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I was reading on Elementary Education Majors and Interns' Blog about a poetry style known as Me poems to introduce poetry. I think I might have found what the author was looking at Education World. I think writing about yourself is a great way to begin poetry because poetry can be so insightful and spiritual for some students.

On the lines of poetry, I thought I would share a really creative way to teach poetry that I observed in my practicum today. My teacher is beginning a unit on poetry by using music. Today, he required all the students to write down four or five lines of their favorite song, and he then mapped the rhyme scheme of these songs on the board. He then introduced his newest assignment: the students will be responsible for either writing new words to an already exisiting song or writing their own song to get them into the swing of poetry. And wait, that's not all. The students are then responsible for recording their songs on a CD, creating a music video, and even having a "Jammy" music awards at the end of the semester. Who knew poetry could be this fun?

As I was reading on various sites about technology in the classroom, I came across a post by Will Richardson (http://www.weblogg-ed.com/2006/03/01#a4754) which I was very shocked by. The post discusses how he recieved an email from a teacher very upset about how their district had banned the use of blogs in the classroom, but the most surprising thing was that the district created a "3 Click Rule". This "3 Click Rule" says that all websites will be banned which could be 3 clicks away from a porn site, this shocks me! Not only is this irrational, as Richardson points out, but it's unfair to the students and teacher. First a porn site is not always 3 clicks away, a student could just type in the address of a site, even if it is innocently, and the result could be pretty dramatic. But the point is, Google, MSNBC, education sites, and so many other resources would be blocked, how could one even get on anything on the internet!!! I just can't believe this logic, although I understand the motivation to protect the children, the way in which this school district chose to do so seems irrational. I hope that they district will see the problem with this rule and quickly turn it around. Technology is so important in society today, how can the public school system opt out or remove a such a great educational resource.

"Miss Previs, Miss Previs...." I don't see my Mom, oh wait, you mean me!

I have now made two visits to my practicum location. Working with fifth graders has been incredible, except that I seem to blend among the taller kids. I have seen lots of evidence of SOL review because it's beginning to be crunch time!!!

The students are so enthusiastic. One girl randomly asked me if I liked her orange and black socks. Although this kind of thing is trivial, it's nice knowing that the students see me as approachable.

My cooperating teacher told me that as I grow more comfortable in the classroom, he will begin to ask me to prepare a lesson, and give me only 10 minutes to get it together. He said he wants me to learn to handle things in an instant because not everything goes according to plan.

I'm going to try and spend a lot of time in the school over spring break. I want the kids to feel comfortable with my presence and ask me questions with ease. It's hard transitioning each day from being a student at college to a teacher in the school. I never thought I'd see the day when people call me Miss Previs!

Stop Talking Amongst Yourselves!

Is the instruction led by you in your classroom the only one of value? Some people seem to think so, but I have to disagree. I understand that I am only a preservice teacher, but maybe that makes me more qualified in this discussion because I am closer to the education process due to the fact that I am still in it. I remember teachers from my past that did not want to hear anything in the classroom unless it was their voice or a student answering a question. The attitude of students in these classes is counterproductive to learning. Why would you want to work for a teacher that only wants a specific thing from you and nothing else? No one, no matter how old, would want to work in a situation like that. I was reading Bud's blog (http://budtheteacher.typepad.com/bud_the_teacher/2006/02/the_universe_at.html) and found it interesting that he pointed out that a day in which students were talking with each other about their lives and interests was a day "where conversation was good and important and had nothing to do with the content of my course. It was wonderful. I hope every teacher has had a day or two like today." I read that and stopped; here is a teacher that gets it. Students need to interact with each and learn from each other. It is not enough for them to work on a map project of Africa; they need to be able to interact and share stories about wanting to go there or even having been there. I understand that work and learning needs to happen in the classroom, but it does not have to have the strict format of student-receiver and regurgitator of information and teacher-provider of information. In my education classes at college, we talk a lot about procedures and theories, but we do not discuss finding a balance between book work and social interaction. Is this because each teacher is supposed to find their own balance? The problem there is that some teachers find no balance at all. Teachers: let your students be people and if possible, let them shape the classroom and make it their own.

