Website Reflection

4/22/2012

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I chose to use Weebly as the location for my website because I hadn't used it before.  I house my classroom website on blogspot and my personal website on wordpress, so I thought I would try Weebly out.  I was also encouraged by the fact that I could easily add new pages to the initial site to help with organization.  After having used the site for the semester, I am pleased with how well the site works.  I would like to be able to change the fonts and have a little more flexibility in design, but it is serving its purpose.  I plan to continue to use this site to house my portfolio. 

I have found that the most challenging part of keeping a website is expressing my creativity.  I am not sure how I want to design my website so that it expresses who I am without making it too personal.  I don't want to share too much about myself since it is a public website, but I also want my intended audience to know who I am and what I have learned through my graduate studies experiences.  I am hoping that as I continue through the program I will find more resources and information to post, and will find a way to engage my reader using more visuals. 

The most beneficial part of creating my website was having the opportunity to experiment with the layout and having to create different sections and make certain posts.  This has helped me think about how I want to organize my website for future use.  As I continue through the program, I can continue to add to sections that I have already created, and I imagine I will create new pages for each new course I take, in order to share what I have learned.  I think the course will determine how much information I post, but even a culminating project would be beneficial to post to show my learning progress through the program. 

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TE 808 Reflection

4/15/2012

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Having gone through a second round of action research this semester, I am reminded of how important it is to be a lifelong learner and a reflective practitioner.  I am constantly striving to attain these goals, but they take work.  Conducting action research reminds me that I need to think about what I am doing in my classroom, and how I can improve.  I also need to look at my improvements in a systematic way, reading current research and then applying it or modifying it to meet the needs of my classroom. 

As a result of TE 808, I have learned to be more aware of my individual students’ strengths and needs.  While I always try to meet my students’ where they are at, I can continue to work on this, as I have not found ways for them all to be successful yet.  This action research project also helped me think beyond my comfort zone to develop new teaching tools to help my students.  As a teacher, I find it natural to reflect on my practice and think about how I can change what I’m doing; this course helped provide the motivation I needed to make some of those changes.

Thinking about my students, I have learned that they have much more varied abilities than I initially thought.  Through my research, I was able to see their unique strengths and weaknesses, which can sometimes be hidden underneath their special education label.  My research also taught me about my students’ learning styles.  My students definitely showed me that they like choice and variety; they do not like limited options. 

Taking TE 808 at the beginning of the MATC program was beneficial for me.  It helped me reorganize myself so that I can prioritize my time between work, school, and family.  The organizational structure has helped me set a schedule for when I work on my graduate course work, and I think this schedule will work for me throughout the rest of the program.  I have learned to dedicate time to my graduate work, which has helped me not only focus on my course work, but also be more efficient so I’m taking home less work from the classroom.

The most challenging piece of TE 808 has been wrapping up my action research paper these past few weeks, as I am not completely finished with my research.  I am trying to draw conclusions with incomplete data.  I will be happy when all of my data is collected, but will then have to prioritize finishing my paper, since it will be due very soon.  I was ready to begin my project much sooner than I started, but felt I needed to wait for the go-ahead.  Looking back, I should have started collecting data when I felt I was ready.  The most beneficial piece of TE 808 was how our action research paper was broken down into manageable chunks.  I do not feel overwhelmed trying to write a 30 page paper right now because most of the paper is written.  I appreciate that I am spending most of my time revising what has already been written, rather than trying to write everything toward the end of the semester.  I also appreciate the time we had to peer revise.  While I was initially opposed to the idea, the process has strengthened my paper more than I could have done on my own. 

If I colleague was considering taking TE 808, I would highly recommend it.  I believe that self-reflection is a critical tool in teaching.  Action research is one way to enhance self-reflection.  Beyond learning how to conduct action research, I appreciate the opportunities to reflect on the TED videos and the technology tools.  They have provided me with numerous opportunities to discuss my philosophy of education, not only in class, but also at home with my husband who is also a teacher.  I think I will be able to use many of the resources I learned about in this class in the future and I’m glad the information I learned has immediate and real-life applicability.

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    Author

    I am a currently a long-term substitute teacher who is certified to teach both special education and general education.  I am beginning my coursework at Michigan State University to earn my Masters in Teaching and Curriculum.

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