MACUL

Yesterday was the MACUL conference and we all headed down to Cobo to check out the newest tech-related teaching issues and ideas. As someone who isn't as enthusiastic about technology as others, I was surprised to find myself really enjoying the presentations and I walked away with a lot of new information! The first session that I attended discussed the dangers of the internet and safety measures that can be taken to help our kids avoid falling into these traps. It's incredible to me that 16 yr. old kids know how to hack through filters and access sites that they shouldn't be seeing, but apparently this is not uncommon. As teachers, it's imperative that we educate ourselves and our students on the dangers of the internet and help them understand how it can affect them in the longterm. The man who presented offered examples of classrooms that were participating in activities that allowed students to see first-hand how the internet can be detrimental to their future, which I felt was a great idea. Kids would create resumes or portfolios and then post them on the internet with the idea that they would perform a search of themselves and see what turns up. I thought that this was a great way of showing them that you really have to careful what you post on the web.

The second session seemed interesting at first, but it turned out to be a little bit strange. The idea behind this presentation was designing lessons that incorporate the five senses. The speaker provided research and examples of this teaching strategy as well as an activity for the audience to try. I liked the idea of using music to stimulate student's senses and get their creative juices flowing, but some of the exercises were a little bit out there. While it was certainly interesting, I'm not sure if I'd use these strategies on my own students.

The third session that I attended was the most interesting to me, which is funny, because it was all about learning how to use Web 2.o tools. As I said above, I'm not a big tech person, but this session made me want to be!! First of all, the presenter was insanely enthusiastic and did a great job of showing off these tools. Second, the tools that she did present were so neat and I would really like to use them in the future. Some of the tools that were discussed included Tripit, Yelp, Remember the Milk, Ustream, and Jott. My tech knowledge is really limited, so these may not be anything really new and exciting, but I definitely enjoyed learning about them and hope to use a couple in the future. I think the hardest part for me is that I feel so behind in the world of technology and it can be overwhelming sometimes when you think about everything that's out there. However, these tools seem pretty easy to use and I think that the more I use them, the more comfortable I will become with all this tech stuff. Overall, it was a nice way to spend a Friday and I was definitely able to take some new ideas and info away from the conference!

MACUL Session 1: Safety on the Internet

This session involves the dangers that exist online and how we can help our kids avoid these traps. The guy that is giving the seminar has made some really good points and seems very knowledgeable on this topic. Interesting stuff!

He's talking about how filters are fairly ineffective and the best way to help your kids is become educated on this topic. The knowledge that kids possess today is quite significant, and many of the actions that are taken by administrators and teachers, like creating filters, aren't doing enough.

AND I'm really annoyed because this thing won't post!!!!

You have to have the ability to monitor online activities to take legal action.

CIPA - Children's Internet Protection Act

Schools must have a policy and implement certain procedures in order to recieve the E-rate discounts

CIPA supports the use of chats, email...but simply wants to make it safer for students to use these options. WOW!

We need to think about what kids are doing now and what they might be doing in the future that will be related to using the internet and online activities.

Elgg.net - create your own social networking platform that is installed on your own served and you decide how much is public or private... pretty cool!


Ning: Also lets you create your own social networking site.

Ed-Safe Alternatives: takingitglobal.org - how to make a social impact on the world, get more involved

-Now required of the curriculum in Pennsylvania
-Public site
-Very carefully monitored, a safe place for students

BeRecruited.com- Helpful for students

Crowdspring.com - Graphic designers-if you need a logo, someone who can design or create websites...post what you need and people will respond to your request

Des Moines - Students are creating online portfolios for colleges and employers to find and then search for themselves to see what admissions will find about them...pretty cool!

Overall, good presentation and I feel like I learned more about this topic. The presenter was really enthusiastic and included good information and websites to reference!

MACUL Session 1

MACUL TEST

Teaching!

