We, as future teachers and educational pioneers, are a part of the beginning of a new educational standard for excellence and quality for future students across the globe. By being a part of this new beginning, each of us shares a responsibility to give each of our future students the appropriate tools, motivation, and knowledge they need to succeed beyond the world of academia. By using the latest educational tools and resources, teachers and educators can provide students with even more and better ways of learning (that meet with the approval of the standard curriculum). As a result of these types of learning, students will become more focused and motivated toward their studies (especially when they can relate to them by using hands on applications - to include field trips, outdoor projects, and other scholastically supported activities). More importantly, knowledge will no longer rely on the confines of a textbook. The conveyance of information will become reliant on the practicality and omnipresence of technology and its relative components.
As a future teacher, I not only want to share in this educational responsibility - I would like educate other teachers on the endless educational possibilities and opportunities that can be attained by accepting such a responsibility. Through the use of integrated education and technology, I can accomplish both...
About me...
My name is Jonas Lawrence Cockson. I am a student of the College of Education at the University of South Alabama (both the main campus in Mobile and the Baldwin County campus). My declared major is in Secondary English Education. Once I have received my bachelor's degree from the University of South Alabama, I plan to attend the University of Southern Mississippi ( in Hattiesburg, Miss.) to work toward a master's degree in TESOL (teaching English as a second language). My ultimate goal is to teach the English to students residing in a Third World nation -- such as Africa. I feel that the need for global education far surpasses the desire to teach within one's homeland. I also feel that by teaching in a Third World country, I will have the ability to expose and immerse myself in cultures other than my own -- thereby giving me the ability to see and convey information, ideas, and practices from a different perspective, rather than a singular one (especially to students from a different cultural background than my own). With this in mind, I feel that the profession I have chosen for myself is a perfect fit for my abilities and motivations.
My name is Jonas Lawrence Cockson. I am a student of the College of Education at the University of South Alabama (both the main campus in Mobile and the Baldwin County campus). My declared major is in Secondary English Education. Once I have received my bachelor's degree from the University of South Alabama, I plan to attend the University of Southern Mississippi ( in Hattiesburg, Miss.) to work toward a master's degree in TESOL (teaching English as a second language). My ultimate goal is to teach the English to students residing in a Third World nation -- such as Africa. I feel that the need for global education far surpasses the desire to teach within one's homeland. I also feel that by teaching in a Third World country, I will have the ability to expose and immerse myself in cultures other than my own -- thereby giving me the ability to see and convey information, ideas, and practices from a different perspective, rather than a singular one (especially to students from a different cultural background than my own). With this in mind, I feel that the profession I have chosen for myself is a perfect fit for my abilities and motivations.
Teaching Outside of the Box
In terms of teaching "outside of the box", I am implying both the classroom environment and the overemphasized regurgitation of standards using obsolete tools and applications (the sole use of a textbook).
In this day and age, being able to teach and learn outside of the classroom environment is becoming more evident than ever before. Teachers and students not only have the educational benefits of blogging and podcasting at their fingertips, they also have the ability to use other web-based media - such as Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.
By using Twitter, educators have the ability to share with other educators their educational experiences and techniques. In this way, improvements and strategies for better education can be realized and implemented by teachers seeking inspired, lasting applied knowledge to enhance mundane, outdated forms of pedagogy.
By adding a classroom to Facebook, teachers are establishing a global network of communication to other educational institutions. The site also provides classrooms the ability to make known to such institutions, the existence of their classroom in support of the emergence of education within technology. In addition to these possibilities, Facebook can also serve as a valuable reference/resume' tool for educators and students alike.
Other web-based media sites, such as Youtube, can also be used to encourage learning outside of the classroom environment. Video documentaries and "beyond the classroom" projects and activities can give students of glimpse of how the fundamentals of learning can apply to our everyday lives. Educators can also use this site (as well as the others mentioned) to take advantage of accessibility ( in terms of giving the students who are physically outside of the classroom environment the opportunity to learn).
Not only do these forms web-based media provide entertainment and technological recreation for the masses, they provide a new way of approaching education - as a means of teaching "outside of the box/classroom/old methods, tools and standards.
In this day and age, being able to teach and learn outside of the classroom environment is becoming more evident than ever before. Teachers and students not only have the educational benefits of blogging and podcasting at their fingertips, they also have the ability to use other web-based media - such as Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.
By using Twitter, educators have the ability to share with other educators their educational experiences and techniques. In this way, improvements and strategies for better education can be realized and implemented by teachers seeking inspired, lasting applied knowledge to enhance mundane, outdated forms of pedagogy.
