My Beliefs

Even before this PDP, I strongly felt that technology in the classroom is a must. I feel that technology levels the playing field for our students—giving the ones that normally wouldn’t have a chance to become anything extraordinary, an opportunity to prove themselves and have as many opportunities anyone else. Watching these videos and reading these articles has only strengthened my resolve to integrate technology strongly into my classroom.

The articles “the New WWW” and “the Next Generation”, as well as the video “Millennial Generation” made it clear where today’s youth is going—straight for the newest and fastest technology. Teachers need to keep up with students’ interests, in order to keep their attention and affectively teach them as they deserve to be. I also felt the article “Teens See Disconnect between Personal and School Writing” interesting. I have to disagree with the teens on this one—I feel that personal and school writing are directly interconnected. If you write personal things, your school writing will reflect your “style” of writing. If you write badly on personal things, your school work will mirror that, and vice-versa.

I actually find myself appreciating the NETS paper, as well as the UNI questionnaire. It helped to section things off and isolate specific technological aspects so I could see where I was and was not lacking. I feel that using these will help me in the future with pinpointing where I need to work when it comes to Technology in my classroom. I fully intend on following my goals and using them to further my understanding.

Lessons Learned

Going through the PDP process, I found myself enjoying the videos I watched and the articles I read. Two of the videos do not work anymore, so I was unable to view them; this concerns me a bit only because I feel as if I am missing information Doc Waters wanted me to know. But I enjoyed the “Millennial Generation” and the “Did You Know” videos. The first was very informative as to the desires of today’s generation (although I couldn’t agree with them on some points), and the later held so much surprising information that I ended up gaping at a few points.

One of the articles refused to come up unless I sign up for a free online subscription to the New York Times, so I did! I’m actually grateful, because I realized after I read the article, how much of an asset it is to have that information on hand every day. I was a little confused by the High Tech Learning site—I looked through every page and while the information was helpful, it was a little too much to take in with everything else I was trying to process. It would make a great separate lesson, having us blog on that site alone, though.

Going back to the videos, I want to bring up how much the “Did You Know” video affected me. Much of that information I did not know. In fact, while I knew that China was expected to become the largest English-speaking country in the world, I did not know how technologically and socially stunted the USA is becoming in comparison to places like China and England. I was also unaware of how vast China is in comparison to us—realizing that all of us in the US pretty much equal their “high IQ” people there, is a humbling thought.

Strengths & Weaknesses

My greatest weakness was in software applications (UNI). Data bases, spreadsheets, graphic organizers and instructional software—I’ve heard of them and even used (or created) examples of each, but I have little experience using any of them in a classroom setting. I feel this might also stem from my ignorance when it comes to more complicated technological terminology. My greatest strengths were in using technologic tools such as Internet and E-mail, audio-visual tools, and using multi-media software (UNI & NETS). I am great at using technology to teach in the classroom, but when it comes down to computer software applications, I’m near helpless.

Noting this, I have come up with a few goals for myself. The first: become more familiar with software applications and using them in a classroom setting. Secondly, I need to become more knowledgeable in computer terminology. I feel that understanding more of the terminology would help me in supporting my first goal. My third goal is to use my first two goals to further my success in teaching about and through technology in my future classroom.

After doing a little digging I discovered that EducationOnlineForComputers.com provides free training and tutorials in several software applications for companies such as Microsoft and Adobe. Using this would help me understand how to create and use Spreadsheets and Graphic Organizers. And to help me with my technology terms, there is a handy little site called, The Tech Terms Computer Dictionary (http://www.techterms.com/), that has an encyclopedia of technical terms anyone might come across, with detailed examples and simple definitions to accompany each word. This is definitely something I will use in the future, for fun as much as its educational benefit.

Service Learning Project

I was able to show my Digital Story in Class. Miss D. liked it a lot and showed it again at a later time; however, she did not wish to be taught how to create Digital Stories. I approached her several times on the subject until she directly told me she wasn’t interested.

Student Teaching: the Finale

WHAT?

This week was our final two days of student teaching. I have to admit that I will miss it—my experience was wonderful and the students were amazing. It will definitely be an experience that I remember for the rest of my life.

