Final Reflection

What: This class has taught me a lot of useful information regarding technology in the classroom. From the first day of working with Google, to ending with digital stories, I feel more competent in technology and using it as an educator. One of my favorite things to do was the podcasts and vidcasts. I not only found them fun to d, but they are also very useful in the classroom and for students.
I also liked learning how to set up our classroom sites. It is a great tool to keep and add more stuff to as I learn. It is something I will use in my classroom and a great resource for parents and for students.
So What: This class is important to take because technology is a big part of the future. We need to incorporate it into our classroom to prepare our students for the future that awaits them. The jobs that will be available to them have not even been created yet, because technology is constantly evolving.
It is important to use it in the classroom, but to also have students use it to become more familiar with it. Many teachers do not think it is important and do not use it. By doing this, they are depriving their students of the full education they deserve.
Now What: I plan on taking much of the information I have learned and using it to my advantage and to my students' advantage as well. The tools and resources that were given and taught in this class are benficial and are there to help teahers and students. Therefore, I plan on being the best teacher I can, and to do this, I will use technology in my classroom.

Reflection

What:
This week we continued to learn about Digital Stories. Digital stories are great tools for the classroom and can be used for many different things. For example, they can be used as an attention grabber, give information to the students about a topic, or assign a project for the students to complete.
This week we discussed the different tools available for creating a digital story. There are many out there. Most of which I have heard of before, but some I have not. I do not have a Mac, so I will not be using that tool. Though I have heard of many of the tools available for us to use, I have only used one, and am not familiar with it. But, they are great to have for digital stories and other things as well that can be used in the classroom.
So What:
Obviously digital stories are beneficial. There are many different aspects that make them great resources for the classroom. But if we do not know how to create them, they won't help us! That is why it was impornat this week to learn te basics and the programs available for teachers to use.
Also, I am glad we learned more about them because, like I previously said, I am not very familiar with the programs. But this class, and group members, have shown me how to use them and I am becoming more familiar with them.
Now What:
Now that I have a better understanding of the programs and resources, I am better able to create a digital story. They are great for the classroom, and if it were not for this class, I most likely would not have ever used them in my future classroom.
Also, the programs and other tools we have learned about in class regarding digital stories will be useful in other capacities as a teacher. Now that I know how to create them, I will make sure I do to bring the best experience to my students.

Video Reflection:
I find the "Did You Know" videos to be very interesting. The facts always impress me and I find them truly incredible. Like the one that states China will soon become the number one English speaking country in the world. And that India's IQ percentage blows the U.S.'s away. That just proves the education in these countries is on a completely different level than it is here. They are preparing the children for the technological world they are part of. We need to better teach and prepare our children to be ready for the jobs that will be needed as they get older.

Video Reflection

This video was a digital story on America's historic moment of walking on the moon and other space voyages. I thought this digital story was very well done. The music was appropriate and the voice was clear. The pictures were also spaced out at a good speed. I was able to look at them and take in what I was seeing before the picture changed. I liked that the creator used the real voices of JFK and the men on the moon. It creates a sense of authenticity that you can't get from someone just reading it. The video also explored the different disasters that happened with space crafts and voyages. It showed pictures of these people and made it more real for the viewer. This is the type of digital story I hope to be able to create. It was not only well done, but was interesting as well. It grabbed my attention and then taught me information as well.

