Welcome to EDU 595!
Throughout the course participants will be asked to post a refection of their learning to the class blog. There is no specified length to your blog post but it should include how you can apply your learning to the classroom. It can also include personal experiences related to the class discussion, opinions and ideas, links to resources and additional information, and anything else that will extend the classroom conversations and learning. Additionally, participants are encouraged to comment on each others postings.
Reflections should be posted prior to the next class meeting for that instructor. Of course it is always best to try to post your reflection as soon as possible so information and thoughts are fresh. A portion of each class will be dedicated to reviewing and discussing blog posts and posting a weekly reflection is part of your overall grade - so don't forget!
Because blogs might be new to some, we are going to make the first assignment very easy and non-threatening. Prior to the next class please tell us a little bit more about yourself and your professional experience.
For those who are feeling a little adventurous, include a picture of yourself in your blog post. Good luck!
Gary and Skip
Hello Everyone,
ReplyDeleteIt was great to meet all of you. Sorry I had to leave early. The wax museum was a big hit and "Queen Elizabeth" did a great job.
I look forward to reading more about who everyone is. Have a great spring break - see you in two weeks.
Skip
Hello Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI feel like this is going to be a wonderful class filled with a great deal of learning!
I completed my BSED at Ohio University in 1986. I moved from Pittsburgh PA. to Portland, Oregon. I was given my first classroom in 1987 with the David Douglas School District. I taught third grade at Ventura Elementary and had a wonderful, fun year of learning.
Then, in 1989 I moved to Bend. I took a long term sub job at Rising Star Disabled Pre-School. After 4 months there, I took a position(3rd grade)in Sunriver at Three Rivers Elementary. I spent five years at that small and ever growing school. I decided to take a year off of teaching and spent time as a sub experiencing the various schools around Bend and Redmond. After my year leave, I decided to continue to sub. I spent a year of doing this and then became Dean of Students at Kenwood Elementary. This was a wonderful learning experience and I enjoyed being apart of the opening of High Lakes Elementary. A year later I began teaching third grade at High Lakes. A few years later I got married and had my wonderful twins! I moved down to second grade and then decided that working half time while my children were young was what I wanted to do. I began teaching kindergarten 5 years ago.
I love teaching and Know that I have a wonderful job!
Amy
Thanks to everyone for a good first class. I appreciated everyone's openness and willingness to share. I'm looking forward to the rest of the classes and learning a lot from you. Have a great spring break.
ReplyDeleteGary
Hi,
ReplyDeleteIt was great meeting everyone last night. I think we have an awesome cohort, and I can tell, by the way everyone was sharing, that we’re going to learn a lot. Hurray!
I have to admit that my brain couldn’t stop processing some of the questions we had last night. I woke up at 2 a.m. thinking about the question: What is the purpose for education in our society, or rather, what is the point of education? I woke up with these two words: Share knowledge.
Originally, I had responded that we need to teach people how to think so that they can make informed decisions. That follows along the lines of having a critical thinking society. It was also stated that the purpose is to help people reach their full potentials. I also feel that education is important to promoting a democratic society that allows people the freedom of informed choice. However, we couldn’t have any success in educating people if we didn’t share our knowledge first. Plus, there is a lot of information around today that has been built upon by centuries of shared knowledge. Some knowledge is no longer valid or correct, and new knowledge is created everyday. It is actually a complex question, but when giving a simple answer- I’m going to say; share knowledge because when you share it, you can help people achieve their full potentials, as well as, be critical thinkers that can make informed decisions.
There are many obvious implications from our discussions about our differences and our backgrounds. Foremost, we are all different, and although we are all educators, not one of us is a clone of the other. For example, no survey on learning styles was exactly the same. Second, all of our backgrounds and the routes we have taken to be in our class are all varied and different. Third, some people are more similar than others, but we all have the same responsibilities in the requirements for this course. We also have the connection of being in the same cohort for this master’s program.
