“You'll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that."- Willy Wonka
As I see my only child grow and begin to explore the world, I also am reflecting on how I can continue to grow and explore. But I also find myself constantly 'what iffing'.
I've spent the past 3 years teaching and tutoring online and in person. I really like teaching 1:1 or in small groups (it must be the special education resource teacher in me). As I spend more time tutoring online and planning lessons , I'd like to 'buff up' on my tools that I can use to create a fun and interactive learning environment.
When I taught special education in an elementary school for 10 years starting in 2008, technology was used more for accessibility than to teach specific concepts. I can still remember using Boardmaker and printing images off of the program, cutting them in small square pieces and laminating them. These were then used to help students who had communication disorders interact with teachers and peers. I left the elementary field and jumped into higher education teaching beginning readers and GED students. We spent a lot of time reading online because the GED test had just changed into a computer version vs a written test. Students struggled so much because of the amount of text on the screen. If you think about how we 'surf the web' on our phones or tablets, the written text we read is done quickly, partially, and then we move on. Unless you're taking #EME6414 at FSU 😄, we rarely spend more than a minute or two in one place. Students studying for the GED had to work hard to increase their reading time while maintaining comprehension. My master's is in literacy and how adults adapt to reading online is of great interest to me.
During this summer semester I'd like my blog posts to focus on how to help students become active learners online.
As a teacher, I'm always looking for new resources and I think I might have found an awesome link. I sincerely apologize for not being able to remember where within the course that I found this link, but I was not the one that initially found it. Since it was only written 9 months ago, it is extremely relevant and I look forward to diving head first into the page and #eme6414!
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ReplyDeleteHi Nicole, I really appreciated your blogpost. I find myself what 'iffing' too and it reminds me of a phenomenon called the "Imposter syndrome" Here is a short video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQUxL4Jm1Lo
ReplyDeleteImposter syndrome is the tendency to think we can't do something or don't deserve something. For example, not applying for a job because we think we're not qualified or won't be able to perform the job outlined in the description. It is great that you are sharing about the 'what-ifs' because it helps others find company in their what-ifs too. I also have a tendency to pre-worry about upcoming things and I don't remember exactly where I heard it from (likely social media), but I try to think of this: "if you worry about something before it happens, you are basically putting yourself through it twice." I also remember watching a video on showing up and the speaker talked about how she always worried about a presentation and was over-thinking it, asking herself the what-ifs and someone gave her the advice of "just show up." I try to think about that (especially going into parent meetings that I am nervous for), I just need to prepare, show up, and go from there. I feel the same "what-ifs' about learning the tools and technologies too and I try to apply the "just show up" outlook. I think it's okay sometimes to take those baby steps and have your expectations be simply starting, or just "I made it here, let's explore/learn" Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I love the Willy Wonka connection (we are reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as our class novel and I am just as in love with the story as my students).
Thanks for your comment Lissa! I think Imposter Syndrome is so common, especially among introverts. I've struggled with it despite having a successful professional career. Our brains like to mess with us, don't they?
ReplyDeleteYes, they do.
DeleteHI Nicole and Lissa, Thanks for your posts and discussion of imposter syndrome. I am familiar with this but hadn't made the connection to the class. I love to make connections between concepts. I also appreciate the quotes you shared. Earlier this week when I shared a video through twitter, the author liked and commented. I was instantly like, oh - I hope I mentioned him correctly and started worrying about what he was thinking about my post. Then I was like - Really, really - I am doing this. He liked it, let it go. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole and crs6414blog21, Yes, our brains do like to mess with us! That is such a cool thing to happen, but I can imagine a bit shocking. It is nice to know we are not alone in our tendencies to doubt.
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