Digital Story Relfection

What: This week we learned about Digital Stories and saw many examples of them. Digital stories are great ways to get the students interested in a subject and introduce it to them. It also allows teachers to be creative and put in what they want, instead of finding a source somewhere that only has some information pertinent to what will be taught.
By viewing the examples, I was able to get a good idea of positives and negatives aspects to creating digital stories. For example, the music plays a big role in the digital story. If the music is too distracting, the students will be too busy listening to it and not taking in the content of the story. Also, if this music is not appropriate for the topic, it can also be offensive and distracting. I also learned about different sound effects that are fun and useful, but that should be used sparingly. There are also different programs available to use when creating a digital story.
So what: Digital stories are great in teaching. Like I previously said, they can get students engaged in the subject and content that will be taught. Also, though they can be short, they still provide students with information that can be useful to the content. For example, one of the digital stories that was shown in class was on the Holocaust. I am a history major, and I got a lot from watching that video. I think in certain areas of history, like the Holocaust, a video can teach and show more than just a lecture.
Also, digital stories are very differentiated. They are great for different learning styles and allow many students to be engaged and participate. They are fun ways to introduce the content that will be taught.
Now what: I enjoyed the class on digital stories. Though there were some that I found boring or useless, I believe that is up to the creator of the story. In my classroom, I want the digital stories to be interesting, and varied. There are so many topics in history that can be better taught with pictures and music. I will not use it too often, but enough that my students truly enjoy them and get something out of them.
I also want to provide learning for a wide variety of learners, and I believe that digital stories helps me reach this goal.

Video Reflection

The video this week was about the common mistakes people make when creating power-points. I found it to be very funny. Mainly because I have seen many presentations that have a lot of these common mistakes. ome of them include spell check, too many words on one slide, colors that make it hard to read. This is something that needs to be taught to students, otherwise they do not know they are doing anything wrong. When creating an activity that helps students learn about power-points, I think it is important to include the simple rules that tend to be left out.

Reflection

The tool that I have chosen to use in my classroom is video conferencing. I am a history education major and a part of the curriculum is geography. I think a really fun and educational activity for your children and my students would be the opportunity to video conference with someone else in the United States and in another country. It would allow the students to not only learn about and use this form of technology, but also learn about the different region, culture, language, foods, cities, etc., that are all over the world. It opens the students minds and helps them realize that there is so much more out there besides the city they live in. There are so many different kinds of people and places out there that they can learn about by participating in this activity. These are the many wonderful pros of this activity.
A few of the cons would be the unpredictability of what will be discussed. There will be times where the students can ask questions to the person on the other side of the video conference, and though I will not allow inappropriate comments, there may be questions and comments that were unexpected. Another con of this activity could be the possibility of technological difficulties. But, unfortunately, this is the case in many activities that deal with technology.
Overall, this activity would be very beneficial and one I that I believe will teach students more than a textbook or lecture can. The opportunity to talk to someone and learn about someone who lives somewhere else in the world is one that can impact a student and should not be missed.

The next tool I hope to use in my classroom is digital cameras. Cameras are a great way to portray a student's life. For one of my lessons, I want the student to create their own history. They will accomplish this by taking pictures of things they believe to be important and pertinent to their lives and then create a power-point slide show. This is a great way to familiarize students with how to use digital cameras and downlaod the pictures to a computer. Also, it allows them to explore their creative side and what they think had made up their history ths far in their lives.
A negative with this activity will be the need of digital cameras for those students who do not own them. But overall, it is a great activity that I hope the students will be excited to participate in.

Educational Video:

Video Reflection

literacy, sharing, collaboration, creativity and give students an audience.
The video this week was about blogs and the benefits of allowing the students to use them. It allows students to collaborate with each other. It also help students with literacy and creativity. Another great aspect of blogs are that they give students an auidence. They are great ways to get students engaged in using technology. I have had to use them in a few of my classes and they are fun ways to do reflections, and I think that is something I will try to carry over into my class.

Podcast and Vidcast Reflection

What: Podcast and vidcasts are great ways to relate information and knowledge to students and others who want the information. It serves many different purposes, like allowing distant education students a better chance and opportunity for learning. Also, if students are absent, it gives them a cnahce to still see and learn from the lesson. They are great tools for teachers and students both.
So what: Podcasts and vidcasts are new to me within the last year or so. I have had college teachers, mostly education teachers, use them. It was so great because if I missed class, the podcast was availble to me and other students. They are something that are becoming more common but should become even more common because of the value they have. More teachers should take advantage of these great tools.
Now what: As a student who has been able to take advantage of podcasts and vidcasts, I would definitly use it in my classroom. It is just a great way to get all students involved, even the ones that missed class. It is also a fun tool that allows students to use technology. They are not difficult to do or use, therefore, I plan on using them in my classroom.

