End of Year Video

Below you can view my End of Year video that I had made using Animoto!

This year has been an amazing year, and we have all become a family. I couldn't have had a better class to be with. I love all of you, and will miss you dearly.

Thank you: An Appreciation for my Teachers

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog,

Almost every student in the world has had at least one teacher that has made them feel special, or helped them in some way.With that, I'm sure they have wanted to say thank you to that teacher at some point, and since this week is Teacher Appreciation week, this is a great time for that! I know I have a teacher that I would like to thank and this teacher would actually have to be, the one and only, Mrs. Stevens.
I remember when I first entered the Ready Set Teach classroom my junior year of high school, I was really quiet and not very outgoing. Mrs. Stevens got me to come out of my shell a lot during this class. Going into this class, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher. While I had been learning from Mrs. Stevens how to do lesson plans and different teaching strategies, I had noticed that my love for teaching grew stronger and stronger. Mrs. Stevens was not only there to support me with my struggles throughout the past two years, but she has also been a great role model. I would like to thank her for everything she has done for me and my fellow classmates. I don't know where I would be if it weren't for her. She has changed my life completely, and I love her for that.

Thank you Mrs. Stevens.

Smartest Kids in the World- Part one

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog,

Amanda Ripley's book, The Smartest Kids in the World, is quite interesting. She delves into the lives of 3 students who go off and do study abroad for one school year in three different countries. Now, this is interesting because these students have no idea what they are getting into. Yeah, they may have a slight idea, but they don't understand the complexity of how Finland, Poland, and South Korea all work with their students inside the classroom. 

While I was reading the first part of this book (chapters 1-4), I was so interested in the way the students had been conducting themselves in the different countries. I think the country I was most interested in, was South Korea. It was so fascinating that one test was what judged what would happen throughout their whole life. I also thought it was quite odd that the teachers were completely okay with their students sleeping within the classrooms. I would have reacted the same way that Eric did while he was in the classroom. He was so confident when on his way their, but when he actually got to South Korea, he had ended up being a little concerned with the way things were going with the classes.

Even though the system for South Korea is a little weird, I would like to have some kind of system where you were pressured to get your life sorted out. I would like their to be a stricter system in the United States, because there are quite a few people that are just messing around, and don't want to figure out what they want to do with their lives, so having a system where your school can kind of lead you in that direction, would be pretty cool. 

What Will Revolutionize Education?

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog,

Learning. There is a formula for learning, and there are plenty of ingredients that go into this formula. Some of the ingredients would include: the teacher, technology, class size, the student, parents, etc. Some of these ingredients have more of a meaning than the others, and are more important.

I believe that the most important ingredient to the learning formula would be the students and their minds. When it comes to the teacher helping the students be successful with themselves in school, it requires the students to focus, and to want to be successful in order for them to achieve that goal.

When the students put themselves out there to learn, and to be involved in what is going on within the classroom, they will be able to see what it is like to learn, and to achieve more within the classroom. I believe that if every student, or at least a majority of the student body does this, then we will see a major increase in the results of the students involved in their classroom.

Students are the main ingredient in the learning formula, and with each others help, we can see how much of an effect they can have on that formula.

The Tribes Method!

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog,

What is the Tribes method?

The Tribes method is a way for teachers to be able to have their students in a learning environment that they are comfortable in. The purpose of this method is to allow the students to feel comfortable with their learning, and show a healthy development of their skills and knowledge. Withing the Tribes method, there are four tribes agreements that the students will have to follow. These agreements include:

1. Attentive listening
2. Appreciation
3. Mutual respect
4. The right to pass

I feel that this method is great. Student's should be able to feel comfortable in their learning environment. This method allows the students to feel positive about their learning and it helps them be more successful when they are able to work at the rate that they need to, The aspect of having mutual respect for others helps each of the students feel positive when they are working with others, because they hopefully won't feel judged about anything they are discussing in class.

