Week Twelve!!

This Week

This week in class we have had time to work on our lesson plan, assessment task, and educational philosophy. These are all so important for future teachers. This is our very first lesson plan. This is really exciting, because we will have the opportunity to actually teach this lesson plan in front of our peers. This is exciting because we will need to start using the NCTCS in our actions, to be good teachers. The assessment task is all about assessing our students. This is something that is really important, because that influences learning. I personally learn the most when I have gotten feedback from the teacher and really understand what I did wrong. I want to make sure that when I am teaching  I am constantly giving feedback and really making sure that the students are really understanding the material. 

Outside Learning

This week I learned about a website called epicbooks.com.  This is a website that has a lot of textbooks and materials for teachers. These are all free books and resources. This could be such a good thing for my classroom, because I will have the ability to have all these resources at my fingertips and be able to use it in my classroom. I think this is something so influential to a classroom, and one day it could possibly be for my classroom!

My Future Classroom

In my future classroom I want to be able to really use assessment to influence my teaching. I want to make sure that I assess myself and my students to better us. This is a huge component that I want to be incorporated into my classroom. Also, I think I might be able to use websites like epicbooks.com in my future classroom. These websites will help me create lesson plans and help me teach the material. 

Week Eleven!!!

This Week!!!

This week is extremely busy. We are finalizing our philosophies and our lesson plans. Soon we will be teaching our lesson plan to the classroom. This is so exciting! I will get a real glimpse of what my future job is going to feel like. This week, we also learned about SAMR, which is substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition. This is key for teachers, especially since technology has been advancing and will continue to advance. This is a huge key for NCTCS, because we have to be able to use technology and be able to impact our lesson plans with technology to make them better. I really was able to retain the information a lot better than not using technology. I think this is something that is really important to remember, because I need to make sure I am giving the best education possible for my students. 

Outside Learning

This week for outside learning, I discovered an app called "PIAZZA". This app allows them to access material about the course. This can be worked for specific subjects, and be able to really understand the course objectives. One thing that is really positive about this, is that it can be accessed in the classroom or outside of the classroom. That way, the students are able to access all course materials at all times. I think this is something that could be so beneficial in my future classroom. 

My Future Classroom

It is so important in my future classroom to incorporate technology to really help impact my lesson plans. I want to make sure that I am giving every student the best possible education. Also, I want to incorporate learning on mobile devices. This could be using the app Piazza. These can be so beneficial in the classroom, especially since we are moving to a more technology society. I can not wait to teach my lesson plan soon, and be able to incorporate technology. 

Week Ten!!

This Week

It is crazy to think that it is the tenth week of class! I feel like this semester has flown by, and that I have learned so many things that I will use in my future classroom. For example, this week we learned about TPACK. This really means Technology, Content, and Pedagogical Knowledge. We have to be able to do all three of those well to achieve the TPACK. It is simply, when you blend all three of those knowledges in the classroom together. This goes hand in hand with out NCTCS. 4D states that we should, "integrate technology within instruction to maximize student learning." This is going to be used in our future classroom and something that is going to be very beneficial for us as teachers. One of the things that really stuck out to me in class was that "Technology is a tool, NOT an outcome". This emphasizes that technology is not about what they do, it is about what the students are doing with the technology. I think that is something so important to remember!

Technology

This week in class we were also introduced to a new piece of technology that we can use in our future classroom. It is a website called "smore". With this website we can create webpages that change their format when they are looked at by a computer or by a smartphone. This is really convenient, because not every website allows that to happen. One other thing this website can create is local flyers. This could be with thing locally, or could be used in the classroom. This is a really cool website that I could potentially be using in my future classroom!

Future Classroom

In my future classroom I want to make sure that I am going to be using TPACK. I want to be able to use not only technology knowledge, but also know the content and know how to teach the content. That is one interracial part of TPACK, is the ability to use all three together in the classroom and that is something I am so excited to start doing in my future classroom. I love learning all of the different things that will affect my future classroom. 

Week Nine!!

This Week

This week we had a chance to really work on our philosophies and we did another walking classroom. I really enjoy working on my philosophy, because it is something that I will use in my future classroom. This is the style I would teach in, and I think it is really important to get that right. Also, in the walking classroom we learned about assessments. One key phrase that really stood out to me was "Learning stops when a grade is written on a paper." I think this is important to remember, because a student is going to be unwilling to learn if they get a bad grade on a test or quiz, because I know I did that as a student and it really made me not want to learn the material as much. That is why it is important to know that there is more ways to assess the class other than taking a test. Both the philosophy and assessments are important, because they both connect with the NCTCS.

