Blogs

History Educator Blog

This blog is a good way for history teachers to get new ideas of how to engage the class.  It shows multiple ways of teaching a class, whether it be though interactive maps or through online forums, such as Pinterest and twitter.  It also is a place where teachers can ask other teachers if their presentations are covered completely.  This makes it a good place to compare and contrast others teacher’s material and figure out what would work best for their classroom.  There is also a topic talking about how to combat cheating on technology, which with more and more technology in the classroom, while be a growing problem in the future.  

Technology in the Classroom

Technology in the classroom is becoming more essential due to the world becoming more interconnected with modes of communication, research and presenting ideas.  But with technology there are costs that some schools cannot afford as easily as others and this puts schools with smaller budgets at a disadvantage.  Studies have shown that technology in the classroom can be more beneficial than a normal lecture setting.  According to Ryan Lytle, in his article Study: Emerging Technology Has Positive Impact in Classroom, teachers have seen radical improvement in AP test scores as well as their classroom grades.  In some cases there was a ten percent rise in students that scored 5 on their AP tests.  Technology makes it easier for the teachers to express their material, and it makes it easier and for the students to understand, while engaging them in a way where it is harder to get bored.  Especially in high school technology is important because it helps students better understand what kinds of programs they will be using once they graduate high school.

Teaching Philosophy

Teachers have to be active members of a person’s life; this means that they have to dedicate themselves to the bettering of their students.  Teachers must always be willing to help a student no matter how hard or complex of a challenge is put forth.  They must also be willing to change their teachings to accommodate students that are struggling at understandings the topics.  Being a teacher is more than just giving children information, it is teaching students how to become independent thinkers, while teaching them to solve complex ideas without help.  The hardest and most difficult thing that a teacher must do is make the student want to learn on their own and help them become young intellectuals. 

Autobiography

I am Chad McLaughlin and am currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.  I was born and raised in Sussex, Wisconsin. I went to the local public schools there, of which the high school was Sussex-Hamilton High School.  I also got my first job working for a local elementary school in the district.  When it came to going to college I had no clue where I wanted to go, let alone I did not even know what I wanted to be.  I ended up going to Oshkosh because it was far enough away from home to be on my own but close enough that it was easy to get home quickly.  After my first semester of schooling I was set on becoming a high school history teacher.