I'm not really familiar with the West Virginia 21st Century Standards. I may be using them and not realizing that I am. I would definitely like to learn more about these standards and exactly what they represent.
Last semester, the classroom that I was in used lots of technology everyday. It was a Reading 180 class and they were required to get on the computer and take tests to determine what grade level they were reading and how the teachers can best accommodate the assignments to their level. Also, while about 6 students were doing that, the other half of the class was either reading the book, "The Outsiders" or they were listening to it on audio by using individual CD players and headphones. I would like to incorporate more technology into my classrooms, or at least I would like to be in a classroom that used different kind of technology so that I could be exposed to different ways of using technology because I am not a real technical person and I learn better at seeing something first before using it on my own. I would like to see how different teachers use different technology resources in their classroom.
A great teacher, in my mind, is someone who cares about the students. They need to care about them on many levels. One level is they need to care about how the students best learn the material. They should be able to teach different ways for the different learners in the classroom. Another level is actually caring about the students themselves. If a student knows a teacher doesn't like them or doesn't care about them, then they will want to quit from the start. A great teacher doesn't just stick to one thing because that's the way they have been doing it for 5 years. The teacher should be open to change to help improve his or her classroom.
One question that I had was what is your interpretation of West Virginia's 21st Century Standards and have you used them in your PDS?
