For those of you who are unaware, I plan on teaching some form of science (biology or anatomy) and coaching high school football for my career. So, for my Education Technology class we were required to watch this short video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT78kBx6mFw) called "Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts". Vicki Davis, the teacher spotlighted in the video, does an excellent job in creating an environment for the students to learn. I think she also flourishes in preparing her students for the world. We live in a technology savvy world and without the skills necessary to perform digital tasks, you can be left behind.
For my future classroom I really like the idea of putting my students in the position to succeed and then letting them learn on their own. Something I have learned in my short life is that we learn best through experience. Technology must be involved in this environment or like I said earlier, generations will be left behind in a world that isn't slowing down for anyone.
The advances our world is making with technology is unbelievable. I saw a video somewhere the other day, I think I was flipping through the channels, that was talking about something called Google Glasses. The glasses were able to take pictures, act as clock and many other features.
In the past, people needed to be sufficient with basic computer maneuvering (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) but now, especially as a teacher, we need to know much more to thrive. Everyday teachers are using smart boards, projectors, and many different programs that allow them to more conveniently and efficiently teach their classrooms. If we can teach our students at a more efficient level, then they will be able to learn at a more efficient level.
So, as this video seems to show, be creative and get outside the box. That's what I am going to do with my teaching career.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Balance
In my short 19 years of life I have realized, through experience, that balance is really more important than we think. Growing up I heard my youth pastor say, "Have you ever heard the quote "Don't be so heavenly minded that you don't do any earthly good?" There's is no such thing as being too heavenly minded". I've never forgot when he said that and I always thought that that quote sounded pretty good. I've now realized that as Christians being spiritually minded means sympathizing and understanding with all people.
Another analogy (of many) I remember my youth pastor talking about is life being like a drive. We want to stay on the road and out of the ditches on each side. So what are the ditches we are trying to steer clear of?
Ditch #1 - Legalism
When I decided to follow Jesus the summer going into my freshman year of high school I was (and still am) a very prideful, selfish, competitive person. My mentality didn't change the very second I prayed and asked God to save me. I remember thinking to myself, "I'm going to be the best football player, student, and Christian there ever was" which is a funny thought when I look back at it. I looked at Christianity as a competition and read all the commentaries, books, blogs and articles I could. I also did what I could to fill every second of silence with Christian music and sermons. Sounds pretty when you first think about it but I once heard John Piper say that any (spiritual) work that isn't fueled by faith is legalism. Here is a definition...
Legalism, in Christian theology, is a usually pejorative term referring to an over-emphasis on discipline of conduct, or legal ideas, usually implying an allegation of misguided rigour, pride, superficiality, the neglect of mercy, and ignorance of the grace of God or emphasizing the letter of law over the spirit. Legalism is alleged against any view that obedience to law, not faith in God's grace, is the pre-eminent principle of redemption.
All the ministry and study I did was essentially to make me look good. I turned a lot of people off towards the idea of living a life pleasing to The Lord. In all reality, I wasn't. After coming to grips with that I wanted nothing more than to turn away from that. So I stopped teaching, preaching, and reading spiritual books. Unfortunately, in an attempt to swerve out of the ditch of legalism, I over correct into ditch #2.
Ditch #2 - License
License is the idea that since Christ has died for all of our sins we have the freedom to do whatever we want. Now, I've actually committed to this idea. I know that if our thought process is that we can do whatever we want because of the grace of God, we don't really understand grace. But, in an attempt to love people more by "loosening up" I found myself to fall short in different areas of my life more often. I found myself to be really opposed and even frustrated with the things I consumed all my time with even just a year before. I've been irritated with the special language we as Christians use when we talk about or pray to God... which we call Christianese. I've learned though, that those things are not just ok, they're great. I've learned that it takes a BALANCE. It takes stay on the road.
