blog@geibtechforlearning

For my professional goal I would again like to try to incorporate group activities in my class making the roles clearer to each student. Each student will learn that his or her part is important in the group and take responsibility over it. I would also like to learn how to work with google earth enhancing student learning in all academic areas and learn how to use technology addressing multiple intelligence.
A unit that I would choose to do in class would be in science because this year’s new adoption is not challenging the students learning and it’s boring to use. I really want to be able to reach all students who are at different levels of thinking to help them enjoy their academic learning.
For my personal goal I would like to be able to survive the two courses that I’m taking at APU without having a nervous break down. I’ll be working as a 2/3 teacher, which is totally new to me where I have 8 second graders who are over flows and 12 third graders. Spending time with my baby means a lot to me so I want to make sure that I still have time for my child at home as well as have sometime for myself where I can relax just a little after a hard day of work or of doing homework. Surviving the holidays is also a goal because you can’t be in two places at the same time and usually that’s what my family and my husband’s family wants us to do now that we have a baby. It’s hard to go everywhere because the baby becomes fussy and tired of being kissed and held all the time. My district is another issue where the teacher’s union expects for all teachers to go and strike practically every week on Fridays in front of the schools. In the end I hope to learn as much as I can to help my students in class this year and survive the new changes in my life.

Professionally speaking, I hope to accomplish a lot over the next eleven weeks. Topping out that long list, I want to finally get my wiki up and running. I believe the wiki is a powerful tool and if given an opportunity, can really get my group projects back on track. Having a strong understanding of how wikis work, along with a clear vision of what I want to accomplish with them, is key to my student’s academic success. Perhaps speaking with teachers across the grade-level curriculum will further promote project based group instruction.

Our school is in the process of reapplying for the California Distinguished School Award, which has added tremendously to my workload. It seems as if new stuff can be dumped upon me at a moments notice. Take today’s picture taking during my prep. I have to let administration know that they cannot expect things at a whim.

I have been selected to be a part of our school’s new technology committee. If given the chance, I would like to share some of the components I have learned from this APU program with my peers at school. We have a strong push from our district to implement technology into daily instruction, but it seems as if today’s teachers are lost when it comes to doing this. Blogging at the elementary level can be powerful and I know my staff will be into it if given the chance. Podcasting notes or review sessions at the MS level will enable lower students to finally “get it” and assist frustrated parents.

This year is another adoption year in CVUSD. Once again, I have volunteered to pilot a new math adoption. This brings new challenges in and of itself. More meetings. More time away from my family. More time away from planning my curriculum. Although it will add more to my plate, I am excited about the thought of a new math program. Hopefully, there is a good one out there. Who knows, it might even have a technology component.

On a more personal note, I know this year is going to be a busy one. Since beginning the APU program, one of my most noted accomplishments has been the management of my time between work, school and my family. There are times when I feel stretched extremely thin, but in the end my family comes first. I am already half way through the program and boy has it flown by.

Professional and Personal Goals: 14 November 2007-23 January 2008

I need to get a Health/Nutrition/Mass Media unit finished for Education in the Digital Age. I need to address including manipulatives in some part of the unit, because that is one of the modalities I think that I am not addressing. I think that adding a wiki to my website is a great idea, as students already have some experience with wikis because of Richard and Josh.
I also have started writing a unit called “Dare to Dream”, in which students focus on researching an inspiring human who may be unfamiliar to them, like Sojourner Truth, Alexander Augusta, and Team Hoyt. I need to produce a lesson wherein the students present artifacts using Excel, PowerPoint, Inspiration, and Word, while also honing their research and notetaking skills. This may be better left for the Capstone project.
I would also like to add DVD clips from YouTube to my curriculum. There are so many videos that would be good for demonstrating what technology can be used for; there was a great one about women in art that showed all kinds of morphing as one portrait faded into the next portrait. It would be excellent to expose students to art as well as technology. Some students really benefit from some kind of active video presentation, and it is a nice break from something static.
Another challenge is that I am selling my condo and we are selling our house so that my husband can start his next project and I can have room for horses and a simple arena in which to work. This can be a little stressful if we need to plan for a move in the next three months, so I am trying to get rid of stuff now.
To accomplish all of these goals is possible. I need to spend my energy on things that matter.