Theory and Practice in Teacher Education 486

I am writing this blog in regards to the TPTE 486 class as a whole.

Throughout this semester I have attained a great deal of knowledge of the web tools available to me as a future educator. It has been an exciting and challenging process as well as a rewarding one. I have had the opportunity to share what I have learned with peers, educators in the field as well as teachers outside of Tennessee, including New York. I feel confident in my web based skills and am thrilled to continue the process of learning the tools available to me.

The semester was particularly trying in this class when I was unaware of specific expectations of me as a student. I feel that the reason that I failed to obtain an A on an assignment was in large part due to misunderstood expectations. I was often at fault for this as a student who did not ask questions and pursue total understanding of the assignments. Through this, however, I was able to learn as a student and as a teacher assessing student understanding.

My favorite tools this semester were most definitely the Web 2.0 tools. I have already used Wordle in a lesson that I taught during my practicuum. In addition, I created a digital field trip using Voicethread. It is a challenge for me to think of different ways to use the tools in my classroom, as I am planning on teaching in a low-income school where I can not take for granted that my students will have internet access outside of school. Taking this into consideration, I think that it calls me to use the tools in a more creative way within the classroom, as well as putting greater effort towards facilitating access for my future student. This is a challenge that I am excited to overcome.