I absolutely LOVE Wordle. I use Wordle as my opening activity in all of my online and face-to-face classes as a way for students to introduce themselves and get to know each other based on their passions both educationally and personally. It works to bond groups of students with common interests. Today, I was reading my Tech & Learning Magazine that I subscribe to (Yes, it's free) and an article by Steve Anderson focused on why to use Wordle in education. A number of teachers gave suggestions on how they use Wordle. The ideas were inspiring, even though I don't have an immediate plans to use Wordle other than how I currently do, there are some fabulous ideas posted and it's well worth checking out. Terry Friedman also wrote an article for Tech and Learning on 5 ways to use Wordle for educational purposes. Below is a slideshow on 43 ways to use Wordle in the Classroom.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
My Kids - School Kids that is...
I am looking forward to my new course that starts in October. The course itself is a methods course so it is very hands on and the 2 1/2 hours goes so quickly. I am sad though, this is the last course I will have with this group of students. I started with them last year and have come to adore their unique personalities, quick responses to overload of work, and their love of treats! I can't think of a single one of them who will not be an excellent teacher. I hope that each one of them finds a job teaching because our children (my grandchildren) will definitely benefit from these professionals. I think I may cry...so it is time to stop writing about them. They truly are fabulous though! Oh...another feature of this group is how they love a good deal on teacher supplies and will send out emails letting others know about good buys!
I have a new group this fall...at first, I found them WAY too quiet. I know they were analyzing me and how I teach (Which by the way drives me crazy-because teaching at the elementary school level the student accept you for who you are and have no difficulty with you as the role model -- at the college level - not so much - they spend the first few weeks determining if you are worthy to teach them, how much homework you will give them, and if you have enough of a knowledge base to create a transformative experience). I'm not totally clueless, I know that some will think I am a good instructor and some will think I stink. In my naive way I only hope they realize that I really do care about them, that they learn as much as possible and develop a passion for teaching children.
My new group:
My new students have such an energy about them. I love to watch them thinking about being a teacher. You can literally see the wheels turning in their head as they are putting the pieces together. They are a group that is so full of ambition and drive. You don't see that very often in students and overall as a whole group that is what I am seeing. I can't say that there is one student in any of my courses that gives me reason to doubt my ability to teach them. My poor 2:00pm course must think that I am daffy, because by the time I get to them, I am usually a little loopy because I have drank so much coffee and I tend to bounce around the room. I hope they are ready for spending the next 2 years with me because I guarantee that they will work very hard, but learn so much about being an effective educator.
I have a new group this fall...at first, I found them WAY too quiet. I know they were analyzing me and how I teach (Which by the way drives me crazy-because teaching at the elementary school level the student accept you for who you are and have no difficulty with you as the role model -- at the college level - not so much - they spend the first few weeks determining if you are worthy to teach them, how much homework you will give them, and if you have enough of a knowledge base to create a transformative experience). I'm not totally clueless, I know that some will think I am a good instructor and some will think I stink. In my naive way I only hope they realize that I really do care about them, that they learn as much as possible and develop a passion for teaching children.
My new group:
My new students have such an energy about them. I love to watch them thinking about being a teacher. You can literally see the wheels turning in their head as they are putting the pieces together. They are a group that is so full of ambition and drive. You don't see that very often in students and overall as a whole group that is what I am seeing. I can't say that there is one student in any of my courses that gives me reason to doubt my ability to teach them. My poor 2:00pm course must think that I am daffy, because by the time I get to them, I am usually a little loopy because I have drank so much coffee and I tend to bounce around the room. I hope they are ready for spending the next 2 years with me because I guarantee that they will work very hard, but learn so much about being an effective educator.
A new Professor's journey in higher education Introduction
Hello! My name is Sheri and I am currently an instructor for elementary education majors at two universities in North Dakota. I am also working on my PhD. In August I passed my written and oral preliminary exams, so now I am ready to research. My research will be centered on communication using mobile technologies between students and teachers.
I was an elementary teacher for 15 years before moving to higher education where I began by teaching Microsoft Office products to business and health majors at a community college. I then moved to teaching entirely online as a general education instructor and elementary education instructor. I found myself continually reinventing the courses that I was teaching to make them more user friendly and collaborative, through this reinventing I became an instructional designer by trade before becoming an instructional technology specialist at MSUM in Minnesota. I worked with faculty on how to design a course that could be tested through quality matters. While working at MSUM I found that I really wanted a PhD in education and technology, thus I went back to school once again.
I recently taught my Education Technology students how to blog and realized that I have not blogged for quite sometime. I think school has something to do with time and extras :) Now, I am ready to begin blogging about my favorite musings...my students and my teaching at the University level. So, stay tuned for stories, thoughts, and ponderings from a new professor who is trying to figure out how to best reach her students.
I was an elementary teacher for 15 years before moving to higher education where I began by teaching Microsoft Office products to business and health majors at a community college. I then moved to teaching entirely online as a general education instructor and elementary education instructor. I found myself continually reinventing the courses that I was teaching to make them more user friendly and collaborative, through this reinventing I became an instructional designer by trade before becoming an instructional technology specialist at MSUM in Minnesota. I worked with faculty on how to design a course that could be tested through quality matters. While working at MSUM I found that I really wanted a PhD in education and technology, thus I went back to school once again.
I recently taught my Education Technology students how to blog and realized that I have not blogged for quite sometime. I think school has something to do with time and extras :) Now, I am ready to begin blogging about my favorite musings...my students and my teaching at the University level. So, stay tuned for stories, thoughts, and ponderings from a new professor who is trying to figure out how to best reach her students.
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