The Story Behind True To Yourself

Composed by: Nicole Keeton and Sara Edens

We chose this theme in effort to capture the essence of individualism. Both of our "I Am" poems, include things that make up who we are, how we feel, and what we believe. We wanted our video to focus on the special things that make us individuals. The majority of our video captures the heart of downtown Hattiesburg. We took several still photographs of old buildings that displayed unique characteristics which complimented our theme. We also shot several short videos in selected areas downtown that we felt appropritate. Our original plan was to shoot most of our video at the train station and on the tracks. Instead, we found a variety of unique buildings, alleways, restaraunts, sculptures, and objects that intrigued us. We also included photographs of children from Swaziland, Africa. These photgraphs reflect specific lines from our poems. We are preparing to close a chapter in our book that has educated and prepared us for the future. I am now ready to embark upon a new journey, and I am excited to know that the future holds limitless possibilties for Sara and myself.

"True to Yourself"

"True to Yourself" Rough Draft

By: Nicole Keeton and Sara Edens

Toward New Media Texts

This article talks about teachers who don't feel comfortable using various types of media in the classrooms and ways that a teacher and student can benefit from using media. Selfe also said that many teachers are not incorporating media in their classrooms because they lack familiarity with all of the most recent media. There are several strategies that are mentioned in the chapter for integrating media into the classroom.

Unfortunately, have never seen any type of digital literacy being used in my clinical experience this semester. There are 5 computers in the classroom and the teacher has access to the Internet, instead of using it for education purposes my teacher was using it to search for cocktail umbrellas. There are so many ways to use the Internet inside the classroom and unfortunately her students have never had the chance to experience it.I feel that if teachers have some type of digital media in their classroom, then the school should make them attend seminars and workshops to provide detailed instruction on how to integrate it in their classrooms.

If I had not grown up with a computer and had access to different forms of technology then I would not be as familiar or as comfortable with technology as I am today. Introducing technology to students at such a young age is extremely important in this day and age. I feel that allowing students to use technology in the classroom will help them become more comfortable with technology.

Ch 11. Developing Content Area Writers

Writing to Learn-
If only I knew what I know now back then. Haha...I think that makes sense.
Conley states that many students who have graduated from high school report that they were not well prepared for the writing in college. "I'm jumping up and down and raising my hands to agree with this statement." Wow, if only I could go back 10 years or so, and demand my teachers show me how to write like they want in college. This would have made my life a lot easier.
Writing Instruction is an ever changing process, just when we think we are current on technology and digital media a complete new set of technology is on the market. I feel that technology should be used in the classroom, and it is up to the teacher to bring in the most current technology as possible. Or at least, discuss it if one can not afford it. My mentor teacher does not incorporate any technology in her lessons whatsoever. She teaches science, math and social studies and does not even had a projector in the room.
" DO not just assign writing, take time to show students how to write to learn." Conley pg 312 Wow, crazy concept huh? This statement can be used in all content area. Do not just assign problems, take time to show students how to work out problems. Students need examples of real life experiences, and hands-on activities. A teacher can tell me all day how to "do" something, but I'm not going to fully grasp it until I do it myself or the teacher models it for me.
Brainstorming and quick-writes are ways to guide students' writing. Journals, reports, essays and writing stories are ways to teach students how to write. Providing immediate feedback is an effective way to teach students how to review and revise.

Smartboard and Promethium

I wish I could say that I have a lot of experience with both of these. Unfortunately, I have only experienced with the " Interwrite boards", I think they are a lot like Promethium boards. I would like to have more experience with both of these tools. I would love to have one in my future classroom, I think it is a great way for teachers to motivate students to learn in a new and exciting way. I also would want my students to use it as well. When I was observing in a 6th grade classroom the students were doing presentations using the "Interwrite boards", they seemed to be extremely comfortable navigating with the board. Overall, I would love to learn more about smart boards and promethium boards.

Conley's Ch.7 "We all need some motivation"

“People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.” Zig Ziglar

I wanted to begin this blog with a quote that I found. Motivation is so extremely important in the classroom I can't even begin to say. Teachers should motivate their students all the time. I still have to be motivated at 24 years old, granite I do many things on my own but at some point in my life a teacher motivated me and helped mold me into the person I am today.

