Final learning log!

What? From going over my blogs from throughout the semester, and taking the survey on blackboard about learning theories I have found that my theory on how children best learn aligns with the humanistic perspective. This conclusion was hard to come to because I found that I believe in many of the approaches on learning from the other theories as well. I think children best learn when they can understand how to be self motivated, independent and take responsibility for their own learning. The best way as a teacher to help students feel this way is in helping them feel successful in their accomplishments and work at school. Also, giving students opportunities to be in control of what they are learning and how they are learning it. Students need to have set goals and expectations they can work towards that are established with the help of the teacher. I really like this approach because it focuses on seeing the student as an individual person with individual needs and interests. Recognizing each child for their individual interests and talents can form a positive relationship between student and teacher.
I think a student learns best when they allow themselves to learn. A teacher could stand up and teach and teach all day but the student will only make connections with and learn what they are willing to learn. The teacher can make the lessons more involved and creative to capture the students interests in an effort to help them learn, but the student alone is responsible for what they will remember and apply to their life, from what they have learned. Students need to be able to feel emotional stable before they can apply themselves to learning. They need to feel accepted and respected by those in the class. Students can learn best from their mistakes by self evaluation. Being able to take on personal responsibility for the work they do. A very important aspect of this theory is being able to provide a non-threatening environment for every students. Every child should be valued and feel like their opinion and ideas are appreciated.
So What? This theory will have a huge effect on the way I run my classroom! I will allow children to have choices in their activities and assignments whenever it is possible to do so. I will want to prepare lessons that are more creative and interactive. Including alot of projects that involve group work and student interaction. I will help students learn how to set goals and follow through with them. Helping them feel independently successful by teaching them how to accomplish and learn from goal setting. Trying to be a good example and role model to my students by behaving how I wish them to behave. Having a positive attitude about subjects taught, and the classroom environment. Acting as a facilitator of learning. Having many group projects. Having a positive regard and genuine concern for my students. Trying to relate and connect with them through my teaching. Having many class discussions and using students ideas in my lessons. Being a teacher that students can know is approachable and willing to help. Adapting my instruction to the needs and interests of the students.
Now What? Some areas I could improve on would be working on what I will use for classroom management. I am not sure that I agree with rewards and punishments, but as a form of management it may be the only thing affective in some instances. I would like to have more experience in observing different management techniques in the classroom. Also having more experience with dealing with the different needs that may be apparent in my classroom. Learning how to help students that won't be self motivated at all or won't find anything exciting about school. Also, practicing in preparing lessons and ideas that are more creative and use art to keep student interest. Overall I hope to have more experiences in which I can take this theory and test it in a classroom and see the results. See how successful this theory can be in a real life setting. Learning how students will respond.
I'm glad I had the chance to think of how I want to have my classroom environment. It helped me understand myself better and the teacher I hope to become!

Homework

I thought this article was pretty crazy!! I have never read anything about homwork being bad. It was a very interesting viewpoint.
From my own personal experience homwork has been a great aid to me. Though I can't believe I'm saying that now because there were hundreds of times that I absolutly hated doing homework:) Doing homwork gives me a chance to go at my own pace and study using my own methods. When we are learning in a classroom we are taught however the teacher wishes to teach the information. But having homwork assignments gives us a chance to practice good study skills and independence with our learning. Doing homework makes me feel accomplished. It is usually a good review of what the teacher went over in class and makes what I have learned more concrete. Without homework or any projects after school I suppose I would have used my time playing around, watching television, uh hanging out....who knows what habits I would have had! I think I learned good study habits starting with my parents helping me with homework in elementary. I later learned how to motivate myself to do my homework. I believe this motivation to learn has carried through to college and will stay with me my entire life! My desire to learn and believe in my own ability to learn can from practicing how to learn through homework.
Everyone has different opinions though and apparently this man had a negative experience with homework. Teachers do need to be careful to make it meaningful and useful. Not just busy work. I did receive homework that was only busy work and I believe there were much better things I could have done with my time. I also liked his comments about homework coming inbetween the relationship of the child and parent. I think this is very true. Parents need to be careful to be interested in what their child is actually learning not how much or how quickly they finish assignments. As teachers and parents we do need to be careful in making sure children still have time to be children and play. Education definitly is important but I agree that it won't be important if a child can't develop healthy relationships with family and friends and find other skills and talents that they can also do. Teachers need to be careful about still making school a fun and positive experience and memory for their students. This was a very interesting article and I am glad I took the time to read it. It gave me a different viewpoint of the impact of homework and how it should be used and treated by both teacher and parent.

Digital Cameras in the classroom

Another article I researched about current technology that is being used in the classroom is on digital cameras. I wanted to research this because I am interested in photography and would want to learn how to incorporate it into my classroom! The focus of the article I read was on how to use digital cameras in the classroom to explore and understand other subjects. Using digital cameras helps the student to be more involved with the subject. A concern about using digital cameras is that they are expensive and many students wouldn't know how to use them. This would have to be for the upper grades only. The teacher would need to have a class discussion on how to use and treat the cameras. Using digital cameras by taking pictures of experiences the students have in class will help them remember what they learned because they will have that visual representation.
The wide site had alot of good ideas for using digital cameras. You could use them to take pictures for a class board, or class website, or during experimentations. For the upper grades such as middle school and even high school I think it would be great for each teacher to have a digital camera in their classroom. They are so nice because they give instant results and have many different features that students would have fun learning about. This article was interesting to read because it helped me understand that I could incorporate the digital camera into my classroom through creativity and a visual aid to teaching. I was glad to read this article in which I could read experiences and ideas of teachers that have used it in the classroom. I look forward to learning more about the uses of digital cameras and ways they could assist me in my teaching.