Outside Learning

I found a really cool article that talked about teaching in 21st century schools. This article was mostly about things that should not be done in the class. I really like this article, because it goes with what we learned about assessments. It says that standardized tests should not measure the quality of education.For example, this picture really shows what is not on standardized test that we are teaching our students. I really enjoyed reading this article, because I feel like it really related to our class discussions.  http://ingvihrannar.com/14-things-that-are-obsolete-in-21st-century-schools/

Future Classroom

In my future classroom, I want to be able to use my philosophy well. I want to know how I want to teach and be able to fulfill that. Also, I want to make sure I am assessing my students to make sure they are really understanding the material. I do not want to just slap a grade on a paper, because the learning will stop. I want to make sure I am assessing my class in different ways, so that I can really understand where the students are with the material.

Week Eight!

This Week

This week in class we discussed assessments. The purpose of assessing the students is that it allows the teacher and student to see if they are understanding the task. For the teacher, assessments also determine what else the teacher should teach. In class our definition of assessment was the act of gathering evidence to determine what the student really understands. After really understanding what assessment is, we learned about the assessment to instruction cycle. We have to plan, teach, gather evidence, and give feedback. Those four things make up the cycle and once you are at the  give feedback stage, you go back to the the first thing which is to plan. This is an ongoing cycle. This is a huge part of the NCTCS, and a huge part of being a teacher. When I was in school, I remember doing homework and tests but I do not think that my teachers ever did any other type of assessments. Now that I really understand assessments, I will be sure to look for that in future classrooms that I visit.

Technology

One thing that I think is really cool, but have not used much before this semester is QR Codes. I think this could be extremely beneficial in my future classrooms. When I was a PAL in high school, I visited with a 6th grade math class, and they would use iPads and look up QR Codes. I think that this is so cool, because when I was in 6th grade I do not even think that an iPad even existed. This is something that is small, but has the opportunity to make the students do something besides a worksheet. This could be used in group work or individual work.

Future Classroom

In my future classroom, I really want to make sure that I assess my class and make sure that each student knows what they need to learn, how to reach the learning target, and where they are learning. This is something that is so important in a classroom. Without assessments, I would not know what my class is actually comprehending. I want to also use QR codes in my classroom. I think this is something that is super simple but so easy to use and incorporate in my lesson plans. 

Week Seven!!!

This Week 

This week in our class we discussed creating lesson plans more in depth. This was really beneficial for me because I was able to really understand how to make the best lesson plan possible. One thing that really stood out to me was “the hook” that is with the “focus” section of the lesson plan. This needs to be something interesting to really get the students excited and ready to learn the material. This stood out to me so much, because I really don’t think any teacher I ever really had  got me excited about learning the material. This is something that is really important in the NCTCS and NCSCOS. We have to be able to teach everything and very well.  

Technology

Since we learned about lesson plans this week,  I decided to do some research about lesson planning for the classroom. I found this really cool site called, “LessonCast” and is a website where experienced teachers can submit PowerPoints, documents, videos of lesson plans in two minutes or less. Each submission is reviewed and vetted by teachers and shared online. This is a newer site, but teachers can search for the perfect idea for their classroom. Also, this site is free. I think this is a great resource to know about, since I will be making lesson plans for the rest of my life and will be teaching children my own lesson plans.

Future Classroom

Learning about lesson plans really makes me excited about becoming a teacher. It gives me just a glimpse of something that I will be doing daily.  I think it is important that I make sure that each one of my lesson plans has a really good hook at the beginning of the lesson. This way, I will ensure that my students are really engaged and excited about learning the topic. Also, I think one day that I will maybe use “LessonCast” to help me create lesson plans. This will all impact my future classroom. I am so excited to start making lesson plans and actually teaching these lesson plans.

Week Six!!!

This week

This week our education class went to Crest High School. I got the opportunity to sit in on a 9th grade mathematics classroom. I really enjoyed looking at the high school classroom and seeing how the teacher really interacted the students. One of my favorite things was this notebook she made the students take notes in. She called it the IBN Interactive Notebook. This was where the students wrote notes every single day. At the top of the page she would write the learning target for the activity. This really stood out to me, because it directly corresponds with the NCSCOS and that helps teachers be able to do accomplish all of the NCTCS. I think this really helps the students not only understand what is asked of them, but also be able to keep an organized note system. This way if a student ever needs to look back at a note page, they can look in the table of contents. This would really be great in my future classroom!

