Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Reflection on PLN
Participating in the NBEAConnect Webinar and the NBEA Convention session conversations were probably the most beneficial in creating continuing contacts. http://nbeaconnect.ning.com/forum/topics/are-you-working-in-the-cloud? Through several comment posts and email dialog during the NBEA Convention, I was able to create a more permanent networking opportunity with another business educator who has an interest in collaborating and sharing ideas. This opportunity would not have presented itself if I had not been a part of this Ning Network.
In addition, I have had some casual comment conversations with another business educator who was part of our NBEAConnect Webinar. While these conversations have been general in nature, I would feel comfortable asking for insight and sharing ideas with this seasoned business educator.
Our blogging activity has also been beneficial. I especially enjoyed our Active Learning Center posts. Through these posts, I was able to gain additional insight into my peer's classrooms, see some of their teaching strategies and adapt and implement them as needed in my own classroom. That particular exercise was, to me, a perfect collaboration tool.
My two additional activities included listening to a pod cast www.apple.com/education/itunes-u
and watching a TED video.
I listened to Professor Maureen Burke lecture on "How to Write a Business Plan" from the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute as part of the summer institute leadership lecture series. This was a very informative lecture and I was actually able to use some of the material presented with my cooperating teacher's Entrepreneurial students who were competing in a Business Plan Competition! What I like most about podcasts is the major opportunities to find a vast array of topics of interest giving educators the chance to increase our knowledge base and find additional resources to use in the classroom. They also provide us with an opportunity to learn from the experts or the best in the field without having to be in the classroom or pay the tuition. I did feel, however, that it was difficult for me to maintain my attention on the topic over the 40 minutes of the lecture with just audio. I am a visual learner and I missed having something to see or view while the professor was speaking. Perhaps these type of podcasts from universities could also offer a website or other place to find presentation materials or lecture notes to view while listening to the podcast.
I also watched Sir Ken Robinson's lecture on Schools Kill Creativity at http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html This lecture was very interesting and I was definitely engaged in the subject matter. Mr. Robinson is a very good public speaker and he was able to keep my attention throughout the video. Through TED, people are able to post comments and create conversations surrounding the video material and content which can increase an educators contacts and PLN opportunities. In addition, there are numerous links to other TED videos and communities of practice where we can gather material that can augment our lessons and expand our knowledge base. This is a great resource for both professional development and classroom resources.
Overall, through this assignment, I was exposed to a variety of new and interesting PLN activities which have given me a good starting foundation to a professional PLN as a business educator. In addition, I was almost immediately able to implement specific knowledge and tools into my business education classroom.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Learning Center II
If you would like to access the site, please sign in as a student using Group Access Code of 82r4jg
For my Career Prep class, I created an Edmodo account that we have been using pretty much since the first few weeks of the semester. The students have really enjoyed accessing the site on a daily class basis to review new posts, answer polls, complete assignments and send messages.
I have used this site to post web page access to the SAT Question of the Day, the ACT Question of the Day, post a link to jobs in Synder County, the FAFSA form, the Common Application, a list of colleges in the Mid Atlantic region (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, etc) and their scheduled spring Open House Events, sample resumes and resume writing tips, cover letter examples and thank you note examples.
All of these sites have augmented what I have taught in the classroom and have enhanced the students ability to understand and apply the concepts of several areas of career preparation. Since career goals can be very varied and differ from student to student, this social networking site has provided additional information for students who desire to learn more or need additional assistance with class assignments.
For our most recent assignment on writing thank you notes, I provided two 'how to' sites that discussed the procedures for completing a thank you note. I then posted a mock thank you note card that each student was to access and complete. Students were also provided with paper copies of sample thank you notes for those who may prefer the written type. I also added a mini poll to this assignment to assess how the students' felt about handwriting a note versus keying it. The results are interesting!
I have been able to assess how well the students have learned from this active learning center by observing their answers to the SAT and ACT Questions of the Day and I have helped several students register for the May 7 SAT exam through the link on our site. I have also posted questions and asked for responses from the students at the completion of an assignment. For example, I asked students to send me a note on what Open House event they might try to attend this spring after looking at the online Spring Open House website and have followed up with students in class to ask them how their visit was to a particular college.