It is our differences that will make the class interesting, but it is our common goals, set forth by our instructors, that will direct our learning. We can apply this immediately to our own classes because each one of our students has a different background that we can’t possibly fully understand, but we can respect. Yet, our students have the commonality of being in our class- learning what we teach them. I think setting this community commonality toward the goal of learning is important. It has to be set in a way that everyone is welcomed and encouraged to bring their differences, but at the same time, to achieve the established class’ goals. As a teacher, I feel that it’s our job to make all of our students comfortable, relaxed, and an important part of our classroom -so that they can be open to learning.
Now, on a completely different note, the question that asked about our school experiences brought up something for me I haven’t thought about for quite a few years. However, this past experience is very relevant to today, and it is some of my own background knowledge that helps me understand the importance of working on a team of educators that has a common goal. It is important that we bring our students the best possible education no matter where we are. When teachers, administrators, students, and parents work together this can be accomplished. It’s when teams don’t, that we fail our society. You’ll see the lack of sharing knowledge in a positive environment, and the failure of many to reach their potential in my story. When that failure happens, there are huge repercussions not only for those students, but also for their families and society. Successful education is a huge part of our job’s responsibility that we, as educators, owe to the future of our society.
Here is the story in brief. I went to two different high schools in two different states. I spent three years 9-11th grades at a one-town high school in CA. The school had about 2000 students with about 400 kids per grade, plus a separate program for Mong refugees who had come to the area. This school had some huge problems. One was that the administration, teachers, and students didn’t work together. All three of those groups had very different ideas, but the administration really controlled the show in ways that weren’t positive. At the time, students’ felt that the school was only interested in receiving daily money for them, and that it didn’t care about what happened to them after graduation. Consequently, the amount of students cutting from classes was really high.
There was a policy that was issued to address the cutting problem. If you had 15 absences from a class period, then you would receive an F for that class. What students did was keep track of their absences and plan when they’d cut. The dropout rate was high, and only around 10% from each graduating class went on to college right after graduation. The school didn’t really give us a sense of a future. It was more concerned about meeting state requirements, and getting funding. There were some great teachers, and quite a few class options. I was in the college track. So I took college prep classes, but I had to choose that track. Interestingly, hardly any of the kids from that era live in that town today. Which means there are very few family aged people, and few families. In fact, the district ended up closing four elementary schools in the last eight years.
Oh, here’s something I just remembered. I almost dropped out of high school. My mom wanted me to drop out and go to the local junior college instead of my senior year. She felt that I’d get a better education, and I’d be able to take the college classes I needed. As it turned out, I was only 17 and ineligible to attend a J.C. unless I had a GED. The high school wouldn’t let me take the GED because I’d missed when it was given. So I got to go live with my grandpa for my senior year.
That school was completely the opposite. Nobody cut classes. The teachers, administrators and students worked together. Everyone felt appreciated. The standards for everyone were high. You had to take an efficiency test your sophomore year. If you were deficient in basic skills, then you were given appropriate classes to take and pass, or it placed you in the right classes if you were a new student. At this school, 90% went on to college after graduation. The graduating class was around 300.
So this is who I am. I’m a mother of two boys ages 10 and 12. I also have two dogs. Apollo is our 11-year-old lab, and Kona is our 6-year-old Australian Shepherd. I’ve been married for almost 14 years. My husband’s name is Michael. Our family loves to go alpine skiing, and hiking. In the summer on hot days we like to float the river.
I’ve been coming to Bend since I was eleven. (My parents have a vacation rental in Sun River.) My family and I moved here last year at the beginning of September, but I decided to substitute while we became acclimated. I ended up subbing K-12 with a couple of long-term jobs at High Lakes in the 4th grade. I had a great year. Before that, I taught 5th and 6th grade for two years at Redwood Christian School in CA. I loved having my own class, and I really enjoyed the challenge of teaching two grades at the same time.
Currently, I’m working half time at High Lakes teaching reading. I have 20-second graders for a 75 min. leveled block, two 4th grade TAG groups for 30 minutes each, and 18 5th graders-- who I co-teach with Mr. Lence for 45 minutes. I’m having a great time, and I’m learning a lot. Plus, I’m really enjoying working with the different ages, as well as, just being able to focus on reading. I think the most rewarding part of this year is just being able to connect with my students and seeing them making progress and growth. (I hadn’t realized how much I missed that aspect of teaching.) Also, at the beginning of this year I worked at Bear Creek as a long term sub for a 2nd grade class. That job was from August to the end of October. It was a lot of fun!
