Creativity in School

Do schools promote or kill creativity in young children?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

I agree with Ken Robinson's opinion of the school system and the child. If a child doesn't sit and learn productively parents and some teachers automatically assume the child has a case of ADHD. I think this is a biased assumption because I see it as a child being a typical child. At a young age it is difficult for a child to sit and listen to a teacher lecture on something that is "boring" to a kid in today's technology driven world. Doctors want to give children medicine to make them mellow in school and help promote learning. However, this is not always the case. Many times I have seen children be prescribed with medicine that they did not need. This only changes the true personality of a child and destroys their creative outlook. I think in the school systems teachers need to revamp their teaching styles in a way that matches their curriculum but offers a more futuristic approach. Reading out of textbooks, answering questions on paper, etc. are out of date and are crushing the creativeness of our children. In order to grasp the attention of all our students, it is important to teach them using methods they are interested in. With technology becoming more popular, children are more likely to want to learn and actively participate in our lessons and activities if they include some type of technology.

Schools are slowly killing creativity in students. By the use of standardized testing we are demolishing each creative bone our students have to offer. These tests teach children that there is one correct answer to every question and that there is one method for solving each problem. Rather, students should be turned loose to observe, create trials, and conclude with a solution of their own. I realize the importance of assessing children's knowledge and tracking their progress, but I feel that with a little more effort and time we can encourage our students to think critically into creating more than one designated way to come up with an answer. After all, there is more than one "solution" to every triumph.

Engaging parents via mobile apps and social media

Texts, Calls, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube.. How do you prefer to stay informed on your child?

https://edscoop.com//districts-turn-to-mobile-apps-and-social-media-to-engage-parents-survey-says

School districts are resorting to using social media as the main way to communicate with parents. Many websites and mobile apps are being taken advantage of by schools and teachers to promote ideas and to inform parents and guardians of upcoming events. Although most districts are using these methods now, some disagree with the idea stating that "not all parents have easy internet access". I believe this is a debatable topic. I think that through the use of social media and mobile apps information can be related to parents in bulk and quickly rather than teachers and schools having the send information individually to each household. However, I also agree with the statement made in the article about not all parents having easy internet access. To address the situation teachers could make exceptions for the few students that have parents not accessible to internet connection. Teachers could create flyers having all important dates and information composed together each month to send out to those that aren't internet accessible. With the use of smart phones and cellphones growing exponentially, I feel as if social media and mobile app usage will spread even further than it already is. Using these as a way to communicate will be far more beneficial for teachers and most parents.

Schools in our area are using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and other sites to keep up to date information readily available to parents as well as students. Facebook posts are made regularly regarding upcoming events. Twitter includes tweets directed towards high school students for important reminders. I think this is awesome considering not all older students live with their parents. In this case, those that are more independent can receive the same notifications as most parents would. By giving teacher candidates a voice in the construction of social media sites for the Department of Elementary and Special Education we can send out updates of what we are learning as well as list events where the community can be involved in order to give us students more practice in our fields. This will be a great way to encourage students to step out and take initiative for what they hope to become. Parents and others in the community will hopefully see these events and wants to participate and encourage their children to participate to help better prepare us students.

Becoming An Inspiring Teacher

Educators, future educators, and parents... you do not want to miss out on this video! 

https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion

Rita Pierson will change your outlook on education after watching this video. If you ever feel down or like you are missing your true calling, she will quickly put your mind into drive and remind you of exactly why you are where you are today. This video addresses the hardships of teaching and being a full time educator. Rita states that "This job is tough, but it is not impossible". This caught my attention because it is nothing short of the flat truth. It is easy as educators to feel like a failure or like we are failing our students. Sometimes it is hard to get to one particular child, whereas everyone else seems to catch on easily. However, remembering the impact you are putting on each child's life you must toughen up and accept the challenge everyday. Rita compared teachers to actors/actresses in a way that each day we have to pretend and put on a show when ultimately we may be struggling inside. She also explained how "educators are born to make a difference". I wrote this down in my planner because I hope that on days where I feel as if I can no longer go on, this quote will remind me of the impact I am making on so many young lives. That also when I feel as if I am small I will be reminded of how big I am in the minds of my students. 

