Sunday, January 22, 2012

My first Blog

          My name is Brek Doyle. I am currently in my Third semester at TAMU-C and plan to graduate in the spring of 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a certification in secondary education. I love working on computers and playing video games. I want to be a teacher because there are many students that do not receive the education they disserve. When I was in High School our Mathematics teacher wasn’t qualified to do their job.  When I reached college level I was really far behind. I know it may be a dream, but I would like to make sure none of my students have to go through the embarrassment that I did when I didn’t know the simplest formulas. Don't get me wrong, I did amazing in High School. I didn’t have any problems on the State Test either. Even with the odds stacked against me I do believe that I could someday, change this broken system plaguing low income schools like the one I came from.
           Technology is the classroom is something that I believe firmly in. Math can utilize technology in so many ways. There are so many programs out there that teachers could use. I do believe that students should do math by hand, but with the aid of technology like the Promethean board and tablets, students can stay interested in the material while in the class room. Students these days are much smarter than they are given credit for, and allowing them to use technology will only allow them to express themselves even more. In an ideal world where every student would have the internet, you could set up a live conference with all of your students and do homework help, or a class project on proofs. At home students could use the web and play fun math games there are many web sites devoted to this kind of technology and some are even free. There are so many way to implement this in every subject. I feel the biggest road lock is the fear some teachers have in change.
           In this class I would really like to learn and explore the many ways to use technology in my classroom. I want to see the students enjoy math. I want my class to be very open to discussion but in a controlled way. I want my class to ask questions and not feel like their being put in the spot light. I want to give each student the attention that they need to learn. I'm hoping that this class shows me how to utilize the technology available to reach my goals. With tools like Blogs, Forums and WebQuest I hope to maximize the learning experience for my students. I know there will be more tech as the class moves forward, but with every lesson I see new opportunity.  I would like to use technology to show the importance of math and the real world applications of math. I'm hoping that this class will make me aware of, and use the web2.0 tools out there. I want this class to help me be the cool teacher.