WebQuest Reflection

The past couple of weeks my team and I have been working on our webquest. It was something new for all of us, but we worked well as a team and were able to accomplish it successfully. I felt that along with my teammates, I performed well and added a lot of useful work to the final product. I was able to come up with ideas that my teammates liked and expanded upon. The webquest was something that I believe will be very useful in a class and therefore, it was great to learn how to create and use one. It will be a professional goal of mine to use and create a webquest to use in my classroom. I know that in the education field, there can be a lot of group and team work. This experience was a great one. I have had previous group experiences that were not as successful as this one. My team was very helpful and we all worked extremely well together. There was no one that was a control freak. I really enjoyed working with and sharing ideas with my teammates. I hope that in my professional experience, I will have groups like the one I worked with for this project. I know that this may not always happen, but I will make it a goal of mine to be as open and workable as possible. Overall, this was a great experience for me and I enjoyed learning, using, and creating webquests with a group.

Field Experience Post

This week I went to Lone Peak High school to observe. I was able to observe the students, teacher, classroom management, lessons, but also the technology available to the class. First off, some information on the class. It consisted of 34 students. There was no seating chart, but the students mostly sat in the same places during the classes I was there. It seemed to cause more classroom management problems due to this. The teacher, however, was able to keep the class under control, for the majority of the time. He also used the technology that was available to him. Though there were not computers in the class for the students to use, he had two computers. He also had a projector and screen that the class would watch videos on and power-points. There were also two T'.V.'s. But these were not used while I was there. There may not have been computers for the students in the classroom, but they go to the computer lab. In fact, they have a big paper to write and they go to the lab a couple times before it's due to work on it. Obviously, it would be ideal if each classroom had its own computers for the students, this is not always possible. I was, however, glad to see the class and teacher taking advantage of the ones available for them in the lab. It was an enjoyable observation for me where I was able to look for things I have learned not only in this class, but in others as well.

Webquest Reflection

What: This week we learned more about webquests, the technical side. We learned how to create licenses, more about tools on power point, and were able to ask questions and have them answered. We were also able to work in our groups and got a lot done on our webquests. It was great to be able to learn more about them, but to also be able to work on them as well.

So what: Webquests are great tools that are availble for teachers to have their students use. There are many different types and different levels. They are also great to create for your own class. They are great ways to get students to do assignments and learn while using technology. It can help them become more familiar with technology.

Now what: As we are creating the webquests, I am learning about not only my content, but also about technology. I hope to continue using webquests and continue creating them for my future classrooms. They are great tools that I had never used in my high school but hope to use them wherever I teach.

Video Reflection:
The video was confusing at first. I did not know what to expect, but as it went on, I realized the point and importance of it. Cellphones, and other form of technology, can help educate children in countries where education is not prevalent. It is something that may have only been used for advertising, but I feel that it is something that can be done, and hopefully one day it will be. If people truly understood the use and power of technology, then perhaps many more children would benefit from it and become more educated.

Video Reflection

This video showed a new computer that is being created by Microsoft with incredible capabilities. It is like a table that you can touch and move the different items around on called multipoint. Also, there is this tool where you can set your digital camera on the computer and it can download the pictures without having to hook it up. You can also set your cell phone on the computer and drag pictures from the computer into the phone. They want it in big corporations and casinos, and then eventually homes. This just proves that technology is advancing and coming up with amazing things. Hopefully one day there will be a computer like this is classrooms that will help in the learning of students.

