Blog Due May 12

For Seniors:

Title:  Summer Checklist  

Many of you participated in the recent trip to Tarrant County College.  Some of you have been making college visits throughout the year.  Most of you have had the benefit of visiting with recruiters in EAT prior to Thanksgiving, or you have encountered a college representative at one of the TAFE or FEA conferences.    

The countdown is on.  In approximately four months you will begin the next phase of your education.  What does that look like?  What do you need to do to make that happen?  What are you most looking forward to?

This blog needs to include the plans you have for life after graduation.  Include the following:

• Name of institution you plan to attend and location
• Insert a table or checklist that includes all of the things you need to do prior to the first day of class at the college/university/trade school/etc. you plan to attend and the deadlines for each of these activities. Be sure to include things such as attending orientation (and registering for it), sending in transcripts, paying tuition, buying sheets and towels for your dorm room/apartment, etc.  You should  have at least 10 items on your list.  (NOTE:  I can spot an incomplete list a mile away since my daughter is going through this process right now, so be thorough.)
• Discuss what aspect of your life after graduation (in the next year) you are most looking forward to.  Be detailed and tell why you are looking forward to the aspect you identified.

For Juniors:

Title:  The Senior Year Checklist

You are about one month away from your senior year in high school.  Although some say that the junior year is the busiest academically, any free time you may have in your academic schedule during your senior year will be replaced with college admission activities.  

This blog will focus on the duties you will have to accomplish during your senior year to make life after graduation possible.  Include the following:

• Name(s) of institutions you are considering attending and their location. (Optional:  Which one are you leaning toward?)
• Insert a table or a checklist of the things you need to do during your senior year to gain admittance into your dream institution (college/university/trade school/military).  Include the deadlines for each of the actions listed.  Include items such as taking college placement tests (look up dates on ACT or CollegeBoard websites), college visits, application deadlines, etc.  (NOTE:   My daughter just went through this process, so be thorough because I can sniff out an incomplete list!))
• Discuss what aspect of the college (trade school/military) admissions process makes you the most nervous.  Be specific and tell why.
• Who are some people you can use as resources to help you when you reach a hurdle in the college/trade school/military admissions process?  Why them?

Blog Due Friday, April 14

The March/April 2014 issue of  FEA's GO TEACH magazine features two teachers who describe what has attributed to their success in the classroom.  Respond to one.

FEA National Attendees:
TITLE:  Teacher of the Year
Read  National Teacher of the Year:  Jeff Charbonneau, on p. 30 in GO TEACH.   Discover what has inspired him to become a successful teacher.  Reflect on his responses by answering the following questions:

• What traits or characteristics conducive to teaching would you predict Mr. Charbonneau to possess?  Why would you make these guesses?
• Mr. Charbonneau will be addressing FEA members during one of the general sessions at the national conference?  What question(s) would you ask him, if given the opportunity?
• Mr. Charbonneau gives advice to future teachers in just six words.  I you could give advice to future EAT interns in six words, what would it be?
• It is the year 2030.  You have been teaching for 10+ years.  You have been selected as the National Teacher of the Year.  What would you reply when asked, "How do you help all students succeed in your classroom?"

Learn more about Mrs. Charbonneau from his address to the National Education Association in 2013.

All other EAT Interns:
TITLE:  Teaching With Hope

Read Teaching with Hope on p. 27 in Go TEACH.  Each of you has taken the Gallup StrengthsFinder instrument.  The Gallup organization does additional work in identifying factors that lead to success. A significant factor, identified through years of research, that leads to success is having hope.  Mary Hawkins-Jones, Gallup's first Most Hopeful Teacher in America, writes about experiences that shaped her career.


Read more about Hawkins-Jones, then reflect on her personal story as you answer the following questions:

• Share a school experience about a time when you received hope or became hopeful.  Be descript and provide details.
• Have you been able to pass hope to your students in your field site classroom?  If so, how?  If not, why?
• Ms. Hawkins-Jones discusses building positive relationships with students.  How are relationships and hope linked together?
• What specific activity will you do in your future classroom to help your students set goals?  Describe thoroughly.

