It's been a while

Hello! I have not logged onto my blog since May or April. I am so glad I remembered my sign in and password.

Today I am working with a 6th grade girl. I know her because she spends time with my 12 year old sister and we all used to go to the same church.
I am helping her do a book report. From what her mom says the teachers never taught her how to do a report so I am teaching her how to do one. I told her this assignment does not have to be boring, but it can be fun. I wrote out a handout for her to follow so she does not get overwhelmed. Later I will show her my powerpoint on Native American Regions so that if she wants to be more creative with her report she can. Not only will I be helping her strengthen her knowledge of book reports, but I will teach her something about technology.

Guess what!

I know I said that in my PowerPoint I could not add sounds and have them playing with my narration, but I was so wrong. Today, I somehow was able to add them both. So, to view my new and improved Tech Ed. project click the link below.

http://www.box.net/shared/gn3lh33408

End-of-Semester Reflection

I have learned about many ways to incorporate technology into learning. For example, I have learned that cell phones can serve as an aid in learning, not necessarily a distraction. Technology can also serve as a means of communication with students and parents outside of class. Technology can be a means of class organization (lessons, due dates, etc.). Technology can aid students in learning. For example, there are math games and vocabulary activities students can participate in which will help them learn. My attitude has changed in the sense that I thought technology in education mainly involved using the elmo and perhaps doing a few powerpoints and internet resource here and there. However, I see that there are many uses of technology. From creating music to creating study notes, technology can enhance learning. I just stress that I do not want it to replace the teacher. I know this has been a concern of mine, especially when I read the article about students learning from robots. I think students need a positive authority fugure in their life who will help them recognize their worth as people and push them to do the best and be the best they can be as people. To sum it up, technology can never provide the affirmation and role model a teacher provides, but it can aid in student learning and classroom organization and management.

Reflection #10

So, I never followed up after writing that reflection on how I was discouraged about classroom management. Here is what happened since then. I gave my microteaching presentation in class. I laid the rules down right away and then when people like AMY tried to act out I jumped on it right away. That seemed to help the lesson go smoother and management was not too much of a problem, despite having AMY in the group. Yes, you, Amy. :) I think with practice I will become good at classroom management. Next time I will pick my battles better, but at least I was able to gain enough control to teach.

Reflectionm #9 Importance of extra curricular activities

I just got out of Foundations of Multicultural Education. We watched the video. I think it was called Mad Hot Ballroom Dancing. The class discussed the importance of dancing in the lives of the students Here are the basics of what I want to talk about. The Queens team came from a school that had more money and the students were probably involved with a variety of extra curricular activities like sports, drama, debate etc. Therefore, dancing was just another enrichment for them. However, the Indigo team did not have many activities at the school. Students were more likely to get into gangs, use drugs, have low self-esteem, and drop out of school. Therefore, this dancing provided a better way for these students. It provided them with goals to work toward and a measure of success. Their dancing instructors also became good role models for them.


Today, I can relate to the Indigo team. In high school, I struggled with a poor self-perception. I was always reading my Bible and helping with the after-school Bible study, but I felt I needed to get involved with other "non-spiritual" activities. Learning American Sign Language gave me the outlet I was looking for. I also had a goal to work toward, because I wanted to become fluent. Taking ASL provided me with a role model through the teacher. I felt I related to her in many ways, because she was pretty funny and energetic at times, just like me. When I watched how she was I was able to accept myself for who I was. This helped me to eventually stop trying to be someone I was not and just be myself. It also helped me to realize the potential I have for becoming an effective teacher. I wanted to influence students in the way this teacher influenced me. I am very grateful today, because I think having this class helped me become more confident and expressive in who I am. Also, the teacher used to remind me to take time for myself. She told me when I started college to "be good, study hard" and I think she told me to get good grades. Three years later I still think about all the things she taught me those last two years of high school. This goes to show people the importance of healthy role models and what extracurricular activities can do for a young person.

I will want to encourage youth involvement in a variety of activities. For example, I started knitting this year. I love it. If I end up working at a teen-center (apart from my teaching) I hope to teach knitting. I will also encourage students to check out acrylic painting and drawing. Art is a great way for students to constructively express themselves. I want to work with children who have been rescued from human trafficking. So, hopefully art will become like a medicine for these students to help them work through traumatic experiences so they can put to rest what they have been through and obtain emotional and spiritual wholeness. Oh, let us not forget that sports and music are good outlets as well.