On Tuesday, I had my first official day in my student-teaching 2nd grade classroom. Since this was my first day, I sat in a desk at the side of the classroom and observed. The students begin to arrive at 9:10, so by arriving at 9 today I was able to meet with my teacher before class. She explained to me the general schedule she tries to follow everyday and the morning routine. First, the students put their jackets and backpacks in the lockers that are located in the hallway outside the classroom. Then, the bring their reading journals into the class and turn them in by alphabetically arranged stacks on a desk at the side of the classroom. This prevents traffic jams, which is especially important in this classroom because it already overloaded by 5 students.

Then, the students read the instructions on the board, written before the students arrive. First, they get two pencils from a basket at the back of the room and sharpen them. According to my co-op teacher, this prevents the disruptive noise of students trying to sharpen pencils in the middle of lessons. I thought this was a great idea. Even if both pencils broke, a neighbor of the student would probably have one available to lend.

Next, the students return to their desks and take out their morning journals. The prompt on Tuesday was: “If I were President I would….” and the children responded with their ideas in their journal. My teacher recommends journaling in the morning because it calms and quiets the students at the beginning of the day and helps them to focus before lessons begin. Following journal time, during which my teacher walked around the room and helped students if they needed it, math period began. Then, she handed out the “Math Mad Minute,” a worksheet the children had 4 minutes to work on. The goal was to complete as many problems on the worksheet as possible, and as correctly as possible. Next, they continued with the math lesson of the day, which was working with calendars. They did 2 worksheets that not only quizzed their knowledge of calendars, but also their ability to follow directions.

At that point, I had to leave the school so I could get back for my own classes! I learned a lot during the day, including what a terrible last name I have for students to remember/pronounce. I guess I will have to abbreviate it to the first letter of my last name. I will be in the classroom again next Wednesday, and I can hardly wait!

Today I read a blog that I thought was particularily interesting. I am teaching second grade, which is a particularily impressionable age. In her blog at http://heartofateacher.blogspot.com/, Mrs. Suzanne Porath, a middle school educator, talks about initiative. She asks, "How do we "teach" initiative?"

I think this is a very valid point to consider. In a classroom situation, both the student and the teacher have opportunities to take initiative. I believe the responsibility to show initiative begins with the teacher, and then the students can be expected to model initiative, especially if they are at a young age. The blog comes as a challenge to me. For my students to properly learn to take initiative, which is a truly important life skill, they first need to see initiative shown by me. I found the link at the bottom of the blog particularily informative and helpful. Everyone should check this blog out, there is really great information on it!

Thats all for now...more to come another day!

We recently watched a documentary called "The First Year" in one of my education classes. The documentary follows 5 teachers in their first year of teaching. The 5 teachers all begin teaching in a high poverty area of Los Angeles. It follows each teacher and their documents their failures and successes.

I was really really touched by this documentary. I have always wanted to work with children in low income areas, those are the kids I want to reach, the ones that maybe no one believes in. The teachers in the documentary went above and beyond what is required as a teacher. When things didn't work out right no one gave up. It was amazing to see their effort. Each one cared so much about their student and attributed each student's failure to their own doing.

We did not get to finish the documentary but our teacher told us that not all of them return to the teaching profession and some succeed with their problem students while some do not. I would love to see the end of the film. I recommend it to anyone inspired by a story like this

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G
I just wanted to post and talk about how much I have learned so far in my technology class. The main thing that I have learned so far is that I was so in the dark about the way that classrooms use technology it amazes me. I thought that teachers occasionally showed a video or let the kids play a computer game to reinforce a skill, and that was the extent of technology in the classroom. I cannot believe how wrong I was. The fact that some schools use blogs to teach and share with others is so cool to me. It makes me wish that I was still in elementary school so I could do some of that stuff. I guess I will do the next best thing and do these things in my classroom. The extensive use of technology is so cool to me, I cannot imagine how cool and engaging it is to the children that actually get to use it. I really hope that I am able to apply some of these ideas in my own class and get the students as excited about school as this technology class has made me excited to teach using it.

One of the first things I learned in my Instructional Technology class is that I am definitely technologically-challenged! I had never heard of some of the things we've discussed, ("what's blogging, again?"), and I certainly never thought I would actually be using much of this technology. (surprise!)

The first time I remember using a computer was in 2nd grade for a math tutorial game. My teachers in school mostly gave projects involving Word documents or spreadsheets, but nothing like this class! At home, we got our first computer when I was in 5th grade. This extended my list of experience with technology from Number Munchers to using Encarta Encyclopedia and playing Solitaire.

