Twitter the classroom tool never thought of

Over the last few weeks we have had to start a Twitter account and follow others that may help us in our teaching career.  I will be the first to admit that I was very hesitant in this activity.  I have had a twitter account in the past and I did not enjoy using it so I stopped using it years ago.  With this new opportunity of using Twitter I have learned that there are a lot of good things that can come out of it.  I do like the idea that you can network with other people in your field without actually having to go to a networking get together.  Of course, there are news outlets to keep you up to date with current affairs.  This is important because you continually put current events into your lessons in the classroom.  I also saw where teachers and administrations were using Twitter as like a bulletin board.  A place they can make an announcement about the school and/or district and the students and parents know what is going on in the school district.  I do like the idea of using Twitter to make announcements or even letting parents know what is going on in a teacher’s classroom. 

At the beginning of class I was very negative about the idea of having Twitter and using it.  But after the past few weeks I have decided to have an open mind and continue to use Twitter.  I will keep tabs of some of the networking followings, but I think the biggest use I will have for Twitter would be to keep parents in contact of what we are doing in the classroom.  I think this is where I will get the most use of it.  The use of Twitter in this class is just one example of me using new tools in the classroom that I never thought I would have in the past.

Week 5 - Google the helpful Classroom Aide

This week we read quite a bit about Google classroom.  I never realized how much that Google Classroom can do.  I have had basic knowledge of classroom and seen the use of it while subbing.  It wasn’t until this class and reading the resources did, I realize what all Classroom can do.  I also was interested how Google Classroom can make the life of the teacher simpler.  I originally only thought teachers could just put assignments on Classroom.  And when I say this, I meant I thought it was just an assignment book type of app.  Never knew the students could do the assignments and turn them in.  The idea of teachers starting a discussion with students on Classroom.  I like this idea because it will help all students to be involve with the discussion and not be shy to raise his or her hand while in class.  Plus, it helps the teacher know which students may or may not know the information that is being taught.  The other activity I didn’t know until I saw it in an actual classroom was the teacher being able to make quizzes for students.  I just didn’t know how much you can do with the quizzes until reading about Google Classroom this week.  I like that a teacher can give instant feedback to the quiz for each student.  That will let the students how they did right away.  Also, the idea that the teacher can set it up so the teacher and students can see how many students answered the question correctly and which answers were chosen by the students. 

I like how Google Classroom can make the life of the teacher easier.  The first thing that makes things easy is the idea that the teacher can reuse material each year because it is saved on the Google drive.  It also helps the teacher to save time and paper because there is no need for the teacher to copy worksheets for assignments and quizzes.  It also allows teachers to manage multiple classes with ease.  It keeps teachers, students, and classes well organized.  It also allows teachers to help out struggling students by assigning individual students separate assignment. 

There are so many new tools for teachers today.  I feel Google Classroom is one that is very significant for many reasons.  One is that is easy to set up and use.  It helps teachers stay up to date on current education trends because Google keeps updating Classroom whenever it is necessary.  It allows teachers to keep guardians in constant with the students’ education.

Week 4 - All or none of the above.

This week there were a few readings that stuck out to me, but the most important was the readings about multiple choice testing.  My whole life taking tests I just assumed it was a simple process to make a multiple-choice test.  After some personal experiences and reading this week’s resources I have realized it is more difficult then I ever thought.  While reading the resource Writing Multiple-Choice Test Items, I could not believe that it a very detailed process that making a multiple-choice test could be.  The one step that I feel I had a good handle on was the writing of the stem or question.  A few years ago, I was covering the maternity leave for a high school English teacher.  During that time, I had to develop a few tests.  That was the first time I realized how difficult making a test actually was.  The first part that I found hard was figuring out what items I was going to test on and how to ask the questions.  I found myself asking many questions in one section and not many from others.  I made several mistakes while making up questions that are discussed in the reading.   One mistake I made more often then I realized was the use of negatives in the question.  It was an easy error to make when having trouble making questions.  I also would put clues in the question that would give the answers to the students.    When it came to doing the options or answer there were many things I did incorrectly.  The one that I did commit, but did not realize was a bad thing was what I read from the reading 10 Rules for Writing Multiple Choice Test Items.  That rule was to keep all answer choices the same length.  I remember many a few times I would have different length answers.  Length of answers can be a hint towards answers.  Often the longest answer choice is the correct answer.  One last tip I never thought of was options of “all the above”, “a and c”, or “none of above”.  I rarely used these types of options, but did not know that they were that bad to use.