Assignment 5

Wow. Whew. I just finished my project. I had some trouble with the paragraphs on the last pages where I list my resources. I learned quite a bit actually. I did a PowerPoint presentation, which included a feature I never used until now. That is the feature which allows me to record sounds. I learned something sad when I was working on this presentation. That is that I cannot have background music playing during my narration unless it is from a cd. I did not find the music I wanted. On a brighter note, when I thought I had to go through my whole bibliography to create hyperlinks I realized the computer had already done that for me. I was pretty comfortable with the program before doing the presentation. However, now that I have learned about some new features like recording and using the hyperlinks I will be more comfortable and my presentations will be more sophisticated for now on. I am barely awake right now and so I am thinking that I should end this entry. Click on the link below to look at my work.



Native American Regions

Reflection #7 Kindergarten, hypothesis, thoughts

Today, at the school I observed a performance from the kindergarten students. They were so cute. I made a hypothesis on the difference between the little girls and the little boys. The little girls tend to look at other people and see if they are doing the dance right. The little boys tend to do whatever. I asked one of the teachers what she thought about the assumption. She said it tends to be that way. Although I kind of need to test my hypothesis instead of basing whether it is supported or not based on what a teacher says. Those kindergarteners are so cute. I guess I would not mind teaching them. One girl suddenly started crying during a performance and part of me wanted to hold her on my lap, but I know that would not be appropriate as a student teacher or even a teacher. I thought about how there is that boundary between teachers and little children. I decided not only is that there to keep the atmosphere professional and guarantee that the teacher does not baby his/her students, but I think perhaps when the students are in a school atmosphere where they cannot necessarily crawl onto the adult's lap, they begin to develop emotional independence. I don't know if this is true. It's just something I thought of.

Reflection #6 Classroom Management

I have been discouraged about classroom management, because it has been said this may be my biggest challenge. I will need to learn to have eyes on the back of my head. It seems like I do well when I am doing my practicum. At the same time, the teacher is in the classroom. Hopefully when I give my microteaching lesson I will do better in that area than I did last time.

My classroom 5 years from now

I think five years from now my students will be researching on laptops and communicating with other students via the web. This of course will depend on how much money my school has for laptops. Students will have more options on how to be creative through the use of Podcasting and creating videos. Cell phones also might become a use in the classroom to help students will Podcasting.

Internet Safety

There are certain needs students have regarding internet safety. For example, the third graders in my class would probably need to be reminded to not give out personal information online even if the person claims to be a peer or a trustworthy adult (i.e. teacher) and to only give certain information if a parent says it is okay to do so (i.e. subscribing to a magazine). There should be filters to block obscene pop-ups. As the students in my class get older and do more research online they will need to learn how to decipher between good resources and not-so-reliable resources.

Gabcasting

For the upcoming project, I am thinking about using gabcast.com to create a lesson on Plains Indians. I have the link to Gabcast. I do not know the first thing about about podcasting, so this will definitely be an experience.

k-12 Conference: Cell Phones as Learning Tools

I attended the conference on "Cell Phones as Learning Tools." Liz Kolb talks about some neat ways to integrate cell phones with classroom assignments. There are resources to do this for children as young as the preschool age. I learned about some resources, such as homeworknow.com, which allows teachers to post class updates and allows students to view updates on computers. Students can set up particular ring tones which can alert them of a new assignment. Kolb discusses ways in which camcorders and cameras can be used for school projects. The example she gives is if a student is doing a science project on rocks. The student can take various pictures of rocks and upload the photos onto the website using the cell phone. If using cell phones will help my students do their work then I'm all for it. I thought about incorporating cell phone use in my final project. I guess we'll see.

Assignment # 4 Technology Integration

In order to add the necessary technology to the lesson plan, I will need an elmo to display sample questions and answers for my students to refer to when working on division problems. I will also need laptops with internet access for my students so they can have an opportunity to finish their homework at school. Priority will be given to students who do not have access at home. Students would have to take turns using the computers. In a class of 30 children, 30 laptops would be necessary if each student was to get an opportunity to complete homework at school. Realistically, in certain schools this would not be feasible financially. Again, for this reason, priority must be given to students who need to complete their homework at school. The technology would make the lesson more learner-centered, because for instance, children love using the internet, especially interactive programs like the games on childrens' websites, such as coolmath.com. The challenge of having students go online for assignments is that some students might not have internet access at home. This is why I am choosing to let students finish their homework at school. Also, if I receive a hand-written note signed by the caretaker claiming the child does not have internet access at home, for this assignment requiring internet access, I can give a three day extension so the student and caretaker can arrange time to go to the library.

