Oprah: The Little Speaker

                                                        
My digital story was on the book Oprah: the little speaker. This was one of my favorite projects we have done so far. I think this is a great tool that I can use in my future classroom. It allows the students to hear and see the pictures of the story rather than just reading the story to them. That is one of the things I like best about the digital story. It would be very helpful for students who struggle with reading. The digital story incorporated literature, social studies and technology and encouraged the use of problem solving skills by the students. I am excited to use my story in the future and can’t wait to create more!

What does internet blocking suggest for students?

The Tiananmen Square Massacre which took place in China left a huge impact on people all over the world. When this article was written it would be the 20^th anniversary of the Massacre. China has tried to control access to social media in the lead up to and on the anniversary of that day when the Chinese military opened fire on innocent people protesting. The author makes a good point stating that as an educator people should have the right to free and universal access to information. He goes on to say that it is human nature to try and filter or block things that make us uncomfortable. By blocking this from people instead installs a sense that we fear what people will do with the information if they are provided with it and able to communicate with each other. As educators we are placed with the responsibility to keep students safe. But we are not allowing for educating if we are just blocking and filtering everything. By filtering and blocking the students only creates a feeling of distrust among them; this also implies that we are scared of what them might find out. As long as we continue to block and filter information from our students we continue to put our students at a disadvantage.

As a future educator I believe students should be able to explore the internet freely without strict limitations. Students have a natural curiosity therefore by preventing them from the internet by blocking and flittering I feel does a disservice to the students. By telling the students that they are not allowed to access certain information only makes them more curious to find answers, and they are mostly likely going to find out one way or another. If we allow students some freedom we can instill a sense or trust in them and hold them responsible for the information they explore.

Technology in the Classroom

So far in my field experience my host teacher has not incorporated technology into any lessons. After completing Essay 1 on the NETS I realize how important and easy it is to incorporate technology into any lesson at any grade level. Because the class I observe in is different from a traditional classroom, I don’t get to see an average school day. In the gifted/ talented program we come up with ideas as a class for units to study. Once we decide on the topic we will begin to researcher and gather information about this topic. I am excited to see the topics the students will choose and can’t wait to begin using technology with the students!

Freedom Riders

We had the opportunity to go to a speaker and watch a video about the “Freedom Riders" the speaker and video was very informative and inspired me to blog about it!

   When I first heard the term “Freedom Riders” many things came to mind.   Before attending the lecture about them, I did research and discovered it was the name given to courageous people who fought for equal rights for all Americans by riding on buses in the South.  The Jim Crow Laws of the 1890s represented a coded system that affected almost every aspect life in the South. The laws called for segregation of schools, parks, restaurants, water fountains, etc. To make matters more extreme, there were signs labeled “colored only” or “whites only” to make sure people knew their place. As a student growing up in America, I was never told about the Freedom Riders and who they were. I only learned about the Civil Rights Movement and the laws that segregated the blacks from whites. After attending this lecture, I feel as though there is so much more I want to know about them and their experience.

    As a future teacher, this benefits me because even from just attending a lecture, I learned more about the Jim Crow era than I had known before.  Just by viewing pictures and seeing the documentary, I felt as though I was re-living the nightmare these innocent people experienced. I can take the information I learned about the Freedom Riders and teach it to my class one day so they understand how a group of people can really make a difference. This lecture inspired me to research further on the Freedom Riders and perhaps even try to bring one of them to our SUNY Cortland campus in the future. Besides, with a little determination, anyone is capable of making a difference, right?!

Field Experience

For observation I have been placed in Randall Elementary school. My placement is a little bit different than others because I am in a gifted and talented program called Kaleidoscope. The program includes 3 through 6^th grade. To qualify to get into the program all students have to take an exam as well as get letters of recommendation from teachers, parents and anyone else they influences their education. The qualification is all based on numbers each student has to have above 30 points in all areas to be accepted. My first day of observation I got to meet the fifth grade students; they were all very excited to be back at kaleidoscope. During this time we got to introduce ourselves to one another and I got to know a little something about each of the students. I also got to get affiliated with how the program runs as some ideas of what the students wanted to research and work on this year. Since the program is different from a regular classroom the students have the freedom to make up the curriculum. This allows them to explore things that they may be very interested in and want to know more about. I am very excited to start working with the students and can’t wait to meet all of the grades!