3 ~ 2 ~ 1

3 things I was introduced to in the class.....

1 - Google Docs - I had never played around with Google Docs prior to this class.  I think it is a great tool.  In fact, I have used it some when typing up information for my Samford classes.  Since my home printer doesn't always work well, I've saved my work in Google Docs, opened it at school, and then printed it out.  I loved learning about the forms you can make on Google Docs for teacher walk-throughs as well as surveys.  This will be very helpful whenever I become an administrator.

2 - Dropbox - I absolutely love Dropbox and had never heard of it prior to this class.  I have saved many important documents in Dropbox for my research paper.  If I found an article, I would simply save it to Dropbox and then read it later on my computer or iPad.  Dropbox was extremely helpful when I went to my parents for a few days.  They live in the dark ages and don't have Internet.  I was able to take my iPad to their house and pull up my documents in Dropbox and work on my paper.  This is a tool that I will definitely continue using.

3 - Wordle - Wordle is a great tool that is easy to use.  I had never heard of or used Wordle prior to class.  I enjoyed using it in class as we introduced ourselves with words that described us!  I can definitely see how this would be a great tool for the classroom. I hope to incorporate it with my students in the area of reading.

2 questions about how tech tools fit into he classroom.....

I have two questions about a couple of tools that were used in class.  First, I would like to learn more about the logistics of using podcasting in the classroom.  I think it would be great and beneficial for students to write a script, practice reading it, and then record themselves.  I can see how this would be a great tool to use in the classroom.  I'm just concerned about the time factor as well as the access to necessary technology.  I would like to learn more in the future about podcasting in the classroom.  I think it would be helpful to do podcasting with a buddy teacher.

Another question I have is how to use Google + effectively whether in the classroom setting or out of the classroom setting.  Is there a better mode for communicating with others outside of school?  Does Skype work better?  My computer kept kicking me out of our Google Hangout tonight.  It was really frustrating because I heard bits and pieces of what we were supposed to be doing.  I'm thankful for the PowerPoint that Mrs. Sullivan provided with the pertinent information that I needed to know.  I definitely think Google + is a cool tool, but I wonder if there is something more effective (and less aggravating).

1 thing I will incorporate in the classroom or use as an administrator.....

It's hard to pick just one thing that I have taken from this class and will incorporate in my classroom.  I guess my top pick will be blogging.  Having to post a blog topic each week has helped me to learn a lot about blogging.  Prior to the beginning of the school year, I had a friend help me set up a blog for my classroom.  I was excited about updating it weekly regarding things that were happening in the classroom.  However, when my Samford classes started, I put my classroom blog on the backburner.  I'm excited about starting it back up soon. I think it is something that parents will enjoy reading as well as students.  I want to include events that are occurring in the classroom as well as personal stories.  I have found that parents and students like to hear about things that are happening in their teacher's daily life....it makes them seem more human. 

If God's plan is for me to be an administrator, I would love to keep a blog for the school.  This would hopefully help me to stay in touch with parents and students even though I won't have a classroom. I really have enjoyed blogging during this class and I look forward to going further in my classroom blog.

Thanks, Mrs. Sullivan, for all that you have taught us this semester!!!  We are blessed to have you in our system!!

A Christmas Tradition

My friends and I have started a Christmas tradition that is so much fun.  Last year, we decided to have a progressive dinner at each other's houses so that we could visit and see each other's Christmas decorations.  This past Sunday night, we had our annual progressive dinner and it was so much fun!!

We started out at my friend Kandess's house with appetizers.  She made a cheese ring with crackers and had some awesome cherry punch.  We then went to Whitney's house and had chicken tortilla soup.  My house was the next stop.  I made a tossed salad with strawberries and apples (it looked very Christmasy).  Leah's house was the main course.  She made chicken cordon bleu, green beans, and cream corn.  Dessert was at Rebekah's house.  She fixed a cute snowflake cake from Southern Living.

We had so much fun doing this.  We hope the tradition continues!!!

Kandess's House

Whitney's House

My House

Leah's House

Rebekah's House

Portfolio is Finished.....YAY!!!

