Technology in my Kids Hands

It never ceases to amaze me the expression on my students faces when new technology is introduced to them. They light up in a way that bring a lot of joy to my heart. This was the excitement I experienced this past week when I introduced the Classroom Performance Sytem to my students. It was as though they were a group of kids riding up the a side of a roller coaster, anticipating the rush they will get when they make it to the top and then go quickly down the other side. I am even more excited that they enjoyed learning about the CPS because since I introduced it to them I have had training, Monday and Tuesday, on how to use CPS to make testing more interactive for students. Since technology is becoming a strong force with assessments having a way to make the process more interactive, in my opinion, will be a plus! I want students to enjoy the experience versus being weighed down by what they are required to do and I have noticed that taking what would have orignially been done through the use of pencil and paper and change it to something that allows students to use computers of a system, such as the CPS, they feel less intimidated and more able to enjoy they process. I have not been able to determine why students loose some of their intimidation factor but I am interested in seeing if the observations I have already made stay consistant.

Writer's Notebook

I am glad we were asked to keep a writer's notebook this semester. I have been reflecting on things I have done at school, our readings, ideas that have gained from our reading, ideas gained from class discussions, and keeping track of the writings we have had to do at the beginning of class. I must admit, a few times my thoughts have been scattered between the notebook I chose to use for class and another I have at school but I have been working on transferring them both into one location.

I used to keep a daily teaching journal where I would write down the pluses and negatives of the lessons I taught, the behavior consequences and rewards that worked in my classroom, and any random ideas or thoughts that came to my mind about how to improve the educational experience my students have but when I became pregnant with my last son I found myself to be to busy to keep up with it. Having to keep the writer's notebook for this class has gotten me back on track and although I am not writing daily I have been able to record important information and ideas. If it has not been for this assignment then I do not know if I would have started this kind of writing again.

Hicks, Chapter 1 and 2

     Wow and Oh No! I don't know about anyone else but when I started reading this book I realized that I need to change how I teach writing if I truly want my students to be where they should be digitally and as writer. I am so guilty of teacher students about the writing and its processes versus how to be writers.

    I took some time the other day to look at the writing my students have done in their journals this year and started to think about how wrong I have been to require the students to only focus on the topics I have chosen. It has been about the writing process and not have a chance to express themselves as a writer. I like the idea found on page 21 about using Really Simple Syndication (RSS) to find information on the web that is important to them and then being able to take that information, thinking about it, and formulate information from what they have chosen. I feel, especially after reading these two chapters, that students need to be more involved in the process of choosing what they will write about. If it necessary for a topic to be the same for the entire class then I should make sure their are some choices within the topic. For example, we learned about carnivorous plants the other week in class. If I wanted the students to write about these plants then the students could research to find out which carnivorous plant they want to write about and go from there. I do not have to give each students a specific plant and say research and write about this.

    I feel like once again my brain is in overload with ideas and information and I am just at the end of chapter two with this book. Now on to chapter 3 :)

Feeling Like I'm Getting Somewhere

Stress has tried its best to get to me these past couple of weeks. Between my computer acting up, blogs that have written that have not posted, loosing some papers I really didn't need to loose, and trying to juggle family and everything else in life, I have felt like I was going to loose it. However, this week I have been able to find some sunshine in the midst of all the darkness. My students are working hard to do well in school and that brings a smile to my face. I feel like they respect me and that they care. I have students seeking help when they may not understand what they need to do and who are willing to communicate with their classmates. They have amazed me and although things are not perfect, because no situation is perfect, I feel a great sense of hope when I enter my classroom each day.

Other positives that have occurred just in the past two days is that my computer is back up and functioning as it should, the missing papers have magically appeared again, and I have decided that instead of being upset about my missing blogs it is best for me to just start over and get everything done! Things are and will continue to get better and better. I truly feel like I am getting somewhere!