Technology article

A current technology topic I found very interesting was using Personal digital assistants in the classroom. I knew nothing at all about this until I read the article. I found out that a PDA is a small handheld computer that includes word, spreedsheets, organizers, and calculators. It is also relatively inexpensive. They are smaller and less expensive then laptops but can perform many of the same functions. This article talked about how a PDA creates a more student centered classroom environment. It can also be useful in group work and experimentation activities. The mobility of such a device as a PDA is also very useful, the students are able to go out and do field work and still have access to tons of information. Students are not restircted to a stationary computer and can access what they need to anytime and anywhere. The PDA's were tried in a middle school with teachers only. The teachers commented after the experiment of using PDA's that they were not comfortable with using them because they did not fully understand them. They didn't have any previous experience with using this type of technology in the classroom.
I am kind of excited to see where this idea will go in the future. If it would actually work to replace computers in school with PDA's. If students and teachers will be able to use them effectivly. If they will be less expensive and more beneficial to student learning. I personally would have a hard time getting used to them at first because I have had no expereince. I do believe they would be beneficial if students and teachers could understand how to use them.
This was an interesting article to read and I am glad I got to learn more about PDA's and how they are starting to be used in furthering education. As a future teacher I could see this as being a useful tool in staying organized if I could understand how to use it properly.

My Beliefs

From my own educational experience, I think it is wonderful that so much technology is coming into the schools. It is a great learning tool for students if it is used correctly. I have also seen in the classroom how it can be a great aid in teaching diverse students with different learning needs. Technology can provide visual information that is instant, accurate (if using reliable resources), and helpful in expanding students knowledge of the world around them. It can provide not only visual learning experiences but hands on and experimental experiences as well. I also think it is a great way for students to stay informed and organized with their assignments and connected to others at all times.
My concern from all of the good that comes from technology is that students may be using it as a crutch to their education. They are being exposed to the ideas of others so often that they do not form their own. One article also made the point that technology can lead to over consumption and loss of self control. I believe this to be true. People in general are getting too used to doing things fast. Getting things done and not really learning or experiencing what they should be. Technology can also limit the amount of personal interactions that students have. Instead of face to face conversations they may lose those social skills through online chatting only where they are staring at a screen. Although technology is definitely a very important part of education and can be very helpful it should not precede the interaction that comes from talking with, and learning from others. It should be used as an aid and resource only not a main component. In my classroom I would still want more class discussions, group work, written assignments, creative arts projects, and interactive learning experiences where they themselves are producing their own ideas and information rather then taking the ideas of someone else. As one article discussed children can loss their creativity from all of the access to technology because there no longer is a need for creativity when you can easily use it from someone else.
I believe that technology is important in the classroom but teachers need to be responsible for how much and in what form their students are using it. It is a great resource that needs to be monitored. How to use technology does need to be taught or it will cripple students later in their schooling because it has become expected. As a teacher I think it is important to teach typing skills to children at a young age and also the benefits of using programs such as web quest in which they can experience what they are learning.
I am grateful for technology and the many ways we can learn about and experience life through the many wonderful resources available!

Lessons Learned

I learned a lot from the readings and videos! It was very helpful to get a lot of different viewpoints about the negatives and positives about technology, and the tremendous influence it is having on the educational world. I learned that technology has become a huge aid to teachers in staying connected and sharing ideas. I can see this being a great help and resource to me in the future. It is wonderful that you can go online and within minutes find a lesson plan that has been tried and successful in just about any subject. It is easier to share ideas and advice. In one of the readings I found that 94% of students 16-18 use the internet! That is an incredible amount! I cannot believe how much it has changed in even the past ten years. It is very uncommon for anyone to not have a computer in their home.
Another essay brought up the issue of how ‘internet language’ is mixing with ‘school language.’ As in, students are being sloppier with their writing and are getting used to using acronyms because of all of the typing they spend on the computer. My concern is that student’s skills in actually being able to sit in class and write out an essay with pen and paper are being disabled by their use of word programs that self correct their mistakes. I am afraid that in my classroom I may notice the somewhat of a disabling effect technology could have on students and their skills. Also, from reading I realized that students really already expect to use technology at school. They enjoy using it to help them in their educational experience. Technology is, and will continue to be a major part of learning. It has become an accessible resource for everyone!

