Absences add up

Attendance is important.  How many times in your site school, have you had to work with a student who has been absent?

Click on this link and search the website on things that can be done to improve attendance.  Regardless of the reason, they hurt a child's ability to succeed in school.  Look at your own attendance record, have you missed class two times per month?  If so, have you gotten behind in your work?  

In your blog, you need to discuss three ideas of how to prevent student's getting behind due to absenteeism.  What can be done to encourage good attendance?  Incentives?  Extra help? Consequences?  Talk to parents? Think about this.  If you are wanting to become a teacher, you should be modeling good attendance to your students.  

The  title of your blog is "Absences add up."  As always, use the rubric for best scoring results.  This is due on Friday, Dec. 9 in class.  

Student Projects

Congratulations and BRAVO to all of the hardworking BCTAL Richland TAFE students who competed and qualified for state contest.  The TAFE Teach for Tomorrow Summit is scheduled for February 17 - 19, 2017 and will be held in Arlington the Arlington Convention Center, Sheraton Convention Center and University of Texas Arlington.

Todays blog is due Wednesday, November 9.  Whether you competed or not, now is the time to show off your project or teacher created material.

TAFE Competitors:
Include a description of each project you entered.  Show a picture of each event you were in, can be a screen shot, etc.  List what you placed and what you will need to do to get ready for state.  Include a picture of you at the awards ceremony.   Title of your blog is - Region competition results

Non Competitors:
Include the directions and steps for using your teacher created material.  Include a picture of  your TCM on the blog.   Make arrangements to show this in your site classroom.  Title of your blog is - My teacher created material

My first days as an intern

This blog is for YEAR 1 Interns only.

My first days as an intern:
What I was feeling as I walked into my classroom the first time. What was I wearing?  What happened next?  It should be a narrative, not in a list!

• What school you have been placed in?
• What is the grade level?
• Your mentor teacher / teachers name.  How long have they been teaching?
• Link your teacher's webpage to your blog.
• What subject is going on while you are there?
• What do you do when you are in the classroom?
• What are you most looking forward to doing in your classroom this year?
• Take a picture of your mentor teacher and include in your blog.  

As always, use the rubric for best grading results.  This blog is due on Friday, October 28.

What would YOU do?

Blog Due on Friday, October 7.  Year 1 Only

Read the scenarios below.  Choose ONE of the potential situations you could encounter in your internship.  Post an entry on your blog that reframes the outcome by generating a solution that would be an appropriate and professional way to handle the situation as an EAT intern.  Your response should have clarity while avoiding vague recommendations.  Be sure you state which Scenario you are writing about.  Discuss at your table.  This is due at the end of class on Friday.  

Scenario 1  

You left campus for lunch and when you returned to campus you missed the bus that transports EAT interns to your field site campus.  You don’t have a car, but your boyfriend (girlfriend) said that he (she) could take you to your field site.  You took him (her) up on the offer.  When you boarded the bus to return to your home campus, another intern asked why you weren’t on the bus earlier.  You asked the intern not to point this out to your EAT teacher, Mrs. Crabby, since no harm was done.

Scenario 2

You are at your EAT field site.  Although you know you are supposed to have your phone put away at your field site, you check it and see that you have a message from another intern in your class.  He said that he had an early dismissal and left the field site campus just a little early, but when he did, he forgot to sign out.  You think this is a bit strange because you never saw him ride the bus to your field site in the first place, but you agree to sign him in and out because you want to let him know he can trust you. After all, Mrs. Meddlesome, your EAT teacher, stressed that it is important to establish relationships with your students and others with whom you work. 

Scenario 3

You have just arrived at your field site.  Your teacher is absent and you have a substitute.  Previously, you have been in charge of monitoring the reading groups each day, and even though you were not aware that your mentor teacher would be gone, you know that you need to follow the routine so the students will progress. The substitute tells you that she has everything under control and you may leave because there is nothing for you to do. You decide your field site mentor will have plenty of time to get the reading groups caught up tomorrow so you go to the classroom next door where your EAT friend is interning.  The two of you move to the corner of the room and work on homework the rest of the period so you won’t disturb anyone.

Scenario 4

You are about to change into your field site attire and realize you have forgotten your field site shirt and name badge.  The bus will be leaving in three minutes.  You have on jeans with holes, and a low cut top.  You saw Mrs. Petty, your BCTAL EAT teacher, at your field site yesterday.  Since you think she will not be stopping by to visit interns at your field site, you hop on the bus without your EAT attire, taking your chances that you will not be discovered.  After all, if your field site mentor teacher and principal don’t say anything, there is no harm done, right?

As always, follow the rubric for best results. 

Rules

You watched The Ron Clark Story last week.  Ron Clark founded The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, GA. Please click here and explore his website.   If you are on social media such as Twitter and Facebook, consider following him to see what exciting things are going on in his model school.  

If you missed the movie, it is on YouTube, watch it!

Your assignment is this, answer the following questions in a conversational dialogue. Remember, you will need to follow the rubric for best results.  Refer to the prompt in your blog.  

• Why are rules important for learning? 
• How can rules help to keep a classroom running smoothly?
• What often happens in a classroom that is void of rules?  
• Either upload or screenshot the classroom rules you made for your future classroom.
• Include the consequences to your rules.  