The week before Thanksgiving break I taught and planned a lesson and was observed by my field instructor for the first time. It was definitely a little nerve-wracking, but everything turned out really well! I have taught segments of lessons throughout the Fall and have also been in charge of helping the students review for exams and quizzes, but this was the first time that I was in charge of the entire lesson and was being observed. I was pretty nervous at first, but after a few minutes, I realized that I was totally at ease and having a great time with the students. We were reviewing for test and I had come up with three activities to cover the material and maintain the interest of the students throughout the hour. Each exercise went really well and the students did a great job of participating appeared interested in reviewing for their test. One activity involved a backpack that I carried around the room from student to student and as they pulled an object out, I asked them a question about the item. Because this is a beginner level French class, many of the students are very shy and hesitant to speak. I was so excited when several of them volunteer to participate. They seemed to enjoy digging for something in the backpack and answering the questions! After the lesson was over, I had a chance to talk with my field instructor and discuss various aspects of the hour. I told her that I'd been really nervous beforehand, but the anxiety wore off almost immediately. We talked about some of the reasons that I felt this way and I found that it was really helpful to break down the different parts of my lesson and the way I worked with the students. Malli gave me great advice on what she liked about the lesson, what could work a little better the next time, and suggestions for other activities in the future. I think that I'm so worried about doing everything right and perfect for my students that I forget that I'm still a student too. My experience in the classroom is so important to developing my style as a teacher and every time that I'm at Wayne I'm learning more about what works, what doesn't, how the kids react, classroom management...etc. It can be difficult because there is so much to take in, in such little time!

I do think that the debriefing session was helpful and I appreciate all the feedback that I get from both my field instructor and my mentor. I want their advice and suggestions because I have such little experience in this area. Also, just something that I found interesting....One of Malli's suggestions involved getting the class to quiet down. Instead of saying "Shhhhhhh," she told me to simply stop talking and stand silently. She had noticed that when I said "shhh" some of the kids didn't always stop talking. By standing silently, I'm not trying to talk over them and those who are paying attention will help and try to get their friends to quiet down. I also taught 4th hour that day and at one point they began to get loud and I just stopped talking and stood still. Almost immediately, the class quieted down...I thought that was pretty neat!

Fall Break:)

Well it's about the middle of the semester at this point and it's hard to believe that in two months or so we'll be off on Christmas break! I feel like there are still so many assignments and projects to be completed, and it's strange to think once the first of the year rolls around, we'll already be half-way done with the MAC program. Wow! Anyways, I'd also like to note that I cannot think of a better time for Fall Break. I never thought I'd be so excited to have a couple days off of school to do homework! It really will be so helpful though to have a few extra days to get ahead and work on some of the upcoming projects. Hopefully we can all also get a little bit of rest and enjoy this time of year.

By now I think that many of us have observed other classrooms and teachers, and personally it has been a really neat experience for me. I have observed two classes so far, Communications and an upper level English class, and have enjoyed being able to watch the students and the teacher interact with each other. It's also really useful to see a variety of techniques for classroom management, presenting lessons, dealing with disruptive students etc. I'm also looking forward to observing a former MACer at Pioneer who was actually my mentor's student teacher about 7 seven years ago, which is pretty cool. She is teaching French and I'm excited to see what kind of methods she uses in her classroom. I think that it's a really good idea to explore these resources right now because we have the time and the encouragement to do this, which isn't always the case. Before long we'll be student teaching full-time and any additional ideas or advice that I can take in right now will certainly be useful come Winter! At the moment, though, I'm just enjoying my placement, getting to know my students better, and trying to focus on building my confidence in the classroom!

I <3 French:)

So it's been about a month since our placement began, and I have to say that I'm really enjoying being in the classroom each week. It's a lot of fun to interact with my mentor and the students and involve myself in their lessons. It's been very interesting to observe the different behaviors of my students and my mentor as they work through a lesson or activity. I have noted several good techniques of classroom management that my mentor has used and also the creative ways in which she engages the students. While I know that it's going to be a lot of work in the winter, I'm really looking forward to planning lessons and carrying them out. I am seeing that I can finally apply some of the ideas/concepts/theories we've learned in class to the classroom. However, I wish that I could be spending more of my time concentrating on being at my placement and developing activities that could be used in the winter. This semester so far has been absolutely crammed with work, and it makes me frustrated sometimes when I want to be focusing more on my classroom. There is so much to do in terms of reading, projects, assignments, and simply attending class each night etc. I struggle with knowing that I'm not able to give as much focus to some of the Ed classes as I'd like to because of the serious workload. I know that everyone else is in the same situation, but I guess I'd be interested to know how they're juggling everything?