I never realized there are so many different rules and tips when it comes to multiple-choice tests.  I wish I would have known these rules when I was making up my tests.  It would definitely would have made it easier for me.  It is amazing all the rules and tips there are to making these tests.  I always thought as a student that they were easy tests to come with compared to short answer questions.  It was not until I had to make one up that I learned that it is more difficult then most people think.

Week 3 - The TA Google Classroom

This week we read a few resources about google classroom.  It was a very interesting reading since I have had first hand experience with google classroom while substituting.  It is amazing how it has changed throughout the years.  I have also seen how the use of google classroom among teachers have grown.  It has become more user friendly in my opinion that it does not take much time to learn to use.  In the beginning many teachers were just using classroom as an assignment sheet where students and parents can find what is due when.  Now teachers use google for many different activities.  Not only do teachers post assignments they put assignments on classroom that the students can work on while classroom.  Like the reading mentioned because teachers can create assignments like worksheets on classroom, it eliminates the use of paper worksheet.  The reading also talks about how classroom provides students instant feedback.  It also helps teachers start question driven discussions.  I have seen this first hand in a 6^th grade math class.  The teacher will put a quiz on google classroom and as the students answer each question it shows how many students pick each answer to the question.  He then will which students pick a certain and have a student explain how he or she got that answer.  This process helps the teacher figure which students know the material and which ones do not.  It also helps the teacher know where he needs to focus his teaching on where students are struggling.  Google classroom has started eliminating the loss of school days because of weather.  A lot of schools are declaring E-learning days whenever school is cancelled.  I feel eventually schools will not have to worry about missing school because of weather.  The teachers can post notes or even videos of the lesson and then also put on assignments.  There was one thing that I did not know Google classroom did that I found really fascinating was the idea that the teacher can assign individual work for students who are struggling to help them out without singling the student out in front of others.

Week 2-Popplet goes the Weasel

There are a lot of interesting tools that we have been introduced already.  The one tool I enjoyed reading about is Popplet.  Though it may come off a little simple compared to some of the other tools, I think it is as important as a visual learning tool in the classroom.  Popplet is an app that allows the teacher and students to brainstorming ideas for a topic.  You can use the app to prepare a visual representation of the topic and brainstorming ideas.  They refer this to as mind mapping.  The students think and learn better visually while using Popplet.  The app in turn will help students take all his or her thoughts and develop a relationship between those thoughts and facts and images.  The Popplet app is not only available on the computer, but also on the IPad.   As a future business teacher I can see where I would use this tool in the classroom.  One example would be I hope to have an entrepreneurship class or section and would have the students come up with a business idea they would like to do.  I would use Popplet for twice for this project.  The first way would be to have the unknown business as the base in the center and then have students put their strengths and interests in the branches.  This will hopefully help the students come up with a business idea.  Then the next stage I would have the students take that business idea as the base in the center and the branches will be ideas the he or she needs to get the business started.  The other project that I think Popplet would be beneficial would be somewhat of a business history project.  I would have the students probably in an intro of business class select significant business figure, event, or movement and that would be the center focus of the Popplet.  Then as the students do research on the subject they chose.  That will be the branches of the Popplet.

Week - 1 Why I want to teach?

I never thought I would want to be a teacher.  I was dead set on running my own business and did not want to hear anything else.  Well after 16 years after graduating with my business degree, I am not any closer then I was right out of high school of running my business.  In the meantime, I started substitute teaching and I slowly realized that I enjoyed being in the classroom.  However as much as I enjoyed being in a classroom, I was hesitant and completing what I needed to do and become a fulltime teacher.  There were a few factors that made me start changing my mind.  The first was my dad and his passing.  He always thought I would have been a great teacher.  My mom told me after he passed, he thought I would have already have been a principal in a school after teaching for a few years and coaching.  So, when he passed, I realized that maybe I have not lived up to the potential that he saw in me and that is when I started looking into going back to school.  It has taken me a few years and a couple roadblocks to get here, but I am here.  The next factor is I got engaged a couple years ago and I realized to provide for my fiancée and a possible family in the future I would need a better career then what I have now.  The last is I have been in a school recently were the students are in some business classes, but are not learning anything and they need to learn more.