Experiencing Group

 

The first thing I would like to say is that everyone did a great job, but there were some things that needed to be fixed so that when we all become teachers our students will not "eat us alive." This video shows some great examples.

I have been performing for many years; as a child my parents had me signed up for plays and musicals at our local theatre. Theatre is where I learned to thrive in front of an audience. I also was in choir from 5th grade until my senior year, and I performed my piano skills since 1st grade. I am not bragging, just giving my background knowledge to help those who need to sharpen their skills.

Here are some guidelines I find helpful.

1.) Always be confident and stand tall

2.) Know what you are presenting and do it well

* this means practice it until it flows*

3.) Never fidget, but use your hands to help guide your presentation

4.) Make eye contact and project to your audience

5.) Wear clothes that are comfortable, and shoes that you are able to stand in

*if you are not comfortable then neither is your audience*

These five tips will help you present more clearly.

I know that seems really harsh but many of us haven't performed in front of thousands of people, so we are unsure of how to speak and act. We talk about code switching in my early childhood class, but as teachers we will also have to code switch as well; we will have to use our "teacher talk" and our "outside the classroom talk." As educators we need to learn how to do this before we ever step foot into the classroom.

I really enjoyed working with my group members; I felt that we had a dynamic group of people who were ready for this project. I loved how we were all on the same page the whole way through this journey. Everyone knew what we were doing and did it very well. Our ideas flowed well together and our presentation benefited from the group's hard work ethic.

Joining groups at first is always scary; you never know how well your members are going to work. I was a little worried at first, but once we started talking, our ideas started to flow very well. I know that we put a lot of hard work into this paper and presentation, so in the end it was all worth it. Overall, everyone's presentations came together at the end. I enjoyed this process and now have a better understanding of collaboration.

~Katie~

PowerPoint Ungh

Upon starting this PowerPoint project I thought "oh boy, here we go agian, when will my professors understand that we already know how to do this stuff." So, class started and Mr. Smith started to show us things I already knew, and then he started showing us how to hide slides and how to hyperlink our slides. This sparked and intrest in me and I was starting to like this project. I was able to upload a video on to my powerpoint. As of the hyperlinking it was a mess for the first two days, but I got a hang of it and my presentation ran smoothly. I thought in the past that I would never use powerpoint unless it was required in my classes, but now since I have learn more ways to use it;I may use PowerPoint as a tool for teaching.

 

 

We were asked to come up with a lesson plan with objectives. My objective was to teach my 5th grade Special Ed. students about synonyms and antonyms. I created my narravtive that explained how I would do this, and then moved on to my PowerPoint. While I was doing my PowerPoint I was getting fustrated because I could get slides to link to eachother, but I later found out that it was the computer I was on. If you are wondering what hyperlinking is check out this website Hyper Linking 101.

I have always been a good preformer, since I was a child I have been acting in plays, musicals, and short skits. I have always been comfortable infront of an audience, but sometimes infront of a small group I get super nervous, but after presenting my PowerPoint I felt like this little girl. I felt like my PowerPoint was amazing because I really didn't know how to do all the new stuff that Mr. Smith showed us in class. I thought that alot of my classmates PowerPoint's were amazing, I didn't know how to do half the stuff that they did, but I still enjoyed watching them.

Two More for The Roll

 

 

Chicago Teachers May Strike, Teach Political Lesson is a new blog that made me just keep reading. I found this blog very interesting because I myself want to be a special ed. teacher and I need to be aware of what is happening in other states. Many states look at each others plans for education and try to mimic them. If I want to get a job that is out of state then I need to stay updated on their education system. This blog informs me what is new and old in special education today. This post informed me that in Chicago, teachers are willing to walk out the doors and go on strike for better pay. I need to know what happens during a strike incase my school that I teach at ever decides to go on strike.

Another blog that caught my attention was Preparing to enter Preschool Special Education: The Results/Report of the assessment. This blog talks about how a particular teacher works with a little girl named Ellie. In this blog Anna talks about the process in which it takes to get a special ed child reading for preschool. I myself know a little something about preschools since my mom works at one. This caught my intrest not because I want to teach preschool, but how there are many processes in which a child goes through so he/she can recieve the proper instrcution.  As a special ed. teacher, I will have to help with writing up a child's IEP plan, so that they recieve education in the less restricitive enviroment.

My Beliefs about Technology and Learning

Technology in the classroom can be a great thing but when will enough be enough? Every year money is being spent on upgrading computers in the schools; while other great programs are being cut. At my old school every student has his or her personal laptop, but not every choir member has his or her own robe. My choir has been placing at regionals, and some of our students have gone on to states. Parents spent their own money on fixing robes, paying for hotels, and chipping in for gas money so that our students could arrive to the venue.

I do understand the importance of technology in the classroom, but other programs shouldn't be pushed to the corner for tomorrow's problem. Thomas Jefferson once said "Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today". Today's problems will not solve themselves, so as teachers and citizens we need to figure out a way to keep using technology, but not at the cost of other programs.

My senior year in every class I used the laptop, that was provided to me. It was so nice to be able to take my laptop home and do all my homework on it. I was able to complete my senior project and other tasks that needed to be done, with out the hassle of going to the computer room,  carrying a flash drive around, and uploading my stuff to the computer. I do see the great benefits of having technology in the classroom, and how it helps teachers, students, and other faculty work more efficient.

Teachers are using technology in the classrooms every day, especially in special ed. Students with Autism or ADHD have been able to do tasks on the computer better than they can on a sheet of paper. Teachers use white boards to show videos about science projects, and the kids are able to answer the questions from the science video with their Ipads. Teachers are able to see within seconds who understands and who doesn't.

No matter what the issue is there will always be pros and cons. In this case I believe that the cons can be fixed and the pros are something we need to strive from.

Important to Me

My name is Katie, but I prefer Kate. I can't wait to be expanding the minds of children in the classroom. I really want to bring different aspects into the classroom, so that my students are able to get the best of me and never half of me. I believe that teacher should give it their all and never give up on their students. I have learned this from probably one of the best teachers I know, Dolly McMahon. She trys so hard to reach her students, even if they dropped out of high school. This summer she spent her days helping a student pass his keystone state diploma. She did this without any pay, but that didn't stop her from doing what she does best.

I love art in the classroom. Having my students interact with eachother through various way suchas:

Music in the classroom stimulates the brain beyond anything used in a traditional classroom. It brings life into your students and helps them get ready for the day. I will always try to bring music into the classroom every morning, so my studnets know that today is a fresh start!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art in the classroom helps many students express their knowledge about a topic but in a different way!

Teaching is fun, and professionals should embrace it! Every day brings new experiences to you, and from these experiences we grow into a better person, a better teacher, and a better member of society.