What does it mean to be a teacher?

As with many professions, we hear, see and read about careers that are under scrutiny. I sometimes can't help but wonder are people blaming or criticizing various professions because they are naive and truly don't understand the skills and energy needed for that profession, or like within education, are the standardized tests not showing the results people expect so therefore it must be the fault of the teachers? 

After reading the following articles...
What To Do With Inferior Blueberries by Thomas Hanson

Teachers Should Be Seen and Not Heard by Anthony J. Mullen

Why Teachers Are Not Those Who Can't by Emily Moore

Why Not Fire All Teachers? by Valerie Strauss

What Teachers Make by Taylor Mali

.....teachers are criticized because "schools are not run like a business", teachers are given little input when it comes to making political decisions within education, people have "wasted their degree to become a teacher," and have been "fired because a school was not making progress."  However, as with any profession, there is great meaning and importance to being a teacher. Being a teacher means someone is wanting to help every student learn and work to his or her highest degree. We need to work with and appreciate EVERY student no matter what his/her strength, weakness, attitude, personality or drive. A true teacher will work to find each student's learning style and interest so the student will grow and reach his/her highest potential.

As with every profession, we can all work to strengthen our skills and make our profession better, but a person would not go into a profession, such as teaching, if he/she did not have a passion for wanting to make a difference in children's lives.

Views Regarding Twitter

I have to admit, when I first saw Twitter I thought, "What is the purpose of this??" I did not understand the concept of "hashtags" nor how Twitter could possibly be the number one learning tool within the online world.  I wondered, "What is there to learn by seeing a post such as #read?" I still am not convinced that I thoroughly understand how to use or understand hashtags, but I have seen some benefits in using Twitter.

One benefit I have seen in using Twitter is being able to follow individual people who have a wealth of information on particular topics.  They share their information by posting quotes and links to other resources and/or people. I have also found it beneficial to follow online resources and organizations especially within the field of education. Some of these resources may include journal articles of the most current researched based instructional strategies.

I am still trying to grasp how to use and understand the concept of hashtags. However, I appreciate the opportunity in being able to receive information from from other professionals with the field of education.

What does “Integrating Technology into Teaching and Learning” mean to you?

Integrating technology into teaching and learning means using various types of technology to deliver lessons and instruction to students, thus in return students will use various modalities of technology to learn and exhibit their understanding of what was taught.  For example, after teachers have taught a subject, using different types of technology during instruction, students at Central Middle School in Devils Lake research more on that topic and then create digital stories on iPads presenting what they learn.  Students first research the topic, then plan and organize the facts and information on paper, then find digital photos on the iPad that match the text and finally record their voice by explaining the photos and information learned.  The final projects are then projected on the Smartboard to the whole class.