Reflections on Ed Psych

As a whole i have really enjoyed this class over the course of the semester. Although i did not always enjoy reading the textbook and have some reservations about the text that i have mentioned in a previous blog, i really think i will find what i have read helpful in my future career as a teacher. hopefully i will be able to recall the major things that were highlighted in the text and use it properly with students when appropriate. i also really appreciated many of our class discussions. i felt as though our classroom was open to hearing everyone's opinion. i liked even more the fact that if i or someone disagreed with something that was discussed, no one was afraid to give a different side of the argument. although sometimes we kind of talked ourselves in circles and the debates or arguments or discussions did not seem like they went anywhere, it was still fun to banter with the class and share opinions on certain matters. the structure of the class also made it enjoyable. everyone was pretty comfortable with jim which made everything a bit less stressful. monday night classes also helped to break about the rigid routine of daily classes. again all in all i really appreciated this semester in ed psych and found myself really enjoying it.

Special Education

After re-reading the article written by the woman that has a gifted daughter and an autistic son, i found myself torn about her ideas of giving more money to students that are gifted and talented. I do not at all disagree with funding for students in schools that struggle to learn or have disabilities. i believe that every student deserves the best opportunities that they can possibly get. This woman's argument is that kids that are gifted and talented should receive just as much federal funding as those with disabilities. However, having read the other article based on the question of why students in Finland are so smart, i do not feel i can totally agree with giving more money to smarter students. in Finish schools, many of the students are passing comprehension tests above others internationally and they do not even have a gifted students program. perhaps instead of giving the smarter students more opportunities to surpass their classmates, it is their obligation to encourage and push those that drag behind.

Sexy Technology

As I finished reading the article distributed in class about kids using cell phones and other modes of technology for sexual purposes, I go go back to the idea that i am hesitant about including more technology in the classroom. I really did appreciate how realistic this article was. It fully acknowledges the fact that teens are sexual beings, as well as extremely able to utilize the different modes of technology that has been made accessible to them. It only makes sense that teens would put these two things together. if parents and teachers and schools are hesitant about how sexually active teens are, perhaps they should limit the amount of technology provided in class. kids are not going to avoid technology as it surrounds them everywhere but why not make the classroom or school a place where these types of activities do not occur?