Strengths and Weaknessess

From this reading I realized how much technology is influencing elementary education in particular! I cannot believe the tremendous effect technology is having on the different forms of teaching and helping students become independent learners. According to the UNI survey some of my strengths would be contributed to the fact that I have grown up with technology all around me! My own education has been through using and learning from technology, so I am familiar with it. I use technology daily to research, learn, and stay connected with people. I have had many class projects in which I have had to use PowerPoint programs, overhead projectors, word processors, and internet sources. I have become familiar with a lot of technology through my educational experiences. I was lucky to grow up with a computer in my home. I took typing classes in elementary, High school, and have even in college as well. I have been taught to become familiar with and take advantage of the resources that can be found on the internet. I am very familiar with how to access resources on the World Wide Web.
One of my weaknesses could be that I do not stay as informed and updated on new things for technology that come out to help in the educational experience. I do not always have the desire to stay updated and informed with technology that could assist me in my own education. I also have not had enough experience using technology to teach many different subjects. Through my field experience, it was helpful to practice using some technology in my lessons to teach. I feel confident that with more and more experience using technology to teach it will become a great aid to me in my future classroom. I would like to learn more about using spreadsheets and graphic organizers. I think these things could be a great aid to me if I knew how to use them effectively.
As some goals, I would like to stay updated and informed on current and new technology. This would require spending more time on the internet researching what technology is helpful in the classroom. I have the resource to stay updated on technology I just need to take advantage of it more often. I would want to be continually trying to look for different ways I can help my students learn and experience through the technology that is available. I also want to use technology in my classroom through power points to help give visual aids for direct instruction. I want to help my students learn how to be independent on the computer by knowing how to use it well myself. I would want to help them learn, through doing some web quests in which they can navigate through and find things they are most interested in. I was surprised at how many options are available online in which I can learn how to use a spreadsheet, graphic organizers, and many other technological resources. Learning from any one of these programs/tutorials would help me be more confident in my ability to teach through technology. It would give me more professionalism because I could present material in different ways and stay more organized as a teacher. Improving on my knowledge about technology will only help me in the future to be a better teacher.
-I didn’t know if you wanted examples of the resources we could use or not, but here are a few:)
http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic73.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2EkOCXNLQM
http://www.k12.hi.us/~tethree/01-02/tutorials/ss/home3.html

Educational Psychology

What? In chapter ten it talks alot about the social aspect of learning. In class today we did group presentations on a certain topic in the chapter. My groups was on self-regulation and the different concepts that fall under that category. From doing that presentation I realized how important it is for students to be independent in their learning. To learn how to self-regulate their own ability to learn. A teacher can do alot in building the confidence of a student but when it comes down to it the student needs to make the decision to be responsibile and in charge of their learning experience. It was cool to be able to apply all of these ideas to not only my teaching in the future but also to myself right now. A few of the vocab words we went over were terms such as observational learning effect, which is when a student does a behavior after watching someone else do it. Response faciliation effect- The increased frequency of a behvior after watching someone be rewarded for it. Just looking at these two terms I realized that we as adults do this all of the time! We learn and act according to the acceptable and non-acceptable behaviors of those around us. I liked this chapter because it also talked about the effects that reinforcement and punishment have on the classroom.
So What? This chapter helped me understand that although I may do as much as I can to create a wonderful learning experience for my students they will not take advantage of it unless they are motiviated enough to do so. I realized the importance of giving children as much confidence as possible through their learning experience because it will create a standard and basis of what they think of themselves for the rest of their life.
Now What? Now I realize that I will want to be careful about the punishment and rewards I do in my classroom. I will need to be constantly evaluating myself to make sure that I am acting in such a way that helps students have confidence in who they are! I will want to help each student realize that they can do great at school and they are good at something. I will want to help for a positive basis for my students especially since I hope to be teaching a younger grade and they will take that confidence or lack of confidence about learning with them through their education.

Educational Psychology

What? In Chapter 7 the main focus is on knowledge construction. How to help students form that concrete knowledge and basis of many different subjects. We discussed the use of concepts in teaching. In categorizing information based on similarities and differences and making as many connections as possible. Schema is also a large part of a child's knowledge. What they already know and what they remember based off of their experiences. Different ways of helping students have knowledge is through alot of experimentation. Helping students gain their own knowledge and ideas through their personal experiences and observations. In class we also discussed the importance of having authentic activities. Activities which children can relate to the real world. Teaching them things that they can actually apply to situations they may encounter on a day to day basis. This could include helping students scaffold to a higher level of knowledge where they can understand how they can apply their knowledge to help them with life choices. Helping your classroom become this learning environment would create a community of learners, in which the teacher and students work together to help each other learn. They learn from each others previous experiences and ideas. The last part of the chapter talked about diversity and how you can help diverse students feel apart of your community of learners in the classroom.
So What? From learning all of this throughout the chapter the main thing I learned was to give your students things to relate to. Help them feel comfortable in their classroom and in their ability to contribute and learn. This is so important in having a positive classroom learning expereince.
Now What? Now I realize that I will want to make a connection to my students in which I am learning along with them. I am not just a dictionary that spills out information. I want to be in the learning process with them. I want to be just as excited as they are about what we are learning. This would create a community of learners. I want every student in my class to feel respected and valued. I believe this creates the most positive and safe learning environment.