I'm very excited to say that my portfolio is finished before Thanksgiving and is getting turned in today!!!  Yay!  My goal was to have it finished before Thanksgiving so I could enjoy my time with my family and not have it hanging over my head.  I appreciate Scott organizing our brainstorming session on Sunday.  This helped me to get more ideas and it reassured me that I'm on the right track! 

I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving!  I'm thankful to be in the Samford Cohort program and for the opportunity to learn with all my fellow classmates!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

BYOD and Mobile Learning

Since I'm an elementary teacher, I had not heard much about BYOD until this summer in Dr. Minskey's class.  At the time that I heard about it, I thought that it was a great idea.  Several of my students have iPods and Nintendo D.S.'s and I thought that I could come up with a way for them to bring them in for a technology lesson.  However, since students are unable to connect to the Internet, this poses a problem for me.  At the elementary level, I'm thinking that students could bring in their own device as a show and tell project and share with the class how they use their device at home.  I would love to integrate them into a lesson somehow, but it would be hard at the elementary level where not all kids have access to a device.  Also, many parents are unwilling to trust their kids to bring technology in the school because of the risk that they might lose it.

I do believe a BYOD day would be great at the high school level.  Today, most all high schoolers have cell phones and many are "Smart" cell phones.  So much can be done with these such as voting or answering questions via texting.  I'm anxious to see what the future has in store for BYOD and mobile learning!!!

Texas A&M Loss.....A Heartbreaker

Well….it sure was fun while it lasted.  Alabama, the defending National Champions, were defeated during a heartbreaking loss Saturday evening.  The last game we had lost was last season against LSU in the regular season.  My hope was that Alabama could play for the National Championship again, but those hopes have were diminished after Saturday’s loss.  Although Alabama didn’t play their best and probably didn’t deserve to win, I still had hope throughout the game that the number 1 team would prevail and win!  Oh well, hopefully we will play for and win the SEC championship game and possibly play Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.  Roll Tide…No Matter What!!

Digital Citizenship

I believe it is important to teach students about digital citizenship and safety as well as practice digital citizenship ourselves.  Students need to understand that they don’t need to put any personal information on the Internet in order to keep them safe.  Students also need to be taught what is appropriate and inappropriate to post on social media sites.  Many conflicts at school occur because of comments that students have posted on social media sites.  Therefore, it is our job as teachers to educate them about digital citizenship.  We should also teach them to think before they post comments that could adversely affect them in their personal lives and at school.  Many schools conduct a “Cyber Safety Week” in order to bring awareness to students about digital citizenship and safety.  I believe this is a worthy program that every school should consider especially as technology becomes even more a part of students’ lives.

As a future school administrator, I believe it is important to set expectations for school staff regarding things that may be posted on the Internet.  Many teachers are on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media networks and they need to be careful about what is posted on the Internet and how it may be perceived by parents or students.  For example, a teacher at my school posted something on Facebook that she thought was harmless but was taken in a negative way by other teachers and parents.  My principal asked her to remove it from Facebook and she did.  I don’t believe that teachers should be restricted from social media sites or for posting comments on the sites.  However, I do believe that they should be cautioned to review their comments before posting them.  My principal always tells our staff that if you are in doubt about something you probably shouldn’t do it.  The same could be applied to posting comments on social media sites.

iPads and their Role in Special Education

My sister has the privilege of being a nurse for this sweet little girl pictured above.  Reagan has a rare disease called osteogenesis (brittle bone disease).  She has a tracheotomy which requires her to have 24 hour care.  My sister gets to go to school with her everyday and be her personal nurse.  Reagan is a very smart girl, but due to being in a wheelchair she cannot participate in all the same activities as her peers.  Reagan uses an iPad to help her with assignments in class.  She also uses it during recess and p.e. time to play games.  The iPad has been a very helpful tool for Reagan in school and at home.

I believe iPads have provided a needed change in education for students with special needs.  The iPad is easy to operate and it helps students who have a variety of disabilities perform tasks in school and throughout life.  This past summer I even learned of an app that can help students with autism communicate with others.  I'm sure that more and more apps will be created to make tasks easier for all students and I think this is very exciting!

iPad Mini

The iPad Mini.....I wonder if it will revolutionize our schools?????

