Get $ back for school shopping!

eBates has been growing in popularity and I keep hearing about it. So I signed up for free today; basically you go to their site ebates.com and click the store you want to shop at. For teachers and parents buying back to school supplies this is a great website! Some stores include:  Walmart, Circuit City, Apple, Dell, HP, Staples, Office Depot, Sears, Jc Penny, Barnes and Nobel and Old Navy (to name a few), then you get a percentage back of what you spent online at that store. The percentage can then be added onto a gift card of your choice! Your going to shop online anyway, might as well get paid for it!

Beginning of School Student Survey

GAME Plan Reflection

       When I first started my GAME plan it was easy to make goals, but harder to accomplish them in a timely manner. I feel like obtaining my goals is not something I can accomplish completely in a school year. My plan is to gradually grow and work on my goals in small ways so I do not feel overwhelmed. My goal that I feel was most accomplished and easy was to have students explore in real-world issues and solving problems using digital tools and resources. I have found that my students relate closer to events and problems that are happening to their age group, in their community, and in their school. I understand that a more world based outlook is important and can provide various learning opportunities, and I plan to incorporate this in the future. 

While setting goals for my game plan one important one is to be a life-long learner in the field of education. One way I have accomplished this goal is by signing up for on-line education conferences, subscribing to education resources magazines/journals, and by visiting my colleagues classroom’s for ideas and teaching strategies. In the form of technology, I am able to subscribe to various education blogs from around the world to see what other teachers and students are doing and see how we can learn from each other. 

In the area of technology I have found a teacher at my school that is very skilled at integrating technology and has his own website for educators. I plan to visit his classroom during technology integrated lessons and learn all that I can about problems that arise, the student’s reactions/interest level, and how to find technology resources. I plan to continue to refer back to my GAME plan throughout the year and assess myself in my progress. I am sure new goals will arise, and I am excited to one day look back on my plan to see what I have accomplished. 

GAME plan week 6

After reviewing my goals for my GAME plan in week 1, I have been reflecting on what I have learned so far from my course work to help me with obtaining my goals. One goal and concern I had was to promote and model digital etiquette. I have learned in my course readings and assignments that many digital tools are available to students and teachers to help promote this concern. For example some resources for email etiquette include:

http://livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit/6237, and a quiz students can take on email etiquette: http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=do-you-know-email-etiquette


I have also found a variety of resources in our text book, our videos, and from my classmates. I am discovering a variety of digital tools that I have never heard of from our class resources and classmates. My bookmarks are getting pretty full of all the resources. 


I do feel comfortable to begin a new goal in order to grow as a professional: NETS-T performance indicator #5: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership. One way I have been working towards this goal is to research professional conferences and meetings for educators from around the world to gain knowledge from other educators. An online conference is held each year called the "K-12 Conference" http://k12online.ning.com/. What I like about this resources is that if you missed the conference from the previous year it is all available for you to view online...they call it the conference that keeps going. My next idea is to join an educational organization where I can obtain the latest news and ideas in education. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions for any? 

GAME plan progress Week 5

“Collaboration is a key component of project based learning environments, as it allows student to draw on each other’s perspectives and talents in order to more effectively devise solutions for the problems at hand” (Ertmer & Simons, p. 43, 2006). I have learned that asking students to collaboratively work together and share ideas is easier said than done. In order for their service learning project I will need my students to work together, solve problems effectively, divide responsibilities between each other, and give  each other positive feedback. One way to accomplish this collaborative classroom culture I plan to do a series of collaborative activities throughout the year to foster this type of behavior. A few ideas are to have students participate in group work, projects, and team building games. To help guide my students in learning how to collaborate with their peers successfully I will model the correct behavior and praise students who are exhibiting the desired behavior. Even if a teacher possessed the best lesson plan or project it does them no good if their students can not work together and know how to take on those roles in small groups that are needed. 

Reference

Ertmer, P., & Simons, K. (Spring 2006). Jumping the PBL implementation hurdle: Supporting the efforts of K-12 teachers. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 40-54. Retrieved fromhttp://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=ijpbl.

GAME plan revision

As I reviewed my GAME plan and suggestions from my peers, I have decided to make a few changes and modify my plan. I currently work in a resource class where students come for a short time in small groups to work on specific skills. I think for my goal of having my students connect with others from around the world, instead of using Skype, it would be more time efficient and technology friendly to use e-pals for communication. For Skype I would need to coordinate the time that my students would connect with other students and the time zone issue would also be tricky to set up. My classroom is unique because I teach various grades and the students do not stay the whole day so my time frame with each grade level is limited. Students will be able to check their e-Pals messages from their home classroom and at home if available. This will save time for instruction and discussion while they are in my classroom. Students will also need a lesson on e-mail etiquette since many of them many have never used e-mail before and have only had experience in writing letters. I will need to warn them that e-mail and text messages are to be looked at differently. 

GAME plan week 2

Resources needed to carry out my GAME plan:

Students will need Internet access and a computer camera in order to use Skype and other video software to enhance their learning. A microphone and headset is also required for students to provide a supplemental resource for students to record their voices into the computer and hear themselves in order to improve their speaking fluency  and oral reading skills. 

Students must have basic computer skills and have been exposed to Internet, email, and video chat etiquette. I need to obtain information on how to teach students to use this Internet etiquette and safety in their daily lives and in school. My plan is to assess the level of etiquette that my students already possess. The following website contains a quiz on netiquette that I would have my students take: http://www.bucks.edu/online/dlresources/etiquette.htm. After reading the results I can assess my classroom and see what they need improvement in.