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.

Teaching Experience 101

Coming to class prepared to teach my Unit of Study to a couple college students in my opinion, is way less nerve wracking than presenting my lesson to 25 antsy little second graders. Not only is the audience different in every single way, but the approach that you take to teaching the lesson varies greatly as well. From the inflection in your voice, to the questions you ask to engage the students, it is going to be quite the adjustment from teaching a lesson plans to college students, to adhering to the individual needs of 7 year olds. Although this might seem quite obvious to most, I am slightly overwhelmed with the fact that before I know it, I am going to be the center of attention to around 25 spongey minds, absorbing each and everything thing I say. Even though my stomach twists and turns at the thought, I also feel an overwhelming amount of excitement running through me! I think that only experience will be able to calm this feeling, and make me more comfortable with the idea. I am looking forward to field experience tomorrow so I will able to practice becoming more familiar with communicating with younger children, and develop a better understanding of how their minds work.

Where I am From

Wednesday during class, I made sure to jot down the title, "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" in my notebook. I was pleased to be introduced to this laughable non-fiction book that helps make punctuation apparent, while emphasizing its importance in everyday writing. I thought the illustrations helped the words make more sense and I enjoyed playing around with my own voice inflation. While flipping through its picturesque pages, I couldn't help but giggle at the silly sentences and at the fact that I was actually learning more about punctuation than I thought!

I also thought it necessary to post this neat "Where I am From" template that one of my classmates raved about. I think that this poetic activity can help strengthen the community in the classroom, while giving the students an opportunity to learn more about one another.

Where I am From

I am from (specific ordinary item), from (product name) and (product name).

I am from the (home description, adjective, sensory detail).

I am from the (plant, flower or natural item), the (plant, flower or natural item).

I am from (family tradition) and (family trait), from (name of a family member), and (another family name), and (family name).

I am from (description of family tendency) and (another one).

From (something you were told as a child) and (another).

I am from (representation of religion or lack thereof it).

I'm from (place of birth and family ancestry), (food item representing your family), (another one).

From the (specific family story about a specific person), the (another detail) and the (another detail about another family member).

I am from (location of family pictures, mementos, archives).

2nd Grade Here I Come!

Last Wednesday was the first day of my field experience at University School, and I must say that now I am looking forward to teaching even more than before! Even though the first child that I saw when I walked in my assigned classroom was screaming and throwing a fit, I found the opportunity to work with such exuberant children refreshing. I was truly mesmerized by all of the action that was taking place in one diminutive classroom; there were students doing crosswords, reading independently, chatting with their neighbor, throwing pencils, but most importantly, they were learning. Even when they were being social butterflies, they were still learning from each other and engaging socially amongst their peers. I found the experience as a whole overwhelming, yet a challenge I can't wait to face. Looking back on my first day, I cannot believe that I learned so much about teaching in such a short amount of time. Just by observing the classroom I couldn't help but notice all the diverse personalities around me and I can't wait to get to know each and every one of them!

Week 2

After learning several methods of teaching spelling, there are specific sound and visual strategies that I could see myself using as a future teacher. I especially liked the Hen to Fox sound method, which involves giving students a starting word and then having them turn it into a different word by changing one letter. For instance, you give the child the starting word "cat" and then you would ask them how you would go about changing that word to the word "hat." You could then ask the student what letter you would change to get the word "hot," and so on. I believe this method can also help with more than just spelling; students will be able to expand their vocabulary, along with becoming more familiar with rhymes. The Elkonin Box method also stuck out to me because this scaffolding approach to teaching helps students figure out how many sounds a word has. As for external strategies, I will definitely incorporate a "Word Wall" into my future classroom. This helpful tool not only acts as a point of reference, but it also helps to expand vocabulary and makes students accountable for spelling words correctly in their everyday writing.

First Class for E339!

