Reflections and Musing on My Personal Blogs

 It’s easy for me to review my older posts on Blogger as if I’m reading someone else’s writing. I practically am someone else. This person who has been blogging under my name uses words to review technology that I would not have believed myself capable of. While I can think back to when I wrote each blog and remember why I wrote the things I wrote it still always feels surreal to read my own writing. Sometimes I’ll read something and think, “Hmm, interesting choice of words. What was I thinking?” Sometimes I’ll think, “Wow, this sounds intelligent.” It’s like once I start writing I become capable of thinking in ways my normal conscience has not acquired.

 The theme I found most often in my review of my personal blogs was my desire for every activity to be fun for my students. This really makes me feel like I’m reading a stranger’s blog. In theory, I really do want my students to have fun learning but I rarely feel “fun” these days. I guess this is just at the heart my teaching philosophy so hopefully that shines through in the classroom. Rereading my blogs gave me the opportunity to reflect on how frightened I was of technology in the classroom at the beginning of the semester and how I write about it like it’s commonplace for me now. It’s still not commonplace but I’m clearly beginning to understand and use the language associated with incorporating technology in the classroom and that gives me hope for my ability to actually use what I have learned.

Technology and The Young & Restless

  I chose this video as an example of technology being used in the classroom because while it's short and sweet,  it instantly impressed me. Tell & Show Skype! The majority of the five year olds I know enjoy show and tell time and I feel it's important for teaching public speaking skills and allowing the children to ask one another questions. Imagine using Skype to accomplish this! It just took the show and tell excitement level up astronomically! I think I underestimated the usefulness of digital cameras in the classroom. I guess I was thinking that in this day and age digital cameras are not really exciting technology compared to all of the fancy equipment available to classrooms today. Thinking outside of the box (with the help of this video) reminds me that it is not necessarily the USE of the cameras in the classroom that will be the rewarding, exciting part but the FINAL PRODUCT on display. It really is magical for anyone, let alone a five year old, to see their finished product on display for all to see. For a unit plan on body parts it would be fun to allow the children to take pictures of activities they associate with certain body parts or they could scavenge and take pictures of items or activities involving each of the five senses. One important obstacle I can foresee for using YouTube in  a kindergarten classroom, specifically, is that many parents are going to associate YouTube with television viewing and not understand or appreciate the educational component. I think allowing parents to preview some examples of the types of videos I will be using would be helpful. Of course, it might not always be possible to preview the videos too far in advance because videos on YouTube come and go. At the very least, though, providing examples would help parents and administrators to invest their trust in my judgement.

Using Spreadsheets in the Classroom For Fun and Learning

OH HOW I LOVE SPREADSHEETS!! Due to my obsessive love with spreadsheets I feel that people of all ages should love them with me! Even young children can have fun with spreadsheets. With the use of an electronic whiteboard, I can enlarge the image on the screen so the entire class can see the spreadsheet fill in. We can create a spreadsheet to graph the favorite colors in the class, the various eye colors in the class, the number of siblings the students have. The topics we can graph are limitless and by graphing them we are effectively bring statistics to life for (even) preschoolers. The letter of the week is T. Wonderful. How many students in here have last names beginning with T? We are getting Language Arts, Mathematics, and maybe even some Social Studies in. The advantages are that the students are exploring and researching information even if it is only through asking each other questions and they are then using this information to reach a higher level of thinking. For instance, from this graph we can answer questions to help us make certain assumptions about the population represented in our classroom. I just cannot see a disadvantage to this. Well, except that it is sometimes difficult to keep the children focused on the topics we are supposed to be graphing. For instance, Kevin has two sisters but his mom refers to his dog as his brother so can he graph that? Or is that supposed to go on the pet graph? This sounds like a silly example but it is my job to make this fun and easy for the young students to comprehend. They have the lovable, unique ability to break down any lesson until it’s shredded into itty bitty pieces and ask a question about each piece. One has to repeatedly remind the students what we are focusing on and what our goal for the spreadsheet is supposed to ultimately be. Communication and collaboration is fundamental for making this fun! The kids want to work together and laugh together to build a spreadsheet. This is using technology to organize research in its most basic form. The children are able to explore the NET-S by critically thinking and problem-solving in how they interpret the information we gather on the spreadsheet. Students who are given the chance to input information on the spreadsheet themselves are really receiving the opportunity to learn about Technology Operations and Concepts and they don’t really have to feel like they are “learning” about the computer. 

Using Databases in the Early Childhood Classroom

The most important way I can think to use a database in my early childhood classroom is to keep myself organized and to have information at the ready for my parents whenever it is needed. I can keep a database of birthdays in my classroom that the children can check daily. I can keep a database in my classroom with student information such as allergies and special needs as well as their guardian information so I have it to easily access when needed. More than an advantage, this is a necessity really. A huge disadvantage is that this entire concept of building and using a database is not really something my preschoolers will be able to wrap their heads around so it is best used on a professional level. However, I can incorporate Communication and Collaboration in my classroom by encouraging them to help build the databases. 

Using Word Processing Software in the Early Childhood Classroom

As an early childhood educator, I am most likely to integrate Word Processing software into my classroom as an effective way of presenting material. Beyond worksheets, I can use word processing software to print up large words to label items around my classroom that the children can see from their seats whether they be at their tables or on the circle time carpet. Even very young children will have fun copying written words onto the computer via Word Processing software. This can be done to provide the written story to correspond to their original artwork that I have scanned onto the computer prior to the typing, copying activity. Advantages of using this type of software in my classroom are monumental when one considers how important it is to include young children in the technology sensation. This provides the students with upfront experience with the computer and they get the opportunity to see their work displayed in a professional, grown-up way. Disadvantages are that these types of activities can sometimes be very time-consuming with young children that are still exploring the keyboard and all of its magic. Young students need extra one-on-one instruct to understand the importance of NOT pressing certain buttons and how to use certain other functions of the magical keyboard. Word Processing software allows me to incorporate several of the NETS for Students in my classroom. For instance, this is but a medium for the children to see their creativity and innovation come to life. Technology Operations and Concepts are included in a NET that is important to present to children as early as possible. Technology is going to be a part of their lives so it is best to give them a head start in this realm by allowing them to explore and use software such as this. 