Read more about hope:

Montgomery Counting Measuring "Hope" to Help Improve Academic Success in Schools

Searching for the Most Hopeful Teacher in America

Blog Due Friday, March 21, 2014

Title:  Getting Along With Your Roommate

As juniors and seniors, you will be attending college in the near future.  You've made decisions regarding your choice of a major, and you will attend a summer orientation to register for classes.  In addition, you've had to think about housing arrangements while you attend college.  Some of you will be moving into college dormitories, some will move into apartments, and some will remain at home as you begin a new chapter of your life.  

As you learn to manage the new challenges of college academics, new living arrangements can present additional challenges that you may not anticipate.  It may be the first time you have had to share a room with someone, as well as manage your money, prepare some or all of your meals, and be totally responsible for tasks such as laundry, cleaning, etc.

Read the article by Kaitlyn Preies, Life 101:  Getting Along With Your Roommate, which can be found in the January/February Go Teach magazine.  Think about her advice.  Many friends decide to live together when they go off to college.  Their relationships are tested when they are placed in the same living quarters.  With Kaitlyn's advice in mind, what will you keep foremost in your mind so that you will have a successful living arrangement?

Your assignment:  Identify three main points which YOU think are necessary to keep in mind when living with a roommate!  What will keep your relationship harmonious?  Be sure to embellish you points with explanations, examples, anecdotes, or testimonials.  

The blog rubric will be used to grade this assignment.  Remember, you must include 3 different media resources.

Blog Due Friday, February 21, 2014

Title:  Should Entrance Requirements to Teacher Education Programs be Raised?

Mollie Miller, FEA student president and college freshman pursuing a career as an elementary or middle school math teacher, argues that entrance requirements for teacher prep programs should not be raised; teacher preparation programs are what should be more rigorous in her estimation. Read Mollie's commentary.

Jalen Brown, FEA student vice president and college freshman pursuing a career as a middle school social studies and language arts, disagrees with Mollie Miller and takes the stand that raising entrance standards will provide evidence of how well we value our education system, while our colleges will only be training those candidates who chose education as their first choice and not as a fall back option. Read Jalen's commentary.

Read their commentaries in the January/February 2014 edition of GO TEACH, pp. 14 -15.  Then voice your stand based on the following question:

        Q.  What do you see as the benefits or drawbacks of raising academic requirements for teacher candidates?  

• Be sure you discuss both benefits and drawbacks clearly. Avoid sounding wishy-washy or vague. 
• Provide your own support.  Yes, this will require some research.  You might begin by looking at the teacher preparation requirements for the college that you are planning on attending.  Be sure to discuss them in your blog.
• Discuss how entrance requirements may affect your personal journey toward becoming a teacher.  
• With whom do you agree - Mollie or Jalen? Be clear with your stance. 

(Remember, the blog rubric will be used to grade your post.)

Need more background?  Watch this video featuring Michael Alfano, Dean of the School of Education and Professional Studies at Central Connecticut State University for a broader understanding of teacher education preparation.

Blog Due February 3, 2014

Title: Three Things I'd Share With My Peers

Earlier this year, Ashton Kutcher received the Ultimate Choice Award at the Teen Choice Awards.  In his acceptance speech, he shared three secrets with teens that he had learned during his younger days:

1. Build a life rather than live one.
2. Find your opportunities.
3. Be sexy.  (This is different from what you think.)

View his message below:

What three pieces of advice would you share with your peers that would be useful for them to carry into later years?  Explain and provide support.  

Remember, the blog rubric will be used to grade this.

Blog Due January 13, 2014

Title:  My Plans for the New Year! 

2014 is Here!  It's a New Year and a fresh start in the spring semester!

• Seniors - You have 20 weeks of high school left!
• Juniors - You are about to register for your senior year classes!

Have you set yourself up for success after high school?  Or do you have some work to do?  It's never too late to begin.  Think about what you have to accomplish from now through May.  What are some of the things you need to make happen?  Do you need to improve your grades, take college placement tests, or apply for scholarships?  Seniors - Where are you in the college application process - application, acceptance, dorms, scholarships, etc.?  Juniors - what types of classes do you need to take to make you a highly desirable college applicant?  

