first time teaching

Today I had the opportunity to teach ratios to the 6th graders. It was very interesting to say the least. I feel that I did a good job relaying the info...but only if it were my peers. I had forgotten what we talked about in class that what comes easy to us, does not come easy to them. Mr. E told me afterwards that I was doing a good job, I just had to make sure that i was letting the students know we were starting a new topic, when to turn the page, when to take notes, how one thing connected to another by drawing arrows, making titles so they know that we have moved on. It seemed to be so much to pay attention to when teaching. In addition when students were writing notes they seemed to talk a lot and got loud, but when it was time to continue with instruction, i was told that I did a good job brining their attention back to the board and quieting them down. The second block I did an observation of a teacher giving instruction. I also went around helping students to complete their worksheets. I find it rewarding when students say "thanks for helping". I also like when the students want to know more about me and notice when things change.

First day of boost camp!

Today I observed at Northwest Middle School. It was quite an interesting experience. I noticed a lot of things as I entered the school. Most people say that middle schoolers are the worst to deal with, but today proved otherwise (although it was the first few days, and not a "real" class). I noticed how excited the teachers were as the students entered into the school. I aided in greeting students as they walked into the school. As the students waited in the cafeteria before classes begun, they became a little loud. Administration did noting, so I thought about it. I figured that since they weren't ridiculously loud, it was okay for them to talk amongst friends before being split up for the day. It also allowed them to release some energy they had although it was morning.

I was sent with Mr. Ellerbusch, who taught Math. His enthusiasm and assertiveness in his voice gained the kids attention. After he gave instruction, he gave pre-work and then a pretest. While he helped students log onto the computers, I graded the pre-work and aided students on their pretest (at his request). This was quite a struggle because the 6th graders wanted to be spoon fed the answers. One thing I noticed in this class, which seemed to be a recurring theme, was that although students were moving around in their seats and talking, they still paid attention and completed most of their work.

In the 7th grade class, I noticed another thing. The way students grouped themselves were quite interesting to me. It seemed as if certain type of kids sat with each other. It also seemed as if the 7th graders were in their own little world. They didn't seem to pay attention at all to the teacher. They were talking about everything BUT school. As I mentioned before, although they weren't paying attention, the students still did their work. They even did most of it correctly without the help of the teacher or myself.

Finally in the 8th grade transition class, things changed once again. These students were more rowdy. They seemed to want more independence. They had guest speakers today in class, so there was not much instruction. The students also lacked motivation to be in the classroom. They also talked constantly, disregarding the rules and conversation they had earlier about respect. Overall the class was decent.

I feel today was a great success to get my foot in the door and begin to think about my own instruction in the classroom. I am eager to conduct my own lesson eventually.

TPTE 486

I am glad I took this class. It opened my eyes to many FREE programs and websites that teachers can utilize in the classroom. These programs can even be used as assistive technology for some students with disabilities. I think technology is the "new" way of teaching education. People today are so involved with their twitter, Facebook, blackberries, and other social networks and communication tools that regular ways of teaching do not seem to be effective anymore. I feel that students will be able learn while utilizing these tools with out distracting them from their education. I look forward to using some of these techniques in my classroom and hope to find out more.

Scavenger

Scavenger hunts is a great idea to involve children with the introduction of a lesson. Students can take a digital camera and search for items around the classroom, school, or even at home. I believe students will have fun with this and become more interested in the subject. My group had a great time working on the scavenger hunt! check it out!

Lesson Plans

Lesson plans are designed to help teachers plan a lesson to the fullest extent. I really enjoyed planning our lesson plan. Writing theme with such detail allows a teacher to minimize the amount of idle time in the classroom. I feel lesson plans are very helpful to teachers and will definitely be used in the class!

