Back to School!

So I was not able to secure a full time teaching position, at least not yet, so I am doing the next best thing, I am taking courses to enrich my teaching abilities.  I am attending Eastern Florida (formerly Brevard Community College) and my declared major is Computer Technology.  I am taking two courses in residence and two courses online.    I am taking Speech and Intro to Micro-Computer Technology in residence and Keyboarding and Intro to Computers online. 

               

My first class, Intro to Micro-Computers, was Monday.  I was early to the class and I did what I always do, and scoped out the class.  The instructor claims to have 40 years of computer experience, so I look forward to gaining some valuable knowledge thru her tutelage.  I am one of the oldest in the class, but not THE oldest.  There is a nice balance of young and old in the class which should lead to some interesting dialog throughout the class. 

 

The class began with the instructor professing her distain for cell phones.  She does not want cell phones to be seen much less used.  She also does not want students using the computers while she is lecturing.  This is interesting being this is a computer class, and will no doubt require interaction with the computer later down the line.  One serious omission I noticed was that the instructor failed to do any type of ice-breaker.  The class simply proceeded after her introduction.  Ice Breakers, especially during a college class, serve to break the tension and help bring the class together.  I am not sure if this was an intentional calculation or if it was something she forgot about.  In either case, hope she corrects the omission in the next class.

 

The instructor definitely uses a teacher centered approach and relies solely on lecture for instruction.  I understand this is a college class where the dynamic is different from an Elementary School Class, however at least make an attempt to involve the class.  As the class proceeded you could almost feel the oxygen flowing out of the class.  While discipline will not be an issue, as we are all adults, class participation will become an issue.  There are 25 minds in this class, gaining information from each student will help with the classroom dynamic.

 

The course itself seems to be interesting and will cover the finer points of the MS Office 2013 programs.  The course s run through Pearson Labs and done almost exclusively online.  You submit your work for grading through a web based program.  I am honestly looking forward to proceeding and hope to be able to share some of the tips I learn. 

 

Next class is Speech tonight…can’t wait!