Review of The Magic School Bus and How it Can Be Used to Support a Theme on the Human Body

Recently, I reviewed the web-based program for the Magic School Bus p(ublished by Scholastic, Inc.; copyright 2011)and I found this program to be highly entertaining and both eye-catching and ear-catching. The site even provides video clips on the various topics for the children to preview with information on where to find full episodes. The program is free to use and provides ideas for classroom activities, whole science kits for purchase, and even “pop” quizzes to test the children on their knowledge of the various topics. This is largely a science-based program but the subtopics run the full gamut of everything from adventures in space to kitchen science. Other topics covered include earth science, life science, physics, archaeology, much more. The intended age range is from three years to 10 years and would work wonderfully in a kindergarten classroom. Specifically, this site would come in handy for supporting a theme on the human body. A significant theme used in science for kindergarteners is that of the five senses. This site provides fun activities for the kindergarteners to perform to increase their knowledge base of how the senses work. A fun game on this site is called “Gets an Earful” where the student listens to a sound and has to match it the object that typically makes the sound. This is an easy way to demonstrate the function of hearing and what we would be missing without our sense of hearing. The activities and experiments typically call for small groups to carry out the directions and exploration which is a fun way for young students to learn the art of cooperation and teamwork.  Students can take a quiz regarding their knowledge of the human body either before, during, or after the unit and this will give some of the students a true feeling of success. However, for students who need hands-on activity to learn the material the experiments provided are a true gateway to learning. This website is not necessarily all that interactive so the true purpose or function for the classroom will be the activities and ideas provided. For the group work projects provided I would want to have a loosely structured classroom environment where the students are free to check out the groups’ projects and discuss with each other their findings.

  The fact that this program really isn’t that interactive is the huge drawback for a group of kindergarteners. I feel that the video clips will hold their attention for only a short while but hopefully they will serve to pique the students’ interest in further exploration of the human body. The main advantage of this program is that includes characters from T.V. and books that many of my students will already be familiar with. It can be extremely helpful for students to hear the same, valid, factual information from beloved, trusted characters that they hear in the classroom because sometimes my word just isn’t enough.

Review of The Human Body Explorer Deluxe and Recommendation for Use in a Kindergarten Classroom

  Upon researching information for The Human Body Explorer Deluxe I discovered that many parents and educators found this software to be effective in teaching about the human body. This program is suitable for ages six to nine years and would specifically meet the criteria of what our school is looking for in an interactive program to teach about the human body.

  The Human Body Explorer Deluxe teaches, through interaction, about basic human anatomy including basic function of body organs, the five senses, the Digestive System, the Circulatory System, and the importance of healthy living. The students will be able to test their own progress in fun, lively, timed gaming assessments.

  The children take guided tours through the human body and then get a chance to test what they have learned through interactive gaming provided on the software. The children get the opportunity to piece together a human skeleton and after practicing can piece it together against a timer. The main character for the software is a human skeleton that adds comedy and wit to learning anatomy for such a young age group. There is even the opportunity for the students to decide what the skeleton will do during his day including what he eats, what activities he pursues, and how long he sleeps. The program will start over if he spends too much time in front of the television to reiterate healthy living habits.

  Our K-2 grade levels will benefit from this software in ways that standard model displays have not been able to benefit them. In addition to interactively exploring the human body as a class, the students will be able to play the games and explore the software on their own at their own leisure so they will be learning while having fun. Priced at below $20.00 for a single software unit, the package actually includes The Human Body Explorer and The Science Explorer and was  published by DK Interactive Publishing in 2000. This could potentially save the school money in material costs. As it is now, models of human organs are costly and we do not them in every classroom which is a hindrance when combining the various classrooms for interactive group work. This software is priced at a point well under budget and is affordable enough that when the time comes to upgrade the school will not be taking a loss. Often assessing young children on their knowledge of anatomy can be difficult but this software provides teachers with a way to observe the children’s knowledge and understanding through their gaming.

 According to Discovery Education, this software is highly re-playable so the children will not grow bored with exploring this program again and again. Discovery Education says that through the experiments and interactive gaming, this software keeps the children tuned in and eager to keep learning. Also, Discovery Education found this software to be layered in a way that allows the students to go in depth on any topic they choose. Each level has another sublevel with more information. This helps to ensure a sound financial investment so that children are not just playing through a game, beating it, and done with it. Many parents are impressed by the knowledge their children display after using this software and Discovery Education gave it the Award of Excellence. Following is a link to the Discovery Education Review site.

Discovery Education Review Corner. 2011. Discovery Education. 19 March 2011. <http://school.discoveryeducation.com/parents/reviewcorner/software/humanbodyexpl.html>

Pros and Cons of Implementing Mobile Computing Devices in the Classroom

 If, in a magical world, my classroom was provided with a set of mobile computing devices I would have several reasons to be excited and several reasons to be concerned. To begin with, I fear many educators may look at this technology as a cure-all for what our students are “lacking in today’s schools.” In contrast of what I believe many parents and educators think, I do not feel that giving a child an e-reader or ipod will turn them into lovers of reading or even improve their reading magically. Yes, it is true that the more children read the better readers they will become and this is obviously influenced by their access to reading material. However, truly fluent readers increase their reading ability through discussion of the reading material, recall, and even prediction with the help of picture walks. I would have to be very careful to ensure that my students are still interacting with one another. In early childhood classrooms, interacting via computers can be tricky. If the students are sharing a device that remains in the classroom they at least have the opportunity to build on social skills through compromise, collaboration, and sharing and taking turns. I would also need to be sure to balance the time my students have using the mobile computing devices and learning through manipulatives and physical play. The website http://www.netc.org/earlyconnections/preschool/technology.html has some good points about the effect flashy imagery and fast-paced computer programming can have on a young child. How can we expect our young children to sit through standard old circle time discussing shapes and colors if they can see them flash all fancy like and excitingly on their handheld. A good balance is necessary to help children learn effectively through a variety of media and nothing can really replace hands-on learning experiences. Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that perhaps some computer programs DO a better of teaching some things to SOME children but when teachers provide various media to learn from they are increasing the likelihood that they will reach ALL of their students.

 The advantage of using this technology in the classroom is that it is nice to have something flashy but educational to enhance the students’ learning. It can be tricky to be incessantly creative and energetic enough to reach every child in the way they need to be reached. Technology such as handheld computers provides a plethora of options as far as programming for introducing material and sustaining the students’ attention. Also, and I admit this can be a frustration at times, a limited number of devices may require the children to share or take turns with the devices. This is what I think early childhood education is all about: building social skills while developing a love for learning.

 I would use mobile computing devices in my classroom to provide my students with updated, relevant material. It is truly a delight to be able to provide my students with videos, games, and reading material relevant to what they are curious about. Much the Leapsters available for preschool aged children, children (all people really) learn best when they are presented with material in a variety of ways and flashy, digital imagery is definitely an enhancement.

