FREEDOM?

AH! Did we really just sit through our LAST CLASS of Block I?! Crazy how time has flown. I guess freedom wont actually come until Wednesday at 3 but still other than the massive amount of papers and portfolio work left to complete and finals to study for--eh, maybe the freedom chant is too soon. I guess I should get to working on all that and start studying for finals. I've come to the edge, lets just hope all this work doesn't make me want to dive off. Congrats to 601 on us all successfully finishing classes. Lets make it through this next week! And hey, least we get to sleep in now.

Reflections

So I finished my reflection (or essay 3) on this past semester. I can't believe the time has come for me to wrap up my entire semester? Didn't we just go to Raquette Lake? Can we actually go back to the daddy long legs and awful rainy weather? Well maybe not the daddy long legs. I am so greatful for all the people I have gotten a chance to know in our section. We truly are a family. Each one of us brought something unique to the table which helped us all broaden our minds. It is going to be so weird next semester not seeing the same faces in every single class, but I do believe we will continue to help each other whenever asked. ALMOST THERE 601!!

Thanksgiving

I love being home! I really have missed it, especially these past few weeks where all the work seems to be getting harder and harder. I still can not believe its Thanksgiving though! WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE? I suppose into all the work for block I. This semester is coming to an end quickly and I am pretty sad about it. Some of my friends are graduating and wont be returning next semester, which makes this semester ending that much sadder. But enough with the sad, I am thankful that I have friends that make it so hard saying goodbye and an incredible family whom I love very much. I suppose all I can do is cherish the time left in this semester. I don't think it has hit me yet that next semester is my last at Cortland. Hey college, where'd you go? =[

Lure of the Labyrinth

Awesome math website! Lure of the Labyrinth is a digital game for middle-school pre-algebra students. It includes a wealth of intriguing math-based puzzles wrapped into an exciting narrative game in which students work to find their lost pet - and save the world from monsters! In Lure of the Labyrinth, students are experiencing mathematics in a different way than they usually do in your classroom. But they are building strong connections that can be the basis for going further when you bring that experience into your classroom. That's why we think that playing the game first and then connecting that experience to your curriculum is the most powerful way to use the game and the materials in this guide. I have always loved math growing up but always found many of my friends didn't. They found it to confusing and boring. But with a game such as this it engages students and really gets them thinking. And it can be Linked to both national and state standards, the game gives students a chance to actually think like mathematicians. TRY IT OUT! 

Technology Integration Professional Development Guide Article

The edutopia staff wrote an article on an overview of the Edutopia professional development guide for integrating technology tools in the classroom. They explain that technology integration is the "use of technology resources -- computers, digital cameras, CD-ROMs, software applications, the Internet, etc. -- in daily classroom practices, and in the management of a school.  The first part is known as the Guided Process. In this process participants are given a brief introduction to technology integration. Answering questions such as, "Why is technology integration important?"; "What is technology integration?"; and "How do you integrate technology into the classroom?"  The second part is know as the Group Participation. This part guides participants in envisioning technology integration. It requires participants to visit various educational Web sites and then to use what they found to brainstorm ideas for technology integration. The tasks are accomplished by using group collaboration and hands-on use of technology the Internet.


The article goes on to explain why we need technology integration. Besides the obvious, students live in a technological world and the excitement technology brings to the class, there is a necessity of today's students to have 21st Century Skills. These 21st Century Skills include:

• Personal and social responsibility
• Planning, critical thinking, reasoning, and creativity
• Strong communication skills, both for interpersonal and presentation needs
• Cross-cultural understanding
• Visualizing and decision-making
• Knowing how and when to use technology and choosing the most appropriate tool for the task

Technology has helped change the student/teacher roles and relationships. Promoting project-based learning styles, it engages students in their learning processes. Students acquire and use higher-order thinking, analysis, and problem solving and take responsibility for their learning outcomes. Teachers become guides and facilitators instead of education dictators.

Digital Story Project

I completed my digital story book on my hero, Eleanor Roosevelt. I can not believe how easy it was for me to work Windows Live Movie Maker! I took the pictures of the pages and uploaded them onto my computer and easily placed them in my movie. I thought recording my voice would take forever, and although I definitely had to take a few tries on a couple pages, I was finished in good timing. This is such a great way of incorporating technology and social studies together. I am definitely keeping my lesson write-up of the digital story to use in my future classroom and to show colleagues in hopes they will try it as well!

