copy(right?)

Within this video about copyright laws and fair use act, I learned a lot about what I'm allowed to use, for how long, and under what circumstances. The TEACH act is a great movement that opened a lot of doors and windows for teachers. I understand that using material that I have borrowed from others is under the conditions that I am using it for informational reasons, and not entertainment. That makes sense to me, because mass-producing a work of a writer or director at your own monetary gain doesn’t seem legally conducive. I know that watching out for copyright laws is going to be a significant part of my job, but I do appreciate the TEACH act that is there to allow me to use a large amount of material for educational purposes.

Eavesdropping Comment for Thought...

I'm sitting here, in Whitman Commons, listening to a group of education majors talk about their teaching experiences. One girl admits to her classmates, "Oh, the seventh graders today. I don't think I want to teach seventh grade. I was up there today, and you could just tell that all they wanted was to be anywhere but where they were. I don't want to teach a class where they don't want to be there, and not be interested. It's not fun for them, and it's not fun for me." Now that I cracked a smile at. Please, show me a grade (in the secondary curriculum) where students are bright-eyed, and enthusiastic about being at school each day. Or, better yet, take a look at your lesson and figure out: What is it that you're doing (or not doing) that's making their eyes glaze over? This was my initial reaction to her comment, and I think anyone would be hard-pressed to find an ideal class that wants to be there every single day.

Prezi - wow!

I'm really impressed with this software! Just from what I've seen already, I think this is something I could use in my classroom were I given the materials. I really like the idea of "one big canvas" instead of slides. It shows the idea as a cohesive whole, not cut up in to slides like powerpoint. I would be willing to bet students would like to use this as a presentation method as well. It seems more interactive!

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

The video makes me sad about how many students graduate high school in America. The statistic about the most English speakers in the world will be in China by 2016 shocked me. It's also a little disheartening as well. I see the numbers of China's population being a factor, and the immigration factor of America contributing to it as well. For me, I remember being a student and being plain BORED in most of my classes. When I start to teach, one of my main goals (besides comprehension, standards, and progress) will be to keep my students engaged. I want them to be intrigued about what's going on in the classroom. There's better chance they will retain the information if they are interested in it as well.

SUPERstudents

In our day and age, students must be able to multitask. The demand for their attention, their time, and their best effort makes everyday life a game of juggling priorities. Along with those priorities come choices that generations past have not had to make. our students today are deciding between social lives and extra curricular activities. Between reading an extra chapter in their literature books and getting an extra hour of sleep. I think as teachers, we need to keep things in perspective for our students. They are so overwhelmed by their own lives, I think we should inject humor and fun into the school day where ever we can.