As my last day of Science Methods came to an end, I finally started putting the puzzle pieces together and all the things that Dr. S introduced to us throughout the semester finally served some purpose to me. I was at first definitely scared and overwhelmed at everything that was thrown in front of me at once, from blogging, to pbworks, to using technology, this class opened up a whole new world for me. But as time went on, I was very thankful with the help of Dr. S to constantly be there all the times I needed help, whether it was through google chat, google docs, e-mail, or just simply stepping foot in her office.
Blogging was definitely an enjoyable experience for me. It was nice to post the things I saw in nature, or read about in my Science Stories book. I think that blogging is a fun and creative way that allows for me to share my thoughts and experiences, especially in the scientific world (because I myself am currently a science major.) It was a great idea to be able to share these things with my classmates throughout the semester.
We did many hands on activities in the class that I will definitely consider using in the classroom in the future. I would have liked more time to complete the activities in class, but it was just very hard because of our 55 minute class period. Science Circus was definitely a great experience in the classroom that I would love to use with my kids in the classroom. This allowed us to use inquiry to explore many scientific ideas: like buoyancy, floating and sinking activities, and collecting data and gaining results from the data. This was a great way to get students moving around the classroom (so they aren't sitting at their desks all the time) and to get them to try out different experiences to see what they really do enjoy compared to what they don't enjoy as much. The kingdom Jigsaw activity was also great to use in the classroom because it allowed students to explore their own individual topic and then teach that topic to the class. This was important because students get to be creative and present their topic, rather than the teacher doing it for them the whole class. These two activities really were a great way to allow the students to use inquiry and to get a hands on experience using science in the classroom.
Regarding Fieldwork, I really did enjoy working in Mrs. Benfer's 5th grade classroom. I think it was definitely a great experience regarding the fact that we actually stood in front of the group and we were able to teach our own lesson to the class. Many fieldwork hours that I've done in the past have strictly been observing, and i think that this was a great fieldwork experience because we got to work with the class and teach them a lesson and allow them to do hands on activities, just as we would if we were teachers. The class was definitely a great class to work with because they were probably so used to college students coming into the class to observe. They were very welcoming to us when we came in and they were understanding of our goals to become teachers. This was overall definitely a great environment to work in and I really enjoyed observing and Bishop Dunn Memorial School and I really did gain a positive experience from this particular fieldwork session. Fieldwork has also helped me to grow as a person and it allowed me to see the areas that I need to improve in along with the other areas that I really grew in throughout the semester. I have a much better understanding of what it is like to work in front of the classroom and teach a lesson and that really did help me to prepare better for the future so now I can go into fieldwork with a much more positive aspect and feel much more confident about the goals I want to achieve in the future.
The E-folio project was definitely an interesting project to tackle...to say the least. I definitely don't mean this in a bad way, but because it was such a new experience for me it was a little overwhelming to me. But as soon as I opened up to the idea about completing it and started learning a little more about it, it really was an exciting thing to complete. The e-folio focused on every aspect of every topic that I completed this semester, and that is really what was the most important thing for me to do. I think that th E-folio was a great way to present my work in a creative way that allowed for me to express who I am and where my areas of interest really are. I particularly enjoyed Amy's E-folio because I felt that she presented all of her knowledge in a very sophisticated manner and she put a lot of time into perfecting her e-folio, which really makes me see that she wants to be a teacher and she is achieving her goal now in a very positive and successful manner. I will definitely use this as a tool in my classroom, along with all of the other technology that I have come across throughout the semester.
Overall, this course was a great learning experience for me. I mostly say this not only with my classroom experience, but with my knowledge of technology as well. I grew so much in this course and my knowledge of technology in the classroom really has expanded. As a teacher, I have discovered so many ways to involve my students in the world around them and show them that I care by always putting them ahead of me and making their education my first priority. Keeping this in the back of my mind as I go through school will definitely motivate me and help me understand that all of this hard work is eventually going to pay off, and before I know it I am going to be just like Mrs. Benfer!
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