Blog Due April 6

Title:  Self-Evaluation of College Knowledge Presentation

Reflect on your College Knowledge presentation.  Put in the required elements and answer 4 questions of your choice from the ones listed below.

All answers must be written in complete sentences.  Answers should be a minimum of two sentences.

Required Elements:  

• Title (10 points)
• Link to Kallas blog post (10 points)

Responses to 4 (four) of the following questions (20 points each):

• What I liked best about my College Knowledge slide deck was...
• A technology skill I learned (or reinforced) from this assignment was ...
• A fact that I learned or was surprised about was ...
• I would consider attending (school name) because ...
• What my audience learned during my presentation was ...
• The best part of my presentation was ...
• If I could have a do-over I would change the following: 
• A mistake I will avoid the next time I create a Google slide deck is...
• A mistake I will avoid the next time I present in front of an audience is ...
• I think my peers would describe my presentation as .... because...
• On a scale of 1 - 10 (10 is highest), I think I earned a ___ on my presentation because ...
• On a scale of 1 - 10 (10 is highest), I think I earned a ___ on my slide deck because ...

Remember, -1 point for each error in spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization and composition.
Keep formatting in mind for readability.

Blog due March 9

Title:  Issues in Education: How Much Do Voters Know?

You have recently learned who some of the top administrators of education are in your school district, the state and the nation. You have learned about some of the current "hot topics" that are on the minds of education policy makers.  It is important to be knowledgable on issues that affect so much of a country's population when going to the polls and casting your vote.  The decisions made by voters and the officials they elect (or are appointed by those they elect) affect the overall well-being of the country.

See how much the eligible voters around you know about who their education administrators are and what the current "hot topics" in education happen to be.  Administer the survey you received in class to 5 people of your choice (20 points for each survey = 100 daily grade).  You may administer them to teachers, administrators, parents, community members and other students who are voting age (18) or older.  If you are over 18, you may fill out the survey once. All surveys must be fully complete and signed to count. (No partial points for an incomplete survey) You must not have more than 3 students in your sample.  You must include at least one school employee.

Review your completed surveys by filling in the table linked on your CANVAS account.  Be sure to make a copy of it,  and then post your results.  Insert a screenshot of your completed table on your blog (20 points).
Answer the following questions on your blog:

• What do your results say about the voters you surveyed regarding their level of knowledge when voting on issues related to education? (10 pts)
• What are 2 things that could be done to expand the current awareness of issues that voters have on these issues?  (10 pts.)

Remember the blog rules.  2 media sources, original ideas, and follow spelling, punctuation, capitalization and grammar rules. Complete the rubric for your blog and staple your completed surveys behind it.

Blog Due: Friday, January 12

Title:  Beyond the Blackboard

Due Date:  Friday, Janaury 12 (or it is homework)

After viewing the movie, Beyond the Blackboard, create a blog post to meet the following requirements.  How would you go "Beyond the Blackboard" to meet the needs of students who are diverse learners? 

• Pick from one of the following scenarios.  As the classroom teacher, what would you do to assist this student both instructionally and emotionally?  
• Begin by indicating which scenario you are responding to (Number will do).  Your answer must be at least 5 sentences long.  Details are necessary.  A vague answer will not earn the points. 
• Somewhere in your blog post, indicate that you are replying to the Matter of Principles blog post and embed the link to the blog post. 
• Add a graphic.  You may choose anything that relates to the scenario you are answering. 

Scenario 1: 
Adrian has been diagnosed with mild intellectual disability.  Although it is not outwardly noticable to his friends, he struggles with processing information, especially in math.  Most of his problem seems to stem from difficulty keeping up in class.  What could you do as his teacher?  Be specific.

Scenario 2:
Lihn has been making unusual errors on work in class.  Spelling errors are noticable on her papers.  When asked to read aloud, Lihn usually declines or reads with many incorrect pronounciations.  You have found out that she has recently been diagnosed to have a hearing problem.  What are some strategies you could use to make learning easier for Lihn?  Be specific.

Scenario 3:
At the beginning of the second semester, you get a new student in class.  Uri has been in the U.S. for 5 years, immigrating from Russia.  Although he understands English fairly well, his speaking and writing of the language is lacking.  What are some strategies or techniques that would help Uri in your class.  Be detailed.

It's All About Me - How I Best Learn!

Title:  It's All About Me - How I Best Learn!

Due Date:  Various Portions will be due on various dates.  Watch for deadlines!

Everyone has a unique combination of experiences, expectations, and abilities.  This allows us to showcase the particular qualities that make us individuals.  However, in education, often times there is an unwritten expected mold that students are supposed to fit into.  If your background, knowledge and skills plays to this expectation, then you will be rewarded with academic success.

