Post 5- Next Generation Learning

The "Next Generation Learning" video was really neat. Of course it would be awesome to have such technologies in our schools around here. Maybe one day we will be that advanced and I look forward to those non-messy boards to teach with, but I think we can get creative enough without them. If we don't have the money then creativity is the next best thing when it comes to educational tools. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to be negative and act as though we will not ever see such resources, but it is hard for me to visualize them with everything going on with economy these days. I try and think positively about teaching instead of thinking "oh... well we don't have a Smart Board so lets just pass out worksheets." How about, "Let' go outside and learn today!" Let's take a field trip to the super market to learn how to work math equations or take a trip downtown and go on a walk to learn all about our history here. We could volunteer at a homeless shelter for a field trip and learn about poverty and how the economy affects the public in general. There are endless lesson plans that could be prepared and taught to these young minds that costs far less money. After all, Aristotle did not have a smart board and made it just fine. Like I said though, this is if we did not have the means to receive funding for these remarkable resources.

Post 3- Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

I agree with Sir Ken Robinson. I have always believed that our schools should have more creativity in them. Even high school. Alot of teachers seem to stay clear of colorful materials, bulletin boards, and alot of things that make a classroom a classroom if you ask me. I have always wanted to bring that feeling that you get when you are in elementary school (if you are blessed and get at least one really good teacher like I did) to the high school scene minus the babyish techniques. I understand that their are boundaries. There is a certain sense of nurturing that these children need even when they are in high school and I feel as though alot of teachers today are quick to just hand out a worksheet and be done with it. Not me. I want to TEACH and to me TEACHING is being CREATIVE. Students need to feel as though someone there cares if they pass or fail, someone to find there inner stregnths and help them progress with those stregnths as well as their weaknesses, and someone that gives them something with depth- something that makes them go home and think about it. I love it when I learn something new. I can count on one hand the teachers that taught me something that has stuck with me throughout my life. Those are the teachers that I remember and that I can thank for helping reflect in me what I wanted to be when I grew up- a teacher like them; a teacher that taught someone something worth remembering. There are many characteristics that teachers can pick up on with a student if they take them time to listen and pay attention to what is going on in their classroom.

Post 2- Did You Know?

I most certainly did not know this information... and found it to be extremely interesting! It shocked me to see how many honors kids there were in India vs. the amount of kids period in the U.S. The fact that was stated on how many people were brought together and then married by meeting on myspace put a smile on my face since my husband and I met on myspace. The text messaging facts did not shock me one bit. I have noticed changes in myself over the past three years. Three years ago I had never sent a text message before and now that's all I do. Every once in a while I receive or place a personal phone call, but mostly I just text. Even the Dean of Admissions of our school does not receive phone calls throughout the day, she receives text messages that we send her from my office.
The question was asked at the end of the video, "So, what does all of this mean?" I think it means that we have come a long way in a short period of time and there is lots more to come. More than any of us can ever imagine. The technology today is just unbelievable. Teaching students to solve problems before we even know they are problems and training people for jobs that don't even exist yet- truly remarkable. Working at the College of Medicine has shown me some of the new advancements in this world and I am overwhelmed when I see everything that some of the students I work with can do and what they are capable of learning.
We often joke around in the office by saying our computers have a mind of their own... before too long they really will! It is almost scary to think about it.

Post 1- Who is Emily?

Hey guys! As you can see from my description to the right of this screen, I am a 26 year old wife and mother. There are a few other things listed, but to go more into detail for this assignment, I will tell you a few more things about myself. I graduated from Satsuma High School in 2002, then received my Associates degree in Business/Office Administration from Faulkner State Community College in 2005. I worked for an Institutional Review Board and traveled to and from Miami for several months and met alot of interesting people. Among those people, I met my husband Jimmy on www.myspace.com ! Yes.. on myspace! It was love at first comment. ;) We got married in October of 2007.

I worked for that company for 4 years and then received a job at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. I am the secretary for the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Educational Enrichment. Together we help disadvantaged and minority students achieve their goals of becoming doctors one day.

At that same time, I started school at USA pursuing my degree in Secondary Education/English. I work full time, go to school on my lunch breaks, evenings, and online. On Spring Break of last year I had our first child, a little boy named Judson Bailey- my heart, soul, and world. I am so excited about my future as a teacher. I want to show students how creative they can be and how beautiful English really is.. if you just dig deep enough. Plus it does not hurt that I will have summers off with my little man. :)