Last Day at Pinecrest

Wednesday was my last day helping out in my early childhood classroom at Pinecrest Elementary.  I was very sad to go because I grew to be a part of the classroom.  I am so thankful the teachers in the classroom let me be apart of this room during my time in service learning.  It was so cute because even though I had been helping out in the classroom for over two months, none of the kids really knew my name.  The last day I was there a lot of the kids finally made the association between my face and my name.  It was a very touching experience.  All of those kids were very loving.  Even though there was a share of crazy days, I enjoyed every minute of it and I would encourage any future educator to do some volunteering, especially at this school

Reflection on CEP416

I learned a lot this semester about interesting technology that I plan to use in the classroom.  I had never really explored Michigan’s standards for technology in the classroom and now I know what is most appropriate for the different elementary grade levels.  One of the most important things I learned this semester was how to say more organized with websites and even creating my own website.  Creating a website for my future classroom does not seem intimidating at all now.  I am excited to use my new technology sources to keep my future classroom in order and up to date.  I love that there are so many different ways to communicate online as well.  Instead of using email with my future student’s parents, I will have the option of using Google docs when I need the help of multiple parents and such.  I am happy I had this course to broaden my horizon on the different technologies I will be able to use in the classroom.  Technology is something that I have always be hesitant about, by now I can say I feel comfortable embracing new sources that will only help my journey on becoming a successful educator.

Inspiration Quote

I stumbled across this quote when I was looking up poems for another class, I hope you all enjoy it!


"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement, nothing can be done without hope and confidence." -- Helen Keller


I think this is a good quote for educators because it is our job to instill confidence in our students so they are motivated to push themselves to achieve greatness.  I plan to have posters in my future classroom with inspirational quotes such as this one.

Wiki

Having the chance to explore Wiki  this week was very useful.  A Wiki is a page used to collaborate with other members.  Your personal Wiki can be view by everyone on the web or only by the people you choose to invite.  It is cool because you have control over whom you want to let in, help edit and fix up things.  Instead of communicating over a different technology that is time consuming, using a Wiki can cut down the direct contact you need to make with people.  At your leisure, it is easy to log in and edit the Wiki page whenever you have time.  Wiki's also have a very personal aspect where you have complete control over who sees your page.  Having a privacy option is always an advantage.

I find Wiki a lot more useful then Weebly because you are able to create things easily with other people.  In Weebly, there is no way for someone else to edit your webpage without giving that person your personal password. 

Although with blogs it is easy to make comments, there is no way to log on and edit someone else’s blog.  With Wiki you can have a finished product without having to see all the comments that went in to it.  It is a clear-cut way to have communication.

This would be very useful in the classroom because it can be used by students for working on group projects.  You can break students up in to groups and have them create a Wiki page for each group.  The teacher can monitor the group’s member’s progress to make sure everyone is evenly contributing to the assignment.  Wiki’s are very easy to use.  I think students as young as fifth graders would be able to use this successfully.   I would definitely consider using this in my future classroom.

I couldn't decide which Wiki format to use so I made two different accounts.  After experimenting further with both, I found that Wikispaces was an easier Wiki to navigate.  Though the two are very similar, I felt like it was easier to add things such as pictures, links, and videos with Wikispaces.

Check out my Wiki

iclicker

So far the iclicker craze is mainly used at the collegiate level.  Though, since there has been such a positive response in colleges, high school and even middle school teachers have started to use this new tool.  The iclicker is composed of 5 multiple choice letters and it has a handy light that flashes green when a question is registered as answered in a class, and a red button if the answer you choose on your clicker had not been registered.  The clickers are used in class for attendance and to answer questions mini multiple choice questions electronically. 

This is my first year using iclicker in a lecture but I have found it very reliable so far.  It was extremely easy to register my clicker online and all I have to do is give my instructor my ID number and he/she can provide all of my attendance and quiz questions that have been registered during the semester. 

As a future educator I would definitely look into using this tool in my classroom.  It is very easy to keep track of attendance, and also it would be useful to have a technology to use in class that would allow me to ask students little questions throughout my lesson to make sure they comprehend the material we are covering.  After the students answer, the iclicker system also allows the instructor to see who choose which answer, and it gives percentages of who chose each answer.  Another plus to this technology is that it eliminates wasting paper on little mini quizzes.

Though iclickers have many positives, a negative to this product is that it does cost about $35.  Asking students at the middle school level or even high school level for a technology that costs that much would not go over well with parents.  Also, I plan to teach at the elementary level so as much as I would love to use this because it is easy enough for younger kids to use, it is asking a lot of parents to pay for something like this when it is not guaranteed that it will be used more than one year.

Journals

One thing I want to always incorporate in my classroom are daily journals.  I want my students to have a notebook dedicated to their own free writing.  I think it is so important to encourage them to make up their own stories and have a place to privately reflect.  This is a good thing to have to work on if they finish up a test or an assignment early.  Of course their journal would never be graded or even read unless they give me or a fellow classmate permission.

When I was doing my placement last year while I was still going to school down in Georgia, one of the girls in my class wrote a new story every day.  Her stories were hilarious.  I would have never even known this girl was capable of making up such colorful stories if I had not asked what she was working on one day.  She was a very quiet and reserved child, but once she left her imagination run wild, she created some of the silliest stories.  It was great to see all of the creativity the kids possessed as individuals. I always want my future students to have a journal so they have the freedom to write or draw whatever they want.

Second Life

For my choice this week I decided to check out the website called Second Life.  I have never even heard of this site before so I really didn't know what to expect.  I did some research and found out that this is basically a virtual reality space, like the computer game the sims.  You get to pick out your own identity, create your own living space and interact with other people on the web.  This site allows you to be whomever you want to be.

Now educational wise, this does not seem like a site to have in schools.  Besides being able to communicate with others I don't really foresee and positive educational sources coming out of this.  Also, you never really know if who you are talking to is who they say they are.  Everyone has a virtual character to represent them and no one would know if you were lying about who you are, so no one can ever really know if the people they are meeting are who they say they are.

Perhaps this could be a website encouraged for those who are shy.  Many adolescence go through periods of self-consciousness, and many others even face socialization anxiety.  This interactive site could help some who faces those hurdles.  Other then that I wouldn't advertise something like this in the classroom, especially at the elementary level where I plan to teach.

http://secondlife.com/