Who I am! Blog #1

1. What grade (and in which school) will you be teaching?

I am teaching at Hidden Hollow in Eagle Mountain. I will be teaching 2nd grade, along with about 5 other teachers. It is a big school!

2. What is your favorite children's book?

I like fractured fairy tales. I love the book 'Waking beauty'. It was not around when I was young but I love reading it to nieces and nephews. As a little girl I loved the book 'Dance Tanya' (I think that is the correct title) I liked it because my older sisters was a beautiful dancer!

3. If you watch TV, what shows do you most enjoy?

Being newly married we cannot afford TV :) but we have recently watched 'The office' series and 'LOST'. I like wholesome shows that an entire family can watch like 'Home improvement'

4. What movie affected you enough that you'd be willing to see it again?

I love love Tangled. I enjoy talented singers and I think both of the main characters have amazing voices and the songs are positive and fun.

5. What are you really good at?

I am really good at being busy. I like to never stop. When I get super sick that is when I am reminded that I need to slow down. I am also good at getting straight A's :).

6. What is a talent you wish you had?

I am okay at the piano and play when I can but I wish that I could read music in a way that I could just sit down and play anything.

7. Tell me your background in sports and/or athletics.

I love sports. I have been playing since I can remember. I played soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball. All during high school my friends used to play Ultimate frisbee. I think we play every weekend during warmer months. In the summers we go water skiing and biking. I run sometimes but hate doing it.

8. Tell me your background in visual arts, dance & drama.

I am not the most creative/artistic person. I have been in dance since I was little and was on dance company in high school. I was the drama specialist in an after school program last year but only because they needed one not because I can act in any way. It was fun!

9. What is your musical background? (Lessons? Singing? Instrument? Read music? Enjoy listening to music? What kinds?)

I took piano lessons as a little girl for many years and complained to my mom about it everyday so eventually she allowed me to quit. I regret that now. I love to sing though! I was in a dance and singing group called spotlight sensations for about 6 years. We travelled around do shows and church firesides. I sang in choirs in Junior high and High school. I love good music. I enjoy hearing classical piano music as well as country music. I don't like heavy or obnoxious things. Just good positive tunes.

10. What would you be doing this summer, if you were not going to be an intern?

Besides biking and going on family vacations. I would be working my life away. Like I said before I stay too busy. I will still be working but only a little bit and my husband insists that I don't get another job so I can focus on this semester of classes. Just doing class work will help me to focus.

11. What would you like me to know about you that I haven't asked?

I love kids and have learned a lot this year from being a coordinator of an after school program in Provo. I know I will never be fully prepared to teach but it gave me a glimpse into what it will be like. I am excited for you class!

Tool of Choice

What?
We went over our final project, we are able to choose a flyer, newsletter or a brochure. We then get to design it for educational purposes.

So What?
Well first of all it is nice to know that there are so many options out there to be able to make all of these things. We talked about word perfect, google docs, and pages as just a few. There are many cool resources online that have already built cute templates for any of these projects. It is nice to know that the ordinary person can create professional looking flyers and brochures these days.

I have found that each time we talk about something new in class I am able to use it in my own life then. Just after viewing all the templates in class I made a flyer for volunteers for a kids summer activity. Our class gave me tons of wonderful ideas to make it look nice and professional so people will notice the flyer. These tools are for everyday using and this class has been very very helpful. Just google docs alone has helped me get through the semester smoothly.

Now what?
I can make flyers to send home with students for classroom and whole school activities. I have never created a new letter but it will be a great tool to keep parents updated on what is happening in the classroom and hopefully give them a desire to come and help out for themselves. Routines newsletters can also make sure that parents know dates and times for things that they need to be aware of.

I think almost any grade can do these activities themselves. Students can have a good time trying to promote something with a flyer. With all the tools these days even 1st graders can take part in them. I want to teach a range of age groups and it will be fun to experiment with each group so see just how user friendly all of these tools we learned about are. We can make brochures for a nearby company, we can make flyers if there is a lost dog in the area, and so much more. This has been a great class!

Video:
I grew up with Schoolhouse Rock and I love it. I still find that if someone starts singing one of the tunes that I can remember it and usually picture what was on the video. It did help me a lot with learning. Today I watched the noun one and I remember this one in particular. Now days the fonts are retro and the video itself is a little old school but it can still be a great tool for teaching children. The songs can be easily memorized which I know helped me on test when I was younger. I really liked this video this week.

Video blog

What?
We learned about finding educational videos and being able to save them to your computer with Zamzar. We also learned about the option of uploading them directly to Youtube so that everyone can have access to them.

