ePortfolios

Here's a link to an article about overcoming different obstacles when authenticating ePortfolios. I think it's a good article to read, especially since Dr. Luongo, and many of the other Education professors use it as part of evaluating us as students.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/40147/

Enjoy!

♥

Myspace and Facebook for Today's Teacher

Honestly, I think that technology and the internet have made it easy to interact with friends, family, and even strangers, however, it has also created an issue in the workplace; where do we draw the line at personal privacy?

Although Myspace, Facebook, Xanga, etc. are all public networking websites, should principals or superintendents intentionally search these sites to get insight on a potential new teacher or current teachers in their school district? My personal opinion is no. I think that everyone is entitled to freedom of speech and able to express themselves however they deem fit and how a person's Myspace or Facebook page is does not determine how competent or able they are to conduct a classroom. I think searching these websites and determining whether or not to hire someone based off an impression from their page is wrong and discriminative. Although I do believe that personal judgement should be used by the person when posting information and pictures on their networking sites. For example, if you knowingly post a picture or blurb about yourself that you wouldn't want your boss, or potential boss, to see, maybe you shouldn't post that information or picture. But again, I still believe that regardless of what you have posted on your page, you should not be judged or eliminated as a candidate for a teaching position.

I, however, don't have a Myspace page and my Facebook page hardly has any pictures (untagged myself from all incriminating photos. lol). I just think that you have to be smart about what you post online because you never know who may come across it.

Thoughts on Lesson

I have not presented my lesson plan yet (I will this Friday) however, based on previous demo lessons I have done, and how are class reacts to each others' teaching, I'm a bit worried that I won't be as stern and strict as others. I do believe in disciplining students, however, I don't feel that yelling or raising my voice to make a student behave is necessary. In Teaching Language Arts (which is also with Dr. Luongo) my demo lesson seemed to go well with the class, even though at times I felt like I had lost control. Throughout the lesson, I had to speak to several students who were misbehaving, however, I did not have to raise my voice at all and the class was pretty well behaved. Hopefully on Friday, I'll be able to keep our class focused on the lesson and be able to redirect everyone's attention without having to yell at anyone.

I think that everyone has different approaches to teaching; stern, strict, kind, lenient, flexible, etc. I think that my style of teaching is more relaxed than other students in our class.

Overall, I think my lesson should go well with our class, and I think that even though my style of teaching and discipline is different than most of our class's, I should do well. *crosses fingers*

Progress Reports

I think progress reports are one of the most efficient methods of assessing students within the classroom. Progress reports don't have to have grades associated with them and offer insight into what a student is doing well or needs to improve. Progress reports also always parents the opportunity to understand how their child is doing in the classroom.

In my old school district, our progress reports included our current grade, as well as comments. I liked this type of progress report because it not only gave a grade but it explained how you attained that current grade and how you can approve it.

An example of this (and yes, this is from one of my old progress reports in high school) is:

Subject:
European History AP

Grade
B-

Comments
2, 5, 13

Comment 2: Participates well in class.
Comment 5: Does well on tests and quizzes.
Comment 13: Student is missing a few assignments.

Based on that progress report, I knew that in my history class, I was missing a few assignments so I needed to hand those in as soon as possible to increase my grade.

As a teacher, I would definitely use progress reports more frequently than each marking period. Instead, at the end of each month, I'd assess my students and send home progress reports with their journals. If teaching kindergarten or first grade, I would probably complete progress reports more frequently than once a month; probably twice a month or weekly. I wouldn't, however, attach a grade to the progress reports unless a student was doing poorly or exceptionally well and the parents needed to be aware of this.

Big Brother, Big Sister

So....

One of my goals in life is to become a Big Brother, Big Sister volunteer, and guess what? I'm in the process of becoming one! Yay! I'm so ecstatic. *smiles* Saint Peters' Community Service is becoming involved with the Big Brother, Big Sister Organization of Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties, and will help "Bigs" (mentors) get paired with "Littles" (children) from Jersey City public schools. I have an interview next Wednesday so hopefully I'll become a mentor. *crosses fingers*

Just wanted to share that with everyone. ;)

If you're interested in becoming a "Big", go to Community Service and speak to Betsy and get an application. It's only four hours a month to help a child that might need your guidance so I encourage everyone who can become a volunteer to do so.

And Our 44th President Is...

...BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA!!!!!

It makes me smile that 40 years after Robert Kennedy predicted that an African-American man could become president, it actually occurs. Barack Obama becoming president, as well as Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton being involved in the presidential campaigns as possible VP and President, encourages all to pursue their dreams and that anything is possible.

I'm so glad I can say that I was a part of history and that I voted AND IT MATTERED!!!!

Technology in the Classroom

So, after our mini debate in class about the pros and cons of the use of technology in the classroom (I, being very enthusiastic about the use) looked at numerous articles and videos about the topic and decided to share one of the videos. Hopefully after watching the video, the universal theme that technology will be used in classrooms, regardless of like or dislike of it, should be apparent to all. Beyond that, I think us, as teachers in the 21st century, should embrace all different types of methods of teaching involving technology, such as emphasizing the use of email, ebooks, blackboard, etc., to help reach and teach students, as well as using traditional methods.

Also, if opposed to using technology in the classroom, use technology to enforce and reiterate lessons and skills learned.

Enjoy the video! ;)

xOx Michelle

Homework

Homework.

Home work.

Work done at home.

Homework, in my opinion, is something that can help students further their understanding of a subject, reiterate information learned in class, help students practice numerous skills, like reading and writing, and allow students to show their creativity, as well as knowledge of different topics and subjects. Students, however, are usually turned off by homework and only do what is needed to get a "decent" grade. I think homework needs to be reiterated as a positive tool to students and homework will become an effective way to teach students outside of the classroom, as well as help students identify what they know, or do not know.