My Beliefs

I believe there is a place for technology in the classroom. After doing this assignment and being in this class, I have learned a lot of information that has proven to me of the importance technology has. So many students already have a wide knowledge of technology and use it on a daily basis. This is something the students use and are very comfortable with. As a teacher, one of my goals is to be able to use this to my advantage. If the students already have a knowledge of technology, using it to teach and research can help them enjoy lessons more. There are so many valuable resources on the Internet that should be used. As a teacher, knowing that technology is only advancing more and more, and the knowledge and use of it will be used in many careers, I should help in the teaching and learing of this information. Many jobs that are in high demand today, are technology jobs. If students and teachers both realize this, then the outcome of learning in the classroom can be very positive.

Another goal I have will be to use the internet very often to find the core curriculum, lesson plans, and other helpful resources. I will be a history teacher and the Internet offers a lot of great primary sources that would be helpful in teaching. Also, when students need to do research papers, the Internet can be a great resource for them to use. I can teach them this and they can find so much useful information online that can help them. I know there are not computers in all of high school classes, but hopefully one day there will be at least a few in classes across the country, allowing students to take full advantage of the things they offer.

Lessons Learned

The videos, readings, and websites, offered information on many different types of technology and the effect on students and teachers. One of the articles brought up the point that there is a disconnect between students writing for school and writing for fun. Also, some students do not count e-mails, text messages, and other electronic writing as actual writing. There are also students who do not notice the use of computer effecting their writing, but those that oppose say they like using computers and are more apt to edit their work when using one. It is something I thought about and can not imagine not using a computer for writing. I believe that in my class, most students will use a computer to write. I also think that though many students do not count electronic writing as actual writing, it can help in their writing by getting practice, but on the opposite side, it can hurt it as well because of the slang that is used. In the video, Millennial Generation, Microsoft interviews students about what they want. They want media mobility. The youth today are often seen with their cell phones constantly or with their iPods. They also are playing video games or watching T.V. They want all of this in one. Students understand technology and want it to be everywhere they are. Therefore, if media was in the classroom, maybe students would not feel the need to always be texting on their phones.

This brings me into the next reading about electronic shorthand. I found it interesting that the author said the basic slang, like LOL, is already old or out of style, which parallels great with actual technology. It is always changing and new and improves styles are being created. In the video, Shift Happens, it said that the top 10 jobs in demand in 2010 did not exist in 2004, and that many students are being trained for jobs today that do not yet exist. That is something that is hard for me to grasp. But I do understand the significance of it. The importance of technology and the relevance is huge and will only increase with time. The Net standards and the UNI surveys has allowed me to see where I stand in the technology realm and what I need improvement on. This has been a helpful resource in telling me what I need to work on in order to translate the information to my students. It is very important information and perhaps if I teach it to them, they will do better on the Net standards and UNI survey than I did.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The UNI survey was a great way to point out the areas in technology that are strong and weak. For the most apart, I was an apprentice. Though this is in the middle and not great and not bad, I feel it is a good start, while still allowing for me to learn and improve. The UNI surveys brought out the weaknesses I did not realize I had. Fr example, one of them is the lack of knowledge I have of equity, ethics, legal, and human issues concerning the use of computers and technology. This is something I have not thought about but realize it's importance and hope to improve and learn more on this topic. I also need improvement on video conferencing which is something I have had little experience with. Also, though I have used Excel many times, I feel I could still learn more that would help me in the classroom. Some of my strengths according to the UNI survey include, word processing programs, e-mail, and graphic organizers. I hope to use the knowledge I have on these to share with my students.

Once again, according to the Net standards, a weakness I have is the social, ethical, egal, and human issues aspect that surrounds the use of technology. Part A says I need to be able to teach and model this for my students. I hope to learn more about this so that teaching it is possible. Another aspect I a not as familiar with is the assessment and evaluation part of the Net standards. I have never thought of using technology to assess students but it is something that would be very interesting to use. I feel that some aspects of the Net standards that I know well are the use of research in planning out my lessons. I have named my weaknesses and my strengths, but for the most part, the majority of the Net standards are steps I am familiar with but need more information to be able to teach it.

One tool that would help me improve one of my weaknesses is the course on Excel 2007 for teachers. It would teach me more about the tools that Excel offers and ways in which to use Excel the most effectively. There is also a video World Language Assessment. Technology in Assessment. This would be helpful for me to learn more about assessing students using technology. The descriptions to these are listed below.