So What?
I never even knew about teachertube before this class. What a helpful resource, I like that now we don't have to search through all the inconvenient stuff on youtube and can go directly to a positive source. The resources I found on both youtube and teachertube are impressive. I am surprise that people even at such a young age have such talent in creating videos both informational and for fun. I like that people are getting out there and doing active things, making movies and contributing to others.

We had a wonderful time recording our own video for students to help them to learn math concepts. It felt good to be doing something good for others. It was easy to post it on youtube for everyone to see. I never realize how much fun you could have doing an assignment. It doesn't need to be the same paper essay every time, we can change things up and be creative with the technology we have today.

Now what?
The thing that I like the most is that everyone can have access to these things. My students and their parents don't have to invest a lot of money to do videos or find videos or use the technology that we have learned about in class because most all of it is free. I will use teachertube a lot in my classroom. You can find a video or a picture or a presentation for just about anything these days that can enhance your teaching skills. In two years when I finally start teaching there will be even more resources.

I did a video for mine that was a silly song to learn the states and capitals. It is interactive and things like that will stay in a students mind. I remember learning a song when I was in elementary school about Utah and its counties. I still remember a lot of the song to this day. I think it would have only added to the fun and the memory of it if there was a video or silly character I had watched and sung along with. These videos can be used just for a good laugh for the students, an interactive to get them up and moving, or something that will inspire them to do great things themselves. It can be used in so many ways in the classroom.

Video Review:
I like the video. I can relate when they said that when their mom or dad have technology questions they come to the kids. We are growing up in a technological time that our parents knew nothing about. I agree with them that things will continue to change. I like idea of fingerprinting instead of credit cards so that there is no more identity theft. We do things every day to protect from identity theft and I think more and more will be done to protect us from that. How nice to have touch screens for our phones and Apple has even come out with an I-pad touch computer. The options are limitless and there will continue to be more. This was a good video by Motorola.

Podcasts/Vidcasts

What?
This week we learned about Podcasts and Vidcasts and what the difference is and where they used. We talked about how both of these can be helpful in teaching.

So What?
I honestly didn't know the difference between a podcast and a vidcast. I like that we now have the technology that we can record sound, video or both together and send it all over the internet. We discussed how you can use the podcasts to listen to famous speeches or to discuss animals sounds and their differences.

Just the other day I was wanting to show a youtube video to the kids I work with at school and was not able to because youtube is blocked at that school. It was helpful when we learned about Zamzar that will help you to record and download what you want so you can use it freely. I have enjoyed that everything we are learning in this class is also so useful to me right now. I will now be able to find whatever podcasts and vidcasts that I need and be able to save them so I will always have them in the future.

Now What?
Now what I need to do is become more familiar with both podcast and vidcast. I need to understand my curriculum and begin finding things that will be helpful when I do start teaching. I will be able to allow them to listen to speeches, science and math explanations and all sorts of wonderful things. Even as I just type into google "podcast" it comes up with business, science, music, health, etc. There is so much information out there that can be accessed through podcasts.

Vidcasts can be better in lots of ways for all students because not only will they be able to hear instruction but they will see it also. We talked about doing quantum physics just on a podcast and how hard that would be to follow but if we are able to see the steps as well it makes it easier. Again by doing a google search I found vidcasts that teach how to quilt, show lab testing, show music videos and all sorts of interesting things. I will use both of these tools often in my classroom, if it just to set the mood, or for specific instruction it will be a helpful tool.

Powerpoint Activity

What?
We learned how to create interesting powerpoint for elementary students. We looked through the book 50 quick and easy powerpoint activities. We also looked to our core curriculum for our assignment.

So What?
This has been a fun activity! It was interesting looking through the book and seeing all the work other teachers have put into creating fun powerpoints for their students. I like the idea of the activity being and opportunity for students to follow our directions and make their own powerpoint. We as college students have been following instructions for years now and when we take time we can usually do things correctly. On the other hand this gives us an opportunity to have the tables turned at test our skills of giving directions. We are making sure they are so clear that a child can understand.

The power point activity book has helped me already in some of my other class and in my work. I have been able to look through and use the creative ideas for my other projects. I had forgotten the amount of tools it has, I used one to the layouts available to present my report in another EL ED class. The devices we are learning about have been so helpful in allowing me to finish assignments this semester!

Now What?
I will use this idea often of having the students create powerpoints or I myself creating my own to give step by step instruction. Just building or following steps is a good tool for students to learn early. It will help in math as students break down the problems and write it out in order to make it manageable. It will help in getting new packages or gifts that they have to assemble later on. If a person can follow steps they can do better on test taking, they can make meals by following instructions and many more things.

