Individual students

            Have you ever gone to class, taken good notes and studied for the test, yet got a poor grade on it? Practically every student can relate to feeling frustrated about testing. No two people are the same and everyone is different physically and mentally, yet today’s education program is catered to a certain type of learner, who learns by taking the same type of notes and tests for every subject. Assessments are a major part of our education and can be structured in multiple ways, but in my educational experience many teachers do not vary their lessons for students. Many students have hoped for an improvement to the education system so they are taught with consideration to their individual differences.

            I am currently doing my practicum at an all Kindergarten classroom and I am able to see first hand the different types of learning styles. Some of the children seem to sit there without saying a word and just take everything in. Others will blurt out, and always want to come up and write on the smart board. It is important to help all students grow and not ignore the different types of learning. While it is very important to teach toward all students, it is also important to ensure that no student is getting lost. Overall, it is very difficult to be a teacher, but people are not made to be teachers they are born to be teachers so those who are passionate about teaching will do whatever it takes to ensure all their students are learning. 

Standards

Standards are used by all teachers to ensure that their students are learning the correct material. While the standards are there to help the teachers and guide them, there are a variety of standards offered. Three standards that were explored were the ISTE standards, the Common Core standards, and state standards. Even though these three have the word “standard” in the name, they varied a significant amount when it came to the use of technology and students.

         

ISTE standards looks at a very broad perspective with technology and introducing it the classroom. Some of the things it covers is communication outside the classroom, how to use technology safely, transfer of knowledge, promoting creativity and research. One thing that the ISTE standards does is provide standards for both the teachers and the students on these areas of technology. I feel as if it is important for the teacher to look at these standards because it shows exactly what is expected and they can compare teacher verse student uses. 

         

The Common Core standards start looking at where to include technology into your classroom. For kindergarten through fifth grade, they expect you to use technology in all areas, for example English and literature. The literacy Common Core states that in kindergarten through second grade the students are expected to start exploring the use of the keyboard and once they get old enough they should be using the computer to write papers and do research on their own. These standards are more specific than ISTE, but the state standards are the most detailed.

        

The state standards want to ensure that all students are getting a great education and that is why I think they are the most detailed. When it comes to technology they have high expectations and the Alabama state standards want kindergarten through third graders to learn the proper posture, finger placement, and start using the Internet. From third through fifth grade they should be taught how to troubleshoot, publish things online and protect information.

While the ISTE standards may not seem as useful as the state standards because they are specific, they are still very helpful. It is important to start with an overview of things before you look at the detail. While it may seem confusing to some to use different standards, it may help to look at all of them to ensure your full understanding of including technology into the classroom. Some of the standards may also seem too advanced for the children and I feel as if they may be. I think the standards have the students’ best interest, but may be pressuring the students to do too much. It is important to look at all standards to make sure you are helping your students as much as you can.