The End is Near!

As the end of the semester continues to approach, all our work and projects are coming together as we fix and put them up on our taskstream. It is amazing to see how far we have come, however it has been an exhausting ride! I am very proud to say I have completed all my assignments, as well as have edited them to show my best work. In the beginning of the semester I never thought I would have come this far, however now that I am at the end, I am surprised I did it! My online portfolio has shown me how collaborating all my projects and assignments is useful because it is all there in one spot for everyone to see. I am very proud of my accomplishments and very proud of my classmates. Although I am relieved to see my work for Block 1 almost done, I am sad to know that in a couple of weeks I will not be with the same people who have helped me come this far. I wish everyone the best of luck!

Technology in the Classroom

As the semester rolls to an end, it is amazing to see the progress my classmates and I have made on our online portfolios. We have all created many different projects that one day will be a very useful and resourceful tool in the classroom. I personally have never used many of the websites Dr. Shi has provided this semester, and in my attempts to finish these projects, I have learned a great deal. I feel that this class has been very useful, and although it is a demanding amount of work, in the long run I feel that I will be prepared to use these tools within my classroom. I think my favorite project this semester was the voicethread. I enjoyed using this tool and I feel that it can make learning a little bit easier, and hopefully more enjoyable to the students. I am very grateful I "came to the edge" this semester and broadened my horizons with technology.

How Was School Today?

While on eSchool News, I came across an article that was very interesting to me. This article was about children who suffer from Complex Communication Needs, also known as CCN. This disability makes it hard for children to communicate effectively through speech alone, making it even harder for these children to express what they are learning throughout their days in school. For students who have CNN, they are unable to communicate using speech alone, which is why a project called "How Was School Today" has been launched. This project has aimed to develop a software that would collect data on what a child has been doing at school, then turn it into a language story to tell the parents when they got home. This system has been redefined to be compatible with mobile devices that can capture every move a student has done throughout the day, and then transfers that information to the parents so they can be aware of how their child is doing, as well as what their child has done throughout the day.


I think this project is very interesting. I feel that this can be the key to many students who have trouble expressing themselves, and can help parents who suffer from frustration when asking their children what they are learning. I think this can be very helpful, however, it is the job of parents and educators to use this as a tool for students, not a dependency. I also think this can be extremely helpful for ESL/ELL students. I think the way technology is adjusting and advancing can be highly beneficial for the school system, and can help those students who feel lost on a daily basis. I can only imagine what will be available for the students by the time I am a classroom teacher.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/smart-accessibility/technology-that-gives-children-a-voice?newsfeed=true

Wikispaces!

Today in class we created our own Wikispace website page! Considering how much we use this in our Edu 315 class, I figure this will be a very useful tool in the future. So far, I've learned how to invite members, create pages,and embed youtube videos, and change the colors on my webpage! I think there can be many uses for this type of website in the classroom and I am very happy to have created my own! I think its a great tool for my classmates and I to exchange ideas and new concepts via the internet and the website page makes it look much more professional, which is enabling us to look more appealing to those who find us online! I am very happy that I now have my own wikispace and plan on using this in the future in my classroom!

Voice Thread

Today in class we learned how to make a voice thread. I think this can be a great tool in the classroom for many reasons. I think this can be a great resource for the classroom because it can easily capture the attention of the students, while engaging them in academic material. I think its a very creative way to teach a lesson, or implement a subject into technology. I am looking forward to seeing how my voice thread comes out, and hope to make more in the future. I also like how students can be actively involved in the creation of a voice thread. As I make my own, I will keep into consideration how students would react to the voice thread and cannot wait to one day create one with my own student!

e- School News on Bullying

As I looked around the e-School News website, I came across a small article that addressed the popular topic of bullying. Lately, there have been many stories on the news about bullying that has caused young adults to turn to drastic and life ending measures. As a future teacher, I want to make sure that the students in my classroom feel safe, and comfortable, therefore I chose to look at this article.

This article led me to a website that can apply to children, teens, and parents about the topic of bullying. This website addresses bullying and how it can be stopped, and provides children, teens and adults with a way to confront the issue at hand.

e-School News: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/09/28/tips-to-address-school-bullying/

Stop Bullying Website: http://www.stopbullying.gov/index.html

iMovie

This week in class, we learned how to create an iMovie based on a mathematics problem. I think this can be very useful in the classroom, because it can provide students with a more engaging way of learning. We were shown examples by a teacher in a nearby elementary school, and it was very enjoyable to see and devise our own. My group came up with a math problem based on division and the new "partial quotient" method. I had never learned this method until last week, however making a short movie clip based on this method and real life objects was a great way to get my feet wet. I think this is a great way for educators to get the classroom involved and ready to learn because it beats having students complete a worksheet. I hope to make many more in the future!

iPad Usage in the School System

I came across an article online that questioned what is the appropriate age for students to use iPads. I thought this article was interesting because iPads are becoming more popular due to all they can offer. The iPads are a great way to learn in an accessable way, however the article proposed a good point. At what age is it appropriate to use iPads in the schooling system? The article questioned:

Isn't there a stage in early childhood development where kids don't know the difference between abstract notions and real objects? For example, one where they think the apple on the page is a real apple, or that if they close their eyes they really do become invisible?

