FINALS,PAPERS,GRADES

As the end of the semester approaches, I must say although a bumpy ride it has been meaningful and worthwhile. A great deal of the information that I have gathered through my courses at CSUMB have shaped me into the person I am and have made me become a more effective teacher. I am grateful to my professors and classmates for making this a memorable experience. As the end of the year approaches, there is a lot to do, finish courses at CSUMB and prepare my students for finals. Therefore, this means lots of grading. The technology project that I have used in my excel course (Comp App 121) has been a huge success. I am glad that I was able to present a project that would keep my students interested and engaged. As I have read many times before from many dignified scholars in order to make students interested in the curriculum you must make it pertinent to their lives. I honestly could not agree more I have noticed a great deal of change in my student’s attitude and motivation towards school. This project has really helped my students understand the importance of taking initiative in their academic lives and wanting to excel in all of their courses. Without a doubt this project of grade distribution that was created will be used in my future excel courses. It is important that I present the courses I teach in a manner that is relatable and meaningful to my student’s lives. I know that if curriculum is introduced utilizing this approach, my students learn and grow and I do to as a teacher and as a human being. I wish all of you success in you courses at CSUMB and in your own teaching; I hope you are effecting positive change among your students.

Mid Quarter

Hello Tech World,

This week has consisted of a lot of studying and planning. At Heald, this week was the mid quarter start so a completely new set of students. As the quarter continues to unravel, students are starting to feel comfortable with the computer and its major components. It really is amazing to see how students with time and practice become more knowledgeable on the computer and its software. When students have to do assignments they are no longer afraid and are actually eager to begin to put their practice into use. This week students took their first major exam of the quarter and I am happy to report that they all did a great job. I always feel that when my students succeed I succeed. Therefore, I am a happy camper for this week. It truly feels good to see my students interested in the material and most importantly, they are eager to learn.
The project on excel is going really well. When it comes to students own progress and if it has meaning to their own lives they are eager to learn the material. Students are beginning to project their grades for all of their classes, it great since, they know depending on how they do on assignments and exams will determine how they do in the course. They look over all of the percentages and say, “I need to try harder next time on the next test or assignment or my grade will drop 3%.” I truly enjoy seeing all of my students motivated and wanting to know and understand how they are dong academically. I know that this project on excel will be something they can carry out on other areas of their life. Since, students have the necessary skills to understand excel they are going to utilize the program to its fullest potential. Hope everyone is doing well with all of their projects and classes.

Teaching is beautiful

This week has been a tad hectic to say the least, but it all seems to be falling into place. I am finally getting acquainted with my 150+ students learning their names is the best part. Thank god, we have ID’s that makes my job a bit easier. It is great to see that students are becoming better acquainted with computers and are putting their guards down a little bit. Today, at school we had a costume contest and little fiesta. I feel it is important to relax sometimes and have a chance to interact with your students on an informal level you learn a lot about them. In the end, it makes you see what needs to be done to help students become successful in and outside of the classroom. In my opinion, it also builds bridges of trust, which is important to me as a college instructor. On a side note for the first time in a very long while, I feel I am spreading myself a little thin. I want to help all of my students equally but it is so difficult when you have 40 students in one class with different needs any suggestions? Since, students are at different levels I feel like I am constantly running around. However, I know it is only temporary and in due time it will all work out. I know situations like this often happen many times in a teacher’s journey. I hope everyone is doing great in their classes and are effecting positive change within their classrooms. My project for this class is going great it seems that students are really interested in excel and are eager to learn about budgeting, amortization schedules, grade distributions etc. I feel my project will be very helpful for students as their academic journey continues.

The Adventures of Technology Use

This week to say the least has been hectic it’s the start of a new quarter. Students are running around and trying to figure out classrooms. Teachers are putting the finishing touches on syllabi’s and trying to make copies, but as always all the copiers are down. Why is it when you need technology most something always seems to go wrong? This quarter, I have six technology classes with 35 students in each class. Yes, you can begin to imagine my stress level. It is a bit difficult to help all students when there is only one of me but, with my sprints around the classroom, I am managing. I know as the quarter progresses things will get a lot better or at least I hope they do.

As a computer instructor it is always interesting to see how students react to computers and software programs. Believe it or not many students are afraid of the computer but, through many trial and errors they are able to surpass their fears. As a class we go over the software programs in depth until all students fully understand all the content being presented. If that means staying after class or meeting on Fridays one on one that’s what I will do to ensure students succeed in technology. It is always a great feeling to see how students at the end of the quarter are quite comfortable with the computer to me this means that I have done a good job in teaching them all about computers and software programs. I feel it is imperative that students really understand technology and the great resources it has to offer. In my opinion in this ever- changing society it is imperative that students become familiar with technology in order to be able to compete in a global society.

