Thursday, 17 January 2013

My first blog and post!


About Me:

Good morning, friends!!  For those of you who may not know me, my name is Nick Sarides.  I am currently 22 years old. I was born in the awesome month of November (1990) in Brazil and was adopted at the early age of 3 months.  Since then, I have lived in Canada (Fonthill, Ontario) most of my life and have been truly blessed!  I am currently a 4th year student at Redeemer.  I have unofficially completed my major/Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies as well as  minor in Social Work.  I am in the process of completing my second minor in History as well as the concurrent education/Bachelor of Education program at Redeemer.  I absolutely love following hockey and am thankful that the NHL lockout is finally over.  This means that the Toronto Maple Leafs will win the Stanley Cup :)  Finally, I must note that I am a Christian and truly hope to honour Jesus in all I do.

Interests of Education:

In terms of education interests, I thoroughly enjoy Geography, particularly the study of nature.  I also love working with ESL (English as a Second Language) students.  I have been involved in several programs already which have accommodated visiting students from countries such as Venezuela, Korea, Brazil, and Columbia (This link is the place where I worked: http://www.eslniagara.com/ ).  It is my hope to one day become either an elementary teacher or an ESL teacher. 

Reasons For Choosing This Course:

I feel this course would provide useful knowledge in relation to classroom management when using computers.  I also chose this course because I feel that it would help me become more efficient in using my computer.  It is my hope to use the methods learned from this course in a classroom setting

Why Teachers Should use Technology:

In our present day, the dependency on technology continues to increase daily.  The children of today are becoming familiarized with devices such as ipods, cellphones, video game systems, and others.  In order to prevent distraction within the classroom, we as educators should have a general knowledge of such devices.  In relation to teaching, technology can be a powerful ally, particularly in the enhancement of visual aid.  Also, having resources such as the internet (if used properly) can aid both the teacher and student (for example, improving accessibility to outside information and resources).  Overall, if technology is used properly, it can drastically improve efficiency within any classroom.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Nick,
    Thanks for your post. I too am very interested in ESL so it was great to hear about some of the programs that are out there!
    As for what you said about the importance of teachers becoming familiarized with the technology that students are using today, I definitely agree. Not only is it important for us to understand how these devices work to prevent distractions in our classes, I also think it is important to help us build positive relationships with our students. I think that our students appreciate it when we take an interest in what they are interested in.
    P.S. I really like your blog template! Was that a pre-made one or is there a way that you can upload a photo?

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  2. Nick,

    I'm curious, how do you see technology making your class more efficient?

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  3. Thanks for the post Nick. I am not a big hockey fan but I am looking forward to the Jays starting up this year!

    A program like Rosetta Stone is a good ELL program that for some learners can be the instruction and for others can help augment ELL instruction.

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  4. Hi Nick,
    It was definitely fun to meet you last week... again! :) I would love to chat and hear about some/any memories you have of grade 6. It is very neat that you are going for teaching! I pray that you feel God's guidance and blessings as you begin that journey!

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