https://sites.google.com/site/spanishcarpenter/
Above is the link to my website. This is a site that I would use as a classroom resource to find homework assignments, calendars, extra credit opportunities, contact information, course documents, and other important information. I would include this web address in my syllabus at the beginning of the semester to ensure that each student and parent is aware that it is available to use. I also have extra help resources on there if students need assistance.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Week Eleven Reflection
(Referring to page 275)...
There are three areas that I feel like I would like to develop more professionally. Although I am not currently a classroom teacher, I plan to be someday and have learned a lot from the experience that I have had in the classroom. I would like to see positive growth from myself in the areas of (1) Analyzing the characteristics of existing and emerging technologies and their use in an instructional environment (2) Establish and maintain professional credibility (3) Demonstrate effective presentation skills.
The first area, analyzing the characteristics of existing and emerging technologies, is one that is constantly changing and therefore can always use professional growth. It would be very easy as a teacher to have a curriculum that is effective and just continue to use it year after year. But, what should be happening includes the use of technology to improve and enhance the existing curriculum and lesson plans. This is something that I would like to work on. I have used lesson plans that did not include technology at all and now look back and think of how much more effective the lessons would have been if I had incorporated some of the technology tools that we have been learning about in this class. I also feel that using these technology tools and analyzing their features before selecting the best way to implement them into the lesson will allow the teacher to reach different types of learners. Truly understanding the different uses of the tools will allow me to reach the maximum number of students throughout each lesson.
Establishing and maintaining professional credibility is something that I feel I need to improve. This sounds like an intense statement because of how it is worded-"professional credibility" here is extreme and very serious. But, the way that I look at this statement is very different because of my situation. I am a very young person to be a high school teacher and therefore is extremely hard to prove to the students that I am credible and have the right to be in front of the classroom teaching. It is so hard to be so close to the age of the high schoolers and make sure that they know that I am the professional and that I am the teacher. It is difficult to separate myself from their generation (although we are in the same one) and to become the professional in class. When I am able to relate to so much that they are going through because I was not there too long ago and some things carry over to early 20's, it is very hard to become totally separated. I have never not been professional or had any reason to make people believe that I am not credible, but to the students, because of my age and lack of experience, I may seem like I am not credible. I don't know why I worry about this, I just do and would like to work on earning the same respect and credibility that the older teachers have.
The third area, developing my presentation skills, is something that I would like to work on as well. I feel extremely confident in front of a classroom of students and feel extremely confident in my subject area. What I feel that needs improvement is the way that I present information sometimes. I have noticed that the more I do it, the easier and more fluid it becomes. So, this area is one that I believe will improve only with experience and time under my belt. It is difficult sometimes to explain a concept that makes so much sense to me "just because that's how it is". Well, when trying to explain that to high schoolers is a different story. In particular, I had an extremely intelligent student who could finish a concept correctly but needed to know and understand why it was how it was. In language, sometimes things are the way they are just because and there is no clear explanation. Presenting this to that student and then to the rest of the class who also then inquired is hard and something that I wish I was better at. Like I stated before, I feel that this will come with experience.
There are three areas that I feel like I would like to develop more professionally. Although I am not currently a classroom teacher, I plan to be someday and have learned a lot from the experience that I have had in the classroom. I would like to see positive growth from myself in the areas of (1) Analyzing the characteristics of existing and emerging technologies and their use in an instructional environment (2) Establish and maintain professional credibility (3) Demonstrate effective presentation skills.
The first area, analyzing the characteristics of existing and emerging technologies, is one that is constantly changing and therefore can always use professional growth. It would be very easy as a teacher to have a curriculum that is effective and just continue to use it year after year. But, what should be happening includes the use of technology to improve and enhance the existing curriculum and lesson plans. This is something that I would like to work on. I have used lesson plans that did not include technology at all and now look back and think of how much more effective the lessons would have been if I had incorporated some of the technology tools that we have been learning about in this class. I also feel that using these technology tools and analyzing their features before selecting the best way to implement them into the lesson will allow the teacher to reach different types of learners. Truly understanding the different uses of the tools will allow me to reach the maximum number of students throughout each lesson.
Establishing and maintaining professional credibility is something that I feel I need to improve. This sounds like an intense statement because of how it is worded-"professional credibility" here is extreme and very serious. But, the way that I look at this statement is very different because of my situation. I am a very young person to be a high school teacher and therefore is extremely hard to prove to the students that I am credible and have the right to be in front of the classroom teaching. It is so hard to be so close to the age of the high schoolers and make sure that they know that I am the professional and that I am the teacher. It is difficult to separate myself from their generation (although we are in the same one) and to become the professional in class. When I am able to relate to so much that they are going through because I was not there too long ago and some things carry over to early 20's, it is very hard to become totally separated. I have never not been professional or had any reason to make people believe that I am not credible, but to the students, because of my age and lack of experience, I may seem like I am not credible. I don't know why I worry about this, I just do and would like to work on earning the same respect and credibility that the older teachers have.