How to Use New-Media Tools in Your Classroom Video

In these brief video clips, educators and others from around the country give lessons about specific technology and social-media tools teachers can use with their students. As Susie Boss explained all the positives of having a twitter, I decided to get one! Although, I am not a teacher yet, I have been able to use it as a student to communicate with group members and other students in my class. I can definitely see how it would be beneficial for a teacher to get instant feedback from her students. Also the use of a wiki, like in my EDU315 class allows instant feedback for a teacher on assignments and allows an easily accessed hard copy of what projects may be due. The new-media today, especially social-media, are incredibly useful as students and teachers. It allows for a more ways of communication, which can never be seen as a problem in education.

iPads in Class

This past Monday in class we got to work with iPads. It truly amazes me the technology that comes out these days. The iPads are so incredible. There are so many apps that students can use to enhance their education. I played with a math app and a science app. When I got home I read, https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dfvwdtqp_691dvqrj8gq&pli=1 and found so many other apps that are offered. A person can download a book and even have it read to them! INSANE. Not to mention you can watch television. I can really see all the ways this type of technology can be used in the classroom. It is an easy and convenient way to literally bring the world to the student operating it. I really hope that in the future I will have the opportunity to use these devices in my own classroom.

Observation

Today I observed the first grade for the third time. I really am starting to get used to the schedule and the students. I remember being so afraid to start observing in the classroom and now I wish I could go everyday. The students are so enthusiastic about learning and about me helping them. It saddens me though that so many come from tough backgrounds. I've been able to work with one students whose disability has yet to be determined. He is 6 years old and has never seen a pediatrician before. He was supposed to be evaluated over the summer but his parents weren't able to bring him. The appointment is now scheduled for January. Although it is difficult to distinguish what he is trying to say, I love working with him. When he grasps a concept it is hard for me not to jump for joy with him. He is such a great child, I wish it were January already so that the doctors could figure out what is wrong and that the teachers will know how to approach his learning better. But working with him has led me to figuring out that when I go to grad school I want to get my masters in Special Education. Who would have thought 3 days in the first grade would help me figure out a major part of my future?

Week 6: New Technology and Seeing it in the Classroom

Last week in my technology class we learned about SMART Board and SMART Notebook and the many uses it has in a classroom. There are so many tools in SMART Notebook, such as a protractor and a compass. It was incredible to see this new technology and then to be able to interact with it on the SMART Board was astounding. This past Wednesday I observed in a 1st grade classroom where a SMART Board was present. During Math, the teacher used the SMART Board to do an activity involving ten-spots. The kids LOVED volunteering to go up to the SMART Board and fill in the ten-spot for it to match the number the teacher gave. Last week the teacher did a worksheet involving ten-spots and I noticed the children were so unengaged and easily distracted. The SMART Board is an incredible teaching tool. Students who I believed didn't know how to use ten-spots last week were the first ones to volunteer to go up to the board. Sometimes teachers forget that just because students seem uninterested doesn't mean they don't understand. This can cause a problem for teachers who are informally assessing their class. I thought it was so cool to learn about this new technology and all the things it can do and then see it actually implemented in the school I observe at. I am excited more lessons with the SMART Board in the future.

Week 5: When I Become a Teacher

In 2 minutes and 22 seconds this video strongly encourages teachers and soon-to-be teachers to "not fear technology, but to embrace it." Technology is rapidly growing but somehow has managed to sluggishly enter the classroom. I think it is very important for teachers to keep up with new technology. Technology in the classroom provides so much more opportunities for students. Not only is it more engaging but it instantly provides so much information for the students to access. The video allows classic teaching ideals, such as providing a safe environment for students, to be connected to new ideas such as of providing a safe environment for students on the web. It's important that teachers don't forget that learning never ends, even for them and I think that this video portrays that by encouraging teachers to use more technology in the classroom.

Week 4: Raquette Lake

To be completely honest, I was so scared for Raquette Lake. I am definitely the girl who gets freaked out by a spec of dirt and is constantly glued to her phone. The thought of being stuck in the middle of the woods with no signal was absolutely terrifying. Although I did NOT react well to the amount of spiders that inhabited the cabin at first, I was incredibly shocked of how accustomed I became to the woods. Despite the insects, Raquette Lake was incredibly beautiful. Growing up, I spent summers at my lake house on Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey and being near the lake reminded me of how much fun I used to have there. Canoeing with Dr. Shi was definitely one of my favorite activities, as was skit night. I still find myself singing "we're in the Adirondacks..." Once I started to feel comfortable in the wilderness, I really started to appreciate the history behind Camp Pine Knot and started to have a lot of fun. Our section definitely got a lot closer to each other as well as to our professors; something I doubt would have happened had we not gone. It's so easy to get caught up in all the stress that comes with being in school and planning for our future, Raquette Lake was almost a reminder for us all to have fun with everything we do, whether it be in teaching or in everyday life. I am extremely grateful for that.

About Me

• Your First name: Amy

• Four adjectives that describe you: Dedicated, honest, energetic, and caring

• Sibling: Sibling of 3, I have both an older and younger sister.

• Lover of (3 things): classic movies, laughing and family

• Who feels (3 things): blessed, stressed, and loved

• Who fears (3 things): the future, spiders, and heights

• Who would like to see (3 things): Italy, Greece, and Ireland

• Resident of (street, city, state) Archer Drive, Monroe, NY

• Your profession (job - where do you work?): I am a student at SUNY Cortland and over summer and winter break I work at Guess.

• Your last name: Mahoney