Technology and student success

This week’s readings all discussed technology access and its impact on student’s education as well as technology in the work force. After reading all of the articles, it reaffirmed that in this time in society to advance yourself you must be technology savvy. As a computer instructor, I can see how the drive for students to be proficient in computer use is so strong. In most occupations today in order to be successful one must be proficient in technology.

In the article Multicultural Education and Progressive Pedagogy in the Online Information Age and Technology as a Tool in Multicultural Teaching, both articles discussed technology and how it has influenced student success. In the first paragraph of Multicultural Education and Progressive Pedagogy in the Online Information Age, Gorski states that there is no evidence that computers and internet strengthen teaching or student achievement, so why is there such a push for technology. In my opinion, I feel computers and the internet at times can make a student’s task more difficult since, there is so much information provided. I can recall being in high school and not having a computer nonetheless internet access and I did just fine in all subject matters. Perhaps, having a computer may have made my homework assignments a lot easier to complete but in the end, it made me more disciplined since I had to work harder than those who had computers and internet access.

Internet access can be a powerful tool in the classroom when students understand how the internet can open doors to different avenues of education. As Sleeter stated in the article Technology as a Tool in Multicultural Teaching technology and multicultural education can be important in engaging students in all subject matters, to help facilitate and bridge access to language, literacy, math, science etc. technology gives students the ability to interact and learn from other students all around the world.

In the article Connecting Kids to Technology, the author discusses the accessibility different ethnicities have to technology use. In reading all of data, it is sad to find that most minorities have limited access to technology. In many homes students do not even, own a computer. Unfortunately, this expands the technology accessibility gap between ethnicities. What will be done to fill this gap? Is it the responsibility of public education to narrow this technology gap?

THOUGHTS AND CONCERNS REGARDING THIS WEEKS READINGS ON TECHNOLOGY

This week’s readings highly focused on technology and the huge advancements that have occurred throughout the years. One aspect that was addressed was the phenomenon of the World Wide Web. In the article Programmed Instruction and Interactive Multimedia: A Third Consideration by Jason Cruthirds and Michael Hanna valid and interesting points were made about technology and how student success is affected. The article looked into program instruction and stated that such instruction was to teach by asking a series of carefully planned questions. To me this is interesting because based on the responses you give will determine if additional questions will be asked or if further explanation needs to be given. It seems that such type of set up helps students further advance in the subject being taught. Another interesting point that was discussed was the features and use of the computer. According to the authors one of the most powerful and important features of a computer lies in a virtually unlimited range of instructional control options. Being a computer instructor at a college, I could not agree more with this statement. It certainly is true that the more control you have over a program will result in greater student success since; you could mold the program to fit student’s needs.

The article goes on to discuss several different important theorists to the field of education. Bandura states that students process and weigh information concerning their own capabilities this in turn will affect their behavior towards learning. An interesting fact that is that people use four types of information to form such an expectation they are a) personal accomplishments, b) social comparison, c) rhetorical effect, and d) emotional arousal. I agree that computers are exceptionally well designed to provide the four kinds of interactive information.

In the article Technology in a Constructivist Classroom by Donna Ferguson, readers are given the opportunity to look into technology and constructivism. The article explains that technology has revolutionized American culture. However, that an entity of society still needs to catch up and that is educators and their use of technology in the classroom. On a personal note, I have noticed that many educators today are apprehensive to learn about technology. Many have stated that perhaps it is due to the feeling of intimidation and the barrier it creates in instruction between the teacher and student. The article states that technology use in the classroom offers endless benefits and provides a powerful set of tools, regardless of the subject being taught. As a computer instructor I agree and disagree, sometimes students are not willing to read their textbooks to find answers, instead they just jump to the web to find solutions. This in turn affects student’s ability to think critically.

First blog ever

Wow, It's my first time ever blogging. So, far so good it seems like something I will enjoy doing. This blog was set up to provide detail of my experience in the classroom using technology and to also discuss important issues that may arise in MAE 638. This blog will serve as a reflection piece of the many adventures and challenges faced in the classroom. In my classes there is an array of learners. Some students are extremely proficient in computer applications while there are others that do not know how to turn on a computer. As a teacher it is a challenge to get everybody ready and eager to learn the software in 11 weeks. I hope to share a lot with everyone about the ups and downs of technology use in the classroom. Till we meet again!