Balancing Life...

As I think about balancing work and my home life I don't seem to have much of an issue. Balancing work, school and home life seems to be another story! Working full time as a preschool teacher, then attending school full time this semester as a grad student leaves me very little time to have a social life...or any life at all.  I try my best to balance my homework around everything else that is going on in my life. I actually feel like having such a busy life schedule has made me master time management skills. My priorities are in order, I know I need to get my homework done before I can go out on the weekends. I actually usually spend all my weekend doing homework since I do not have the chance to do it during the week because after work I have to go right to class and after class I am way to tired to attempted to start or look at any homework! Like will only be this crazy for a few more months! Come December, I will gradate and have much more time to myself and for myself!

Collaborative vs Cooperative

I guess I never really thought of the difference between collaborative and cooperative learning.  But after reading the article, "Collaborative versus cooperative learning," I am more aware that there is in fact a difference. For the most part, each allows for group involvement, discussions and debates.  However, cooperative learning is done so in a more structural way where as collaborative learning is done with more flexibility.  In cooperative learning, the instructor is in the center of the lesson/activity.  The questions have specific answers. In collaborative learning, the groups have the power over the instructor and the lessons/activities hold more opened ended questioning. I love that Rockwood uses both techniques in his classroom depending on the levels of his students.  Those students who need more structure, guidance and feedback stick to the cooperative learning technique where the students who are more independent and can think at a higher level use the collaborative approach.  I think this is a great way to differentiate for the students in his classroom. I don't think one technique works better than the other, I think both can be used in the same classroom in many different ways. You have to look at your students individually, which students would benefit from which technique?


While reading the article on "Constructivism- The WebQuest Model," I agreed with the statement that said, "It is important for schools/instructors/education to provide learning environments that enhance learners' curiosity, motivation, and desire/need to take action towards finding solutions." It is more meaningful when a student can think critically, reflect and relate what he is learning.  Web quests are great techniques and tools to use that touch on curiosity, motivation, desire, critical thinking, reflecting and relating. They promote a higher level of thinking from all students. 

Cathy Davidson talked about forms of technology that has changed the way humans communicate that will never change back. Humans learned to write. Writing allowed of proof of a documentation. It was possible to transfer writings from one place to another by mail.  Movable type changing the way humans communicated. It allowed for people to write more by typing. Novels were created. Cathy Davidson wants teachers to teach toward students futures, not their pasts. People in Japan are put into groups as a culture and they live life teaching and learning based off their group collaboratively and cooperatively.  People of America need to be taught how to work in groups and need to be taught how to collaborate and cooperate. I thought that was really interesting that people in Japan by nature know how to work in groups and that is their way of life but people in American have to be taught this. It really made me think when Davidson said, "If teachers can be replaced by a computer screen then they should be." Davidson is not saying teachers should be extinct.  She is saying teachers need to be adding something that no computer can replicate or replace.  I thought that was really powerful!

Slice of Life

 
Loving
Adventurous
Unique
Real
Awesome

As I break down my name, I found it pretty hard to actually come up with things to describe myself. I'm not one of those people that like to pat myself on the back. But I truly do think I am a very loving person. I always put my friends and family first, before my own feelings and concerns.  I would do anything for the people I love. I love to go out with my friends and I am always "down to do whatever." I fee like that makes me an adventurous person! You would think "U" would be hard to find a word to describe yourself but surprisingly it was the easiest! I feel like I am truly a one of kind person. I am out going, fun and irreplaceable! (haha). I find myself being extremely "real" to the people around me and those that I care about. I have been told I can be very honest (which may not be a good thing!).  And lastly, awesome. Everyone thinks they are amazing, right?!

Literacy 21

Literacy 21 not only looks at reading and writing but it looks as ways to make it interactive and collaborative.  Teachers now have to be well rounded in all aspects of learning.  It is important to have the ability to teach in different environments, settings and with students who have many different abilities and learning styles.  One of the newest and more important aspect of a Literacy Teacher in the 21st century is the ability to be technology proficient. As digital immigrants are slowly decreasing, digital natives are rapidly increasing!

I feel it is extremely important for teachers to teach literacy in the 21st century.  Online learning is becoming more and more popular and comfortable to college students everywhere. But why not use it at a High School or Elementary level as well? It is a great way to get interactive and collaborative learning with students not just from your own classroom, town, state or even country! Online learning now offered the ability to communicate and learn effectively from students and teachers all around the world!

A few techniques that allows this to happen is Video Conferencing, Blogging, Pod-casting, and wikis. It's amazing that these forms of technology allow people to have conversations and learn from one another without ever physically meeting. As we have discussed blogging, pod-casting and wikis before, I want to focus in more to video conferencing. 