Website

We are now working on our website projects through Google sites. This is very exciting. Google has made it very simple to create a webpage.I actually enjoy working on it, trying to make it better each time. I feel that this is a great idea to incorporate in my classroom along with the blogs. Parents and students will be able to log on to the inter net, visit the webpage, and be able to keep up with what is going on in class. There is contact information, supply list, and resources that the parents may utilize. here is a link to Mr. Franklin's Class

iMovie

iMovie was by far the most frustrating yet rewarding assignment we have done. Some programs are very time consuming when you do not understand what is going on. I found this exciting to work with though. It was great making a story about something that I was interested in. The most difficult part was making sure the pictures transitioned well. I doubt I would use this program in my class or make students do this assignment.

Here is my iMovie:

Update

Blogging has been great this semester. I feel I am more involved with what I am doing. The blogs help me reflect on the assignments that we complete. It makes me wonder if I would use these in the classroom. How would it help my students? What type of assignment would be best for the topic I am covering? How would students benefit from this? Overall Blogs are a good idea to get your ideas out.

Interactive Spreadsheet

I feel that the interactive spreadsheet was a good idea to use in the classroom. Students love interactive things. I feel that students learn better by doing assignments that are set up like that. The only problem I had with the spreadsheet is that a student may have the right answer but may have abbreviated it. The solution to that is to create a word bank for the students to use. I know I would definitely use this in my classroom.

Digital Diagram

I Decided to do my Digital Diagram on the Major Religions of the world. This aids state standard 7.1.02 Recognize the role of major religions. b. Describe the beliefs of the world's major religions.

MY SLIDE SHOW!

Classroom

On our delicious account, I found storyline online. I think this would be a great site to use in the classroom. I feel that it will have the students interested more in reading, and I think they will like the fact that a celebrity is reading to them. I also feel this could be assisted technology for students who may not be able to read as well as javascript:void(0)others in the classroom.

Blog

For my own WEBQUEST I've decided to choose the State Standard: 7.3.02 Identify the location of Earth's major physical characteristics such as continents,
landforms, bodies of water, climate regions, vegetation, and natural resources.

WEBQUEST

This week we learned about how Webquests are great tools to use in the classroom. It allows a teacher to set up a website for students explore a topic or subject. We looked at some samples of Webquest to view differences in the versions. Some Webquest had pictures that were attention grabbers; others were straight forward.

Using Wequest allows a teacher to have more control over what they set up. All links located on the Webquest are evaluated by the teacher; therefore the teacher knows that the websites are valid. In addition, it would reduce the time students’ use searching for websites since they are all located on the Webquest. Here is a site that explains a little more about the functions on Webquest.

WIki Wiki Wiki

This week in class we focused on Wiki's. I found this to be a very interesting topic since I have not worked on a Wiki before. I believe that Wikis could be very helpful in the classroom, especially when I would create projects for students. I could tell them to load up the Wiki homepage, find their class section, and use websites that I previewed beforehand. Therefore I know that their work is credible and that they did not have to goof off on the internet before finding great materials.



For personal use, I found Wikis to be very helpful. The example in the "Plain English" was an exact portrayal of my friends and I. We send countless emails trying to organize a trip or any type of gathering. Had we , instead, used Wiki, planning would have been much quicker and organized.

WEBSITE EVALUATION

This week in class, we did website evaluations. I thought that this was a great exercise to teach us to explore websites more in depth. I looked at www.nationmaster.com and the website was very creditable. I noted the different links which led to more and more information. Flags, info about a country, maps, and even lesson plans were included on the website. Doing this evaluation allowed me to explore things that I did not know about a website. For instance, Alt Tags was a new phrase to me, but after learning the definition, I realized I have seen these on many sites. Furthermore, this evaluation was a good idea so that when I assign projects in my classroom, I know what to look for in a credible site.

(here is a snap shot of the website)

WELCOME TO MY BLOG

Welcome to my blog! This is my first time actually blogging. I am very excited to see how this turns out. Hopefully it could become something I would like to do on my own time. I have a few personal goals for this class. I want to learn more about technology and how I can incorporate it in my classroom once I start teaching. I think Blogging is a great idea to keep students and teachers well connected.