Week 2

This week, we talked about data during our on-line class. Being a math teacher I find the data interesting and something that is very over looked. We often test and test and research but look for the only data that supports their claim. Our district has changed to rules for how we mark students tardy to class. They can be marked tardy for up to one minute after the bell rings, once it has passed the one minute mark, they are considered absent. Recently we were presented data that the students who were marked tardy to first hour was down by 20%. We were, however, not presented data on the number of students who were marked absent.

Data can be a powerful piece towards getting others to support our viewpoint. When we make students take standardized test data is generated for us. We need to create a team of teachers and administrators to analyze that data. The data is pointless if it is not able to be used to better the students that take it. One of the biggest issues withe the WKCE is the timing in which educators get the results of their students. We need to start examining the data we are offered and differentiate when necessary to ensure our students are getting the most out of every year.

Another thing we were asked to examine this week was being a teacher leader through our readings. When I applied for my current job the head principal started listing the number of people who would take part of my face to face interview and it was up to eight people. Having worked with my department, I can't imagine having someone else do a "blind hire" for our department. When we speak of when I was hired they noted that I was a good fit for the department. We all share an office and need to be able to be effective communicators with each other. I did participated in interview where there was just the principal interviewing me and it was frustrating when they were finally forthright at the end that they have had a long-term sub who has also applied for the job. I know that my department was comfortable with the decision they made because they were respected enough to have their opinion asked for. So many times it is easier and/or more efficient to make the choice ourselves, but when you can collaborate with colleagues a community is built and you have a better chance of being an effective teacher and group of teachers.

Cedu 527 Leadership

This week we started to discuss four different styles of leadership and some of their characteristics. It is important to be able to demonstrate all four of these types to be an effective leader. I can see how I have used each of these in my classroom, just by what I say or how I try to motivate students. It is interesting how mostly subconscious it all is.

When we did the jigsaw I was able to read the article about ten different types of leadership roles teachers can take. I have notice that I do some of these, but others I would like to do. Being the youngest person in my department by eight years it is sometimes difficult. My department chair has children my age, so the first couple years it was difficult to find a voice as a leader outside of my own classroom. I am lucky enough to work in an amazing department. We all share a common office so there are many opportunities for me to be resource providers to each other. This actually saved me my first year teaching. Everyone was very willing to offer information, lesson plans, and assessments. I have also stepped up to be a building representative for the union, which was actually some really good advice I got from a second year teacher. She said that I had no clue what they were talking about at general membership meetings, so she ran to be a representative so she would know what is going on.

Being so young the first couple years I often felt a little underutilized. Sure I was the go to person if something needed to be chaperoned, but was rarely asked my opinion outside of my department. I might have the most technology experience out of my entire department, including but young teachers are rarely asked to be on the technology committee. We are the ones that are most recently trained in technology with the latest applications available. I am also a person who is willing to seek out information on my own, where as some teacher won't even the ones who are presented with different ways to approach curriculum. I should start to step-up more around my building because the senior staff member won't be here forever.

Web 2.0 Tools

This week in CEDu533 we explored Web 2.0 tools. Our instructor created an amazing mind-map filled with tons of resources. I already shared it with my mom, who I know will in-turn, pass it along with the rest of her school. There are many different way to encourage student learning using these resources, but for me, they aren't always the best.

For high level mathematics, I find it often difficult to use some of the Web 2.0 tools with my students. It would be different if they each had their own laptop, but I can't justify the time spent going to the computer lab when using an overhead, or the Smartboard, is more efficient and just as effective. I understand that I should try to find appropriate opportunities throughout the semester to try to incorporate these learning tools, but it is also often difficult to have the computer lab open at the perfect time, for all classes. The Zoho tools like very useful when students are working on their collaborative fractal presentations, as is the Google.docs. The polleverywhere also looks like it could be a quick in-class or out of class way to get some feedback about their knowledge, provided they have a cell phone with text messages. I could also not assign this if students didn't have a cell phone plan which requires them to pay per text.

Another tool which I can see using is the Certificate Street. This website has so many different downloadable templates to choose from, far more than Word has. This could be useful for my extra-curricular programs and in class. Overall, there is so much out there that is available to teachers for help and to make some things easier. Just spend a little time looking and it might save some time or be the best thing for your student.s

CEDu 533 Class #4

This past week in class we had time to play around with multiple web-page building sites. These sites offer many different templates for web-sites to be used in every different type of instance. Working with these, it has solidified how inadequate our school's "school center" web software is. This past week I tried to upload the JAVA applet for the graphing calculator, because it would be such a great took for students to have at home, just-in-case they left their calculator at school. I got a couple of the documents uploaded into the document manager, but when I tried to upload the .jav, it said the site would not support this type of applets. HOW ANNOYING! I'm just trying to make my web-site better for my students to use and the program won't let me.

Having the web-site it has given me one more line of defense from excuses. My students can no longer state, I didn't know what the homework assignment it was... it's posted in two different places. I update their grades on a daily basis, listing the homework on SMS, PowerSchool, which all students have an access code for. I have also, surprisingly, been very diligent about updating my class web-page daily. I have been updating it daily for two of my three class, mainly because I am on the SMART Board for those classes and it is so easy to upload the notes from class. I would like to change my web-site but right now, my students know where to go, and how to go through the process of hunting for it, since it's hosted by the school, the URL isn't that friendly, so should I wait to switch it at the end of the year?!?! Not sure if there's a perfect answer to the questions, but I can also link items for now to help out my students. We'll see how it goes.