Educational Psychology

What? This chapter focused on the process of learning. We learned about different terms such as memory, storage, encoding, sensory register, attention, and how they contribute to the way we learn. We also talked about the influence prior knowledge can have on a child's perspective and learning capabilities. We also discussed in class the importance of presenting information in many different forms. Using alot of visuals, graphs, charts, hands on activities, written assignments, group work, etc. Having a variety of methods of giving students information will help them process it and enjoy the learning experience. The end of the chapter also talks about the importance of wait time. I have never thought of this as being so important but realized it is. It is important to give every child time to think amd question and reason. Not making children feel rushed to give a quick answer to questions that can be more thought provoking and drawn out.
So What? This chapter helped me to understand not only how I can help my students in the classroom learn but also it helped me to understand how I learn! I realized that I learn through alot of rehearsal. I need things to be repeated over and over again. I need to review alot to understand. When I teach, though this works for me I need to use not only this strategy but different ones as well to accomodate every child. I also learned that meaningful learning is essential the highest way of processing information and learning. It is relating new information to what students already know. It is a type of scaffolding. It is so much easier to remember information and apply it when it is being built upon. As a teacher I will want to be organized enough to be continually building onto what my students have previously learned. Making those connections will be an important part of my instruction as a teacher.
Now What? I have realized that when coming up with lesson plans I will want to use different strategies to fill the needs of all of the students learning behaviors and strategies. I will want to be more careful about how I give information to students not just focusing on what I am telling them. As a teacher I will want to be organized in the way I present information to my students in order to help them learn. Keeping it organized will be able to help them organize it as they learn. Putting information in categories and making many connections. I will try to give my students opportunities for alot of discussion in sharing thoughts, opinions, and ideas. I will want to include them as much as possible in the learning process. The students are the only ones in control of what they will actually remember. It is my responsibility to help them as much as possible in getting across the information in interesting and different ways!

Educational Psych

What? From chapter 5 I learned alot about Special Education needs and the impact they have on the classroom. In class we had a discussion on whether or not it is helpful to classify students. Actually we had a fun debate about it:) There are many positives and negatives from classifying students. I believe it is helpful to the teacher to classify in order to help the student in any way possible but I don't think it is neccesary for the teacher to make that classification evident to the rest of the class. A students Special needs should be known by the teacher only. If it is a very apparent special need it might be helpful for the teacher to address the class on the issue and help them know how to understand and react to any uncommon behaviors. How to treat a student with special needs is becoming more and more of an issue. I believe the most important thing is for the teacher and students to always show respect and love to that student. We also talked about inclusion and its effect on a student with special needs. Also the chapter covered the different levels and types of intelligence. Overall, the chapter addressed the different types of students that may be in a classroom. Students with special needs, students with a high level of intelligence, students with learning disabilities, students with speech and communication disorders, students with emotional and behavioral disorders, etc.
So What? So, as a future teacher I need to be able to understand these differences in students and be able to help them in the classroom. I need to be able to understand enough to be able to fill their needs as best as I can and be a support to them. If I understand these things beforehand I will be able to have more confidence in the classroom in knowing how to react to different situations.
Now What? I need to come up with my own beliefs of how to treat a student with special needs in my classroom. I need to understand how I want to react to the different situations that I will come across in my career. I need to prepare myself in order to be able to fullfill the needs of every child as best as I can. Now I realize all of the types of students I may have. It has made me more openminded. Learning from this chapter was a good experience for me because it helped me realize how unique and different every child in my classroom will be!

Implicit Association

I thought I already did this extra credit but I will do it again just in case because my score is not in, and I really need it! I took the two tests that came up. The race test and the gender test. I was not very surprised at the results because I already know what i believe regarding this two issues. The race test showed me that I had no real predjudice or that there is no real difference in the way I view people from their skin color. On the gender test it showed that I do believe stongly in the seperate male and female roles. I associate females with staying home and being the mother while I associate males with having an occupation and being the "breadwinner" for the family. I have these believes because it is what I have grown up with and am familiar with.
It was good for me to take these tests because it helps me realize where I am at in terms of what I value and believe in. It helps me understand the kind of impact and influence I can have with those I associate with.

What? We talked about Classical and operant conditioning. Reinforcment and punishment. As a class we discussed the difference between negative and positive reinforcement because alot of people had been confused about the meanings after that group quiz we took. I really liked the example Linda gave of negative reinforcement by the hot air balloon. Negative reinforcement would be taking away the sand bags on the air balloon as it is rising up. To reinforce your students we could take away the stress or the negative idea. An example would be, "If you improve on your spelling test score you do not have any spelling homework over the weekend." You are taking away the negative aspect, which is the homework, to motivate them to do well on their spelling test.
So What? Understanding reinforcement can help you learn how to most effectivly use it in your classroom. You have to understand its positive and negative aspects. How your students will react in response to certain classroom procedures you have. It is important to understand in forming a good relationship with your students.
Now what? This was good for me to learn because I realized that as a teacher I want to use as little as reinforcement as possible. I want my students to learn how to be self motivated, because I would have appreciated learning that at a younger age. I also believe there would need to be some sort of motivation for the students to have good classroom behaviors. I would have to come up with a motivation that would be positive and would not cripple my students. I would have to get to know my students individually first before I could come up with my own type of motivation that would work best.
It was good to hear different view points about types of motivation that would work or not work. It was also interesting to hear about different experiences people had in field that involved types of motivation.

