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| My friend and I dressed as the Obamas for Halloween! |
Well, hi there! I know that maybe three people at the most will ever read this, but I'm going to do this anyway! My name's Nicole, and I go to Edinboro University. I'm originally from Pittsburgh, PA and fell in love with the small-town feeling surrounding the school. Somehow, that love is strong enough to withstand the crappy weather and lack of anything to do. (I'm under 21, so my options are limited). Anyway, I'm dual-majoring in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. My schedule is as full as can be, but somehow I'm able to manage!
<--- me in a nutshell.
Anyway, as much as technology and I tend to clash -it broke my heart once before and I haven't been able to forgive it since- I know that it is important. It seems like not a week can pass without some new, groundbreaking device that people NEED to have coming out. But, technology can really be helpful. For example, it's now possible for this 19-year-old from a US city to talk to a 31-year-old from a remote village in Africa! Well, as long as they have WiFi... The world is so immersed in technology, that it's silly not to incorporate it into learning. If we have to work with it daily, why not learn more about what we are using?
Technology in teaching is just as important. For example, it would make no sense to teach an outdated curriculum that is no longer relevant to real life. Although it isn't always easy, the world is changing quickly, and we need to prepare the younger generations for what is to come. I have heard some people say that watching videos in class, for example, is just "lazy" teaching. And while it may seem like that on the surface, videos can get deeper under the surface than just a standard lecture. It can help express emotions and beliefs more efficiently than just a shallow rehashing of what the speaker was told beforehand.
If I had to give my own philosophy on teaching, I would say this:
Although my experience in teaching is limited, my time as a student has helped me realize what does and what does not work in education. I have found that a structured time for exploration, especially in Early Childhood, works best. That way, the students have support but are not told how to think or that there is not only one possible way to accomplish something. By working things out yourself, a much deeper level of understanding can be reached.
