colinwalsh's blog

“We’re almost there!” It’s the end of the second period and the home team is winning. Now I just have to finish the game without letting up. I always find the last stretch of any course to be the most difficult. I can see the finish line but I must remain focused. It’s been a long road for most of us, and for others it will continue. Personally, I have been finding that some days I’m not quite sure which hat I’m wearing. Am I a student, a teacher, a husband, or an employer? The line seems to be blurring consistently.

“This was a long and disastrous start. My classroom management skills better improve. It’s like being on a rollercoaster ride that just won’t stop. I know I can do better! I hope I have a better day tomorrow. Plus, I’m exhausted. Two hours sleep doesn’t help my cause.” (Block Day 1)

It is funny when I look back at this first journal entry; so much has changed over the past three weeks. I no longer feel those anxious moments in the classroom that I did. I learned more than just how to manage a classroom, I learned how to manage myself.

I really enjoyed the content of this course, but in particular I found that the collaboration of information to be the most impressive.

Over the past several weeks, all I've heard in every class is that collaboration is the key to students’ success. So why are we not collaborating as pre-service teachers when it comes to lesson planning and unit design? A few of my fellow peers and I have been discussing this for some time and have reached the conclusion that it can only help increase the speed of our learning curve. Check out our link if you want to join our information and resource sharing community. http://tinyurl.com/lessonplan2010

“ScKATE”

When I was an elementary student, access to information was relatively concentrated in two main forms - libraries and television - and only one of these forms was deemed acceptable. I’m sure you know which one I’m referring to. Access to said form, a.k.a. the library, was limited by not only time constraints but also transportation to and from unless you happened to live within walking distance. Today, students have much greater accessibility with a simple click of the mouse.

Instigating Source
p. 340-341
L.I.F.T (Literacy is a family thing).

Response
I absolutely loved this idea as a way to incorporate reading at home as a family activity. It would be a great way for families to interact and reinforce a love for reading and family communication on a daily basis.

Instigating Source
p. 343
Listeners assign meaning using assimilation and accommodation.

Response
I feel as though I had an “Ah-ha” moment when reading this passage.

The last two weeks have felt like a roller coaster ride that has yet to reach the peak before its descent. I have been feeling overwhelmed at times but excited also. I keep reminding myself to stay the course. I have fallen behind from time to time on the readings but I'm still hanging in there. I know I'm not alone and this is made evident to me each time I converse with my fellow peers. If it weren't for weekends, I'd never catch up. Yet again, I remind myself to "stay the course" and this seems to help.

I really enjoyed the virtual tour and found it quite easy to navigate. The two stops that interested me the most besides twitter and delicious, were you tube and wikis. I thought that these would be great resources to use in the classroom and for group projects or independent assignments.

YouTube offers a wonderful opportunity to share videos about a variety of topics and places. It also is great for “on the go” examples when combined with delicious favourites. It allows you as the Teacher to be able to quickly retrieve examples for your class if the opportunity should present itself.

Instigating Source K-W-L Charts “What We K now, What we W ant to learn, and What we L earned”.

Response This is an effective tool for helping assess what students already know about the topic while at the same time link the lesson to be learned to prior knowledge that they have already acquired.

Instigating Source Teaching students to speak in small groups.

Response I really believe that the socialization process of building trusting relationships in the classroom between students and their peers, as well as the teacher, is an integral aspect in language acquisition.

I believe that a Teacher should be sensitive to their students’ emotional, physical and social needs. As a Teacher it is our responsibility to foster learning through care and respect. We as educators must be sensitive and aware of the multicultural differences and socio-economic variations within our classroom and the influence these factors can have on childhood development and learning. We must be adaptable and organized so that we may better serve our students needs or concerns. We should be responsible for their safety and well-being while they are in our classrooms.