It was very helpful to have class time today to work on our group project. I feel like we got alot done! And it will be good. Also I am very happy with the group I have. I felt like we all do a pretty equal share of the work and not just one person takes over. We are doing ours on Butterflys so I learned alot about butterflys:) I am also so glad that we got to choose our grade level so we didn't hav to do sixth again! Thank-you so much for letting us do this project in class. It takes alot of the work load off of my whole school schedule in general. The last two weeks of school definitly can be cruntch time and everyone seems to overreact about everything!!!
Thanks again
-Kristen

EDEL 3250

I thought class today was pretty great. I have never learned about Webquest so that was interesting. I am excited for this assignment, especially since it is in larger groups and won't be a stressful project. It seems more fun to me and I'm sure will be a good experience. It was also nice to be able to choose what grade level we wanted and subject. Doing things all semester for sixth grade is pretty old especially since I don't want to teach that grade. Thanks for going over this project and so many others so throughly:) You are a patient person! Thank you for helping me learn alot through this class. I know what is expected and I feel like I am learning what I need to.
And since it is Thanksgiving I just want to say that I am thankful for you as a teacher:)
Have a good break!

Blogs for field experience

I did not have easy access to a computer so I took notes of my blogs over the three weeks. I hope this works. If not I will just have to lose oints.

Week 1- This has been a great week! I have loved getting used to being in an elementary classroom instead of my regular classes. I really like my teacher. I have already noticed teaching startegies she uses that I really like and things I don't like as much. It has been hard this week to connect with the students. Though I'm sure it will get better as I learn their names and get to know more about them and their individual personalities. Before we started observing the teacher said she had alot of behavioral problems but I have not seen any so far. As far as I can tell this is a very good class. They all respect and love their teacher. I am excited to teach a lesson next week. Kind of nervous too because I never thought I would be teaching a lesson to a sixth grade class. I want to teach 2nd-4th. But this will be good for me to see what it's like to teach kids at this age.
Week 2- We taught two lessons this week. They went very well! The students all particpated and their were only a few minor behavioral problems. I thought our lessons were well prepared and we were ready. It is kind of frusterating for me to team teach with Paige. She likes to do everything herself. I am excited for when I will be able to teach by myself. The way I want to do it:) But things have been going good. Our teacher also gave us good feedback on our lessons. She told us things she really liked and things we could work on. She told me I need to walk aorund the room and have more of a presence when I teach. Working with the students has been better this week. They trust me and Paige more and show respect to us. They are not afraid to come and ask us for questions and help. I really enjoy working one on one with the students! It makes me excited to be a teacher. Having this experience in the classroom is so much better then pretending to teach to the people in my cohort:) This was an awesome week!
Week 3- Our three lessons this week also went well. Alot more group work instead of just direct instruction. We had alot of class participation! We also did alot of observing this last week. Which I don't really like. It got kind of old to just sit back and watch the teacher do everything. I think two weeks would have been enough to see how the teacher does things. Plus it seemed a little bit pointless to go once we were done with all of our lessons on Ancient Greece. The class all wrote us nice thank you notes. It was so cute! Probably the best part from field was feeling like I was able to spend time with the students in that class. The teacher also gave me a good evaluation and told us to come back if we ever need help with anything. I feel so lucky to have had such a wonderful cooperating teacher and partner for this field experience. It was a good opportunity for me to learn! It really was a wonderful experience. And I am excited to do the same thing next semester in a different grade level. It will be hard to start going to my regular classes again!

Sorry this is a day late, I guess Paige sent me an email yesterday reminding me to do it, but I didn't have access to a computer.

From this technology interview I learned that most teachers who teach at the elementary school level cannot use technology to its’ full potential in their classrooms. They are not able to apply as many technology activities as I thought they would because of the lack of resources. Though the sixth grade class I was in does go to a typing class everyday for a few weeks. I was able to observe the experience they have there and it was very positive! I think it is a great thing for children to get familiar with all of the information that can be accessed on the computer to help in their education. Knowing how to use technological devices earlier will only help their skills to be very high later in their schooling. I learned that teachers really do not get the technology equipment necessary to have their own classroom set. The teachers in the school I go to share the few computers, printers, projectors, etc, that they have.
This experience helps me to realize that in my classroom I may not have all of the technical equipment that I want. I will have to learn to plan ahead and make accommodations. As a teacher I will want to make sure my students know how important technology is to me, and how useful it can be when used properly.
This experience made me realize that technology in a classroom is a very valuable teaching tool. I believe/hope that schools will be supplied with more technology resources in the future. It is a great way to teach different lessons and make them appeal to the students. From doing our lessons in the classroom I realized how much we used the projector and a laptop for a power point. They were definitely helpful and very useful, especially for the visual students in the classroom. I realize that as a teacher I will be using the technology resources I have as much as possible. It benefits the learning experience tremendously. I also realized how much the teacher depends on her classroom computer in keeping attendance, grades, calendars, dates, etc. While we were in this classroom she told us that the computers would be down for a few days and how hard that would be on her to keep up with things. I know that being able to use technology effectively and efficiently will help me be a better and more organized teacher. It was pretty cool to see how important technology is in the classroom, and the many forms in which it can be used.