Nets the lesson covers:
Standard 1: Basic operations and concepts
-Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
-Students are proficient in the use of technology.
The lesson covers standard 1, because students will learn how to search the internet and use mouse and keyboard for various purposes.

Standard 2: Social, ethical, and human issues
- Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
-Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

Students will learn the importance of logging on and off when using a public computer, or if using a private computer student will learn how to properly start up and shut down a computer. Student will also learn about different ways technology can make learning fun.

Standard 3: Technology productivity tools
-Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.

Playing some math games online will help students retain information, because they will be having fun.


Here is my lesson plan:

Grade 3 math

EALR/GLE:
2.2.3 Apply a variety of strategies to construct solutions.
4.2 Organize, represent, and share information
5.3 Relate mathematical concepts to real-world situations.
5.3.1 Understand that mathematics is used extensively in daily life outside the classroom.

Objectives: After given instructions on what the students are to do, students will individually work on a handout; the students will learn about division (discovery).

Technology:
PowerPoint-sample questions and answers will be up on PowerPoint for students to refer to while working.
Stations: Station 1 works with cubes, Station 2 works with the smart board (downloaded onto laptop).
Internet Games: Student will go to a website containing math games like www.coolmath.com and read about division and/or play the games.

VAK:
Visual: Students receive written handouts and cubes to work with.
Auditory: Teacher gives verbal directions in the beginning of the lesson.
Kinesthetic: Students individually work with cubes and paper/pen to solve math problem.

Accommodations:
1. Near-sighted student sits in front of classroom and teacher uses bigger font.
2. Deaf students sit in a spot where the teacher and interpreter can easily be seen.
3. Student with ADHD also sits in the front so teacher can refocus student if necessary. Also, student had a squishy ball, which seems to help student concentrate.

Family Interaction Plan: Student will teach an older person and a younger child a lesson on dividing numbers and will have each person do two problems. Parent will bring homework sheet back signed.

Class arrangement: Tables will be divided into groups of five desks. All students will face the front of the classroom. Talkative students will be spread out.

Teaching Steps:
1. Anticipatory set: Handouts, cubes, and writing utensils will be on the students’ desk prior to the lesson beginning. Teacher will explain to students what they will be doing in the next 20-30 minutes

2. Teacher will have students work individually on division problems. Students will not talk to each other. The only help teacher will give at this time is restating a question on the worksheet if the student has difficulty understanding.

3. Afterwards, class will go over worksheet together.

4. At home, each student will go to coolmath.com and use the resources to practice division for at least 20 minutes. Student will write three different things learned from playing the game.

Closure: Students will discuss three things they learned about division.

Assessment: Assessment is informative. Teacher wants to see how well students meet learning objectives for this lesson, which will help in creating the next division lessons which will have summative assessments.

Reflection 6: Clarity over spring break

Over spring break I spent three whole days at Edmonds Elementary and on thusday and friday I came for at least an hour or two. I feel like observing and helping out over spring break and being able to not only spend time with the students more, but also observe other classrooms reinforced my resolve to study elementary education. I remember when I was a freshmen I was not sure if I could be a good teacher. I was also only 19 years old. Now I see that this is something I can do. I have helped not only my cooperating teacher, but substitutes manage classroom behavior and the students do respect me. I visited the high school I graduated from and I realized I would rather be an elementary teacher.

Over spring break, I met different teachers and different classes-a 6th grade class, kindergarten class, and the Intensive Learning Support class. I enjoyed having conversations with teachers who told me they went through some of the same struggles many of us deal with as aspiring teachers. For example, I talked to a 6th grade teacher about how hard it was for me to let my guard down with the students and find the appropriate balance between being approachable and still keeping a professional distance and also not crossing the line from authority figure to buddy. This was a struggle when I first started working with kids. As of now, after getting to know the students in my class, I feel more confident and relaxed. I think part of the reason is I am older now. I have a better grasp on the professional distance and also on being a teacher figure. However, I also understand this is my first practicum and I have much more to learn. This 6th grade teacher I was talking with told me she went through the same struggle and that every teacher goes through this. I believe it is a matter of not only building confidence in ourselves, but also getting to know who our students are. I hope this is an encouragement to anyone going through this. I have more I want to say, but it will be for another reflection.