I'm excited about the iPad Mini which is one of Apple's newest products.  The fact that it is cheaper than the original iPad makes it more affordable for schools to purchase them for student use.  Our school currently has an iPad lab in the library.  We can sign up for time to allow students to do research, play games, etc... using the iPad.  Our principal and assistant principal's goal is to buy iPads for every student in the whole school.  It will be interesting to see if they will purchase the regular iPad or the iPad mini.  I'm looking forward to what the future holds!!!!

The Flipped Classroom

In order to write an educated blog post on the flipped classroom, I had to do a little research.  I had heard about the flipped classroom, but never really knew all the details about it.  I read a blog post on edutopia.org that helped explain the flipped classroom.  Basically the flipped classroom is a way for teachers to incorporate technology in the classroom by providing class assignments and homework assignments via video.  Students can view the videos on the computer or DVDs can be burned for students to view on a DVD player.  The author of this article discussed the pros and cons of a flipped classroom which were very interesting.  In fact, I can understand both views of the flipped classroom.

In my opinion, there is no substitute for one-on-one interaction with a teacher especially in the elementary grades.  However, if a student is out of class a lot and needs to be caught up on assignments, it could be helpful to both the student and the teacher.  I feel like it could be a help to students in high school, but I still believe that teachers should not use it as a crutch to keep them from interacting with students.  One of the concerns of the flipped classroom is that teachers will only teach to one level of students instead of differentiating instruction to meet students' needs.  As technology continues to change, I fear that teachers will become obsolete.  Even though computers can help students in their learning, I believe there is no substitute for a great teacher. 

Red Ribbon Week.....Door Contest

During the week of October 22nd, our school participated in Red Ribbon Week in order to promote students being drug free.  We had activities each day in which students could dress up or bring something into school to raise awareness of drug free behaviors.  Each teacher had to decorate their door with a drug free theme.  I incorporated technology into my door decoration by making an iPad.  I took pictures of students and made them the apps.  Here is a picture of my door.  Oh...and I won first place!  YAY!!!!

Barriers to Technology in Education

Many barriers exist in education regarding technology access.  First, money is a key factor.  Technology is not cheap and schools don't have the resources it takes to purchase needed technology.  Many schools do the 10 for technology in which parents are encouraged to send in at least $10 in order to help the school purchase technology.  This initiative has helped many schools purchase technology.  Another barrier could be access to technology.  Most schools do not have a one-to-one initiative for technology access.  Therefore, students have to share technology.  This can be a barrier in that students may not have access to technology when they need it.  Instead, they have to wait for a scheduled time to use it.  My school has an iPad lab in the library.  Teachers have to sign up to use the iPads throughout the week.  I wish I had a class set that I could keep in my classroom because I believe my students could benefit from having access to the iPads at all times.  Finally, I believe that lack of training is a barrier to technology in education.  Many schools have great technology for teachers to use in the classroom.  However, if teachers don't know how to effectively use the technology it may not get used in the classroom.  My school has Promethean boards in every classroom.  The ActiveInspire software program has so many great tools for teachers to create flipcharts, however; most of us don't know how to access them.  I believe more professional development needs to be explored in order for technology to be effectively used in the classroom.

Does technology help or harm literacy?

In my opinion, technology helps literacy.  There are so many games, computer programs, etc... on the computer and Internet that can help students develop essential skills that can improve literacy skills.  While there is no substitute for a teacher, there are definitely many Internet based games that can help students practice skills taught in the classroom.  For example, our school has a computer program called Orchard.  This program is aligned with the Alabama Course of Study and allows students to practice a variety of skills in language arts and math.  When my class goes to the computer lab, I load games and assignments for students to practice skills I have taught in class.  Orchard provides a test for teachers to give at the beginning and end of the year in order to track students' progress.  Our school also has an iPad lab.  Each week my class goes to the library and uses the iPads to play games that help enrich literacy skills previously taught in class.  Through our reading series, I can load books for students to listen to and read.  I could give many, many more examples of how I believe technology has been helpful in the development of literacy in my students.  Honestly, I can't image teaching without the use of technology.  I believe it has been extremely helpful to my students in the area of literacy!