SO WHAT?

These last two days we taught two small lessons—reading group lessons with four-five students at a time. We were each assigned a group of the most advanced readers last week, and asked to instruct them in a guided reading book. I had my group do a Literature Circle, where they each took a “job” such as summarizing the section they read or finding words they didn’t understand and listing them. We would then discuss them during the circles. I also gave them a further assignment, which was visualizing and drawing a scene from something that they read. Whether the reading incited a memory or a day-dream, I wanted them to draw it and then share it during our last meeting. They responded eagerly to this lesson and asked to do it several times over.

NOW WHAT?

I decided to make the class a present from the photographs that I took of the students over our time there. I am making a type of digital story for them, consisting of the photographs and a special song that I thought embodied all of the students within the class. I wasn’t able to finish it before our last day there, so our Cooperating Teacher gave me permission to bring it to her after school sometime within the next few weeks, and she will then show it to her class.

Student Teaching (Week 3)

What?

During our second full week of student teaching, we taught our last three lessons, plus some. We also got to assist with the school’s fourth-grade “Mountain Man Festival”, and had a blast doing it!

So What?

Our three official lessons this week were a lesson on verbs, a lesson in Math, and two individual book groups that we’re working with. I taught the lesson on Verbs, reading the students a book on verbs called “To Root, to Toot, to Parachute”, and then we played a game that integrated social studies with verb-words. In our Math lesson we taught the students how to do 3x1 multiplication, and the different ways to solve it. We passed out a worksheet that half the class worked on while the other half played a multiplication game with dice. Half way through the lesson, we switched and had each group do the other activity. It worked really well and the students responded eagerly to both ways of learning.

Now What?

The “Mountain Man” festival was a lot of fun, and yet another chance to bond with the students and learn about their individual personalities. It lasted all day so there were no lessons taught Friday. Unfortunately, my partner and I realized that we only have two more days of student teaching before it’s over, and that has been a real downer. This experience was invaluable, our class has been amazing, and I wish that I had more time with them.

Student Teaching (Week 2)

What?

This week we had five days of student teaching. My partner and I were asked to teach two lessons, one on Visualization and one on a book Genre. Ashley (my partner) did Visualization, while I took Genre, and taught about Fantasy.

So What?

I chose to do three activities—a question-session, a game, and an activity where the six tables each took an element of Fantasy, and made a picture about what they visualized when they thought about that element. The question session was a lot of fun, with the students answering all of my questions enthusiastically. They also liked the game—which was a relay between two teams to see who could come up with more “Fantasy” words. The poster part could have gone a little better—they didn’t want to stop once they’d finished.

At the end of my half-hour teaching session, I showed my digital story on the “Elements of Fantasy”. It was a huge hit with the class, and they left for their rotations still talking about it.

Now What?

Ashley and I will be teaching at least three more lessons, although our cooperating teacher has requested that we help her with more than that, as well as remain the whole day on Friday to help man booths for the schools’ Mountain Man Festival. The lessons we’ll be teaching will be Math (teaching 3x1 multiplication), English (teaching about Verbs) and Reading Comprehension in book groups. 

Student Teaching (Week 1)!!!!!

What?

This week I worked on ideas for my (as of yet) non-existent digital story. I also started my Student Teaching, which has really opened my eyes as to what topics I could possibly do it on.

So What?

I have had a lot of fun these last two days, getting to know the students I will be teaching. And the subjects they are covering while I am there are pretty straight forward, like Writing, Language, and Math. I am hoping to do my digital story during their Writing time, since they are going to be learning about more types of writing soon (they are writing Tale Tales, right now).

Now What?

We have talked with the teacher a lot about what subjects she would like us to focus on, however she seems to be a day-by-day type of teacher that does things as they come. So basically my partner and I will be jumping in randomly to teach…hopefully…something that fits into what they are learning right then. It’s a bit awkward, but with the students that we have, I don’t think we will have any problem getting them interested in whatever we choose to teach.

Progress...or not....

What?

My cohort partner and I finally managed to talk with our cooperating teacher--who wants us to do whatever we want in her class. However, she doesn't know what she will be teaching which days, so we are left up in the air about what we will be doing our digital story on.