Implementing the NETS for Students: Technology Operations and Concepts in the Classroom

  The NETS for Students I can most relate to my educational experience for this week is Technology Operations and Concepts. Until this week in my life I always ignored the Print Screen key on my keyboard. Performing functions such as Control + V to paste a screen shot onto a Word Document and Control + S to save it made me feel really “techy” and savvy. This particular NETS says that students should be able to use technology systems and be able to choose the most efficient system to use to complete the required task at hand. Now that I know what the Print Screen key is for I honest to goodness do not what I did before it was in my life! This NETS also includes the ability to transfer current knowledge to the learning of new technologies. I think this is important when learning any new technology. For instance, just being able to alternate between the screen for the website I was evaluating and the screen with my Word Document in progress was an ability that really helped me complete my assignment in a timely manner.

  I am really enjoying reading Derek Bruff’s blog “Teaching With Classroom Response Systems.” I have not had the luxury of working with Clickers with any age of students but I would like to be able to use that technology. The Tweets from students using Clickers shed some insight into how frustrating it can be for them to purchase the clickers only to have the professor unable to properly use the system. I would not want to be that instructor! I also do not think I like the idea of using the Clickers as merely a way to take attendance. However, being that children as young as kindergarten are learning and being assessed through the use of clickers and programs such as Mouse Mischief I really think that this is a technology I would like to promote and teach in my classroom. I checked out the Mouse Mischief blog to see how other teachers were using this technology in their class and found it really interesting. I understand that they are promoting a product but at the same time, most of us are always ready for fresh, inspiring teaching ideas. I mean, they have a Facebook following so there must be something to this! The ability for my students to manipulate drawings and create designs with the use of a program like Mouse Mischief means I am nurturing more than one kind of intelligence in my classroom. While they have a visual to use, they are also able to manipulate their work through hands-on interaction with the program. I also like the idea of using Mouse Mischief to poll the class on anything they might find interesting to discuss. I can see this working in even a class of kindergarteners. It’s just my opinion but there is no debate or discussion quite like the ones that take place between the five and under set! I am including a link to the Mouse Mischief blog site.

< http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mousemischief/archive/2010/06/12/drawing-slides-help-students-grasp-and-integrate-information.aspx>

Assessing My Experience With the Social Bookmarking Tool Del.icio.us

  Recently I was required to create a Delicious account as part of an assignment. I was apprehensive because that’s basically just my natural state, but I found that creating the account was actually pretty easy! Following the directions outlined in a YouTube video I simply went to the Del.icio.us website and logged in with my yahoo account information. It prompted me to create a toolbar button for Delicious and explained how (in my case I just had to click a button). Now, whenever I find a webpage I want to save I just click the Save to Delicious button on my toolbar. For each page I save I provide a brief note about the page and why it was useful to me. Then I label each saved page with tags or keywords to describe the content of the page. This way anyone looking for sites about “lesson plans” for instance can type in “lessonplans” and see every page saved with that tag. It’s pretty amazing! I think my favorite part about using Delicious or probably any social bookmarking tool is that it makes research easy! I can look to see what other people have found related to my interest and even see what have been the most popular sites. These sites are usually popular for a reason and usually it’s because they have been the most helpful. I guess my least favorite part about creating the Delicious account is just that it’s one more account to keep track of. I guess the idea is that Delicious will help me keep track of my various account pages but that’s thinking a little too big for me this soon. I think saving pages to Delicious could be pleasing to my OCD and maybe a little addictive! This site can be helpful in just about any course at FTCC. My class had to label the websites we are researching for this assignment with EDU271 so when I type in this tag to search for it comes up with what all of my classmates have found already. This is definitely easier than asking everyone individually or even going through a Discussion Board to read what each individual person has saved. For group projects my group members could agree on a unique tag to use on the sites we find for our research thus making it easy to see what each member has found and saved by simply typing in that tag. This helps to save us from hyperlinks that do not work due to typos or spelling errors because we have already tried our URLs out on Delicious. In my own classroom, I think Delicious would be an excellent reference for my parents. Any issue or question they have or anything they wish to expand upon that their children are learning in class can be easily researched by my providing information about Delicious. Either I can show them how to access information on Delicious and how to create an account or I can do all the legwork myself and provide them with what I have found. I always think it’s nice to provide parents with information on resources they can turn to for questions about appropriate child development or developmentally appropriate activities for their children so Delicious makes finding this information easier for me.

Crickweb.co.uk - primary interactive resources

<http://www.crickweb.co.uk/Early-Years.html#leckysfriends4>
  The website Crickweb.co.uk- primary interactive resources is an interactive site designed to provide activities on many subjects to enhance an educator’s lesson plans and thus student learning. The author of this site can be contacted via the Contact link provided in the case of any questions or comments. In fact, they approve some longtime users’ requests to share activities they have created on this site. Dan Bunker actually writes the resources for this site but he works with his brother to design the site. He appears to be more than qualified for this role. Bunker actually runs a business in the United Kingdom that hires trained, experienced tutors to work with educators in the classroom to learn how to use their technology tools correctly and how to include these resources in relevant ways to enhance learning. He is familiar with the standards for learning in the UK and provides resources (for free) on this site to enhance students’ opportunities to reach them. While the author does include links to his private business this does not appear to be completely for advertisement purposes. In fact, this appears to be more to validate the website by providing the user with his qualifications. The purpose of the website seems pretty straightforward. The activities are free as well as hundreds of links they provide to access more free material. The site uses technology to enhance learning! While no date is posted for the updates to the site it is clear that it is worked on routinely. For instance, each month they add the prior month’s most popular links. This can be very helpful to educators because often links are the most popular because they are the most helpful. All of the links to activities I tried are still active and easy to use. While there is advertising on the page they, themselves, do not have any product they appear to be selling. It really is a free service. This site is going to be helpful to me in developing my unit on Body Parts. The interactive activities allow the children to practice putting body parts where they belong and I can incorporate positional vocabulary into the activity by having them talk me through the activity. The children can create the body for an alien or apply appendages to a “scary spud.” This site seems fun, interesting, and helpful. As for reliability I can’t see how it could prove unreliable. I am using it to ENHANCE a lesson not necessarily use it as a lesson in itself. I have the option of picking and choosing the activities from the site I feel will most benefit my students and creating a creature by putting body parts on it allows for creativity (they get to choose earrings, nail polish, etc.) and the basics of identifying the proper locations for body parts.

