REFLECTION ZONE: Linking a Power Point to Blogspot



My accountability partner taught me how to link my presentation to my blogspot.  I knew how to link websites and pictures, but I have not been able to link documents or attachments.  I have always just copied and pasted the content.  I wanted to post my Best Practices project that I created in power point, as well as share my action research presentation.  My accountability partner, Tony, shared what he has done, and that was using dropbox.com.  I created an account and dropped my power points in the public folder.  Then I clicked on dropbox and copied the link.  It created a web link for my power point.  I was then able to attach that very easily to my blog.  It does take a little time to be able to access it, but ... it works!  Technology can be fun when it works and makes life easier.  I'm glad I had a partner to turn to for ideas.  It is great to learn something new in community!

Best Practice



Here is my Best Practice Teaching Guide created from the template provided by community group members.  These are practices that are beneficial for learners that I need to be reminded of as I teach. 

REFLECTION ZONE: AR Presentation Reflections

Action Research Presentation Reflection

          April 24, 2012 was a good day.  It was the day I shared my action research presentation with my colleagues, principal, and curriculum coordinator. The day began with my team members bringing me a vase of flowers with a good luck note.  Hugs were exchanged all around, and I felt so good that they supported me and acknowledged my hard work. My advisory students helped disinfect all the desks and tidy the room up, so it was ready for the presentation.  Later that day my husband stopped in with my daughter Harper.  He had made and brought in chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies that were in the shape of graduation caps.  It was so nice he came to wish me luck on my big day.  I also enjoyed showing Harper off to everyone at school.  My superintendent also came down to meet Harper.  Many students wished me good luck as they left for the day.  I also received a text message from my sister telling me that I would do great.  All the positive energy was well accepted.

My presentation was scheduled to start right after school, so staff were able to attend and still work the middle school track meet.  I had a total of ten people attend, including my accountability partner and another community member.  I felt very prepared, as I had practiced many times.  I created note cards to help remember the most important points, but I did not end up using them much.  I felt confident sharing a topic I knew quite a bit about.  I was asked questions at the end, and many seemed genuinely interested in my topic.  I received positive feedback and there was even mention of creating a hex class next year based on my project.  I felt very proud of accomplishing a large project that ended up being very positive for students. 

Presentation: Determination of the Effects of Cultivating the Growth Mindset

REFLECTION ZONE: Technology Resources

I wanted to keep the technology website resources all together, just as the group created it.  I thought it was very well organized.  I did try a new website that they included.  It was the MAP site for math skills.  I have started using it during my math intervention time.  I have identified 8 girls who I work with on Mondays & Wednesday, and 5 boys who I see on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I gave them their RIT scores in each of the five strands of mathematics, and they click on the interval where their individual score falls.  Then they are given many options of games and activities to work on that are at that level.  My students will take their MAP test May 16, so we will see if it helps them.

 Technology Resources

REFLECTION ZONE: Accessing YouTube at School

This school year I wanted to show my action research group a few short video clips from the Brainology website.  However, the clips were originally from YouTube, and this site is blocked on my school computer.  I really wanted to still show them, so I inquired about it by sending a helpdesk to our technology department.  I learned that there was a way to do it.  I needed an offsite connection to "capture" the video, so I used my computer from home. Next, I needed a way to grab the video.  I watched another YouTube video on how to do that using KeepVid. The link for the how-to is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFoYQJbC-O4

I needed to copy the url of the site I wanted to show and then go to the website keepvid.com.  I then pasted the url, hit download, and saved it with a .flv in the name.  This works for any site that I would want to save and bring in to class.   I thought this was helpful, and I was so glad I was able to share these video clips with my students. I learned something new and shared this information with other teachers on my team.

REFLECTION ZONE: Possible New Math Materials



With the change to Common Core Standards approaching, our district is looking at new math materials that are aligned with these standards.  Today the math department at the middle school attended a presentation of CPM math materials.  CPM stands for College Preparatory Mathematics, and it is a problem based textbook.  The math problems are to be solved in groups where each student takes on a specific role.  I thought there were many positives to this program.   The problems are all connected to their real lives, so it answers the question, "When are we going to use this?"  The problems require deeper thinking and application.  Students are encouraged to solve the problems in more than just one way.  Students learn the skills of how to work in a group as a team to solve problems.  I am interested in learning more about this way of teaching students mathematics. 

REFLECTION ZONE: Social Justice in Children's Literature



I read Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco.  It is a story about a girl who struggles in school because she has dyslexia and can't read.  She would look at the tops of students' heads while they read to see what was happening to theirs that wasn't happening to hers. She found coping strategies to actually fool her teachers to think she could read, but she could not.  Because of this kids picked on her and called her dumb and other names.  It wasn't until her 5th grade teacher, Mr. Falker,  figured out she couldn't read that she got the extra help she needed.  He stayed after school to work with her, and he eventually taught her to read.
There are parts of this book that give me goose bumps, and one part is the last page, when she explains that the little girl in the book was her.  She writes that 30 years later she ran into her 5th grade teacher and he asked her what she did for a living, and she responded, " Why, Mr. Falker, I make books for children... Thank you, Mr. Falker.  Thank you."

Most of my students enjoyed listening to the story, are are some of the messages they took away from the book.
Don't be mean to people just because they are different.  Anything is possible with determination.  Have faith in yourself.  No one is perfect. You shouldn't tease someone when they are trying to learn something new.  Everyone can be smart if they try hard. Maybe you can't do one thing, but you're really good at another.
These were all great things to take away, and I am glad I took time to read it.