Alright, so last Wednesday was my first class for the course E339 : Methods of Teaching Language Arts. During class, we discussed all of the writing we will be doing for this class, which consists of keeping a 'reflection blog,' and a Writer's Notebook. This blog is where I will be making note of key events that happen in class, along with reflecting upon assigned readings. My personal goal is to accurately emulate the in-class experiences that take place during Wednesday discussions, while keeping my readers captivated and wanting more. This blog will allow me to pull out the aspects of class that I find especially useful and beneficial to my future career as a teacher, and will also assist in accelerating my ability as a learner.

I am also looking forward to keeping my first Writer's Notebook. This is where I will be jotting down personal ideas and blurbs of events and situations that spark my interest. The Writer's Notebook is the ideal place for making notes of certain aspects of life and daily encounters that trigger the child-esque curiosity in me. I will be expected to carry this sacred little notebook along with me wherever I go in hope that I find something in this chaotic world that fascinates me, or gives me an idea for my next big movie (not really, of course.) I just hope my writing will accurately capture the humor and fortitude that I believe I posses and portray in my everyday life. Stay tuned for my next post, as I'm sure it will be more thrilling than explaining a notebook that doesn't exist just quite yet. You just wait.

Lab Workout 13: Assistive Technology Integration

The Activity

For my activity for Artifact Proposal 1, I would start off giving the students worksheets, which tell the students to trace and identify certain shapes.  At the bottom of the worksheet, the students are asked to color in or point out the shape it tells them to identify.  After a quick review of shapes, I would use the Shapes and Nature website, shown on the projector to show the students how shapes can be seen in all types of nature.  Since identifying shapes in esoteric images can be a little more difficult than pointing them on a worksheet, the first time I would go though each picture and help them figure out its shapes by giving them clues.  I would then move on to the National Geographic website, asking the students to raise their hands and tell me which shapes are involved in each photograph.  After discussing and sharing both of these resources with them, I would show them the video, which incorporates nature and shapes.  Ending the lesson with this fascinating video will hopefully help the children get a final grasp on how shapes and nature go hand and hand.  To evaluate students on what they learned, I would chose random photos that we discussed during the lesson and make a slideshow out of them, numbering each slide.  Then I would give the students a quiz which has numbers and spaces for them to write in which shapes are involved in each slide that I put up on the screen.

 

The Student

Jasmine has mild dyslexia, which affects her work in all of her classes as she struggles to read and write her assignments. She often loses her place while she is reading and mixes up letters when reading and writing words. To help with her comprehension, she reads written text very slowly and sometimes several times over. Jasmine has already been held back for two years and could really benefit from positive reinforcement and possible assistive technologies.

How to incorporate Assistant Technology

In order to help Jasmine refresh her memory on shapes, I would have her start off by using the computer available in the classroom. I would open the worksheet that the rest of the students are working on using Kurzweil 3000. This way, Jasmine would be able to have the shapes read to her if they were unable to read them on her own. I would have her plug in some headphones and practice listening to how each word is spelled and how it is defined. By being able to have the words read to her aloud and spelled out, she will familiarize herself with each shape and how it sounds out loud.

I would then open up Widget symbols for Jasmine to be able to use. I would have her practice typing the shapes into the program, and then put her mouse over the word so she would be able to see the picture of the shape that goes along with the word. By being able to match the word to the shape, she will be able to take the shape quiz along with the rest of the class. She would be able to watch the PowerPoint presentation that I show the entire class.

After showing the students the Shapes in Nature PowerPoint I created, Jasmine would need some assistance with her quiz. Jasmine would benefit from programs like Widget Symbols and Kurzeil 3000; this way she will be able to look up the words and their spellings.

 

 

 

Templates for Students to Use

In exploring the Microsoft website, I found several templates that my future students can use to aid them in productivity.