Article about Technology in Schools

One article that I have found to go with my research paper is called "Using Assistive Technology to Meet Diverse Learner Needs".  It discusses using assistive technology within the schools to help students with special needs.  The article discusses how it is important for several staff members of the school to help students with special needs who use assistive technology.  A librarian was discussed as a crucial person to help teachers as they use assistive technology.  Also, the article stated that it is important to train personnel in using the assistive technology so they can effectively use it with their students.

The article discussed Universal Design for Learning (UDL) which is a set of principles that helps guide teachers in preparing lessons for students with diverse learning needs.  UDL can also help teachers integrate assistive technology into their instruction in order to more effectively help students.

I agree that when schools use assistive technology with students several personnel should be on board to provide support.  It is important for teachers to have support as they help to meet the needs of the diverse students in their classroom.  Also, teachers should be trained in order to be able to effectively use the technology with students.  The article stated that there is a large variety of assistive technology that teachers can use to help support the needs of all learners in their classroom.  I hope to learn more about such technology through other articles I read for my research paper.

Community Engagement Meetings

Ginger Henshaw and I had the opportunity to be greeters at both the Buckhorn and Madison County High School Community Engagement Meetings.  It was very interesting to hear Dr. Copeland discuss the state of the Madison County School system and to hear the questions parents had regarding their children's education.  Both meetings began with Dr. Copeland sharing a PowerPoint about the school system.  The meeting ended with questions from parents that were answered by Dr. Copeland, board members, central office personnel, and administrators. 

The first meeting we attended was at Buckhorn High School.  It was very rainy and stormy that evening, so there weren't a lot of parents who attended.  Most attendees were administrators from each of the local schools in the cluster.  There were a few parents who attended and asked questions regarding the school system.  The second meeting we attended was at Madison County High School.  The attendance by parents was great!  This meeting lasted quite a bit longer as there were more questions from parents.

From both of these meetings, I gained a better understanding of our school system.  I knew that Madison County Schools were great, but this meeting showed how we compare to other larger school systems across the state of Alabama.  It was very interesting to hear the questions parents expressed regarding their child's education.  The main concern right now for both school personnel and parents is the lack of funding to do all the things we would like to do in our system.  However, our system has been proactive in getting grants and creatively spending money in order to get the most bang for our buck.  I'm proud of our system and I'm proud to say that I work for Madison County Schools.

What to do with old technology?

As a teacher, I have had several pieces of technology equipment that I no longer wanted in my classroom.  When I got my Promethean Board and projector, I gave away my overhead projector to a teacher who wanted it for center work.  Also, I have given away printers that I no longer needed to teachers who needed a printer.  I always made sure I let my bookkeeper know where the equipment was going so she could have an accurate count for inventory.

As a future administrator, I know that technology will continue to rapidly change and I will want my teachers to have the most up to date technology in their classrooms.  In order to switch out technology for more effective, new technology, I would first ask the people who work in the operations department what I need to do with the equipment.  Hopefully, they will take it and use it in another school.  If it is technology within the building that was purchased, I would find other teachers who needed it and put it in their classrooms.  Also, I would set up a lab in an extra classroom or in the library to utilize the technology.  I look forward to seeing what the future of technology holds and the new products that will become available.

Data Notebooks

Our school is implementing "The Leader in Me" this school year.  One component of this is to have students prepare a data notebook to keep up with their progress and growth throughout the school year.  The second grade teachers decided to prepare data notebooks that include students' DIBELS and fluency scores, STAR Reading scores, STAR Math scores, and a math facts graph.  Students also included their academic and personal goals for the first nine weeks.  We will change or refine these goals every nine weeks and discuss if students met them or not.

I sent the data notebooks home for the first time last week with progress reports.  I had so many parents include great comments regarding the data notebooks.  The data notebook provides a means of communication with parents in order for them to understand their students' goals and progress better.  It also provides that home/school connection that is so important for student growth.  I've included some samples of a students' data notebook below.

