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Michael
Gross Integrating
Technology in the Classroom
Spring
2006
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RESEARCH/
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CREATE |
PARTICIPATE |
REFLECT |
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IN CLASS/
ONLINE |
Presentation
of the portfolio – Include your
resume – (optional) | |||
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Proposal Outline/
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Curriculum
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Introduction
This is a gathering of all the work that I
have gathered during my Technology course Spring 2006.
http://www.state.nj.us/njded/profdev/profstand/standards.pdf
In order for
children to learn it must be easy for them to keep interest in what is being
taught. As I look back at my childhood I can say that I definitely took
everything for granted. I was always acting up and misbehaving in school and at
home. It was as if I had all the energy in the world, but I never wanted to use
that energy to learn. I was very bright, however I hurt myself by not applying
myself. When it came to my life, education always took a back seat to everything
else. All my extra energy was put into sports and socializing. I rarely did
homework; most of my learning came directly from teachers and their lessons. I
was interested in class and I learned very well through absorbing what went on
in the class. I was able to maintain over a 3.0 grade point average in a
schedule that included many advanced placement courses. I never had the drive to
be the best student in class, however, I definitely had the potential. I found
that if I applied myself A’s were easily obtainable, but I preferred to not
study and take a B to allow myself more time to socialize.
I set such
high standards for myself that second place was not an option when it came to
athletics. I needed to be the best when it came to sports. By my senior year I
accumulated eight varsity letters, several all-league and all county awards, and
a state championship. I went to high school to play football, baseball, and ski
race. Needless to say I enjoyed all the benefits that came along with them. Both
my parents taught at the high school that I played varsity athletics for,
meaning I got some special privileges. While every other senior had to share a
parking spot I got my own, I never served a detention, and I basically got away
with things that no other student would have. My parents never asked to get me
out of trouble instead I never got into trouble because of who my parents
were.
While the
advantages of having my parents teach at my high school sounds great there were
also some disadvantages. I never had to connect consequences to my actions this
is because in high school there never were consequences for any action. High
school became my own little universe, my own protective bubble that shielded me
from the outside world. In the real world punishment fits the crime and it took
the next four years of my college career for me to realize that. I began to see
that education takes work both in and out of the classroom and that my athletic
ability was not great enough to make a living.
I cruised
through my first couple of years at Muhlenberg doing okay in school however,
those were mostly introductory courses. As the classes got harder and the
workload increased I began to fall behind and so did my grades. I felt as if I
was always playing catch up and cramming at the last minute. Then at the end of
my fall semester of my senior year my cousin Ryan passed away. I had to leave
school for about a week to handle my family matters and when I returned it was
the end of the semester I just could not catch up. Ryan and I were close and his
death hit me hard. I was behind to
begin with and this destroyed any chance I had at salvaging the semester. Being
that it was in the semester I was unable to drop the classes and my grade point
average took a serious drop. Ryan’s death caused me a great deal of depression,
but fortunately I had the winter break to help deal with the pain.
During that
month I learned a great deal about myself and what I am aspiring to be. I went
back for my spring semester senior year with the determination to be an
excellent student and my grades significantly improved. Due to the terrible fall
semester in my senior year I needed to attend one more semester at Muhlenberg.
As I went back for my ninth semester I was more dedicated to my studies than
ever before. With that extra determination I not only completed the courses I
needed to graduate I had the best semester of my college
career.
Once I
received my Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics I knew there was only one
profession I wanted to pursue. I want to be a teacher. I have known this for
several years and have been substituting for the past three years. There was
only one problem, my undergraduate grade point average was to low to attempt the
alternate route for teacher certification in
I am excited
each night before I go to bed because I know that when I wake up I am one day
closer to becoming a teacher. I feel it is good experience that I substitute
teach everyday but at the same time it is not my own classroom. As a substitute
I enter another teacher’s classroom and I fill in for them. I want my own
students, classroom, curriculum, and my own lessons. I want to use my energy and
beliefs to help inspire students to learn mathematics. Even as a substitute
teacher I try to bring a positive energy to the classroom. It is very important
to show students how much I want to be there and it might just help them to want
to be there as well. When I substitute it is usually as a math teacher. Some of
the most common things I hear from the students are, "I’m not good at math," or
"I’m not a math person." I understand that people have their strengths and
weakness, but I feel that somewhere along the line they must have had a math
teacher that did not inspire them. Once a student has lost interest in math it
is common for them to fall behind as the curriculum moves forward, in turn the
student falls further and further behind. That is why I believe in providing
ample time after school that students can come to me for extra help. Sometimes
students need one on one attention in order to see certain processes in
math.
One of my
goals as a teacher is to keep the classroom alive, I plan on doing this by
walking around and involving as many students as possible. I feel the students
should want to come to class just to see what I am going to do each day. I know
from experience that a student can be looking you right in the eye while you are
speaking and not be listening to a word being said. Teachers need to involve
students by asking questions to as many of them as possible. It is also
imperative that teachers praise correct answers to the questions without
completely dismissing incorrect answers. A good teacher wants the students to
think about the question at hand, not worry about embarrassment because of a
wrong answer.
