Ana's Blog

Morning meetings provides opportunities for students to greet, listen, and respond to each other. It helps to build a strong community within the classroom and creates trust among classmates. I introduced the class to morning meetings this week. I received a positive response from the students the first day I initiated the meeting. I planned my morning meetings for the week on a sheet of paper, in which I included a greeting and an activity.

On Monday morning, I only started with a greeting to see how the students would react. I began with the Brown Bear Meeting with a stuffed animal I brought. I modeled and gave clear instructions first before passing the stuffed animal around. The children loved Brown Bear and all of them participated in it. Two students came late and the most of them told them about the fun activity they missed. On Wednesday, my CT helped me out once again in calling them to the carpet. I chose a simple greeting because I realized that they didn't know their classmates’ names. The greeting I chose was a simple “Good morning, my name is Miss Siu. I like pandas.” This activity let me and other students know what everyone’s favorite animal was while learning their names. Right after the greeting, I introduced an activity with a beach ball I purchased at the Dollar Store. I wrote all of their sight words onto the beach ball the night before. The purpose of this activity was to practice their sight words. I threw the ball to a student lightly and whatever word is under their right thumb is the word they say out loud. The beach ball activity got out of hand since I didn’t set guidelines and rules. On Thursday, I was able to call table to come to the carpet quietly. I tried the Butterfly Greeting, but not all of them did the butterfly gesture. The greeting starts with saying “Good morning” to each other and then hooking their thumbs together and wave their fingers in the sign language sign for butterfly. I repeated the same activity with the beach ball, which they enjoyed. I set cleared rules before letting them use the beach ball this time and they obeyed this time. Friday morning I did the Brown Bear Meeting since it’s the greeting they like the most. The activity for that day was to say their names while passing the beach ball around.

Every morning, I sharpen the student’s pencils and move the clips back to the middle. I usually assist them with anything they don’t understand about the worksheets or homework. Centers began during this week and I was excited that I was able to work with one group. I was in charge of the bingo sight words table. The students express pure happiness when they knew they were working with me.

When the small group of students came to my center, I passed out the bingo charts and a few red chips. I told them that I would be playing along with them and they began to get more enthusiastic. They would tell me that they were going to beat me and say the word correctly. The following thing I did was show them the sight word. I instructed them to raise their hands and to not yell out. They obeyed and raised their hands to tell me the sight word. I carefully picked each of them, without picking on the same student over and over. Whichever student I chose would tell me the word and then I had the others repeat it. Surprisingly, they followed my instruction with enthusiasm. Every student received the opportunity to win and get a sticker from me. I didn’t exclude anyone from winning. After we finished every bingo game, I made each student tell me the words that they had covered with the red chips. Most of them were able to pronounce and recognize the sight words. Some of them would even use the words in sentences. I noticed that when they’re in groups, they tend to participate more. “It creates a sense of intimacy and belonging, which helps children feel comfortable enough to take risks” (Clayton, 2001).

Photo credit to Wikipedia.

For Emergent Literature, I had to test students on whether they are more interested in academic or recreational reading. The Elementary Reading Attitude Survey consisted of twenty questions that described how they felt when they read a book. I chose three students to test, which included one with level A, 6, and 14. What surprised me the most was how high the boy at level A scored over the girl at level 14. Both students scored higher in academic books over recreational books. The boy’s overall percentile is eighty-two while the girl’s overall percentile is sixty-two. Even though the girl has the highest reading level, she scored low.

I chose to read-aloud I Just Forgot by Mercer Mayer. I told my first graders that they needed to put on their thinking caps to create a movie scene and draw it on paper. I asked them if they have ever forgotten to do something. I received immediate hands in the air and their expressions told me they were anxious to share their stories. I picked on a couple to share what they had forgotten. I told them to be on the lookout using their five senses. I asked whether they knew their five senses and most of them told me the correct answers. I commenced with the read-aloud. I divided the book into four sections so that the students get the opportunity to draw four different pictures. At each stopping point I asked what they saw, heard, smelled, taste, or touched. Most of them remembered the most recent page I read to them and drew that. I showed them an example of what kinds of scenes I imagined when reading the book. They followed my instructions and tried to share stories connected to the drawings they drew. After I finished reading the book, I instructed them to turn to their partners to their pictures.

