Educational Blogging

Educational blogging is something that can be extremely beneficial to not only education majors and teachers, but to students and parents as well. Prior to being enrolled in the course Educational Technology 386, I was not aware how valuable educational blogging can be. Educational blogging is when you research a topic in relation to the field of education, and then elaborate and form an opinion about the topic. When typing out and brainstorming additional ideas about educational topics, there is a lot of time given to reflect on the topic. By participating in educational blogging, it gives future teachers a chance to think about how they will manage their future classroom based on the ideas and opinions they form from educational blogging. From a younger students point of view, educational blogging can serve as an impact on their future in the education system. According to an educational article about educational blogging, for students that practice educational blogging in younger grades, “when they enter postsecondary education, may have had more experience writing online for an audience than writing with a pen and paper for a teacher. Such students will bring with them a new set of skills and attitudes.” And lastly, for parents, being able to see the views of teachers, college students on the education track, and younger students, they can start to form their own opinions on educational topics and use that information when deciding how they plan on supporting their children educationally.

With exposure to educational blogging in the course Educational Technology 386, I have learned a large amount of information from my classmates' blog posts. In Makenzi Doughtery's educational blog, she describes why smaller class sizes are more beneficial for all students. She talked about her personal experience with her mentor who teaches third grade. According to Makenzi, she is now gaining experience overseeing how a class of 16 students allows for more individualized time between the teacher and each student. I think Makenzi brings up an important point about how class size impacts student learning more than we may figure. In another educational blog done by my classmate Bailey Timmer, she provides her input on the topic of classroom management and how it is the most critical factor associated with successful learning. Bailey pointed out that by teachers maintaining an organized classroom, students learn better because of the positive learning environment it creates. Bailey also touches on the negative effects that poor classroom management have on students which is also important to consider. I think by addressing that in her personal experience, the more organized teachers were her favorites, it can help inspire upcoming teachers to keep classroom management at the top of their priority list. In another classmate of mine, Anna OGuin’s educational blog, I read about her opinions on art integration in the classroom. Anna shared about her personal experience in elementary school and how she always felt more engaged when participating in art related activities. I think Anna brings up a good point about how powerful of a tool art can be, especially for younger students. She provided examples of how art can be useful to students because of the atmosphere and motivation it creates. 

Using Technology in Classroom

Throughout my own experience with education blogging, I learned so many important factors about specific topics in education. As a future educator, I am thankful for the things I learned about classroom management, teacher-parent relationships, and integrating art into the classroom. Prior to this course, I had never considered posting a blog before and had no experience with creating one. I will use the new skill I have obtained of blogging in my future to help me grow my knowledge about education in efforts to become the best possible educator I can. I plan on blogging for the purpose of my own growth within education, but I would also love to incorporate blogging as an assignment in my future curriculum to help benefit my students.

Valuing The Arts in School

In many school systems today, students are being pushed towards pursuing careers within STEM associated fields. While these careers are in high demand, schools are losing a core value when shaping little minds. Young children in elementary school are full of imagination when it comes to what they wanna be when they grow up. For example when I was in elementary school my dream was to be a rockette or professional ballerina. Although I spent the majority of my free time training in the dance studio, all of that seemed to go out the window when I was sitting in class. Walt Disney tells young children that "All dreams come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." Outside of school, I was actively pursuing my dream but since my dream was not academic, it was not supported for in my school system.

Child Enjoying Art Time in School

Although proper budgeting is a big ask, I think all school systems should grant students with opportunities to pursue all art related passions. For elementary schools, offering things like dance club or art club would be very reassuring for children wanting to pursue careers in those fields. It is important to remind students to follow their dreams rather than the traditional value to go to college, get a good job, and make good money. From the Brookings Institution, in an article focused on the benefits of art education it reads, "Almost as soon as motor skills are developed, children communicate through artistic expression." This is something schools need to start nurturing more instead of treating art like a hobby rather than a potential career path. 

There are so many careers that people can pursue within the art field. Because these careers are considered risky, or hit or miss, they are often shut down on by schools. Jobs within animation, fashion, film, illustration, design, and dance all relate to the arts and this is an interest that can start being nurtured at a young age. Rather than incorporating art class as a special or side activity, I think valuing children's creativity and artistic ideas is just as important as receiving a good math grade or showing excellence in an academic subject.

The Importance of Teacher-Parent Relationships

As a teacher it is not only a responsibility to guide the students, but it is also a responsibility to guide the parents. Maintaining an organized and positive relationship between a teacher and a parent is a super beneficial habit to obtain. When parents gain your trust, they will feed their children with positive thoughts about you as their teacher. Also, by keeping in touch with parents regularly and frequently contacting them, parents will feel confident when sending their children to school. 

Parent Teacher Communication

One strategy of keeping parents in the loop of what is happening in the classroom, is by publishing a classroom website. According to research done at Fresno Pacific University, “A classroom website offers a smart way for teachers to integrate technology into the classroom”. A personal classroom website does not only display professionalism, but it can help curious parents view what is being taught in the classroom, activities their children have participated in, and any important information they need to know. 

For younger children, a great strategy that was used in my elementary school was sending kids home with a journal with handwritten notes from the teachers. This is a great option that does not involve technology but is very meaningful to parents. These journal entries can easily keep parents updated on how their child is performing and parents also have the opportunity to send messages back and forth with their children’s teachers.

One last strategy to help maintain a positive and inclusive teacher parent relationship is by creating a Teacherkit classroom page. Teacherkit is a productivity classroom app that easily allows communication between teachers and parents. On this app, teachers can track attendance, post announcements, and send personal messages to parents. This is perfect for teachers that prefer texting as a communication tool rather than email or other strategies. This is also a more instant option than sending journal entries or waiting for a website submission to be posted.

Relationships between parents and teachers is such an important factor to consider when leading a classroom. Parents will often have just as many questions as students, maybe even more. By responsibility staying on top of these relationships, parents can easily support their children and will be more comfortable with who their children are learning from. 

The Importance of Classroom Management

Following a daily routine is an extremely effective way of bettering your life. For example, If you wanted to start reading more, you would start to incorporate reading time into your daily routine. Classroom Management is a very similar topic to following a daily routine. Children's minds are constantly adapting and changing, by sticking to a routine in a classroom setting, it can help regulate kids behavior to stay on task for the entire school day. A solid and steady management system in a classroom will ensure the school day runs smoothly, which is otherwise hard to achieve when in charge of several little learners. According to the Classroom Management page on the National education website, "Managing the behavior, social emotional, and learning needs of 30 or more students is one of the biggest challenges most educators face." For example, if everyday from 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM a teacher has a morning meeting, the children will know what to expect when entering the classroom and they will prepare for the morning meeting without needing teacher direction.

Example of an organized classroom

Strategy also plays a big role into building effective classroom management routines. For example after lunch, children tend to be energized and excited from spending time with their friends. This is why many schools hold recess immediately after lunch in order to let the kids burn some energy before having to settle down and get back to work. Balance is also important when considering effective ways of classroom management. If a teacher is constantly jumping from academics to more academics, children will lose interest quickly and not stay engaged. This is why it is important to be inclusive to reading time, specials, show and tell, and more creative outlets for children to take a mental break. Classroom management is one of the most important factors that plays into being a successful teacher. Having a clear and consistent classroom routine inclusive to strategy, organization, and balance, is the most practical system a teacher could follow to ensure smooth flowing school days.