I plan to continue to use our Edmodo site through the end of the semester to post additional information on topics we will discuss in class and useful sites students can use in their career development and preparation. Overall the comments from the students and the results of using the site have been very positive. I am thrilled they can actively learn more about colleges and careers through this social networking site.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Young Students and On Line Learning
Friday, March 25, 2011
Cell Phones for Learning?
1. With advanced Web 2.0 tools and other technological tools available to classroom teachers, I do not believe it is necessary to use cell or smart phones in the classroom. Even if the classroom is not a computer lab, most schools have computer carts that are readily available to use with students. Teachers can use online polling, education friendly social networking sites, and clicker systems to engage the students through technology without using cell phones.
2. I also believe that students in my school district have a distinct understanding of when and where it is appropriate to use cell phones. Our district policy states students are allowed to have the cell phones with them at all times during the school day but are prohibited from using them. While I have only been in my district for a short time, I have had very few problems with students using their cell phones inappropriately. With that said, some of them are very sly and may appear that they are reaching into their bags for a pencil, calculator, etc when in fact they may be checking their phone but it was not visible or outwardly disrupting the class. I believe if students are given the opportunity to use phones openly in the classroom that several students may abuse the privilege. I also believe it would be very hard to monitor and correct the unwanted behavior.
3. Finally, there are several students in my classes who have expressed openly that they do not own a cell phone. If I were to use this technology in my classroom, I believe it would be the schools' responsibility to supply students with the device we were using if they did not own a cell or smart phone. At an age when so much comparison continues to exist, I fear this may potentially widen the social economical divisions. Additionally, I need to consider any cell phone texting and calling fees that may apply to the user. Are families going to approve of these additional charges or expect the school to pay for them?
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Video Peer Review
When I was peer reviewing my classmates video, there were several times when I thought, "wow, she did that really well. I need to do that more" or conversely, when I thought, "hum, that really needed a stronger close...there have been times when I did not effectively close. Was it that obvious to my students?" So while I may have been trying to assist my classmate in becoming a better teacher, I was also learning how to be a better teacher from the video review!
Providing constructive criticism was a little hard especially since I know that I am not perfect in the classroom. I felt like I was the kettle calling the pot black and even mentioned to Bri when I thought it was an area where I am weak as well. However, I believe the comments we make as peer reviewers will most likely support the comments we may have heard from our co-ops and supervisor.
I liked using the same form that is used by our supervisor to peer review the video. This gave me a different perspective about the form in using it as the giver rather than the receiver. I was more focused on the specific areas being evaluated. As a receiver, I often just focus on those areas for which I did not score well, perhaps missing the importance of the other areas.
I think incorporating peer review in the classroom would be a great exercise for the students. While I have not yet had an opportunity to do so, I believe I would like to use peer review in the future. I think I will incorporate peer reviews in my Career Prep class when we work on our resumes.
Another area that I have observed peer review being utilized in the classroom is during student presentations. Students have a form which they use to critique the student giving the presentation. Not only does this keep the students engaged and involved in the class, it provides the student with an additional point of view. I do believe students need to understand the purpose of peer review and the proper way to complete it.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Accounting I Active Learning Center
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Educational Blogs
I read the January 20, 2011 blog titled "Make Your Classroom a Welcoming Place". In this post, Ms. Davis highlighted six things to do as a teacher in the classroom to make a safe, welcoming environment.
1. Watch - watch the body language of kids in your classroom and be aware of your comments or other students comments that might be offensive or hurtful. If you said or did something that may have been offensive, quietly apologize to the student.
2. Apologize - if you mess up, say your sorry. This will build rapport and show students you are human too.
3. Defend - Let the kids know they are safe in your classroom. If a student does or says something hurtful or offensive to another student, acknowledge it as such and do not ignore it.