In my opinion, I believe that there is a possibility that the Tribes method might work in my site school classroom. The reason I think it might not work, is because I am with a group of second graders. Second grade is still working on their main focusing skills, and my students are a group of kids that just love to talk. They will work together, but I'm not quite sure they will all have mutual respect for each other while working on a group assignment. The Tribes method would work best with a set of older students like middle or high school. This method could work in our classroom, however, we aren't a big class. We all work together as a group anyways when it comes to group assignments, so it would be pretty interesting to see our class use this method.

Like bookmarks? Get Symbaloo!

The web tool that I had chosen is called Symbaloo!

Symbaloo is a a great bookmarking website! You can get to your favorite websites with just one click and create/customize your own homepage!

Symbaloo has a pretty cool app on the iPhone and iPad that is very organized, plus it has a built in web browser! If you would like to view the app, please click here.

There is a tutorial for Symbaloo below if you would like to watch it.

In order to create an account on Symbaloo, all you have to do is 

1. Click on the sign up button.

2. Enter a username.

3. Enter password.

4. Re-enter password. 

5. You're ready to go! 

There is a free version of Symbaloo, but there is also a premium version. The premium version of Symbaloo costs $10/month.

The premium version would actually be great for teachers. With the premium version, you are able to share multiple webmixes at once, you have your own dedicated URL, and you have an admin panel where you are able to manage users on your account. 

There is not an age restriction on Symbaloo, nor do you need parent permission. 

While in my site school classroom, I could use this website as a bookmarking system for the sites that we usually visit during class, such as the math and reading websites. I'm not really sure I would use this in any of my classes at my high school because I don't go on the computer that much, except for when I am in Ready Set Teach.

I could see potentially see my site school teacher using this website. Although, I would have to teach her how to use it, that way she doesn't get frustrated. 

I hope you like this website, and would want to use this in the future! 

My Glogster!

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog,

Below you will see my Glog learning center! My learning center is a government related glog that will help me be able to teach my students the roles of the mayor, governor, and the president.

The Ron Clark Academy

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog,

If you would like to view the Ron Clark Academy website, click here! 

The Ron Clark Academy is an institution that has the "vision to transform classrooms around the world by demonstrating transformative methods" that the teachers use across the classrooms that are used the same way everywhere. 

The Ron Clark academy uses something called the Annual Fund to be able to raise money for the academy. The funds that they are able to raise up, go to academic programs, technology upgrades, and scholarships that will help students be able to be successful in their academic career. 

The Ron Clark Academy is different from other schools. The Ron Clark Academy is a school in which they do what they can to be the best school in the "world" by using different teaching techniques and "transformative methods" that they are very passionate about while they are teaching throughout the academy. 

What's a Wiki?

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog,

Click here to view my Wiki!

A Wiki is an electronic portfolio that shows all the work that I have done within my interning throughout my Education and Training class. You may view all of the different things that I have done in my class, including my lesson plans, my involvement in TAFE, and a little bit about me. It is a great resource for people to be able to view things that I may have not mentioned about myself.

The Teaching Channel

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog,


I found on the Teaching Channel website, that there are a couple of different videos that have different ways that teachers will teach specific subjects. There are two specific videos that I saw that I think would fit well with my classroom.

This first video is about how there are kinesthetic learners within the math environment. The teacher uses her students' hands in order for them to understand what they're learning with math. This helps me see that there are going to be students that will only learn with hands-on learning. Watching how effective teachers are, shows me that I have the ability to do the same things they do.

 This second video shows how teachers can avoid interruptions within their classrooms. This teacher uses something called the "3 B's" with her students so that they do not interrupt her while she is in the middle of doing guided reading, one-on-one conversation, etc. with another student. This video shows me that I could use something similar as a teacher, in order to have less interruptions within my classroom.

Humor in the Classroom!

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog,

There are so many teachers now-a-days that will teach with humor involved in their lessons, lesson plans, or even just to say to their students to get them through the day if they're having a bad day.