I think most of my experience with technology came with the Internet. I can't imagine the world without e-mail, IM or iPods. I wouldn't survive! I'm hoping that some of this new technology I'm learning to use will become just as easy and second-nature. I must confess, though I felt somewhat (or maybe extremely) intimidated and reluctant at first, I am excited by the possibilities and eager to learn the ropes... I'm getting in touch with my inner geek. :)

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." -- Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl, 1952

Teaching is an amazing honor, and an incredible responsibility, it seems to me. I thought it only appropriate to title my blog with a quote from Anne Frank. In her diary, despite the intense persecution and hardships she endured, she still looked at the human race with the most captivating optimism I have ever come across.

Not only is this a testiment to her courage, but it has also been a quote by which I try to live my life. I can only imagine this could applicable to the teaching profession as well, and equally applicable both in my normal life as a college student, and also as an aspiring new teacher. It is true that "nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world," and what better way to do so than become a teacher, educating those who are our future.

If my goal as an educator is to improve the world, that is a lofty goal, and perhaps a bit naive or cliche. However, if one girl in an attic can see hope for the human race and the future of the world, I can only believe that I will not only see hope in the eyes of the children I have in my classroom, but also inspire them to act upon this hope and eventually be one of those people who truly believes that they, too, can change the world at any instant.

Anyone can begin to change the world, at any particular moment. Shall we begin?

As I begin my class on using technology in the classroom, I find myself somewhat overwhelmed. I wouldn't consider myself "bad" with computers or reluctant, but I sit in class and realize that some of the words coming out of my professor's mouth are foreign, seriously she is speaking a foreign language and I think to myself "how am I going to remember how to use all of this?", "what is all this for?", "do teachers really use this in the classroom?"

But each class I see bigger and better examples of technology used in the classroom. It amazes me how easily teachers have adapted to new technology and how essential it has become in an elementary school classroom. No matter how skeptical I was at the beginning of the semester I now realize the relevance of what we will be learning in class, my skepticism was completely naive.

I obviously am completely unaware of what is "out there" in the world of technology. I heard of many of these ideas but did not know their popularity, especially in the education field.

I wouldn't say that I am behind the times, with computers and things, my family got a computer when I was very young and I have always used one, I had my own most of high school....I guess I just never took advantage of all the things the computer had to offer. I had never made a power point presentation till I got to college. My teachers in high school did not have the equipment to use powerpoint presentations often so I saw very few. We did group presentations on overheads...of course my friends and I did like to draw tons of pictures, so maybe that contibuted to our choice...but I guess other kids did powerpoint presentations and video clips, but I stuck to what I knew.

Now I use much more technology than I could have ever imagined. I use Blackboard everyday, it connects me to every class and teacher quickly and easily. I easily see changes and updated assignments, it's a huuuge help. I check my email 30 million times a day because it's the way i communicate with friends. I set up plans, change plans, and get updates through email. I never even thought that my life would rely so heavily on technology.

I know that soon nothing about new technologies and ideas will intimidate me.
I hope to be able to apply these ideas in the classroom, I think it invokes immidiate intrest from the students, it will provide an easy way to grab their attention, and keep it long enough to teach them EVERYTHING I know. I have come to realize that exposing children to new technologies is an essential part of our job as teachers. I know this from experience.

Tech Autobiography Post

I embrace and enthusiastically welcome technology. This doesn't mean I want human interactions to be replaced with robots or anything; I really just love how connected technology has made the world and I am amazed at the wealth of resources at my fingertips.

I have been a computer technician for the past four summers at my home high school (geeky, yes, I know). My boss actually calls me and my two co-workers the "geek squad." I think she got that title from a commercial or something, but I suppose it sometimes fits. But seriously, I don't see myself as a computer geek. I can do basic physical maintenance and repairs on computers (mostly Dell) and I'm pretty confident using Microsoft Office. I am currently working on a pilot program in King William County called Computers Available on Loan for Literacy in which the school provides out of service computers to children from lower socioeconomic status to facilitate learning.

I think I got my first computer in about fifth grade. It was a Tandy Sensation, and I basically used it to play a pretty primitive version of Oregon Trail. There was nothing like the thrill of hunting buffalo, forwarding the river, and stopping to trade from the comfort of my own home! My parents are not exactly computer saavy, so what I learned about computers has been at school, personal exploration, and at work.