The third area, developing my presentation skills, is something that I would like to work on as well. I feel extremely confident in front of a classroom of students and feel extremely confident in my subject area. What I feel that needs improvement is the way that I present information sometimes. I have noticed that the more I do it, the easier and more fluid it becomes. So, this area is one that I believe will improve only with experience and time under my belt. It is difficult sometimes to explain a concept that makes so much sense to me "just because that's how it is". Well, when trying to explain that to high schoolers is a different story. In particular, I had an extremely intelligent student who could finish a concept correctly but needed to know and understand why it was how it was. In language, sometimes things are the way they are just because and there is no clear explanation. Presenting this to that student and then to the rest of the class who also then inquired is hard and something that I wish I was better at. Like I stated before, I feel that this will come with experience.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Concept Mapping
This is an example of a concept map that I would have students make for a culture project. After being assigned a specific city, the students would be responsible for presenting that city to the rest of the class. This would be an outline that the students would make to start brainstorming for their presentation. It would help organize their ideas and may also be of use when deciding which group member is responsible for which information. Students could also use it as a "checklist" to make sure that each area of the project requirements was met. It really would be a great tool for students to get used to using before large projects, especially when preparing for higher education.
Week Ten Reflection
After reading these three chapters, I have found that they have something in common with many of my minor classes. When learning to complete lesson plans for specifically my minor, the PIE method was used. I don't think this is an official term, but it was something that we used. P stands for plan. I stands for implement. E stands for evaluate. Though the chapters were not focused on writing lesson plans at all, I was reminded of PIE several times when I was reading. It seems as though there was a common theme in the chapters. Whatever the plan is, it needs to be reviewed after it is implemented in order to improve it. Specific things may work in the original plan, but most of the time, something needs to be re-evaluated.
Another thing that I see in these chapters is how the district should be viewed as a whole. The book speaks of several different roles (in more of a business setting, but when applying it to education, it works too) that need to be fulfilled in order to carry out a plan. To me, this idea is spread out over the three chapters. Training and meeting in order to come to an agreement needs to happen before the new progress can begin. Each person will have a role in this-whether it be writing the plan or process for change or being a "pawn" and having the very smallest role. These roles need to pull together as an entire "business" (district/school/building) in order to see improvement in the focus area.
The biggest idea that is common throughout the chapters (sometimes not directly, but it is there) is the idea of implementing technology. Even when the author was speaking of a strategy/method and not specifically mentioning technology, that is what I was thinking about. The nature of the class obviously puts that in my mind when I am reading, but I believe that it can be applied to each of the chapters in several different ways. Each of the different processes can be improved with the use of technology, in my opinion.
As I read the chapters, I definitely think that some of the methods could be used in a professional setting. I have written about ways they could be used in a school district in other reflections, but at Michigan Works, it could function the same way. I was in charge of creating a curriculum, implementing it, and then evaluating it and adjusting it for the next group that I would be teaching. I also needed to meet and collaborate with the rest of my team when I was going to make a change or teach a new class in order to let them know what was going on and what I needed from them. We worked together, most of the time through the use of technology, in order to achieve the goal. All of these ideas were mentioned and explained in the book (and given official names).
Another thing that I see in these chapters is how the district should be viewed as a whole. The book speaks of several different roles (in more of a business setting, but when applying it to education, it works too) that need to be fulfilled in order to carry out a plan. To me, this idea is spread out over the three chapters. Training and meeting in order to come to an agreement needs to happen before the new progress can begin. Each person will have a role in this-whether it be writing the plan or process for change or being a "pawn" and having the very smallest role. These roles need to pull together as an entire "business" (district/school/building) in order to see improvement in the focus area.
The biggest idea that is common throughout the chapters (sometimes not directly, but it is there) is the idea of implementing technology. Even when the author was speaking of a strategy/method and not specifically mentioning technology, that is what I was thinking about. The nature of the class obviously puts that in my mind when I am reading, but I believe that it can be applied to each of the chapters in several different ways. Each of the different processes can be improved with the use of technology, in my opinion.
As I read the chapters, I definitely think that some of the methods could be used in a professional setting. I have written about ways they could be used in a school district in other reflections, but at Michigan Works, it could function the same way. I was in charge of creating a curriculum, implementing it, and then evaluating it and adjusting it for the next group that I would be teaching. I also needed to meet and collaborate with the rest of my team when I was going to make a change or teach a new class in order to let them know what was going on and what I needed from them. We worked together, most of the time through the use of technology, in order to achieve the goal. All of these ideas were mentioned and explained in the book (and given official names).