Technology

I found a blog that stated it is really good to have hourly brain breaks throughout the day. This is so the students have an opportunity to stand up and be active and "get the wiggles out".  For example,  have a student roll a dice then whatever number it lands on that is how many jumping jacks, hops, or push ups). They will do this while music is playing so they have a chance to be active and hear something besides the lesson. This is just a great way to interact something else in the day and give their brain a chance to take a break. 

Future Classroom

I would love to incorporate the IBN Interactive Notebook and a hourly brain break in my future classroom. These are both great ides to help the students be able to learn as much as they can throughout the day. I want to make sure that my students are going to get the best education they can possible get. After these classroom visits, I am so excited to become a teacher and be able to impact student's lives. 

Week Five!!!

School Visits

         This week we visited Crest Middle School. I sat in a 6th grade classroom, and they were learning about Mesopotamia and remembering the "GRAPES" for Mesopotamia. This visit was way different than my elementary school visit. My elementary school classroom that i visited was very chaotic and students doing different things, so there was more activity going on. In my middle school class everything had its correct place. The students were so well behaved and only talked unless their hands were raised. This made me really confirm my choice to be an elementary education major. I like how the students are younger and don't understand everything just quite yet, and they are more interactive and active. This is something that I really like. It did open the door for me to maybe want to teach a higher grade level within elementary education.
        One thing that I really liked about this classroom was how organized the teacher was. Everything was in the correct spot and the students understood that. I think this really helped with the flow of the classroom. Also, the teacher would put the learning targets for each assignment on the board. I think this really helps the students to understand what is being asked of them to learn for that current day. This also helps with the NCTCS by making sure we are teaching the NCSCOS. I think that was a really easy feature to add to the classroom, so the students really understand what they are supposed to be learning. I really enjoyed going to Crest Middle and observing, it was such a great experience.

Technology 

        This week while looking up how teachers can include technology more in the classrooms, I found this website called www.webs.com. This is a website generator website, that will help someone create a free website. I was reading an article that discussed how teachers were using this site to create a Classroom Webpage. I thought this idea was really neat. It is kinda how Blackboard works, with each class having their own page. I really like this idea for my classroom. I think it is such a great idea to have a class webpage so I can post announcements and homework that students may have missed in classroom! I think this would be awesome to have when I am a teacher. 

My Future Classroom

            Seeing how organized that middle school classroom was, it makes me want to be an organized teacher as well. This way the students will understand where things go, and what they are supposed to be doing. I think having an organized classroom will also really help the students being able to learn also. On top of an organized classroom, I would love to have a classroom webpage for the parents and the students. This way they are able to look at the webpage and see the learning targets, and assignments for the week. I think this tool would be so beneficial for my classroom. 

Week Four!

School Visits!! YAY!!!

On Monday we were able to go visit James Love Elementary School and observe current teachers. This was such an amazing experience! I got to visit a 1st grade classroom where they were learning about ants, adding certain numbers to get to 7, and also how to build sentences! This made me think back to when I was in first grade and all of the activities that my teachers made us do to learn these simple task. One really cool part was seeing that the teacher was using a lesson plan, she had it pulled up on the screen at one point. This moment really made me realize that what I am learning right now in EDUC 250, how to make a six point lesson plan, is something that I will actually use daily in my profession! It was such an amazing moment in class. The lesson plans will ensure that I complete all of the NCTCS task that I have to.  Also, I really enjoyed seeing how students are so into technology. They use things that were not even invented yet when I was in Elementary School! It is crazy to think about what technology will be out there in just a few short years when I will be teaching.

Technology

This past week I was talking to Kieran, and she informed me about this awesome email company called "The Skimm". This company sends an email everyday to whoever subscribes and it informs global news and local news. It is meant to be "skimmed" and read briefly. It is mostly just the facts about the topic. This is helpful because it keeps me really updated on current events. Also it makes me more of a global citizen by being aware of what is going on around the world. I really enjoy reading these emails every morning because they even incorporate jokes in the emails! Like how fun! It really makes reading the news more enjoyable and I feel like I am actually connected to the world. I really don't have time to watch the news so this really helps! I recommend it to everyone and I am so happy Kieran told me about it!!

Future Classroom

It is really difficult to start building a lesson plan right now because I am just starting,having to go from being a student to being a teacher, but I know it will get easier as I continue my journey in Education! Then by the time I am ready to teach I will be a pro at building lesson plans and make sure they are engaging for my students. Monday showed me that I will make it through this process and I will be able to teach the lesson plans that I create to students in my own classroom! How exciting!!! :) 

Week Three!

