Week 7

This week for me has been both challenging and rewarding. At Washington this week, I worked one on one with a young first grader who was really struggling in both math and reading. It was really frustrating for me to try to help her and just have her unable to fully understand what I was teaching her. It was definitely a learning experience for me because I know that in my future classroom, I will have these children who just don't seem to get it no matter what I do. I know that it is important for me to always have patience, and be willing and ready to work with these students no matter what because I believe that every student has the potential to do great things. In class this week,
Digital Media Day was today and I gained so many incredible technology resources that I can't wait to try out in my own classroom one day and in my clinical placement! I know one thing that really stood out to me was the virtual reality tools that we talked about after our meeting. I have been familiar with virtual reality and Google Cardboard for a while now, but up until today I really didn't know how to utilize it. I have seen so many neat things that a teacher can do with VR. I know that in my classroom one day, I will most likely not have the funds to take many field trips each year, so I can use virtual field trips as a way to get students interested and involved in what we are are learning. Using VR also connects to standard 4 of the NCTCS that teachers integrate and use technology in the classroom. It is also a way for teachers to use a variety of instructional methods. Instead of just having students research on the computer different places, students can actually see different places like they are actually there.

Outside of class, I have been looking at ways to integrate art into other content areas. I found an article that was published in Kentucky on integrating art into social studies.It was really interesting to read because it gives guidance on how to integrate and also gives a few examples of different activities that teachers can do. I know that in my future classroom, I want to integrate art, music, and theater because I know that each of my students will be different and learn in different ways. Just like standard 2 of the NCTCS says, teachers must establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students and as a teacher, I will need to embrace diversity in learning in my classroom, as well as adapting my teaching style to better benefit my learners. Here is the link to the article that I found.
http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Integrating-Social-Studies-Arts.pdf

6 Weeks In

This week I have really begun to get into the routine of going to Washington twice a week and working with the students and teachers there. Only two weeks in and I have already learned so much about classroom management, new types of curriculum and technology, as well as what it really means to be a teacher to twenty+ young students. This week in class we have been talking about learning experiences and it has been interesting to learn about this because I don't feel like I did this in my classrooms in elementary school. But I know that in my future classroom, learning experiences will be a great way to help my students learn. It also helps me as teacher connect to standard 4 where teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students.

Outside of class, I tutor a young boy once each week. He is not in Cleveland County Schools, but his teacher is using some of the same programs that schools here are using. One of these is called Zearn. I watched my first graders at Washington use this math program to practice their addition and subtraction and it was a really quick way to assess the students, and the students seemed to enjoy it. On Zearn, there are different grade levels that you can pick depending on where your students are. Then, there are different activities that connect to math standards for students to work on. One activity is called Sprint and students have to answer as many questions as possible in a minute's time. This is a super easy way of assessment and the students really like to make it into a competition to see who can get the highest number of correct answers. I really liked this technology tool because it is a way to incorporate technology into the classroom everyday and it really fits in with NCPTS standard 4, under the section that teachers use a variety of methods to assess what each student has learned. I believe that students shouldn't be taking tests as their only forms of assessment and Zearn is a great way to make assessment fun. I know that Cleveland County Schools and Rutherford County Schools use this program so in the future, if I teach in either one of these schools, I will most likely be using this program so it is important for me to get familiar with it now.

Week Five

This week has been quite eventful! First, we completed our Wisdom from Experience projects. Then, we visited Washington Elementary School and helped out the teachers there. To be honest, I am surprised with myself that I thoroughly enjoyed working with my first graders. It is a grade I never thought I would want to teach, but I have been pleasantly surprised and am finding it very beneficial and enjoyable. I have also been working with my group on the today's learner project and it has been very helpful. So while this week has been really busy, I've been learning a lot!

At Washington, I observed my teacher using a math program titled Eureka math. This is something that is new to the teachers there, but it really makes sense as to why they were using it. Eureka makes students solve the questions by explaining how they got their answers. I think this is a great idea to show that students are really comprehending what they are learning. I am also excited to start learning about Eureka along with my teachers at Washington because I know that it is a program that is really starting to show up in a lot of schools and this will help me as I get ready to use it in my future classroom.

We have also been talking about today's learner in class. I realize that in my future classroom, I will not have an "average" learner. I am going to have students who learn in all different ways. It is so important that I establish a safe environment for my students because they are most likely going to be so diverse intellectually and culturally. I must recognize how my students learn so that I can teach each student to where it benefits them as individuals.

While completing my Wisdom from Experience project, I interviewed a teacher who gave me some great suggestions about technology that I can use in my classroom. So, I am using one of her recommendations as my technology resource this week. One thing that is really big at her school is Discovery Education. I have seen this tool being used in the classroom before and not only is it extremely helpful to the teachers, but it is also really fun for the students. It gives topics based on grade levels for the teachers to use as resources. There are videos, virtual field trips, and so much more that gets students engaged in the lesson while also incorporating technology. This is a great resource to use in my future classroom because like I have said before, it is essential that I integrate technology into my classroom. Discovery Ed also has art activities for students so that they can incorporate the fine arts into their lessons. There are puzzlemakers and clip art activities for the visual arts which can really visual learners that I have in my classroom, as well as videos for auditory learners and actual projects for kinesthetic students. Overall, I think this is a really neat tool to use in the classroom: http://www.discoveryeducation.com/

Week #4

This week in class, we have covered a lot of information! We have been discussing our unit plans and the types of content that we need to include. We have gone over concepts, generalizations, and now guiding questions. With that, we are taking our unit and beginning to really develop it. I am looking forward to how it comes along, especially with all of the techniques I am learning.

Also this week, we finalized our Professional Development Plans, or PDP's. With that, I am going to be researching different technology tools and sharing them each week, as well as looking at looking at ways to integrate fine arts into other subjects. The first website that I found was Prepdog.org. It is a website that is divided into grade levels. Under each grade level, there are assessments that connect with common core standards. Students can use the website to determine their level on reading and math. It is a different way to take a test than just a paper and pencil and connects with standard 4 of the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards in that teachers facilitate learning and utilize technology in their classroom. http://www.prepdog.org/

I also found a website that has multiple plays on it for students to learn and act out. There are some plays that relate to social studies topics which can help students better understand the units that they are learning, as well as some other content related topics such as science and ELA. Plays are a great way to incorporate the arts into your lessons and it also relates to standard 4 in that teachers use a variety of instructional methods and teachers help students work in teams and develop leadership qualities. Here is the website for the plays: http://www.teachingheart.net/readerstheater.htm

I am looking forward to sharing all of the technology tools that I discover because I know that it will be extremely helpful to use in my classroom as an educator. Technology is something that nearly every young student has grown up with in this age and it is important that as teachers we keep up to date with that. I am also excited to learn ways to integrate fine arts into my lessons because I know that including the arts can really help connect some students to what they are learning.