Excel 2007 for Teachers
Description:
Designed for those who are unfamiliar with spreadsheet programs, this class covers basic Excel functionality, including simple math formulas, formatting and the chart wizard. We focus on classroom projects and applications, especially activities your students can do with Excel. The course aims to provide a sufficient foundation in Excel, so that participants feel comfortable showing students how to use it, and assigning projects that use Excel as a tool to help students develop critical thinking skills and enhance their learning of curriculum standards.

World Language Assessment. Technology in Assessment.

In this program, Jen Charles and Brian Wopat use technology to assess their students and track their progress. Jen and Brian discuss the advantages of using different technology to engage their students in world language learning. In Jen's class, pairs of students create a presentation on a Central American location using Moviemaker for their presentation. In addition to the presentation, students take an online vocabulary quiz on "Moodle" and practice current grammar on a language website. In Brian's classroom, students are shown a Photo Story to create a presentation they will give their fellow classmates. Students are shown building their Photo Story with Brian's supervision.

Video Reflection

This weeks video was proving the importance of media in the world. Also, the amount of media that is used among the youth in the world. If we as teachers want to connect with our students, we need to connect with the different forms of media. The world is rapidly growing and changing. Students are being trained for jobs that don't exist yet. China will soon be the number one English speaking country, they have more honor kids than we have kids. This is important to me as a teacher because I know that I will need to use media to help my students learn. I consider myself lucky because over the past few years, I have become familiar with many forms of media. I plan on using the various types of media in my classroom and hope it will help me reach and teach my students.

Internet Safety Reflection

The Internet offers so many resources, tools, activities, and information that are useful to all sorts of people. Students and teachers are no exception. Many students now a days already are using the Internet, so incorporating in the classroom should be done. The Internet offers many tools for teachers to use in their classroom, like lesson plans and activities. As a future history teacher I plan on using many primary sources in my class and the Internet helps with this. As long as saftey tips and rules are taught to students, I believe the Internet should be used in education.

Evaluating sites is very important for teachers and students. It ensures that the information that is received is correct and validates the author and their background. Some questions I will ask myself when evaluating a site include: Is the author a validated one? I will do this by using the resources available to me like Meta-web Information. This site will also help validation when looking at the URL link.I will also ask if their are more advertisements than actual information.

When my students use the Internet, I will do all can to keep them safe. I plan on giving them a checklist full of questions they should ask themselves while surfing. This will hopefully help them in making sure the sites they visit are validated. Also, I will give them "safety rules" on what is and is not safe while using the Internet.

Video Reflection:

I thought the rules on the video were great and ones that all teachers and parents need to teach to children. It was a quick way to show the rules. I would probably take time after the video and explain in further detail the importance of each of the rules. Also, I would give ways for the students to get out of bad situations on the Internet. Internet safety is something that is very important and prevalent in today's society. It is a great tool but only when used with pre-caution and that needs to be taught to children and teens.

Video Reflection

The video this week was enforcing the idea of how much technology is a part of our lives as students. It introduced the typical classroom and basically said that the old fashioned classroom experience is out dated and not getting through to students. I found many of the statistics astounding. The average books read a year versus the web pages and facebook profile pages was amazing. But, something that I can only imagine is true among many students. Also, the use of laptops are very prevalent in classrooms today, but many students do not use them for class, but instead, facebook and other internet sources. It is something that teachers need to realize in todays world. The students have grown and changed as the years have gone by, therefore, the teachers need to accommodate this. Technology is an amazing resource that students and teachers can use, and I believe that both need to take an advantage of this, like the video was trying to portray.

