The Worst and Best of It All

My worst fear is not taking the chance to follow my vision. My second worst fear is not being afraid of what might happen!

Worst Fears Best Hopes

Money Obtaining a grant from the Juvenile Justice Department enabling to purchase necessary equipment, hire and train the correct personnel to teach at-risk students.

Stress Deal with the stress associated with at-risk students, parents and laws associated with education and juvenile justice.


Organization Maintain an organized environment for learning and progressing


Multiple learning Use technology to provide physical and academic learning tools
opportunities


Community Acceptance Integrate at-risk students into the community as a positive addition

My worst fear is not taking the chance to follow my vision. My second worst fear is not being afraid of what might happen!
I will overcome these fears by surrounding myself with personnel that support my vision and compliment my inadequacies. I will use technology to allow my students to step outside the box in their academic environment to see the possibilities and consequences of learning.

The six barriers for me fall into one of four areas; teachers, integration, curriculum, training. I will see that the curriculum is developed to insure freedom for the teachers to integrate technology into their lessons after they have received extensive training. Worksheets would be a thing of the past. Classrooms would be teamed with similar classrooms in the nation and students would learn from each other by presenting academic learning via web broadcasts, video conferencing and critiquing. For example, in U.S. History, student in Texas would teach their counterparts in Ohio, New York, Virginia, the Texans’ role in the development of the U.S. Students in Virginia could video the Potomac River, a trip to the Capital Building, and Arlington Cemetery for a presentation while students in Texas could show off the Alamo. Students could ask questions of their counterparts throughout the presentation allowing for responsibility for their learning.

What I have learned so far in this class has added to my excitement in the possibilities that we have for helping as-risk students. If I could use blogs and skype in my classroom my students would be exposed to the world. I would have to figure out a way to monitor behavior or better yet have the students monitor each other by rules they have developed for the class.

I have no problem with students mentoring me, giving them control of what they learn and running with it. Daily I learn from my students. Daily I ask them for assistance in finding problems with web sites, video making and even Excel formulas. Teachers cannot know everything and those that act like they do are not good teachers. This is true especially for any technology classes as technology changes almost daily. In this reading alone I have found multiple sites to explore and add in my teaching. I also integrate my lessons whenever possible for dual credit with students’ core classes such as English, History and Sciences. Excel is integrated into math. Currently I have a BCIS student who is building a Power Point on different types of cattle that will be used as a grade for his animal husbandry class. This is a special education and at-risk student in line for graduation if he completes these two electives. Using the Internet and BCIS skills becomes less of a challenge for learning. The assignment is aligned with his IEP as he is set up for success.

One hundred percent of the dual credit in my classroom comes from my suggestion to fellow teachers. The teachers in my building are not technological savvy. They have the mind frame of following the online curriculum, never varying, which in many classes does not include technology. Out of fear, I believe, they fail to teach outside the box. Their trips out side the box include magazines and posters!