Homework.

Home work.

Work done at home.

I also believe that nowadays, most students do not do homework at home. Rather students complete homework during lunch, before classes begin, on the bus, at after-school activities, etc., which usually only allows students maybe 5-60 minutes to complete assignments that may need 2-3 hours to truly complete and understand. I believe that if students spent more time at home completing assignments, instead of rushing to complete assignments before going to class, after class, in between class, or before an activity, students may hand in better assignments and comprehend the importance of homework more.

Overall, I believe that more has to be done to emphasize the importance of homework. Also, I believe that teachers need to find more creative, fun ways to encouarge students to complete assignments.

Rubrics

Honestly, I've never been a fan of rubrics. Although they can be very helpful (they allow the students to know exactly what the teacher expects from an assignment, and allows the the teacher a guide for grading an assignment) I feel that a rubric is similar to presenting an example of what a teacher expects; it stifles a student's creativity. When given a model, or example of something, most students try to emulate the specific example, not going beyond what is asked for. Think about us as future teachers: most of us just copy the model of lesson plan our professors give us, not adding or omitting anything. Is it because we agree with the example or because it's what is expected to receive the highest grade?

As a future teacher, I do not expect to use rubrics as much as I may use guidelines or other methods to evaluate a student's work. I don't want to limit how creative a student may want to be with a paper, project, drawing, etc. However, I do understand that establishing a specific guideline, like a rubric, for an assignment can justify why a student may receive an 'A' versus a 'A-' or a '4' versus a '3'. Also, if questioned about a students grades, rubrics can be used to show how each grade, or assignment was determined.

Overall, I believe rubrics have a purpose in the classroom, however, I would prefer not to use them.

Fairness in Assessment

I believe that establishing guidelines for assignments, projects, discussions, etc. help create an unbiased way of grading and assessing students. Use of rubrics, tests and quizzes, outlined guidelines, and specific instructions on assignments can be used to allow each student the same opportunity to succeed in the classroom. This seems fair, however, each student has different learning abilities, therefore limiting assessment to one or two different methods can prevent certain students from achieving their best potential.

I believe that a fair assessment for an assignment should be determined by a. the learning abilities of all students, b. what you expect to be achieved and/or learned by the completion of the assignment and c. the amount of work it may or may not take to complete the assignment. Also, I believe giving different assignments for each topic, or unit, of instruction will allow each student an opportunity to do well, as well as learn the material. Tests and quizzes are great for identifying what a student may or may not know (or may or may not have memorized; most students just memorize information for tests to pass), however, projects, essays and reflection papers allow students to use the knowledge they acquired and be creative, as well as demonstrating how well they understand.

Overall, I think that being able to be fair in assessment, there has to be a diverse amount of assignments, as well as specific criteria for each assignment, for a teacher to be able to identify whether or not students are, or aren't, understanding material taught within the classroom.

What is Assessment?

A formal definition of assessment is the act of assessing; appraisal; evaluation ("assessment." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 10 Sep. 2008. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/assessment). Assessment, however, is so much more than just an evaluation. An assessment involves developing a goal or purpose and then evaluating and observing how this is, or isn't, being accomplished. In the classroom, as a teacher, assessment should be done using different mediums. Tests, essays, papers, and projects are the typical methods teachers use to assess their students, however, discussions, debates, and oral presentations can be other methods teachers can use to assess the knowledge a student may, or may not, possess.

I believe that assessment is necessary within a classroom because it allows a teacher the opportunity to understand the needs of different students, differentiate how students learn, establish a better curriculum based on the students needs, and know what methods of teaching are effective, or are not effective. I think that assessment can be effective, fun, and helpful if approached with a positive attitude. Tests, especially standardized tests, are not disappearing anytime soon so instead of approaching tests with a negative attitude (which will be perceived and adopted by your students), make tests something that is more enjoyable and fulfills the learning needs of your students. This makes assessment become more about the knowledge a student is attaining, or misunderstanding, than about a student memorizing facts and concepts just to pass.

Overall, assessment is necessary to help students progress.

Here's a link to a website that has various articles describing other alternative methods to assessment: http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/assess/front_assess.htm

About Me

Hey Everyone! Ummm... hmmmm... how should I begin? Well, my name's Michelle and I'm an Elementary Education and English major (and yet, I started off a sentence with 'ummm' and 'hmmm'. lol). I LOVE working with children (I've been employed at a teen center [where I'm currently working], the Boys and Girls Club of Hudson County, the America Reads program, and at Steven's Cooperative School) and hope to become a kindergarten or first grade teacher. As for interests, I enjoy reading (yay for books!), writing poetry (allows me to vent), music (various genres), shopping at American Eagle (the best store EVER), and exercising (although I've been slacking these past few weeks). I also enjoy cheerleading (yes, it is a sport and no, I don't cheer for the school, even though I want to [very long story]) and am excited to learn how to snowboard this winter (major YAY!). I'm very random and loud (unintentionally) and am very caring. This semester, I hope to attain As in all six of my courses *crosses fingers* and hope to become involved with S.E.A. My ultimate goals are to become a successful, effective elementary school teacher, continue helping out the nonprofit organization I work for (TeenPride, Inc.) and to become a volunteer for the Big Brother, Big Sister organization.

Other than that, I'm really friendly and kind; feel free to write me anytime you'd like.

Sincerely,
Michelle =)

Oh and btw...
My fave color is LIME GREEN! Just a random fact about me.