Michael's EDU 3650 Blog

   As this photo shows, parent-teacher conferences can provide good opportunities for parents and educators to work together for the benefit of students. Photo from IXL blog (2019).                  Parents have a great influence on their children. Consequently, they play an important role in their child's education. It follows that teachers should partner with parents to improve education. There are different ways of accomplishing this goal. One of the ways teachers can work with parents is by participating in Back to School Night. Back to School Night allows for parents to not only meet the teacher, but also obtain important information -- about field trips and scheduling, for instance (Deshais, 2015). This special night also helps parents feel welcome in the classroom and tells them that their child is in good hands. With technology, it will become possible to enhance the Back to School Night experience (Deshais, 2015). For ...

Young people often spend a great deal of time on their smartphones, as this photo indicates. Picture by Alena Ozerova at 1 23rf.com .   In our society, many people are concerned with the potential harm social media and smartphones have on young people. Many fear that too much screen time will produce undesirable psychological effects on youth. These people fear that social media and screen time are causing greater anxiety and depression. However, moderate amounts of social media can be beneficial for students, and fears about social media and screen time are exaggerated.  One reason why social media is a net positive for students is the possibility for obtaining online jobs. The Internet is allowing for the growth of job opportunities, which can give many students work experience and a good starter income. The money from these jobs would help students in their financial future. As technology improves, the possibility for better jobs after a student completes high school or col...

  As this picture shows, many people enjoy vaping despite the negative health consequences.              Image by Ethan Parsa from Pixabay . Cigarette smoking among youth is at an all-time low. However, there is a massive problem with kids using electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes ( PBS News Hour, 2020). The government estimates that the number is two million, and because many devices look like flash drives it is hard for teachers to detect them. As a result, many parents and educators are worried about the dangers of these e-cigarettes ( PBS News Hour, 2020). The practice of using these devices is called vaping. One of the problems with e-cigarettes is that a student in a school setting can hide them anywhere ( PBS News Hour, 2020). They can be hidden inside a student’s backpack, locker, or jacket, but also inside the student’s socks, shoes, or wallet ( PBS News Hour, 2020). This is because the small size of these cigarettes makes i...

  This image shows what mindfulness is all about (taking time, breathing, etc.)   Image by John Hain from Pixabay   In the field of education, there has been a push to introduce “mindfulness” into schools and classrooms. Questions concerning stress, anxiety, and other negative mental health symptoms have caused many in education to turn to mindfulness to deal with these issues (Mindful Schools, n.d.). Nearly 1 in 3 adolescents will meet criteria for an anxiety disorder by the age of 18, and 46% of all children in America have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (Mindful Schools, n.d.). Also, the average U.S. teen spends 9 hours a day on digital entertainment, excluding school work, and about 40% of high school seniors report feelings of loneliness or isolation (Mindful Schools, n.d.). The practice of mindfulness can help students manage stress and anxiety, and improve their attention, self-control, emotional resilience, memory, and more (Mindful Sc...

  This photo of a homeless man shows how difficult life is for people living in poverty. This would be true for students in our schools as well as adults. Image from Pixabay.   The problem of poverty is one that affects thousands of school children in the U.S. Many children do not have a home or their basic needs satisfied. This can often have a bad effect on their education. Documentaries, such as The Homestretch (2014), and articles on poverty and homelessness, are meant to let readers and viewers into the lives of people who are struggling with poverty and homelessness so that the situations of these individuals can be better understood. One theme that emerges from watching the film and reading about these issues is that people who do not experience poverty themselves have no idea what it is like. Another theme is that people who live in poverty or are homeless have dreams for a better future just like many other people who are not in their situation. People who do...

People with mental disorders such as Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder can exhibit many different symptoms as this image shows. Image by  Mary Pahlke  from  Pixabay Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder are complex mental disorders. Students with these disorders can experience  hallucinations, delusions, negative symptoms, and cognitive issues/disorganized thinking. These symptoms can make it very difficult for them to do well in school. During the process of creating this slide, I learned that educators have to know how to deal with students who have mental disorders such as S chizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder. Also, I learned that G oogle Slides is a very useful tool for sharing information with students, and for having students present information that they learned about a particular topic in any subject.