Evaluating What Worked and Did Not Work For a Collaborative Wiki Page Assignment

  This past week I completed a group project for which I was responsible for researching and contributing my findings in the effort to collaboratively develop a reference page in the Teaching and Learning Resources wiki with my fellow group members. Our professor has stated that there were several purposes for this assignment. Obviously, one of the main purposes for this group assignment was for us to experience completing a project with a group. For some this may have been a first experience working in a group setting and for others this may be something they have experienced many times throughout the course of their educational or professional career. Also, and this was new to many of us I’m sure, was that this project served the purpose of giving us the opportunity to learn more about the functions of a wiki page. During the assignment we had to post information and revise it and to do so without repeating our group members’ contributions but instead by either adding to their contributions or creating new sections of information. The particular group I was in was responsible for researching and providing information about the learning theory of “constructivism.” Several of us assigned ourselves to the topic, so I can say personally that I was already interested in the subject and in exploring it further.

 The group in which I was involved had a lot of trouble getting started. I don’t think this can be contributed to any one person. One of our group members jumped right in and began editing preexisting information on the page. The rest of us, however, took a little longer to figure out what was going on. For instance, I think I was waiting to kind of get a feel for how the page was supposed to flow and unfortunately, I think others were doing the same. I think with more time we could have created a more comprehensive informational page but with the time we were each able to contribute I think we ended up with more information that I expected. Because we were slow to collaborate it made it kind of tricky to disperse roles for the group. I found an area that I felt worthy of expanding upon and kind of claimed it for my own but I never really got much feedback on whether that was ok with anyone. One thing that definitely did not work was creating the Discussion Page. We just didn’t use it. In hindsight, I probably should have just stuck with the comment section on the main page. I know one thing I did that was a hindrance to my group and that had to be my lack of time for the project. Very recently our little preschool suffered two tragic, completely unexpected losses. This required funeral visits, planning meetings for what we were going to do for the families and more than anything extra time in the office helping to keep everything caught up. I think what made this group project so difficult is that none of us were able to make the project our top priority at the same time to collaborate in a real-time situation. While getting a good grade is a definite priority for me, it’s funny how this second time around I just cannot always make my schoolwork my number one priority every day. The perfectionist in me wants to, but the adult in me says to keep up with my grown-up responsibilities. In the future I might reach out to my fellow group members as early as possible. I could tell that one of my group members that I thought was just ignoring the assignment actually contributed a lot to the page once she understood what was going on. Keeping this in mind, I will not assume anything about my group members and I’ll try not to be too shy to reach out. I was afraid to ask if anyone needed help because I didn’t want to come across as pushy or a know-it-all, especially since I know so little about anything in this class! At one point I asked if there was a time everyone could be available so we could discuss how to go about dissecting the various portions of the page and I did not receive any feedback. Again, I think this was possibly because I posted it to the separate discussion page.  In the future it would be nice to have some roles established early on and negotiate who will be revising what. At times I would start to edit something and then think I would be offended if someone just starting slashing through my work. Also, in the future I will just get started! It really didn’t work or make sense for us to wait on each other in order to understand how to do it. I think all of us were a little unsure of ourselves (or that’s the impression I got). If, in the future, we just dive in and start working it will give more timid teammates a stronger base to work from.

Identifying Lesson Topics

  Teachers should identify lesson topics to include in instruction based in large part on what the children are currently interested in. If the children are interested in the topic they have a better chance of understanding the material and applying it in future situations. The IRIS module also explains that while each topic taught should fit into the unit and its corresponding benchmark or standard, the specific topic being used for that concept has more room for being creative.  Of course, the lesson itself should be based on the standards set and fit into the curriculum set for the particular school.  For example, if the students need to be learning about addition there is nothing to say that they cannot learn to add their scores from a game the class likes to play. This is more exciting and more relevant to the students than just adding random numbers and it shows them how addition is applicable and useful to real-life.

Meeting the Needs of All Students

  The IRIS module mentions six guidelines or principles that should guide teachers’ planning in order to meet the needs of all students: Big Ideas, Conspicuous Strategies, Mediated Scaffolding, Strategic Integration, Primed Background Knowledge, and Judicious Review. Big Ideas corresponds with the idea that all students learn differently and so flexibility should be built into the timeline from the very beginning of planning a learning unit. Conspicuous Strategies lends itself to our planning, implementing, and making clear to our students which steps are expected to be taken in completing a task or lesson. If there is a way to help the students be successful on project then they need that information and the how-to from the beginning. Mediated Scaffolding is the idea of providing students with assistance necessary to be successful on an assignment or assessment and slowly reducing the amount of assistance provided and theoretically needed until the assistance is no longer required at all. Strategic Integration is where teachers get to be creative. Including outside, relevant ideas into the topic being taught is a great way for students to explore the topic more thoroughly. For instance, if we are learning about primates, asking a local animal rescue to bring their baby spider monkeys in for a visit is an effective method for increasing the students’ interest and fascination in the topic. Strategic Integration is again making content more relevant to the students. If we can tie into the lesson personal testimonies about the subject at hand we are increasing the students’ ability to relate academic content to real-life. Judicious Review is essentially including review at any and all appropriate times throughout lessons beyond the one where concepts are first introduced. We do this all the time in Sunday School by asking the children to recall other people in the Bible who had similar experiences to the one being discussed.

Instructional Cycle

  The three stages of the instructional cycle are identifying the intended instructional outcomes, planning the instruction, and assessment. In the first step the teacher must identify what the students are supposed to learn, how they learn it, and how they will demonstrate that they have learned it. When creating the unit the teacher must identify which of the content standards and specific benchmarks the unit is addressing. From the very beginning, the teacher should know how they will be testing the students’ knowledge both throughout the unit and at the end. The planning stage requires the teacher to work on lessons for a unit that will teach their students in the most appropriate manner. How will the lessons be delivered, assessed, adapted? The third stage is the assessment portion. This is when the lessons are actually being carried out and the new knowledge and skills are being applied. Assessment is involved in both formal and informal assessments delivered and collected by the teacher but also in how the students carry out the projects implemented in the lessons. The teacher has already decided which instructional outcomes should be demonstrated so now it is time to observe and collect data. Based on the assessment results the teacher has a strong indication of whether or not the lessons were effective or the instruction important.