Video conferencing s a collaborative technology that allows for breaking news topics to be able to e discussed, reflected on and debated in classrooms today.  Not only have students reflect, discuss and debate on real life events that are happenings around them everyday, they are also provided with the opportunity to look at life and new in other places, other countries.  They are able to understand the world around them a little better. What struggles are other countries facing? What's different about other counties? What's life like somewhere else?  It's an amazing way for students to learn about different cultures of the world.

Soliya is a great way for this video conferencing to happen! It allows students from all over the world to discuss on the same topics and really bond over current issues in the world.  It's a unique way for students to learn from each other, to express their opinions and to debate over their beliefs.
Soliya Video

Excited of Exhausted?

I can honestly say I'm a little bit of both.  Working full time as a preschool teacher is extremely rewarding. I am able to teach my students letters, letters sound, letter recognition, counting, numbers, number recognition. Each week we focus on a different theme. We just finished our second week of Dr. Sues as we start up a new week of Spring! Creating different activities, projects and science experiments with a group full or three and four year old's is exciting...and exhausting at the same time! As I attended Mount Saint Mary College this semester as a full time student in their Master's Program it is both exciting and exhausting! I am so excited to be finish in December...there is light at the end of this long journey! I am exhausted of having to attend classes full time on top of working full time.  I am the Maid of Honor in my cousins wedding which is fast approaching us in June. With her Bridal Shower right around the counter, the planning has gotten to be very exhausting but I am excited to be sharing this day with her! And finally, as March 31st approaches I am excited to be turning 25 years old...but is there any time in this busy life to even celebrate??

Wikis

I've only used Wiki's in class to submit homework assignments on my Teacher's class Wiki site.  After reading more on Wiki's it is obvious this creation is a great tool! In the first article I read, they talk about Wiki's improving in students' writing skills, improvement in the student' sharing of ideas, critical feedback, confidence and greater motivation to participate in actives.  As teachers, we are always commenting on the importance of student engagement and motivation.  This is an exceptionally well developed tool to enhance students interest in completing an assignment.  

I feel that Wiki's can be used educationally in many different ways. First, Wiki's can be used the way I have used them.  The teacher sets up a Class Wiki Page with all the assignments, an explanation, a rubric and the due date.  The students can simply go in and "edit" or submit their assignment to the correct page.  It is a very organized way to submit paperless assignments! Second, Wiki's can be used by teachers to create a whole lesson or project. Students are able to easily navigate their way through the whole lesson/project.  Third, Wiki's can be used in classrooms to formulate a group collaborative project.  Wiki's allow each student to access and edit the workspace at different times and in different locations.  
Examples of Wiki pages used by teachers:
Example 1 
Example 2
Example 3 

My group used PBWORKS to create our Wiki on TubeChop. Pbworks was a great way for each group member to contribute their own part of the project.  It was easy and fast for us to complete the project due to the ability to add edit a different page at the same time while being home on our own computers. 

You never really think of Wikipedia as a Wiki...but that's exactly what it is! Many people always say never to use Wikipedia as a source of information because no one really knows how accurate that information is.  Wikipedia is a Wiki page that everyone in the world has access to as long as they have internet.  I think it's fascinating that there is one page that literally everyone in the world has access to.  Someone can edit and change anything they want while someone in Australia can do the same exact thing a few seconds later.  This makes you think that Wiki's are a great from of communication as well!  I'll admit, I love Wikipedia!

Slice Of Life

Everyone's feet were full of paint. Green, yellow everywhere. On the table, on the chairs, on the floor, their arms, my hands, my shoes... I didn't know what to do so I went with the flow.  "Put your feet in the paint." "Put your feet on the paper." "Make your feet dance." "Put your feet in the water." Over and over again until twelve pairs of feet were painted and cleaned. That's twenty four feet, one hundred and twenty toes! I was exhausted to say the least. Mary was a big help. She cleaned as I painted. I painted as she cleaned. Before I knew it, the day was over. It was time to tidy up and go home. But before that, we had to clean up the mad house of a room. We said, "Clean up." No one listened. We sang our song, "Tidy up, tidy up, put your things away. Tidy up, Tidy up, we're finished for today." Still, no one listened. Finally Dana began to help...Dana did all the work. No one was allowed to dance. No one was allowed to do the Bear Hunt. No one was allowed to bring in their dolls/stuffed animals/super heroes the next day....The parents came. They didn't see any dancing, they knew something was wrong. Let's hope for a better day tomorrow. Let's hope for some listening ears. We can only do fun things like paint our feet when we have our listening ears on.