About Me

I am a full-time student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama, pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. I hope to graduate with a bachelors degree by the year of 2012. Although my goals for the future are not clear, I know graduate school is an option. I am leaning towards becoming a reading specialist. Looking back into the hourglass of time, I have always been interested in becoming a teacher. Not only am I looking forward to achieving my own dreams, but I hope to be that change agent in my students' life someday.

Learning

As a student and a future educator, I believe that learning is important! Learning is what makes school fun for everybody. In the future, children may come to me with a question in which I have no answer. I will encourage them to find out and also do my part in discovering it myself.

Itunes

At first, I thought Itunes was used only to downloads songs onto an Ipod. But in reality, Itunes is a great resource to pull from when you are wanting to gain some knowledge on a particular subject or listen to a moving speech. It is a database filled with radio-style discussions. The subjects vary from photography, to architecture, to even current events.

Teaching Philosophy

"Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors." The Kite Runner.

I love this quote because it speaks volumes to my life. Teachers that have made an impact on me are the ones that taught on a more personal level, provoking me to discover who I truly was, inside and even outside of the classroom. School is not just about being right or wrong, though Standardized tests may beg to differ. It is about learning! It is about learning why the world around us is so important. Children are all different in their own special ways. As a future educator, one of my duties will be to find that medium that makes learning fun for all my children. I want to encourage them to "break the mold" and to use their imagination. Dare to be wrong, encouraging them to be bold!

As an aspiring teacher, I will be held responsible for these children while in my classroom. As they grow up, their professional and personal lives will ultimately depend on two characteristics, honesty and commitment. I believe that both the teacher and student should strive to exemplify the two. If I am not honest with my class, then why should I expect them to return the favor? I will instill into my children that no dream is too big. "If they can believe it, they can achieve it;" this is done through hard work and commitment.

I believe every child deserves a substantial education. As students, it is their undeniable right to be able to succeed, no matter what their race, sex, or economic status is.

Blogging

I have discovered that blogging is a vital component in today's technology society. Blogs create networks, which ultimately link common interests all over the world. These networks are called Personal Learning Networks. For example, a young girl named Kaia was able to learn how media can be used to connect the world through a simple video her father had posted. It is important to leave comments on other blogs because it will ultimately lead to building substantial relationships. As I have learned through Comments4Kids and my own blog, utilizing these connections can impact one's everyday life.

Google

This past semester, I have discovered the usefulness of Google and its many tools. I will admit that I was very skeptical when it came to using Google so much. Gmail is one of the many positive attributes. Being a faithful Yahoo user, Gmail proved to be more efficient through its organization systems and sharing abilities. Next, Google Documents proves to be simpler than Microsoft Word. Also, another characteristic of Google Documents is the ability to translate a document in multiple languages.