Components of Good Assessment

  Three components of a good assessment are that it uses more than one way to measure progress, it is teacher or grader friendly, and it should match its purpose to the skills actually being assessed. Not all students learn the same and likewise not all students test the same. Some students may be wildly successful on a multiple-choice assessment but struggle with essay questions or vice versa. It is important to not always test in the same styles and to provide more than one type of assessment throughout the unit. For an assessment to be teacher friendly it really just means that the teacher can handle it in an appropriate amount of time from the creation of the test through grading and returning it to the students with appropriate feedback.  The IRIS module mentions that in order for feedback to be of any use to the student they need to receive it back in a timely manner. Otherwise it’s not really going to benefit them in that particular class anyway. So if the teacher has 300 students in a lecture hall and three other classes added to that, he or she may give out a lot more multiple choice or computer generated assessments rather than grade 900 essay assessments. The third component is one that the module explained to be that if the teacher is checking to see if the students have memorized rote facts a multiple-choice test may be more appropriate than an essay test where the students can kind of weave all sorts of irrelevant information into their explanations. Likewise, it is very difficult to see if the students can apply their knowledge using only multiple-choice questions (even if they are everyone’s favorite)!

Adapting Instruction

  Adapting instruction is important for several reasons. For one thing, schools are seeing more and more classrooms with a large number of children with special needs included. Educators need to be able to adapt their lessons to accommodate a large span of abilities and academic levels. It is important we have an understanding of how to best do this because we need to be able to adapt a lesson to suit the purpose without “giving away the grade.” For instance, Johnny may need the test presented orally because he has a visual disability. Depending on his cognitive delays or lack-there-of I will still ask him the same questions I am asking the other students. I just need to prepare for this. Can a volunteer conduct activities with my other students while I give Johnny and maybe several other students their test orally? Or can he take the test at the same time as the rest of the class but with a recording and headphones?  My goal is to give Johnny the closest thing to a “typical” classroom experience while not causing him failure due to his disability. Another reason that adapting instruction is important is that teaching is not a one-size-fits all delivery. While in one class having all the material for a project spread out on the table is the most efficient, effective way to accomplish our goals, in another class I may have the students get their own materials out. Students in that first class have already accomplished the motor skills they need and my focus is on the actual project. For students in the other class, the act of their reaching up for the materials may be their ultimate success for that project. Perhaps watching them glue on paper will not be the point of that project because they can already work the glue stick. Surely it might have been easier for me to just lay the materials out but I would have deprived them of the challenge and the ultimate success.

Information-Processing Model

 The information-processing model of learning is broken down into a series of continuous steps. The first step to processing information is simply receiving it. Now for most of us simply hearing words spoken in the background is not enough for us to be able to recall what was said later. In order for students to really remember what they are learning they must be paying attention to it and usually in order for them to pay attention it has to be interesting. Once the information has been received or attended to it is placed in the short-term memory. The IRIS module explained that some refer to the short-term memory as the “working memory.” I really like the imagery this gives me. I am thinking this is the stage where we go in and tweak the gears, oil what needs oiled, reboot a few misperceptions, and put those gears to work. Likely, most educators learned a little something about memory in their very first introductory education course. I am no expert but I even I know that information stored in the short-term memory will not stay there long. It’s time to move it on to the long-term memory so let’s get those gears moving up there. Not all of our students will recall information in the same way. For some, putting information into a song will be the best way for them to mentally playback what they need to know for future use. The module mentions that some students really benefit from the use of a key-word strategy. Another suggestion it mentions is that grouping like items into categories is helpful for many students. When I was in third grade my teacher drew a picture of a potato and a tomato on the chalkboard complete with faces, arms, and legs. She drew ridiculous looking toes and said it was because all potatoes have “toes” and tomatoes have “toes”. Third grade was a long time ago and I still remember how to pluralize potatoes and tomatoes! Another method this same teacher used was recitation. When practicing our times tables we would always say, “Seven times seven is 49ers!” I think I will always have an image of a burly football player mining for gold and I will not forget that seven times seven is 49! We have stored the information in the long-term memory but how do make sure it will still be there for next year? Application seems to be the best way to keep the memory in good working order. The IRIS module explains that information received in an organized fashion is more easily retrieved. This means that when we take the time to help our students memorize important keys in a way that suits them such as with key-word associations or through categorization we are helping to ensure that they will have this information to pull from. Additionally, applying this knowledge to real-time, real-life events or interests is a great way for students to remember items through association. My son can relate just about anything to Star Wars (even the relation doesn’t make much sense to me). He remembers sight words he reads out of his Star Wars readers because he remembers the picture on the page where he saw it last. He can then point those words out anywhere. I know Ahsoka and Anakin are swimming around his gears up there but he’s reading and relating and learning more vocabulary thanks to them! I think really, the hallmark of a good curriculum is when review is a regular part of the lessons. Applying our knowledge is, in even my personal experience, the best way to keep it from becoming irretrievable.

Learning Characteristics

  Teachers should familiarize themselves with the individual learning characteristics in their classroom. For starters, teachers should be knowledgeable about their students’ current working knowledge and skill level. What have they already learned in grades prior? In what areas are they struggling? Are all of the students coming from this school or are some coming from schools with fewer advantages and resources? The resources available to each child in their home, school and community greatly affects their life experiences and what they have learned from them. Teachers can glean this knowledge by assessing their students at the beginning of a new unit and then at the end. This tells the teacher several things. The teacher has an idea of what has to be covered because it hasn’t been covered before or what they can simplify in their lessons because it is already understood by the students. No two groups of students will be alike so the lesson plan for a unit that worked well a year before will still need to be adapted for the current group. The assessments also tell teachers at the end what, if anything, the students have learned. This is a great way to evaluate whether or not presenting the unit in that manner was successful. Teachers should also familiarize themselves with how their students learn best. Some students learn best through visual presentations, some through auditory lessons, and others through movement or doing it themselves. The IRIS module explains that while all students have their own, unique way of learning, lessons that incorporate more than one way of learning are the most successful. For instance, in addition to reading the lesson in the textbook, the lesson could also be presented on an audiotape for the students to take home. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the students in a particular class? It is important not to play to the same strengths every lesson. If all lessons are presented through a lecture, the students who learn best through auditory stimulation will have an advantage while students who struggle with auditory processing will struggle all year. In addition, knowing where the strengths and weaknesses lie can help the teacher to creatively present some material. For instance, if I know that math is just not a forte for some of my students and that glazed over look comes into their eyes at the very mention of “numbers” I will need to get creative! Let’s act out a story problem using props or Oreos or whatever does pique their interest. They will be doing math and it can be relatively painless! But I need to be aware of this before I make my plans for the lessons so I have the right amount of time, resources, space, etc. The teachers’ feedback to their students is incredibly important in that students cannot improve or even understand what they did wrong without a clear breakdown of their assessment scores. Through this process, teachers also have the chance to see how students respond to their feedback. Do they heed and make the necessary changes? Are they sensitive to even constructive criticism? It has become a challenge to me to figure out how to give feedback to some children. Some children really do just stare back at me like they wish I would just be quiet and others are instantly emotional and defensive. Another area to be familiar with is how students work with others. When planning lessons one needs to be aware of how they might best situate students for group work. While many teachers may shy away from placing students in groups if they are too rowdy, too timid, or too bossy, etc , I think it is important to recognize these characteristics for what they are and then USE the group work to improve upon them. The timid child may not ever become comfortable working with other students in the classroom if they are not presented with the opportunity to do so repeatedly.  For the unit to have the most effect on the students’ understanding and application of the knowledge presented, it has to be relevant. The material should either be concurrent with events in their own lives or stimulate them to want to rise to the challenges presented. It’s always surprising to find that some teachers have no real idea what their students can do outside of the classroom. I love to hear a teacher praise a child for something they were able to do on the playground because it shows that child that they are interested in more than their academic scores. We can use these outside interests, hobbies, or even dreams to create interesting material. When my son was learning his ABC’s we would play ABC Bingo with whatever small snacky food I had on hand. This was so much more effective than just me holding up flashcards. If he followed through with the game he got to eat the snack! This is my example because my family seems to hold food as dear and precious, but all students have something that is relevant to who they are and that will spur them on. Another consideration that is extremely important is whether or not our students are speaking English at home.  Their culture and their home life do not exist in a vacuum and we shouldn’t expect it to. When we invite their families into our classrooms we are really only giving ourselves more options on how to present material.

