Zach Paul's ePortfolio
Hi! My name is Zach Paul and I am a preservice teacher at Indiana University. I am studying to become an elementary school teacher, and I would ideally like to teach third or fourth grade. I am pursuing a Bachelor's degree in elementary education with a license in reading and computers/technology. Originally, I am from Cedarburg, WI which is a suburb of Milwaukee.
About Me
I have worked at the YMCA for the past six years of my life, and I love all of the people that I have met. The sense of community that I feel at the Y is the same kind of community that I want to establish in my future classroom. Members at the Y connect and even though everyone has a different background, each person is accepted for who they are, without judgment. This taught me the importance of cultural differences and I want to embrace every unique quality a student has to offer. My experience tutoring students has shown me that I want to be able to take my knowledge and share it with others who might have a harder time than I do. The main reason I chose to become a teacher is because of the strong positive impact that my own schools and teachers have had on me. Because my teachers inspired me to enjoy learning, I want to pass that along and help my own students like learning as much as I did.
I believe that every child has the potential to succeed, and it is my job as a teacher to help him or her overcome any obstacles they might face. By providing my students with a variety of ways to demonstrate their knowledge, I will have an inclusive classroom with students who are excited to learn. For example, I can allow my students to make a song, draw a picture, or film a video to show what they have learned. I understand the value of standardized testing and formal exams, but I also want my students to express creativity. If I allow my students to engage in problem based learning and other non-traditional methods, they will not only grow in knowledge, but also grow as human beings.
I began my work with children in the church by teaching Sunday School and leading small groups at Vacation Bible School. These leadership opportunities have shown me that I enjoy teaching others. In high school I became a tutor at the middle school, where I helped students one-on-one. Tutoring opened my eyes to what it could be like to teach a variety of different subjects, which is why I chose to be an elementary school teacher. For the final two years of high school, I volunteered after school in a third grade classroom twice a week, and this helped me decide what age group I wanted to teach.
Influences
Pedagogical Beliefs
When it comes to technology, I am like a kid in a candy shop. I love learning about new technologies as well as using some of my old favorites. I plan to use technology whenever I think it can enhance learning. If I am lucky enough to have one-to-one iPads, I want to use them to assess where each individual student is at. I can create review games and to see how my class is performing compared to other classes in the school and other schools. This is one way that technology can help me stay aligned with Common Core standards. Some review games include Kahoot and Quizziz, which help make reviewing more engaging for kids. I also hope to use Class Dojo to record student progress and award them points for their effort each day. Parents will be able to see this progress from home, so they will be able to talk to your child about how his or her day went. I plan to keep close contact between myself and the parents, so I can send pictures and messages about the day. I will include this information in weekly newsletters, but I believe that a personal connection between a teacher, students, and parents is what makes a classroom succeed.
Overall, I understand the value of technology when it comes to easing work for me as a teacher. When I have to spend fewer resources (time and money) on creating lesson plans and worksheets, I am able to spend more time forming relationships with my students. Because my students will be in elementary school, I do not expect cell phone usage to be a problem; however, I want to encourage the use of personal devices in an educational way. Allowing the students to bring in their own devices from home will enhance their learning and help me teach them computer and technology skills that are becoming more and more essential. I hope that this ePortfolio shows my dedication to technology, and I plan to continue to learn about new technologies so I can help my students and colleagues as much as possible.