By adding a classroom to Facebook, teachers are establishing a global network of communication to other educational institutions. The site also provides classrooms the ability to make known to such institutions, the existence of their classroom in support of the emergence of education within technology. In addition to these possibilities, Facebook can also serve as a valuable reference/resume' tool for educators and students alike.
Other web-based media sites, such as Youtube, can also be used to encourage learning outside of the classroom environment. Video documentaries and "beyond the classroom" projects and activities can give students of glimpse of how the fundamentals of learning can apply to our everyday lives. Educators can also use this site (as well as the others mentioned) to take advantage of accessibility ( in terms of giving the students who are physically outside of the classroom environment the opportunity to learn).
Not only do these forms web-based media provide entertainment and technological recreation for the masses, they provide a new way of approaching education - as a means of teaching "outside of the box/classroom/old methods, tools and standards.
The Importance of Education and Technology-Based Applications in Teaching and Learning
By using such education and technology based applications as blogs and podcasts, teachers and students around the globe can both demonstrate and communicate new ideas and practices to one another.
Classroom blogs not only let students' parents peer into the classroom environment, they also let students and educators from anywhere in the world discover and experience principles, practices, and ways of life that are different than their own. This not only allows teachers and students the opportunity to observe posts and activities of international students (as well as those of their home country), it gives them the ability to acquire a world view/knowledge without having to leave the classroom. As a future teacher, I also see educational blogging as not only a bridge between education and technology, I see it as a bridge between nations - especially in terms of maintaining the quest for educational diversity and peaceful relations.
Podcasts allow students and educators to access all forms of web-based media, such as video documentaries, audio documentaries, and various educational workshops and seminars. In the past, such information would be much harder to come by. Thanks to the vast and continuous improvements in technology throughout the past decades, audio and visual sounds and images can be available to everyone at just about any location in the world. This reality can not only give a teacher and student access to a plethora of valuable knowledge and information, it can give them the ability to learn and apply learned lessons outside of the classroom environment.
Both of these technologies are more than mere technological improvements;they are foundations of an educational unity connecting teachers and students throughout the world. In this way, they are essential toward the success of global peace and prosperity.
Classroom blogs not only let students' parents peer into the classroom environment, they also let students and educators from anywhere in the world discover and experience principles, practices, and ways of life that are different than their own. This not only allows teachers and students the opportunity to observe posts and activities of international students (as well as those of their home country), it gives them the ability to acquire a world view/knowledge without having to leave the classroom. As a future teacher, I also see educational blogging as not only a bridge between education and technology, I see it as a bridge between nations - especially in terms of maintaining the quest for educational diversity and peaceful relations.
Podcasts allow students and educators to access all forms of web-based media, such as video documentaries, audio documentaries, and various educational workshops and seminars. In the past, such information would be much harder to come by. Thanks to the vast and continuous improvements in technology throughout the past decades, audio and visual sounds and images can be available to everyone at just about any location in the world. This reality can not only give a teacher and student access to a plethora of valuable knowledge and information, it can give them the ability to learn and apply learned lessons outside of the classroom environment.
Both of these technologies are more than mere technological improvements;they are foundations of an educational unity connecting teachers and students throughout the world. In this way, they are essential toward the success of global peace and prosperity.
Bringing Cultures Together Through Education and Technology
By using education in conjunction with technology, teachers and educators (as well as students) will not only strengthen their knowledge of customs and practices of other cultures, they will be learning to incorporate and and apply lessons and skills - such as interpersonal communication, web-based proficiency, and alternatives to "burp-back" education. Lessons such as these are key components in learning to not only embrace the idea of a future where success is measured by the proficiency one demonstrates concerning the use and understanding of technology, but to accept the idea as reality.
Because of its global significance and implementation (especially in terms of global business and trade), technology is becoming the emphasis throughout all forms of education. Years from now, future teachers and students world-wide will be expected to know how to integrate, implement, and apply technology into their instructional and educational well being. Much like the textbooks and calculators of yesterday and today ( both of which helped to define an era, as well as became educational fixtures - in terms of curriculum tools), the interwoven institutionalization of education and technology will become the new milestone by which standards are met. It is up to teachers and educators worldwide to see this phoenix as not just a way to improve education-based lessons and applications (in which information and knowledge are conveyed) - but also as a way to improve our understanding of each other globally.
Because of its global significance and implementation (especially in terms of global business and trade), technology is becoming the emphasis throughout all forms of education. Years from now, future teachers and students world-wide will be expected to know how to integrate, implement, and apply technology into their instructional and educational well being. Much like the textbooks and calculators of yesterday and today ( both of which helped to define an era, as well as became educational fixtures - in terms of curriculum tools), the interwoven institutionalization of education and technology will become the new milestone by which standards are met. It is up to teachers and educators worldwide to see this phoenix as not just a way to improve education-based lessons and applications (in which information and knowledge are conveyed) - but also as a way to improve our understanding of each other globally.