In the text Conley states that there are several key factors for building motivation among students. Teachers need to model their own enthusiasm. I could take up my entire page with comments about this statement. In my practicum experience, I feel that my teacher in no way shape or form motivates the students. In my observation this week , for three entire hours the students were told to sit in their desks and work on a practice MCT2 mathematics test. A test that they apparently took 3 months ago. After the students finished the practice test for the second time they were told to answer the questions in the current chapter in their science text and turn them in for a grade. For a total of 3 hours there was no communication, social interaction or motivation used at all. I understand that students must take practice tests for state testing, but I feel that my teacher used it as busy work. I was also told that all of the objectives were taught and everything from here on out was review. What?? Is this teacher for real?
There are several strategies that teachers can use to activate prior knowledge and and increase motivation. I hope to see my practicum teacher present content in interesting ways, set high expectations for students and provide feedback and praise when needed.
As a third grade student, motivation and activation of prior knowledge should be incorporated across all content area . I hope to see this in my future visits to the school and that my teacher is willing to spend actual class time teaching with motivation and enthusiasm.

Curriculum Standard: 3rd grade Social Studies

5.) Integrate, connect and apply social studies into other subject areas and everyday life. (G,H, C) b. Compare and contrast various animals and their habitat from different countries.

Big Idea: Relationships between animals in other countries

Preparation:

1. Introduction that elephants can come from both Asia and Africa.
2. Ask students if they have ever seen an elephant? Ask students to describe what it looked like.
3. In whole group use KWL chart and discuss items the students know and want to know about elephants.
4. Read the book "Endangered Elephants", making sure to stop at specific pages on each elephant. List what students learned at the end
5. Discuss the features and characteristics of the Asian and African elephant.
6. As a whole group go through National Geographic for kids and navigate through the African elephant page.I would also use a interactive site like Africam.com to show real world examples.
7. In small groups the teacher will assign a specific country and the students are to discover a new animal and prepare informational text to present to the class.

Guidance:

1. Teacher incorporates a KWL chart in the lesson and the book "Endangered Elephants"
2. Teacher discusses the characteristics of two species of elephants.
3. Teacher provides instruction on presenting animals.

Application:

1. Students write about two different animals that they learned about from different presenters.
2. Students turn to the person next to them and talk about the two animals they wrote about.
   
   Assessments:
   1. Teacher will walk around assessing the students informally while they are discussing the two animals they chose to talk about.
   2. Teacher will have a rubric for the presentations. The presentations will be recorded and each student will be able to assess themselves ,as well as the teacher following the guidelines of the rubrics.
   

Conley's Ch 5: Understanding and Using Texts

This chapter begins by talking about students' knowledge and experiences with texts. Students who can relate their real life experiences to a text that is taught in the classroom can have a greater advantage to comprehending the information opposed to other students who are reading it for the first time. This is where the motivation from the teacher should take place, if a teacher wants to "really" teach something it will shine through onto the students.
I remember when I was in the eighth grade and my English teacher was showing a video on the Holocaust, I was extremely interested and knew what was going on in the video. I would say over half of the class was not quite as interested as I was considering they were not even paying attention. I feel that this video could have be beneficial for every student in the class, yet my teacher didn't seem to care if we watched it or not. His first problem was not showing any motivation in watching the video or learning about the Holocaust. Anywho...even if a student has prior knowledge of a subject it does not mean that he or she will be not be interested in learning new things and ideas. It is my job as a teacher to take different strategies and try to relate them to each student.
In this day and age technology is becoming the backbone in every classroom. I personally feel this is a great resource to have use of. However, one must be able to tell a credible site from one that is not. Last semester in clincials I was fortunate enough to visit a 7th grade literaure class. On one of the days that I was there, the students used the Promethean board for presentations. In every presentation the students used Wikipedia as the main resource. Wikipedia sometimes has a lot of information, but it can't be said that it is all true. I was taken back by a teacher allowing this site to be used. I feel that teachers' need to be knowledgeable about all resources that they plan to use in their classroom.
Overall, I feel that texts are important to teach from in the classroom, however, one book should not be the only text students are learning from. If I was to teach a lesson on Spain, and in my Social Studies textbook there is only half a chapter on Spain. I would want to integrate other books,digital texts and real life experiences to the lesson. My goal is to give my students a well rounded education.

