Almost done!

This is my last semester of Graduate School! I can't wait to graduate!!

Why is Professional Development Vital for Educators?

Professional development is very important for teachers because it trains us to do our job the best that we can and it keeps teachers up to date on the most current,best curriculum, and teaching methods available.
Teaching is a profession that is suffering in the areas of budget cuts and freezing of pay increases, but I like to think that most teachers like myself didn't get into this profession for the paycheck. Teachers have a very important and serious public service to provide. We prepare the youth in our counrty to become the citezins we need to carry on the American tradition of keeping our country great!
I am motivated by being a good team member for my school and district. I want our school and the students attending there to be the best in the district. I want to inspire other schools and teachers to try the things I am doing and I want ideas and skills shared with me. I want to be valuable to my principal. I want that person to know that I take my job seriously and I will work hard to be the best teacher that I can possibly be at their school. I want parents of my students to be happy with the job that I am doing. I want them to know that when their child leaves them each morning that they are not only in a safe and loving teaching environment, but also that their child is getting the best education that they can. I want my students to enjoy learning in every subjct. I want to make them passionate about their education and strive to do the best that they can. These things represent my intrinsic motivation to learn all that I can.
Extrinsic motivators that I seek is winning grants that I have written. I would also love to be the Teacher of the Year at my school someday. I want to earn the title, not just be someone that hasn't won it yet. Also, there are great professional development opportunities that pay a stipend and/or provide you with very valuable supplies and teaching manuals.
There is not one single negative thing I can say about professional development. You are required by your administration to get a certain number of hours each year. You are required to take FERPA and other trainings each year. It is apart of the job. It is a vital part of our job.

Children vs. Adults: Internet Use

I think it is impossible to compare the two. For example, today my class went to the Norman Police Department for a field trip. The officer took the kids behind the scenes and we ended up in a room full of computers and cubicles. This area was designated for the officers to type up their reports. The officer began explaining to them all of the tools police officers use. She explained to them that now they use computers here, there, everywhere, including their police cars, but she remembered a time when they didn't have computers to use at all. The kids got really quiet. The officer then asked if they remember a time when computers weren't around. They thought she was crazy!! They couldn't wrap their heads around the thought of life without computers! To them it is as normal as T.V. How we can compare the use when children see it as something that is normal and the other generations a luxury item?

Tikatok

I stumbled upon a website called TikaTok! The idea is that children become actual authors! You can go to the website, www.tikatok.com, and children can write a story, their teacher can upload their illustrations, and then order a hardcover, softcover, or digital copy of their book! There are three choices to cater to varied levels of writing ability. One is a memory book. you choose a them such as a holiday or special event and write a story about it. Choice two is called "story spark" where the website gives the kids a topic or story starter idea. Last, is "starting from scratch."After checking out that option I realized it is pretty extensive and wouldn't be an easy assignment. It made me think of the middle school and high school grades!

Children work on improving their writing skills all year. This would be a great last month of school project. They could brainstorm, write a first draft, edit it with a peer, use art lessons to get them ready to illustrate their story, and then go online and let them create their final draft. It is expensive to get the hardcover, but the digital copy is an affordable $2.99! I think that most parents would buy it no matter what it cost! This would also be a great grant writing opportunity for a teacher! I even think the PTA would support the cost of the digital copy at least. What a wonderful display to their parents of how far they have come in a years time in their writing and drawing ability. Please check it out!

FERPA

I appreciated the quote from the article, " FERPA cannot be interpreted as building a total and complete wall between the school and the community. We would have really bad schools if that happened and very disengaged students." (Bathon, 2009).

FERPA is set up to protect students and their academic information and it makes sure that only those with just cause are looking at student records. It is not a violation of FERPA rights for students to share their work online. The article also states that they may peer grade their work and it be legal. Parents should be informed about their kids being assigned online assignments.
Parents have the right to prevent their minor child from having their photo taken, having access to the internet, or their child's information in the student directory.

Assignments posted to a blog or wiki is a great way to share information quickly without depending solely on limited class time and a great way to communicate back and forth quickly about comments or questions.

Question 2

I decided to search for a blog about spelling. My first graders are excited about their weekly spelling tests and activities leading up to the test. Some teachers feel like words are too hard for first graders and sometimes they think expectations are set too low. I found an awesome blog called 36 Pages or Less: The California Ephemera Project Blog. In this blog you get to see what a first grade spelling test looked like in 1870. Not only did these students have to spell really tough words, but they had to know the root, definition, prefix and suffixes of the word. This blog reminded me that as a teacher always keep your expectations sky high! If you teach it and expect it, your students can do it! Please check out this spelling test from the past. What would your test score be?

http://36pagesorless.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/spell-supercilious-1st-grade-spelling-test-from-1870/

Question 1

When I look around my classroom looking for technology integration I see students using a smartboard.  Although I have only been teaching three years there is nothing like seeing the reaction of my students when they are interacting with my smartboard.  Whether we are building sentences by dragging words into their rights spots, working on word families by adding new beginnings to vowels sounds such as adding a ‘c’ to ‘at’ and then changing it to a ‘b’, or even helping learn their addition facts with a random dice tool, technology is in full effect in my classroom.  The students are so eager to come up to the board for their chance to interact with the board.  They are so eager to get it right and show their classmates and me that they not only know what the right answer is but how to use such an important piece of educational technology.  The smiles on their faces and determination in their eyes makes me know that there is meaningful and lifelong technology integration going on each day in my classroom.