Blog Post #16: Final Reflection

Blog Post #14

In Teaching Our Children Can be a Profession, Joel Klein listed several problems and solutions.

• Giving far more school choices to families.
• Using technology to improve teaching and learning 
• Starting education before a child is 5 years old
• Professionalize teaching 

I agree that families should have more school choices. In the public school system, schools are chosen based on where the student lives. Joel Klein opened 100 charter schools while he was President over New York schools. Charter schools are public schools with private funding and fewer restrictions. Klein did not want poverty to be the reason for educational failure. Most of these schools consisted of students in poverty areas. In my opinion, students are learning a lot from technology and the Internet, therefore teachers should use technology in there teaching to ensure that students have the most accurate information. Learning begins at home but I think that all children should be in a learning institution before age 5 because around this age, children tend to learn and understand things quicker than if they begin learning at the age of 5. Also being in this setting helps children with social and communication skills. "Improving the quality of teachers was one of Klein's imperatives." When he began presiding New York schools, the average SAT score for teachers there was 970. Klein worked to improve this. I do agree that teachers should be professionals.

In the article, Joel Klein listed several problems and solutions to better educate students.  I do believe that teaching is a profession and you have to be a professional to teach students effectively. Students will ask questions that sometimes teachers might not know the answers to, therefore teachers should be able to provide the most accurate answers quickly. This is where technology comes in. Teachers should also teach student how to use technology correctly and safely. I also think that students education should not be limited based on their poverty level.

C4Ta#4

This week the teacher I was given was Silvia Tolisano.

The first post I commented on was What are the Best Ways a Teacher can Demonstrate Leadership in the Classroom?
She began the blog with a google definition of leadership, the action of leading a group of people or an organization. Then she searched leadership in google images and got various pictres of leadership. Then she searched #leadership on Twitter and receives various responses of leadership. Lastly, she discussed the "Leadership Flow" components: model, experience, share, and trust.

My comment was:
I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I like how you gave the four components of the "Leadership Flow" and described each. In order to be an effective leader, one must model behavior, give the students the opportunity to learn on their own and share their idea with their peers. Also, teachers should develop trust within each other. For a future teacher, this information was very important to me. Thanks.





The second post I commented on was Reflection about Anne Frank and Making Blogging Connections.
She began discussing how reading the Diary of Anne Frank inspired her to write a diary which she continued for over 30 years. She also had a chance to visit the home that Anne Frank and her family lived in while they were hiding from the Nazi's. She concluded her blog by asking to view social media in the eyes of Anne Frank, when posting selfies, instead of bragging, think of it as leaving a legacy for other people to view.

My comment was:
I enjoyed reading your blog. I like how reading the Diary of Anne Frank inspired you to write in you diary. I think that posting on social media is permanent so reading you blog inspired me to be more mindful about what I post on social media. When posting on social media, you are leaving a public diary for other people to view.

Final Blog Post #5

My PLN consist of my classmates, my family, a few teachers that I know, Facebook, Twitter, and Symbaloo.  I like using Symbaloo because it has everything you need on one page. I have not set it as my home page but I plan to. I love using Twitter because you can get ideas from other people. I already know a few teachers and I call them when I have questions and they are willing to help me with my teaching career. I also have a few teachers in my family that I go to for advice on my future teaching career. I know that my PLN will grow are a get closer to graduation and in my teaching career.

Blog Post #13

What can we learn about Teaching Special Education from Special Education Teachers?

Watch the four videos below and summarize what you have learned.

1. Watch Neil Rubino's A day in the life of a Special Education teacher (10:00).
2. Watch Amy Vogelsang's Teaching Special Education (2:00).
3. Watch Krista Blessing in Teaching Special Needs Children : Tips on Teaching in a Special Education Classroom (1:30).
4. Watch Reading Horizons What Works When Teaching Reading in Special Education Settings - Cyndie Fountaine (11:00).

In a day in the life of a Special Education teacher, the teacher said that everyday is going to be different. One students behavior can tick other students behavior. There will be different problems that you will have to address everyday. Time management is also very important. 

Mrs. Vogelsang stated that the best part of teaching students is when you measure their progress and can see a difference in the students. You can see that the student has learned. The students can see the light and they feel good about themselves. This is also the most challenging part because the students make small progress over a period of time. Special needs students love using the SmartBoard and laptops help them with their writing skills. Mrs. Vogelsang also stated that being a special education teacher has to be in your heart and something that you really want to do. She said to go in with the attitude that you are going to make a difference in students lives and STAY POSITIVE!

Mrs. Blessings Tips:

1. Set Up Room

• Make sure all required materials are in the classroom

     2.  Be Aware of Children Responses

• Some children will have different responses to different things

     3.  Talk to Parents

• Find out what has an adverse effect on students attitudes
• What makes them upset
• What makes them happy

     4. Follow the IEP's

Mrs. Fountaine said that it is an experiment to try to find a program that works when teaching special education students reading. Reading Horizons is a program that gives step-by-step, clear instructions, which is what special education students need. There are a lot of things that even teachers are never directly taught. Reading Horizons lessons are supported  by other resources and the print-outs are clear and straight forward. Students are able to understand what they are doing and it is easy for students to figure out their lesson. 

Reading Horizons gives teachers the skill to teach decoding to students. It is easy to prepare the lessons. It  has systematic instruction and proceeds in small increments. There is no greater feeling than when you see struggling students make progress.

Project #12B: SMARTBoard Instruction

Blog Post #12