Blogging is great fun. You get to write about topics that you’re really interested in. You get to sort through your thoughts and set them down on paper in a coherent way. And you get to hear from readers who’ve loved your posts.
It’s a great way of meeting new people, globally or locally. Blogging helps to spread ideas and connections beyond geographical boundaries. You can connect with your friends, family or fans to let them know what you think about certain issues. You can ask them about their opinion or share important happening in their lives.
It’s an excellent way to promote yourself in the field of one’s’ expertise or interest. By writing blogs one can share the knowledge as will showcase your skills in front of your potential employees, who would read your blogs. This will also help legitimize your expertise and expand your online presence and platform. It also helps in promoting your credibility.
At first, the idea of having a blog did not really excite me in any way, but I realized it is a great way to put your views out there and getting responses from people on your views.
Tuesday 10 November 2015
Is social media important in the classroom?
Social Media in the classroom has pro's as well as cons.
Pro's
Social media sites provide an avenue for students to easily contact one another regarding school projects, group assignments or for help on homework assignments.
Students who do not participate regularly in class may feel they can express their thoughts through social media. Although this should not completely replace in class participation it can help build the students’ confidence and encourage them to find their voice and be able to participate in class.
When students have questions about a class assignment they can easily post a message asking if anyone can help. They can also write a specific question to the teacher on a wall that other students can see. This allows the whole class to have access to the feedback from the teacher.
If the teacher needs to direct students to a particular online resource they can easily share the site through social media sites like twitter. If the teacher wants the class to visit a particular site all they have to do is tweet the website and the entire class can view it with one click.
It is very useful for teachers to be able to post on social media sites about class activities, homework assignments and even school events. This helps the teachers, parents and students all stay on the same page about what is going on at school. Sites like facebook also allow teachers to easily communicate through private messages to parents and students without having to leave phone messages and wait for a call back.
Cons
The first concern that comes to mind when using social media in the classroom is how it will be a major distraction to the students during lessons. Students could easily be sidetracked from an assignment and it could be difficult for teachers to tell who is paying attention or not.
Students might take advantage of being able to access social media in the classroom and use it for personal interactions instead of for school related activities. If students are not closely monitored it will be hard to know how if they are using social media properly during class time.
If students are encouraged to participate in class discussions through social media websites this could impact their ability to interact in face to face situations. Students still need to learn how to have conversations with people even in this modern technology based world.
I believe that the pro's outweighs the con's, therefore i am for using social media.
Pro's
Students who do not participate regularly in class may feel they can express their thoughts through social media. Although this should not completely replace in class participation it can help build the students’ confidence and encourage them to find their voice and be able to participate in class.
When students have questions about a class assignment they can easily post a message asking if anyone can help. They can also write a specific question to the teacher on a wall that other students can see. This allows the whole class to have access to the feedback from the teacher.
If the teacher needs to direct students to a particular online resource they can easily share the site through social media sites like twitter. If the teacher wants the class to visit a particular site all they have to do is tweet the website and the entire class can view it with one click.
It is very useful for teachers to be able to post on social media sites about class activities, homework assignments and even school events. This helps the teachers, parents and students all stay on the same page about what is going on at school. Sites like facebook also allow teachers to easily communicate through private messages to parents and students without having to leave phone messages and wait for a call back.
Cons
The first concern that comes to mind when using social media in the classroom is how it will be a major distraction to the students during lessons. Students could easily be sidetracked from an assignment and it could be difficult for teachers to tell who is paying attention or not.
Students might take advantage of being able to access social media in the classroom and use it for personal interactions instead of for school related activities. If students are not closely monitored it will be hard to know how if they are using social media properly during class time.
If students are encouraged to participate in class discussions through social media websites this could impact their ability to interact in face to face situations. Students still need to learn how to have conversations with people even in this modern technology based world.
I believe that the pro's outweighs the con's, therefore i am for using social media.
How did Teaching Practice change the idea of how i see myself as a Teacher.
It made me realise that there are a few things that i need to work on. It includes:
- Effective Communication Skills.
- Getting students to engage in discussions.
- The use of humour in the classroom.
- It is better to think before you react,
- Give clear instructions.
- It is important to include students in decision making.
I see myself as someone who needs to look at these things and improve myself to be effective
How do i see myself as a Teacher.