4. Mute - NEVER, NEVER, NEVER say students grades out loud in class. Either good or bad grades as kids will be picked on either way.
5. Love - love the students with "Tender Love" nothing inappropriate but let them know you care.
6. Eye Contact - look students in the eye and call them by name. This will let kids know you cared enough about them to learn their name.
According to Ms. Davis, these little changes will make a big difference. I think she has some great ideas and things that we as teachers can easily incorporate into our classrooms. I believe it is so important to learn students' names to show them you care about them as individuals. I also believe in apologizing for mistakes and am not afraid to tell a student I might not know the answer to one of their questions. This makes us human and models to the student that it is OK to not have all the answers. I need to get better at watching and reading body language and determining how a student is reacting and receiving my teaching messages, comments and suggestions.
I am looking forward to following Cool Cat Teacher blog now and in the future as I believe she has valuable insights to offer me as an aspiring teacher.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Beyond the Bubble Test
I believe we need to adopt some type of common core standards across the nation if we are going to adopt standardized assessment across the nation. It is my opinion that all states will then have the same ability to implement similar curriculum and plan lessons based on the same academic standards that will prepare students not only for the common assessment but for their career path post high school graduation. However, I also believe this may be a difficult concept to implement in reality. Every state has their own uniqueness. School Districts differ from county to county. School administrators differ in opinions within the same school district. I am pessimistic that a set of common core standards will get everyone on the same page in education and keep them there.
With that being said, I am not sure then that a common assessment in all states would be a valid and reliable measure of a students' knowledge level or readiness for career and/or college.
I believe the increased focus on science, math and English language arts may make a negative impact on some of the courses a business education teacher may teach. Some of the more business type courses like Business Law, Introduction to Business, Personal Finance, etc may not have a place in the curriculum especially if there is an increased need to increase the number of math or science offerings a student must have to graduate from high school. However, President Obama's stance on STEM education does include a focus on technology so there may still be a need, from a common core perspective, to implement technology courses into the curriculum that would fall under the business education department.
It will be interesting to watch the progress of Assessment 2.0 over the next four to five years and how it affects the school curriculum.
www.corestandards.com
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The First Days of School
This I Believe...
First, I believe it is important to establish a good rapport with the cooperating teacher. For the next sixteen weeks, we have to work together in the same classroom. I need to be respectful of her established procedures and routines while finding a way to delicately interweave some of my own ideas or preferences for classroom management. I believe it is also important to understand the cooperating teacher's expectations of my performance from minor things like what time to arrive in the morning to more major things like what do you expect me to teach (cover) in a specific course. My co-op is also a valuable resource to help me to get a feel for the school atmosphere, the policies that are in place and the rules that are enforced.
Second, I believe it is important to meet other teachers, support staff and administrators in the building to establish a connection with other people with whom I will be working. This is where I found our School, Program and Community Study to be very helpful. I felt more confident meeting both the high school principal and assistant principal since I knew their names and background prior to walking into the school. The study was also helpful in speaking with other business education teachers as I knew their names and the courses they were teaching. I felt prepared and knowledgeable.
Third, I believe it is important to begin to establish relationships, with appropriate boundaries, with the students. While this is difficult at the moment in my placement since it is the end of a semester and all the students will be changing on Monday, I was still able to introduce myself to students, learn some of their names, interact with them during class time, learn about student IEPs and students with behavioral issues. Being in a computer lab classroom, I was also able to observe how students used their computers and what the lab procedures are both during class and during free time.
Finally, I believe it is important, on the first day I teach a course, to establish a positive atmosphere with high expectations from the very beginning. I will communicate my classroom expectations to the students and establish a classroom routine. I will incorporate seat assignments to better learn my students names and to assist me in managing the classroom. I will be prepared with the lesson plan and communicate to them why this class is important to them and how it will help them be successful in the future.
I will be energized and enthusiastic about teaching the students. I will make sure they know my name and some things about me with the hopes they will be willing to share some things about them that will help me be a better educator for them.
References: Active Learning, Mel Silberman, Classroom Management, Harry Wong, http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/dayone.htm