This week I have been exploring many different teaching blogs around the internet. Some of these were based in the United States and some were international. One of my favorite new blogs that I found was Teach 123. This is a great website with tons of tips and ideas for elementary classrooms. It is written by a woman, Michelle, who has been a teacher for many years in many different classroom environments. This is the type of blog that I could spend hours on exploring. There are lots of resources on this site that I think will come in handy in the future for my classroom. There are tips and ideas on the website, Common Core Materials she has designed available for download, and lists of books for teaching various skills.
While I was exploring, I found a post that really caught my attention. It was simply titled Reading Goals. It caught my eye because next week I will be teaching a fourth grade reading lesson in my field experience placement. While this did not have any information to specifically use in my lesson, it did provide some great ideas for the future. She talked about how teachers can get more books in their classrooms for the students to be exposed to. She suggested sending home notes at the beginning of the year and around the holidays asking parents for any books that their children no longer want to add to the classroom library.
Some of my favorite ideas that she had involved the Scholastic book orders. She had a letter that she sent to parents at the begging of the year explaining about the orders to parents and explaining some of the benefits of them. She told them that the class earns points to get more books for the class library from their orders. I thought this was great because most teachers I have seen just give the orders to parents without any explanation. I also liked that she had her students work in pairs doing a scavenger hunt with the order forms. By making this a game, it can help encourage the students love of books. I think that most things in our lives that we are passionate about get their roots in early childhood. By reading for fun as a child, I believe that it encourages us to continue reading as adults. It also makes those of us in college more willing to read for class.
Hello my name is Rebecca Taylor. I am a junior at Edinboro University, majoring in Early Childhood Education. I have always enjoyed working with children and am pursing a degree that will allow me the opportunity to do something that I enjoy for the rest of my life. I am currently working at a daycare center gaining valuable experience that I will be able to apply in the future.
Besides working with children, I love to cook and bake many different types of foods. Some of my specialities include brown sugar burbon chicken, homemade french fries, cupcakes and amazing chocolate chip cookies. I also have obsessions with cupcakes and owls. I have several cupcake shaped jars, a necklace and candles as well as other cupcake items around my house, and I have an owl coffee mug, ipad cover and a few owl decorations around my house.
I also enjoy many different types of music. My favorite genres currently are Rock, Country, 70's, 80's and 90's. I enjoy artists such as Five Finger Death Punch, Seether, Skillet, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Cyndi Lauper and Queen. I like to go to concerts in the free time I have away from school and work. In 2012 I got to see many bands including Nickleback, Bush, Seether, Five Finger Death Punch, Killswitch Engage, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Colt Ford, and Pop Evil. In addition, I had the opportunity to meet Nickleback, Five Finger Death Punch, Pop Evil, Emphatic and Theory of a Deadman. I hope to get to see many more bands in 2013.
Another passion of mine is theater. I enjoy all kinds of plays, but musicals are my favorite. I have seen Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Cats, Hairspray, Grease, and Rent as well as others. I enjoy how a show can transport me to a different place and time.Here is some video from Hairspray.
My first impressions of this class are very positive. I like the fact that there are several different programs that are planned for us to learn how to use in this class. I also feel that the professor is knowledgeable about the material.
My expectation for this class is that I become more competent with various technologies. I also hope that this class inspires me with different ways to incorporate technology into my future classroom. My final expectation is that I will create some really good examples of technology to include in my teaching portfolio.
I would rate my skills with technology as good. If it is a program that I have used previously then I am confident with it. I am, however, not scared of using new technology. I will sit down and just start playing around when I find something I don't have experience working with. I can use both Windows and Mac operating systems. I have an iPhone and iPad that I use daily. I also have a lot of experience teaching technology to my family. I have been on a computer since I was 3 and because of this I am not afraid of them. My family calls me quite often with their basic computer questions. Also if they have problems I go look at their computers and try to troubleshoot the issue. Most of the time I can fix it, but occasionally we have to call a professional for help.
I use technology in many different ways in my current classes. The most obvious, is that I am taking a class online and have taken other classes online in the past. Another way I use technology is my iPad. I use it to edit papers when I am out of the house, store copies of course syllabuses, organize assignment due dates, and study using a flashcard app. I also use technology in that I complete almost all of my assignments on the computer, even if it's not required because it makes them look neater. I also use eBooks whenever possible. I enjoy not having to carry extra weight in my bag and I like that they are always with me no matter where I am. If I have a moment of free time I can read some of the book wherever I am.
I believe that technology is very important in the classroom. I also believe that it becomes more important as children become older. I think that the most important part of young children using technology is to build comfort with it for the future. I believe that because I have been using technology since I was young I am not afraid of it, but my mother hasn't and she is afraid of technology. For a person to be successful in the future I believe that technical knowledge will be very important. I have seen a lot of new technology over my life and plan to see other new forms in the future. In order to succeed in the world we live in, I believe that a knowledge of technology is important.
of the benefits of them. She told them that the class earns points to get more books for the class library from their orders. I thought this was great because most teachers I have seen just give the orders to parents without any explanation. I also liked that she had her students work in pairs doing a scavenger hunt with the order forms. By making this a game, it can help encourage the students love of books. I think that most things in our lives that we are passionate about get their roots in early childhood. By reading for fun as a child, I believe that it encourages us to continue reading as adults. It also makes those of us in college more willing to read for class. 
