In Conclusion

A Moment

By Mary Elizabeth Coleridge 

The clouds had made a crimson crown

    Above the mountains high.

The stormy sun was going down

    In a stormy sky.

Why did you let your eyes so rest on me,

    And hold your breath between?

In all the ages this can never be

    As if it had not been. 

As the semester has now come to a close, I look back and see how this class and everything from this semester will be helping me with the future. The websites that we all created will give us a cutting edge for our interviews and job prospects. The codes you can put on papers to make people see who you are, makes us stand out even more. As we are moving towards the technology age, we all need to get on board so that we can engage with students, parents, other teachers/faculty and new prospective schools as well. Overall, technology is vital in education.

Clarification

Jabberywocky 

By Lewis Carol

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

      And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

      The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

      The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand;

      Long time the manxome foe he sought—

So rested he by the Tumtum tree

      And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

      The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

      And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

      The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

      He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?

      Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”

      He chortled in his joy.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

      And the mome raths outgrabe.

So just like the interesting poem above by Lewis Carol, technology in the classroom can have many different uses, the problem is that students need to have clarification. If a student is using technology correctly, then they can create their own world of imagination and learning just like in the poem above. BUT if the teacher gives no direction, then they will be reading the poem and focusing on the things they don't understand versus focusing on the things that they do understand. Overall the lesson is to actually teach your students instead of just handing them an assignment, be there to help them if they need it.

Forgetfulness? How can technology help...

Forgetfulness 

By Billy Collins

The name of the author is the first to go

followed obediently by the title, the plot,

the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel

which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of,

as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor

decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,

to a little fishing village where there are no phones.

Long ago you kissed the names of the nine muses goodbye

and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag,

and even now as you memorize the order of the planets,

something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps,

the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay.

Whatever it is you are struggling to remember,

it is not poised on the tip of your tongue

or even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen.

It has floated away down a dark mythological river

whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall

well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those

who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a bicycle.

No wonder you rise in the middle of the night

to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.

No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted   

out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.

Link to reading of this poem

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/26905

What I love about this poem, is that I continue to grow older every year and with each passing year the knowledge that I had gained in high school, only four years ago, continues to drift away. The dates, formulas and plots of novels all dwindle away.

As future teacher, I don't want that to happen. They might forget most of what I teach, but what about the really important lessons? How will I make that stick? Will I find an app scavenger hunt that will allow them to engage with the material in a new and fun way? Or perhaps give them a lesson or assignment through wikispaces or prezi? Either way, technology seems to be what people are remember more and more lately. People can remember a great movie plot for years and years. Therefore, if you can't beat them, join them.

Communication: Speech is one symptom of Affection

Emily Dickinson

Speech is one symptom of Affection

And Silence one —

The perfectest communication

Is heard of none —

Exists and its indorsement

Is had within —

Behold, said the Apostle,

Yet had not seen!

In education, communication is so important with everyone involved in the process, which can be parents, students, other faculty or other teacher. The way to stay connected with so many different people is easy now with this technology age. Blogs are easy for people to follow, also creating a website, facebook page or twitter feed for classroom activities. Overall, it is very important to keep everyone up to date on what is happening inside the classroom.

The reason I placed the Dickinson poem above is that she discusses the best communication is within yourself, as great and true as that is, the reason we have social media is the ability to share your thoughts about what is going on. Therefore, students should have an area where they can interact and share what they have been holding within.