Brooke-Lynn's Blog

As a part of the publicity project the students will take on, they will each compose reaction tweets after each reading, as if they were live-tweeting their reading. While the students could write such a thing in their journal, their journals would only be read by their teacher and maybe by peers. Sending their reactions into the Twitterverse allows for interaction between them and people outside the classroom. In addition to increased engagement, this activity may increase a student's care in what they write. If it's going to be visible to anyone on the internet, they may be more thoughtful in their responses. While the limitation of 140 characters can be difficult for some students, it can also be viewed as an exercise in expressing one's self in a concise and accurate way. This assignment is an example of the tenth teaching standard: collaboration. It applies specifically to 10(g), that the teacher " Uses technological tools and a variety of communication st

I've wanted to be a teacher longer than I've been in school. It's an inarguable fact that my older sister, Brianna, is the reason for this, although my father played a role in it as well. Because of this, I can't say that any of my teachers inspired me to become an educator. I can say that they inspired the kind of teacher I want to be. Like every student, I've had teachers I loved and whose classes I loved as well as teachers whose classes I dreaded. I was lucky enough, as I hope most students are, to have had a number of exceptional teachers. My freshman science teacher, Mr. Danala, was one of the first teachers to truly inspire me. He created a classroom where everybody seemed involved, in large part due to his amazing skills in forming relationships with his students. As freshmen, we were pretty apprehensive. Although most of us knew each other, it was still new in that none of us had ever taken a high school science class before. The class was well-str

While researching the Google Apps in The Google Apps Guidebook by Kern Kelley, I was intrigued by the chapter on Google Photos. Although the app itself is somewhat limited, the Pixlr extension it explained is an impressive tool, essentially a free version of AdobePhotoshop online. The summative assignment I am currently designing for my potential unit about Michael L. Printz award winners and honor books allows a choice of final projects and many of them could use this technology. One option is to create a photo journal, in which students would ask themselves "what would be on the protagonist's camera?" For this, an editing tool would be incredibly helpful, especially if the book they choose has a fictional or fantastic setting. This tool might also help students who choose to make a collage. If they cannot find an image they want, they can make it using other photos and the Pixlr program. As a fun addition, I have imagined how this might play out in the classroom. &

As a pre-service educator, I see technology as an important enhancer in the classroom, when integrated well. As technology advances, it becomes an increasingly necessary enhancer. The students being taught in school right now and in the future will likely never know a world that isn't full to bursting with rapidly advancing technology. Thus, in order for them to be successful, their education must include technology in practical and creative ways.  The following is a three-song "soundtrack" of how this tends to play out in a learning setting. 1. " A Whole New World ," Aladdin (1992) Promotional poster for the film ©Walt Disney, 1991 Originally sung by Lea Salonga and Brad Kane This song, as many people know, is sung by the main characters of Aladdin  as they take a magic carpet ride, seeing things neither of them had had the opportunity to see. In many settings, including a classroom, technology serves as a kind of magic carpet, opening students u

("School's" should be read as "schools") I have had many experiences in which technology has enhanced my learning and many experiences in which my education has been impaired by technological difficulties. I believe that technology is an amazing tool and understand that it is constantly evolving. In order for its inclusion in the classroom to be successful, though, it must be embedded in the curriculum rather than a lengthy lesson separate from the actual class content.

There are many beliefs I have surrounding English and teaching, but perhaps the one I've held the longest is the importance of reading. Many of my fond childhood memories include reading or books in some form: my father reading to me and my sisters as children, my older sister trying to teach me how to read when she came home from kindergarten, the many book clubs I have been a part of, my volunteer position at my local library, and many more experiences. Adventure, courage, and wisdom are only some of the many things people can gain from books. Likewise, books are only one source of gaining these things. While books are an obvious and abundant source, I see all media as a potential source of information or experience.

As a class, we were asked to generate four norms, or rules, for our classroom that we believed would foster a good learning environment. These are the norms we decided on as a class!