How can I productively react when students misbehave or act up?

We have not directly covered this topic yet, however I feel the scenarios we submitted will come in handy with this question.

What is the most common form of misbehavior in the classroom and what mehtods can we use to not let it dominate in our classroom?

How can I implement the 3 most important components of classroom management?

We have not discussed the 3 most important components of classroom management yet.

What are the 3 most important components of classroom management.

Which strategies are most effective for maintaining order in the classroom?

I'm not sure if we have hit this question yet. It may have been covered in Fires, but we never really discussed it.

How can we establish one effective way in which students will always respond to if off task.

Which strategies are most effective for teaching and learning with technology?

Strategies that involve hands-on activities in which the student is in control and doing something fun and engaging have seem to be the most effective strategies for learning when it comes to technology. That is simply a given understanding since it differentiates from the typical paper & pencil work.

How can the students who do not appeal to the use of technology be involved completely?

How can you effectively integrate technology into your teaching and learning?

Our group presentations also hit this question greatly, mainly the fact that we had to research and find a lesson that already uses the presented technology. I also think that our work with webquests so far has covered this question as well.

Digital stories (i think that's what they called) are something I'd like to see addressed if at all possible.

Why might it be important for students to learn with technology?

I think our group technology presentations helped answer this question because each different technology represented demonstrated how technology can be used in an effective and differentiated classroom. Altogether, each realm of technology that was covered made us realize that there are different ways to incorporate technology for it to appeal to everyone, and it will always be a hands-on and more engaged approach.

How can students who do not have computers at home and are not very technology-savey keep up with those who are very knowledgable, especially when it comes to an assignment.

How to help someone use a computer

From the first list, one thing that I recognized was the "textual message that users don't often read." That caught my eye because it's very true. When an error message or some other text appears on the screen that really should be read before proceeding, users often do not read it but instead quickly click to keep going with whatever they were doing.

From the second list, I liked the "be abstract with language...saying things in ways they will understand." I think that is very important with teaching people to use technology because if they have entirely no clue how to do something, you need to be direct and in depth with them so they will know how to complete the task you are asking them to complete.

I can use this information by taking my time to be concise and in depth when explaining to everyone how to use Google Earth during my team presentation.

NYT Middle School Article

This article presents the issue of removing middle schools from school districts, not having a separate school for the 6-8 or 7-8 years. The two positions described in this article are a K-8 school and a 6-12 school. The K-8 school is argued as positive because it allows students to be "nurtured" for a few more years, in the same school, with the same teachers they once had and are comfortable with. The 6-12 school is discussed positively in that by getting students in 6th grade, that gives 3 more years to prepare them for college, therefore many more students will be likely to go to college. The students who attend the 6-12 school are thought to mature more and teachers enjoy working with them toward college-prep earlier than the usual 9th grade.

I don't think I'm really in favor of either of these schools. In my school district there was a middle school for 7th & 8th grade. I think that is best because the students need a break from the nuturing and get prepared for high school, and they can achieve that in a typical middle school. The K-8 school does not appeal to me because that just seems so long for these students who are continually growing, to be in the same building. They need new experiences and being in the same school as an eighth grader as you were in Kindergarten does just not seem right. The 6-12 school does not appeal to me either because I think it is important that kids have their time in the "middle school" to prepare for high school. In the article a teacher explained how he spent more time dealing with 170 middle school students than 300 high school students. That shows that the students really do need their own individual time in a middle school all on their own.

If I had to pick one of these sides to go with, it would probably be the 6-12 school because students will have more time for college prep and will hopefully mature faster and earlier since they will be roaming the same hallways as high school students. The K-8 school just seems like you'd be extending their childhood and not allowing the students to mature or experience new and exciting opportunities that will allow them to grow and thrive. In a middle school whether it be 6-8 or just 7 & 8, students will be able to have their own time, their own experiences, get to know each other better, and then move on to high school together.

Afterword

“Good teaching entails far more than just basic intelligence and knowledge.” That statement I found to be most significant in this chapter. All educators should realize that teaching involves not simply knowing and teaching the material to the students, but to understand and deal with all of the other aspects and issues that will arise in the classroom. All of the topics that were touched on in this book will be topics that every teacher will most likely have to deal with and they will be a successful teacher if they know how to handle each situation and can handle it professionally.

