Exit Slip: Last Day

Today, the book chapter presentations were done very well. They were thorough and added to the knowledge that I gained from reading the chapters myself. The chapter 10 presentation, which discussed the different aspects that we need to make to alter into this new technology rich learning environment. Some of the topics that were discussed, like how to make it motivating and the role of government in education, were very insightful. I liked the ideas that were mentioned in regards to making education more motivating. I agree that we need to choose materials wisely. We should somewhat stay away from books and worksheets because it is very rare for children to find doing worksheets very motivating. Also, it is important to integrate our children's interests into all aspects of the curriculum. At times, this may be hard to accomplish because of the standards that need to be met and the yearly testing, like the FCAT, that is administered to children. Also, thinking about the role of the government in our school system is something that I never really thought of on my own. Now, schools are run by the local government, and it was interesting to think of the pros and cons of the federal government taking over. I am not sure which government should be in control because there is such an extreme between the two. However, I do think that it might be beneficial to have our country have the same standards for each grade, especially considering that children may move from state to state within one year.
The contemporary issues were very interesting. I found mine, of course, to be very interesting because it is an issue that I find very compelling and important. Also, the issues on math anxiety and text messaging lingo were great topics that I found very interesting. Prior to Angela's presentation, I did know that teachers can portray, indirectly or directly, their interest level on a specific subject; however, I had never thought about portraying anxiety of a certain subject and it effects on children.
Overall, this class provided me with phenomenal resources that I will use in the future, like all of the cool tools. The book provided me with the knowledge of what our education system is evolving too, and it made me a lot more open minded to this change. And, lastly, all of the contemporary issues that were presented were for the most part new to me, and I enjoyed them because I like being exposed to new knowledge and information.