I’ve had my teaching license for five years. After I graduated from college with a B.S. in Biology, my husband and I started our family and I was a stay at home mom for seven years. It was time spent volunteering in my son’s Kindergarten that made me decide to become a teacher. So when my youngest entered kindergarten, I went back to school and got my license. Due to my kids, I wasn’t ready to work full-time right after the credential year. So I subbed K-12 right afterwards, for one year, and then took the 5th/6th job. I’ve enjoyed all my experiences, and I’ve gotten some great ideas going into other teachers’ classrooms, and being at all of the different schools. Now I’m getting ready to go to the job fair in April.
I chose the elementary route because I love working with the K-5 age group. I also love teaching all of the subjects. Most people think I should have focused on teaching science, but I do teach it whenever I can. I can plug it in anywhere the opportunity arises. So I don’t feel like I’m missing it. I just love to learn and teach.
So sorry this is so long!
Thora
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI am really excited about taking this class. I left on Tuesday night feeling refreshed and excited about this new endeavor. I am a strong believer in creating a safe and productive classroom community. I want my “little community” to be accepting of all individuals, their diverse cultures and backgrounds, and their personal needs and desires. I believe that this course will me help me to devise an educational plan which will allow all students to shine, not by accepting our differences, but by embracing our differences. My students amaze me with their skills and talents each day and I, too, find that I am a learner within my elementary school classroom! I am eager to delve into the topic of creating a community of learners. I believe that the knowledge and perspective that I gain from this course will greatly help me to grow and evolve as an educator.
ReplyDeleteNow, a little history about me… For starters, I am a product of the Bend-La Pine Schools. I was born and raised in Bend and went to Juniper Elementary, Pilot Butte Middle School, and Mountain View High School. It was my experiences, as a child, that inspired me to become an educator. I was "that child" who spent her free time teaching the neighborhood children how to play school. Grade books, worksheets, art projects- you name it, I did it! Education is in my genes; it has always been a significant and willing part of my life.
Choosing a college was not a hard decision for me. I chose Western Oregon University because I had heard wonderful things about their education programs. I knew nothing about the tiny town that I was going to become a resident of and I didn’t know another soul who was going to attend the university. It didn’t matter! What mattered to me was that I was going to be able to get a Teaching License in a four-year program and my dream job would be in the palm of my hand.
After my four years at Western, I jumped right into the wonderful world of substitute teaching! Surprisingly, I loved the opportunity to work with students at all grade levels. One day I would be teaching a class full of energetic kindergarteners and, only a day later, I would be the instructor for 40 high school students in a chemistry class! I learned so much about myself, my abilities, my weaknesses, and most importantly, it reinforced what I thought I already knew: I LOVE to teach and I love to LEARN! Everyday I would teach and everyday I would LEARN! Substituting kept me on my toes, with new hurdles to jump each day. I was constantly growing into myself as a teacher.
Finally, with new knowledge, a plethora of experience, and a desire to connect on a deeper level with my students, I decided it was time to have my own classroom, my own kids! I was lucky enough to land a job with the Bend-La Pine Schools as a second grade teacher at RE Jewell Elementary. My first year teaching was the most rewarding experience. I loved having a genuine relationship with my students. It was a job that was rewarding, yet exhausting, at that same time. For the first time in my life, I was sick for 3 months straight! Yet, even with a runny nose, sore throat, and aching ears, I found myself coming to work each day with a smile. I loved my job and nothing was going to stop me from being with my kids.
Currently, it is my second year teaching. I have moved up in the world, all the way to third grade! I am loving the level of independence at this age, in comparison, to a second grader. This year has been so much fun, and I am so impressed with the array of abilities of my students. I look forward to what my future holds as a teacher and more importantly, as a learner!
Melissa
I was so glad to get started on Tuesday. I already find the class fascinating. I'm looking forward to everything we're going to learn together.
