Cheating

The first time I was pressured into cheating that I can remember was in fifth grade. I was done with my work early and my teacher encouraged me to go around and assist students who were having trouble. As I was helping my friend, she convinced me to just show her the answers to save time. I did not feel comfortable, but I did not want to seem like a goody two shoes in front of my classmates. I lowered my worksheet so she could see, but little did I know, my teacher was listening from outside the door the whole time. She came in the class and scolded me in front of the whole class. I was so embarrassed. After researching student cheating in my Intro To Education class, I discovered that younger children do not always cheat with bad intentions. Most of the time they are eager to stay on task, but may become distracted. Looking at a neighbors work is usually just to help them catch up and not because of laziness. In higher grades is generally when pressure from peers to cheat can begin. Since I understand how it feels to be called out in front of the class because of cheating, as a teacher myself, I intend on pulling a student aside privately and discussing the matter one on one to save them from the embarrassment. How do you plan on handling cheating in the classroom?

Group Work

How much group work is too much/not enough?

• Especially for younger children, I think group work is important because they are just beginning to learn how to socialize and work with others. Having the room set up so that students are in small groups is a good idea. Children usually strive to follow directions. If they get left behind in the lesson or miss a step, they can easily ask a neighbor for help which will encourage socialization and working well with other students. If a lesson calls for scissors, markers, etc., and a teacher puts some in the middle of each table for everyone to use, this can promote sharing with others, which is also an important skill to teach younger children. However, as kids get older, they may find their way around distributing the effort equally amongst all group members and decide to slack off. Personally, from working in groups in the past, I dislike being put in groups now because I would rather get the work done my way on my time. Especially because sometimes students don't contribute as much as the rest of the group. With kids, however, it is important for them to work in groups and to teach themselves these basic skills.

My Technology Experiences

1. What was your experience like in elem/middle/high school?
     In elementary school, our class was able to visit the computer lab once a week. Our assignments in the computer lab were mostly learning to type activities. Once we were finished with the assigned task, we were able to log onto the "fun-brain" website and play games.
     In middle school, I took an interesting Photoshop class that I enjoyed very much. Our teacher gave us assignments such as, make your own cereal box, movie poster, etc., and it involved a lot of creativity. We were able to take pictures and upload them to our assignment and it was really interesting to learn about and explore something new.
     In high school my computer class was a little more advanced than my middle school class. We were told to create a cruise ship and make a menu for the restaurant, a list of activities on board the ship, and more. My teacher did a quick demonstration of our activity to introduce it to us and then passed out handouts that had a step by step procedure of the assignment. Once we were finished with one handout, we would submit it and were allowed to get a head start on the next handout. I enjoyed that a lot because I am a fast learner and I always finished earlier than my classmates. Since I completed my work before everyone, I wasn't waiting around until people caught up to me.



2. Did you do more than just website research?
     Sometimes my teachers would rent out the computer lab or computers in the library when there was a big research project due and we would be able to work on it in class. I find it hard to work on a paper during class time. I can concentrate better when I set a date and time to work on something and am working in a quiet space.



3. Did things ever work?
     Being introduced to the next assignment while still working on the task at hand is helpful so I am not waiting for the rest of the class to catch up to me.



4. What was the best activity (web based, digital) that you did?
     The best activity was in middle school when we played around with photoshop. It allowed the class to explore the new tool and be creative. It was fun to look at all of the other students finished projects. I always looked forward to computer class because I was eager to finish my current project.



5. What about your experience do you want for your future? What do you not want?
     I definitely want to do more activities that highlights students' creativity and to be given the opportunity to work on something else if I finish early with the current project. I do not have something particular that I am uninterested in for the future. I am always open to new techniques and tools of technology!

Tagxedo

Journey to EDU 235

I am a sophomore at Southern New Hampshire University. The reason I chose this school was because I loved the campus and it was close to home, but far enough away that I could be independent. Last year I had not declared a major yet, however, this year I am leaning toward elementary education and special education. I am excited to dive right into a few education classes and finally confirm or deny if this is the career path I would like to stay on. So far, the education classes I have sat in have been more exciting than the general education courses I had to take during my freshman year. I like to believe that I am pretty good with technology and if there is a problem, most of the time I am able to play around and fix it. I love learning new things and I am enthusiastic to get started.