In this blog, compose three goals that you hope to accomplish by the end of the year.  You should have at least one goal that is academic or school related.  The others could related to employment, family, friends, fitness, spiritual, etc.  You will be reflecting on your progress later, so be sure that they are realistic and achievable.  Here are the components that each goal must include:

• The outcome or desired behavior
• The timeframe
• The methodology or way it will take place

Poor example:  I will lose weight this year.

Good example:  I will lose 15 lbs. by April 15 by exercising 3 times a week and eliminating deserts from my diet.

Poor example:  I will get scholarship money for college.

Good example:  I will secure $5000 in scholarships for my freshman year by meeting the scholarship deadline for (insert university name), and completing 2 scholarship applications per week through April 15.  

To complete your blog, discuss how achieving these goals will improve your quality of life.  How will the results make your life better  - physically, emotionally, socially or intellectually?  Be sure your discussion has support.

Remember - the blog rubric is in effect (content/writing mechanics/media, links, files, videos/deadlines.  

Blog Due Friday, December 13, 2013

Title:  An Adventure for _____ Graders (content area) at the Perot

We visited the Perot Museum of Nature and Science on December 4.  Put on your teacher hat and create a learning experience related to one or more of the TEKS for your classroom and add the material you gathered.  When your post is finished, you will embed it on your blog.  

Where to start:

Begin by setting up an account in Prezi.  

Save to Public.  Be sure to give a brief description of what your Prezi is about.

Follow all of the requirements listed on the Prezi rubric.  Click here for a link to the Prezi rubric.

Here is an examples of what your page may look like:

I visited the Perot Museum of Nature and Science on December 4, 2013.  Please view my presentation about the activities and ideas that I collected that would enhance learning in the classroom.

(This example was created by Mrs. Stevens, BCTAL 905.)

Blog Due Friday, November 15, 2013

Title:  Initiative

 

 

Definition

in·i·ti·a·tive

iˈniSH(ē)ətiv/

noun

noun: initiative; plural noun: initiatives; noun: the initiative

1.

the ability to assess and initiate things independently.

"use your initiative, imagination, and common sense"

 

2.

the power or opportunity to act or take charge before others do.
"we have lost the initiative and allowed our opponents to dictate the subject"

 

Assignment

You are now beginning your third week as an EAT intern.  You should begin to get a feel for what needs to be done in your classroom.  You should begin to show initiative in your classroom.  The assignment this week is as follows:

 

1.  What does initiative mean to you?  In your own words please!

2.  Make a list of at least 10 ways you can show initiative as an EAT intern in your field site classroom. (whether you have actually done them or not)
3.  Find at least five words that are synonomous with initiative.  List them.

3.  Write a paragraph that indicates some actual things you did during the week to show initiative in your classroom.  How did this impact your mentor teacher or students? 

4.  Why is initiative such an important characteristic for a teacher to possess?

 

This blog is due on Friday, November 15.  Follow the rubric for best results. 

Blog Due October 25, 2013

TMI: (Lack of) confidentiality in the schools

Patti Hartigan, a former reporter/critic/columnist for the Boston Globe, became very interested in public education when she had three children within 17 months and became immersed in their activities at school.  Read about her thoughts of confidentiality (or lack of it) as it relates to volunteers in the classroom on the True/Slant website.

Have you ever thought about the fact that you, as a teacher, could be fired for sharing confidential information?  However, those who volunteer in your classroom can discuss some of the same issues - which child has ADHD, who has a sensitive medical condition, who was sent to the office for misbehaving, which child is failing, who had a temper tantrum last week, and more without any repercussions.   

Should schools have a confidentiality policy for volunteers?  Visit the BISD volunteer partnership page on the BISD website.  Fill out the volunteer application so that you can read the expectations of a volunteer and read the confidentiality policy.  (You do not have to submit the application.)  What is your opinion of the application?  Does it give enough information to new volunteers?  Too much information?  What do you think?