Investigation math

First I found out what investigation math is. Investigation math is when teachers present various concepts of math and the children experiment and discover which ones they like the best. It is not the standard, direct way of teaching math. The standard concepts alone are not taught but different kinds of strategies. Students solve solve problems using strategies they discover on their own and working in groups.
This new way of teaching math was tried in the Alpine school district and the math results actually did go up!
Some critics of this new method argue that under the investigation approach nobody gets pushed. It requires large amounts of time for the students to discover what will finally work. They are not shown the correct method. They have to try and figure it out on their own. And the best way to learn math is through repetition and practice which comes most effectivly through teaching the standard math methods. Some parents also arque that funds that would go to implementing this new way of teaching should go to the teachers and students.
I thought it was interesting that with input from parents, the principals of the Alpine school district will decide which method they would like to be taught in their school. So different schools will be teaching different methods. There will no longer be one standard.
I personally think both should be implemented into the classroom if possible. I wish that I wouldn't have been taught math through direct instruction only. I think it is wonderful for students to have the opportunity to work in groups more with math.

New Strategy

When reading through chapter 7 this week I tried harder to read a few paragraphs at a time and take notes while I was reading. I believe my notes were better and I learned more because I took it slower. It was also helpful because I set aside enough time to be able to really sit down and concentrate on what I was doing and not feel rushed. I could apply this strategy to all of my classes. Really trying to read the sections and take notes not just skim through. It really helped me to take notes because writing the information down made me really have to think about it and know what I was doing! It was helpful to try a new strategy for learning.

Extra Credit

I researched about Judy Willis who became a teacher to study about the neurology of learning and classroom strategies. She was written four books that are all based around the brain and learning. She gives consel to parents and teachers about how to help a student find their potential by figuring out their learning preference. She says when you find that learning preference and incorporate it into your teaching "it opens up opportunities for success in all academic areas." She talks about all of the many different areas that children may find success in learning through. Such as, auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc. Children need to be able to have fun and creative ways to remember and apply what they are learning. Connections need to be made!
Through reading about Judy Willis and her strategies I realize how important it will be for me as a future teacher to use those strategies to help my students reach their full portential. To give them the same chance as any other students. To find ways to reach every student and help them along in their learning and growing processes. Judy Willis's research and experience as a teacher gives an example to other teachers to put more of any importance on not only what they are teaching, but how they are teaching it!
I enjoyed learning about someone that has such an interest in improving the quality of education.

Website

Today we learned how to create multiple pages for a website. I especially liked learning how to do a calender on google. I have never done anything like that before. Even though this was just for fun and practice it would be helpful to have a calender for my school schedule and for the dates of birthdays. I had fun it class today putting this together! This is also a great idea I had never thought of before to make a website for my classroom. It would definitly help the parents feel more involved in their child's education. I think I would have a hard time keeping up on it though. Maybe in my 3rd or 4th year of teaching when I was on more of a schedule and more organized. Thanks for teaching this! I think it is very helpful!

Reflection

Today I liked learning about photo story. I have never done it before so it was pretty fun to do! Then me and Paige reviewed the video we have made and I think it is great!! We might still change a few small things on it but all in all we are finally finished! It is kind of a relief to have this done because I am going home to sunny St. George on wed for the whole weekend!!
Anyways, I am glad I have learned how to do a digital story because I think it will be a fun tool to use as a teacher! Thank you for all of the cool things I have learned how to do from this class:)
Have a nice fall break!!

Fertile Minds

This article was full alot of information that was totally new and interesting to me. So amazing what the brain can do! How it is continually changing and forming throughout a person's life. Children who are not touched or who do not play develop brains that are 2o to 30% smaller then average children. I liked how the article said that, "Rich experiences produce rich brains." that tells me as a future mother, that I need to help me children experience as much about the world around them as possible. Though the first year is the most important and vital for a young childs brain development throughout the rest of their life. It is amazing how complex the brain is and how much it can adpat, grow, and compensate for other shortcomings. I also liked the studies that have been done on the effects of depressed mothers because I believe that needs to be adressed more in our society, How careful as a mother you have to be with depression affecting your baby. Overall I realized just how important it is, if possible, to be a stay at home mom! Because I would want to make sure that my children had the best that I could give them. It's interesting to read all of the research that continues to come out on the development and processes of the brain.

Psych learning log

I really enjoyed class today! I am definitly suprised because although this is a three hour class I also enjoy it. I especially liked talking about the stages of Erik Erikson and all the cool ways you came up with for us to remember them! That will make the test easier and make it not so hard to remember that information long term. All of that information today in class was good to learn for the test that is coming up! Thank you so much for making this class enjoyable and interesting!

3250 Reflection #6

Today in class was very helpful for me because me and my partner finally figured out what we will be doing! This was a big accomplishment because now we can really get going on it. After talking to our teacher at the elementary school we will be going to we thought about doing our assignment on another subject but it was hard to find ways to incorporate the media strategies into the subject. So we stuck with our original plan, which is good becuase it will hopefully be successful and then we will know what we are doing when we have to put something together for our classroom experience. I'm glad we had time in class to work with our partner and get ideas and also get suggestions and ideas from you. It erased alot of confusion.
Thank you for your help! Class today was a good experience and I'm glad to finally be able to get going on this assignment.