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Screencasting
Study Spanish Tutorial
This is a screen cast to show students how to use an extra resource for Spanish class. If students need extra assistance with a concept that was taught in class, they could use this tool. I would present this tutorial on the first week of the semester or trimester and let them know that it is available when and if they were to need it. I would present this on the projector machine as part of my introduction lesson when I go over the syllabus and other class material.
This is a screen cast to show students how to use an extra resource for Spanish class. If students need extra assistance with a concept that was taught in class, they could use this tool. I would present this tutorial on the first week of the semester or trimester and let them know that it is available when and if they were to need it. I would present this on the projector machine as part of my introduction lesson when I go over the syllabus and other class material.
Week Nine Reflection
Chapter 21 has a lot of information in it and a lot of different ideas that make me think about my experiences in the classroom or future experiences that I may have in the classroom. The two ideas that I would like to speak more of are Step Up To Excellence and Product vs. Process Approaches to Change.
Step Up To Excellence is something that I was interested in because it deals with changing the entire district and improving the district as a whole instead of just a specific classroom or a certain school in the district. I believe that school systems as a whole need to run smoothly together. Starting from PK or K, students should be exposed to the same type of ideas as they are in high school. Obviously not the same academic performance standards, just the environment of the schools should be similar in how they are run and their expectations of students as people. When an entire district strives for excellence and leaders from the schools in the district are making changes that are the same across the board, educators and students will feel more comfortable and confident because the district is working together toward a common goal. The transition from elementary to middle school and middle school to high school will become easier for students if leaders at each level have the same goals and ideas for excellence. The five steps to this process seem intense though. The first step, "Redesign entire school system" is overwhelming in itself...but in some schools (failing districts) it is absolutely necessary. Aligning the different levels, buildings, and leaders would also be a tough task. I know that this would take a lot of time and manpower to implement a design that will change an entire district, but if the system is failing, is there another choice? The book gives a lot of great ideas of how to strive for excellence as an entire district. I can see these things being extremely effective in maintaing a school system at a great level. To start from scratch with these tools (Strategic Leadership Teams, Cluster Improvement Teams, Site Improvement Teams...pg. 215) would be much more difficult.
The second idea that was interesting to me was Product vs. Process Approaches to Change. This section speaks about product based change processes and how we need to find a "better understanding of the process of transforming schools and districts" (pg. 211). I agree with the book when it says that we should be able to have a process that will work in any situation or can be applied to several different things and still prove to be effective. I do believe that many times, educators are so worried about the end result, the product, and are not concerned about how we are ending up with that product. It is so much about the process to me, especially in an individual classroom with a specific student. Is this student really understanding how he or she got the answer or was it a lucky guess? What is the process that this student went through in order to get this result? How can I improve this process to make it easier for the student to understand the concept? If the process is polished, the product will be what we are looking for more often than not in the end.
Step Up To Excellence is something that I was interested in because it deals with changing the entire district and improving the district as a whole instead of just a specific classroom or a certain school in the district. I believe that school systems as a whole need to run smoothly together. Starting from PK or K, students should be exposed to the same type of ideas as they are in high school. Obviously not the same academic performance standards, just the environment of the schools should be similar in how they are run and their expectations of students as people. When an entire district strives for excellence and leaders from the schools in the district are making changes that are the same across the board, educators and students will feel more comfortable and confident because the district is working together toward a common goal. The transition from elementary to middle school and middle school to high school will become easier for students if leaders at each level have the same goals and ideas for excellence. The five steps to this process seem intense though. The first step, "Redesign entire school system" is overwhelming in itself...but in some schools (failing districts) it is absolutely necessary. Aligning the different levels, buildings, and leaders would also be a tough task. I know that this would take a lot of time and manpower to implement a design that will change an entire district, but if the system is failing, is there another choice? The book gives a lot of great ideas of how to strive for excellence as an entire district. I can see these things being extremely effective in maintaing a school system at a great level. To start from scratch with these tools (Strategic Leadership Teams, Cluster Improvement Teams, Site Improvement Teams...pg. 215) would be much more difficult.
The second idea that was interesting to me was Product vs. Process Approaches to Change. This section speaks about product based change processes and how we need to find a "better understanding of the process of transforming schools and districts" (pg. 211). I agree with the book when it says that we should be able to have a process that will work in any situation or can be applied to several different things and still prove to be effective. I do believe that many times, educators are so worried about the end result, the product, and are not concerned about how we are ending up with that product. It is so much about the process to me, especially in an individual classroom with a specific student. Is this student really understanding how he or she got the answer or was it a lucky guess? What is the process that this student went through in order to get this result? How can I improve this process to make it easier for the student to understand the concept? If the process is polished, the product will be what we are looking for more often than not in the end.
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