Week 15: Blog 13: MyWiki

This past week, I have been working on Wikispaces. I think that this website can be very easily incorporated into the classroom. Teachers can use wikispaces as a class website. This will allow the students to have a website to refer to. I feel like the website also allow the students to feel a sense of belonging in the class. My wikispaces also allows the teacher to incorporate several things. I have incorporated a science and an ELA lesson into my wikispace. The students are able to explore their imaginations and creativity when exploring my wikispace. My wiki is also a great way to introduce technology into my classroom. It allows the students to think of this website as their own. They are also to go on and display their own work onto the website. This will allow them to share their work with others. They are also able to view their classmates projects. I really enjoyed using wikispaces. I will definitely use this in my future classroom.

Week 14: Thanksgiving Break

I really needed a nice break from school work and Cortland. It was so nice going home and spending time with my family and friends who I have missed dearly. I can't wait to get back home for Winter break! While I was home I relaxed for the most part. I had the opportunity to catch up with friends. It was really nice seeing my family because I haven't seen a lot of my cousins and relatives since the summer. On Thanksgiving Day I woke up and ran while I watched the parade. Then I went to my Grandparent's house. I really couldn't wait to eat. I ate every single food that hit the table. It was so yummy! I can't wait to be finished with Block 1. It has definitely been a tough semester with all of the work we have had. I am very excited to take a break and relax for a few weeks!

Week 13: School Districts Struggle with laptop repairs

Maine school districts just spent $56,000 to repair their laptops. This is very shocking to me. It states that the school spent over $150,000 to lease 778 laptops for each year from the state. This is a large amount of money for the school to be spending, along with the amount of money they are spending on repairing the laptops. Do you think that laptops are worth the amount of money the school is spending? This school is spending a little over $200,000 on leasing and repairing the laptops. This really creates a large debate over whether the laptops are worth having and incorporating into the classroom. Several people began to question the decisions the school district was making. How could the school use that much money on laptops? This really baffled me. The school district is beginning to incorporate and instill new rules when handing out laptops to the students. The students are told that they must treat the laptops with care, or they will lose them. They were also told that their damages will be documented. This will help the students be more careful. This article was very interesting to me.

Week 12: VoiceThread

Today in class we learned how to use the VoiceThread. I was very nervous to start this process because it seemed difficult to me. The name alone seemed very intimidating to me. After watching a bunch of tutorials, the VoiceThread isn't as bad as I predicted it would be. I have now learned how to upload a picture. After finally uploading my picture, I was able to add comments. I was not only able to record my voice and add it to the VoiceThread, but I was able to talk and doodle on the picture as well. This was very interesting to me. The VoiceThread allows us to do more than one thing at once. It also allows us to be able to incorporate technology into the classroom. This gives students an opportunity to learn in different ways. I think that it should definitely be incorporated into the classroom because it gives the students another option of learning as well as teachers other options when teaching. This is a great skill to have and incorporate into the classroom.

Week 11: eSchool News

I read an article on eSchool News titled Foster students: Half don't finish high school, nearly all don't finish college. This title caught my eye and I just had to read more about it. This article states that among roughly 50% of the nations 500,000 foster kids who won't graduate from high school won't graduate from high school according to experts. There are some members in Congress who are trying to strengthen laws to ensure the child welfare system to make sure that foster kids are safe and also receive a quality education. The chairs of Foster Youth are stressing that officials needs to ensure the foster children are succeeding in school just as any parent would make sure their child is doing well at school. We must treat each child equally. Teachers must not treat these children like they are broken. We must treat them with the sole fact that we know they are strong and hard-working students. This article really opened my eyes to how people and teachers may view foster students. These students should be viewed just as any other student is viewed.

Week 10: iMovie

This week we recently worked with iMovie. I have had a mac for about three years now and I was always aware that this application was on my laptop, I just never really had the courage to explore it. I figured that iMovie was very difficult to use because I didn't think it would be an easy process creating a whole movie. My thinking was completely wrong. I really enjoyed working with iMovie. My group did a great lesson on addition and multiplication. We were able to load the movie onto the iMovie application without any problems. We were then able to edit the parts of the movie that we wanted to change or take out. My group was even able to figure out how to add sound to the iMovie. We also added a introduction page and a credits page. I have definitely not mastered this application, but I now have the courage to use this application on my own, as well as in my future classroom.

Week 9: Field Placement

I am very surprised with all of the wonderful knowledge I have gained from observation. I always knew that it was going to be a great experience, but I didn't realize I would learn so much this quickly. I am observing a very low-level 4th grade class. 21 out of the 23 children in the class failed the ELA and State Exams last year. This makes this class a bit more interesting. My host teacher works very hard to get the children on the same page. This is very difficult because every student is on a different learning level. We have children in the class who range from a 2nd grade reading level to a 6th grade reading level. This really challenges my host teacher. She has to find a way to meet the needs of every student in her classroom.

Week 8 Blog 6: Technical skills

Today, in class I learned how to use an iPad. I was able to really explore all of the things that an iPad can offer. My family owns an iPad, but I never really explored all that it has to offer. I felt that it was just like an iTouch, an iPhone, or a Mac. It is so much more than just typical Apple technology. It is more light-weight than a Mac, but big enough to explore, as opposed to an iTouch or iPhone, which are smaller in size. I think that the iPad has all the benefits a laptop can offer in a classroom, but it offers so much more. The iPad can be used in a classroom not only just for notes or typing up projects. The iPad allows children to explore and learn about new information. These students are able to learn how to learn when using the iPad. They can explore all of the applications that the iPad has to offer. Applications are not just used for entertainment purposes, but they can also be used for educational purposes. The students are able to play around and explore an application, and then gain the knowledge that they just learned on their iPad. All teachers should really consider integrating the iPad into their classroom.