Teacher Blog

"So you want to teach?"This blog has several unique posts and is a great resource for educators. Some of the blogs include ways to polish your resume, 9 reasons to quit teaching and 10 reasons to stick to it, and 10 things I wish I knew as a first year teacher. I recommend this site to everyone!

http://www.soyouwanttoteach.com/

http://wiredup.edublogs.org/

Ongoing Assessment Ch.4

Ongoing assessment is a tool that should be used in the classroom all the time. When someone hears the word "assessment", they automatically think of a spelling, math or other subjects area tests that are given on Fridays. Or even worse, I remember when I had to take a standardized test in middle school. I was so nervous that I was having trouble concentrating on the test. My nerves were so bad that the ticking of the clock was distracting me. I remember raising my hand and asking the teacher if she could take the batteries out of the clock. Wacko, right?? On that same day after the insanely ticking clock incident, all I could hear bubbles in the fish tank. OMG! I thought I was going to die. I couldn't comprehend anything I was reading, because all I heard was the bubbles in the fish tank. Needless to say, I have to have complete silence to get anything accomplished. Teachers need to be aware of the needs of their students in the classroom, so they can avoid incidents just like mine.
This chapter explains several types of assessments, the first one that Conley talks about in this chapter is Personal Assessment. Teachers should get to know the students on a personal level to be able to make connections with the students. My goal as a teacher is to help students make connections that relate to their own life. One of the best ways to get to know your students' is through conversations and asking students questions during class.
Content Assessments are used when teachers want to assess content reading and writing. A tool to determine how students understand class work and assignments is a content area literacy inventory. This assessment can be given to individual students as well as to the entire class to provide feedback for the teacher and allow them to see what students need help on.
A Portfolio is a creative and on-going assessment that students enjoy putting together. Portfolios provide visual work from the students that teachers can monitor the progression of work. One of the most important concepts of a portfolio is that it allows the student to evaluate his or her own work. Portfolios can range from personality portfolios to academic portfolios, and teachers can model the finished portfolios in parent teacher conferences or to show the student how well he or she has progressed through out the year. I feel that portfolios are creative ways that students can express themselves. I always loved making portfolios in elementary school, I could not wait to get home to show my mom what I had made. Teachers should always try to motivate students every way possible. This is why getting to know your students is crucial in the classroom.
This chapter shows that assessments should not only be state testing and standardized tests but also informative testing. State testing is helpful to see what courses should be offered for gifted and remedial students, as well as, pinpointing problems with learning and determining a students potential for learning.

Chalk Talk- Conley's Ch. 3

Principles

13. Teacher teams, which are interdisciplinary teams that meet regularly to discuss students and align instruction with standard and state assessments

-My thoughts-

* In my intermediate block, I was able to experience teacher teams first hand in my clinical experience. My mentor teacher met with other teachers in her grade to discuss students, and align instruction with other teachers and standards and state assessments. I was enthused to see the team work and communication between the teachers. My mentor was in charge of all Literature assignments, so she would discuss what she has planned to do for the week. If any of the other teachers had comments or questions they would ask for clarification.

* During the meetings, the teachers also discussed some negative issues that dealt with state testing and other issues. Unfortunately, Mississippi is one of the lowest scoring states in state testing. The teachers were discussing what Florida does differently and why can't they travel and see first hand how they prepare for state testing.

* I feel that in order for teachers to become an interdisciplinary team they must work together, balance responsibilities, values, knowledge and skills. It is important for teachers to align instruction with state standards, but teachers must also teach material that connects to the standards to provide students' with an understanding of other material. State assessments are also extremely important for students', they must understand the content that they are being tested on.

Conley's Ch. 3

• One of the most important tools for teachers are to build on what students know. Assessing students also helps teachers personalize the curriculum by making real-life connections between the students and the content. I 100% agree with this statement. What do you think?

• Many texts are insufficient alone to prepare students for performing well according to state expectations and state tests. What do you think?

• Standards-Based Big Ideas are used for a variety of important tasks. One of the main concepts is setting goals to assess students.

• Critical literacy- describes the goal of helping students read, write, and learn.
• Critical literacy- is weighing evidence across multiple texts, images, sound and multimedia.