The article continued to question is it better for a child to learn in concrete ways, such as learning about shapes by playing with blocks, or by virtually playing with blocks. I personally believe that there should be an integration with technology at an early age, to promote technoligical knowledge, however, technology cannot constitute for the actual hands on learning. I think that children should be more hands on than anything else because that information is better embedded in their minds, however, the iPad can come in at a later stage to review and be an alternate form of learning, just as long as it comes after the inital hands on learning. I believe technology, and an iPad can be a great tool in the classroom, however it cannot take away ones own capabilities in the real world, with real life objects.


To read this article on your own, the link is: http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/ipad-for-the-right-age

Volunteering Experience

Last week, I traveled with a friend to an elementary school in Ithaca, and was able to observe in a Kindergarten classroom. Although it does not fall under my certifications, it was still a great experience. I was able to sit in and interact with the children of a Kindergarten classroom and even help out by sitting at a station! I was able to play Letter Bingo with a group of 7 little ones to enhance letter identification. It was great helping students with their sounds, letter pronunciation, and their identifying skills. The kids were so happy to interact with myself, and each other, and their teacher was amazing. The teacher of this classroom was very warm and had a very effective way of teaching her students. After lunch, a monitor told the teacher that the children were having a bad case of tattle tailing, and with that, their teacher decided to approach the situation in an effective way. My friend and I, were going to help her find a way to show the kids that tattle tailing is not a good thing, and in order to do that, we did a little role play. My friend and I, got in the middle of the classroom and acted out a situation, and from there the teacher showed the students how to solve the problem, without resorting to telling on each other. The children understood, and came up with new ways to express themselves without tattle tailing.

It was a great experience volunteering in the Kindergarten classroom, and it was a great contrast to the usual 4th and 5th grade classrooms I observe in weekly!

Technology in the 5th grade Classroom

During my practicum I have seen many teachers use technology during their lessons. I follow around a special education teacher who spends time within a fourth and fifth classroom. I have taken notice to how closely the fifth grade classroom works with technology. In the 5th grade classroom, the teacher is constantly using the SmartBoard. Her students have many handouts that are passed to them, as well as shown on the SmartBoard, so that the teacher can draw, highlight, and work on the problems with the students. When learning a new subject, the teacher put the problems on the board, and had students come and write on the problems, in order to complete it. It was easy for the teacher to stop, correct, and even erase the mistakes, and have them continue on. The students within the classroom do understand how the SmartBoard works, and even orientated it when the programs were running slowly. In this day in age, the students are very "tech savy", and really know what is going on, which is very beneficial due to all the technological advances are society lives by. I think that if more classrooms were given the opportunity to use technology they would grow learning the programs and would know how to better themselves, and their learning through technology.

Ms. Martha Reads

As I was traveling through different websites, I came across a Tumblr that entails children's books and quotes. I think this is a great example on how technology can be a source for children.

This can be used in the classroom in many ways. If a teacher creates a blog sit, or a Tumblr, the class can follow other Tumblr's and keep up with the new entries posted.

The website for Ms. Martha Reads is:
http://msmarthareads.tumblr.com/

Enjoy :)

My Teaching Plan

After taking mental notes on my host teachers performance on Friday, I have a better understanding of how I want to be a teacher. I personally feel that the student's emotional well being comes first in line of priorities. Although many people may not agree with that, I feel that if a child is comfortable in the classroom and feels as if they are important and understood, they will be more willing to open up and express themselves in a better way. My host teacher did a great job of meeting certain students in the morning and worked hard at getting them on the right track for the day. She met one student with a book she thought he would enjoy and tried reading it to him before he began his day, as if to clear his mind with an easy read, and to get his mind flowing in more of an educational thought process. I think greeting my students in the morning will be beneficial to them and make them feel comforted.

I also believe that making the lessons fun for the student's is important because once they are engaged in the material and lesson, their retention process will be stronger. I want to make my lessons enjoyable and refreshing for the children in my classroom.

Being available to the student's is also very important. I think that if a child knows he or she is cared about, they will come to the teacher on good days, and bad days. Open communication is very important and if a child feels safe and secure in the eyes of their teacher, they will feel comfortable coming to their teacher with any problems or concerns they may have. After observing, I saw that some students felt more comfortable with my host teacher, than their own general education teacher and it made me realize that children want to be nurtured, and feel safe, and that is what I intend on implementing in my classroom.

I feel that blogging is a great way to begin my path to becoming a teacher, because within this blog I can share my thoughts, concerns, experiences, and follow peers within my class. Positive feedback is important because it implements a sense of good feeling and this blog will allow that to happen. I also think this blog can spark new ideas for different teaching methods, which is very important

Obama Appoints Shakira to Education Commission

After reading the article Obama appoints Shakira to education commission, I was shocked to know that the singer that we have all known for her music, has contributed so much to the educational system of children in Colombia, South Africa, and Haiti. The article stated facts such that "there are more than 11 million Hispanic students in America's public elementary and secondary schools, or more than 22 percent of all pre-K-12 students. Yet according to the White House, only about half of all Hispanic students earn their high school diploma on time". Hearing something such as this is alarming because everyone deserves an education, but there is clearly something along the lines that is discouraging these students from completing their education. I think it is wonderful that someone such as Shakira is doing something to help the cause.