I am studying to become a teacher. I have started to think seriously about what kind of teacher I want to be. As I think about this, five words came into my mind. Those five words are: passion, professional, flexible, style and humor. Although all of these five are very important I consider that having passion is the most important of all.
It doesn’t matter what my job is, if I’m not passionate about it I would not be able to do a great job. I know I have to be passionate about being a teacher, because this is not an easy job, and if I’m not passionate about it, well I can say now that this job then isn’t for me. I am really passionate about being a teacher and I just can’t wait to start working at this. I believe that if I’m not passionate about this job, I couldn’t get to be all of the other 4 characteristics that I mentioned before. Other thing about being a teacher is to always be a professional.
As I said before this job is not as easy as many people might think it is, and that’s why I, teacher to be, need to be professional at all circumstances. At school I’m going to confront many situations, not only with the students, but also with their parents, my colleagues and the community. I know that I will not only be a teacher, the one who is in charge of those students’ education, but that I am also a human being and I have to respect others and care for others’ needs. I will not only teach and care for my students, but also I will collaborate in all I can. This is why I have to be flexible too.
As a teacher, I should be flexible when teaching and helping others. A teacher must be flexible when teaching, and must not be rigid.
It doesn’t matter what my job is, if I’m not passionate about it I would not be able to do a great job. I know I have to be passionate about being a teacher, because this is not an easy job, and if I’m not passionate about it, well I can say now that this job then isn’t for me. I am really passionate about being a teacher and I just can’t wait to start working at this. I believe that if I’m not passionate about this job, I couldn’t get to be all of the other 4 characteristics that I mentioned before. Other thing about being a teacher is to always be a professional.
As I said before this job is not as easy as many people might think it is, and that’s why I, teacher to be, need to be professional at all circumstances. At school I’m going to confront many situations, not only with the students, but also with their parents, my colleagues and the community. I know that I will not only be a teacher, the one who is in charge of those students’ education, but that I am also a human being and I have to respect others and care for others’ needs. I will not only teach and care for my students, but also I will collaborate in all I can. This is why I have to be flexible too.
As a teacher, I should be flexible when teaching and helping others. A teacher must be flexible when teaching, and must not be rigid.
Why i want to be a Teacher.
Why I want to be a Teacher
There's no greater profession. I have a passion for learning as well as sharing my knowledge with others. I love working with youth and seeing the difference I can make in their lives.
I want to teach children something more. I want to know by the time they leave my classroom they have gained something that will stay with them forever. I want to know that I have made a difference to a child.
I believe as a teacher I must motivate, inspire, and encourage my students to strive for success. As an educator it is my responsibility to lift them up when they are down. I believe the purpose of education is to help students prepare for the real world by helping them become independent citizens and by providing them with knowledge needed for future careers. The only role that my students have is to come to school prepared and ready to learn.
I want to teach children something more. I want to know by the time they leave my classroom they have gained something that will stay with them forever. I want to know that I have made a difference to a child.
I believe as a teacher I must motivate, inspire, and encourage my students to strive for success. As an educator it is my responsibility to lift them up when they are down. I believe the purpose of education is to help students prepare for the real world by helping them become independent citizens and by providing them with knowledge needed for future careers. The only role that my students have is to come to school prepared and ready to learn.
Tuesday 6 October 2015
Intro from #YouHeardItHereFirst
Hi, i am Theo Claassen, currently studying Education at CPUT. My majors are CAT, Maths Literacy and Business Management. This is my first blog, so bare with me till i get used it.
So why "You Heard It Here First"? I will be posting about groundbreaking developments on every subject there is, for example education, the law, sport, politics and whatever is trending out there. So basically, i will be posting opinions about various subjects.
So feel free to hit me up sometime, i may look grumpy at times, but i am a friendly guy. Flip, that even rhymed!!
Cheers.
#YouHeardItHereFirst
So why "You Heard It Here First"? I will be posting about groundbreaking developments on every subject there is, for example education, the law, sport, politics and whatever is trending out there. So basically, i will be posting opinions about various subjects.
So feel free to hit me up sometime, i may look grumpy at times, but i am a friendly guy. Flip, that even rhymed!!
Cheers.
#YouHeardItHereFirst
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