Due Monday Sept. 12 before class begins.
As always, you will need to follow the rubric.
Have a great week!

2016 - A year in review

The 2016 Year in Review Video





Here is the embed code for the end of year video, copy and paste on your blog to embed on your blog.  It is for a grade.  Easiest grade ever!  Due by Wednesday, May 25.

<iframe id="vp1dvi9X" title="Video Player" width="432" height="243" frameborder="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/embed.animoto.com/play.html?w=swf/production/vp1&e=1463328442&f=dvi9X6vGrS1zRDdHhwwcGA&d=0&m=a&r=360p&volume=100&start_res=360p&i=m&asset_domain=s3-p.animoto.com&animoto_domain=animoto.com&options=" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Book Study, Part 1 - The Smartest Kids in the World

You should have completed the first part of the book study chapters one - four.  What did you think about what you read?

Which of the three students do you most relate to?  Explain why and how you view this?  What was significant to you about this student?

What was your opinion of the different types of schools in the three countries?  Which do you think would be the best in the United States and why?

Finland

South Korea

Poland

Click here and listen to an interview from NPR with Amanda Ripley

As always, use the rubric for best results.

Due - Monday April 25 or after we finish our discussion over Part 1.  

LiveBinder

LiveBinders is a useful and free tool to use for bookmarking and saving documents and web based information in an organized manner.

This is the link to LiveBinders.  You can set up a free account and use it as a storehouse of information for your students and your classroom.

URL link to LiveBinders

LiveBinders can be embedded or linked.

2016 Tech Tools for Interns  This is the Binder view.  You may click on it to see everyone's blogs over Tech Tools.

Click here to open this binder in a new window.  This is the open binder and it shows the tabs.




Your next assignment is to embed this LiveBinder on to your blog and on to your portfolio.
Copy and paste the embed code here.

Binder view:

<div style="width:75px; height:78px; background-image:url(http://www.livebinders.com/images/icons/binder_icon_private.png); border:0px; margin-top:4px; background-repeat: no-repeat"> <a href="http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1976547" target="_blank"> <img src="/images/blank_binder.gif" style="width:60px; height:60px; border:0px; padding:0px;margin:14px 0px 0px 13px;" /> </a> </div> <div><a href="http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1976547" target="_blank">2016 Tech Tools for Interns </a><br /></div>

Open Binder View:

<a href="http://livebinders.com/play/play?id=1976547&present=true" target="_blank">Click here</a> to open this binder in a new window.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://livebinders.com/play/play?id=1976547&present=true" height="500" width="95%">Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>

Embed on both your blog and your portfolio under tech tools.  This is due on Friday, April 15, in class. Easy as Pie!

10 Things Students Can Explore With Online Learning [Infographic}

10 Things Students Can Explore With Online Learning [Infographic}

Perot Field Trip Blog

Don't forget to embed your Perot field trip assignment on your blog.

What is the difference in a hyperlink and embeded?

This is a link https://sstevensbctal.wikispaces.com/

This is a hidden hyperlink.  Click here

This is an embed.
Prezi


Haiku Deck

Future Educators Association - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Work smart and fast.  Due at end of class today, March 21.  Follow the requirements on the field trip sheet.

TAFE Blog

For many of  you, we just returned from the TAFE State Teach for Tomorrow Summit and Competition.  Many of you competed and had good results. There is something to be said for giving it a shot.  For a couple of you, you will be moving on to the Educators Rising National Conference in Boston, MA this June.  Congratulations to all who tried!

Some of you chose not to compete.  If you are a junior and did not compete, I hope you will consider it next year.  If you are a senior, I encourage you to get involved in something that brings out the competitive spirit in you.  

This week's blog is for everyone, whether you competed or not.  You will all be able to answer the first few questions.  After that, you will all need to choose one of the specific prompts and address it. Include pictures and links.

Questions for all:

1.  Where was the TAFE State Teach for Tomorrow Summit held?  Give specific information and links to the University.

2.  How did our TAFE Chapter fare in the competitions?  (you can find out on the Wiki)

Choose at least one to write about

1.  What was your favorite aspect of the TAFE Conference?

2.  What is something constructive that you learned from competing at the state level?

3.  If you had a "do-over" on TAFE this year, what would you do differently.

4.  Of the featured speakers at the conference or break out sessions, which one was your favorite and why?  What was their message and why did it resonate with you?

As always, follow the rubric.  Include multimedia and submit on time.  This blog will be due at the end of class on Monday, Feb. 7.  

Creativity Counts!

Use headphones to listen to the video below.   Some of you have probably heard this before, but it bears listening to again!  Sir Ken Robinson is a well renowned author and educator.  His TED Talk should offer you some perspective.  This video is always a class favorite!

I thought this was an appropriate time to show this video from Sir Ken Robinson while you are contemplating what you will be teaching your own students.   Creativity should always count!  

You are to answer the following using complete thoughts and phrases.  

You should give intelligent well thought out answers.  You should also write in complete, grammatically correct sentences.

What is Creativity?
Why does Creativity matter in Education?
How do we fix this?

Sir Ken Robinson's Website.  Click here

Sir Ken Robinson on TED Talks

The name of your Blog post is Creativity Counts.
Remember to follow the Rubric.  This blog post is due, Monday, Jan 11.