My teaching philosophy embraces three main ideas, high expectations, adaptation
to the future, and most importantly relationships. I want to set a solid technology foundation by which all students can be confident using technology in their everyday lives now and in the future. I can do that by setting high expectations and communicating those expectations clearly so they can be achieved. I also strive to have meaningful teacher-student relationships. It is so important to set high expectations but also to clearly communicate them; even better is also showing the real world connections. Students need to know what to expect, understand what the class requires, recognize if they have meant the expectations and see where it fits into the real world. High expectations also help keep the content, assignments and assessments all aligned. Rubrics are the easiest way for me to communicate my expectations on the real world skills we perform in class to complete projects such as: web sites, newsletters, videos, photo editing, and animations. Students need you to be firm and consistent in behavior and grading. Clear objectives clearly communicated through syllabus and assignments are imperative. I want students leaving my class to be curious life long learners and problem solvers. But I also want them to be compassionate and professional. Technology knowledge is too vast and ever changing so students must not be afraid of change and embrace learning. They must utilize all resources available: textbooks, journals, the Internet, teachers, peers, etc. Technology fosters experimentation, those who are not afraid can conquer all technology has to throw at them. Technology is no longer an Blue 2 option; technology is a life skill for this and all future generations. Therefore life long learning and adaptation to change in this area is imperative. As I look back to my school memories I remember more about the emotions and relationships than I do about specific subjects I studied. For example, my fourth grade teacher prophesized that I would be an oceanographer when I grew up because she knew how much I loved penguins! Often times I spend more time with a student than their parents do in a day. I think about these things daily and strive to be a contribution (Zander and Zander, 2010 p 4) in their lives. I learn my students names and establish that I care about them. I encourage my students and I try to quickly recognize their accomplishments in or out of my class. In class I have established a wall of fame where worthy student work is showcased for others to see. Also students fill out surveys at the beginning of the class, I read these and choose an interest or something we have in common. I use it to make conversation with them or I insert their favorite TV shows as examples when teaching video. Most importantly I listen to my students concerns and respond. Outside of class I am the faculty sponsor for an anti-bullying club named coexist. This is our second year and it still amazes me when a student that I dont know enters my room to ask for my help because they know I care and will help because of my affiliation with the club. Different portions of my class require different leadership types, for example when creating css styles or naming homepages of a website an authoritarian leadership (Lewin, 1939 as cited by Cherry, 2012). is key; there are rigid rules to these tasks. However, According to Lewin my prominent leadership style, delegative, (Lewin, 1939 as cited by Cherry, 2012). can be evidenced through allowing student choice on project Blue 3 topics, asking for suggestions for project ideas, asking students to help create the rubric for a particular project, or giving them a topic and letting them choose the delivery method, web site, newsletter, animation, etc. This not only allows them to make choice but keeps their interest in the project because the website (or other project) is about something they enjoy or are interested in. High expectations, adaptation to the future, and relationships are not just valuable to me in the classroom they are valuable to me in my life and my family relations. Growing up with two teachers as parents, I look back at my brother and Is successes as students and contribute those to these three traits. We were expected to attend school and ork hard. We were to be life long learners interested in finding more and more challenges. Even our vacations were educational as children we visited museums and historic landmarks. Respect is an important part of relationships and we were taught that at an early age too. Education is an important part of family and everyday life as I see myself fostering these same three things in my own children now as well as my students because as McCoy stated we should aim to treat our students as our own. (McCoy, 2008 as cited by Lane, 2008). Works Cited Cherry, K. (2012). Lewin's leadership styles. What's your leadership style? Leadership quiz - your results. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/bl- leadershipquizac.htm. Lane, B. (Creator). (2008, July 18). The ABCs of educational leadership [Video file].Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRAZ4iu-EgA. Blue 4 Lewin, K. (n.d.). Quiz/Results Whats your leadership style? Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/bl-leadershipquiz.htm. Zander, Rosamund Stone, and Benjamin Zander. The Art of Possibility. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.