ReplyDeleteI began teaching in 1993. I substituted for two years in the Clackamas County School District and was then hired by Oregon City High School for my 3rd year. My husband and I moved to Bend in 1996 so that I could teach at Trinity Lutheran School and have been there ever since. I have taught 8th grade for 5 years, 6th grade for 6 years, and 7th grade for a year. Currently, I teach half of the day in kindergarten and half of the day in a 5-6 split. It all makes for an exciting day! In five years, I see myself in the classroom with students. They make every one of my days! Who would teach without ‘em?
My college career started locally at Central Oregon Community College. After graduating in 1990, I went on to Western Oregon University, graduating in 1993. I have chosen to pursue my Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with the Reading Specialist Endorsement because I feel that it is important for me to update my knowledge base as an educator. I am looking forward to learning new information that can be applied in my classroom for the benefit of my students. It has been fascinating to watch my son as he is learning to read. This has motivated me to want to understand more about this amazing process and to help those students who are struggling in this area.
Darla
I agree with my fellow classmates, and share in their excitement for this course and the journey we will all share. I enjoyed meeting everyone and truly feel blessed to be a part of this group of passionate teachers, I know we will learn a lot from eachother.
ReplyDeleteThe first class meeting has already motivated me to consider my role as a teacher and a learner in a more analytical or "logical" way. I realize that as a teacher I must be completely aware of my own learning style and be careful not to teach only in the style I would be most receptive to. In order to help each student succeed I need to purposefully plan my lessons with all learning styles in mind. As the year progresses I usually gain more understanding on how to approach each child in the most effective way, I guess that is where my social learning skills come in to use. I an thankful that I can usually use good discernment with the kids in my class even in a substitute teaching situation.
A personal application of individual learning styles can be seen even at home. When I came home from class last night, my husband told me he had the best news! He had just perfected a piece of machinery to fit just right into his old landcruiser that he is working on! I had to smile at how opposite we are! He is super logical and mechanical and to be social is a huge stretch I am the opposite..HA
My teaching carreer started as a sub for Bend La Pine Schools and had my first classroom position in full time Kindergarten at Morning Star Christian School. After teaching for 2 years I decided to take a year at home with my daughter Ariana. I then taught at Lava Ridge in a job share position at second grade for two years and took a leave of absence to care for my son Matthew and my mother who was ill with cancer. I have since been subbing in the district and volunteering for cancer causes and Mothers of Preschoolers.
Have a great spring break!
Donna
Implications of class on 3/17 in my classroom. . .The idea that a lack of technology in the classroom borders on educational malpractice was a very provocative concept that rang true for me. When examining my own classroom and the lack of technology I use, it made me realize that there is room for drastic improvement. I had never thoroughly considered the negative implication of this reality for the students in my class.
ReplyDeleteDarla
Hello everyone! My name is Ray Page. It's been a journey just to get here to make this post. I didn't have the chance to meet anyone in this cohort because I was away on FMLA. I'll meet everyone on the 31st. Looking forward to that. I've read the posts so far. I love being in the company of teachers!!
ReplyDeleteI have been teaching for 19 years now. Can’t believe it myself. I started my teaching career at Rio Dell Elementary teaching a 4th grade class. The school was (is) a title one school with a significant percentage of the students at or below the poverty line. After teaching 4th grade for two years, I moved to 6th grade and taught that grade level for another two years. Next I took a job teaching 7th grade math at Sunny Brae Middle School in Arcata. I did that job for twelve years. Later I moved to Bend and taught 6th-8th grade math for two years at Cascade Middle School. Now I am at Juniper Elementary teaching a 4/5 blend.
The school is a technology school which means the students have access to a huge range of applications,and the internet. Every student has access to computers every day. In fact I have my own person COW in the room!
Prior to landing my job at Juniper I had very limited knowledge of technology and its uses in the classroom. In fact I was a bit timid and tended to shy away from computers. Now I can't imagine teaching without them. My students use their computer almost daily. They are just completing their animal reports using Keynote. Their products are phenomenal. Not only are their presentations "candy" for the eyes, but they are educationally rich. Students had to research their animals, condense the information and present it in their own words, design the layout, and read the the slides for a voice over. There is nothing like having students know that they are going to share their products to motivate them to practice reading as many times at it takes until they are comfortable with how they sound. And their efforts result in huge payoffs. Many "intelligences" are being tapped here and it's so much fun.