A few days ago I tweeted this: "Simplicity is the key to success". My high school football coaches were always fond of the K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple, Stupid) method. I think Jesus established this long before we realized how true it was. In Matthew 22:34-40 the Pharisees (the prime of example of legalism) ask Jesus what the greatest commandment is. Jesus answers "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Jesus said that the second was this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Another analogy (of many) I remember my youth pastor talking about is life being like a drive. We want to stay on the road and out of the ditches on each side. So what are the ditches we are trying to steer clear of?
Ditch #1 - Legalism
When I decided to follow Jesus the summer going into my freshman year of high school I was (and still am) a very prideful, selfish, competitive person. My mentality didn't change the very second I prayed and asked God to save me. I remember thinking to myself, "I'm going to be the best football player, student, and Christian there ever was" which is a funny thought when I look back at it. I looked at Christianity as a competition and read all the commentaries, books, blogs and articles I could. I also did what I could to fill every second of silence with Christian music and sermons. Sounds pretty when you first think about it but I once heard John Piper say that any (spiritual) work that isn't fueled by faith is legalism. Here is a definition...
Legalism, in Christian theology, is a usually pejorative term referring to an over-emphasis on discipline of conduct, or legal ideas, usually implying an allegation of misguided rigour, pride, superficiality, the neglect of mercy, and ignorance of the grace of God or emphasizing the letter of law over the spirit. Legalism is alleged against any view that obedience to law, not faith in God's grace, is the pre-eminent principle of redemption.
All the ministry and study I did was essentially to make me look good. I turned a lot of people off towards the idea of living a life pleasing to The Lord. In all reality, I wasn't. After coming to grips with that I wanted nothing more than to turn away from that. So I stopped teaching, preaching, and reading spiritual books. Unfortunately, in an attempt to swerve out of the ditch of legalism, I over correct into ditch #2.
Ditch #2 - License
License is the idea that since Christ has died for all of our sins we have the freedom to do whatever we want. Now, I've actually committed to this idea. I know that if our thought process is that we can do whatever we want because of the grace of God, we don't really understand grace. But, in an attempt to love people more by "loosening up" I found myself to fall short in different areas of my life more often. I found myself to be really opposed and even frustrated with the things I consumed all my time with even just a year before. I've been irritated with the special language we as Christians use when we talk about or pray to God... which we call Christianese. I've learned though, that those things are not just ok, they're great. I've learned that it takes a BALANCE. It takes stay on the road.
The Road
A few days ago I tweeted this: "Simplicity is the key to success". My high school football coaches were always fond of the K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple, Stupid) method. I think Jesus established this long before we realized how true it was. In Matthew 22:34-40 the Pharisees (the prime of example of legalism) ask Jesus what the greatest commandment is. Jesus answers "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Jesus said that the second was this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Pretty simple, isn't it? I think 1 Peter 4:8 is echoing this when Peter writes, "Love covers a multitude of sins."
My advice, and God's, would be this: Live (wisely & lovingly) and learn (as much as you can along the way).
My prayer is that we would all find the balance we need to serve The Lord and His people to the best of our God given ability.
For a better explanation on this ... Check out Matt Chandler "Of Danger and Ditches" http://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/#series-sort_luke
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
To The Struggling
Life isn't what it's always cracked up to be, I know. Sometimes we feel broken or unworthy or shameful... And that we are stuck where we are, in our shame, with no way out.
The Myth
The Myth
We get this odd idea that God doesn't like us and that he's just putting up with us. We get this idea that if we could just be better then we are now he would finally like us... How wrong are we... And yes I say we because you're not alone.
The Truth
So how does God feel about those who have put their faith in Him? Proverbs 3:11-12 tells us He loves us like a father loves His son... Like family.
Today for my education class we started watching a movie called Ron Clarke. It's about a teacher who decides to teach a 6th grade class in the ghetto of New York City. At the point of Mr. Clark's arrival the class had already been through 6 teachers. When Mr. Clarke begins teaching his first rule is "We are family". He explains how that means he will never give up on them and they are supposed to never give up on him.
