Hi I'm Michelle and this is my second semester in MA Technology Specialist Initial Cert.
I'm trying to do this while working full-time as a Procurement Secretary at a NYC Department of Education (DOE) public school. I also help out with the Technology Department there.
I'm also a full-time mom of a near-teen boy (who I just found out moments ago, has tried to establish a secret facebook account... more on that in a later post I am sure)
I've been a self-taught techie since 1990 when I inherited an old IBM and installed a new drive. But it was desktop publishing and website design that really hooked me from 1994 and the internet became the fourth country I lived in for a decade.
I've worked with the NYC DOE for the past 5.5 years and decided on teaching years ago when I was homeschooling my son but just didn't have the time to commit to studying. I still don't feel I am juggling well as yet. For example it is 1:30 am and I have work in 6.5 hours... not a bright idea to still be up. I just saw the email at 11:28 pm that this post is now late. Hence the frazzled feeling.
I took this course because I want to learn much more about online schools, schooling and the whole concept of moving to online public education. I want to become a certified online teacher and teach with an online public school in Texas, Florida or Arizona by September 2012. That is when my tween will become a high school teen. Texas is our first choice because he plays Chess on a national level and right now they have the universities with the best teams and best chances for scholarships. Yep that's right, players can get FULL FOUR year scholarships for playing chess!
This is one of three online courses I am attempting this semester. I am trying to put together some kind of system to monitor, participate and execute the requirements of the three, but I haven't worked out an efficient one as yet. The other two courses are on Blackboard with one requiring a blog like this course so on my page you should see a link for my 4052 class.
I'm enjoying reading the profiles of the group. There are so many amazing people at TC!
Hi, Michelle.
ReplyDeleteThat must be really hard to deal with work, study, and family, together at the same time.
In terms of that this online class is good for you because of the flexibility.:)
anyway, nice to meet you!
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI am interested in your goal of being an online teacher. I don't know anyone who does that fulltime, but I figured there has to be people who do. Good luck with the balancing act -family-work-school. I teach tweens and teens, they can be rough on their parents ... Chess is a great skill to have. I used to play chess by mail, then by email, then online. It is still great to play face to face, though. Sounds like you son would cream me!
Hello Tim
ReplyDeleteI think that in some states the teachers who work for virtual schools are considered full-time online teachers. Three years ago I was looking into moving to Florida and saw several jobs on Teachers-teachers.com for virtual schools that specifically asked for certification and experience working as an online instructor and one school even required their teachers to take some courses, I guess "P" credit type, that dealt specifically with teaching an online curriculum. Florida also has lots of Technology related assessments and requirements in their schools landline and online. Click around at their Florida Innovates site and you'll see what I mean http://www.flinnovates.org/ . Some other states like California (oh year big surprise) and Texas seem to have lots of tech support for students, schools and teachers. Oh and as part of my research for this week's assignment I am just learning that Washington state also has programs opening up for online schooling instructors.
I'm seeing that there is definitely an art and skill required to be an "online student" so I guess it only follows that the teacher would need special training to be the instructor. I thought it sounded really interesting to be an "online teacher".
Okay now you've touched a subject I could go on forever. My son is really my biggest inspiration to try and help change the offerings in public school. I watch him decline each year as he becomes more bored and disappointed with school. He is a bright student, but he has all but given up trying to excel any more. Last summer he asked if he could just get HS over with by writing his GED next year since he's heard how easy it is to pass and he was dreading having to go through the 6 years he had remaining. Sometimes when you listen to him he sounds like a prisoner who is doing time for a crime he hasn't committed.
He has a bizarre relationship with chess which is starting to wear on me. One moment he's drawing and beating 2000 rated players and shooting up the rating charts (he's now dropped to a solid 1500ish) and other times he's losing to 1100s and playing as if he's never seen a chess board. Online at ICC he can't seem to stay above 1400, but that's because he keeps playing with low rated Chessbots. Chess is the only activity, besides video games that he can spend hours concentrating on Like 4 or 5 hours at a sitting.(I don't allow him big blocks of video game play unless his hw is done and it rarely is so he hardly plays with all the systems and game stuff he owns. His concentration on chess is considered a feat for a "textbook" Double Exceptional (ADD LD/Gifted) child, but how that knowledge be used to help him is a mystery.
Perhaps you two should play a game or two. Do you play on ICC? If so, his username is "Vaughn".