An Amazing Profession.. :)

Remember when you were young, and your teacher would ask you what you wanted to be when you grew up? Do you remember what you said? Maybe your reply was "a Fireman!, because they are brave and strong", or perhaps you said "a Policeman!, because they get to drive fast cars and carry a gun". Whatever it was that you decided you wanted to be that day, you porbably picked it because you thought it would be just amazing to get to go to a rewarding job like that day in and day out. Now think back on who influenced you the most throughout your years of learning and growth? Who was there to guide you along the way, and help you mold yourself into the person you had one day hoped to be? For a lot of people, there was that one teacher, that one professor or coach that helped them succeed and excel all throughout thier growing years. So, now when you reflect on the professions that you see as most important or amazing, do you not include teaching?
Think about it: teachers (and coaches) are there with us 7 to 8 hours out of every school day, for most of the year. They provide for us everything they know, and guide us when they can. That's the amazing thing about the teaching profession: you help mold individuals into the people they want to be, and you are able to watch them learn and grow on such a personal level that not only do you influence them, but they will impact you as well.
If this is not enough to persuade you, then go and see for yourself. Step into a classroom full of kindergarteners, first, second or even fifth graders, and see how they look at the teacher with such wonder and excitment! Go to a middle school and see how the children look at thier teachers as role models and friends. Visit a high school and see how students look to thier teachers for support and guidance.
Teaching may not be the profession of choice for everyone, but it sure is a life changing adventure, and simply an amazing art altogether. :)

My DE-The Power of Online Streaming!

One of the main problems with today's students is that they are always on the go, always looking for the next big technological break through, or the next great cell phone. Therefore, when a lesson in school lacks new and fresh ways of learning, students tend to lose interest. But not any more! Through the use of Discovery Education, teachers everywhere are able to allow thier students to interact with subject matter, and to do it in more ways than one! Not only is the teacher able to speak with students as he or she would in a normal learning environment, but she is able to incorporate into her lesson plans new ways of actually experiancing information. With tools such as the interactive learning site where students can watch interactive video clips and seemingly "venture into" the materials, and also online quiz makers and lesson plans advisors, "My DE" is bound to make quite an impact on classrooms everywhere!
Online streaming is a great way for teachers to make lessons more fun, enable thier students to get involved, and a way for them to incorporate technology on a level that can be understood by any age group. With Discovery Education, a teacher can log into a world full of educational videos, each chock-full of 'standard of learning' approved information! The best thing about it though, is that the teacher does not even have to spend time searching for relavent videos! Through the programs on the site, the teacher can save favorite videos to her "content", and wa-la! Everytime she signs in she has an arsenal of educational and relavent video's at her finger tips. Even better yet, the teacher does not have to worry about wasting time forwarding and rewinding through a video in order to reach 2 or 3 minutes of important info., because the site offers already segmented versions of videos, with the best parts selected!
There are several methods you can use to find these videos and segments:
One way is to search by subject and grade level, which are offered at the side of the homepage.
The other way is to search by Curriculum Standard, by which a teacher is able to sift through hundreds of videos, easily narrowing them down to ones that are best fit for his state of residence and that stats set standards! :)
When compared with Teacher Tube, these two sites could be said to go hand in hand, and could work together to make the classroom much more interesting, and the teachers' lives' much easier as well as a little more relaxed. <3
So, get on it! Try it out for yourself and experiance the great things My DE has to offer to you and your classroom. Visit thier website and sign up today!
http://my.discoveryeducation.com/