FINAL REFLECTION!

There are so many things I can think of saying about my final thoughts of CEP416 but to sum them up in one word I would have to say, spectacular. To begin this course I was completely petrified of what I would be doing and that I would get completely lost and fall behind and never be able to get back on track. To understand that a bit better you have to know that I WAS not good with computers at all. I was basically able to go on Facebook, check my email, use PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word. I am extremely happy to announce that is no longer the case. I have learned and been introduced to so many new things throughout my time in CEP416. If someone were to tell me I would learn THIS much in one semester in an online course I would not have believed them but the fact is I have. Not only have I learned so much, but I have been already able to apply what I have learned to other aspects of my life and schooling. I am also able to leave this class with an updated online resume, and a complete online portfolio, both of which I did not previously have. I am so looking forward to be able to use all of what I have learned in my internship next year and in my own future classroom. I feel like my teaching ideas have completely evolved and I feel so much better about starting my internship next year after taking this class. The number of lesson and project ideas I had in my mind for my future classroom has tripled after experiencing CEP416 and I could not be more happy. I now have a whole stack of online resources I can use in my future classroom thanks to this class and I have found that I am a lot better with computers then I previously thought. I just needed someone to guide me. This is the most beneficial class I have ever taken as Michigan State University, I feel I have learned and experienced so much and will forever be grateful to this course. I am a new person when it comes to the internet, I am no longer afraid, I am now ready and willing, and excited to conquer and learn something new everyday.

Review of house member - Courtney S.'s highlight presentation

Courtney S.

I really like that you chose to focus on your three favorite technologies you explored throughout the semester. This was a great way to highlight what you have learned but focusing on a few main things. I enjoyed that you stated why you liked the specific technology, how you used it in the class, a definition of what this technology is, and how you would use it in the classroom and in the future. I thought this was a great amount of information to include on each of your technologies. I liked how I was able to see examples of each of your favorite technologies thought the progression of the presentation. I thought the transition of the information went very well and I do not have anything negative to say about your presentation. I will certainly use all of the technologies in my future as a teacher and in my classroom. They have all been very beneficial to me and the way in which this information was presented through jing was wonderful and a tool I will definitely use in the future. Great Job!

Review of house member - Jessica Carney's highlight presentation

Jessica Carney

I thought the highlights showcase was very well done. I was able to fully understand what she has done and accomplished in CEP416. I liked that she completely described in great detail what is in her online portfolio in a step by step process. She even described her lesson plans which I thought was a great addition. Through this highlight video I was able to get a complete picture of what she has accomplished and done in CEP416 and her online portfolio is fully described and shown. The only negative thing I would have to say about this project would be the transition between slides within the project. There were times in which the wait was too long and it did not flow completely. I as well did a VoiceThread presentation and I completed my recording throughout one period to avoid the choppiness. In doing that my words were not as thought out and prepared as Jessica’s were therefore there are downfalls to both methods. I personally enjoyed using VoiceThread and I believe Jessica’s presentation was very well done.

Review of house member - Heather Wellman's highlight presentation

 Heather Wellman

I like how she described in depth weebly and why she liked it so much. Someone watching this video would get a very good feel for what weebly entails regardless of whether or not they have ever heard of the website. I like that she showed how to edit weebly and included a great deal of information of how weebly could be used in the classroom and in other ways. I liked that she included showing us her blog and the different parts within her portfolio. I was able to see all of what included on her portfolio and I like that she took us step by step through the different parts of her online portfoilo. I think GoogleDocs are such a great tool to use and I like that she included that in her presentation of how they could be used on Weebly. The only negative I would say about the presentation would be how far aware the images are, we are not able to see very well what she is describing and that would make it very difficult for someone who has never been introduced to weebly to get a good understanding of what it  is through her presentation. I will definitley use Weebly in the future and in my future classroom, I only have good things to say about it. I will keep my online portfolio going strong and will continue to update it. Overall very nicely done!

Highlights

Below is the link to my highlight video of CEP416. I did it through VideoThread. Enjoy! :)

highlights

Class Website

http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/

So I came across this class website when I was searching on my delicious page. I was looking for activities for third grade classrooms because my internship next year will be in a third grade classroom. I found this classroom page for "Rockin Room 13" in Troy Public Schools and absolutely fell in love. I want my classroom page to look exactly like this one! It is full of color, pictures, endless amount of links, resources, tools, examples of student work and so much more. I was incredibly impressed and am excited to one day have a wonderful page like this for my classroom!

Bilingual Education

In one of my classes we had a discussion about bilingual education. I had never really heard much about it before this class and watching the video we did in class. After discussing this topic I feel so strongly about it. I think bilingual education is an amazing thing and I hope to one day send my children to a bilingual school. It makes me sad I never minored in a second language and could take part in this amazing form of education. I wish there were more schools that had bilingual programs around the United States but sadly with budget cuts going on all around I can’t see this likely happening in the near future. I am wondering what if anyone has an opinion about bilingual education, if you agree with me that it is a wonderful thing or if you have reasons against this type of education for our youth.

Wiki exploration

I found experimenting with the Wiki to be a very interesting experience. I noticed there to be differences between the blogs, weebly and other things we have done so far in this class in comparison to the Wiki. From what I have experimented with thus far in CEP416 there is one tool we have used that I think most closely relates to the Wiki website. What I am referring to is Google Docs. This is because in both Google Docs and with the Wikis you are able to share the site with whomever you would like by “sharing” what you have made and typing in someone’s email. With Wikis, the difference from Google Docs is you can have many different settings from simply reading the wiki, to editing it, to being the administrator. In Google Docs when sharing with others you are giving them the ability to edit the document, presentation or whatever you are working on and allow them to edit it freely. Wikis are similar to blogs in the way you can comment or add information but different because with Wikis you are able to edit the “owners” content and add to the actual material the owner made. With blogs you are only able to make comments on what is written or added by the bloggers. I think Wikis could be useful in my classroom and with students. It was a bit complicated for me to understand and work with in the beginning but after working with it for awhile I was able to get the hang of it. Wikis could be used as a class website students and parents could use as a resource for homework help/ class schedules/ important events and other important parts of the classroom. This could be a great way for students teachers and parents to work together and have a place to share, read, and learn to benefit the student to their full potential and make sure everyone is on the same page.

Internship Placement

I just found out my placement for next year for my internship. I am a little bummed out about my grade level but hoping it will be a good experience regardless. For anyone that has followed by blog at all, they would know that I prefer the lower elementary grades, preferably kindergarten or first grade. I was placed in a third grade class in the Holt Public School District. I would have liked to have been in a lower grade but I am going to make the most of my situation and not let it get me down. Who knows, I may fall in love with third grade. I am very pleased about the school district I have been placed in, I have heard wonderful things about the Holt School District. I have just contacted my CT and am looking  forward to hearing back from him. I cannot wait to see how the next year unfolds. I am so ready to graduate and move onto my internship year!