My+Pedagogical+Rationale

= = = My Pedagogical Rationale  = __I believe that:__ > __To foster these beliefs I must:__
 * Children are smarter than they are given credit for.
 * Children learn differently at different times and what works for one class will not necessarily work for the next and what works one day will not necessarily work the next.
 * People have different learning styles and reach different learning stages at different times.
 * Teachers are learners too.
 * Children learn better when they find meaning in what they are learning.
 * Respect and trust are earned but are easier to earn the first time.
 * Children need to not only be challenged but need to challenge themselves.
 * Children are curious creatures and need to know the why.
 * ICT can enhance learning and the development and communication of ideas if used effectively.
 * ICT can detract from learning if it is merely used for the sake of using.
 * Technology needs to be used cautiously and ethically.
 * Ethical use of technology needs to be taught.
 * Teach to student first and curriculum second.
 * Teach beyond the basic curriculum.
 * Be as enthusiastic as I want my students to be.
 * Create a safe, respectful, democratic environment in order for the students to thrive.
 * Create a curriculum that is relevant to the students.
 * Motivate and inspire students to challenge themselves and embrace their creativity.
 * Model the behavior I expect.
 * Set high standards and challenge my students to strive even higher.
 * Create a environment where respect is mutual.
 * Realize that life comes first.
 * Teach from concrete knowledge and move to more abstract concepts.
 * Learn the way my students understand and approach the material.
 * Admit when I do not have the answer.
 * Acknowledge that my students will be more technologically advanced than me and welcome their assistance.

To view our course Wiki on Learning, follow [|This Link!]

= My ICT Rationale  = For our final project, we decided to create an online resource in the form of a Wiki. This resource will be available for all to explore, take from, and contribute to.

It started with a goal of researching and developing ideas on how to make Tech Ed classrooms and shops more inclusive for exceptional students, particularly those with physical impairments. After countless hours of searching and finding next to no information, we realized just how important it is for an accessible, living, resource to gather and share in order to create inclusive classrooms.

We spent quite a bit of time exploring the mediums of presenting our resource. A website was quickly ruled out as it didn't allow for the collaboration and community approach to resource sharing. This left us with the options of a blog or a Wiki.

Like most things in life, there is the good with the bad, disadvantages with the advantages. The blog was limited in some aspects but it has a lot more features than the wiki. The blog has a larger variety of free templates which allows for greater expression of creativity and customization. You can import pictures to change your banners and if you are working on a page or post, you can save it as a draft rather than posting it unfinished. There is a Blogroll feature which is an easy to access list of links located neatly in the side bar. The blog has a lot more features and, if you are computer savvy, may find these features helpful. There are: 46 different plugins, a Press This feature that allows you to grab bits from the web, a turbo feature that helps speed up page load time, and more. As someone that is not a computer guru, many of these features go unused. The page navigation, post, and comment limitations far outweighed the benefits of the other features.

The Wiki has a nice, user friendly, menu for management complete with pictures. Although the blog has more free templates to allow for creativity, we wanted a plain, simple, professional looking template due to the nature of our site. The Wiki allows for colour customization for the various aspects of the page and has extensive options for embedding media and information into the various pages including slide shows, instant messages, and RSS feeds with a simple click.

We originally started with a blog because of the large number of features but encountered some limitations. What were unable to do with blog, we were able to do with the Wiki. We were able to:
 * create posts on different pages
 * have specific discussion areas tied to specific pages and topics
 * create efficient, user-friendly navigation systems
 * create a 'wikipedia-style' table of contents
 * embed pages within pages
 * change/vary the font within each page and post

include component="comments" page="My Pedagogical Rationale" limit="50"