Resources:

Clayton, M., & Forton, M. (2001). The Whole-Group Meeting Area. In Classroom Spaces That Work (p. 63). Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children.

Mrs. Plant’s classroom is rather small than a normal size classroom. In my opinion, the way her classroom is set up makes the room a bit crowded. As you walk in, her desk is set up on the left side of the door. On the right side, there is a medium-sized cubby that she is not utilizing at the moment. The students have small individual desks that are grouped in five. Their names are taped onto the desk and their books are stored into the book box. The white board is located on the east side of the wall, right next to the medium-sized cubby. In front of the white board there are two small tables, one is rectangular and the other one is a half-moon. The half-moon table is the listening center and the rectangular table is the writing center. Next to the writing center there is a wide bookshelf with various workbooks. The back door is located close to the wide bookshelf and across from the front door. Around this area, there is a sink with cabinets, where the students wash their hands. In between one group of student’s desk and the sink, there is a medium-sized table. I utilize this table to grade papers and check if they have their homework completed. The guided reading table is located at the corner right, next to the sink. Across from this table is the little library, which contains all types of genres for the students. Ahead from the little library is the colored square carpet, where the students sit down and listen to the teacher read aloud.

            The way I would arrange and decorate my classroom would be differently. I would put tennis balls on the ends of the desks and chairs for safety purposes. It will prevent the students from getting hurt and scratching the floor. As you enter through the front door, my desk would be located on the left. Next to my desk would be the computer lab and the library in the left corner with three beanie bags. The audio reading center and guided reading centers would be east side of the room. The colored square rug would be located at the left upper corner, between the east and south wall. The sink and cabinets are against the south wall near the colored rugs and the back door. The student’s desks are located near my desk, there is a set of four grouped desks. Next to the desks are the math, science, and writing centers. I would cover all my walls with colorful and educational posters.

            

Photo credit to Ana Siu.

            I would set up the classroom like this because the centers would be all in one area. It would be easy to just view the students working in centers in one direction. There will be spacing between the board and the desks so that the children have enough space to line up at the exit door. I would change the students around every two months, so that they get to work with everyone in the classroom. According to Classroom Spaces that Work, “change groups often provide deliberate mixing of genders and friendships” (Clayton, 2001). I have noticed that most of the children still have trouble copying from the white board. In order for them to all copy down the information, I will provide a separate sheet of paper. I want to decorate the classroom with a fair amount of colorful, educational posters because it will catch the student’s attention. These posters will consist of vocabulary, letters, numbers, colors, and motivational quotes. I will also be hanging up the work of groups of children to reflect the “value of diversity in the work displayed” (Clayton, 2001).

Resources:

Clayton, M., & Forton, M. (2001). Classroom Spaces That Work. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children.

Photo credit to Wikimedia Commons.

During my first three days in my field experience, I observed how my CT handles the classroom. Although my CT only allows one girl and boy to use the restroom at a time, the students tend to use the restroom often. She does make it clear that they cannot use the restroom when she is instructing the class. In my opinion, I feel like the students aren't learning properly by constantly using the restroom.

The article mentions that in order to engage children in learning and sharing their thoughts and feelings, “they we must work to create classroom communities where students know that they are needed, valued members of the group” (Weinstein, 2011). Students want to be heard and acknowledged. I have observed other classrooms before and most of them begin with a morning meeting. What is different about this classroom is that my CT doesn’t start with a morning meeting at all. She does greet them in the morning, but doesn’t start them off with a short, fun activity. The routine that I have observed is that they enter the classroom, eat their breakfast, use the restroom, and dive straight into assignments. I have noticed that the students are not engaged in what they are learning. They either play with their pencils, use the restroom, or talk to their neighbors. There are two students that don’t get along well and tell on each other. It demonstrates to me that my CT hasn’t tried to create a classroom community and is more focused on the material.

“You can also welcome students by standing at the classroom door and greeting them at the beginning of the day” (Weinstein, 2011). I was able to observe this in a classroom and it was a very effective way of getting students’ attention. The teacher stood at the door, greeted them, and asked about their days. The students were delighted when the teacher acknowledged them. They were energized, motivated, and ready to start the day. This teacher was able to establish a classroom community and based on my observations, the students respected each other and the teacher.