Content Standards

  Content standards are basically a criteria outline of what students should understand and be able to actively apply throughout their educational career between Kindergarten and graduation from high school.  While many states have adopted content standards in all subjects taught, all states have adopted content standards in the core academic subjects such as Language Arts and Mathematics. In fact, the push for states to adopt one core set of standards across the country has been led at a state level by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and The Council for Chief State School Officers. All but eight states in the mainland United States have adopted this uniform set of standards. The push has not been for a uniform curriculum but only for uniform standards. With this system students can move anywhere in the United States and still be expected to know the same criteria to be successful graduates. Since the panel that designed the standards was informed in large part by countries around the world, this also ensures that graduates from United States high schools will be ready to compete on a global scale for education and careers.

  Benchmarks are more specific than content standards. Benchmarks break down a particular standard into measurable, manageable components. For instance, the state standard may require that students explore geometry but a measurable benchmark would be that in using geometry the students can demonstrate their understanding through the use of positional vocabulary. 

  Content standards and benchmarks are used in a number of ways. Teachers can use them to measure whether or not their students are learning what they should be to be successful at their grade level and in the grades ahead. The point is not for them to memorize rote facts but for the students to be able to build upon their working knowledge of the subjects areas as they progress through their K-12 educational career.  Teachers should be able to look at the grade the students were in the years prior to ascertain what they should already know and whether they actually know it and look ahead to see what needs to be taught before it is built upon in the coming years. Students, especially in older grade levels, use benchmarks as a way of measuring their own progress. When the outline is clear for what should be achieved by when, the chance for success is increased exponentially.  In addition to this, parents can use the benchmarks as a way to supplement their children’s school work at home. As a parent, I don’t want to find out at the end of the year that my child should have learned something but struggled when I could have researched it ahead of time and helped at home. Also, when parents empower themselves with the knowledge of what their children should be learning they are better able to ask the important questions during conferences with their children’s teachers. When teachers are not forced to start from scratch with every question but instead are able to build upon the parents’ understanding of what their children are being taught they are better able to find working solutions to the students issues in class. I stumbled upon a couple of websites that I (surprisingly) found really interesting:
http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?Page=3&TopicRelationID=1696&Content=88482

http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards

My Trouble With the Wiki Assignment and What That is Teaching Me

 The most difficult thing that happened to me this week related to this course was getting started on the Wiki page. I am forced to recognize something about myself. When I feel there is no realistic way I am going to be successful in getting my house as clean as it should be, getting my kids everywhere on time, getting my errands run, meals cooked on time, and my homework assignments done on time I find that I lose the ability to even try. I find myself not plugging in and going full throttle to achieve my goals but instead wandering around my little house accomplishing nothing. It makes no sense and it is the furthest thing from helpful but there I go a-wandering. This week, I looked at the information presented for the wiki page and apparently a part of my brain said, “Nope. Can’t do it. This is for computer-y kind of people or people who are clearly smarter than me.” So I put it off. Every day, several times a day this week I would log back into Blackboard and re-skim the Wiki module and every time I wanted to cry and drop the course. I was frustrated because staring at the computer wasn’t helping me and not staring at the computer wasn’t helping me and I didn’t want to use the Help Forum because it seemed like other people were already plugging away at their pages, including one of my own group members! Getting started on the Wiki assignment was so difficult because I’m honestly just not wired this way. The incredibly nice epiphany I had this week, though, is that I don’t have to be. My group member that has been plugging away at the page admitted that she was confused too but she was at it anyway. I don’t have to be “wired” for this class. If I already knew everything I probably wouldn’t be taking this class anyway! So I’m here to learn. I slowed down and instead of reading and re-reading and watching and re-watching the module information and the YouTube video in a panic I REALLY READ the information provided. While I have contributed basically nothing so far on my page (although I am pretty proud I figured out how to set up a Discussion Link thanks to the Wiki module) and I have no idea if I will be successful in the end, I already feel more sensible, equipped, and eager to get it moving. The answers were right in front of me. I just had to stop assuming I was too inept to read them (basically word for word…duh me) and actually read them. I am posting this blog at the risk of looking like a complete idiot here but it’s been awhile since I’ve had a week where I felt this much like a-wandering around my house pitying my own stupidity! I guess I’m hoping this will provide others with the belief that they are capable of doing things they don’t yet believe they can too if they just slow down and accept the help that is available to them.