Teachers Pay Teachers

Teachers Pay Teachers is a website I found over the summer that has helped me tremendously in my teaching and in turn has been helpful to students.  This website is loaded with lesson plans, activities, templates, etc... for any classroom.  This summer I found some cute owl themed templates to help me in labeling and decorating my classroom.  Any time I am teaching a lesson on any topic and want to supplement it with a cute activity, I just go to this website and search for materials.  The great thing about this website is that there are a lot of activities that are free.  If you find something that isn't free, it is usually very reasonably priced.  There is no yearly membership fee to pay for this site.  Each week I receive an email that informs me of the freebies for the week.  Items that are priced occasionally will be offered for free for a week.  I have told my colleagues about it as well as a friend of mine who is in school now working on her education degree.  I love the fact that the materials on the site are created by teachers, so most of them are very user friendly.  This is an awesome website!!!

Student Teacher is Gone

Today is my first day back teaching my students and it is a relief.  Someone asked me in the hallway if I was having student teacher withdrawals to which I replied...."Absolutely Not".  While I did enjoy the free time to work on school work (Riverton and Samford), I missed teaching my kids.  Also it was very difficult for me to sit back and watch someone teach my class differently than myself.  It was definitely a learning experience for both of us! 

I was very disappointed that my intern's supervisor only came twice to observe her.  Both times my class was in a transition time and she never got to see her teach a full lesson.  I emailed the supervisor and told her that I was disappointed about this because I feel like my intern could have used her feedback as well as mine.  As a future administrator, it makes me not want to hire someone from this university if they don't prepare them better than what I have observed.  I plan to email the Dean of Education at the university in order to express my concerns. 

I believe that universities owe it to their students who are paying good money to prepare them in the best way possible.  I went to The University fo North Alabama and I was observed once a week in my student teaching placements.  I felt like I got good feedback from my supervisor and cooperating teacher that has helped me in my job now.  I believe with more observation and accountability this university could better prepare its graduates.

Teacher Resistance to Technology Use

Technology is changing at a very rapid pace.  Over the last ten years, it has become a huge part of our schools and instruction in schools.  When I started teaching 8 years ago, I had one computer in my classroom and an overhead projector.  Now, I have two desktop computers, a laptop, an ipad, a projector and a Promethean board.  When our school first got Promethean boards and projectors, many teachers didn't want them in their classrooms because they were afraid they wouldn't know how to use them.  We started out "piloting" the Promethean boards with teachers that wanted them.  Observations of lessons and professional development were provided for all teachers in order for them to become acclimated with the new technology.  Today, all classrooms have a Promethean board in them and are used by all teachers on a daily basis.

If I were an administrator, I would do the same type thing in order to help teachers who are resistant to the use of technology.  I realize that every teacher has their own teaching style; however, I believe that technology and can and should be impedded into lessons in order to make them more engaging and interactive.  Just like my school, I would allow teachers to volunteer to pilot new technology and I would observe it's effectiveness in the classroom.  Then, I would allow other teachers to observe lessons taught using the new technology and provide professional development in order to train teachers on using it.  I believe that seeing is believing and if teachers see it's usefulness and helpfulness to them they will be more likely to use it.  Technology should be a tool that helps teachers in their lessons and not a source of frustration.  Therefore, as an administrator, I would provide support and training for my teachers in order for them to feel comfortable using it in their classrooms.

The Daily Five

I had the privilege of observing a coworker do small groups using "The Daily Five".  Ginger Henshaw had suggested I read the book over the summer and I really enjoyed it; however, I needed to see it in action before implementing it in my classroom.  One of my second grade coworkers does this in her classroom and I was able to go and observe her.  The Daily Five is a model of how students can work independently while a teacher is working with small groups.  Students are trained to do five things every day which include:  read to a partner, read to self, word work, listen to reading, and writing.  Everyday students are responsible for doing each of these tasks while the teacher is working with other students. 

It was neat to see this in action.  I was amazed at how the 2nd graders were able to work so independently without needing much guidance.  It was very evident that the teacher had spent a great deal of time teaching students routines at the beginning of the school year.

My student teacher finishes teaching this week, so I'm going to implement this in my classroom next week.  I look forward to training my students to work independently and seeing the growth they will have in language arts.

