What I Will Take Away...

Throughout this semester, I have gained knowledge on phonemic awareness, mastered an understanding of an assortment of basal texts, and explored the world of children's literature. However, what I will remember most about these last few months is my experience in the classroom with that rambunctious group of second graders. Looking back, I recall the first day at University School quite well actually. I remember walking in and seeing a student throwing a fit, while the rest of the class went on with their business. I can picture the teacher greeting us for the first time at the door, and I can still see the 24 smiling faces light up as we approached the front of the class. I can honestly say that working with this young group of students once a week was the most rewarding part of any of my days. I loved getting to see each student improve based on their individual skill level, and I am pleased to have been apart of it. This experience has only confirmed my decision to become a teacher, and it has made me even more excited to begin changing children's lives.

“Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower.”

I thought I would go along with the whole "Seed Idea" when coming up with a title for this week's blog! Last Wednesday, I thought it was really helpful to meet with our partners to discuss possible Seed Ideas for our upcoming project. I have some possible rough draft ideas that I am going to share in class next week, and hopefully I will be able to get some good input! I can't wait to see how everyone's final pieces turn out. This is another project that I will be able to incorporate into my future classroom!

The Writing Analysis worksheet also allowed me to develop a deeper level of understanding children's writing. By answering the questions about the writing piece, I was able to get a feel for why my student chose certain words, and why he writes the way he does. It also helped me realize different approaches I can take in order for him to improve upon his writing skills.

Multigenre Research Paper Fair!

Last class was the MGRP fair, where the entire class had the opportunity to explore each other's genres. It was entertaining to go around and see what everyone came up with based off their chosen topic. Not only was the fair fun, but it was also beneficial because I learned a ton about topics I had never studied before. I had no idea Hugh Hefner graduated from college.. or that Toy Story was the first Pixar movie... or how many animals you save a year by becoming a vegetarian. Some of the information I discovered through the Genre Fair really blew my mind, and I am glad everyone put forth an ample amount of effort so there was plenty to discover and learn! I think this is an excellent idea to incorporate into my future classroom for several reasons. It allows the students to focus on a topic that interests them, while becoming more familiar with the topic of their choice. Choice is such an important aspect of classroom learning and if we as future teachers can spark the interest of our students, then they will be more motivated to learn. Creativity is also quintessential to the Multigenre Research Paper, and this will give students an opportunity to use their imaginations in order to create and come up with their different genre pieces. Overall, I really enjoyed this project and learned a ton of interesting information; I can't wait to incorporate this lesson into my future classroom.

Multigenre Research Paper Summary

For this post, I thought it would be beneficial if I posted my Multigenre Research Paper summary, so everyone can make sense of the genres I chose for my topic, which was technology.

1.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U : Did you Know?

I decided to incorporate the video titled, “Did you know?” into my presentation because I believe this video is full of interesting facts that emphasize the importance of using technology in the classroom on a daily basis. This informative video clip discusses several important issues that the education field is struggling with right now, while giving useful facts that make us think about the world in which surrounds us. Technology is such a huge part of daily life and continues to improve each and every second; therefore, teachers and students must do what they can to keep up with the ever-changing market.

2.) Advertisement : Smart Board

In order to stress the importance of digital technology in the classroom, I decided to create an advertisement for a Smart Board, which consists of a picture of students actively participating in class with a short headline. Smart Boards are accessible in most elementary schools around the country and the market continues to thrive. The digital learning experience that Smart Boards provide allows students to dynamically participate with the curriculum being taught, while giving them an opportunity to engage with the newest classroom technology. The Smart Board interactive whiteboard operates as part of a system that uses the interactive whiteboard, a computer, a projector and white boarding software called Smart Notebook collaborative learning software. The interactive whiteboard accepts touch input from a finger, pen or other solid object. I believe this technological tool should be available in all schools because of its proven effect to improve overall learning through the use of technology.

3.) Technology Terms for Dummies

I created this “cheat sheet” of technological terms and definitions to help teachers that are looking to incorporate a new tool or device into their classroom. This list consists of several ideas that teachers can use in order to improve learning and help students become more familiar with technology. I listed ideas in which incorporates curriculum material along with technology, and gave a brief description of each. One website I listed, Pixton, allows students to create digital comic strips on the computer that can be used to solidify knowledge of material covered in class.

4.) Cartoon: Technology in the Classroom

I designed a cartoon using the program “Pixton” to create a comic strip that describes the importance of introducing new technology into the classroom on a regular basis. It is quintessential for our students to use technology daily in order to create projects to generate new ideas that help build their skills in the technology world. Teachers must also educate themselves on new technological tools that emerge, while coming up with lesson plans that incorporate these inventions. As the cartoon states, “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.” –Bill Gates

5.) Recipe for Success

I decided to create a recipe that consists of an actual lesson plan that a teacher can employ in his/her classroom using technology. The recipe consists of ingredients, which include a plethora of different technological devices that a school might have available to its students. The recipe asks that students create digital videos about childhood experiences that made them into the person they are today. The recipe gives step-by-step instructions describing how each “ingredient” should be used and incorporated in order to create the finished product, which is the digital video. The students are encouraged to use computers, the program “Inspiration,” iPods, microphones, Windows Media Player, and digital cameras. The students are also given the opportunity to share their creations with the class, which helps build trust within the classroom community.