1.) Multiplication Flash Cards
This template is full of blank multiplication flash cards that I could easily print off and cut out and use them with my students. The multiplication starts with 1 x 1 and goes all the way up to 12 x 12.
For this template, I would print all of the flash cards out that apply to the level of math my class is studying. I would print them out on brightly colored paper so they tend to stand out and then after I printed them I would cut them out. Next, I would sit in a chair and have all of the students gather around on the floor and I would flip through them and I would have the students practice shout out the answer to the problem on the card.

2.) Handwriting Practice Paper
This template is very useful when a student needs to practice their handwriting. It contains solid and dotted lines so the students are able to practice the size and the technique of their letters.
For this template, I would handout 4 of these handwriting practice papers to each student. Next, I would have them practice writing all of the capital letters of the alphabet in cursive on two of the sheets of paper and I would have them write all of the lowercase letters in cursive on the other two sheets.

3.) Multiplication Table
This template is very effective in teaching students their multiplication facts. It is a a plain multiplication table that teaches kids how to multiply all the way up to 10 x 10.
At the beginning of the year, I would print out however many students were in my class that year and I would cut them out and tape a multiplication table on each of the students desks. When they first start learning multiplication, they will be able to look at their little chart and find the product, which will eventually help them learn their multiplication facts.

Critique of Kelly Jacobs' Blog

Kelly found a resource that gave her ideas on how to teach first graders how to count whole numbers up to 100.  The purpose of the activity was for students to look for patterns while counting, reading, and writing whole numbers to 100.  The lesson required students to add blocks and keep track of their place value, regrouping when necessary.  Kelly made note of a website, illuminations.nctm.org that virtually allowed students to add the blocks on the computer.  The technology incorporated into this lesson helped make it more efficient, effective, and enhanced.  Kelly argued that by doing this activity online, the teacher was saved from a mess, while the students remained more focused with technology being incorporated.

Critique of Kelly's blog: I really liked her idea and concepts illustrated on how she was going to teach first graders to grasp the concept of counting whole numbers to 100.  The website she listed, illuminations.nctm.org seemed to have a lot of neat, helpful activities; however, I was not able to find the activity she planned on using for this lesson.  I think it could have been more useful if she would have provided to actual link to the activity.  I still think this is a great idea in order to teach young children how to count and the concepts of regrouping.  I think this activity would work best if the teacher demonstrated it first, then decided to let the kids play around with it by themselves, allowing them to be familiar with the program before they are face with it alone.

Standards Workout for Lab 3

For this workout, I went to the Indiana State Standards Website. The subject area I explored was English/Language Arts for the 2nd Grade. I examined the standard indicator 2.5.3., which is "Write a friendly letter complete with the date, salutation (greeting, such as Dear Mr. Smith), body, closing, and signature."

The resource I decided to use was from the standards website, which explored the format used in writing a letter. The purpose of this activity was for students to "write a friendly letter complete with the date, salutation (greeting), body, closing, and signature."

The lesson requires the teacher to discuss with the class how special pets can be to people and then have each student pick a particular pet to talk about. The pet can be either theirs, a relative's, or a neighbor's. The students then are asked to describe what the pet looks like and why this pet is so special to them. They are then told that they are going to learn how to write a letter to a friend. This letter will be called, "Can you find my pet?" and will consist of the several characteristics that the student recalls about their pet and what their pet means to them. One way to incorporate technology into this activity is allowing the students to go to the computer lab and type up their letters, focusing on the correct format used for friendly letters. Also, maybe have the students find a picture of a pet that looks like theirs using google images. Then, have the students print out their letters so they are able to see how the format is neat and precise.

Technology was integrated into this lesson to make it more efficient, effective and enhanced. By encouraging students to type their letter, not only were they learning the format of a friendly letter, but they were also becoming more familiar and efficient typing on a keyboard. The activity is effective because it allows students to get a better view of a letter printed out, making them feel special and professional. The lesson is enhanced due to the pictures of their pet they included either attached to their letters, or directly on the front.