Monday, October 19, 2015

Concept Maps: What a Concept!

Concept maps; we have all heard about them, but how do we use one in the classroom? I created one for language arts in the 2nd grade. If you haven't noticed by now, I am a book nerd. I have one laying in the chair next to me in class, just in case I get done early and have a little time to sneak in a page or two or three.

My love of literature is what I am known for in my family. My parents, my siblings, my husband, and my children are aware of my obsession with reading. I took this obsession and turned it into a project to use for my future students.

My main idea of the map was 'Books for Second Graders'. I then made branches off of that main topic for my subtopics. My subtopics were: 'Girl Main Characters', 'Boy Main Characters', 'Fantasy', 'Animal Characters', and 'Mysteries'. From each subtopic I gave two book ideas for each one of the categories. Some of my book choices were more recent, while others were classics that I grew up with.

Teachers can use concept maps for any subject. Kidspiration.com offers a great app as well as a free trial for teachers to try it out before they purchase it. Once there, the realm of possibilities is endless. After the map is created there is an opportunity to write notes on a separate screen. This would be great for a teacher to jot down key main points that he or she would like to discuss with her students.


Taking the Guesswork Out of a Rubric

By a show of hands, how many of you have painstakingly created a rubric by scratch? No templates, no websites, you straight up made yourself a rubric and loved it? I did, too, until I was introduced to RubiStar.

This website is a must for all teachers, whether you are an old pro, or you are a student learning about teaching. You simply visit http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php and then get started. On the homepage there is a list of different subjects into which you want to create a rubric for. I chose Reading for my subject. From there it will list different subareas for your subject.

RubiStar offered already created rubrics, create your own rubrics, as well as an option to add onto an already created rubric. Below is a picture of my created rubric that I chose. I love how it turned out! One of the hardest things with grading is figuring out how you will grade, how to deduct points, what makes a project worth a perfect score, etc. RubiStar took out a lot of the guess work for me.




Monday, September 28, 2015

Originality is Best

I recently had an opportunity to play around with Turnitin. If you are unsure of what Turnitin is, it is an incredible tool to assist teachers in flagging plagiarized work. The student uploads their paper within this program. Turnitin then processes and gives the student a percentage of what is plagiarized.  Most teachers will have a percentage for the student to keep their plagiarized number under. For example, my class had to keep ours under twenty-five percent for the specific assignment.

This assignment was two-fold. The first being to plagiarize a report to see what it means to plagiarize. After my submission I received a 98%! That is NOT a good number.

For the second part, my assignment had to be under twenty-five percent. I received a 2%. So much better than that prior 98%, wouldn't you say?

When I went through high school in the 90s there was no Turnitin software loaded on my school's computer system. Everything was turned in by hand, by a typewriter. I cannot imagine how hard it was for professors to flag plagiarism. Now teachers use Turnitin and this helps catch students who cheat as well as it helps students get a feel for what true plagiarism really is.


Sunday, September 20, 2015

Reflecting Back to My Concept Map

Books for Second Graders
I recently had an opportunity to create a concept map for a grade and subject of my choosing. Me, being a lover of all things English and Literature Arts, chose 2nd grade Language Arts. My map created an easy-to-follow diagram of books for second grade students, both boys and girls. 

I had five different categories: Mysteries, Animal Characters, Boy Main Characters, Girl Main Characters, and Fantasy. I didn't want to label any category 'books for girls' or 'books for boys'. I never want one of my students to feel as if because they like books with an opposite sex main character that that is a bad thing. 

With each main topic I chose two different books that fit into the specific genre that I came up with. I had a lot of fun browsing books that sounded like great reads, and that had interesting main characters. Many of these books were older books being published before my year of birth (1979), and others were newer releases. I included the book titles and authors for my students to write down and have an easy access to finding these books at the library.

Off of my fantasy main topic I had a book called Journey. This book is truly incredible. I bought it for my own children and they adore it. The great thing about Journey is that there are no words! Each student has their own journey that they create in their mind as they read. I branched off of Journey to add two more thought bubbles. In these thought bubbles I created what the book is about and why I love this book so much so that I recommend it to my students.

I loved making a concept map and can see it being used in a variety of different ways for my classroom. It isn't as easy as it looks to create. You need to have colors that will capture your students' eyes, but you don't want the colors so obnoxious that it makes it difficult to read or distracting. 


Monday, August 31, 2015

ISTE Standards






ISTE stands for International Society for Technology in Education. This organization has an international scope which focuses on the improvement of both teaching and learning through an effective integration of technology from grades pre-kindergarten through 12th as well as for teacher education. With membership to this organization comes many different opportunities for the member to include information, opportunities for networking, and guidance to integrate technology into the classroom. ISTE provides many different resources on their website, www.iste.org, to include links to bookstores that offer publications to help guide the technology using teacher, a monthly journal, a yearly conference, a multitude of resources that share ideas about integrating technology into the classroom, the National Educational Technology Standards for teachers (NETS-T), students (NETS-S), and administrators (NETS-A).

The ISTE standards are as follows:


1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments


2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the Standards•S. a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources d. Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards, and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching


3. Model digital age work and learning

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. a. Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation ISTE Standards Teachers International Society for Technology in Education Effective teachers model and apply the ISTE Standards for Students (Standards•S) as they design, implement, and assess learning experiences to engage students and improve learning; enrich professional practice; and provide positive models for students, colleagues, and the community. All teachers should meet the following standards and performance indicators. c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats d. Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning


4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. a. Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources b. Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources c. Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information d. Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital age communication and collaboration tools iste.org/standards


5. Engage in professional growth and leadership

Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. a. Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning b. Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others c. Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning d. Contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and selfrenewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community

Saturday, August 29, 2015

An Introduction



Hello and welcome to my little corner of the internet. Before I go any further, I would like to tell you a little about myself and who I am, where I come from.

I was raised in a mid-size city called Springfield, Missouri. I lived here from before kindergarten through the age of 21. A month into my 21st year I joined the Air Force where I served from July of 2000 until July of 2007. In that short amount of time I lived in Texas, Turkey, and deployed for approximately six months to Balad, Iraq.

I am a mom of four children ages 7, 6, 4, and 2 years old (three girls and one boy). My husband has been in the Air Force for over 18 years.

My dream has always been to be an elementary teacher. After the military and being a stay at home mom I decided to make my one time dream become a reality. It has been a great journey thus far, and I am excited with the possibilities that my future holds in the school system

The purpose of the blogfolio is to keep a permanent portfolio of all of my work. This is both important and useful because when I receive my teaching certification I will have this collection of work to go back and utilize as needed. It is a great idea and concept, as well as a great way to ensure it doesn't get destroyed an/or deleted as paper files or files on a computer. It is also a great idea because as a teacher we need to be schooled on technology frequently and keep up with our students, as well as learn about technology so we can ensure our future students will be taught with appropriate information.