Reflecting on My Blog: Mid Point

At the beginning of this assignment I was extremely skeptical. I have never been good with technology and my use of technology only goes as far as creating a Power Point and adding posts on Facebook. I think another reason why I didn’t like the idea of creating a blog was that when you googled our names anyone could read your whole life story which is uncomfortable and safe. Obviously as I progressed I learned that there are ways to block it from the public and so on. The first day that I sat down to start this assignment I was overwhelmed and wanted to give up. As I read and watched some tutorials I learned how to create a blogger account and how to design my layout and chose the templates. I selected the one that seemed to best fit my personality, and picked a pink background to make it more fun! I learned how to add the posts which were fairly simple, and then added my “about me” section. I had no idea that adding a post was different then adding a page. Then when you added a page it didn’t automatically add a tab. You had to insert that yourself. After reaching out to a few classmates and reading the helpful emails from the professor I began to make progress with my posts. I had no trouble relating the textbook to the material that I wished to add on my blog. That is one thing that I enjoyed about this textbook. It is an easy read and I was able to relate my college career and times that I have spent in the classroom. School is clearly working! Then came the day that I attempted to tackle the gadget… I had a very difficult time just understanding the difference between a gadget/widget/wizard, etc. It is still something that I find a bit confusing. Anyways, I read the emails, the posts, watched some videos and I still did not get it. After speaking with some co-workers at the restaurant I work out, I found out that one man is in the process of becoming an online teacher, and knew all about blogs! He was able to successfully answer all my questions and help me clean up my mess that I began with. From that point on creating my blog was not as hard as I made it seem, such as many other things in my life. This assignment once again proved that I can do a lot more than I give myself credit for; and although I may not like what I am doing, I can accomplish it if I keep an open mind! All in all it has actually been a fun journey learning how to create a blog, and it was even more fun to see how creative some of my classmates were! As of right now I have 5 pages titled “home, Goodreads, picture books, annotated bib, and author study,” and I have added 4 actual posts to the main page. This includes read aloud, my future classroom library, about myself, quotes, and books that I have read so far this summer. I also believe that I have successfully added 5 gadgets! Like others in our class I have added a Good reads gadget, a calendar, a “share it” gadget, the YouTube video bar, and a list of books. I also learned how to put pictures on a few pages. It was cool to kind of see the whole semester of what we have been working hard on accumulated onto one website with our name and picture on it. I like to think of it as an online portfolio. Well, at least that’s what I like to call mine. I can definitely see how these blog sites can be helpful to teachers. It can be used as a way for them to communicate with parents, faculty, and even to let anyone know what is going on in their classroom. Teachers could use these blogs as a monthly newsletter, to show off their students projects, to keep parents informed of different units or standards, and to show the principle how much they have been learning! I will definitely keep an open mind to technology in my classroom and blogs in general. It is a great way to share information with friends, colleagues, and with strangers if that is necessary. I am honestly thankful to be given this opportunity to work with this blog and will continue to see what I can do with it.

Poetry

In our textbook we learn all about children's poetry, and it's important in their reading developmental skills. Poetry is a fun, catchy was for students to experiment with words. Short poetry stories allow students to experience silly ryhmes and be genuinely interested in what they are reading.Page 245 describes a list of ways of why poetry is benefitial: 1. Phonemic Awareness 2. Alphabet Knowledge 3. Word Parts 4. Ryhmes

Modern Fantasy

Another part of the textbook that I found interesting was the section where it described that modern fantasy has been becoming one of the most popular genres of books amongst children/teens these days. For some reason it captivates their attention and they get lost into a world of books. This genre also happens to be one of my favorites. It may be so popular because it allows people to use their imagination and create a world that isnt possible to accomplish in your life. One book that falls under the category of Modern Fasty is one that I happened to read for my annotated bibliography is called "The Magic Half" by Annie Burrows. This is just one of the amazing books that are popular amongst students these days.

CH 2: Mixed Cultures

In our text book, The Joy of Children's Literature, the chapter describes the difference of the United States being now compared to as a Salad Bowl, whereas it used to be called the Melting Pot. It all has to do with the varieties of cultures that are present throughout the country. As teachers, we need to welcome these cultures with open arms, and embrace the diversity in your classroom. When you have students in your classroom who have different backgrounds you can utilize that and turn it into a discussion, and relate their cultures to information that they have read in the text or in regular books. When the United States was thought of as a melting pot it is said that all the different cultures combined, and therefore melted into one. Now, being known as the Salad Bowl, people say that all of the cultures come together as one "main dish" but still maintain their individuality. This seems like a much better way to be thought about. It is always great for people to always remember their roots, while still embracing new cultures.

Dr. Seuss Quotes

It seems like all of my favorite quotes by authors are all written by Dr. Seuss. I would like to share some of them with you. 1. The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. 2. Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is n one alive that is youer than you. 3. Be who YOU are and say what YOU feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. 4. You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you chose. 5. Why fit in when you were born to stand out!

Read Alouds

Chapter 13 in our textbook discusses reading aloud to children. This is also something that was covered in my RED class last semester. Page 387 quotes, "Reading aloud has made countless children thoughout time fall in love with a teacher who did it well and who did it often. And these teachers are never forotten. Memories, some of them now decades old, of being read aloud to inhabit the dusty corners of so many of our minds.." I know that auhtor Mem Fox has written an entire book about the benefits to reading aloud to our students and children of your own. Reading aloud creats an early love for reading without the students even being aware of it. It gives them something to look forward to at bedtime and gives them a personal bond to the parent/guardian who reads to them. Last semester my class went to Pinewoods Elementary school and chose a book to read to a few classes. I read the book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," and it was such a hit! I am definitely going to make a point to read at least one book a day aloud to my classroom.

Classroom Library

As the last semester has continually flown by I have made a list of books that I want to make sure that I have for my classroom library. Some of them are books that I have read, others are ones that have been recomended to me. While reading through Chapter 14 of our text book I crossed page 418 when they discuss book baskets as a way to organize books in your classroom. I always just thought of having one large bookshelf and organizing them by the authors last name. However, after reading this section about book baskets I may just change my mind! The book suggests organizing them by alphabet books, authors, magazines, comics, award winning books, and more! It has definitely given me something to think about while gathering ideas for my future classroom.