UEN Reflection

Libby Tenney
Edel 2200-01
UEN Reflection

When I first started on UEN I was very overwhelmed and felt it was too much for me to use let alone my students. I was very skeptical of the different databases that could be used and if they would really be useful. After playing around for a few hours I realized how great the many tools are, and how much is available to not only teachers, but students as well.
I loved going through and finding lesson plans and ideas for interactive ways of learning. One of my greatest fears in teaching is that I won’t find something that will engage my students in the subject they are learning. I don’t want to plan a lesson that is boring or totally wrong for what the students should be learning. I found the core curriculum to be very helpful because it spells out exactly what is expected of each student and then the website gives helps to teachers for accomplishing those goals given by the state. When I have my own classroom I will definitely be using the lesson plans and helps found on the UEN website.
When it comes to using the UEN resources in my classroom for my students, I will probably use the Pioneer Online Library the most. There is so much in all of the different databases for students to use when researching and exploring different topics. I would love to teach my students how to research, even if it’s just a little bit. Fifth graders don’t really need the researching skills high school students need, but introducing them to research will only better their skills when they are a little bit older.
I loved using the eMedia library! I had no idea there was anything like that out there for teachers to use. I really want to use this in my classroom for class presentations. I can have students research a topic to present to the class and maybe they can use the movie clips found in the eMedia library to actually show the class what they learned. I loved that there was so much out there that is new and updated. Students could actually enjoy learning core curriculum material through these film clips because they aren’t outdated and boring.
Overall, I think UEN is a great website and a wonderful tool for students and teachers. Hopefully over the next few years that I am still in school I can get familiar enough with their programs to be comfortable enough to teach it someday. I love that I have access to all of these great resources, they will help me become a better teacher for my students before I even step into a classroom.