pay in order to download the beats you have created I still think worth five gems because of its addictive nature. I will be purchasing a membership to the site once I get my next paycheck. LOVE this tool!

I give Incredibox a 5 out of 5 rubies





6.



I have been on Flickr for almost ten years now and I still continue to pay and upload photos to this site. I have found that it has become a  bit more complex lately with all the new updates, but I still enjoy perusing the millions of photos the website contains. But until I find a better more simple photo website I will continue to use and pay for Flickr. It is still awesome.

I give Flickr a 4 out of 5 rubies





7.




I have never created a website before in my life, laugh if you make or look aghast but I have have my own reasons. Mainly due to the fact that I have always been a private person. But lately I have started to join the times and join more networking sites like facebook or instagram. So I have decided to also create my first ever website and I have chosen Weebly as my weapon of website creating choice. The reason I have chosen Weebly is because its free, cool, and easy to use. It is just plug and play. From what I have seen and worked with so far I am in website creating heaven.

I give Weebly a 5 out of 5 rubies




8.

Tumblr is simply a networking and sharing tool I have come to enjoy using. At first I used it to share artistic interest with people with similar taste and also to view the works of other artist. Then it has developed into something entirely the past few years. More people have joined and started to share various items such as photos, quotes, news, etc. and it has transformed into an amazing site to gather information from. I thoroughly enjoy using tumblr for many things and will hope to continue more discoveries as it continues to grow and evolve.

I give Tumblr a 5 out of 5 rubies

Ratings Scale: Thumbs up!!

3 rubies use once only.
4 rubies well continue to use when needed.
5 rubies use forever.

Enabling Dreams

            I felt that after viewing this film it is inspiring to see that when given chances people with disabilities could do incredible things. This video showed exactly what these students with limitations could do with assistive technology. With the help of assistive technology many of them graduate from high school, enter and complete college, and most importantly go on and live full and successful lives. If they were never afforded these assistive devices their dreams would have never reached fruition. So implementation of assistive technology at an early age has become valuable in the lives of many children with disabilities and as mentioned in the video it is an important step towards the right direction.

            The importance of assistive technology for students with disabilities is vital in their everyday lives. Chmiliar (2007) states “assistive technology can offer students with disabilities access to the regular education curriculum and tools for adults throughout the lifespan”. Just like in the video the students interviewed spoke of the importance of assistive technology in reaching some of their learning goals. It is important then to recognize that other students with disabilities who require the aid of these devices will benefit from them in the classroom. So in that regard educators must be educated, committed, and prepared in assisting and using these different devices for student who require them.

There are many ways in which to utilize and accommodate for assistive technology inside the classroom. One such example is to have designated areas in the class for those who use wheelchairs. These areas should be located near the doors and also clear of obstacles that may inhibit the movement of the devices that these students use. As stated by Coleman (2011) there are issues and possible solutions in the successful implementation of assistive technology so we must consider assessment, training, timely and consistent implementation of the devices, its psychosocial, cultural, environmental factors, motivation, and effort required by all educators to make it happen.

            From my personal experience of having a nephew who needs assistive technology to help him with school, I have come to strongly feel with the importance of its implementations in schools. From what I have also seen in the video it benefits many students with disabilities and not just a few. It not only benefits them with live at the moment but throughout their entire life. We as a population should embrace the importance of assistive technology in the lives of these people, just as we all hope for success in our very own lives.

Reference:

Chmiliar, Linda. (2007). Perspectives on Assistive Technology: What Teachers, Health Professionals, and Speech and Language Pathologists Have to Say. Retrieved June 2014 from; http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ812642.pdf

Coleman, Mari B. (2011). Successful Implementation of Assistive Technology to Promote Access to Curriculum and Instruction for Students with Physical Disabilities. Retrieved June 2014 from; http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ955444.pdf