Hello! I am Carlos Soliz. I teach high school social studies and coach high school varsity football and baseball. I am an educator going on my thirteenth year and enjoy teaching and coaching high school kids more than any other grade level kids. I am a native of Corpus Christi, Texas and am now in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex area. I am in the process of learning how to connect to my students through technology and trying to enter a world that most of my students have been a part of for a very long time. I hope that I can learn to incorporate technology in my class before the end of this year and continue to learn to keep technology in my class for as long as I am an educator. I originally enrolled in the Master's program to be able to stay an employee with the school district that I am a part of but have had my eyes opened to so much more than I expected. I am learning to be a better educator to my students and learning different strategies to be able to do this. My current goal is to be the best person that I can and to try and positively influence as many lives as I can in and out of school. As for the future I am not really sure, career wise I want to eventually become an Athletic Director but that will come at a time when I am ready to stop coaching and become an Administrator. The greatest thing for me, as I work through activities/assignments is realizing when something works either for me or for a student. Many people call it the "aha" moment, whatever you want to call it those are the best times. You can't really put a price on that moment, although I sure wish someone would try that sure would help my bank account.
Hhhmmm! Educational technology that is kind of funny because I am thinking for me or for the kids. I know that I will look back on this in a few months and laugh or at least I hope I do when I do figure out what educational technology is. I know that it involves the computer but the endless possiblilities that I am hoping to learn by the time this class is over is where the true education will take place. I would like to incorporate wikis, blogs, you tube, educational sites and anything else that will help my students want to learn into my instruction. It is sort of like brushing your teeth, if the toothpaste taste bad you will not brush very long. But if the toothpaste taste good you will keep on brushing for awhile. Educators need to learn how to use educational technology, so it leaves a good taste, so that we don't want to ever not have it in our instruction. I want to teach my students to think on their own, to be problem solvers, and to question and research issues that affect their lives. In order to do this I MUST learn to do those things myself so I can eventually guide my students to do the same. Right now a majority of them could probably guide me through some of these things that I am trying to figure out.
The good thing about barriers is that someone can go over them, around them, or just knock them down. As educators we can not let barriers such as access, resources, money, etc. stand in the way of reaching our students through a cyber world that they are so accustomed to. Right now many of our students are on you tube, facebook, my space, or their own personal blog and we are failing to communicate with them. Who says that the only time we have to reach a student is while they are sitting in your classroom? That is not today's world, that is not today's student. I know that I have a lot to learn and I hope that those of you that accidentally or purposely stroll upon this page will lend a helping hand for it will be greatly appreciated.
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