Chapter 10

The topic of this chapter overall was what I found most significant in this chapter. I completely agree that the typical classroom environment and routine can get old and can lack stimulation for students. Getting them out of the traditional classroom as much as possible will only benefit their learning. My mentor teacher has already demonstrated this as we took our classes to the wrestling room for a lesson we were teaching. We figured it was a relaxing room with the padding and no desks to be confined to. I remember at the end of one of the periods we asked the class why they enjoyed that lesson and most students expressed their delight of getting out of the classroom, simply going somewhere else.

Chapter 9

The simple statement “learning involves failure” caught my attention the most in this chapter. I think that statement should be explained and discussed with students on day one of the school year. Help them realize that they are going to struggle along the way, and so may their teacher, but to always stay confident and try their hardest, and they should succeed. I feel it’s extremely important for students to hear that statement because it may change their mentality if they enter a class thinking they’ll breeze through it with an “easy A”. When the time comes that they begin to struggle, they’ll relate back to the statement and recognize that they will overcome this and gain something from it.

Chapter 8

What jumped out at me the most in this chapter is the statistic of “one in every six adolescents going to school in the United States comes from a family in which English is not the main language.” That seems so bizarre and inaccurate because at Mt. Blue there are maybe six students in the whole school who would fall into that statistic. I know down in Portland the high schools are very diverse with many different languages, and that is something you just don’t see up here in Franklin County. I suppose in certain parts of California and big cities throughout the United States there are many students who are learning English as a second language, so that therefore makes up for the gap of diversity we have here in Maine.

Chapter 7

The few statements in this chapter about not focusing on using textbooks jumped out at me the most because I completely agree with this idea. I think textbooks should be used as a reference if needed, to help with certain topics or terms, but should not be read from cover to cover, especially if the reading is not going to be discussed or related to in class. My mentor teacher has a stack of health books in the corner of his classroom and I asked him one day about them, he said they’re pointless and not needed. I can’t agree with him more. The classroom discussions and activities he does with his classes definitely surpass any generic reading he would make the students do in those books.

Chapter 6

The emphasis on reading and writing in any and all subjects caught my attention the most in this chapter. “Kids learn more in every academic area when they are highly motivated to read and write.” Before reading this section, I figured reading and writing was only important in English class. Now, however, it makes sense to make the students read and write in order to grasp the subject area as best they can. Reading about different topics of the subject can be helpful, especially if it is something they chose on their own. Reflections and free writes can be ideal and very effective for students as well. I would probably use a combination of searching for current health news and reflecting on it in writing as a way for my students to read and write more often in my class.

Chapter 5

The emphasis of asking open-ended questions so students won’t worry about getting the answer right or wrong impacted me the most with this chapter because I never truly realized that before. I guess it is indeed true that when you ask a question that has a distinct answer, the students are going to be more hesitant to raise their hand because of the worry of getting it wrong. Open-answered questions and discussions are much more ideal because it lessens the worry for the students, and it will seem to them that they are contributing and are correct. I can relate to a specific example of this as I was leading a class discussion about goals & wishes with my mentor teacher. We asked for someone to give us a wish, any wish in the world they had. No one raised their hand, and for a moment I was standing there struggling, so my mentor teacher spoke up, saying “write one goal and one wish on your papers right now.” Students were worried to simply raise their hand to give a goal or wish. When we had them write, their pencils were moving immediately, they had some in their minds, they were just afraid to speak up and share.

Chapter 4

What jumped out at me most in this chapter were the few comments from students stating that if a teacher doesn’t think you’re smart, they will not call on you or encourage you to do your best work. I’m sure that unfortunately is the case with some teachers, but personally, I strongly disagree with statements such as those. I guess it’s the coach in me that would definitely motivate and encourage students who are not the smartest to do their best. Their poor performance would give me the incentive to push them to work hard to show improvement. Also, if there are students who I am not particularly fond of, I wouldn’t ignore them by any means, I would acknowledge them just as much as any other student because I would not want there to be any bad feelings, I want to be a teacher whom all students like.