UEN Reflection

I found the UEN website to be very useful and helpful. There were many resources and tools I would use in my classroom and would have the students use. I really enjoyed being able to have my own public and personal website on UEN. I like being able to put the tools I find the most useful in a bookmark and referring back to it whenever necessary. Also, as an educator, the option to sign up for additional technology courses on UEN is something I will definitely take advantage of.
As a teacher, the lesson plan and links will be incredibly helpful. I have already used UEN to find lesson plan ideas and activities for other classes. Also, the core curriculum is available and very easy to access. The rubric tool is another one that I will often use and enjoy. The links available for primary sources is one I find extremely important. I am a history education major and I believe that the use of primary sources are not used enough. Therefore, with the help of this website, I hope to use as many primry sources as I can.
I also really had a fun time using the interactives that are available for teachers and students. Not only did I have fun playing them and using them , but I am sure my students would enjoy it as well. I would give the students the access they need to play around with these interactives and have a good time learning while playing. I also think it's important for students to know what is going on in the world. That is why I liked the Who's Who and What's What Weekly Quiz. It test students knowledge on current events and is fun to take too. The virutal tours was another interesting resource. It is something my students can do and enjoy and something I can use un my classroom.

The Pioneer library is a great resource. The amount of information and resources is amazing. The access to the different search engines is useful to both me as the teacher and to my students. It can ensure a safe a clean search as opposed to a search engine like Google. Also, the music that is available free of charge is another great thing for educators. There is so much on UEN that can be used, that in my opinion, there is no excuse to make class an enjoyable place for learning.

Reflection #4

I found the video very interesting. There were many statistics I was amazed with. For example, the one stating how many college graduates in India could speak English in 2006, which was 100%, was amazing. I had no idea the number was that many. Also, the amount of jobs many Americans have before they are 40. That number is also astounding. It is all important information that many people are not aware of. Technology has become such a huge part of our world today, and it has happened so quickly, and is only increasing as time goes by. I hope to be able to use the technological resources in my classroom to prepare my students to be successful in their future occupations. There are so many available and it is becoming easier to access the resources, that hopefully it will be easy for me to share the technological information with my students.

What: Today I was able to learn about UEN. I had heard about it in previous classes but have only used it once that I can remember. I learned about different resources available to me as a teacher and how to create a UEN website.

So What: This applies to me in many ways as a student and as a future teacher. I was able to make my own web page and add different resources to it that I found helpful. As a student it gives me an i dea of different idea availble to me for what I become a teacher. It has excellent search engines that are useful for teachers and students. It can, and already has, helped me in other classes. For my curriculum class, I was able to look at the curriculum and find ideas and activities for my unit plans.
This is a very helpful tool that I will use now and when I become a teacher. It is so easy to access and there should be no excuse for me or other teachers to complain about not having the tools available to have a great lesson plan planned for our class. It has the tools available, therefore me and my colleagues should take advantage of this.

Now What: The UEN website has given me many resources and tools to use in my future classroom. It has given me many ideas of lesson plans I can do. For example, for a lesson on World War II, I found a website that has letters written from soldiers during WWII. This would be a fun way to use primary sources in the classroom and get the students engaged.
The information that is availble on UEN is outstanding. There is so much and a variety of it. I hope to use it frequently when I become a teacher. It gets me very excited hinking about the day whren I have my own class and can use the different lesson plans and activities. It also will help me be a better colleague. I can share information I find with my fellow teachers. In my mind, there is no excuse for complaining that there is not enough resources to plan an effective and engaging class for students.

Reflection #3 continued...

I posted the reflection before reading the comment made on the previous blog. I will now add to the what, so what, and now what

WHAT: Along with what I have already said, it is a video describing technology in the world today. It talks about students and the amount of technology they use on a daily basis. It then goes on to discuss the importance for teachers to incorporate technology in the classroom so the students are engaged and learning.

SO WHAT: This is an important issue in the world today. Like I previously said, children nowadays are born into a world where technology is everywhere. They are used to the quickness and communication it allows. This then transfers to the way they want to learn.

The video also mentioned how little children are asked questions and how teachers are not doing enough to engage students and help them really learn. I believe because students are so used to technology and the amount of information is provides, they need this in the classroom as well.