PS: One tip: If you find yourself struggling to get up in the morning force yourself to get up early and exercise. On monday I did not want to get up at 5:20 to exercise, but I made myself and let me tell you, I felt great for the rest of the day. This morning I also worked out. Sometimes we need something else to get up to besides classes. Morning workouts will not only give you another reason to get your sleepyhead out of bed, but it will also give you energy and make you feel better about yourself. Getting up earlier will get easier, and yes, this does relate to teaching 100%.

Reflection 5: Classroom Management and Organization

I found a website called Assign a day 4 teachers. It is a software that teachers use to post assignments and lesson overviews. It is also a way for teachers and students to communicate. If a student misses a class, he or she can find out what he/she has missed and what assignments need to be completed. This would be useful for children who have internet access at home, but in certain areas many students in the classroom might not have that kind of access. If the students do not have access to a computer at home, should the teacher give the student three days so they have time to get transportation to the library? I am thinking mainly about elementary and/or middle school students who aren't old enough to drive. I thought about how having an overview of the lesson might keep kids from coming to class if they know they can get the same information online later on. For this reason, attendence should make up a portion of the grade. I will also have to consider how much time this will take to keep up a website and also keep up with lesson planning and grading.

I also found some more websites about classroom organization. busyteacherscafe gives tips on how to keep papers organized. One of the suggestions to assign students a number according to their last names and have them right it at the top right corner of their worksheets so that whoever is grading the papers will be able to file papers according to their numbers. It is supposed to make grading faster and easier. However, I don't see how it is easier than just sorting work according to first or last names.

When I was in Educational Psychology my classmates and I were told that our classroom will look like our bedroom. For that reason, I am working on being more organized in my room. I succeeded at keeping my dormroom clean for almost a whole semester during my sophomore year. Then I fell out of the habit. I still need to get back into the habit. During spring break, one of my priorities is to organize my room. Someone onetime told me it takes 90 days to start a new habit. So, if I can get past those 90 days and really get into good organizational habits, my life as a teacher will be ten times easier. I have known teachers whose desks are extremely messy and cluttering. I don't want mine to look like that. Especially if I have a really scrupulous parent come in and analyze how clean and organized my classroom looks.

Reflection 4: Spring break/math

I decided that over spring break I am going to do extra hours of observation at my Elementary School. During the first two weeks of our practicum we were supposed to observe two grades, one lower than the grade we are observing and the other higher. I'm a little late in the game. I have already observed kindergarten, but I still need to observe a higher grade. I want to observe 6th grade. So, this week I am planning on doing that. In addition, I want to observe the intensive learning support class (special needs), because I have wanted to do that for a few weeks now.
One of the subjects I want to really focus in on during these next two years is math. I always struggled with math from elementary school through high school. This year, however, I have improved my math skills and feel more confident, but I want to make sure I am really good at it before I go into my first year of teaching. I am hoping I can find some books off of amazon.com that I can use to practice different mathematical concepts. I don't know if I have already said this in another blog, but as a teacher I will teach my students that there is no such thing as a math brain, but that every one has the ability to learn math. I will teach this unless science proves me wrong. If people didn't tell me when I was younger that I didn't have a math brain, maybe I would have done better in math. Also, as a teacher, I might have an after school math tutor program set up for students in my class struggling.

Reflection 3 Observing Kingergarten

Today I visited a kindergarten class at my school. I smiled the whole time. The kids were so cute. It was funny, because if the teacher held up a book, or another kid showed something interesting for show-and-tell, the whole class in unison would say with great amazement "woooooooe" or "ahhhhhh." The teacher has only been teaching the class for four weeks. She came in when the previous teacher went on maternity leave. Right now she is working with the kids on number recognition, because some of the children struggle with that. She told me the previous teacher excluded certain children from the math games and instead they would work on math sheets. I don't know if it is because they misbehaved or there were other reasons involved. Either way, I do not think that we should punish our students by taking learning away from them. These same children are the ones struggling. Today, for number recognition, the current teacher had each student pick a partner and grab a dice. The student would roll the dice and for each number the dice landed on the student and his/her partner would do a particular action. For example, if the dice landed on 3, the students did three jumping jacks. I used to say I do not want to teach kindergarten, but I am starting to reconsider. It might be fun after all. I'm still deciding if I would like teaching that grade or not.