How should a volunteer policy be enforced?  Knowing that volunteers are an integral part of the school workforce, how do you make sure that you set an expectation for all to respect student's privacy without "firing" crucial members of your campus family?  Discuss your ideas as if you were a campus principal.

This video will remind you about the information that must remain confidential when working with them.

 

Blog Due October 4, 2013

Title:  Reframe This Situation!

Read the scenarios below.  Choose ONE of the potential situations you could encounter in your internship.  Post an entry on your blog that reframes the outcome by generating a solution that would be an appropriate and professional way to handle the situation as an EAT intern.  Your response should have clarity while avoiding vague recommendations.

Scenario 1

You left campus for lunch and when you returned to campus you missed the bus that transports EAT interns to your field site campus.  You don’t have a car, but your boyfriend (girlfriend) said that he (she) could take you to your field site.  You took him (her) up on the offer.  When you boarded the bus to return to your home campus, another intern asked why you weren’t on the bus earlier.  You asked the intern not to point this out to your EAT teacher, Mrs. Cragmire, since no harm was done.

Scenario 2

You are at your EAT field site.  Although you know you are supposed to have your phone put away at your field site, you check it and see that you have a message from another intern in your class.  He said that he had an early dismissal and left the field site campus just a little early, but when he did, he forgot to sign out.  You think this is a bit strange because you never saw him ride the bus to your field site in the first place, but you agree to sign him in and out because you want to let him know he can trust you.  After all, Mrs. Flipflop, your EAT teacher, stressed that it is important to establish relationships with your students and others with whom you work.

Scenario 3

You have just arrived at your field site.  Your teacher is absent and you have a substitute.  Previously, you have been in charge of monitoring the reading groups each day, and even though you were not aware that your mentor teacher would be gone, you know that you need to follow the routine so the students will progress. The substitute tells you that she has everything under control and you may leave because there is nothing for you to do. You decide your field site mentor will have plenty of time to get the reading groups caught up tomorrow so you go to the classroom next door where your EAT friend is interning.  The two of you move to the corner of the room and work on homework the rest of the period so you won’t disturb anyone.

Scenario 4

You are about to change into your field site attire and realize you have forgotten your field site shirt and name badge.  The bus will be leaving in three minutes.  You have on jeans with holes, and a low cut top.  You saw Mrs. McGillicutty, your BCTAL EAT teacher, at your field site yesterday.  Since you think she will not be stopping by to visit interns at your field site, you hop on the bus without your EAT attire, taking your chances that you will not be discovered.  After all, if your field site mentor teacher and principal don’t say anything, there is no harm done, right?

Blog Due on Friday, September 20, 2013

Title:  How My Digital Footprint Will Affect My Future

Information about your life in a digital footprint becomes public by being copied and passed on so that it can be searched and viewed by a large, invisible audience.  Information in a digital footprint is often permanently online, because it is archived in a variety of ways and passed on by others without your permission.

View the video, Abba's Story.  In your blog post, discuss some of the messages and themes that stand out to you in this video.  What does Abba mean when he says, "I feel like there's nothing there that brings me down?"

Do you think you should judge someone (or be judged) solely based on what you find out about them online?  Why or why not?  Give examples to support your opinion.  You may want to included anecdotes, testimonials, and more, but do not include names of real people if  your example would cause harm. 

 

Information you post today could affect yourself and others in the future -- for better and for worse.  Any online material may affect you as you  apply to college or think about future jobs and opportunities.  Considering that you have the ability to shape your online profile, discuss ways that you could present an image you could be proud of.

(Remember to follow the rubric for construction of your post.  Be mindful of content, writing mechanics, formatting, media sources, and the due date.)

My FEA Moment

Due:  Tuesday, September 10, 2013

One of the competitions in Future Educators is called the FEA Moment (national) or the TAFE Moment (state).  It showcases students in the organization whose Future Educators experience has been a convincing factor in his or her decision to become an educator.

The August/September 2013 edition of GO teach, the official magazine of the Future Educators Association, features Kayla Billington, a student from Prosper High School in Prosper, Texas.  Read her FEA Moment and make a COMMENT on this page on what you read.  

Set Up Your Blog!

