Digital Storytelling

Some of the ideas I'd like to incorporate into my digital storytelling include some of the more meaningful experiences from my first semester tutoring. For example, I'd like to talk about my tutor activity forms and how I became increasingly comfortable teaching in front of the classroom with each consecutive one. Also, including some details about my technology activity would be nice. Overall though, I'd like to talk about how this was my first real experience teaching in a classroom. Although I didn't really do much in the way of taking charge of the classroom, as I was just a tutor, the chance to be a part of the teaching process was a great way to see what I may be doing in the future. I could describe my thoughts and feelings both before and after my first semester tutor experience. I'd really like to see some other students do this as well. I feel like many of us may have felt lost or confused when first starting out, and seeing that we weren't the only ones feeling that way could help to increase our confidence in future assignments.

I've never really played with technology in storytelling, but I can only imagine that it would enhance the experience. Watching a video, looking at pictures, listening to audio clips can all serve to immerse the listeners into the storytelling experience. By incorporating technology, the teller can keep the attention of the audience, as opposed to just lecturing in front of an audience.

PDS Experiences

Working in my PDS has completely opened my eyes to the world of teaching. Before this, the only time I had spent in a classroom was either shadowing or writing down lecture notes in high school. This experience has allowed me a chance to actually engage with students, see how a teacher prepares a lesson, and acquire valuable skills that will benefit me throughout my career. One very important thing I've learned from this whole experience is the importance of always maintaining a positive atmosphere in the classroom. My PDS teacher always managed to keep things fun and entertaining for the students, and the advantages showed in the students' work. During my first tutor activity, I decided to learn some of the students' names as I taught the lesson. Every time I called on a student, I would have them tell me their name. This was a simple thing, yet the students showed enthusiasm when called to the board because they got a chance to express themselves a little bit (or maybe I'm just being vain.....). Anywho, I found that this principle is one to always keep in mind when instructing a classroom. I understand that the classroom should first come as a place of education and learning, but I don't believe that there is anything wrong with having a little fun along the way.

Brittany, what experiences have you had that showed the effectiveness of a positive classroom atmosphere? Have you ever had a teacher that seemed to have trouble with this?

--Mike

Blogging Possibilities

I guess the main things I will be posting here are my experiences at my PDS. I'm not very familiar with blogs yet, since this is my first one, but I may also include my thoughts and opinions about different issues dealing with the education world. This should be interesting to hear about what others have to say about my comments, and I look forward to checking out other tutors' blogs. If anybody else has some good ideas, feel free to list them in the comments section.