Mapping the Journey – Seeing the big picture.

Mapping the Journey – Seeing the big picture.
What's motivating you to take this trip?
As the teacher in the reading Adam Kinory shifted his teaching methodology towards implementing technology and inquiry based learning, there was a shift in the students’ appreciation for learning. I’m motivated to take this journey because teaching is something I’ve always had a desire for and I have dabbled in instruction on several occasions during the course of my career both in the community and for employers. The learners of today are motivated by technology and it is a tool that’s second nature to them. Incorporating technology into teaching methodologies allows the students to apply the tools they use leisurely to learn utilizing unlimited resources. It allows them to apply the tools of technology in real life situations to resolve problems through a somewhat self directed learning approach. As a person who has been employed in the I.T industry for almost 10 years, it’s amazing to see the advances that education has taken regarding using technology in learning and education and all of the web 2.0 tools just takes everything to a phenomenal level.
What's prompting you to consider new approaches for teaching and learning?
A methodology that only uses frontal teaching is bound in this technological age. A teacher is destined for failure if this is the only approach to conveying information to the student. I’m quite sure that the average attention span has decrease for individuals due to all of the readily available technology. In order to be effective and efficient at teaching I must consider new approaches to teaching and learning with a technology focused approach. In addition to technology, collaboration and team building very important in the classroom because it what is done in the real world. Group and team dynamics learning to work together to resolve issues that affect the whole team. So it is important for me to integrate collaboration and team-building with my peers as well as in the classroom for students. Inquiry based learning is translates into research and project management in the workforce. The same principals are used to accomplish goals and objectives for the individuals involved. I believe that the information shared through identifying additional resources will help gain additional insight and review evaluated experiences of those teachers who share what works well and what doesn’t work well.
Imagine your most desirable fellow travelers. What do you have in common?
Well all of us are on a journey seeking the destination to the educational frontier. We are all challenged with identifying and implementation methodologies to improve education. We look to those who are ahead of us to help lead and guide us as we travel along the way. We are also innovators, looking for new ways of doing thing to improve the educational process and system.
I have not had any hand on project-based learning from the aspect of teacher, however from the aspect of learner it was one of the most valuable experiences ever. The experience was on where I was part of a group who needed to design a database for an organization. The project consisted of a project manager and team members, who had to apply the approach of project-based learning of identifying the problem and developing a solution. The most important part of the learning experience included group dynamics, communication, and leadership. Applying those basic principles to use technology to resolve the problem helped to make it a success.

Welcome to my blog! - Melika Talford

Hello Everyone:

I am the one and only Melika S. Talford (at least in the U.S.) and I’m from a town in South Carolina named Great Falls. It’s a fairly small town located about mid-point between Columbia & Charlotte, Exit 55 to be exact. I graduated from USC in 1999 with B.S. in Computer Information Management. After graduation, I was a substitute teacher until I moved to Illinois to work at Abbott Laboratories as a Systems Analyst. While there I continued to be connected to education through my participation in the Junior Achievement Program at North Chicago High School, volunteering for the Computer Science Explorers Post as a Mentor, and volunteering as a Sunday School Teacher for my Church. I also became a certified phase I Sunday School teacher under the National Baptist Association. At work I was connected to education through training the IT staff on the problem management software I supported as well as other programs. After spending six and a half years in IL, I grew tired of the bone chilling cold and relocated back to South Carolina in June of 2006, to work at Capital City Insurance Company as an Application Systems Analyst. There I provided application and database support as well as trained users on the systems I supported. Capital City was purchased two times within the same year and for the first time in my life, I experienced a layoff in March of 2008. It was a blessing in disguise, and thankfully about two weeks later, I became a contractor at AllSouth Federal Credit Union. I worked at AllSouth for six months as a contractor and was hired on full-time. My new title is Database Analyst and that's something that I've always wanted to do, however my heart has always be connected to teaching. Although, I've been in the corporate arena for a while, I'm excited to be in the program preparing for my second career as an Educator. Thus far, I've completed TSTM J702 and TSTM J528, TSTM J508, TSTM J443, EDFN 749 and have enjoyed them all. Again, I'm so excited to be part of the MAT in Business Education program at USC, because it combines the best of both worlds for me Education and Technology! It’s a program of distinction!

Interesting facts about me: I have served on the Black Alumni Council for two terms (2007-2009) and I'm a proud Life Member of the Carolina Alumni Association. I’m also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. I have two God children one girl 16 years old and boy 9 years old. I participated in the Hustle up the Hancock lung cancer fund raiser, climbing up to the Hancock Observatory in the John Hancock Center to raise funds for lung disease research, advocacy and education for two years in a row (2004, 2005). Both times I completed the climb less than 30 minutes; I wish I could do it now :-). I've also attended the Oprah Winfrey Show (it so happened to be the show where Barack Obama was a guest), and was able to actually shake her hand. It pays to wear the right colors to the show, you get better seating that way. My favorite vacation was in 2005 when I visited the Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands of Spain. It was awesome check out the photos:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=5qdnwsw1.ad6ct6hh&x=0&y=arjt19&localeid=en_US. I would love to travel internationally again, however I haven’t had the opportunity.

I’m looking forward to my days as an Educator in the classroom!

-Melika S. Talford