Why I Have Chosen to Teach
Throughout my entries, I will be alluding to my character (this is because I feel I should continue where my first professional blog post left off). I have chosen to teach for personal reasons, as well as reasons that pertain to the scholastic excellence of future students. After all, it is Leonard Nemoy (Mr. Spock) who noted: "The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few -- or the one". However, I also tend to think that one maintains motivation and a need to strive for betterment when he or she enjoys doing his or her profession. In many instances throughout my life, I have tried to follow and practice these principles when undertaking various tasks -- especially when these tasks have involved my dual role as a leader and teacher of others.
At various times in our lives, we are asked to "help" others -- whether it be helping someone physically, giving someone love and support or by providing instruction to someone in order to help that person reach a goal -- a goal that, often times, requires the assistance of an experienced professional, in order to give that person the needed boost to achieve a need, wish or a dream. My experience as a United States Marine has helped me to realize that teaching is more than a means to physically convey massive amounts of information to eager young minds -- it is a way to get others to believe in themselves and to realize their potential for excellence in everything they set out to accomplish. In many respects, I gained proficiency in many roles I had undertaken during my tenure in the Marine Corps. Along with my skilled military profession (I was a Food Service Specialist), I also served as a leader, student, protector, counselor, and teacher. I knew that I had found my passion when I began teaching new Marines how to do and fulfill the necessary tasks and goals required of a Food Service Specialist. Not only did I find out that these new Marines were successfully learning from my instruction -- I found that I immensely enjoyed what many would feel to be a laborious, frustrating responsibility. As time went on, I would realize that this joy was evolving into a love.
It is for this reason why I am pursuing a career as a teacher. Though I haven't taken many, the few teaching-related classes I have taken have not discouraged me or dampened my spirits. On the contrary, they have enlightened and inspired me -- as well as subdued any fears I had before of my chosen profession. Not only have I learned new practices and perspectives in relation to pedagogy, I have learned of the melding of two essential institutions: education and technology. These newly discovered tools will not only help myself and other future teachers to become more effective educators, they will help students to surpass standard measures of excellence, in their pursuit to accomplish goals and fulfill dreams.
At various times in our lives, we are asked to "help" others -- whether it be helping someone physically, giving someone love and support or by providing instruction to someone in order to help that person reach a goal -- a goal that, often times, requires the assistance of an experienced professional, in order to give that person the needed boost to achieve a need, wish or a dream. My experience as a United States Marine has helped me to realize that teaching is more than a means to physically convey massive amounts of information to eager young minds -- it is a way to get others to believe in themselves and to realize their potential for excellence in everything they set out to accomplish. In many respects, I gained proficiency in many roles I had undertaken during my tenure in the Marine Corps. Along with my skilled military profession (I was a Food Service Specialist), I also served as a leader, student, protector, counselor, and teacher. I knew that I had found my passion when I began teaching new Marines how to do and fulfill the necessary tasks and goals required of a Food Service Specialist. Not only did I find out that these new Marines were successfully learning from my instruction -- I found that I immensely enjoyed what many would feel to be a laborious, frustrating responsibility. As time went on, I would realize that this joy was evolving into a love.
It is for this reason why I am pursuing a career as a teacher. Though I haven't taken many, the few teaching-related classes I have taken have not discouraged me or dampened my spirits. On the contrary, they have enlightened and inspired me -- as well as subdued any fears I had before of my chosen profession. Not only have I learned new practices and perspectives in relation to pedagogy, I have learned of the melding of two essential institutions: education and technology. These newly discovered tools will not only help myself and other future teachers to become more effective educators, they will help students to surpass standard measures of excellence, in their pursuit to accomplish goals and fulfill dreams.
Different Cultures: A Teacher and a Student
Perhaps the most beneficial and unique part of teaching in another nation (one that is culturally different from one's home country) is the duality of the roles set upon the educator. More specifically, I feel that a teacher should not only exercise his or her acquired qualifications and the requisite fundamentals the job, but I believe that teachers also should be students of their surroundings (learning about their students, living conditions, economic conditions and their nation's government, among others). In this way, teachers can achieve better communication and interaction with students of cultures different from that of the educator's. After all, students are more apt to accept lessons that they can apply to their own ways of life - rather than relate to ones that have little impact on or importance to their academic, cultural or social progress. In short, teachers can apply this oftentimes overlooked/ignored principle by becoming more familiar with the cultural background of the students. In this way, the teacher becomes the student -- and is able to earn the respect and attention/focus of not only students and parents, but also the community, which is representative of acceptance by a collective culture.
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