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.)