CURRICULUM LIBRARY

On February 1^st our second class took place in the curriculum library.  There we were introduced to a wealth of information and resources available to us.  I am currently in my third semester of the graduate program and have never been formally introduced to the curriculum library.  I had no idea the amount of information that was accessible at our finger tips.  I am so grateful for Dr. Smirnova’s class and being presented with these tools.

I only wish that there was a graduate orientation offered when entering the program that walked you through everything available to you.  Tiffany Davis one of the librarians gave us a great orientation and description to what’s available to the Mount students.  It was incredibly helpful and I am excited to start using some of the software such as kidspiration this semester.  We were also shown specific subject books which came in handy for my fieldwork this semester.  I’ve already taken out a few books on Rome which I will be teaching this semester with Kristine.  

                                        

DAY 1 OF CLASS SS METHODS

Today we started the class with a video called The Vision of Students of Today.

The video gave great insight into the minds' of students.  Technology is a growing part of today's society and without it we would not progress.  Teachers need to utilize technology in order to effectively communicate and reach their students.  Students need to feel engaged and challenged within the classroom environment.  Knowing and using the latest technology can help students connect to their fellow peers as well as the teacher.  Many students are already familiar with technology and are using it outside of the classroom.  Bringing that into the classroom can help them feel more comfortable and confident.  It's important that we allow our students to excel and push themselves beyond their comfort zones.
When I was growing up technology that we have today was not available.  We were given set block times where we were brought to a specific technology room and were able to use computers that took a year and a day to load.  Students today are so fortunate for the advances that have been and are continuing to be made.