Spring 2017

We are in week 2 of our Spring semester of 2017 already. I swear it feels like we just started this semester yesterday. This semester I am taking the following classes:

• Reading
• ESOL
• Math
• Science
• Seminar with practicum

All of these classes are supposed to teach me how to be able to teach the content to my future elementary school students. So far, I have enjoyed most of my classes and have learned a lot. I am still trying to figure out how to get everything done and when while in my practicum (internship) though.

For practicum this semester, I am in a third grade classroom and it is enjoyable. It is an eye opener though and completely different from being in a first grade classroom. Right now in practicum we are focusing on prepping for the upcoming FSA (Florida Standards Assessment) test along with our normal lessons. Needless to say I am learning a lot. Then, I am set to teach my first lesson in math this week. Hopefully it goes well!

That's it for now. I will update again after my lesson this week.

MIA

Well readers, I have not written anything or posted in a long while. I apologize! We had a break between the Fall and Spring semesters and I took full advantage of it personally. I spent my time off getting my home ready for when my daughter arrives, getting a head start on my practicum (internship) hours, and just getting mentally and physically prepared for this Spring 2017 semester. I will write another post (or more) on how the Spring semester is going later though.

I am happy to report that the nursery is ready for when baby Kenzie arrives and the rest of the house looks great too! However, I know I will probably go through another nesting phase before my delivery date to make sure everything is completely clean for a tiny human :)! I found out recently that my delivery date is April 7th, 2017 instead of my due date of April 13th, 2017. I'm so excited!

However, I am also stressed out because of the workload- the joys of becoming a teacher. Don't get me wrong, I am still very passionate about becoming a teacher and I do know that the workload never decreases (it probably even increase) when I enter my own classroom but I'm on an accelerated path this semester. I need to be done with all of my assignments, lesson plans, teaching lessons, and hopefully final exams too approximately 3-4 weeks before my classmates. I apparently have the option of taking an incomplete if I do not finish everything by the time I deliver my daughter, Kenzie, but I am not the type of person that can easily let my responsibilities linger. What am I going to do? I know I will try my best this semester and take it one day at a time!

I look forward to more posts throughout this semester and hopefully I will be more diligent about writing!

Buncee about Recess

This is a link to my first completed Buncee that I made with another classmate, Destiny McNeil. Check out the Buncee and let me know your thoughts.

https://www.edu.buncee.com/buncee/v2/801551&share_key=f14b768eb4df11e6b27800185179db73

I will say that I completely loved using Buncee and cannot wait until I create another presentation using this wonderful tool! Buncee is so much more fun than PowerPoint!

Impact of poverty project

My final project for my seminar/practicum class was to create a visual model that tied into the impact that poverty has on students. This project was a culmination of reading a book by Eric Jensen titled Teaching with Poverty in Mind. This book was an extremely informative book and opened my eyes even more to the impact that poverty can have on students, and even on people in general. For my visual, I chose to create a model of a butterfly out of foam poster board; I wanted to do wood but I did not have the time, tools, or ability to create my vision onto wood. In addition to creating a visual model, we had to address different aspects of the impact poverty can have on students. The aspects included: definition of poverty, characteristics of poverty, impact of poverty on a student's academic success, impact of poverty on student behavior, personal beliefs and ideas, personal relevance, and more. We also had to detail why we chose the visual that we did. I chose a butterfly because I feel that students that begin life in poverty may feel like a caterpillar does- unwanted, helpless, and alone- but with the right education, tools, and guidance poverty stricken students have the possibility of transforming into a beautiful being- like a butterfly. Below I have written about a piece of my personal relevance with poverty so please keep in mind that this is one small part of my childhood and is very personal.

I do have prior experience with poverty growing up. However, I feel that I have overcome the negativity of poverty as much as possible over the last few years; as of now, my family and I may not have everything we want but we do have all of the necessities with a few extras. When I was born, my mother was only sixteen and ended up being a single mother, which played a big role in our poverty. I remember growing up and moving around often and having up to five elementary schools, up to three middle schools, and two high schools because of those moves. I also remember nights where my mom wouldn't eat dinner because she made sure I ate first and there wasn't enough food for us both; a pack of hot dogs could last us at least a week. However, my childhood wasn't all a struggle because there were times that I went to live with my maternal grandparents because my mom couldn't find an affordable place for us both to live. If it wasn't for my grandparents I believe that I wouldn't have succeeded as well as I did in school and life.