GROUP COLLABORATION AND PROBLEM-SOLVING

 Getting to know my group members in this course has been an enjoyable experience. I am really interested in getting to know the person behind the name. I know it sounds crazy but I think sometimes I form my first impression of people from their name alone. It’s not fair and it’s not ok but it’s a personality quirk I have to work with. For instance, I know a three year old named Margaret. She’s beautiful, rambunctious, and ornery when she’s not being so sweet I could just eat her with a spoon. I also know a grown-up Margaret. She’s in her fifties but she acts like she’s eighty and she complains all the time about everything: the weather, the recliner she “has” to sit in even though it’s the “most uncomfortable chair”, the imaginary arthritis in her hands, her husband who is in his sixties but acts like he’s in his twenties. Get the picture? She’s a loveable grouch. I really need this three year old Margaret to be a complaining grouch because that’s just the label I’ve put to the name. My husband wouldn’t let me name our son Joshua because I insisted all “J” names are just good strong names and he said he knows it’s because I had a crush on a guy with a good strong “J” name a long time ago and it’s just creepy to name our kid that! He might be right. That guy a long time ago formed my impression of that name. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have a preconceived notion for every name but getting to know my classmates is fun because it’s a chance for me to change these pre-conceived notions of mine and even (I know I know) form some new ones. Learning that many of my group members enjoy the same television shows as me and some of the same hobbies as me makes them real people. They are regular people like me trying to wade through a somewhat terrifying college course. They are confused at times, overwhelmed at times and when all that is over they still have to be a parent, pet owner, spouse, and housekeeper. It’s easy when taking an online course to just decide that you’re the only one overwhelmed with juggling school and life and that it’s easy for everyone else to submit excellent work because they just go to school and hang out! It’s comforting and refreshing to be reminded that my classmates are just as busy as me and in many cases even more so. I learned that one person in my class is not just a student but a dad with a full-time job, pets, AND he’s thinking about home-schooling next year. This encourages me. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this blog and then go finish my laundry and then go ensure that I have everything ready for my son’s lunch tomorrow and then go to dinner at my husband’s colleague’s house and then get two whiny kids to bed and then start over tomorrow and then…. I can do this because my classmates are doing it and they inspire me. I hope I can inspire them too.

  While this has been an enjoyable process, the hardest part about getting to know my classmates is that it can be frustrating to read the tone intended sometimes. I feel like I ramble in my posts because I want to be really sure the readers understand what I am trying to say. If we were face to face it might not take so many words to convey my message. Likewise, I think I would better understand what my classmates are trying to say if it did not get lost in typos and misspelling. Some of us like to write and some of us hate to and, unfortunately, online work can be extremely tedious for those who do not like to write.

  One thing I read in the module for this week that is helpful to me in working on group projects is that it is not only ok but necessary for all group members to be clear about when they are confused. Sometimes I’m more likely to assume I can figure something out from context clues than to just come out and ask someone to explain something to me more thoroughly. I don’t want them to think I’m inept and I don’t want them to think I’m being offensive. This week I actually e-mailed a small group member to ask how to go about contacting her in the correct way for our group assignment! I realized though, that if I slowed down I was able to find the answer to my own question tucked in somewhere. Sometimes I don’t know that I’m looking at the answer because I’m not even sure what it is I’m trying to ask in the first place. The nice part was that this team member admitted she was kind of confused too so I was able to step back a bit and reread the module information.

My Personal Teaching Philosophy

  My role as a teacher is to be an ever evolving learner of my students’ hearts and minds. To be the teacher I know I should be I need to meet my students where they are. The classroom should be student-centered and the teacher’s role one of facilitator. In organizing lessons and groups of students I learn how the students learn, what they know, who they are, and what they need to know to be successful adults both on an academic level and a personal level. I believe it is critical to recognize that children come to me from a variety of different backgrounds including their culture, physical location, religion, SES, language, and family arrangements. That being a foundational fact for me, I know that every child deserves the same drive, motivation, and education from a tireless, dedicated, patient teacher. In fostering their personal growth I recognize that my students thrive when, in addition to a quality education, all basic needs are met and satisfied.  I believe that a basic need for a child is to have their questions answered in a manner that makes them feel that rather than being a hindrance to the class they are instead sparking a new level of insight and development. To create an atmosphere where this is possible much of the activity needs to be in clusters or groups of children where they can refer to one another as colleagues and integral components of their own education. Satiating my students’ burning curiosity for life and how they fit into it is best done when they have the space to pursue their own interests and strengthen the classroom material being taught by exploring it in a personal way that suits them through a constructivist approach.

  Every child has the basic human right to express themselves in the medium most natural to them. Children of all ages must have the opportunity to learn through leisure and communicate through play, language, art, and technology. An effective teacher understands that every child learns differently. I may teach because it fulfills a personal need of mine but the act of my teaching is NOT ABOUT ME. The books I choose, the technology I create or implement, and the activities I plan are NOT ABOUT ME. Once my teaching strategy shifts to one that suits me over my students it is time for me to reconsider my life’s work. My students learn best when what they are learning either affects, is affected by or is relatable to the real life world they live in. When I teach required content in a manner that suits their unique learning style I am ensuring that they know more than the linguistics of the subject but they can also implement it in their lives both for the present and the future. I am helping to grow people. I need to know that I am helping to grow people that will help to grow more people and be an asset to the world of today and tomorrow.

  To provide my students with an educational experience that will force them to dig deeper and drive them to know one more thing and one more thing about a project I feel it is necessary to place them in interchanging groups. In the adult, corporate world they will have to be able to work cooperatively with others to turn in polished results and I am doing them a disservice by not allowing them to build this skill early. Additionally, through socializing with their peers while manipulating subject content, current knowledge is made visible. I can learn how my students interact with others and what they know from their own life experiences and education that is going to impact how I present future lessons. If I am going to build an atmosphere of trust I need them to know that I care about their perceptions and responses to these perceptions they derive from both formal and informal learning.

  Technology will provide me with means to keep my students’ parents involved. Raising a child in this century is a collaborative effort and I want to learn from the families as much as I can and teach them what I know. Technology will assist me in breaking down language barriers to get to the heart of what really needs discussed and it will aid me in presenting lessons to my students using a variety of media so that each family and each student will have the opportunity to plug into a program that really spurs them to reach their potential.