On a weekly basis students use dictionary.com to find 4-5 synonyms for their spelling works. After they physically write the words and the synonyms on paper, they practice tying to guess the word given the synonyms. Next, they navigate to amoredpenguine. com, create a crossword puzzle using the synonyms and place that in my drop box. I print the crossword puzzles and hand them out randomly to the students in the class to solve. For students who are finished early, or for those that need more practice, they can got to spellingcity.com for more games and review using their words.
These are just two quick examples of how I use technology in the classroom. Prior to having any experience with this I really didn't know what it meant to use technology with students in meaningful ways. I am learning right along with them and truly enjoying the experience. Getting my masters is just another part of the journey.
Juniper also has the highest percentage of Spanish speaking students in the district. I truly enjoy working with a wide variety of students. I love that we are culturally diverse. I've had a wonderful time creating a community of respect in my classroom. I speak Spanish on a daily basis with all of my students just to keep things compassionate. This is the best placement I’d had in all of my years of teaching.
Lastly, I have two children, Canyon who is 3 1/2 years old and a new baby Phoenix. He is four months old. I met my wife Lorin kayaking the canyon section on the south fork of the Payette. She moved out from Jackson. We moved from Trinidad, California to Bend, which we love.
I have been teaching first grade for two years at Pine Ridge Elementary in Bend. Considering how much I’ve grown and changed as an educator already, it is hard to guess with certainty where I’ll be in five years from now. By the time I finish this master’s program I will have three endorsements: a reading endorsement, a bilingual endorsement in Spanish and an ESOL endorsement. In five years, I will more than likely be using one of those endorsements in a specialized position. If the opportunity presents itself, I could see myself combining my reading and bilingual endorsements to work as a native language reading specialist for Spanish-speaking students. It will also be possible for me to work as an ESOL teacher, a reading specialist in English or in a dual immersion school as a regular classroom teacher.
ReplyDeleteI did my undergraduate work at OSU in Corvallis. I double majored in Spanish and Education. Besides studying Spanish, I took two years of French and one year of Italian. I also took many linguistic classes along the way. I am intrigued by how the brain acquires language, hence my in interest in reading.
Besides teaching, I am very active and spend most of my free time outdoors. I enjoy playing ultimate frisbee and soccer, hiking, backpacking, skiing and cycling. I’m leaving tomorrow for Yosemite to go rock climbing for Spring Break!
After taking the learning styles test in class last Tuesday, I was amazed about how little I knew about my own personal learning style. I thought I was more of a solitary learner but on the quiz, social and physical were my two highest scores. I didn’t even know how I learn best! This just goes to show how important it is to incorporate a variety of learning styles into your teaching.
I look forward to seeing everyone again on the 31st. Caitlin.
Yes, I was excited after I left our class last Tuesday night. It was the feeling of knowing, and believing, that the two year commitment I have embarked upon is going to be interesting and worthwhile. Yeah! I couldn't stop smiling the whole way home. I burst in my front door and shouted out, "This is going to be great!"
ReplyDeleteI started teaching in the year 1992-1993 in Sisters, OR. It was a wild first year. I had a full schedule the first part of my day at the middle school teaching 7th & 8th English and Social Studies with a prep every other day. Then I had 15 minutes to drive across town (it's a small town) and eat lunch before starting my hour of outside recess duty before I taught PE to 5th & 6th graders for the rest of my day. I look back now and think, "How did I do that?" For those of you who weren't in Central Oregon, or don't remember, it was one of the snowiest winters and I wrecked my car twice in the parking lots going from one school to the other. Just crazy!
Then from 1993-1998, I had a classroom of 4th graders or 3rd/4th graders depending on the year. It was wonderful. I enjoyed working at Sisters Elementary because I was a student there went I went to school. Lots of my previous teachers were now colleagues.