Smart Board and Teaching

For my lesson on Smart Board I will teach a mini-lesson about Japan. This lesson will help fulfill NET Standard 1, because students will gain experience in operating technology systems and also learning proficiency in operating the Smart Board. The lesson will also help fulfill Standard 2, because it will help students develop a positive outlook on technology and the fun and creative ways one can use it to learn. This will also fulfill Standards 4 and 5, because students will learn by the teacher's example about responsible use of technology, and students will also learn about different formats they can use to communicate information.

My activity is a simple Smart Board presentation on Japan. I prepared by choosing the presentation I found off the internet and I added a few maps I got off of google.com to the presentation. Here is the lesson process:

1. Introduce topic by having at least four students come up and writing one thing they know about Japan.
2. Have class as a whole identify the Japanese flag.
3. Have students see if they can locate Japan on the map. If not, show them where it is.
4. Ask students to identify countries neighboring Japan, show them the labeled map if they cannot identify them.
5. Have students name bodies of water surrounded Japan. Show them the map.
6. Have students identify the capital of Japan.
Assessment: Learning will be assessed based on students ability to identify basic information about Japan that was covered during the lesson.

Reflection: I think the Smart Board is a good way to liven up the lessons and keep the students' attention. Perhaps in order to give students a positive attitude about education and other priorities of life it is important to make learning fun. I liked the fun games Katie had us play. Games like the one where we clicked on the lice would be useful as an anticipatory set. As a teacher I would more likely use the type of presentations similar to Chris' lesson and the lesson about the moon phases. Those ones contained a lot of matching and I think they would be good study tools. I have much to learn about the Smart Board. One of my goals for this class will be to become familiar with how the Smart Board works. Professor Sorenson said it takes a teacher about two years to become comfortable with the technology. I am glad that I have two years of student teaching/my practicum to prepare.

Reflection 2: Teaching on the Mexican Border

I have thought about where I might like to teach and I have entertained the idea of teaching on the border between Mexico and California, because in some ways I believe God might be calling me to work with Latin American communities. I am not sure. I am learning Spanish right now, because whether I work on the border or stay in Washington its bound to become useful. I would pick the border for a few reasons.

1. I love sunny days. :)
2. I want to interact with the Hispanic community.
3. It would be a good place to have a ministry for people who have been rescued from human trafficking, because many of it happens on the border.

Few things:
1. Drug lords are a problem. I might get my property vandelized.
2. I would probably have to go places with at least one person or stay out in the open. Although that is already true for me and most other people here.
3. I would be away from family and friends.

Just some thoughts.

Reflection 1: Importance of Learning Spanish/tips

There is a good chance many of us will have students in our class whose first language is Spanish. For that reason I think it is important for all of us to know at least the basics of Spanish and know some common words used in the classroom. I will post a website with some resources to help us with our Spanish. There are some matching games that might help you.

123teachme/learn_spanish/fun_and_games

123 teach me home page

As for your non-Spanish speaking students, maybe practicing Spanish by having pen pals who speak Spanish might help. I have been writing to and receiving letters from someone strictly in Spanish. I use the translator since I have just started studying the language. Even though the translators are not always accurate and even though I want to get to the point where I do not need the translator anymore it still supplements my learning. I have picked certain words up too. Here is a link to a translator someone recommended for me to use.