Also I like the idea that powerpoint is user friendly. Pictures are easy to download, text is easy to alter and move around the page. You can add graphs and charts and all sorts of things. My students will be able to be as creative as possible with their assignments. I like that they have books like the 50 quick and easy powerpoint activities that have premade ideas to look to, and even powerpoint itself has templates to use. Very user friendly!

Video Response:
This was the same video as before but this little boy is inspiring every time I watch. He has so much enthusiasm that you can't help but watch him over and over again. Sometimes I think we forget the magnitude of our jobs as teachers. We are either building or shattering these students potential to achieve their dreams. It is true that when you know someone else believes in you, you have a tendency to believe in yourself that much more.
I think there are going to be some students that I will have to dig a little deeper in order to find their strengths and to be able to believe more solidly in them but ever child has potential. As we work together on collaborating as teacher and as a school imagine the strength that will give to the students. A child that walks down the hall and knows that every teacher will smile at them and respect them and believe in them will have a huge impact on them. I believe in myself and my students.

What?
We took a look at Kidspirations today. We played around in making our own activities and also look to the formats of activities already created ready for children to learn from.

So What?
I am in elementary ed mathematics right now and we have been learning countless ways to teach children how to understand math. One way we talked a lot about is using the blocks of one's, ten's and hundreds and then breaking them down or building them up to add and subtract. I love that Kidspirations has many games using blocks that take students through the process. I will be able to use this as a guide for my class even now to see how others would teach a child using blocks.

Doing this activity also helped me a little in my study for taking the Praxis today. It was good to be taken back and be asked questions that you were taught in elementary school. I was surprised at the things that I had forgotten. I am sure if I played some of the games with an elementary student they would do much better than me on every game. I found though that the basics that I looked at in Kidspirations opened my mind up to know how to study and prepare for the praxis, it allowed me to recall many things that I have forgotten.

Now What?
I will definitely use this tool in my classroom. I am just hoping that the school that I work at will have good access to computer so that my students can benefit from all the wonderful things we are learning about. I like that now only can I use the created activities to teach them but they can go on themselves and create their own activities and presentations and all about me boards. They can use their imagination to make learning fun.

I played many of the math games using clocks and blocks and even learning more about the different symbols. I did a game on healthy eating and another about different animals and species. They had cloud games, and holiday games and much more. What a great tool to use universal design in the classroom. What a great tool to cater to all learning types. It makes learning practical and fun and hands on. We made diagrams to be able to connect things and categorize things and I think that is what kids need the most. They need to see how one thing connects to the other. With this, I also like the Venn Diagram idea, so that they can really see the relationship one thing has with another. All together it was a wonderful learning process!

What?
We are looking at Wed 2.0 tools and how they can help us in the classroom and in everyday life. We are finding ways that these tools can connect us with the rest of the world through the internet.

So What?
I had no idea there were so many wonderful tools out there to be able to share information globally. This will be a wonderful tool to get ideas from other teachers around the world. This is something I can look to right now to be collecting for when I graduate and have my own class. One website suggests that for many of us who use the internet often, we now have the opportunity to contribute back to it.

I am starting to appreciate more things like blogger and twitter and Facebook where you can find quick information and updates about friends and family. I also like that you don't have to know "computer language" to be able to make your own. All these links are user friendly and even kids can be apart of the fun.

Now what?
I like the idea of online calendering and groups where businesses, or in my case teachers, can collaborate and bring together ideas. One of the sites that I went to had many devices to be able to send media packages all around. I will be able to find and share the media, photos, music and many others things for my classroom. I will enjoy using things such as grammar trackers for my writing and font tools to be able to download and use fun new fonts. The internet offers so much.

My students can use these tools, with their parents supervision, to learn more about their classmates and better understand them. They can have chat groups and work on projects together. The nice thing for them as well is the fact that almost all of these things are free. Technology is a wonderful tool but many families can't afford top quality things. Web tools help students interact, be creative, collaborate all for no cost.

Video:
This video was very interesting. Even the music had a big impact on me as a viewer. I was intrigued by just looking at a classroom way back then and seeing one now. Everything is so different, the rooms are more colorful, the seating arrangements more messy, so much commotion in today's world. This makes technology all the more important, it bring that added excitement and entertainment factor. Our world, as it says, is a world that is ever increasing in technology. These students need to be prepared to compete for their jobs in the future by using up to date technology. It is sad that populations are increasing and their are not enough jobs. It is difficult to find a passion for work these days when people will just take whatever they are offered. We need to help kids find passions and use the technology and other resources we have to help them be successful!