APA paper formatting

I do think this assignment was difficult to finish. I wasn't able to figure out certain parts of the assignment so I had to type it out all the way by hand. I do now have a better grasp on how to handle apa format however and make use of it for future projects. I finally figured out how manipulate the microsoft word document using apa format. I have never really used this format before because the school where I got my undergraduate degree at used a different format. I am glad I learned to use it though because it is the format that Concordia prefers for us to learn to use when writing out papers for the MAT program. It took alot longer to do the assignment than I orginally thought it would take. The only real problem I came across was how to make the page numbers change for each page. I was able to do this when I opened my own document and did it from scratch, but was unable to do it using the draft and trying to make changes to it.

Excel spread sheet

I found this assignment extremely difficult to do. I do not know if I will remember all the steps to use in the future. I do however think it would be a valuable tool to make use of for the classroom. I am definitely going to have to take an additional course for this application before I feel comfortable implementing its use in the classroom. I really wish we had additional time, handouts, books or something other than just the videos to help explain the steps necessary to finish the excel spread sheet.

Powerpoint assignment

This assignment was quite hard for me, but it was also the most fulfilling once I finished it. I had the most fun trying to figure out how to get my powerpoint to look the way I wanted it to. I really enjoyed doing it overall though and really like the end results. I thought this class was really time consuming and it had to much work involved considering that there was not enough instruction on how to do the assignments.

End of Ed tech class

This class was more difficult than I thought it would be. I really enjoyed it for the most part, but feel with a little extra teaching it would have been more beneficial. I found myself having to go to the other students in the class alot to be able to figure out how to do alot of the work. There were several times when I couldn't open several of the applications at any given time. I do think I learned quite a bit still though. I just thought it wouldn't be as stressful if I had more instructions from the instructors of the course, or even if we were able to meet at least once.

website assignment

I am doing great this week now that I only have one class to concentrate on. I am a little concerned about making a website however. I did not find the videos very helpful to my making a website. I am going to keep trying tomorrow. I want to make sure that I really get a handle on how to make a website, because I feel that it would benefit me as a teacher to have a webpage. I just really need to learn how to make one, and wish I had someone to teach me how to. The rest of the assignments are going really well. I hope that I am able to figure this out on my own. I am going to also use a website that my 16 year old son tells me is really easy to use, and also allows you to make a free webpage. I can't believe he knows more about making a webpage than I do. Maybe I can recruit him to help me out some.

Using blogs in the classroom

I found the article "Don't Feed the Trolls" to be an interesting read. I think blogs could be helpful as well as a learning experienc for both the teacher and the students. The ability to provide links to other helpful websites alone could be very useful depending on what the website was. I like the idea that the students are able to comment on each other's drafts, but this can also be potentially harmful. I think you would have to as a teacher make the rules, and guidelines known before introducing blogs to your students. There would be a need to specifically in detail explain the behavior that would not be accepted. Make sure students think through their actions before acting. For instance, asking themselves Should I do this? If they come to the conclusion that the action should not be done then they should follow through and not do it. We as teachers also have a responsibility to show the students our own blogs as an example, and also to join the lesson therefore showing the students firsthand how to correctly comment on someone else's work. By doing this we are setting a concrete example for the students about what is exceptable behavior.

I really liked the blog for Mr. Harbeck's math class. I think this would be an easy way for parents to find out how their chilren are doing in the class. This blog also allows the students to look up assignments to make sure they didn't forget any. The blog has math games available, as well as math examples, and links to other websites that are available to further help the children. Reminders for quizzes as well as notes from the classes are also available for those students who need them. This teacher did a great job on his own blog to use for his classroom.

So far I find this class to be very interesting. I am having a hard time with some of the assignments so far, but feel that I will eventually learn how to do what is expected of me. This week has especially been difficult because of having this class as well as finishing my Learning Theories class. I do think this class will be useful in helping me to learn some more valuble tools to help teach and engage my own students when it becomes time to do so.

about me

My name is Misty McClatchey-Sharma. I am hoping to teach 1st graders. I am interested in getting my reading endorsement so that I can help the students that really struggle in reading. I think that teaching them as early as possible, and having my reading endorsement will help me to make sure that these children do not fall through the cracks. I would also like to work at a school that has a higher population of students on free/reduced lunch, or esl. I think that these students tend to struggle more so I would like to work at a school that would really benefit from my teaching.
My favorite pet is my chihuahua named Toodles. My daughter named her Toodles when she was 2 years old after the floating ears on the Mickey Mouse Club House. Toodles is my favorite pet because she is very loyal, and very gentle with my children. I like having a smaller dog that you can hold in your lap. She loves to sleep with us at night time.