Week 7 Blog 5: Field Experience

  I have been observing for the past two weeks now. It is a very exciting time in my life, because I am finally taking my first steps to my future teaching career. It is very interesting to finally be in a classroom and observing, instead of just learning about how to teach. I am finally able to get out into the classroom and observe my host teacher and her students. I am observing a very interesting class this year. My host teacher's class has students at all different learning levels. Some students are at a very high learning level, and some students are at a lower learning level. It is very difficult for her to teach because she has several disruptions in the class. My host teacher is great at classroom management. She knows exactly now to have complete control over her class. This interested me greatly because that was something I was nervous about. I was scared when I got into the classroom as a teacher, I would not have complete control over my class. My host teacher uses her computer, which is connected to the tv. Every morning when the students come into the classroom they look at the t.v. for their word of the day. This is one way my teacher incorporates technology into her classroom. My teacher also incorporates laptops into the classroom. She uses them to get the students to learn how to type up certain journal entries using Microsoft Word 2007. This was very engaging for the students because some of them have never used laptops before. The school I am observing at doesn't have much money, so they lack a lot of the technology such as the Smart Board, but they expose the students to as much technology as they can. It is very nice being able to observe how the teacher teaches her class and the certain strategies she uses. I am very excited for the rest of this semester, and all of the great knowledge I will gain from my host teacher.

Week 6: eSchool News: New Ways Students Cheat on Tests

   After reading this article, I am just amazed with how clever students have become. I think that it is very interesting to read all of the newest ideas. I cannot fathom that students are cheating their way through school. What is the point of school if the students don't retain any new information. Cheating is the worst way to gain new information because the students aren't learning anything. These cheating students are simply copying information and throwing away their cheat sheets. It actually shocks me after reading that there have been cases of people taking other's SATs for money. This is crazy to me. How can any person feel proud of themselves, when getting into a college if they didn't even get into it themselves. I have worked very hard to gain the knowledge that I did in high school to get me into SUNY Cortland. I feel as though if one has cheated to get into college, it can be pretty obvious because they may not be up to the same education level as others around them. Why struggle in a school that isn't the right fit for you, when you can work hard, and go to the college that is right for you. Cheating your way through school really bothers me because I work so hard for my grades. Cheating your way through school will eventually catch up with you one day. I do not recommend this option to anyone. Just work hard, and do the right thing.

Week 5: Raquette Lake

  Before leaving for Raquette Lake I was very nervous. I really didn't have any desire to go to a place out of my comfort zone. I didn't like knowing that I wasn't going to have cell phone service, and I wasn't going to be able to be in contact with anyone from home. This made me not want to go at all. I also didn't want to go to Raquette Lake because I had never been camping like this before. Once I got to Raquette Lake I realized that it was so beautiful in the Adirondaks. I had never experienced such a beautiful scenery before. It really calmed me down and made me feel so peaceful. The activities we did at Raquette Lake were so much fun. I have never been canoeing before, so for me, it was such a rewarding experience. The one time I really surprised myself was when my group got lost in the woods. If someone were to ask me before I left for Raquette Lake, how I would react if I got lost in the woods, I'm positive I would have said I would have panicked. I was so shocked that I didn't react this way. I had such confidence, and such determination in not only myself, but my entire group. I knew that although neither one of us knew how to get back to the camp including Shufang, I felt so certain that we would get back eventually. This trip really allowed my to grow and have experiences that I may not have necessarily had if I didn't come to Raquette Lake. I think this trip really allowed the students to come together with one another and build a community and family. I feel so comfortable in class now, and feel like I can ask anything in front of my classmates, without second guessing myself. I also think that this trip allowed my to see that the professors in this block are just like anyone else. Sometimes, we forget that professors are just like us, because we get too carried away with their expectations and work, that we don't get to see their personalities outside of the classroom. This was a great way for both sections to see their instructors in different lights. Raquette Lake allowed me to grow not only as a students and future educator, but also as a person.

Technical skills : Week 4 Blog 2

   Live.Laugh.Love

I have become much better at learning how to use taskstream. This new technology seemed like a different language to me. After our third class, I have finally come to the realization that it is not as difficult to use as it may seem. I am able to create new tabs under my Examples of Technology Usage in Education section. This made my whole ePortfolio much more organized. I have also learned how to add the Standards to each of my projects. Technology can make everyone very stressed and frustrated, when not knowing how to use it. Once I was finally able to learn how to add the Standards, I was easily able to add each of them to each project. This was so nice to finally learn and apply the new knowledge I learned to taskstream. I would definitely not say that I am a professional at taskstream, but I am definitely on the right path to a successful taskstream experience.

About Me: Week 3 Blog 1

Your First Name: Nicole Gallo

Four adjectives that describe me: hard working, caring, honest, friendly

Sibling: sibling of 4 (2 brothers and 1 sister)

Lover of (3 things): beach, softball, good food, warm weather, family, friends, boyfriend

Who feels (3 things): grateful to have wonderful friends and family, hard to get up early in the morning, blessed to have all the great things in my life

Who fears (3 things): bugs, sharks, growing up and going into the real world

Who would like to see (3 things): Italy, Hawaii, Spain

Resident of (street, city, state): Blossom Rd. Mt. Sinai, New York

Your profession (where do you work?): I am junior at SUNY Cortland, I work a camp during the summer and help coach a softball team.

Your last name: Gallo