With wishful thinking, I hope that every teacher tries to be somewhat humorous during their days of teaching.I, myself, try to be a little bit funny with my students by joking around with them, making noises, or even acting as a character with them from a movie or a book.

I have a teacher that always tries her hardest to be the funniest teacher she can be, whether it is sarcasm, joking around with a student, or even just trying to say something funny to lighten someone's day. This teacher just happens to be the one and only, Mrs. Stevens! There was a time in the classroom when she had tried telling us that if we got to nationals, that she would try to "twerk" for those of the students that would advance to state for TAFE competitions last school year. We all could not stop laughing. We thought it was the funniest and cutest thing ever. :)

There are some really cool APPs or websites that I found in this article from the GoTeach! magazine that could be used in a classroom to show some humor. One of the ones that I happened to like, was the Tellagami website, where the students would be able to use an animation of their own, and make the figures talk. It would definitely get the students interacted in their work, and it makes the work a little more fun. :)

My Internship So Far...

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog,

My internship so far, has been amazing. My students are pretty great. I am with the second grade at Holiday Heights with Mrs. Ownby.

My first day at my school, the students greeted me as if they already knew who I was. They welcomed me home, like I was one of them. I felt really good.
When I am at my site school, we are working on English and Reading. Usually we will rotate around different subjects depending on what we need to get done for the day. I usually work on reading individually with my students and working in groups for math.
I am really looking forward to being able to teach the students more and getting them ready for the third grade. They are so willing to learn this year, and it means a lot to me.

The students show that they are willing to learn and some of them take a lot of initiative to pull me aside and ask if they can read with me.
There are a couple of differences from the way my class worked last year, to the way it works this year. The students I have this year are more willing to work with me and more willing to learn. The students are more interactive and cooperative this year. One of the students I work with has learned a new technique that I showed her while reading. Instead of just struggling with a word when she reads it, she will try to read it, and if she still can't read it correctly when she is reading, she will write the word down and practice it throughout the day.
I love my student's already, and I can tell they love me. I'm looking forward to making a difference to these kids. :)

Let's Reflect On Our Teacher Created Material!

In response to Mrs. Steven's blog,

I had done the Teacher Created Material project, because I was not able to go to TAFE Region. Although, I would have loved to go with my fellow interns.

I'm sure you all did a superb job, and I am very jealous that I didn't get to go.

The Teacher Created Material I had made was a set of sentence strips that had to do with homophones. During the making of the sentence strips, I had come up with a lesson that went along with what I was doing. The plan is that I will read the book, Dear Deer, by Gene Barretta, to the students and then talk a little bit about the differences in the homophonic words. When we finish talking about homophones, I will then split the students up into groups of around 3-4 and they will be going through the different sentence strips.

The sentence strips are laminated pieces of sentence strips provided by my teacher, Mrs. Stevens. There are sentences provided on the strips that have a blank.

 At the top of the sentence strips,  are 3 different choices of the words that the students will have to write on the sentence strip with an expo marker. The students will then flip their sentence strip over, to check their answers. Having the strips with their own self-checking method, helps the students be able to see if they actually did their work correctly.

I will have to test the students to make sure they understand the way the homophones work.

The way in which I will have an assessment for my students with this activity would be that I would have the students come up with their own sentences that include the different homophonic words. I will then grade them, depending on how well they know the difference between the homophones.  Hopefully this will help the students be able to understand the differences between homophones.

Significant Relationships

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog,

Almost everyone in the world has had some teacher or adult in their life that has made a great impact on them.  If you don't have someone that has made an impact on you, then you haven't really opened your eyes up to reality, and looked at the bigger picture.

I had a specific teacher during my junior year, who changed my life completely. Carla Dalton, or Mrs. Dalton, is currently an Algebra 1 teacher at Richland High School. She was a PreAP Algebra 2 teacher when I had her last school year.