In 1998, I started teaching 2nd grade at Lava Ridge in Bend and continue to work there today. Over the years I have taught 1st and 2nd grades. Four of those years, I taught in a team situation with Gail Wilkinson. We called our class The Milk Class. Now I teach two sessions of kindergarten and there are times when the hectic schedule and juggling all the kindergarteners reminds me of my very first year! Funny how things circle around.
I love teaching kids to read. I love their enthusiasm and their excitement. I have always wanted to get my Masters degree and this program came at the perfect time. Whew! I am thrilled.
On a personal note, I have been married for 15 years. I met my husband on a blind date and we tied the knot 10 months later. We have two children, Chase-11 years old and Libby-9 years old. We also have a yellow lab, Ruger. I am a life long learner and am glad to be continuing my education.
Happy Spring Break everyone! I'll see you all at our next class. Take care, Jill
Jessica said...
ReplyDeleteHello everyone!
I, like many of the rest of you, am looking forward to this class. I know it will challenge me to think more digitally!
I have been teaching for a little over 10 years now. I have taught for Bend-La Pine since the fall of 2002. I taught a year at High Lakes (Kindergarten), 5 years at Pine Ridge Elementary (K, 4th and Special Ed.), and this year I am at Buckingham Elementary teaching first grade, with my favorite new boss, Skip!
I love teaching kids to read. I feel my number one job as a first grade teacher is to help my children see themselves as readers. I want them to leave my room and enter 2nd grade with confidence in their reading skills and a love for literature. I look forward to what I can learn in the next two years that will help me be the best reading teacher I can be. Who knows what the future will bring? I think it would be fun to try my hand as a Title I teacher or a reading specialist of some sort, we'll see!
As I reflect on our first class together (which by this time was a little over a week ago), I am realizing that in the future it may be better to reflect as soon as possible following our discussion so I can remember what my reflections were...
I really enjoyed spending time getting to know some of my fellow classmates. I guess since I am a verbal learner that makes sense!
Happy Spring Break! See you soon.
Jessica Multop
From Diane Taylor
ReplyDeleteHi there,
This is my fourth attempt trying to post this. I apologize if several copies suddenly appear.
I really enjoyed reading everyone’s brief autobiographies. Teachers are made up of very creative people with different learning styles. They all seem to share the same love for learning and the desire to pass that love for learning onto others. I am excited that this class will be taught by two experienced principles that are able to make the curriculum applicable to present day educational environments. I enjoyed taking the learning styles inventory test and finding out that my learning style is more logical and less visual. After our discussion about technology, I was thinking the test should also incorporate the digital learner. I was surprised to find out that it could be considered an educational malpractice to not use technology in the classroom. This is very important for us non-digital learners to remember.
In 1988, I got a Political Economy degree from Colorado College. After learning that a career in business was not for me, I went to San Francisco State to get my teaching credential. I was able to substitute teach in grades K-8 while I was getting my credential. In 1992, I was hired by Cupertino School District in the San Francisco Bay Area. I taught fourth and fifth grades for six years at Blue Hills School in Saratoga. My classroom had a diverse population with 60% of the students being of Asian decent. I retired to be a stay at home mom in 1997. I stayed connected by being a tutor to some of my former students. My family relocated to Bend in 1999 and I continued tutoring. When my youngest daughter started first grade, I became a substitute teacher at Highland Elementary where my girls attended. Over the last few years I’ve enjoyed being a room parent, book fair coordinator, a member of the PTA and a member of the School Site Council. Now that my girls are older, I am excited to be furthering my education in order to return to full time teaching working as a reading specialist or classroom teacher.
-Diane Taylor
After a reflection of the week and starting to process the reading along with the discussion from Tuesdays class I am excited to be challenged. I am thrilled to walk through this class with other colleagues with a range of experience and expertise. There are areas of the curriculum that I feel clueless about while there are other areas that I feel confident in! I am looking forward to sharing this time with such an open eager group of teachers. I feel relieved that we will be treated as professionals and be learning together with out having work that does not help us to become better teachers. I was a little scarred of the workload and time commitment I was making with beginning my Masters.