Pinciples Guiding the Integration of Technology into Instruction

As an administrator, I will want to stay informed on new and changing technology and integrate it into instruction.  Several principles will have to guide my approach to integrating technology into instruction.  First, I will need to be knowledgeable about the new technology and determine if it would be effective for the age group of students at the school.  One way I could do this is to select a teacher to "pilot" the new technology and observe the effectiveness of it in the classroom.  I could also go to a school that may be using the new technology and talk with other school leaders about its effectiveness.  Next, I will need to determine the cost of getting it into classrooms and see if it is something that the school system has on a bid list.  I realize that I may have to start out small and make the technology available in a few classrooms at first.  As money becomes available, I would make sure the new technology is available to all teachers.  Finally, I will need to provide professional development for my teachers in order for them to effectively use it in the classroom.  If I provide teachers with technology and they don't know how to effectively use it, the technology may not affect student learning.  I look forward to seeing the new technology that will be available in the future and training teachers to use it in the classroom.

RES TV

I have had the privilege of being part of our school's television broadcast team.  My assistant principal, reading coach, and I help to monitor students as they run the cameras and sound boards each day.  I am amazed at how students can catch on so quickly to the different technology involved in running the broadcast.  Each student is learning each of the technology parts so that we will have several students that can run the whole system.  Here are a few pictures of our broadcast team.....

The girls running the sound board, picture board, and computer.

A student running the teleprompter.

A student doing the weather.

Students running the tv screen pictures.

Our anchors!!

How Can Technology Affect the Learning Process?

Technology is a very important tool in our schools today.  If teachers and students use it correctly, it can have a huge impact on the learning process.  Yesterday my student teacher and I did a learning styles inventory with my students.  This gave us pertinent information on how to best reach each student.  I believe that using technology when teaching a lesson provides visual, auditory, and kinesthetic experiences for all students.  After teaching the new information, my students can practice the skills in the computer lab three times a week and with iPads once a week.  Technology provides a fun and interactive way for students to practice various skills on their level of learning.

Although technology is a wonderful tool that can affect the learning process, I don't think it is a substitute for a teacher.  I still believe that teachers need to be a part of a student's learning process and provide technology as a tool for practice.

Open House

Tomorrow night our school is having (yet another) Open House.  It seems like we just had "Meet the Teacher Night" and then we had a "Curriculum Night" the last week in August.  I almost wish that we would wait and have an Open House toward the middle or end of the year because students don't have a whole lot of new stuff to share since the beginning of the year.  The PTO sponsors this Open House and it's intent is to get parents to sign up for PTO.  This year I'm going to have my students do a "Scavenger Hunt" with their parents around the classroom.  They will use the a list to guide their Scavenger Hunt.  I hope this will help students and parents to be engaged in the Open House tomorrow night.

How can technology innovations be sustained in schools?

Technology is constantly changing.  Each day new and improved technology is being developed for use in the classroom.  In order for schools to sustain technology innovations, they are going to have to come up with creative ways to gain money for changing technology.  Money for education has been consistently and steadily declining from year to year and the local school has had to come up with ways to pay for new technology within the schools. 

Our school uses the extra money from daycare as well as fundraising to purchase new technology.  We have also obtained grants that have allowed us to obtain new technology.  In the past five years that I have been at Riverton, we have purchased ActiveBoards, projectors, and laptops for every classroom.  We have also purchased a set of class Ipads for the school as well as Ipads for individual teachers.

Schools must continue to find ways to gain money in order to sustain technology in the schools.  I believe technology is going to continue to have a huge impact in schools.  I look forward to the future to see how  schools will continue to improve in the use of technology and how they will find ways to purchase new technology.

Classroom Pics

I'm stealing Sarah's idea and I'm going to share a few pictures of my classroom.

This is my hallway.  We are incorporating "The 7 Habits of Happy Kids" with the Leader in Me program this year.  I'm trying to incorporate that in my classroom and in activities I am doing with my students.

This is my Alabama Owl door.

I chose an owl theme for my classroom this year.  I make canvases with each fo the 7 habits on them.  I also made a tree out of foam board.  I got the idea for the tree from a teacher at New Market when our class toured New Market School.