On my first day in the first grade classroom, the students were curious as to who I was and why I was there. I was able to communicate with almost all of them. Some of them didn’t open up to me. The rest of them were already sharing with me what they did, dreams, and what they were going to do when they got home. When I was ready to leave, almost all of them came to hug me. I have not established expectations as a classroom leader, but from my observations, I think the students view me as a friend and an assistant to the teacher. According to the article, “as a new teacher, it’s probably wise to find a happy medium between these two extremes and share limited information” (Weinstein, 2011). I am a very open person so students tend to see me more as a friend than an instructor. Overall, not only does a teacher have to display that they care about the student, but enforce clear expectations without appearing as a dictator.

Resources:

Weinstein. (2011). Building Respectful, Caring Relationships. Retrieved September 7, 2014, from file:///C:/Users/Annie/Downloads/Weinstein Ch. 3.pdf

This course was extremely helpful and informative about using technology in education. I was able to demonstrate my skills about computers and websites and expand my creativity online. By writing online journals, I was able to both express my thoughts and discuss the textbooks content to the public. The website review assignment allowed me to evaluate and recognize which websites to trust. The discussion board was a way for us as students to interact with each other online and discuss topics. It gave us the opportunity to analyze and evaluate each topic and the involvement of technology. Two projects that enabled us to cooperate with classmates as a team was the wiki and collaborative lesson plan. The wiki and webquest helped me “create a portfolio with samples reflecting ways technology can support classroom management, administration, and teaching in a K-12 classroom” (Coleman). When I was creating the wiki, I managed to create a Voki for visual and audio enhancement. The webquest gave me an opportunity to design an internet assignment using several online resources for middle school students. I learned how to give credit to photos and search non-copyright photos on Google and Flickr. GPS-Caching was an outstanding way to get the classroom involved and away from lectures. The last project, the teacher e-portfolio, was a project where I put all of what I learned in class into this website. It allowed me to view how I’ve developed over the semester. The overall quality of the course was more than just about right. I learned more things in this class than in any other class. There are no suggestions improving this course, since what I’ve learned will be useful now and for the future. As a future teacher, I will be able to use these skills for my students in the classroom.

Resources:

Coleman. (n.d.). Edison State College Syllabus. . Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://eme2040edison.wikispaces.com/file/view/EME%202040%20INTRO%20TO%20TECH%20FOR%20EDUC_Coleman_SP14.pdf/479780492/EME%202040%20INTRO%20TO%20TECH%20FOR%20EDUC_Coleman_SP14.pdf

Focus question: How can teachers and students use digital portfolios as tools for learning?

A teacher will be evaluated throughout their career, which sets the context for developing a digital teaching portfolio. Digital teaching portfolios is where teachers store a collection of educational and professional materials in an electronic format. It allows teachers to organize a collection of educational materials, which shows their growth and development over time. The digital portfolio may contain Word documents, PowerPoint, videos, pictures, and copies of paper materials.

In this class, we are creating our own portfolios where we can store our educational materials. Once we finish it, we will be able to provide career-related information to teaching colleagues and school administrators. It will be a way to store activities, ideas, field experiences, summer work, and community volunteering over time. These portfolios give us an opportunity as future teachers to reflect on our developments.

Portfolios can be used to “connect teaching skills and competencies to teaching or curriculum standards as way to show that new teacher candidates are qualified to receive a license or…to remain as the teacher-in-charge in the classroom” (Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, 2011). It enables us as future teachers to acquire a distinguishing quality of master teachers and to think critically and creatively. It’s a good idea to update your portfolio so it won’t become a “celebratory scrapbook of the past,” but promote growth and change in our minds and works. Students will be able to use to portfolios for their personal and public piece of writing. It’s easier to store electronically because teachers and students can take it anywhere without having to worry about missing pages. It will also increase their confidence and technological skills.

Tech Tool Link: Survey and Poll Resources and Apps

In this class, we have used poll apps before with our cell phones. Surveys and polls online are ways to generate discussions in classrooms and conduct instructional preassessments. The article provides some websites and apps for teachers to look up. SurveyMonkey is an online survey tool that can be used to formulate questions and collect information. Poll Everywhere is a texting app that is used to submit responses to questions using cell phones.