Chapter 3

A comment from the common mistakes and helpful hints in this chapter jumped out at me; don’t call on people just to make them pay attention. This stood out to me because I’ve always seen teachers call on kids who are not paying attention, and that seems to rope them in, so I have never even considered not calling on them when they are off task. From my observations, calling on them regains their attention, busts them for being off task or not completely focusing, and engages them back into the current classroom environment. I don’t totally disagree with the statement to not call on someone to make them pay attention, I just had never considered that because I’ve seen it used so much with always a positive outcome, it seems. The students’ comments are important though, so perhaps now I will take into consideration the fact that calling on someone who is not paying attention could make that person feel bad or may not be as effective as another way to regain their attention.

Podcast #2

I do not have an ipod so I ended up doing a google search about podcasting in the classroom as originally assigned. While looking through the search results, I found a website that has many podcast links and whatnot, www.podfeed.net. So I went there and searched health education and I ended up just looking under the health category [http://podfeed.net/tags/Health#] and I found a podcast that caught my eye called Beyond Organic. [www.beyondorganic.com] I listened to about 10 minutes of a Beyond Organic podcast called "Comfort Food: Traditions & Alternatives." This podcast was more of a talkshow style, as there was a host and he had a couple of guests on his show to help discuss the topic. He chatted with the author of the book Comfort Food Makeovers, which is about the nation's top 30-50 comfort foods and how to make healthier versions of each by lowering calories, lowering fat, making substitutions, or increasing fiber and nutrients of each. With changes like that to the chosen foods, they are still comforting and wonderful, just healthier and smarter. The top 3 comfort foods in the U.S. are 1. mashed potatoes & gravy, 2. macaroni & cheese, and 3. chocolate chip cookies. Serving size is also taken into consideration in the book and it was stressed that you should eat comfort foods when hungry, enjoying and savoring the food, yet recognizing when to stop, when you are comfortable and content, not when you're completely stuffed and full.

Overall, I enjoyed this podcast a lot because it was a topic that interested me. Also, it made me realize that podcasts are so similar to the radio because it sounded just like a radio talkshow. Searching for a podcast was not tough at all because they are so popular and I discovered that there are general websites and also individual websites for popular podcasts. I am glad that I got to search for a podcast that I would be interested in, and now that I have found one, I'm going to bookmark the website and perhaps "tune in" in the future.

Podcast #1

A podcast is a combination of an ipod and broadcasting. It is something that can be broadcasted to many people, all over the world. You do not have to use an ipod to listen to a podcast, you can easily listen on your computer. Podcasts are similar to Tivo except in a radio form, as in you can record something to listen to later. Podcasts are compatible with any computer, not just macs. They are very affordable and a subscription is all that is needed.

Podcasts can be used in the classroom for students to correspond with students in another country both visually and audibly. They can be used to record songs, poems, or messages for an assignment or specifically to family members. Also, podcasts can be used to simply listen to in class. The presenter in this podcast that we listened to traveled to Europe and recorded some of the sounds she heard during her trip so she could play them for her class when she returned.

Teachers would benefit from using podcasts in their classroom because students tend to be more motivated to do their work when they know it may be broadcasted and potentially shared with students around the world. Teachers would want to use podcasting in their classroom for that reason, and because it is a new technology that can create many ideas for projects.

Some teachers may choose to not use podcasts in their classroom because they may have a lot of learners who podcasts wouldn't appeal to. Students who are kinesthetic or visual learners may not be able to sit for a long period of time to listen to a podcast that you can only hear and not see. Yes, podcasts are a great step up for technology in the classroom, but there are always going to be a few students whom it won't completely appeal to.

Now that I know much more about podcasting, I think it's a neat invention that could be very effective in the classroom. I personally do not own an ipod nor do I use itunes, so if I were a teacher right now, would I use podcasts in my classroom? Probably not. Right now I feel as though I would have to learn more about podcasts and, in a way, get motivated to use them because currently I have no desire to use them. Like I said, however, I think they're great and they can indeed be used in some very creative and effective ways, I just don't see podcasts as a tool I would use in my classroom very often.

