Blog post 2: Reflection on educational tech. blogs

As I was browsing through the different blogs that were posted on the websites, I came across a blog that talked about setting classroom expectations. I started reading the article because it related to the daily trouble I encounter in my 5^th grade classroom. Considering that I received the class two weeks after school started, and I had to adjust to the grade level change, every time I have given my students an assessment or a quick review, they are completely lost. It wasn’t until I started reflecting and reading this blog that made me realize that maybe with all the changes that we went through, the students and myself, I did not deliver or stated the classroom expectations efficiently with the students. As I am teaching, I have to be constantly stopping in order for the students to stop their talking and pay attention. Having to do this every day in the classroom gets to be very distracting to the other students who are engaged and I have noticed that it stops or disrupts the learning process for all students. Then, as I was reading the blog, it reassured me that establishing the classroom expectations is a very important step and thing to do in order for the learning to happen and run smoothly. I like how the blog talks about the two kinds of student expectations, which are behavior and learning expectations. Honestly, this was one of the biggest confusions I have had for these past 4 weeks inside the classroom as a teacher because I have mixed my behavior expectations along with me learning and it seems to be quite confusing for the students because they see it as one. As described in the blog, as I understood it they are two completely different sets of expectations. Yes, they complement each other in a high way because without one another, they are very hard to achieve alone. It is crucial to have students follow the behavior expectations as introduced by the teacher in the classroom so that the environment can be controlled and the learning expectations can be met. The blog also states different statistics as to how students in a classroom that has well established behavior expectations do an awesome job and are more highly to achieve the learning expectations because there is less interruptions as to a classroom that has more interruptions. After reading and learning the expected behaviors, each one go hand in hand in a more specific way. Learning how to implement video games that are played in the classroom setting or at home, I found that blog very interesting because by  adding the video games templates as lesson plans and incorporating it into the classroom, then it gets the students engaged and ready to learn with all their focus and attention on you.  

 References

http://www.edudemic.com/setting-classroom-expectations/

http://www.edudemic.com/computer-games-as-lesson-plan/

Reflection #3

As a first year teacher inside a classroom setting, it has been a challenge to manage all that is required to do. But as a technology lover, as I read A Complete Guide to Using Blogger in School, it helped me to brainstorm some ideas as to how I am able to integrate technology in the classroom in order to make all the tasks that I am required to do in an easier and much more organized manner.

            When talking about the distribution part, I thought of creating a blog in a 5^th grade Language Arts classroom setting in order to create a source where the students are able to find the notes and material we covered in class. Since this content area requires so many anchor charts and note taking in the classroom, it is important that the students are able to access and review the information in various ways. By implementing a blog for this particular class or content area, it would be beneficial for the teacher, parents and students. The teacher will have to scan any anchor charts, notes, homework or announcements that were given on that day into the blog. Not only that, but the teacher will also have to be responsible to inform the parents of the resources that are being available for the students outside the classroom. The students will be able to have access to the content that was reviewed in class through technology devices in case they need to refer back to the material at home, if they lost the notes, or if they were absent that day. By allowing parents to be aware of the blog, then it will allow them to clarify their doubts of what the students need to do in certain assignments or to ask any question through the blog as well.

            When reading in the discussion part, I thought if my 5^th grade classroom setting as a Language Arts and Social Studies teacher. Blogging can be so beneficial in the classroom in so many ways. It doesn’t only contribute to adding technology in the classroom and learning, but it also creates a different style of learning for the 21^st century students that are so involved with technology around them. I would use blogging to discuss what had been taught inside the classroom and make it due by the end of the day. By giving the students time to reflect on their learning more time than the one given during school hours helps those who need the extra time to process the information and it also allows the other students to get creative on what they are going to post on their blog. It is a wonderful idea to target the shy students, the SPED students, LEPS, and the others that take time to process all the information given to them.

             After reading the last part which is the demonstration part inside the classroom, I thought again of my 5^th grade Language Arts classroom that I am in right now. I would have students create their own blog through Kidsblog at the end of a unit that I had just covered in order to use it as a checkpoint to see if they fully understood the material as I wanted it or if there were some misunderstandings. By students writing the blog, it helps them on their writing structure and it also gives them a chance to create unedited audio reports if they struggle with their spelling or for the ELLs in the classroom.