Babel Fish

Blogs for Educators

I read an article about what the author, Matthew Needleman views as the misuse of Teaching Assistants. One of the things I agree with is not putting a TA with the same group of children. Students need to learn from their teacher and the TA alone is not enough, because the TA is not an accredited teacher. I also agree with Needleman when he says a TA should not introduce a concept, because the TA might teach the students wrong. If I have a TA I will have them make copies of paper if that is something I did not finish. I will let them work with certain individuals, but they will not take my place in the lives of my students.
Creating Life Long-Learners

Through a hyperlink on Needleman's blog, I find a link that introduces Digital Storytellers and how to use them (for details on this, the link is down below). This would be something I would love to do with my students. One cool idea would be for my students to create an autobiography using words and illustrations.
Digital Story-Telling

Web 2.0

I can use Web 2.0 to plan lessons for the week and also post assignments and due dates for students to reference. I can also record lectures using Podcast and put my class notes online. This way students have enough resources to prepare for upcoming tests. I can use Web 2.0 to have students write responses to what they read and what they have learned in class. Students can also use Podcast to add information to the website for their fellow classmates. These are a few ways I can use Web 2.0 in my classroom.

Assignment # 2

The five categories I sorted my resources into were: Social Studies, English/Language Arts, Music, Arts and Crafts, and Math and Science.


Social Studies

I have links which contain useful and fun resources relating to history, current events, geography, and also Spanish. Social studies in general is a necessary part of curriculum for elementary students. Not only does Social studies teach children about the past and the present, but it teaches children how to think critically about issues which affect them and other people.

The Spanish for Children website contains a vast amount of resources to help teach children Spanish. For example, there is a link in which I can teach my class the days of the week in Spanish. I can do this every morning. I believe by teaching children Spanish, I will not only bridge the gap between the English speakers and Spanish speakers of my classroom, but I will provide English speaking students a foundation for learning Spanish as a second language.

Social Studies for Kids has great resources to teach children about Native Americans. For example, there is a link I would like to use to provide students with general information regarding specific Native American tribes. My cooperating teaching this year did a Native American unit with her 3rd graders. There is also a link to learn about African-American history. I can use this resource to teach children about the underground railroad and also about important black leaders like Harriet Tubman. I feel that Native American history and African American history is crucial for understanding U.S. history.


English/Language Arts

English and Language Arts is very important. In order to communicate with the majority of people, children must be able to speak the English language properly. Children also must become familiar with various styles of writing as they will need to write papers in college, business letters in their careers, and resumes.

Poetry 4 Kids has resources that can walk students through poetry and provide them tips on becoming better poets. For my grade level of students, poetry is a good writing style to teach, because it will teach children te joy of writing. I will specifically use the link that has lessons on writing funny poems. After all, laughter is a medicine and a great help in the learning process.

Fun Brain has fun games for students. One specific game is called Spellaroo in which the student has to read a particular sentence and determine which word was spelled incorrectly. The computer also lets the child know if he or she is correct or incorrect. This is more for children to not only enjoy leizure time, but also exercise their brain. They can go to this website during indoor recesses and times they have finished their work early.

Music

The school where I am doing my practicum has a designated music teacher. However, if for some reason schools stopped employing music teachers, homeroom teachers will have to start teaching music. Music is important. Children who are good at music are often good at math and science, so it is a conviction of mine to make sure children receive good music education.

Creating Music has a hearing game which students can test and practice their abilities to compare pitches and cords, there is also a game in which students can compare various pitches. Those things might sound easy, but I have a friend who is tone deaf. So, it is important to make sure children are developing the ability to discern different tones, rhythms etc... This website will supplement the music lessons I teach.

Childrens' Music has links where children can listen to music. This might be useful when children are relaxing and/or working on art projects. There is also a link which shows children how to create their own songs. This will definetely enhance students' music abilities.

Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts are important, because they help strengthen children's creativity. Creativity is a necessary skill needed in many professions like teaching, counseling, preaching, and journalism etc. Not only does art provide a means to strengthen children's right brain, but it also provides children with an opportunity to explore life time hobbies and relaxing activities.

Squigly's Play House has neat resources. I thought I would use the lesson on braiding bracelets to give children some experience in creating jewerly.

Kinder Art Kinder Art has drawing lessons I can use to incorporate into my classroom.

Knitting With Children contains knitting lessons. I can use one of these to do with my class.

Math and Science
Math and science are important. First, math teaches children the basics of counting, adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and telling time. As they grew older, they will need math skills to tell time, count money, and balance a check book. Science is important, because children need to learn how the universe functions and about living and nonliving organisms. Science is important to students to learn, especially if they plan on pursuing a medical career.

Math Cats has animated characters and fun problem-solving stories to help children develop problem-solving skills. These are activities children can do on their free time as extra credit.