Copyright and Fair Use LR

I would think that taking pictures of people and places and putting them on a web site would not be allowed. Of course if you take a photo of a public place and there are 25-50 people scattered throughout the picture, you are not going to be able to get to everyone to let them know of your project and ask them for permission to post their photo online. However if you take a picture of a store, why not take the time to go in and explain what you are doing and give them a heads up that their photo will be online. That seems the safest way to go about this project, chatting with people as you take the photos, specifically letting them know what you are doing and asking for permission. Simply taking the pictures and walking away, getting home and loading them onto the internet seems too simple and illegal. Here at UMF I have had to sign photo release forms before incase my photo was going to be used on the school website, for example, therefore I would hope that permission should be granted from all of those involved in each picture before being posted on the internet.

Copyright and Fair Use QR

#3: If anything they should update all computers to use version 4.0, but I suppose you do have to go through the manufacturer's laws. I would have never thought to complain.

#6: That is good that you can take any images you want, but I would think that you should cite the sources if you use them in your class.

#7: I didn't realize that password protected allows you to post anything without permission. I would think you would still need permission

#10: That makes sense because most popular file-sharing sites are frowned upon anyway. It indeed make sense to get music or multimedia from the internet, but do not freely share it or spread it around the internet more.

#13: Anything that is posted on the internet and found by others is allowed to be used as long as it isn't copyrighten.

#14: I figured this one was false because you have to purchase the rights to movies before being allowed to show them.

#16: I thought that you would have to have the permission of the people and places the pictures were taken of if you were going to post their photo(s) online.

#18: I have had many classes where CDs were played for educational purposes, this seems to be allowed and not a big deal.

QR Blogging

The experience with the blogs so far has been fun and interesting because I feel this is a very practical way to submit assignments while learning new ways to do things, mainly with technology. The blogging experience in general is new to me. What I found most frustrating was logging in to my blog; I thought we would use our user name to log in rather than our email address, and that took me a while to figure out. I like using this blog overall and I can't wait to add to it throughout the semseter.

NetDay Results

I would consider myself a digital native because I have grown up with the advancing technology. We've had a computer in my home for as long as I can remember, and going back to using a 'regular' camera at this point seems unrealistic to me. I used to have cassette tapes to listen to music but that seems so long ago now. CDs are even beginning to seem old because everything can be retrieved from the internet and listened to on computers these days.

Being a digital native will have a positive impact on my teaching because I will have a good general knowledge of technology and how to use things. With students becoming more and more knowledgeable about technology, I can see myself easily working with students whenever technology is being used in the classroom. My overall knowledge of technology along with that of the students will create a more interesting and interactive learning environment.

I am not surprised by the increasing numbers this survey continues to find. Technology is a very important part of our lives now and there is no way that is going to change. As people grow up in our society they need to be able to adapt to the technological changes or else they will struggle in some aspects. It is surprising, however, that so many younger kids (K-3) are using a wide range of technology sources at such a young age. I don't see any reason for a K-3 student to be using a cell phone, but this is simply what our world is coming to though, advancement of technology to increase communication and information is a continuing development that will broaden our future's horizons.

QR Chapter 2

The overall discussion about fairness and treating each student equally caught my interest the most in this chapter; specifically, treating students equally especially when it comes to grading. If two students know that they have done the same work and received similar grades on their work, their overall grades should reflect that and not show a significant difference. Students should not think that their teacher grades them differently on levels of like and dislike.

QR Chapter 1

The section in this chapter about visiting your students’ neighborhoods definitely jumped out at me the most because that is something I would have never thought to do. I would never go to a student’s home, but I suppose driving through their neighborhood to get an idea as to where they live is an okay thing to do. The home life of students undoubtedly affects their learning, so understanding where exactly they come from and go home to everyday would indeed be helpful.

QR Introduction

The phrase, “the fastest way to find out about the work of a teacher is to ask the students” jumped out at me in this section. Taking the time for student feedback and input I am sure can always be rewarding and informative, especially when it comes to the performance of the teacher. I realize that student feedback is important and I would use it in my classroom when necessary as most students will more than likely be very honest and upfront about the teacher.

QR Preface

What jumped out at me in the preface were the statistics about teachers, specifically “60 percent quitting the profession within their first five years.” This was surprising to me because it is a much higher number than I would have imagined. One would think that going through all of the education required to become a teacher, people would realize whether or not they wanted to truly teacher or not. However, I am sure that some beginning teachers experience tough times that make them reconsider the teaching profession once they are already in it.