ReplyDeleteI teach half time, teach Spanish lessons at a small preschool in town, lead the preschool class at church, help with children ministries and first and most importantly I am mom. This brings me to a little about me as my 2-year-old son sits in my lap to help me with this assignment. I have a wonderful husband of nine years, two boys a four-year-old Freddy and a two-year-old Jordan. Life is full of wrestling, lots of energy and a never-ending list of things to do around racing cars in the back yard and going for bike rides. We love to ski, hike, float the river mountain bike ride and curl up on the couch for family movie nights.
I began the path of teaching back in high school. I volunteered in a classroom and saw two ELL families drop out of the schools; there were no resources and help for them and their children. At this point I decided to learn Spanish and become a teacher to help make a difference in these families lives.
I graduated at Western Oregon University with a major in Elementary Education, a reading, Spanish, and a Bilingual ESOL Endorsement. I studied in Ecuador and continue to learn Spanish through several sink or swim situations. After graduating I began teaching in Woodburn Oregon. I loved the Bilingual classroom, and the future that Woodburn schools and students were heading towards. As my husband and I evaluated our future we decided that a move to a smaller town surrounded by outdoors and more sun was where we needed to be to start a family and to Bend we were lead.
I have taught a variety of things in Bend from third grade, second grade, new comers programs, CHIPS ELL and now regular CHIPS. I am teaching half time at Jewell Elementary with a family of colleagues, students and families that I am growing to love. I have found over my years of teaching that I love to be different! I have a passion for reading and writing but my love holds strong for ELL families. I feel some withdrawals living and teaching in Bend but I continue to help families, students and other teachers with the ability to teach Spanish.
I am excited to be able to learn and improve my ability to teach reading for my students and my families that I serve. Thank you for this great opportunity to join a team of experts and walk through this journey together.
-Melanie Kent
This is a test.
ReplyDeleteFrom Diane Taylor
ReplyDeleteWow, collaboration does work! I thought I might need to take Jessica's advice and seek therapy for my digital phobia and frustrations. Instead I tried using Internet Explorer in place of Firefox as Skip suggested and I made my firewall less powerful as Thora suggested. Voila, I was able to post a comment. It might seem silly, but being a digital immigrant I feel like I have really accomplished something. Thank you Jill and Jessica for giving us great presentations. We all have hard acts to follow. I feel encouraged to start a Google page starter with RSS feeds. Since I only was able to answer two out of the six digital questions, I appreciate being labeled a digital immigrant rather than being called something worse. If you would like to read the interesting article about how digital learners are expanding the horizon of learning, you can find it at http://cnx.org/content/mi7218/latest/
Have a great week! -Diane
From Caitlin Vallerga
ReplyDeleteI feel as though I walked away from class last Tuesday with many new digital resources to use in my classroom. As soon as someone brought up a new concept or idea, I was looking it up online and bookmarking it on my computer. I’m especially excited about the self-publishing site (http://www.lulu.com/en/products/?cid=en_tab_publish) and the make-your-own podcast site (http://www.gcast.com/?nr=1&&s=238686058). I found our discussion on the concept of digital natives and digital immigrants also very interesting. I’ve decided that I’m somewhere in the middle of those two; I don’t fear using technology or trying new things but I find it hard to keep up with how rapidly technology is changing. For example, I don’t know exactly how to go about making a podcast but I’m confident that I could make one after some trail and error.
I am so intrigued by all of the ideas that we discussed regarding digital learners. I didn’t realize how many different resources are available to my students and myself. I personally, am interested in signing-up for an Igoogle account. The idea of not having to go to many different websites, but having the information directly sent to my account, is amazing! I started to ask my friends and colleagues about RSS feeds and Igoogle. One of my friends is a 3rd grade teacher in Eugene at a school that specializes in technology. At her school, children have their own laptop. I found that she has a wealth of information to share in regards to finding new ways to use technology. I am grateful to have a friend that I can consult with, as I pioneer my way through to becoming technologically literate! From the class, I learned how important it is for me to learn and grow using technology, so I can keep up with the technological needs of my students.
ReplyDelete