Due:  Monday, September 9, 2013

Set up your own blog by visiting blogger.com.  Blogger is part of your Google account.
To log in, use your Gmail user name and password.  Then select "Blog."
Set up a template that is professional for this class and easy to read.  Show your page to Mrs. Kallas before finalizing.

Bookmark your blog on your computer.
Record your log in, user name, and password in your "secret" folder.

Create a greeting POST for your blog.  It should welcome readers and indicate what your blog is about.  Of course, your blog is designed to comment on issues and topics that are current in the field of education.  It is designed for you to think critically and respond intelligently to hot topics. Your greeting post does not have to include media, but think about how you can use formatting and pictures to make it interesting.

HAPPY BLOGGING!

Blogging in EAT 901 2013 -14

This is the Education and Training blog for Classroom 901 at BCTAL - a web log that we will use as a forum for you to express your thoughts and feelings about the world of education throughout your journey in Education and Training. It is your responsibility to check this blog regularly so that you can meet all deadlines. Blogs not finished during class time must be completed on your own time.

POSTING:
You will create your own blog.  This is where you will POST a response to my prompt on your blog.  Here are some quick guidelines on how to make a good POST.  Expert blogger, Darren Rowse, offers ten tips that will help you become an expert blogger.
Ten Tips for Writing a Blog Post


COMMENTING:
Other times I will ask for a COMMENT.  You will comment directly on my blog.  A comment is exactly what the name implies.  It is short and to the point.  It gives your opinion in a short amount of words.  In many cases, it may be a sentence or less. 

GUIDELINES:
All posts and comments must be concise, contain meaningful content, avoid the use of inappropriate language or content, and make attempts to use proper writing mechanics - grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation.  

All interns will need to cite the reference material on which they are commenting.

All interns will need varied sources of media that include related pics, videos, links, etc.

Here is the rubric showing how you will be assessed.

Criteria	Points	Score
Quality of Writing, Organized Interesting style and voice Informative and reflective	10
Writing Mechanics Grammar Punctuation Spelling Capitalization	15 1- for each error
Presentation Formatting Font Background Use of color Title	5
Multimedia (1 should cite reference; 1 should link to original article if possible) Include pics, links to other sources, videos, etc. Dupliciation of types does not earn extra points,. Multimedia enhances post Adds perspective	10
Deadlines – Blog is posted by deadline (no late grades).	10
TOTAL	50

Spring 2013 Final Part 4

Title:  Test Your Knowledge

(Worth 25% of final exam grade)


EAT this Quiz!  This should be easy as pie!  Take the online quiz over a few of the things you should have learned this year in your Education and Training class.  It won’t take long.  Worth up to 25 points.  Click here and be sure and sign in with your name.  One attempt only. 

You DO NOT need to create a post for this.  Be sure to record your score on your score sheet immediately after taking it.

Spring 2013 Final Part 3

Title:  Reflection:  If I Could Do It All Over

(Worth 25% of final exam grade)

Reflection:  re·flec·tion  Spelled [ri-flek-shuh n]  noun:   the act of reflecting or the state of being reflected.   

Reflection is good for the soul.  It is an excellent way to analyze and assess effectiveness. You should reflect on the past year or two years as the case may be - how you felt in the beginning and how you feel now that you have spent nearly an entire school year (or two) as a teacher intern. Are you more or less enthusiastic about becoming a teacher? Do you still think teaching is for you? If not, why? If so, elaborate on your reasons. How did you bring closure to your classroom experience? What were your feelings as you departed your classroom for the last time?  You should include at least two pictures from your site school experience. 

As always, use the rubric for maximum grading potential. 

Spring 2013 Final Part 2

Title:  Part 2:  Classroom Management

(Worth 25% of final exam grade)

You are the new Education and Training teacher hired for the 2013-14 school year.  You have decided to revamp some of the current policies and procedures to better serve students as they prepare for college and the world of work.  Select ONE of the areas below and write clear and concise policy for the Education and Training handbook.  Remember to include consequences when violations occur to the policy or procedure. 

• ·      Dress code for field sites
• ·      Transportation guidelines for field site travel
• ·      Due dates on assignments and late work