Elements of Teaching Methods and How to Assess Their Success

   There are several ways for one to center instruction in the classroom to ensure the required material is reaching the optimal number of students and serving them in a variety of ways.  If all children are unique in personality and disposition we have to remember that they are unique in their methods of learning and retention as well. While the effective teaching strategies all overlap with one another they also have distinct variables that differentiate the appropriate methods.  One effective teaching strategy is to build a learner-centered classroom. In order to ensure the needs of the students are really being met the instructor must take into consideration what it is the children need to learn versus what they already know. They must evaluate which students have misconceptions about previously presented information and draw these misconceptions to light. Finally, the instructor must take into consideration that their students will learn information they actually care about more efficiently than information that does not appear to hold any relevant bearing in their life. How many of us have sat in a Calculus class and solemnly sworn that we would NEVER use Calculus EVER again no matter what? It might have taken that one special teacher to bring the concepts to life for us so we could see more than just numbers on a page.  Our students do not just exist in our classroom. They go home after school and become avid readers thanks to Star Wars magazines or fine-motor experts due to practice with video games. They go to church on Sunday morning or to any number of sites of worship and are the person their family is counting on them to be. I think our students will be better learners when we present information that applies to them and not just to who they are “supposed to be” because if that worked then we would just tell the students to sit quietly and learn everything on the first try and we would all be wildly successful teachers!  An activity that allows students to be led by their current knowledge and construct their education is one that I will use in my Sunday school class for three year olds. Before beginning the Story of Creation lesson I will start with a felt board activity that requires the students to place the felt scenes in order of how they were created. This tells me a lot about what they already know and how the children feel performing activities in front of their friends. Once the scenes are all in order we dive into the lesson using various media such as puppet shows, books, coloring activities, and songs and movement to find a way to impress the theme on every student in SOME way. To maintain a learner-centered classroom while also making it a knowledge-centered classroom the instructor must keep abreast of where the students are in knowledge and understanding of material. Goals for specific areas of study are set so it can be measured when the students grasp the content. No student should be left behind because the material is too complicated but rather every child has the ability to grasp on if the material is presented in relevant ways, at relevant times. Knowledge-based instruction means that we are teaching more than how to memorize a list of facts. For students to really appreciate subject content they must be able to adapt it to real life and use it in a variety of situations…not just in the unit quiz at the end of the chapter!

  The two forms of assessment that should be used in assessment-centered instruction are formative assessments and summative assessments.  Formative assessments can be considered a friend and desired companion of students! This form of assessment can also be known as professional feedback. Instead of marking a paper “right” or “wrong” and stopping there, a formative assessment returns the paper with feedback on where the student is excelling and where they may have some misconceptions. Students can review what they have been learning and use this feedback to pinpoint where they have gone astray. Summative assessments differ from formative assessments in that they are typically accompanied by a qualitative measurement of their grasp or knowledge of the information studied. The grade given is in response to the assessment and are considered the result of what has been learned.

  Community-centeredness is important to student learning because research has shown time and again that competition does not fuel knowledge in the way that collaboration does. In a community-centered classroom everyone’s expectations and expected outcomes are made plain. In classes with even the youngest of students it is important to dispel any illusions the students might have about what will be taking place in the classroom. One cannot really be upset with a two year old that is screaming for their snack if they have not heard that the class will be having snack as soon as the morning physical activity is finished. If the teacher makes this clear they will understand (whether they like it or not) that snack is only going to be longer in coming if they do not cooperate. Incorporating a community-centered attitude in my classroom means that I accept that not all of the students are going to learn the way I do or in the way that every student I have ever had before them learns. When my students are allowed to bring their frustrations to me and I have a mind open to accepting that some of these frustrations are MY PROBLEM I am fostering an environment where they can learn all material and draw necessary information out of me to do so. In addition, when the students collaborate they end up not just meeting a specified grade goal but retaining true knowledge because of the social interaction combined with the project. One community-centered activity I have used is the Class Carwash. We pull the riding toys out on the pavement and get our buckets, water and sponges. One child runs the cash register and collects the play money from the customers that are lined up on their riding toys. Our mechanics and car washers scrub the vehicles and then the children change places. The children have to sort out who starts with what job! Generally a couple of children take leadership roles but some of the kids need to have someone lead them. Everyone knows going into it that our goal is to help each other by providing a service and if there are questions we all pitch in to figure out how to best answer them. This is a community-centered project because the children all feed off each other and help each other and no one is disillusioned about the expectations of the activity. Through this the kids are learning not just the idea of service but the actual logistics of organizing themselves to help others. They will try to do this when they get home at the end of the day but they will likely not repeat my explanation of how a carwash works to their families because it did not hold much real-time relevance to them.

 An excellent way for an instructor to evaluate their own instruction is through the formative assessments they give to their students. I once had a math teacher say that since so many of us failed a test the problem had to be in her instruction of the material. She learned something from us about her teaching. This can really be done at any time during a learning unit but the instructor should not wait until the unit is over to realize there is a conflict between delivery and reception of material.  How our students use their gained knowledge to aid them in parallel situations is a determining measure of how well we presented the material because often if they have just memorized facts they are unlikely to adapt it to real-life. This is also a test of whether or not the students have become self-evaluative.  Many students are seriously hard on themselves but when they reach the point where they realize that while they may not be able to quip off a list of facts they’ve learned but instead use that information to be successful in other areas they are getting closer to a realistic view of their own achievements. On a preschool level, once their knowledge or capability has been assessed I can foster expansion by use of open ended questions and presenting them with the same material in a different context or through a different media source.

Danielle's Goals!

  It's hard to find a starting point in listing my goals.  Recently I attended a meeting at my son's school where the PTA president was saying that the PTA was able to purchase smartboards for every classroom. I had to pretend I knew what that was! Later that day, my son explained it to me and I googled it for more information. I would like to be knowledgeable in the appropriate uses of smartboards in the classroom. I want to be relevant in the way I teach. I also not only need but desperately want to be able to put together PowerPoint presentations. My husband says I'll think it's easy to do but I think he is greatly overestimating my ability to do anything on the computer. I think PowerPoint presentations come in handy in a variety of forums not to mention in classrooms. While part of me really wants to say that I never want to be able to blog or form a wiki I am strapping on some enthusiasm. After reading some of the links provided in the Blog module I can see how teachers can really use these formats to disperse all the information their students could possibly need. I can see myself using this as a way for my parents to stay connected and consistently updated on what their children are accomplishing while in my care. I feel that my son has made great strides this year because I can supplement what he is learning in kindergarten thanks to his teacher's weekly newsletters letting us know exactly which sight words they are working on and which math skills, etc. If there had been a format like this at his preschool I could have been a much more helpful resource to him. A PowerPoint presentation could be helpful in teaching those parents who are interested in learning how to access wiki links and blogs. I know just enough to know that the possiblities are endless. I am currently able to e-mail like a madwoman and facebook if that helps the reader in understanding just how long this list could be.  I make simple charts on Word and call them spreadsheets so I feel smart. I guess I should consider spreadsheets another goal. These could come in handy not just for professional purposes but for personal uses as well.
  I put this Blog excercise off for as long as I could. I am so intimidated and overwhelmed by this class already. I want to say this was easy enough but perhaps I should wait to see if I did it correctly!