I did not get pictures before I turned in my project but will post them when I get the project back!

Mixed emotions

Today is November 17th, 2016 and I realized this afternoon that I only have one more class with my students in practicum once we return from Thanksgiving break. This was a bittersweet realization for me. I have come to love the first grade students that I have learned with and taught this semester in my practicum. I will definitely miss them when my time with them is up. However, I also know that I will encounter many more classes in my journey to becoming a certified teacher that I will become attached to as well. These students will always hold a special spot in my heart as they were the first class I have been immersed in while on my journey to becoming a certified teacher and they have taught me many things in the short amount of time we have worked together.

I have mixed emotions about moving on in two weeks. I am happy that I will get to work with a new cooperating teacher and class beginning in January. However, I am sad that my time with these special first graders is ending when I feel like we were just reaching a place in our relationship where we are comfortable and attached to each other. My students are all sad that I will not be returning after the one class when we return from Thanksgiving break. There are a few students in this class that I had hoped to reach on some level because I feel that they need additional support- some emotional and some academically- but have not been able to successfully reach them like I wanted to. Thank you to my current cooperating teacher and her students for everything they have taught me!

Guest Speakers

In one of my classes on Friday, November 11th, 2016 we had two amazing guest speakers! I do mean absolutely AMAZING! Now to be honest, any time I have been to a conference or a presentation with guest speakers, I expect to be bored at least part of the time. However, these two guest speakers captured and held my attention the entire time they talked!

The first speaker we had was Amber McCormick, @EdTechAmber, who is currently an elementary teacher. She spoke about Sketchnotes. I have heard of Sketchnotes before but I have never used them for many reasons but the main one being because I cannot draw AT ALL. However, after Amber's presentation I was excited about trying Sketchnotes and I am trying to figure out how to use this tool in the classroom.

For those that do not know what Sketchnotes are they are a way of taking notes using pictures, text, different types of writing, and colors. Sketchnotes are a great tool to use to help students visualize and remember information efficiently. Please check out this video we watched during Amber's presentation that explains Sketchnotes effectively: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY9KdRfNN9w. Amber walked us through how to create our very first sketchnote as she explained why they are effective in the classroom and how they work. See my first attempt- please disregard my lack of drawing talent- below.

After learning about the valuable tool of sketchnoting, I realized that as educators we need to actually teach our students how to effectively take notes in class as it is a very needed and useful tool throughout life. Sketchnoting allows all types of learners to be able to take notes effectively and create ones that will actually help them learn information easier. I know if I had been taught how to take notes likes these then I would e more able to take more efficient notes in classes without having to write everything out long hand.  One last thing that Amber introduced us to was an item called the Rocketbook Wave Smart notebook. The Rocketbook Wave notebook is an interactive notebook that allows you to draw or write in it using Pilot Fixion pens and then send your drawings and other writings to your computer or tablet, from the notebook!  The most amazing part of this notebook is that once you fill all the pages you can put the notebook in the microwave with a small bowl of water to erase everything- up to five times! You can find this product on Amazon. Thank you Amber for the wonderful and useful information you provided on Friday!

The second guest speaker we had was Bryan Miller, @Edtechnerd, who presented on coding, robotics, and the importance of play in the classroom. One amazing part of Bryan's presentation was Dash and Dot. Dash and Dot are two different interactive robots that can teach students how to code using tablets and/or computers. Both Dash and Dot can be used to play games as well. For instance, as a class Bryan programmed Dot with different responses similar to ones you would find on a magic eight ball and then we asked Dot various questions, shook Dot, and got a random answer. Bryan pointed out that the times we live in and how technology keeps progressing we need to teach more students how to use computers effectively, how to code, how to use and interact with robotics, and how to play. Play in the classroom, and life in general, is important because it opens up our students creativity which can lead them to create new amazing things like Dash and Dot. Check out my sketchnote on Bryan's presentation below. Also, check out this website for more information on Dash and Dot: https://www.makewonder.com/.

I want to thank both Bryan and Amber for coming out and teaching us about such amazing things and for being amazing at presenting! Also, a huge thank you to Dr. Jennifer Williams for making it all possible!

Learning Space Design

As part of one of my midterm exams, I had to write an essay on how I would set up my dream classrooms, with an unlimited budget. This paper had to be based on my own thoughts and wants along with research. I was stressed out and worried about performing well throughout the writing process for the entire essay. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I received an excellent grade. Please take the time to review my writing and leave any feedback.