So What?

We did come up with a temporary solution, however. Our c-teacher wants us to observe her classroom the first three days, then do all our lesson-plans and our digital story. She gave us a few subjects she will be going over during the month we will be there and we chose two for our digital story, Persuasive writing and Fantasy Writing.

Now What?

We actually decided to do two seperate stories, and then chose which one we will actually be using after we know when and what we will be teaching on. Not a perfect solution, but right now, it's about the only thing we can do to ensure we will have something to turn in at the end of our teaching experience.

Digital Stories (pt.2)

What?

This week we learned about copyrights, and how to get our personal work copyrighted. We also learned about the laws surrounding copyright and Cyperethics.

So What?

I definitely didn’t understand all of what went into copyrighting, and I am grateful that I do now. I can understand why Doc Waters wanted this to be a part of the lesson, mainly because copyright laws are broken every day, even by those who don’t realize they are doing it. It is also something that I will be teaching my students, when we do work on the internet. It would be good for them to know so they are aware of what they can and cannot use in the classroom and in everyday life.

Now What?

As I said before, I definitely was not aware of all the ins and outs of copyright. Learning about the severity of downloading certain things has made me pause and examine everything that I am downloading off the internet, now. And as I mentioned before, it is something that I will share with my students and try to instill in them the importance of Cyperethics.



Digital Stories (pt.1)

WHAT?

This week we began a multi-week lesson about Digital Stories and how to use them in the classroom.

SO WHAT?

I was shocked at how impactful a digital story could be, and impressed by how much I learned through the few we watched. Using these stories, a teacher can either create an attention-catching intro to a unit, or pile a lot of information into a short, 3-5 minute video that is memorable and fun for the students to watch. As a student who will be using one of these stories in my own teaching (during the student-teaching period), it is a wonderful tool that will make my intro to teaching a little easier and more fun.

NOW WHAT?

This is DEFINITELY a tool I will be using in the future, even if I have to take my lap-top to school and show it on that alone (I plan on teaching in a low-income area, so access to computers and projector-use will probably be limited). If they do have access to computers, however, this would be an awesome tool to have them use, to show their understanding for subjects I am teaching them, or for them to use to create presentations. I am very excited about this tool, and fully intend on using it whether or not my classroom has the resources that other schools do.

Vidcast Reflection

The Three Types of Rock: Rocks, Rocks, and more Rocks!

Core Curriculum: Science

Standard 3: Students will understand the basic properties of rocks, the processes involved in the formation of soils, and the needs of plants provided by soil.

Objective 1: Identify basic properties of minerals and rocks.

            Lynsi and I chose this topic because it was something that interested us both, and because it was different than what our peers were most likely going to be doing. We decided early on that we didn’t want to stay in our “safe area” of doing lesson plans for Social Studies, instead branching out into a slightly different section of the Core Curriculum where we would have to stretch ourselves a little more. We also thought that introducing the three types of rock would be a lot more fun and interesting to show in a video presentation, as opposed to lecturing about it.

This podcast connects to the NETS and INTASC Standards in several ways. First, a podcast helps us communicate our instruction clearly and accurately, while giving students a fun way to view/learn the material. Podcasts also help to accommodate individual students’ cultural, physical, emotional, social, and intellectual growth, by giving them a simple, easy to understand lesson and allowing them to answer the questions in the podcast at their own level of understanding; all of it done in a non-threatening way. This podcast is also a way to model your own creativeness, and give students ideas on how to use their own in similar ways for future projects.

There are a few potential drawbacks to using our podcast series in the classroom, however. The visuals on the podcast only last for about five seconds each, giving the viewer limited time to take in the details needed to answer the questions; if it were for an actual lesson, the video would need to be elongated and the pictures allowed to show for a longer period of time. Podcasts also don’t allow for much in-lecture discussion-time, which some students may need to process the ideas the video is teaching.

I think that if given the opportunity, I would love to use this video in one of my future classes. I believe students need variety in their learning experiences, and this podcast would be an excellent break from the traditional lectures about rock-formation. It would make a great lead-in for a more in-depth look at how rocks are formed and how to identify them.

