Education Technology in the 21st Century Classroom Jessica Speaks EDUC 511 July 15, 2013 Professor Doyle

Potter

Education Technology in the 21st Century Classroom An effective educator in a 21st century classroom has special qualities that take

the world of teaching young students to a different level. A teachers role in a childs life isnt to have authority and control, but to be a serve as a leader for them, as their needs come before your own. It is my belief that wanting to become a teacher comes from within, and the goal of a Christian teacher is to serve children and guide them through their education, and contribute to their growth as good and honest human beings in the future. I believe when faith has guided you to teaching, it is for the sole purpose of responding to Gods call to assist children in reaching their full potential in becoming a positive influence and contribution in society. But Jesus called the children to him and said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Luke 18:16). All children have worth, and as a servant leader, it is our responsibility as teachers to model respect and self worth. Effective educators believe in their students and believe all of their students can learn. There are two very important people that have inspired me throughout my life, my mom and grandpa. My dad was diagnosed with cancer when I was only two years old, and was told he would only live a year. Six years later he finally passed. From the young age of two I knew nothing different from my dad being sick. He was strong and healthy up until the last couple years of his life. Its sad but since I was so young its hard for me to remember many good memories, the memories I do have are compiled of my mom taking care of him. This time of my life has heavily influenced who I am. Although this was a tragic event in my life, I have to say watching my mom be so strong and the provider, she is my number one inspiration and is the number reason I am who I am today.

Education Technology in the 21st Century Classroom

My mom has to be the strongest, caring, most selfless person I have ever met. I think anyone would argue that their mom is better than the other but looking back and really thinking about what she was faced with at such a young age really does show the epitome of the woman I would want to be. She was my mom and dad, putting all my needs before hers. She never remarried or found anyone else, she made it seem her sole purpose on this earth was to take care of my dad during his short time here and then me. My grandpa, my moms dad, not only become a father figure to me but my best friend. I am one of six grandchildren and he made sure to go out of his way to make sure I was happy and I was able to get the things I needed. I think large part of my mom being who she is can be compared to my grandpa. They were so much alike and the two most important people in my life. My mom and grandpa continued to root me on and encourage me throughout my academic career, but when my grandpa suddenly became ill, it really began to test my faith. My mom and I spent two weeks by his side before he passed away. Being twenty at this time, I cannot describe the amount of pain I was going through when I lost him. He took the role of my dad and was my best friend, and I couldnt even imagine my life without him. In the back of my head I knew my grandpa was looking down telling me that everything was going to be okay but it was just so hard to tell myself that I would get past this. It took me a long time to even accept the fact that he was taken away from me but with the support and love from my mom and the rest of my family they helped guide me back. I have forever been changed since he has been gone. I cant say if its for the better but I know now I really do try and live my life to the fullest and really appreciate what I do have in

Education Technology in the 21st Century Classroom my life. Although my grandpa is not physically with me, him and my mom continue to guide me and inspire me throughout all the decisions I have made. I dont know where I would be without them. My dreams and love for children have kept me going on this journey to become a teacher. I measure students success by the amount of thoughtful and useful they take away from what I am teaching them. Classrooms are filled with students from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds. It is unfair to measure students success in a narrow minded way, since all your student will have different needs their success will be different from one another. I want my students to want

to learn and be engaged in the classroom. Student success can be measured in many different ways, it does not need to just solely be measured by how well they can do on an assessment but by being open with them and allowing them to have an opinion and speak openly during class time. I want my students to succeed academically but intellectually as well. Faith can most definitely affect the way in which you run your classroom and my goal as an educator is to set positive expectations for all my students. A teachers role in a childs life isnt to have authority and control, but to be a servant leader for them, as their needs come before your own. It is my belief that wanting to become a teacher comes from within, and the goal of a Christian teacher is to serve children and guide them through their education, and contribute to their growth as good and honest human beings in the future. I believe when faith has guided you to teaching, it is for the sole purpose of responding to Gods call to assist children in reaching their full potential in becoming a positive influence and contribution in society. But Jesus called the

Education Technology in the 21st Century Classroom children to him and said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Luke 18:16). All children have worth,

and as a servant leader, it is our responsibility as teachers to model respect and self worth. Teaching is not about greed; it is about something much deeper. Servant leaders first concern is for the students well-being and the best way of instruction. Christian teachers hold a special place for each student in their hearts and show great empathy for their students. The feeling of being called to this occupation is much greater than just choosing it. Ever since I was young, I knew I was meant to teach. I have always felt the need to work with children and be involved in their intellectual growth. I feel as a servant leader, I have a commitment to God and myself to share my knowledge, my love for education with children, and help guide them in their own personal achievements throughout life. I believe it is important as a servant leader to teach my students not only the importance of education, but also the values of being a good person and ways to communicate that into society. Technology is an important tool that should be used throughout your classroom. The advances in technology has made it possible to have information only a click away and showing students how to use technology can be crucial in their education. Technology is a gateway for students to increase knowledge of content and can be beneficial for teachers to find new and innovative ways to teach. It can also be used as a great tool to use for teachers to make their classrooms more current and engaging. My learning goals for this degree are to enhance my knowledge on different ways to implement technology in my own classroom in a productive and meaningful way. In my first block of student teaching I was able to technology in many different ways and

Education Technology in the 21st Century Classroom have found that students really do respond well to this style of teaching. Technology in

the classroom is the new wave of teaching and students are very technologically inclined. I still have a lot to learn and am intrigued to learn about different ways to use technology in the classroom. I have already purchased my iPad and I feel like I have much to learn on how this device can be used in a productive way in the classroom. I am excited to further my knowledge on the many applications that can be used in the classroom. I am now finishing up my credential classes and am close to the end of my educational career. The through of this is very exciting but a bit scary as well. This degree means everything to me. I wanted to further my education because I feel like I still have much more to learn. A degree in technology will only enhance my chances of becoming a well-rounded teacher. This degree will not only make myself more marketable when looking for teaching jobs but will set me apart from other teachers with other master degrees. Like I mentioned before technology is the new wave of the future and is only going to continue to advance. This degree will allow me to become an effective and well-rounded teacher and look forward to continuing the program to become more knowledgeable of the different ways I can use technology in my own classroom.