It is the
teacher’s responsibility to keep the students coming back for more. I remember
when I was a high school student that sometimes I was just not in the mood for
the same lectures day after day. One way to avoid that is through the use of
group work and assignments. Utilizing group work is very effective when teaching
mathematics. A student might not understand the way in which I explain something
but they may pick it up from one of their peers. Sometimes students relate
better to a point of view that is closer to their own. I also believe in
utilizing group work because in the “real world” group work is everywhere. The
world revolves around dealing with other people. Developing people skills is
essential in high school because while not everyone will use higher-level
mathematics after high school everyone will utilize people
skills.
Another way
I plan on keeping the interest of students in my class is by utilizing real
world situations. If I can relate math to situations that they can more easily
recognize math becomes easier. For the students who like to shop I use what I
call "mall math" skills. When I substitute teach in a mathematics classroom I
try to use the mall as an example to explain certain math problems. For example
when multiplying I ask questions like, "If you were going to buy three pairs of
jeans for forty-two dollars each, how much would the total be?" It is surprising
at how much quicker they find the answer! Or if I am trying to teach
percentages, computing sale price gets students thinking much quicker. For
example, “Express is having a fifty percent off sale on all shirts. If a shirt
cost twenty dollars and I want to buy six shirts, how much would the total be?”
High school students today can solve math problems quicker when they involve
money. “Which one [teacher] stands out in you memory? The math teacher who
taught you not only the intricacies of numbers but also the practicalities of
balancing a checkbook and figuring out the discount at a sale.”(Draper, 9)
I plan on
including advanced technology in my curriculum. In the past couple of years
there have been huge developments in technology that have turned tedious
problems into a push of a button on a calculator. New technological developments
come out each year making complex mathematical problem easier allowing
mathematicians to push the limits of mathematics. By teaching mathematics along
with the most recent technology students are ahead of the people who do not have
the technological background.
The most
important aspect in teaching high school students is commanding their respect.
As a teacher you must respect yourself, be well dressed and present yourself
well. This will help bring enthusiasm to your class. If a teacher does not look
creditable or interested in their own lesson how can they expect the students to
show any interest? A teacher must have respect for every student. If a teacher
treats a student with respect more often than not, the student will treat the
teacher with equal respect. A classroom should have boundaries; teachers should
be friendly with students however the teacher must be in charge. Teachers and
students should know and respect each other’s place in the school community, “A
good teacher knows lots of dirty jokes but only tells the clean ones to make you
laugh.”(Draper, 10) Teachers must also respect their fellow teacher and the
school in which they teach. In order for a healthy learning environment there
must be a respect for the school. Rooms should be decorated tastefully and
educationally without overdoing it. It takes very little to distract students
and by not overdoing it may help keep students on task.
Finally, I
understand that
In
conclusion my educational philosophy focuses on keeping the students as
interested in the subject manner by any means possible. I understand that
sitting in a math classroom is probably the last place a teenager wants to be,
but my goal is to show them it can be fun with a little bit of effort. By
showing them just how much fun I have doing mathematics maybe I can spark and
interest in them. “A good teacher makes you have so much fun you don’t know
you’re learning, and then when you’ve learned it, you realize it wasn’t hard at
all.”(Draper 11) Learning mathematics helps people develop logic and problem
solving skills that businesses look for. My job as a teacher is to relay that
information to as many people as possible. Ultimately I want to help students
get better SAT scores and help them get in an exceptional college.
I have found in my classroom the use of my overhead is very useful. It allows me the ability to stay facing the class as well as project my work for the whole class to see. Allows me the opportunity to have students post their work and easily assist group discussions. I have also found additional technology that allows me to project my Ti-83 on the board. This item greatly increases the impact of my calculator based lessons.
I have found the new Ipods to be a very useful teaching tool. The new Ipod are built as portable storage devises. I can easily bring my lesson plans and grades to and from work and carry very little while keeping my life extremely organized! However I would never let my students see me rocking out during school!
Michael
John Gross
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Education |
2005-present William
Paterson University
Wayne, New Jersey Continuing Graduate
Studies and pursuing Teaching Certification 2000 -
2005
Muhlenberg College
B.S.
Mathematics ·
Mathematics Praxis
Score: 175 |
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Professional experience |
2005-present
Chancellor Academy
Pompton Plains, New Jersey Math Teacher’s
Aide (973) 835 4989
Employer. Dr. Richard A. Sheridan 2002 –
present
Wayne Board of Education
Wayne, New Jersey Substitute
Teacher ·
Specialize in
Mathematics classrooms |
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Additional professional activities |
College and High School
Math tutor |
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Volunteer experience |
High School Ski Team
Assistant Coach (973) 633 0651
Head Coach: Reid Hensen 2005-06
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References |
Robert Reis Joanne Poppe (973) 764 5715 |
Suggested Listserv
Media Literacy M-L
Listserv http://interact.uoregon.edu/medialit/course/resources/media-l.html or
http://www.med.sc.edu:1081/listserve.htm
Media
Review
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