Classroom Rules

What? This week my assignment was to make a slide show of my future classroom rules using Google Presentations. It is a program similar to Microsoft Power Point.
So What? Our class is doing this group project to learn how to collaborate online. This will help when I have many group assignments and not enough time to meet in person or even to email each member. With Google Presentation my group can work on one slide show without having to attach and email it back and forth. It is a great time saver. Only problem come when one member does not contribute until the end of the week. How do you know if they are helping or not? Everyone has to be on the same page for "complete online collaboration" to work. I did like that Google Presentation had a place to write notes. This could be used for communication between group members.
I can also see how Google Presentation could make my every day life easier. It could be used by many family members to make a slide show for a family reunion. Also when my son gets his Eagle Scout Award many friends could add pictures to one slide show. I will not have to call around asking everyone for picture. I will just need to email and invite. The applications are innumerable.
Now What? By the time I am teaching my own class Google will have perfected this program. I could use it to collaborate with other teacher to make a slide show for my grade. We could do this at the beginning of the school year. We would outline what the students and parent can expect from coming year. My class could also work on their own slide show. Maybe have the children tell me what fair rules for our class should be. Also the students could be assigned in to groups and work together online. That way they will be ready for high school and college projects.
I do see a few problems though. First making sure that everyone helps on the project equally. Another might be a child accesses to the Internet. Many young students cringe when given internet assignments because of their limited or complete lack of accesses to the World Wide Web. I would have to be understand and compassionate to all my students needs.
Video Week Three: "I Am What I Learn" Alex

The teenage boy in this video was very inspirational. He know what he want to be and how he was going to accomplish it. He was going the be a director. He said college would help him reach that goal. As it did for his role models George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. He was also realistic. If he did not make it as a filmmaker the college degree would give him something to fall back on. We should all be as prepare for our futures as this young man was.

Reflections on Google Document and Calendar

This week in class we learned all about Google Calendar and Google Document. Both are free as part of a Google Gmail account.

Google Calendar is what it sounds like. It is a time management tool that can be accessed from any computer on the internet. It is private unless you’d like to share it with family, friends, or publish it for all to see. I loved many of the features of Google Calendar. You can make different calendars for all the areas of your life. They can then be color coded and placed on the same grid. Google Calendars makes it easy to add events and tasks. A reminder will then be E-mailed or even texted to you. While I love the idea of Google Calendar, mine will probably stay blank. It would take me too long to add in all the aspects of my life. I would need a day or two off just to get it organized. Yes, it will stay unused just like the calendar on my I-pod touch. My good old wall calendar and my school planner are all I need to stay well organized.

While Google Calendar is fun and very user friendly, Google Documents is not. I have spent an entire week trying to figure out how to insert one little picture of myself into my document. The program would not let me pick-up pictures and move them where I needed them to go. After working with Google Document, I was missing my Microsoft Word. I did like that you can change the language of your document. This will be handy when I take Spanish classes. Google Documents did have a few other features I liked. You can work on your document from any computer without having to e-mail in an attachment or save it on a jump drive. Also you can work on it collaboratively by inviting other to you document. Another nice feature was when you are done the document can be published on the internet. These last two are helpful when working on group projects with other students, teachers, or faculty.

Both applications may affect my future as a teacher. I could make a Google Calendar for my future class and publish it for the parent and students. This will help them stay informed. A student will not be able to say “I didn’t know when the homework was due.” Also the school could have one for all important information and dates. I could assign each of my students to make their own calendar. This would give them a sense of ownership and responsibility. Then maybe assignment would be turned in on time. The uses for Google Calendar are limitless.

Unless improved, I would not assign the use of Google Document to my young students, though they would probably have more luck then I did. I would be able to use the language feature to make newsletters in Spanish and English. Truth be told, I will probably never want to use this program again.

“I am what I learn”-Rene H.

I loved this week’s video. This teenager had such passion for life and education. She was not going to let her mother’s sickness or her father being in jail stop her from her dream. She wanted to be a film maker. Unlike some children today, she was motivated and disciplined. She was also caring and said she would help her mother with the money if she won the video contest. I am glad she did win. If she stays on this path she will reach her goal. As a teacher, I hope to instill this kind of passion for learning in my students.

My Ultimate Classroom

I hope my future students will come from diverse economic and ethnic backgrounds. I worked at a school with children from mixed economic conditions. The children did not seem to notice or care if the other’s family had money or not. They played together anyway. I want my students to have this understanding. People can come from different backgrounds, but still be part of one class, one school, and one world.
Class size is another important consideration when thinking up the perfect classroom. The best case would be to have fourteen to eighteen children. I hope the maximum number not be more than twenty-five students. More than that and I would have trouble giving individual attention to each child. I have been in classes with only a dozen students and the learning curve and one-on-one attention were substantially better than in larger classes. With a smaller class size I can give my students the attention they need to succeed in the class.
With a class full of children, come twice as many parents. Hopefully they will care for their children’s education and help them with homework. I do not want to give too much homework. I know the children’s and parents’ out of school time is precious. I will only give what is truly necessary. With any luck they will also volunteer when needed.

There are many aspects to my ideal physical classroom. Windows are a must. These will let lots of natural light into the room. I will even take a classroom in a portable to get this sunshine. A large room would be wonderful. Each student should have their own desk. I feel they need this personal space. The desks need to have a place to keep all of their things inside. This way nothing will clutter the tops. All the desks should face the whiteboard. If desk are turned student with poor vision may not be able to see well. I would like to display the students work on the wall and outside the room. This way when parent come to visit they will know what the class has been working on. This is what I would like in my physical classroom.
I would also like to integrate technology in my classroom. I would like a laptop for each child to use in class. A Promethean™, interactive whiteboard, and a digital projector would be welcome addition to my future classroom. It is important that children have access to these new developments in the world of technology.
In conclusion, the most important thing in my classroom will be the children. I want to give them a safe and comfortable place to learn. Where they can learn and grow free from stress and frustration. Then they can go on to get good grade in high school and college. Hopefully they can take lesson from my class to become better, stronger, and responsible adults.

My Inspiration