Psych- Piaget tasks

I tried a few of these tasks on my younger sisters. Jacey is 8 and Jenessa is 6. I tried the test of putting water in two different containers and seeing if they knew that they both held the same amount of water. My younger sister thought they didn't and Jacey knew they both had the same but also looked so confused at the same time! I tried the pencil experiment too to see if they knew that the length stayed the same and Jacey did but Jenessa did not. It was interesting to see that although they are only two years apart that makes a huge gape in the way they think. It made me realize how vital it is that children learn so much and make so many connections when they are young. If they miss out on those opportunities it is a huge set back. These experiments were fun and intereting to do!

EDEL 3250:01-Kristen Finch

This past class period we learned about story boarding. We went through a powerpoint and also watched many examples of story boarding. It is a way to organize information to make a digital story. When creating the story board you could include music, pictures, videos, colors, different point of views, emotional characterization, pacing, voice, and much more! Story boarding can help your students have a different experience in learning as you take this new approach. In class I was able to have more of an idea of what I would like to do with my own story board. I loved the idea of having a different voice tell what is happening and portray the story. It really makes it come more to life! This class made me excited for this assignment because their are so many different ways on how to make this digital story successful and fun. It is a good tool to know and understand for teaching!

digital stories

In class on Tuesday we spent the day learning about digital stories and how they can be used in tbe classroom. I liked the idea of using them to make subjects we teach more interesting. I liked looking around at all of the ideas for disital stories such as putting a video on it, sound, etc. It is a good idea to use for teaching! I also finally came up with a subject that I will be interested in centering my digital story around. My subject is stars. How they originate or come to be. As a younger child this is something that was always of interest to me so as a teacher I would be excited to show and tell students more about stars. The beauty and wonder of stars! This project does seem a little overwhelming but I am excited for it as well.
-Kristen

I really enjoyed class today. Mostly because I got to participate by doing our group presentation on Sternberg and his theory. Alot of the time I like to listen in class to others experiences because I learn so much! I do so much listening that I don't put as much effort into participating as I should. I always learn so much in this class though! I really enjoy it, and though its 3 hours I am able to stay focused and pay attention the whole time. Which is pretty unusual for me! We also talked alot about inclusion today. It is something that is very interesting to me because I know it will affect me in my classroom. And I will need to learn how to provide and help those students with special needs that could be in my class. Some of my opinions about inclusion were also changed today as I realized that we need to use labels to figure out the problem and best know how to help the student. But at the same time not use the label as a negative thing. I realized how important it is to be very careful about the things you say as a teacher to your students! It has a huge impact on their confidence and what they believe they can and cannot do.
Thank-you also for that movie on tourettes. That is something that is new to me, and to actually hear those kids talk about it made me feel so much compassion for students that are 'different' or have one type of disability or another. I enjoyed class today very much!:)

Very interesting to take because I have never done one before. I didn't feel way dumb after I took it probably because I took it by myself and didn't have to compare to someone else's score:) It was fun to take but I definitly don't believe it could be very accurate for anyone. It is a test, so is subject to many different things. Not very reliable but I guess could give you somewhat of an idea.

Today I had a really fun time in class!
I learned how to utlitize using this site http://sites.google.com/site/kristentheteacher/about-me in which we made a page about ourselves. I really liked doing this because we got to do it about ourselves and put pictures on it, colors, a background, anything we wanted! I could use this as a teacher by doing a spotlight for each child every week and then putting it up on a projector for the class to see. This was a really interesting thing to learn and I had fun doing it!

This bias test was very interesting. The first one I did was on race. I was happy with my results because I believe they are accurate and it is something that I really value. It said I had little or no automatic preference between Eurpopean Americans and African Americans. And it is true I really don't. I have been raised that way, mostly because of religious beliefs and values. I was suprised to see that the people that have a strong automatic preference for whites was 48%! It was crazy to me that so many people are really predjudice. And as a future teacher that scares me to realize that other teachers I work with might have biasis towards' certain students in there class.
The next test I took was on bias towards genders. My results show a strong association of male with career and female with family. I was not suprised by these results at all! This is what I was raised to believe and this is still what I believe. My mom was always at home and my dad at work. I believe this is how I will have my own family as well if financially possible. My outlook on this comes from religious believes and my own personal values on the roles of men and women. But as a future teacher I realize that I will need to put aside those beliefs and not let them influence the way I treat the boys and girls in my class.

gmail/document

In class on Tuesday the really interesting thing that I liked learning was on gmail. We learned how to pull up that document and all type at the same time on one document. It was amazing! I couldn't believe I hadn't learned that before because I have had gmail for a long time! I was excited to learn this because I think it will be fun to use as a teacher! My students would be able to have fun working in small groups on a paper and being able to write and give imput all at the same time through the computer. I would even use this resource right now while in college. It is such a convenient way to put information together with a group of people. Thank you for teaching us so well how to use it. It was nice to spend all of class practicing because it really stuck and I would be able to do it again!