NOW WHAT: Teachers need to do more to incorporate technology in the classroom. It is something that is not going away but will only improve with time. Therefore, we as teachers need to realize this and use this helpful information to benefit our students. It will help our students learn and helped us learn as well.

I feel lucky because I feel like I know technology pretty well. But, i know people older than me who struggle. But along the same lines, those younger than me will most likely know more than I do and leanr at a younger age. Because of this, I need to prepare myself to use it in my classroom to give my students the most out of their education.

Reflection #3

Class this last week was more challenging for me than the previous week. I have dealt with many things Google oriented, but never Google sites. Therefore, it was very interesting and at times difficult to learn about Google sites. It is easy to understand how useful it will be in my future classroom. It provides helpful tools for me as a teacher as well as for my students. The calendar is one of my favorite tools. I can change and add new events to my classroom by adding them to through my g-mail account. This is not only easy for me but also for my students and keeps them up to date on school and classroom activities. I am also excited to be able to post videos and other helpful sites that my students can access by going to the classroom site. I also like that the site is easy to access and I believe it will be a very helpful resource in my future classroom.
I found the video very interesting and eye-opening. The amount of hours that children spend on technology was astounding, and at the same time, not that surprising. Technology is everywhere, and kids nowadays start young learning how to use the different devices. I liked that the video said that kids nowadays expect to be able to use technology to share material with others. They also talk about what we as teachers are doing to address this issue. We need to engage our students and if using technology helps, we need to know how and be willing to incorporate into our classroom.

Reflection #2

In class we learned about Google and the many resources it provides. I thought I knew the majority of the things Google offered, but realized I was wrong. I know how ti use the e0mail, calendar, and Google docs. All of which i find extremely useful. I did not know about iGoogle and was able to explore it a little more outside of class, and it is something I plan on using from now on.
As a teacher, I plan on using Google docs for my personal use, but also with my students. I think it is a great way to do group work. The calendar is something else I will inform my students about. I use it and love it because it reminds me daily of the things I have going on. It will be helpful for me as a teacher, and for my students as well.

I found the video to be very uplifting. Rene has obviously had a rough life, but her attitude is one we can all learn from. She has a passion and it is something that she is pursuing. Though she knows she is not in the ideal situation with her mom, she knows that she can make the best of it. I could be better at this. I need to be more positive in approaching situations and make the outcome the best I can. This is also something I want to teach my students. It is an important lesson in life, and one that can make life more enjoyable as well.

Ideal Classroom Reflection

My ideal classroom is a United States history class for high school students. The school is located in a warmer climate, where it never or rarely snows. The school would be one where all feel safe to come to class. It would be a school where everyone has a friend. The students at the school would have school spirit and participate in the activities available to them. There would be much support for the various school clubs, activities, sports, etc. My classroom would be welcoming and a safe environment so all students want to come. I will set the desks up so all students have an easy view of me and the board, but also so I have an easy view of them. I will have many posters having to do with American history, like the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and the Presidents of the United States. I will also have a corner dedicated to "my history" so the students can learn more about me. There would be many computers to allow many students at once to access and use online databases for material that would be helpful to them.
The students in my classroom would have a desire to come and learn about history. All students would also participate in the discussions and turn the assignments in on time. They would also be respectful to me, to each other, and to the classroom materials. They would bring all the materials they need on a daily basis. There would be few classroom management problems that would be easily fixed. All of my students would pass and retain the information they learned in my class. They all would then go on to graduate.
The parents of my students would care about their children and how they are doing in my class. They would do all they can to help their child and encourage them to be the best student they can. When I needed to contact the parents, they would be willing to listen know that I want what is best for their child.
As a teacher in my ideal classroom and school, other teachers would be easy to communicate and work with. The teachers at the school would be helpful and willing to listen to ideas other teachers have. The principal would do the same. The principal would also be available to talk with teachers when needed.
My ideal school and classroom is one where all feel welcome and a place where everyone wants to learn and help each other grow.