From+My+Heart

**WOW! I'm done with my wiki. And I want to tell you some things...**

As a result of completing this wiki, I have learned so much about myself. I have learned that I really was not as tech savvy as I might have thought prior to starting this wiki. I have also learned about all of the wonderful resources available on the internet, and I even discovered some websites that I will be using for personal gain long into the future. During the semester, I also learned quite a bit about being a teacher. The lessons that we had to create for our wiki's were so thought provoking and enjoyable for me. I know that I will thouroughly enjoy writing actual lessons for my students one day. It was very helpful putting together our scope and sequence before we started in on the weekly assignments, as this really gave me a guide to what lesson I could write to go along with the week's topic. The thing that I am most proud of after completing my wiki is the time and effort I put into this class. As a full time student taking six classes, working part time, and commuting from the mountains to Denver twice per week, there was a point that I did not know if I was going to be able to complete all of my classes, much less earn the grades I was aiming for. But, despite my doubts, I stuck with my strict schedule and put as much effort as possible into my schoolwork. I am especially proud to have completed this wiki. The one thing that I would do differently the next time I write a unit is spread out my research time more. I am the kind of person that once I sit down to do something, I will finish it in one sitting - even if that means sitting for a full day! I think that I would have accomplished more, and been less stressed had I spaced my work on the wiki out more throughout the week. The thing that I would be most concerned about in regards to using technology going forward would be the amount of websites that are out there! I feel that in this class, we utilized so many different websites, and we didn't even begin to scratch the surface of what the internet holds. My concern will be keeping up with every site that I want to use as a teacher, and with how to keep those sites organized. The thing I am most concerned about in regards to becoming a teacher is how to expose my students to the most knowledge possible. With many of the weekly assignments for the wiki, I found so many wonderful sources, but was only able to use a select few. I hope that I will be able to make the best decisions regarding what information to use to teach my students. The most intriguing thing about using technology are the endless possibilities available to us. There is a website for almost any thing imaginable, and more are being created every day. I hope one day that my students will become as fascinated as I am with the internet and the learning possibilities it offers. I am so very excited to become a teacher and be able to help students learn, but most importantly to help them discover a thirst for knowledge. I believe that everyone has a passion, it is just a matter of figuring out what that passion is. I hope to help my students discover their passion one day. I will teach in the twenty first century where computers and internet are available to most every student. More and more, classrooms are starting to have multiple computers available to students, and one day we may even have a computer for every student in the class. I think technology is crucial to learning in the twenty first century, but I will also be heavily reliant on books and "old fashioned" methods of teaching. A good balance between the two is what I hope to achieve in my classroom. I hope to make a difference in the lives of my students by helping them discover what it is they are passionate for, be that History, Math, Science, Animals, Helping others, or one of the many other possibilities out there. I hope to one day be a good influence on the lives of my students, and I believe that learning about all of the resources available to me as an educator will help me achieve that goal.