This multiple intelligences test was very interesting! It was pretty cool to find out which areas I am strong in and which ones I am definitely lacking in. My high areas were kinesthetic and Linguistic. My lowest area was logical. I think the results of this test were right because these are the areas that I do enjoy and succeed in. It was also good for me to see the results because as I teacher I will realize my strengths and weaknesses in teaching as well. I will be able to improve if I recognize and work on my weaknesses as a teacher. This also helped me understand how different every student learns just as I learn better in a certain way.

In class we talked about gender differences. Something that I thought was really interesting was when we watched the video that showed the school in which the genders were segregated. We talked alot about whether this was effective or not. Most people thought it would be better gender segregated but, I think that it is better when both genders are in the classroom. Although the result of the experiment was higher test scores from both the boys and the girls being in speperate classes, I think that result is dependant on alot of different factors. One conclusion cannot come from this experiment. It would have to be tested many times with different age groups. And every child is so different that I don't know whether it could ever be proven that it is more effective to have genders seperate in elementary school's. Children learn things from each other whether boys or girls. Being in a class with the other gender can help a child learn how to be more socially prepared for later years in school. If boys and girls were seperated in their elementary years they might have a hard time adapting to being co-ed in junior high and high school. This effected me as a later teacher because I will want to try and make my class accomidating for both girls and boys. I believe I will also be more sensitive to the fact that boys and girls do think differently. I will have to be able to involve many different factors into my teaching to make learning fun for all my students!

For this assignment I decided to research the correlation between learning and the home environment. Growing up in a home environment that was very accomdiating and encouraging to my learning needs I wanted to do this research to better understand what it would be like for a child with a home environment that was not supportive. There are many factors that make a difference in a child's ability to learn but I have realized that their home environment plays the biggest factor. Children being able to have access to learning manipulatives outside of school is so important! Items such as books, puzzles, magazines, pictures, journals, and music. Also having opportunities to participate in hobbies and experience museums, ballets, and concerts. All of this plays such an important factor to a child being excited to learn and encouraged to learn. Sadly many children in the United States do not have all the opportunities to grow and learn as some of their other classmates may. Even looking at my own family I have been able to see that we have been more successful in school because of a more supportive home environment then alot of my peers. Children already come to school with their own schema of the world which was learned in their home from their parents and family. Environmental factors do account for a child's success in school! This article and a few more that I looked at were very interesting and gave me a different perspective of the factors that influence a child's ability to learn.
http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=0040-5841(197206)11%3A3%3C190%3ATHEAAP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-J&cookieSet=1

From class today we talked about different ways to experiement. I really liked how the information was taught by splitting us up into groups and having us present. I learn alot better this way because it is more hands on and not all lecture. Thank you! The studies we learned about were correlational, descriptive, and experimental. It was fun to do activites with each of these different ways becuase I was able to understand them alot better. From this class I am also realizing more about myself. More of my own strengths and weaknesses as a future teacher.
Learning about these studies is so important to me because I csn apply them in my own classroom as well as in life in general. To figure out many problems you could use these different methods of experiementing. It is important to be able to look at a situation from many different angles and be able to try and test to see what works best.
Now I want to use what I have learned to better teach my students and find their needs and situations. If I can conduct small, even personal experiments with my students to better understand them it will definitly help me be much more successful as a teacher. There are so many different ways to help a child learn and as a teacher I want to be able to utilize what I have learned to provide for a better learning experience!

The first day of class

This first day of class was a little bit overwhelming but I am excited for all the new things I will learn! I actually learned alot of new things from just today. I learned alot more about a blog account and how I can use it to put pictures on and to write my reflections for the semester as I am right now.:) I also really enjoyed learning about a site called www.voki.com. As a teacher this would be an awesome way to teach my students or even bring some humor into the class. Kids would enjoy this website! I also learned alot about a email account that I already have. Its the gmail account. I didn't even know there was so many things you could do on it! There are so many resources that I could use when learning more about the material I will be teaching to my students. Alot of information was taught in class today I just need to process it all:) I am excited to be taking this class! -Kristen Finch

HI!

I am just testing for my instructional media. I found out about a new link today http://www.voki.com/

My Motivation

I am here because I love school, and I want to be a teacher, because it will be a job that I will enjoy! Teaching and being around children makes me feel accomplished and happy. I am here to learn how to become the teacher I want to be!

My motivation is the goals I have for my future. Goals of becoming a good teacher and good mother. I am motivated by my desire to get what I want, and what I know will make me happy.

I succeed when I believe I can do well and when I know that people I resepect believe I can do well! Also, when I have a positive attitude and try my hardest to do my best. Also when I am interested and enjoy what I am doing.

I fail when I get discouraged or overwhelmed. When I don't understand something very well or am confused by instructions or an assignment. When I am not given some social support and encouragement from those I really respect and love.

I need to have a perspective for the future of where i want to be and who I want to be. I need to be able to motivate myself even without the encouragement of peers or family. I need to believe in myself and what I can accomplish. Focus on the strengths I have while working on my weaknesses to become the teacher I want to be!