Learning about data collection and reporting has been very beneficial in helping me understand how I will work as a teacher. I think I will be teaching a younger classroom, such as a second grade classroom. I would like to use surveys to collect data to both help me get to know my students better at the beginning of the year, and also to see how each student is doing in specific subject matter, such as math or reading. At the beginning of the year, I think I will create a survey with questions like, "what is your name?", "how old are you", and "what is your favorite thing to do?". Then, I will use data reporting through Excel in order to see which students are similar and which are different. This activity will help me understand the class dynamic for the year. Also, for a specific subject, such as math, I will do an assessment on what the students know for a certain unit. I will then use data reporting through Excel to see which students are struggling and which problems are the hardest for the class. In these ways, I will be able to use data collection and reporting tools to aid in my teaching skills.
From reviewing my classmates' blogs, I found many topics they discussed interesting. First of all, I loved reading about each person's independent learning project. I enjoyed seeing the different designs students came up with and reading about what professional development activity they participated in. I feel like I truly learned more about each person and how they are wired based off of these blog posts. I found that many students used a software called Pictochart (an infographic maker) to create their design project. I love the fact that infographics are becoming an acceptable way of teaching students. Another topic I found interesting from the blogs is that of how students are utilizing the in-class activities we have been doing in their own lives. It was interesting to hear about what students enjoyed from DIIGO and Flipgrid classroom and how they will utilize these technologies when they become teachers. While all of the blog posts were quite interesting and informative, these were some of the topics that stood out to me and impacted me.
The technology-related skill I would like to learn next is photography and photo-shop. I would like to learn this technology because I would like to capture more moments from my life and from my friends' lives. I would then like to be able to edit these photos to be as beautiful as they can be. In this future, I know I will be working with kids, so to have these skills would be a great aid in connecting with students and parents alike. It would also be wonderful to be able to make a little more money by taking photos of weddings and families. I will achieve this goal by taking some professional development courses online and asking my photography friends for advice and to teach me. I will also begin to practice with the camera that I have and download photo-shop on my computer. By completing these tasks, I know that I will be taking a step in the right direction, and I will be working toward my goals for the future.