As I was in her classroom, we gradually became closer as I always received her help and advice. Getting to know Mrs. Dalton and getting a better relationship with her, motivated me to try harder in her classroom and influenced me to want to learn more, ask more questions, and even do better on assignments and tests.  As the year went on, Mrs. Dalton became like a motherly figure to me. Although I still see her every once in a while, it was a difficult time for me to leave her classroom.

As I visualize myself being a teacher in the future, I will most definitely be a role model for my students.  I aim to be one of the best role models/adult figures for my students. I will make sure my students understand the material that I will be teaching.  In order for me to be a really effective teacher, I will make sure that I form some type of bond with my students and be there for them if they need me. I am looking forward to being a teacher, and being a great role model to them.

My Dreams for Teaching

In response to Mrs. Stevens' wiki,

There are a couple different websites that could be useful for teachers when lesson planning. I have at least 3 different websites that I would use with my second graders.

One of the websites that I would use to help me make a lesson, would be Scriblink. Scriblink is a great online whiteboard that teachers could use to show their students different things, that they might be teaching.

Another website I would use to help me with lesson planning would be Discovery Education. Discovery Education is a great website that can help you, as a teacher, do many things with lesson planning. Discovery Education helps you look at different videos or pictures that you can save, and use later on if you were to create a clipboard to use in class.

The last and final website I would use for lesson planning would be Prezi. Prezi is a great presentation website that teachers use for different lessons. Prezi is just like powerpoint, but it is a more interactive type website.

There are many other different websites that you could use that are beneficial for making a lesson, or even just to use for the classroom, to prepare you for a lesson.

Does Spelling Count?

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog, 

In the article "Does Spelling Count?" The author states their opinion on how they feel about spelling in the classroom, and wether it really counts for their future. To the author, spelling counts a great deal, but it isn't the only thing that matters to her.

There are other things, like 'grades' that the author says that matter more than spelling itself. It's almost a sad realization that these kids are getting focused on the fact that grades are more important than their spelling skills.

The author has a very precise opinion on how they like the classrooms. They wouldn't know what it would be like if schools were to not have different subjects, and teachers had to teach everything all together. How would the education world be like if we were to be like that?

2014 The Year in Review

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog,

The following is my Animoto video! This year was great, and I'm looking forward to next year.

Rules

In response to Mrs. Stevens' blog,

1. Keep your hands to yourselves. 
2. Do not shout over the teacher.
3. Do not argue.
4. Do not tattle over little things.
5. Think first things first.
6. Focus on your own problems.

If the students do not cooperate with these rules, then they will sit out of recess, or just owe time during recess. Whichever, is necessary. 

ThingLink

Here is my ThingLink about Ron Clark!

Failure

In response to Mrs. Stevens blog,

As a student, I veiw failure as being on of the worst things to happen. I am one of those student's that thinks when they fail an assignment or a test, they stay in a bad mood for the rest of the day. I can't stand failing. It makes me feel like I can't be a success.

 As a teacher, I view failure as not being able to be a good role model towards your students. If I can't make my students understand what I am trying to explain to them, then I feel like I have failed as a teacher trying to get my point across to them.

In my honest opinion, I dont think grades are a factor of knowledge. Grades a just a way for teachers to show their students how they are doing in their class. So yes, they are a small factor of knowledge, but the main facor is "How am I learning this material, and will it be helpful for me in the future?"

Being unsuccessful would definitely give me some perspective, and encourage me to try harder in class. If I were stuck in a situation where I was being very unsuccessful, and I needed to bring my grades up, I would definitely choose the more successful rate. I would rather take the more challenging, successful road, than the road that leads me to failure.

How do you handle criticism? Well, to answer that question, I handle criticism in a couple different ways. I will either take it as constructive criticism, and use to to get better. Then there are other times where I will take the criticism as something negative, and I will focus on the negative throughout the day. A majority of the time, I will try to make things better.