Full Force

Wow! Week three of classes is here, and let me tell you they are in full force! With school work and soccer life is very overwhelming right now! With everything going on, Education 250 really calms me and puts me at ease because I love this class! This week we learned about educational philosophies. These are for teachers to use so students have the best opportunity to learn and grow in their knowledge. I really loved being able to see other students infomercials and fully understand what each philosophy is. This is important to us because through these philosophies we are able to meet standards that the NCTCS and important standard core teaching requirements. I think it is so cool that every teacher can have a different philosophy and we can all still impact students in a positive way.

Outside Learning

Dr. Parker had mentioned to me last week about something called Zoom. I looked it up and Zoom is a  online video conferencing website. Some cool things that I found out about Zoom were that it offers group messaging to everyone involved and the availability to share a screen with other individuals. Not only is it a video chatting but it is also very secure. One other thing that I really liked about Zoom was the fact that we are available to do white boarding and write out certain things that we want to discuss! This is a really cool technology that I could use in a classroom or in an online classroom if I ever teach an online course! 

Future Classroom

In my future classroom I will be able to use my philosophy, and be able to teach my students and have them be able to be in an environment to learn and prosper! I am so excited to be able to teach my students and follow the NCTCS. I am so excited to become a teacher and I want to be able to influence my students, just as my past teachers have influenced me!

Week Two!

Second Week of Class

                I guess one could call this week of class the second full week of class. EDUC 250 is probably one of my favorite classes this semester. I love being able to discuss and learn about my future profession. This week we learned how to write lesson plans. Here at Gardner-Webb we are learning to write six point lesson plans. This also will help me with NCTCS, to ensure that I am teaching my students the standards correctly and precisely. Anyway, I do really enjoy this type of lesson plans. Mostly because we are able to explain why what we are learning is important, and have a section to be able to review and make sure the students really understand that task. This was really influential for me when I was a student, I loved to know why certain information was important. Also, I like it when my teachers would spend a few minutes in the end of class reviewing the content because it really helped me understand and remember it so much better. 

            

Technology

                Technology plays a huge role in the classroom. Even today in class one of our own students was able to use a SMARTboard to teach the class what an infomercial is. Our world is changing and it is so critical that as teachers we are learning the newest technology. This week I found something called "Citrix Go Meeting". I think this is cool because it allows a teacher to be videoconferencing with a student and have the student be able to display their own screen. This is a perk for teachers because a teacher could use it for an online class when students had questions, and for a teacher to be able to answer questions over a certain homework assignment. 

My Classroom

          I am still so excited for the day that I will be able to stand up and teach my own class! While I am teaching I will plan every single lesson with the six point lesson plan! This will help me organize my classroom and make sure the students are actually able to understand the information that I am presenting to them. This lesson plan also allows students to reflect on past information learned and look to the future for future learning. This will help my classroom so much. I want to make sure my students clearly understand the information presented to them!

First

We all go through so many "firsts" in life. For example, we get our first car, we have our first day of school, and our first job. For me, this semester I am taking my first education class. This is such a huge step for me to becoming a teacher.  I am so excited for this class so I can learn more about standards, lesson planning, and being the best teacher I can possibly be one day.

First Week of Class

During the first week of class we have learned so many things. We have learned not only what is required for teachers, but also how to "unpack" the standards that are stated in the NCSCOS, North Carolina Standard Course of Study. I have so much more to learn about these standards, but have really enjoyed learning how to unpack them, so I can better understand what is required of me. While doing some research about teaching, I have learned about a website called teacherease, which is an online grade book that helps teachers communicate with parents easier. This seems really cool, and maybe one day I will want to try it to help my student's parents be able to communicate and see their child's grade more easily. That brings me to my next point, that there is always going to be something I do not know about teaching. I will always be continuing to learn even when I am a teacher. This is one connection I made this week and I realized it is one of the amazing parts about my job, is that I am going to be continuing to learn even after college.

First Job

One day I will have the opportunity to stand in front of students and teach.  Dr. Clarker has already taught me so many things that I will be able to use in my classroom, for example I now know how to unpack standards and be able to really understand what I am supposed to be teaching the students. This will help me for all my years to come, especially since these standards can change with time. I am really excited to continue my journey of my first education class, EDUC250. But also, to continue my journey into becoming an elementary school teacher.