There is one girl named Shameka in the class that disrespects Mr. Clarke more than any other student. She never turns in her homework and is always being a pain. Mr. Clarke continues to chase after Shameka knowing that she has the most potential in the class. One day after school Shameka misses a study session with Mr. Clarke so he decides to help her at her house. Shamekas continual excuse is that she is too busy for homework. Mr. Clarke finally sees it for himself when Shameka starts making dinner for 4 of her siblings. Mr. Clarke takes her duty so she can finish her paper when her mother walks in the door. Extremely upset, Shamekas mother kicks Mr. Clarke out of her home and then tries to get him fired.
Mr. Clarke, Shameka, her mother, and the school principal are all in the principals office. Just as Mr. Clarke is fired and Shameka and her mother begin to leave, Shameka runs back in and hugs Mr. Clarke as she pleads her case for him not to be fired...
What happened to Shameka?
Grace did. Despite all her disrespect, Mr. Clarke continued to pursue her and love her just as he said he would... Like family. God is doing the same with us. We may not be the people we want to be today... We may feel unworthy but God isn't going anywhere. It is because of that grace that we run to Him, just as a son/daughter would run to their father in a time of need.
This is why Jesus is my Superman... He saved me despite how much I didn't deserve it... You're no different.
How can we do life well in this case? Run to God, not from Him. He's waiting.
ACL?
So almost 5 months ago I tore my ACL in a redshirt scrimmage here at Henderson State. It's been a really fast and smooth recovery so far and I am really excited about next season. After surgery I lost roughly 20 lbs in body weight. My bench max dropped 40 lbs and I wasn't even capable of doing power clean and squat. From January 15th, 2013 to today, I've gained 17 lbs and will be going for a personal record on bench (its gone up 75 lbs since Jan). Ill be maxing on squat and power clean in the coming days and I am already sprinting and cutting.
My advice to those who are going through this...
Stay positive. It's not the end of the world if you get injured. Even though a torn ACL may seem like the end of an athletes world, it's not as bad as people make it out to be. Just work hard, stay positive and know that it really doesn't set you back as much as they say. Actually, it may give you the motivation you need to be better than you've ever been. Just look at Adrian Peterson.
Keep that head up.
My advice to those who are going through this...
Stay positive. It's not the end of the world if you get injured. Even though a torn ACL may seem like the end of an athletes world, it's not as bad as people make it out to be. Just work hard, stay positive and know that it really doesn't set you back as much as they say. Actually, it may give you the motivation you need to be better than you've ever been. Just look at Adrian Peterson.
Keep that head up.
Social Networking
So about 5 minutes ago I read a blog on the negative effects of Social Networking (http://performancing.com/negative-effects-of-social-networking-sites-for-students/) and another blog that talked about how Social Networking impacts us (http://socialmediatoday.com/gareth-price/1037606/imperceptible-impact-social-media-our-everyday-lives).
Post #1
The first blog made some good points. Social Media can be a huge distraction that can effect our studies or our work. It really can waste a lot of time (I know this by experience) and keep us cooped up away from actual interaction. To me, Social Media is a neutral issue. Its not necessarily bad and it's not necessarily good. What we do with it in our own lives determines that. Now, for the person who has a real addiction to Facebook or Twitter and cannot stay off it long enough to study, that's bad. But for the person who has their priorities straight and leverages Facebook and Twitter for the good of people, that's great!
Post #2
The second blog post talked about the type of impact Social Media can make on people and its a big one. The reality is that many people actually act with the thought in mind of posting something about it later. They will go out of their way to do something just so they can tell their Facebook friends or Twitter followers about it later. I think when we get to this level of obsession, we can almost classify it as idolatry.
My Take
I own a Twitter (@SuperDale23) and a Facebook (Dale Smith-Gilleran). There have been many times where I've wasted time scrolling through these things. I am not so naïve to think that Social Media doesn't effect us negatively. It takes a healthy balance of being able to use it for good, but not abusing it to the point where it hurts us in certain ways like wasting time.
