Kideos

Kideos is a website offering videos for kids. The videos are categorized in different sections from 0-2 to 9-10. The videos range from all different subjects and offer viewing that any kid would enjoy. You can search for specific videos that may be useful in the classroom depending on your lesson. For example, if you were thinking about reading Goodnight, Moon by Margaret Wise Brown in your classroom, but you wanted to introduce it in a different format, you can use the video version found here.  It is arguably more interactive and gives students a little variety when listening to books read aloud. When projected, it also makes it easier to see the pictures and the “action” than it would be just looking at the pictures in the book.

A section titled Educational Videos is a great place to start when navigating the site. Some of the videos on the site aren’t great for the classroom, but many of them are. You can use the videos to introduce a subject, to use as a break in between activities or simply as a different way to talk and think about a subject.

Loud Lit

LoudLit.org is a site where great literary works are offered in audio format. These texts are generally challenging to read and require substantial time for reading and interpretation. By using the audio provided, students can listen to the works in order to improve their reading of the text. You can read and listen at the same time, helping students with spelling and pronunciation of hard or unfamiliar words. The audio books are also wonderful for struggling readers, students with learning disabilities, or readers who need assistance when reading a challenging piece.

Love and Logic

In my 401 class, many classmates suggested reading Teaching With Love and Logic. It’s an approach to classroom management. Instead of telling students what to do, you give them options within a boundary. This allows for students to have control over what they’re doing and it keeps the misbehaving to a minimum.

My roommate just gave me the book for Christmas, and I am really looking forward to reading it. I hope to learn more about classroom management techniques because I don’t have enough experience so far.

Websites.. Blogs.. Wikis..

After everything I’ve learned this semester, it’s hard to pinpoint which technology is my favorite. I can see benefits and drawbacks to each and for the most part, each technology is good in its own way. Blogs are definitely one of my favorites. It is a great format to put all your ideas into as well as read others ideas. Reading blogs over the semester has proven to be a great place to access information, especially when I made a website for my 401 final. Since I follow such great blogs, I was easily able to find resources. I enjoy the comments I receive on entries and some of the interesting conversations my posts have made. One in particular was about social studies and I found my colleagues had some really insightful opinions about it.

Websites have also been a great tool. I think Weebly offers such a clean, easy format to use that anyone can make a webpage look fabulous. I also think a webpage is better to use than a blog for a classroom because a blog feels more personal to me. A website is something students can navigate and it can contain much more organized format. Instead of just having entries you have pages that students can visit.

Wikis are also a great tool to use in the classroom. What makes wikis unique is the discussion format and allowing others to edit your page. This could prove to be problematic depending on your student’s age level and maturity, but it can also be a great way to give students some responsibility. The discussion aspect is also a great place to get ideas flowing.

I wish my teachers in middle school and high school had this technology when I was a student. There are so many fun, interactive technologies you can bring into the classroom that really enhance what you’re trying to teach. Instead of assigning chapters and lecturing, you can get kids involved at home and at school. Checking a website is more fun than reading an assignment sheet and I would prefer to play a science game than complete a science worksheet. I will take away with me from CEP 416 that technology is essential to engaging instruction and I can’t imagine teaching without it.

Field Placement

Today was it: my last day in my kindergarten placement. The last day was definitely bittersweet. The students seemed like they would genuinely miss me and the feeling was mutual. I can’t believe how hard it is to say goodbye to your students after a year of working with them closely nearly everyday. I developed a bond with my students by only spending four hours a week with them; I can’t imagine how I would feel if I had been there through every step of the way!

I went into field a little disapointed about being in a young grade. I had worked with kindergarteners before and I quickly learned that older children were a better fit for me. Finding out I would be working with young students again was a little disheartening. I felt that field was going to be irrelevant and a lot of what I needed more practice with, such as classroom management, wouldn’t be fulffilled with young students. Well I was wrong!! These students taught me so much about myself, the ways I want to approach classroom management and skills that I began to develop. It’s overwhelming when you’re standing in front of 25 five year olds who would much rather play or talk than listen and do work. But, certain teachniques work well. If you give students a choice, they’re more apt to choose the way you want them to do something. Such as: “I don’t want to do this.” “Well, you can either do it in here, or you can do it in the principal’s office.” This allows children to obtain control within your limits. I also found with the younger students that my CT’s smile system works well. If a student is misbehaving, they lose one of there three smiles.

Classroom management is the hardest skill to acquire because it simply takes practice. No book or mentor can fully prepare you to manage a classroom. It is up to you to learn and implement the techiques, tweaking them along the way until you find a system that works for your students AND you.

Finals…

I just realized that I have truly been slacking when it comes to posts! It seems like every semester I get so bogged down with final projects and massive cumulative exams that I completely forget about the smaller things (blog posts, discussion boards) and blow them off. Stress is an interesting factor in our lives… a little can motivate, a lot can shut you down. This is why I try to space out the projects and at least keep the procrastination to a minimum! So my advice for my fellow MSU colleagues is sleep well, eat well, exercise, do whatever it takes to survive the last two weeks but don’t procrastinate (unless it works for you )! Try to do a little each day and you’ll relieve some of the pressure that’s bound to weigh down on you during finals next week.

PLN

My PLN has been a perfect resource for this year. I am able to learn about technology in teaching as well as ideas for teaching. By just reading blogs of other teachers and their ideas proves that collaboration in your profession is one of the most important things to do. I also learn a lot from following some teachers on Twitter. It can become cluttered and a little overwhelming, but it is valuable if you have time to sift through the posts. There are many great resources that get posted everyday that I can access. It’s much easier to find the information you’re looking for if you know the right people to follow on Twitter and Blogs. The only issue I find with my PLN is keeping up with all the information! It is a little tedious to sift through all the information everyday, but as I stated earlier, it is worth it when you find something valuable.