Week 7:  The articles we read this week had one thing in common as far as I am concerned: best practices in education. The articles covered how to teach "digital natives" while most of today's educators are "digital immigrants" or somewhere in-between.; constructivist theory, using technology to teach core curriculum, and how to best use assessment in the classroom.

No matter how we look at it, education is an ever-changing profession. Trends in education come and go, but one thing remains the same: our job is to put the needs of the students first, and to assure they are successful learners. That being said, generations change and the children of yesterday do not learn best the way children of the twenty-first century do. We need to constantly research ever changing educational strategies as there are ever changing needs.

I believe one thing is certain. Kids today know their way around technology and we need to use it and continue to train ourselves to reach these kids. My frustration is that as quickly as the trends change, so does the technology. When my school does get new technology, it seems to be quickly outdated. Our school does not have a lot of money, so we write every grant we can find. Even when we are successful, we can't seem to keep up. I could do so much more if I had the tools.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the common core. So far I like how it is looking. We need to prepare our students for college, as going to college today is crucial. Trade schools are not as prevalent as they once were. A college degree is mandatory to secure jobs that did not require them before. I completely support a constructivist model, as long as I'm not tied to a teacher's guide for everything I do.  RTI seems to have squelched this some; I'm hoping things will change as we adapt to the common core.

Reading all of the articles has reminded me of why I became a teacher in the first place; to do what is the very best for those smiling faces. They make me want to find a way to be the best possible teacher I can be. The children deserve nothing less.