REFLECTION ZONE: Voki

Technology Share

Create a free, customized, speaking avatar at www.voki.com

Create

Choose a character - male, female, animal…

Customize it – head, clothing, bling

Give it a voice–record by phone, text (choose accent)  microphone, or upload an audio file

Choose a background

Publish your avatar to your website, email, blogspot, or livebinder

REFLECTION ZONE: Teacher Leadership

Teacher Leadership

"Teacher leaders assume a wide range of roles to support school and student success.  Whether these roles are assigned formally or shared informally, they build the entire school's capacity to improve. Because teachers can lead in a variety of ways, many teachers can serve as leaders among their peers" (Harrison and Killion, 2007).

ü    Resource Provider – Share Instructional Resources

o       Websites

§        Classroom website

§        Shares websites with others

o       Materials

§        Best Practices 

·Everyday Advisory

·Developmental Designs (Tab Out, UAS, Social Contract)

·Teacher Language

·UbD Lesson Planning

§        Interventions 

·Rocket Math

·Do the Math

·Compass Learning

·MAP website

·Help Signal

§        Technology Tools

·        Google Docs

·        LIVE@EDU

·        Activ Boards, Active Slate, Activ Expressions

·        Ipods/Ipads

·        Classroom Tablets

o       Professional Journals

§        Teaching Tolerance

§        Educational Leadership

§        Technology Horizons in Education

o       Action Research

§        Learning Targets

§        Growth Mindset

o       Educational Reads

§        The Energy Bus

§        Six Thinking Hats

§        The Essential Enneagram

§        Ubuntu

§        Teaching With Poverty in Mind

§        The Alchemist

o       Learns new things and SHARE with team, co-workers, principals  - Share grant opportunities

o       Communicates with Parents- Share resources, make phone calls, send emails, update webpages, message center, homework hotline

ü    Mentor/Coach

o       Works well in a PLC

o       Mentors new teachers about curriculum, instruction, and others

o       Help long-term sub and daily substitute teachers

o       Offers support to other teachers

o       Demonstrates a lesson – for Literacy Coaches

o       Observes a lesson

o       Provides non-judgmental feedback

o       Co-teaching – Team Taught Math

ü    Data Coach

o       Analyzes data from test scores – WKCE & Math Data Days – Create working chart of MAP Data

o       Backwards Planning - Understanding By Design

o       Analyzes data from action research

o       Uses data to drive instruction & select students for interventions

ü    Curriculum and Instructional Specialist

o       Implements Differentiated Instruction

o       Research-based strategies

o       Plans instruction tied to assessment

o       Understands Common Core – researching math materials

o       Understands Response to Intervention – Problem Solving Comittee

o       Works with others to create shared assessments

o      Collaborates and shares knowledge and new learning with colleagues and principal.

o      Communicates with Parents

o      Creates School and Classroom Community

§       Responsive Classroom

§       Developmental Design

ü    Catalyst for Change

o      Visionaries 

o      Always look for an improved way of doing things 

o      Strong commitment to continual changes

o      Asks questions and challenge co-workers

o      Willing to learn and try new ideas in the classroom

·Promethean board

·Tablets

·Math Duty

ü    School Leader

o      Participates in committees

o      Aligns professional goals with school and district goals

o      Extracurricular Activities

·Coach – basketball, volleyball, track

·Mix It Up Day Leader

·Math Masters Coach

o      Familiar with the Seven Norms - Share with teams

o      Completes tasks with integrity

o      Supports school initiatives

o      Shares in the vision of the school 

o      Has a Professional Vision Statement

o      Conducts action research

o      Maintains Professionalism

ü    Continual Learner

o      Reflective Practice

o      Demonstrates Life Long Learning – take classes, Masters Program

o      Models continual improvement

o      Applies their learning to help all students learn

o      Communicates and build relationships with other districts – CESA days, Math Meets

o      Stays current on educational topics

o      Reflects/journals on teaching practices  - Blogspot

o      Takes risks & tries new things

o      Works to further education - Professional development, Continuing Education Courses, Master Degree

Harrison, C., & Killion J.(2007). Ten roles for teacher leaders. Educational Leadership, 65(1), 74-77.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept07/vol65/num01/Ten-Roles-for-Teacher-Leaders.aspx

 

 

REFLECTION ZONE: Weighing In





I read "Weighing In" by Camille Jackson in the Spring 2012 issue of Teaching Tolerance.

This article stated that as childhood obesity grows, so does size bias.  According to this article, studies show that teachers tend to call on lean children over obese students.  It also stated that obese students are less likely to be accepted to college, despite having equivalent academic achievement.

Experts say that some children interpret the "War on Childhood Obesity" as a war on their bodies and on them.  While some schools care about the health of their students, they might be going about it the wrong way as they are focusing on weight.  Arkansas became the first state to record and send home students' body mass index results with report cards.  Other states then followed. Critics believe that there are other ways for schools to handle the issue such as:

•   helping parents learn how to design healthier meals
•   getting students to participate in afterschool activities
•   focusing on overall health of children, not just body size
•   helping students realize they are not in the healthy zone and they need to make  positive changes
• paying attention to behaviors, not numbers

I worry about the overall health of our students as phy ed time is getting shortened.  I heard that UW-Madison is eliminating the 1 credit phy ed courses!  I recently talked with a teacher who is planning to retire this year, and she said we just need to wait for the pendulum to swing back...it will come.  I hope the damage is not too high. What do your schools do to promote healthy choices?