Shakria has been awarded for many things, such as her songs, dances, and record producing, but it was new to see and read that she also founded the Barefoot Foundation in 1995, which operates schools and educational projects, as well as feeds and educates 6,000 children. She has also been apart of distributing educational and developmental programs for children across Latin America by partnering with World Bank and the Barefoot Foundation.


I think it is great that a celebrity, such as Shakira has put some of her focus on the educational system of those less fortunate, and if more celebrities got involved in this support system, many more children would probably be granted the chance to gain an education. I think it is a humble and noble contribution on her part, and with help from more people like her, as well as more people within the government system, education can become a part of every child's life across the world.



Obama Appoints Shakria to Education Commission

Observing Experience

This Friday I had my first encounter observing at the elementary school. At first I was rather nervous about what to expect, but once I got settled in with my host teacher, I enjoyed walking around and following her. My host teacher is a Special Education teacher who spends her day popping into a 4th and 5th grade classroom, to assist the general education teacher, as well as the students who are having trouble in the class. My host teacher has a select few children who she takes out of the room for testing, reads to them, and creates work sheets that allows the students to better understand material that is hard for them. I enjoyed seeing how different students work during the day, and how different accommodations do make a difference. I also thought it was very helpful to see how the students go about their day, as well as seeing those children with behavioral issues deal with their emotions. One child in the 4th grade classroom experienced a meltdown in which consisted of tossing a book and excluding himself from the group activity. It was helpful to see how my host teacher went about making situations like that calm and better for the student, and everyone else in the classroom, including the general education teacher. I wonder whats in store for me next week!

Observing

Last week I was meant to have my first encounter with observing, but to my dismay my teacher was not going to be in, so he skipped a week and was expecting me to come this upcoming Friday. Over the weekend, I was told that I would have to switch my host teacher and begin with a different one. Although I am going along with a new host teacher, I am still very excited to observe this week! I have never been put in a classroom setting to observe a student's class day, and I am very much looking forward to putting all that I've learned this semester to use! I hope to do well in the classroom and hope the students enjoy my time with them.

Weekend of September 23rd

After returning from Raquette Lake on Wednesday, I quickly prepared myself for a long, and hectic weekend at home. I traveled three hours home ( Nanuet, Rockland County) on Thursday and prepared for a crazy weekend with my family. This weekend it was my younger brother, Adam's, homecoming. My brother is part of the Varsity Football team, so in the midst of homecoming preparations, I got a chance to see my brother play on Saturday in a game against JFK High School. Adam's team won the football game, and I can proudly say my brother did a great job contributing to the win. After the game was over, all the boys were buzzing with excitement about the night that was yet to come. My brother quickly got ready after the game and tried to get everything that needed to be done finished before his Homecoming pictures. Pictures were all held at one of Adam's friends house and all the Seniors gathered there, looking their best, and ready for the dance. As we took pictures, I could not help but miss my Senior year of High School and was very proud of how my brother prepared himself for his big night out!

Raquette Lake

   On Monday, September 19, my classmates and I were given an opportunity that many other college students are not. My Block, along with Block 602, were taken to Raquette Lake. At first, I was very nervous and skeptical of being taken into the wilderness for 2-3 days with my peers. I wasn't sure how I was going to do, or what activities I'd be able to complete, considering this was the first time I have ever engaged in anything like this. During our trip, I was able to develop new friendships, hike, complete a low ropes course, canoe for the first time, sit by a camp fire, perform a skit for my peers, and see my teachers in a whole new light that would have not been seen in the classroom.

    I can successfully say, looking back on my short time at Raquette Lake, was not only exciting and fun, it was also an experience I will take with me for the rest of my life. During my time there, I was able to internally challenge myself, and push myself to new boundaries that I was never given the opportunity to do. My peers were amazing, as well as my teachers, and I was even given the chance to work closely with teachers from Thailand. Having the chance to talk to them, joke around with them, and learn about their culture was an experience that made the trip even more beneficial.

   Throughout my stay at Raquette Lake I was forced out of my comfort zone, and because I was not given a choice, I feel as if I have taken more away from the experience. Block 601, 602 and the Thai teachers all worked together and had an amazing time which shows me that the concepts of friendship, respect, and joy are things that are universal and can be applied to anyone. Things such as language barriers, and location held nothing against the wonderful time we all had together and it will be a memorable experience I will forever hold.

About Me

• My name is Danielle
• Outgoing, kind, energetic, understanding
• Sibling of one brother, Adam
• Lover of my family, my friends, and my education
• Who feels tired waking up for early morning classes, excited on the weekends, stressed when given tons of homework!
• Who fears heights, snakes, and haunted houses!
• Who would like to see the Sydney Opera House, Eiffel Tower, and Grand Canyon
• Rockland County, NY
• Children's room of my hometown library
• Gonzalez