Unit 7- Developing the Five Minds

"Teaching students with new tools, enthusiasm, and a belief that teaching is a noble calling." -Vicki Davis' mission statement for her blog

My purpose for pursuing a graduate degree is simply to help students be more successful. I believe that the wise and purposeful use of media and technology hold the key to real change in the school system, a system that is increasingly failing our children. Technology is interesting, interactive, and speaks students' language. Teamed up with high expectations and learning objectives/goals, almost any subject's lesson can be enhanced with the addition of media.
To support me in the quest, I have found a *jewel* of a blog posted by Vickie Davis, a high school teacher and IT director from Georgia-

http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/

Her blog has been read by 23, 462 readers and has the following components:
Home-Her own thoughts on the latest technology and educator issues
Projects-Such as the Digiteen
Freebies- Listings of great free down-loadable resources for educators
Popular- Her most popular blogs from years past
Friends-Links to other excellent educator/tech blogs
Books-Some of her highly recommended books

I have developed my own mind tremendously these past few months. Although I believe the use of technology in the classroom can be beneficial, I was quite ill prepared to utilize it within the school setting. The projects I have completed in this EDIM 508 class along with tips from my classmates' blogs and discussions have helped me develop my disciplined mind. Vickie's blog is a shot in the arm that I continually check out. She has discussions, debates, quotes, musings, and links for further information in her blog. It is a phenomenal resource for the latest information, innovations and ideas.

I have been able to synthesize the concerte information I have learned with actual classroom practice. Making a Blog, Glog, PowerPoint and Google Earth project have all been real life experiences I can replicate in each unique classroom. Vickie's blog has a tab listing projects she is involved in-excellent student projects such as Flat Classroom Project, Erasismproject, and Digiteen to name just a few. All serve as a way to help students become more respectful and understanding of others by working together technologically with students from around the world. They are phenomenal, and I look forward to pursuing the Digiteen project as it is available for our Jr. High students.

I have always been a firm believer in the arts and creativity (for all!) and am so glad to have learned that it will be valued more and more in our future. Students are already creating and sharing, and we as educators can help make school more successful by allowing more free thought and creative expression. I have stretched my mind in this class and have had a lot of fun in particular making my Glog. Vickie's blog encourages others to think outside the box and has a tab listing popular blog posts from the past. In it are some excellent ways that others have followed their creative ideas and succeeded.

What I enjoy most about Vickie's blog is that she models respect and ethical behavior. She is humorous, honest, and sincere. She goes out of her way to track down examples that would help both educators and students understand others around the world. She has a link to "Cellist of the Schoolyard" which tells the story of a cellist that played..well..it is just something that you have to see on your own. It was the most uplifting story I have heard all year. Vickie, on her tab of favorite books tells the reader that she does benefit financially from the sale of the books on that page. Wow! She didn't have to tell us, but she did.

I am proud to say that by pursuing this graduate degree with the hope of changing education and helping students, I am taking a big step toward developing my own five minds. I am much more well-equipped to lead students in the development of the "minds" they will need in the years ahead. Gardner does a fantastic job of summing up the future: "Those who succeed in cultivating the pentad of minds are most likely to thrive." "...the survival and thriving of our species will depend on our nurturing of potentials that are distinctly human." (Gardner, p. 163, 167)

References:

Gardner, Howard. (2008). Five Minds for the Future. Boston, MA; Harvard Business Press.