Vidcasts

What?

This week we learned about how to make vidcasts four different ways: through video, PowerPoint, Photostory, and Jing. My partner and I decided to teach a Science lesson on the three types of rock. We also decided to try to use Photostory to create the presentation (before we post it onto YouTube).

So What?

I already knew the benefits of making a video-based vidcast (I made one for another of Prof. Waters classes), but I had never thought of using the other three tools to create one. Knowing several ways to create vidcasts will be helpful in the future, if I ever want to create them. Not only will it help me if I ever have to create a presentation for one of my classes, but it is also a helpful tool to know when I start my student-teaching.

Now What?

In the future, I will definitely be using presentations like vidcasts to keep my classroom unique and interesting. I will be the first to admit that most students LOVE it when you play them a video of any kind; if it actually teaches them something, all the better. It is also a useful tool to use if you are trying to keep parents and colleagues up-to-date on how/what your class is doing. Not only that, a teacher can also use vidcasts to help substitutes see what they need to be doing in the classroom while you’re gone. Lesson plans, game ideas, links they can use, etc. The possibilities are close to endless, actually…

Podcasts

What?

This week we learned about how to make Podcasts. We created a Public Service Announcement, then pasted it into our websites. My partner and I did a PSA about the Effects of Smoking on youth.

So What?

Podcasts can be incredibly important in the classroom. A teacher can use them to help teach a lesson, or to keep parents informed on what the students are doing/learning at a certain point. As a student, I can use podcasts to help me in a presentation, or there are even podcasts that help me learn certain lessons that my Professors might want me to listen to.

Now What?

Looking into the future, I can see how Podcasts could help me teach lessons in the classroom. All students need variety in lessons, and Podcasts would be a unique way to break up a monotonous lesson. Teaching them how to make podcasts would also be a useful lesson; students learn from students as easily as (and sometimes better than) they do from teachers. Having my students make Podcasts that their peers—and even my future students—can listen to would be a benefit to everyone.

Web-sites (with some digital stories thrown in...)

What:

This week we are not only making our own Web-sites, but we are also collecting information about our digital stories.

So What?

While my team-mate and I haven’t decided on what we want our digital story to entail, I can already see the benefits of making one for a class. It is a fun, interesting way to teach a subject that might otherwise lose a student’s interest. As for the web-site, I am thrilled to be learning how to make one. It will be a wonderful asset to me once I am a teacher, and should virtually eliminate troubles with homework and future assignments, as well as keep parents informed on what we are doing in the classroom.

Now What?

In the future, the web-site will come in very handy—not only in helping me to keep my curriculum on track, but also to show parents what we are doing in the classroom, what homework is due and when, and also how they might help me guide their children successfully. This web-site can also help my colleagues see where I am in my classes, and might make collaborating much easier.

The goals, hopes, and fears of a wanna-be teacher

The more I learn about different effective teaching techniques, the more goals I seem to make for myself and my future classroom. First and foremost, my biggest goal is to make my classroom a fun, safe place for my students; a place they look forward to coming to every day, and miss when they leave. A few other goals I have are: to never lecture monotonously out of a book, to always make an effort to get to know every facet of my students, and to teach each student as the individual they are, instead of lumping them into groups. My goals and my hopes are very closely linked, so I suppose you can say that my goals are my hopes. I hope that I am a fun, interesting, interactive teacher that my students like and the parents rave about behind my back. (okay…so maybe the latter’s not so realistic, but it is fun to dream…)



My fears are…numerous, as I am sure is the case for most teachers. I fear that I won’t bond well with some students and that I’ll clash with more parents than I befriend. I fear that I might become so obsessed with my students getting good grades that I take the fun and wonder out of learning; and those are only two of the many. But I have been told that people often overcome their fears by being aware of the possibilities, so I honestly feel they are things I can fight against.


As I plan on teaching in lower income areas, I know that computers and technology won’t always be available to my students. However, I also know it is good for me to learn, just in case the opportunity arises. My understanding of technology isn’t the best, but I feel that after taking the Tech. in Edu. Classes, I will know enough to safely navigate my students through the same things I’m being taught now, to create fun lessons and projects for them to participate in.