A Little Bit About Me...

Introduction

Hi, my name is Stephanie and welcome to my first blog entry. Please bear with me as I'm new to the blogging world and am still figuring it out! I am a third year student at Redeemer University College and am very excited as I begin the concurrent education program offered at Redeemer. I would like to teach at the Junior/Intermediate level and I am looking forward to taking education courses and placements to reach this goal. I am presently working towards my BA with a double major in Music and History which will be completed by April 2014. When I’m not at Redeemer I’m usually in my hometown spending time with my family who play a huge part in my life.
As I begin the concurrent education program at Redeemer and pursue a career as an educator, there are many things that I am looking forward to incorporating into my classroom. I want to create a space where my students will feel welcome, encouraged, and respected. This past summer I worked as a basketball coach at a Christian sports camp and I found it so thrilling to work with so many kids at various skill levels and be able to encourage them and see them continually improve. In my class I want my students, with whatever strengths, weaknesses, and skills that they might have, to be encouraged and wanting to continually learn and grow. As my students will be learning various skills in the classroom, I’m excited to also learn from them in which ways I can serve my students best and give them a great education.

Thoughts on Technology

This semester I am taking a “Computers in the Classroom” course which I am eager to learn more about as the course progresses. There are so many ways in which technology can be used in the classroom and I’m excited to learn the various methods and programs which I can incorporate into my teaching. I hope to improve my own technological skills through this course which will further my teaching skills.
Using technology in the classroom is so important for teachers, especially since students of this current generation have grown up in a digital world. Caroline Geck believes that many students today are ‘internet novices’ and ‘information illiterate’ meaning that students have access to technology, but they are not using their tools, such as the Internet, effectively. Geck encourages teachers to take action by demonstrating how technology, particularly the Internet, can be a great tool in the classroom. Geck argues that since most students like to feel web savvy, students should be receptive to this type of instruction. If you would like to read Caroline Geck’s article, Click here to find out more. As a teacher, I want my students to know how they can use their skills in technology to the best of their ability. As I discover more about this myself, I am excited to learn how to use technology more effectively which will benefit my students’ education.