UEN Reflection

UEN has so many tools that can and will be used in my future classes. Having a site geared specifically for teachers and students creates a whole new area of learning that can be had without interruption from other things found on the internet. While there are many scholar related websites, I have yet to see one with as many resources as UEN offers. There are usually websites that are one track minded in what they are for and what one can use them for. Having the variety of tools that UEN does all in one place is like finding a whole new educational world.
The Pioneer Library can be used in any content area by any level of student. In giving students this tool we are giving them the opportunity to focus on their writing, presentation or whatever we are asking them to deliver to us rather than asking them to spend and waste time looking for sources that they can use.
Even without having an assignment Pioneer Library can be a fun and easy tool just to discover and learn about different things in ways that students want to. Having a totally online educational source such as this creates an environment that students are becoming more and more accustomed and comfortable with, and we must give them more tools in order to learn within that zone of knowledge and comfort.
The interactives that UEN offers are great for younger kids in my mind, although some of the games and activities are geared towards older students. I would see myself using these every once in a while in order to change up the instruction and allow for students to play a little bit within my content area. The lesson plans offer many ideas and fun things for students to participate in. I think it would be interesting to ask the students how they want to learn a specific topic after looking through the lesson plans. If the students took the time to look through and choose their lesson that they wanted to be taught then they may take more ownership of that content and therefore learn it better because it would become more exciting to them.
The core curriculum is something that I have become more and more familiar with and so that I don't have to look through it in order to find an objective, but I know it now. A tool used in education is telling them what you're going to teach them, teaching them, and then telling them what you taught them. As a teacher I could see myself asking my students to assess their learning and knowledge in the different parts of the curriculum and then again at the end of a semester, unit and/or year. By letting them know what I'm trying to teach them they can more easily reach those goals rather than trying to trick them or teach them in a more sneaky way that only I know what I'm trying to get from them.
There are many media options that I liked and that I think are important to become familiar with as a teacher. There are so many opportunities within UEN that we can use that will help visual, audio, kinesthetic, etc. learners to relate to our content more easily. There is no reason that we shouldn't be utilizing multimedia in our instruction, as it is a part of every one's daily lives. We as teachers need to be at the forefront so that we can impress our students with what the internet, and media in general has in store for them as learners and students. I am excited to see how some of these tools will be able to be used and take on their own unique purpose in every unique classroom.