Teach r Kids contains math worksheets, which I can print and use in my math lessons.

Kids' Numbers has virtual flash cards I can use in my classroom. Children can get on the computers and work with them.

School Family Education is a website which contains science activities teachers can do with their students. One specific activity I found was the Backyard Weather experiment in which children use certain devices to measure and observe weather elements like rainfall, wind, and pressure. I would have to have four children do this at a time, because buying equipment for each child would be expensive.

Smart Board

I think the smart board has some neat features like the Recorder. I could definitely use the Smart Board to record the lessons for children to refer to later on. I could also create math games so children can learn to enjoy math and become confident in learning it. I can also create jeopardy games that help children remember facts for social studies, geography, and science.

Technology Literacy

1. I know enough technology to write research papers using Microsoft Word, create presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint, and I have had some training in using Microsoft Outlook. I send and receive emails, I know how to use instant messengers, and I have created web pages using geocities.com. The aspects of technology I would like to work on have to do with problem solving when a Word document will not seem to look the way I want it to look. For example, sometimes when I try and align my title to the center, the rest of the paper moves to the center. I never started having this problem until Word 2007 was installed on the computers. There has got to be a way for me to fix this problem I am having. I also need to start typing correctly. I type fast, but I do not always use the right fingers on the right keys. I also would like to become familiar with the Smart Board and all its components and know how to trouble shoot when the program is having problems. I need to also refresh my memory of what I learned in high school about Microsoft Outlook. Finally, I want to learn about that program that enables us to talk to people in another location on a video screeen.

2. Technology should not replace the teacher, but it should enhance the learning experience. Technology can enhance learning by providing research resources to students and teachers alike. It should help teachers locate quality resources to create excellent lessons for their students. Technology should aid in keeping track of student grading and there should be a system where students can check their current grades online and track their academic progress.

3. I can help students meet Standard 1 by showing them how to properly start up and shut down the computer. I can teach them the basics about using Microsoft Word and how to file and save as. If my students are constantly using the computer to write papers they will become proficient in the basic uses of technology. If I have a smart board or overhead in my classroom I can teach students how to run that equipment so that when they do presentations they will be able to set up ahead of time with little help from me. I can help students in my classroom meet standard 2 by teaching them how to research and properly give credit to their online sources using a particular format (i.e. MLA or APA). Students can learn about social issues and attitudes surrounding technology by researching and learning about areas where there is not much technology (i.e. Amish community or a small village in Africa). They can brainstorm ways technology can help reduce poverty in the world. I can also show students websites where they can keep journals (i.e. blogspot). At blogspot.com students can respond to books they read inside and outside of class by posting a blog and communicating with other students. I can teach students how to create resumes using Microsoft Word. In order to help students develop a positive attitude toward technology I can show them how to have fun with technology by helping them create videos using the smart board and I can show musically inclined students how to record their songs using computer programs. Of course, I will have to learn how to do this first. I can help students meet Standard 4 by having them create a PowerPoint on a topic they are researching. Writing blogs and communicating with their classmates through blogs will also fulfill Standard 4.

Article Response to: Flexible, Appropriate, and Fun

I read "Flexible, Appropriate, and Fun" written by Nancy Knowlton. I learned three arguments for using the smart board. First, children tend to participate in class better when there is a smart board, second, the smart board could help students get higher academic scores, and third, the smart board is a good tool to have in the classroom for children with special needs.

The smart board is a very fascinating tool. There are so many activities a teacher can do from playing a video created by the students to creating a game of jeopardy. However, besides the smart board being entertainment, the smart board can contribute to student participation, because with the smart board, the teacher can assign different roles to different students. For example, one student can be assigned to set the smart board up and get it running and another student can be responsible for shutting it down. Throughout the lesson children can come up and solve math problems using the smart board. This will help in promoting a class environment where every child feels included.

The smart board has the potential to help children improve their grades. Some teachers claim math scores have risen by 10-15% since the smart board has been used in the classroom. One reason is when using a smart board tool called Recorder, a teacher's math notes can be recorded and left on a website where students can refer back to them. This makes it easier for children to focus better in class without worrying about getting every piece of information on paper and it also provides effective studying resources for them later on.

