Introductions...

Hello!

My name is Dan Forest Gunn and this is the beginning of my blogging career.  I'm not the best with technology but I have a decent level of comfort with it.  My experience so far has been limited to the technology that is necessary for school and a few personal uses.  One of the only reasons I use extracurricular technology is for the managing and acquiring of new music.  I do a fair amount of personal research, as well, but for the most part I am not a very computer savvy.

I have never taken an online course but I can see the benefit of taking them, as well as a few disadvantages.  I like teaching myself material and having personal responsibility with reading and completing course work but there are times that direct instruction makes all the difference.  Sometimes the information sticks with me better when I have someone explaining it in person versus simply reading it myself.  But until I actually take an online course this is all still speculation.

I am a Health and Physical Education major and have chosen to be a teacher for several reasons.  The first of these reasons is that I am comfortable and pretty good with children of most ages.  I have some experience with working with kids and with dealing with a younger sister and many young cousins.  Working with family is easy though...   working at a kids camp in my home town was a whole other story.  But learning how to adapt to teaching multiple ages was a fun adventure for me and now I feel more confident with my decision to be a teacher.  I've always loved playing sports and games so Physical Education seemed like an easy choice, but there's more to it than fun and games.  Keeping students, and people in general for that matter, healthy and happy with themselves is also very important to me.  It's not hard to be active and enjoy getting exercise, but in today's society people (especially children) seem to see it as more and more of a chore or a hassle than a way to stay fit and healthy and have fun at the same time.  Teaching the importance of an active, healthy lifestyle without making it seem like torture is a big part of why I'd like to be a teacher.

I'm originally from Oregon but I've been living on the east coast for quite a while now.  I do intend on living out west again someday but most of my family is here in Pennsylvania and I don't want to be too far away while they are growing up or declining in years.  I have every intention of traveling the world in my spare time as a teacher and will do everything I need to to ensure that this dream comes true.  Next summer I'll be living and working in Alaska in order to finish paying for school and I can't wait to be in the wild again.