What about the students that do not fit into the mold?  How do teachers make them feel valued and accepted?  What if you are one of those students who needs a climate where your differences are fostered?

As you begin to uncover your learning preferences and the characteristics that allow you to learn best, record the following information on a blog post.  You will update this blog post regularly as we add new information in class.

Be sure to begin with a title (above) and include a reference to this blog post.

My Learning Style(s)
After taking the learning styles indicator on Career Cruising, indicate your preferred learning style(s). Post a brief description in your own words of what characterizes your style(s). Discuss activities next to each of your styles that you especially like to do.  For example, if you are an auditory learner, you might indicate that you enjoy reading passages from a novel aloud in your English class.  Add a screenshot of your Learning Styles graph to your blog.  Add a media source.

My Multiple Intelligences

Add the Multiple Intelligences (2 - 4) in which you had the highest scores.  Explain briefly what each of them mean about you related to the way you like to learn.  Give an example of a learning activity or strategy that would suit you. For example,  a person with musical intelligence may like to write a song and perform it rather than write a report.  Add a screenshot of your Multiple Intelligences graph to your blog.  Add a media source.




My Hemisphericity Preference

Indicate the side of the brain you prefer to draw upon to learn.  List 5 characteristics that learners who use this side of the brain usually exhibit?  What dialogue might you be caught using with your teachers?  Add a media source to feature in this area. 

My True Colors

Indicate your "True Color".  Add a list of 10 bulleted words or phrases that best describe you from the scoring tool.  Describe what a bad day looks like for you using information from the references provided.  Add a media source. 

Learning Strategies - Due Date: Nov. 17

Title:  Learning Strategies

• Record the strategies introduced and demonstrated in class during the History of Education unit.  You will need to record the name of the strategy, then add a brief description of the strategy that will help you remember how it is used.  
• Number your entries.

Example:
1.  Blind Sequence:  In small groups, have students place in order cards with concepts, dates, or ideas on them.  This should be done prior to the study of the information.  Check students' responses to see how much knowledge they have.  Share correct sequence as unit is introduced.

2.  Enter your second strategy as it is introduced.

Digital Journal Slide (DJ) Due Oct. 4

Title:  The Leader in Me!

Transferable Skills:  Skills used to perform a task or job that can be applied to another situation.  

Leadership Observed

How are an effective teacher and a good leader similar?  Through what actions and activities does a teacher use leadership skills?  Explain your answer with 3 examples, anecdotes, testimonials, or more of leadership displayed by past and present teachers you have had or teachers portrayed in movies, television and literature.

My Leadership in Action

How will you improve your own leadership skills this year?  List organizations or activities in which you are involved in school and the community.  Describe how participation in these groups will help or has helped develop your leadership.  What? You don't have any experiences with leadership?  What are some organizations that focus on leadership?  Explain how they could help you develop our leadership skills.  Be specific.  







1.  Responds to the following prompts above.  You should have two portions in your response - label one portion Leadership Observed and the other My Leadership in Action.  (See layout above)

2.  Format your response by adding spacing between paragraphs or sections of your entry, adding interest with font selection, size, color, alignment, and more.

3.  Add two pictures/graphics to give interest to your slide.  (Hint:  Drag or copy pictures to the desktop.  Then drag them from the desktop to your slide.  Position and resize to add visual interest.)

4.  Share your slide by clicking the blue share button, then the button on the top right and make sure it turns green.  Edit and make changes as necessary.

Blog Due: Wednesday, September 27

Your Title:  The Top 20 Characteristics/Dispositions Teachers Need

In a column, list 20 words that you feel are the top characteristics or dispositions needed by a teacher to be effective.  Note:  Avoid vague or overused general terms such as nice, happy, cool, fun, awesome, and others that are slang terms.

Next, select 5 of the words and give an example of how this would look or sound in an effective teacher.
Example:
Joy:  The joyful teacher helped her students feel great pleasure and happiness when they mastered the task of learning to divide with two-digit divisors!

• Which characteristic do you feel is the most important for a teacher to display in the classroom?  Why?

• Identify a characteristic which is not one of your stronger traits.  What will this mean for the way you operate in the classroom?

Using the 20 words you defined, create a word cloud using Word It Out.
Helpful hints:  Copy the list of 20 words you made above and paste in the word cloud generator.
Be sure that you include your first and last name at the top of the list. First~Last
Words that stick together such as your name need to have a "~" inserted between them.
You may pick a font, colors, and more, but be sure that your cloud is readable

Embed your word cloud in your blog.  Hint:  Command Shift 4, then drag from desktop to your blog.