The smart board is helpful for children with special needs. For example, if a child struggles with his or her fine motor skills, it could be difficult to use a computer mouse. However, with the smart board, the child can easily use his or her fingers to select the application he or she needs. Also, teachers can use the smart board while signing to deaf students.

At the school where I am doing my practicum there are no smart boards. As a result, teachers have to use other tools like an overhead or the plain old pen and white board. However, I would be interested in comparing students' learning while not using a smart board with their learning when there is a smart board. I think any teacher can make learning successful without a white board. my feelings about incorporating the smart board into the classroom are mixed. On one hand, I question whether spending billions of dollars on these smart boards is necessary. There are so many financial problems in the schools and communities this money can go toward. On the other hand, these smart boards are neat and have the potential to be effective in the classroom and help children become technologically literate which is important in today's society.

Link to my new web page

Down below is the website I just created. I will probably add more features to it, but here is what I have so far. I did html for the first time tonight. It is not too hard. I hope it will help me as a teacher if I need to create a website. I will add the link to the page I created with html when it looks better.

http://hinckleyjessica.googlepages.com/home

Edmonds Elementary

I went to the website for Edmonds Elementary. I do not like the format. It seems weird and it is not very attractive. However, I do like how it has the staff directory on the page called Basics. You can even send an email straight from the directory list. The website has a link at the top right corner that is called Internet where one can look up the books the school library has and even look something up in an online encyclopedia. One thing that needs to be fixed is the link to the school calender, because it does not work.

http://staff.edmonds.wednet.edu/ee/ee/default.htm

Technology standards I would like to work on

I definitely want to come out of this class with a grasp on all technology tools I will be using as a teacher, because let me tell you, sometimes technology does not like me. I do not want to be in the classroom trying to work the smart board while my students are becoming antsy and impatient. I want to be fluent with the equipment I will be using. Some specific things that I would like to learn are: how to keep track of students' grades through an electronic grade book, how to create videos and using computer software, and I want to learn about all the resources that will help me prepare effective lessons for my class.

"Engage me or Enrage me."

I read "Engage me or Enrage me." It is written by Marc Prensky. It talks about how many kids today have access to electronic entertainment through the use of cellphones, computer games, MP3 players etc. They find much entertainment outside of school through the use of electronics, but not in the classroom. Students today are a challenge to engage, because they want to be entertained. The overall message of the article could be summarized in that instead of letting electronics be an enemy which distracts children from learning, perhaps teachers should incorporate electronics into their lessons. I agree with incorporating electronics sometimes. I think once a week a virtual tour through some historical land or through outer space might be effective. Perhaps digital curriculum might be effective when used a few times a week. However, I believe that children need to also learn to pay attention without electronics being used in the classroom. As a Christian, I believe in exercising self-control and perhaps students can learn how to develop self-control by choosing to pay attention even when they do not feel like it. Otherwise these students are going to be disillusioned when they come into a work environment where they have to pay attention to not-so-entertaining speakers. With that said, if a teacher truly cares about student success, he or she will work hard to keep their attention. The teacher will vary the teaching methods to meet the needs of the students. Electronics will be used in some lessons, but not in every single lesson. Some might argue that students will not be able to adapt to non-electronic learning methods, because of Attention Deficit Disorder. However, not every student suffers with A.D.D. and the only way for some of the students to fight through A.D.D. will not be through constantly engaging with digital curriculum, but by learning to pay attention while reading a book or participating in a class discussion. Children must learn how to adapt to a variety of different lessons and teaching styles. Digital curriculum should be used, but the use of it should be limited. After all, it should not become a crutch for teachers or students.

Why I want to teach

I am studying education, because I believe God can use me to impact children by helping them develop the necessary skills to succeed. I might want to teach at a Christian school because in a Christian school I can pray with students when they have needs. I also can encourage my students to get to know Jesus intimately and learn who they are in relation to Him. I also plan on working toward becoming certified in Teaching English as a Second Language. I can use a TESL certificate and my regular teaching certificate to work overseas as a missionary. My biggest desire is to reach out to people who are oppressed, such as those who are forced into prostitution, children who are abused, and others who might not otherwise receive a good education. When I become certified, I will most likely teach in the United States and then do short term teaching overseas in the summer. I prefer to work with children who are in fourth grade. I might want to teach children who are a little bit older, but I will need more experience with them in a classroom setting before I can say for sure what I want.