This project not only gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with the process of creating a Multigenre Research Paper, but it also allowed me to explore the endless possibilities that technology provides to teachers and students. I was able to find free websites and available tools that encouraged student to create, compare/contrast, categorize, design, organize, analyze, construct, evaluate, and summarize. All of these concepts run parallel to the ideas of “Bloom’s Taxonomy,” which supports children in developing deeper understandings of the material they are presented with. There are an infinite number of tools online that help children with comprehension, application, analysis, and evaluation, and by doing this project I was able to discover several useful resources that I will be able to implement in my future classroom. This project also helped me develop a deeper level of understanding of tools that will make my job easier and more efficient as a college student, and as a future classroom teacher. I am a strong advocate of creativity and I believe students should be able to use their ingenuity in the classroom on a daily basis. Technology helps make inventiveness achievable for students by providing them with tools that give them the opportunity to create meaning in ways that was impossible before.

Invention Convention = Success!

Field Experience yesterday was anything but ordinary. When I entered the room, my second grade class was working (not so)quietly on their morning assignments as usual when when my teacher announced to put everything away. I had forgotten that yesterday was the day for our class to attend "Invention Convention," which was held in the cafeteria by the 6th graders in the school. I felt myself instantly overwhelmed at the idea of 25 little 7 year-olds making it down the hall, and into a crowd of people, and then all making it back to the classroom as a group. My teacher didn't seem to nervous so I was able to contain my anxiety for the time being. Once we made it down the hall, the students simultaneously sprinted towards this 6th grader and his remote control car that he had transformed into a remote control lawnmower. It was interesting to see all the different inventions these 6th graders came up with, from solar heated jackets, to alarm activated lunchboxes. During this little adventure, I had the pleasure in partnering up with a student that I am especially fond of. When we first entered the convention, his nervousness from the noise and large crowd took over, and he grabbed my hand. I was shocked at his decision to choose me as his "buddy," but I also found myself extremely pleased. The rest of the convention was a true success and I was able to learn a lot not only about the inventions, but I also about the meaning of connections between teacher and student.

Multigenre Research Paper Madness

If you peeked into last Wednesday's class you most likely saw students working on laptops with screens up that read: "Addictions," "9/11: The World's Biggest Tragedy," "Lindsey Lohan's New Jail Settlement," or "Child Abuse." This was because during last class we were given time to practice coming up with a piece for our Multigenre Research Papers. We started off class by flipping through pages of newspapers in order to explore the different types of writing that was used. A few genres that we found were: Interviews, Q&A's, recipes, pictures with captions, charts, and polls. After familiarizing ourselves with various types of contexts, we were given class time to create our own style, in which we used our topic for our papers in order to construct our first genre sample. With my topic of technology in education, I was able to formulate a poll that would display information I collected on people's opinions involving technology in the classroom. I plan on using the website Polleverywhere.com to help me generate accurate figures. I haven't decided on what other genres I will incorporate into my project, but I will be sure to keep you updated on my progress!

Wednesday's Writer's Workshop

Last Wednesday our entire field experience class participated in a Writer's Workshop that was demonstrated by an experienced fourth grade teacher at University School. The Workshop took place in an actual fourth grade classroom and lasted for approximately 45 minutes. Each IU student was given the opportunity to partner up with a child in the class in order to gain the full experience. Once we were partnered up, the teacher that led the Workshop had us start out by participating in a short free write. She gave us the topic of "brushing our teeth" and then had us focus on the tiny details that went in to this everyday task. We were given two minutes to jot down any details that made up the process of brushing our teeth, and then we were given one minute to share what we had written with our partner. This was an excellent strategy to get us thinking and ready for our next writing activity. Our Writing Workshop leader then led us in a mini-lesson where we focused on trying to come up with "first times" and "last times." She asked all of us (IU students and fourth grade students) to come up with a T-chart that would help us organize our thoughts. Our leader first gave us examples so we would have something to work off of before we were asked to come up with our own ideas. Some ideas I came up with for first times were: living on my own, my first babysitting experience, and when I learned how to drive a car. Some thoughts I had for the last time I did something were: the last time I saw my family, the last time I went to the lake, and the last time I went on vacation. By giving us this simple framework to expand from, we were able to come up with material that we wouldn't usually choose to write about. After the mini lesson was completed, we went off with our partners and discussed each of our ideas. It was interesting to hear how my topics connected with the thoughts of my fourth grade partner. This entire activity was beneficial to both grade levels, and I plan on using several of these methods with my future elementary school class.