I am your average college student, so of course I use my computer (faithfully). I guess I take day to day technologies for granted (like my alarm clock that forces me out of bed every morning). And, of course, I have a nano Ipod! I'm not real into the digital video games and all, but for the most part, I always welcome new technology!

I had different extremes in school with teachers who embraced technology and those that strayed from it. I had one teacher at Governor's School who did all his lessons on powerpoint, which was very engaging. Some of my teachers have used Smartboards, and I took an awesome Synergistics class in middle school where I did my own radio show, lauched a rocket, cooked solar power hot dogs, flew a simulated airplane, built a race car, and so many other cool things! However, I have also had the teachers who struggled with overhead projectors and writing e-mails. Although they too were great teachers, they did not work out of their comfort zone. I think that teachers from when I came through school could choose to either use technology or not, but I think when I beginning teaching, it will be essential to keep my students engaged.

*Image from Free Clipart Pictures: http://www.free-clipart-pictures.net

Tech Autobiography

Hi guys! I am excited to do my first official blog post so let's get to it. I can't remember exactly when my family got our first computer. I think it was at some point in my late elementary/early middle school years. My only real memories of playing with a computer not hooked up to the Internet were those computer games you got to play in elementary school- the reading and math games. I liked them, but not any more than anything else we did in class. I am a big geek, what can I say? I also remember getting a new computer and going through this orientation program with my mom. It was things like learning how to double-click, single-click, move the cursor over the page, turn the computer on and off, and other incredibly simple things. I knew how to do it all from the computers at school, but my mom didn't. I pretended that I didn't know how either to make her feel better. We got our first computer with internet access for Christmas of 1999- I remember because of the whole millenium thing. I lived on AIM for a couple of days straight. I am pretty relucant with computers because I don't really know how they work, but I am utterly amazed at how easily they link people all over the world. I mainly just use the computer for email, AIM, facebook, and other social functions. I do enjoy doing my research on the computer just because of how easy it is. After the games in elementary school, I never really used computers in school anymore until I took a computer class in high school. None of my teachers used technology other than the overhead and an occasional movie on the VCR. I really enjoy my college classes that use multimedia in the classroom. It makes class much more interesting. It also shows that the professor takes time that they don't neccessarily have to in order to make classtime more bearable. As technologically ignorant as I may be- I can still see the AMAZING impact that it has on the world and day-to-day functioning.

I hope that wasn't too bad for a first-timer!!

Have you ever taken a chance? I mean a real risk? Take a big step outside your comfort range and do something you never thought you would or could do? I had an opportunity to go back to college after I was in my mid 40s. I was a terrible, lazy student in High School, and did not think I could handle college level work.
In 2001, the call center where I was working was shut down; I was forced to do a lot of reevaluating of who I was and what I wanted to do. I guess I had a huge dose of “mid life crisis” forced on me. Having Served in the Air Force, and retired with a minor disability, I had Veterans Administration benefits in addition to the G.I. Bill available to me. I was given an opportunity I thought had passed me by. I took a huge chance, stopped by the registrar's office for the college I had dreamed of attending when I was still in my late teens. During my visit with the Dean of Transfer Admissions, it did not look well. She told me she did not think I had done enough to get into that school. Not willing to give up on my dream that quickly, I asked, "What would I have to do to get in?" She replied, "Good Question." and gave me a list of about 25 to 30 things I could do to prepare myself for the school, she said I should start by taking classes at a community college, get good grades, keep working, and take some specific classes. Then come back in about a year and we could talk again. I followed her advice, did everything she wanted me to do, and called her a year later, made an appointment to visit her. This time, the results were different, after looking over everything I had done in that year, her response this time was, “It's time to apply.” I was beside myself I had worked so hard for a year and a half, to have the door opened like that was such an amazing feeling.
That was four years ago, I am now a senior at the college of my dreams, I found out even in my late 40s, I can do the work that is necessary to succeed at a major college, in fact, I have finished my Major work in History, and working on my second major in Elementary education. I have also finished my “General Education Requirements,” and my foreign language requirement. In fact, I will be graduating this spring with a Bachelor of Arts.
The moral is, never give up on your dreams, become a life long learner, it is an experience you will never regret.