For me personally, if I don't take it upon myself to have some self-control and put my phone down when I know it's time for me to go to bed, ill lose a lot of sleep. In terms of leveraging these sites for good, here are some ways I've learned how to do that (in no specific order):
1. Follow or friend people and sites that build you up.
I am a Christian and want to love Jesus Christ more everyday. So I follow people and sites like DesiringGod, Matt Chandler, Tim Keller, and C.S. Lewis. I also like to workout so I follow other people like SwoleUniversity, Beast Sports, and Bodybuilding.com to inspire and give me some motivation.
2. Be the #1 you just read about.
Twitter and Facebook give us the opportunity to encourage and inspire others... so do it.
3. Build Relationships
Facebook and Twitter allow us to build and maintain relationships with people who we aren't physically close to. I know I love to hear from those that I'm physically distance from because it means they care enough to make the effort. Be the one to make the effort, you can really make someone's day.
Hope this helps, Thanks!
Post #1
The first blog made some good points. Social Media can be a huge distraction that can effect our studies or our work. It really can waste a lot of time (I know this by experience) and keep us cooped up away from actual interaction. To me, Social Media is a neutral issue. Its not necessarily bad and it's not necessarily good. What we do with it in our own lives determines that. Now, for the person who has a real addiction to Facebook or Twitter and cannot stay off it long enough to study, that's bad. But for the person who has their priorities straight and leverages Facebook and Twitter for the good of people, that's great!
Post #2
The second blog post talked about the type of impact Social Media can make on people and its a big one. The reality is that many people actually act with the thought in mind of posting something about it later. They will go out of their way to do something just so they can tell their Facebook friends or Twitter followers about it later. I think when we get to this level of obsession, we can almost classify it as idolatry.
My Take
I own a Twitter (@SuperDale23) and a Facebook (Dale Smith-Gilleran). There have been many times where I've wasted time scrolling through these things. I am not so naïve to think that Social Media doesn't effect us negatively. It takes a healthy balance of being able to use it for good, but not abusing it to the point where it hurts us in certain ways like wasting time.
For me personally, if I don't take it upon myself to have some self-control and put my phone down when I know it's time for me to go to bed, ill lose a lot of sleep. In terms of leveraging these sites for good, here are some ways I've learned how to do that (in no specific order):
1. Follow or friend people and sites that build you up.
I am a Christian and want to love Jesus Christ more everyday. So I follow people and sites like DesiringGod, Matt Chandler, Tim Keller, and C.S. Lewis. I also like to workout so I follow other people like SwoleUniversity, Beast Sports, and Bodybuilding.com to inspire and give me some motivation.
2. Be the #1 you just read about.
Twitter and Facebook give us the opportunity to encourage and inspire others... so do it.
3. Build Relationships
Facebook and Twitter allow us to build and maintain relationships with people who we aren't physically close to. I know I love to hear from those that I'm physically distance from because it means they care enough to make the effort. Be the one to make the effort, you can really make someone's day.
Hope this helps, Thanks!
The Awkward I've Never Done This First Post
Well guys my name is Dale Smith - Gilleran. I am at the end of my freshman year at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia and for my Education Technology class we were given the assignment to start a blog. So I thought to myself and said, "self, what is worth blogging about?" And I thought I could blog about something that everyone can relate to... Life!
To share a little bit about myself, I lived in New Jersey with my mother until I was 11. I moved to Arkansas for the 6th grade to be with my father and I have been here ever since. I am majoring in Physical Education so I can coach and teach. Jesus Christ is my Superman, I really enjoy playing football and I plan on working out until I'm 95 (if I make it that long).
I titled this blog "Dale's Days" because it is going to be just that.
Peace be with you.
To share a little bit about myself, I lived in New Jersey with my mother until I was 11. I moved to Arkansas for the 6th grade to be with my father and I have been here ever since. I am majoring in Physical Education so I can coach and teach. Jesus Christ is my Superman, I really enjoy playing football and I plan on working out until I'm 95 (if I make it that long).
I titled this blog "Dale's Days" because it is going to be just that.
Peace be with you.
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