Tuesday, August 13, 2013

WIKI Spaces Experiences

                                                        WIKI  PAGES EXPERIENCE



This week assignment was designated to creating my own lesson plans geared towards my content areas. The grade levels I will be focused on are Kindergarten through sixth grade student. I will be specifically working on content areas of Math, Science, Social Studies, English Language Arts and Reading ( ELAR) and Health within Ec-6th grade levels.

Math-
              Using Integers in real life situations
 
Dealing in urban school districts  hip hop is a big part of the students lives. In relating this math lesson to real life I will have the students come up with who they think top 10 artists are right now.

Science-
  Identify basic needs for plants and animals?
 
What are the essential need for plants and animals to survive?
Using critical thinking skills allow the students to come up with the things plants an d animals need to survive.
 
Social Studies-
                             Citizenship
 
Understanding where we live, what we represent and why

Health-
                                Explain the benefits of six major nutrients in food
 
Explore the six nutrients are bodies need and how they benefit us on a daily basis
 

ELAR-
                 Identify upper and lower case letters
 
Repetitiously outlining the letters of the alphabet with a fun activity
 
 
Below is a link to access the actual Lesson Plans I have conducted utilizing the ideas listed above.
http://texaslessonplans.wikispaces.com/     

I enjoyed creating my own lesson plans through wiki spaces. This assignment will contribute to the overall effectiveness I will have on my students in the future. It allowed me to be creative and utilize my natural skills. I hope you enjoy my ideas.

Usefullness of Online Courses


 
 
 
I think the usefulness of online courses are great. I have been able to learn a lot, it forces me to be responsible knowing I have course work to complete. What I do not enjoy about online course work is the lack of personal interaction. I think as a people we are becoming less involved with each other and more focused is geared towards the enhancement of  technology. The course work throughout my  Communication Language Development Course was rigorous, useful and enlightening. I enjoy the web 2.0 tools and how they can benefit my education experience as well as my future classroom. It allowed me to communicate effectively through discussion posts, twitter and blogger, Collaborate with others in which we did the Google presentation,  think creatively in which we did prezi presentation, blogger pinterest and wiki pages and analyze and conduct data in which we did Google forms and the Midterm exam over

I believe grade levels 6th-12th could benefit from this the most. It will give them a sense of maturity in their writing and build confidence in their work. They could also express themselves in many forms. Understanding this is the age range where many are shy and embarrassed easily; hey can be free to express themselves without the attention.

Teachers need to keep in mind clarity is the most important thing for this type of course. Because communication is not immediate and is usually delivered through email. Its best they explain themselves as thoroughly as possible. The videos were extremely beneficial throughout this course. I enjoyed the step by step instruction as well as the lecture notes. I wasn't left guess what to do by reading the lecture notes, I was able to see exactly what was expected from me, aiding visual learners.

Below is a link regarding a personal perspective of online courses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikDqHhle0iA

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Google Forms



                                              



Google forms is a great tool to use when trying to conduct a poll. As a teacher this will give me the ability to calculate any data or information that is useful to my environment, and in this case is the classroom.  An example of that could be finding out what type of stories my children enjoy reading the most Non-Fiction or Fiction. This tool could also be useful throughout the community and even with my peers. An example of this for my students could be a question like, what implementations could be made to improve this course? Or with my colleagues I could write, what are some of the best learning strategies that work for your students in math? It could also be used to find current trends. In some Google forms this serves as a feedback outlet to let me know what is going on and how students may feel about certain things.

 

Below is a link to a Google Form I have created
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13nVZIwy9JHPTB4IYrPsNueR-khMH4QOmYP-wNnsDk54/viewform

E-Portfolio





For many of you who may not have heard of an e-portfolio. It is simply used as an online portfolio in which it serves as a log of a student can produce.  This e-portfolio is navigated through the Prairie View A&M University system and stores actual versions of course work. I have the option of uploading course work I would want future employers or my peers to view. This is not used as a replacement system for my professors to grade my assignments, but for future employers to get an idea of the quality of work I am able to produce.

I must say e-portfolio was not appealing to me as a new user. After getting all of my information uploaded I have realized it serves as a valuable tool to see my capabilities as a student in the classroom and will likely contribute to the classroom as a teacher. I am able to showcase myself in a professional setting and display my work ethic throughout work samples. It serves as an enhanced resume in my opinion, because you can view actual work samples. I really enjoyed the outcome of the product although I did not initially find it to be user friendly.

View my E- Portfolio

http://eportfolio.pvamu.edu/user/view.php?id=3133

Friday, July 19, 2013

The role parents play in their children’s academic success






Do you feel as though the sole responsibility of a child’s learning is taken place in the classroom? Do you feel as though the teacher is the only one responsible for ensuring success for that student? If your response is no, then we are on the same page. I believe that students who excel in the classroom have parental support. As Rose, Gallup, and Elam stated " 86% o the general public believes that support from parents is the most important way to improve the schools. (1997)
Starting in early childhood it is the responsibility of the parent to teach a child essential information such as their alphabet, how to write their name and progress to things such as knowing their parents first and last name and even home phone number. The child will be more susceptible to retain information in continuing a pattern of progression. Having that support system and a parent’s willingness to guide a child’s life contributes to a major component of success for that child’s learning.

A strategies used to teach a children how to spell their name 



Friday, July 5, 2013

Are we prepared to teach diverse learners




The real question is are our colleges and university’s supplying us with the preparation we need in order to teach diverse learners?



Call to action:
What can be done for future teachers to become more adequately prepared for diverse learners?
(Analyze degree plan)

Rigor
Need more of a challenging curriculum.

Language Requirements
Become exposed to if not fluent in at least one other language such as French, Spanish and Chinese in order to communicate with their students.

Practicum
We need as much hands on experience in the field as possible. Having a glimpse of what to expect and how to manage things when we get into the classroom.

Learning Requirements
Teaching strategies and techniques. What works, what does not? And for which students does it work?

Differentiated Instruction
Meet each child learning needs in order for that child to be successful in the classroom.

Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher:



Friday, June 28, 2013

Lesson Plan- Use integers in real life situations


Teacher: Ms. Jona McGowen
Date:June 28, 2013
Subject  / grade level: Math/ 6th
Materials:
White boards, white board markers, giant posted paper, construction paper, computer, markers, and tape
Objective:
The students will be able to use integers to represent real life situations.


Assessment:
Students should be able to give and explain how integers are used in real life.


Key Points:
  1. What integers are
  2. What integers are not
  3. Real life situations using integers

ENGAGEMENT:
The teacher will write the word integer on the board and ask the students to give a word or phrase that comes to mind when they think about, see, or hear the word “integer.” The teacher will write the responses on the board.

EXPLORATION:
The teacher will play music and allow the students to guess the artist. As they guess, we will place that artiest picture on the board. After we have done all five(5), the students will break into groups of three to four(3-4). Each group will receive two(2) dry erase boards. The students will need to write “2010” on the top of one and number it one-five (1-5). Then, the students will label the other board “2012” and number that one from one to five. The students will put the rappers in order from best to worst, best being number one, on each board. After they are done, they will have to find out what integer represent each rapper. Each student will share their rankings with the class.


EXPLANATION:
The teacher will give the students the book definition of an integer while referring back to the engage piece. The teacher will take the actual rankings, taken from BET, and together as a class we will find out what integer represent each rapper. The teacher will ask the students questions to make sure they understand.


ELABORATION:
The students will get a worksheet and do it at their desk individually. After everyone is finished, we will discuss the worksheet as a class. The teacher will then introduce the number line.


EVALUATION:
Each student will have to give an example of integers being used in real life situations and explain it.