Summary & Connection:

This chapter examines on the role of assessment in teaching and learning. Teachers evaluate the students learning by using assessments. Assessments have three interrelated elements: new teacher assessment, student assessment, and student self-assessment. Student assessment is how teachers will assess students’ learning while new teacher assessment is how supervisors will assess the teacher’s work. Student self-assessment is when students are active in the evaluation of their own learning. Assessments let teachers’ know where they need to change and what other strategies to use. Digital portfolios is a way for teachers to see their own growth and development over time.

Students involved in their learning and assessment will motivate them more to complete the assignment. Students have little or no influence on curriculum topics in many classrooms. It’s an opportunity lost when a teacher fails to give students a voice in decision-making. Students can use digital portfolios to learn more about how to use computers and other tools. It can also increase their confidence. This chapter also explains with how online surveys enable students to self-reflect about their learning.

Resources:

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B.P. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Focus question: How can assistive technologies be incorporated into instruction to support teaching all learners?

Assistive technology enable students to become more independent in school and throughout their life. It allows teachers to “differentiate instruction and pursue universal design” (Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, 2011). Disabled children use assistive technologies to learn and function more effectively. Individuals with hearing, sight, mobility, or cognitive challenges are able to translate text and understand spoken words. AT can be communication boards, special purpose computers, prosthetics, attachment devices, positioning devices, screen-readers, communication software, educational software, specialized learning materials, and curriculum aids. Teachers need to be actively involved with the child, in addition to using technology.

A software that displays written text from a person’s spoken words is speech recognition. Individuals with fine motor disabilities and dyslexia use this software. Some individuals prefer to speak than write or type their ideas. Users need to train the system to recognize one or more major voices by speaking into the microphone for speech recognition programs. The software learns to recognize the individual’s speech patterns and tonal nuances. The software provides students a new way to record their thoughts. Although it transfers spoken words to written text, it still needs to be revised by teacher and student.

Text reading software are available in many versions, which enables users to “hear written text aloud by a computer” (Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, 2011). When I observed elementary classes, I noticed that students can listen to stories on the computer. They have the story in front of them, but they have the option of having the computer read the story to them. It’s a wonderful tool for students who learn better through a multimodal experience that supports decoding letters, sounds, and words by listening to text read aloud. Screen reading software is a type of text-to-speech software. This software is like a translator for the visual page. It has features that allows the user to know the whereabouts and actions of the mouse. The screen reading software reads the text that was scanned on the computer screen. Some examples include JAWS, VoiceOver from Apple, Google Chrome, and TalkBack.

Tech Tool link: Interactive Whiteboards

Interactive whiteboards are mounted on a wall or whiteboard. It’s connected to a computer and a projector, which allows “teachers and students to access a computer’s desktop directly at the board using a finger, pen, or other touch device” (Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, 2011). Interactive whiteboards show any material on your computer screen in large size. It creates instructional opportunities for students as a class, groups, or individual. Teachers can use it for visual, auditory, and hand-on learning activities.

Summary & Connection:

This chapter explains about how teachers have opportunities to meet the learning needs of all students through computer technologies. Diversity students show more interest in U.S. history when they see that teachers have integrated stories and histories of multiple peoples. Technologies such as interactive websites, online videos, and web-based primary source materials bring names of individuals or groups that are not mentioned in books and lesson plans.

Teachers and students are able to access resources from the internet to explore multiple languages. These resources provide opportunities to English speakers and students that are learning English. An example of a helpful resource is online language translation service. Both students and teachers can access Google Translate, which is free and available as a website and app for smartphones and tablets. Teachers are able to translate notes, assignments, letters to parents, and other materials for students of multiple languages. “Technology supports diverse students and multicultural education” (Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, 2011).

The chapter further discusses about differentiated instruction (DI) and universal design for learning (UDL). The purpose of DI and UDL is to address the needs of diverse students with curriculum and instruction. It benefits students with special educational needs, gifted and talented learners, or ELL by meeting their needs and differentiating classroom activities. Teachers create different educational experiences to meet students need called DI. UDL is “the application of universal design principles to educational settings” (Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, 2011). In order to serve the needs of the widest range of students, teaching and learning situations are created. Students with disabilities use assistive technology to learn and function in society.

Resources:

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B.P. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.