Technology - Best Practices

I enjoy using technology in my classroom as much as possible.  In fact, I'm not sure what I would do without it.  As a teacher, it is easy for me to use technology as I'm teaching a lesson, but I realize that I need to involve students in technology use more.  One way that I've been able to do this is through the use of my Ipad.  I only have one Ipad in my classroom, but hope to get more.  Two cool apps that I've been using are a "Flashcards" app as well as an "AR" app. 

The "Flashcards" app allows me to download lists of sight words and other words that students need to read automatically and accurately.  For example, yesterday a student who is struggling in reading read the Kindergarten list of sight words in order for me to assess him on what words he knows and those that he is struggling with.  He is able to slide his finger through the list as he reads them to me.  Gone are the days of spending hours creating flashcards!  This app can be used in all grade levels to help study vocabulary and other concepts for tests.  You can even personalize it!!!

Another app that I've been using in my classroom is the "Accelerated Reader" app.  This app allows students to take AR tests on my Ipad.  This give me another "computer" in my classroom when I have a lot of students needing to take AR tests.  The app is really neat and interactive for the students.

I realize there are thousands of other apps "out there" for me to use in my classroom.  I look forward to learning more about apps that are beneficial to students.  Also, I look forward to the future and hope every child will have an Ipad!

Student Teacher Experience

I currently have a student teacher in my classroom.  She is doing a great job, but I'm trying to give her constructive criticism to help her grow.  She is very organized with her lessons; however, classroom management is an issue for her.  She wants to have fun with the class which is a good thing, but the students can't seem to gain control of their behavior after acting silly.  Also, she is somewhat monotone with the students and lacks enthusiasm.  I'm wondering if this is because she is nervous???

This has been a wonderful experience for me too for a couple of reasons.  First, this is giving me wonderful experience evaluating a teacher.  I'm trying my best to find positive feedback as well as constructive feedback.  Also, I realize that I will be interning this spring with a principal and will be very "green" and inexperienced.  I need to make sure that I help the principal and learn all I can without being in their way.  I look forward to my internship in the spring and all the things I will learn!!

Why I Want to Be An Administrator?

Being an administrator has never been something I have dreamed about for my future.  I knew when I was a young child and even more so as a high school student that I wanted to be a teacher.  I had no doubts through college that being a teacher was my calling for my future.  In my first year of teaching, those doubts crept in my mind due to the stress of the first year and a rough first grade class.  After making it through my first year and having a wonderful experience with my second class, I began really enjoying teaching and discovered those doubts were due to feelings of inadequacy.

After teaching for five years, I decided it was time to get my masters degree.  I decided to go back to my alma mater, the University of North Alabama, and get my degree in Elementary Education because I couldn't imagine doing anything besides being a teacher.  If life went according to my plan, I would continue to be a teacher, get married, and have a family.  Being a teacher seemed like the perfect wife and mommy job. 

Last school year (2011-2012), I felt like I was in a little bit of a rut.  I found myself wondering if I was really going to be a teacher the rest of my life and my plan of becoming a wife and mommy hadn't become a reality.  Although I love being in the classroom, I felt like it wasn't a challenge for me anymore.  On a Wednesday in November, I was talking with a friend who suggested I go back to school.  She had observed that I seemed to enjoy being in school (I know that sounds nerdy).  The very next day....out of the blue....my principal came up to me and told me that I should get my administration degree through the Samford cohort program.  Through these two series of events and much prayer, I entered into this Samford cohort program.

To be honest, I'm still very nervous about the possibility of becoming an administrator.  I still love teaching and interacting with students.  However, I truly believe that this is the path God has put me on and I know he will guide me to the place that He has for me.  I've really enjoyed the classes that I've had thus far in the Samford cohort program.  The classes and teachers have helped build confidence and enthusiam in me regarding becoming an administrator.  I look forward to the future and seeing God's plan (and maybe not mine) unfold. 

"'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans for good and not harm, to give you a hope and a future'".  Jeremiah 29:11

First Blog Post

I'm excited about starting a blog for my Samford cohort class.  I'm looking forward to reading other people's posts!!!  I have a classroom blog that a friend helped me create, but I still don't feel confident using it.  Hopefully with more practice....I'll get better at it!