Throughout my educational career I have encountered many inspiring or heroic teachers. My third grade teacher will always stand out beyond the others. Mrs. Shankles was such a selfless person, always giving us an extra ounce of attention and making us feel loved and important. Each day as we entered the room she would want to know about our evening after school and how the previous night went. Mrs. Shankles truly cared about all of her students. I remember many times she would bring in clothes her own children had outgrown for some of my classmates to wear. She would bring bags of snacks and drinks for certain students to take home at the end of the day because they didn't have anything when they got home from school. I hope to become a teacher just like Mrs. Shankles one day. I hope to have the patience and love for each child, even the tough ones that will keep me on my toes. I agree with the point Rita Pierson made in the video that good relationships promote learning. I feel that the better the teacher-student relationship is then the more that child will respect and listen to what the teacher is saying. I want to make an impact on my students just as my third grade teacher made an impact on my life.

How do I become a great teacher?

How To Be A Great Teacher, From 12 Great Teachers

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/01/30/463981852/how-to-be-a-great-teacher-from-12-great-teachers

Author: Anya Kamenetz

     After reading the article, I learned 12 important facts to help myself become the best teacher I can be. These facts were all composed by various teachers in different schools, grades, and locations. These ideas all hit home to me and will hopefully stick in my mind as I enter the teaching profession. I chose to write down each of these tips on a piece of paper so that someday I can read these are a typical daily reminder or for when I feel as if I may be failing as an educator. These tips are all positive and can uplift any heart.

     However, from the 12 tips I chose to reflect on 2 of these that seemed to grab my attention the most. 

"I want them to say, 'At least one person, Miss Begay, is there every day for me. Miss Begay is going to wonder where I am if I go missing. There will be one person looking out for me, and it's Miss Begay.' "

This quote is written by a fourth grade teacher in Arizona named Tia Tsosie Begay. This quote interested me because it is so true and down to earth. No matter what may be going on during the course of the day, it is important that my students know they are important and are loved by their teacher. Many kids face troublesome situations at home or after school and they live day to day just rolling trough the motions. I feel like as a teacher it is my responsibility to ensure these children that they are special. I want my students to know that at any time I will have their back and always be here for support. I believe that by being a positive role model for my students I will impact the lives of them and they will trust me more with their education.
     My next quote is by a science professor and evangelist, Ainissa Ramirez.

"I am the product of great teachers. They can show you something that you have never seen before. And awaken that little something inside of you that you've never seen before."

I chose this quote because it inspired me to be a listener and take all of the advice I can from fellow teachers. Many times I hear of new coming teachers that want to do their own thing and blow off the advice and help they are receiving from experienced teachers. I hope to be open minded to new ideas and accept help from anyone willing. This quote ensured the truth considering Ramirez said "I am the product of great teachers".  Ramirez is now a mechanical engineering and materials science professor as well as a science evangelist. Ramirez proved that without the help from fellow teachers she would not be the person she is today. I think it is important to be an active listener to others suggestions. You are always capable of learning more.

Third Grade Interview: "Why use technology?"

Do you like using technology in the classroom?     

     I chose a third grade student to interview about why they want to use technology to learn. I interviewed a student named Emma that is nine years old. Emma is a student at Jasper Elementary School in Mrs. Bailey's third grade classroom. I started the conversation by asking the student what types of technology is used in her classroom and how it is used. The child explained that her teacher uses many different kinds of technology in her room. Each morning the students arrive to class, unpack, grab a clicker, and begin an interactive trivia game shown on the projector. The trivia games are timed and save all responses until the end. When the time is up the students scores show up on their clickers and the teacher shows the questions back up on the board. Emma told me that during this time all of the students sit quietly at their desk as they compete with each other. She said questions are composed by Mrs. Bailey and range anywhere from concepts they are learning about, have learned about, or school rules and reminders. I then proceeded to ask the student "why do you like learning using technology?" It took her no time to answer my question. She listed many reasons why her and her peers love using technology. She said using technology in the classroom is fun and makes learning more interesting. She said that as soon as they walk into the classroom and see the trivia screen up everyone gets excited and eager to see what questions Mrs. Bailey chose for the day. She also explained how everyone is happier and behaves better during lessons that have technology because they don't want to ruin their technology privileges. I was very surprised with the reasons the child gave me. Although I expected "fun" and "cool", I didn't expect a third grader to tell me that learning is more interesting using technology. I also didn't expect better behavior by using technology. I asked why behavior was better and she said that Mrs. Bailey has strict rules during these times and if you are bad then you lose your technology privileges and have to do the work on paper until you can prove your behavior again.
     As a future teacher I hope to implement technology in as many ways as I can. I think that technology has came a long way and by using technology with our students we can promote learning and make students more eager to learn. I really loved the idea of the interactive trivia game. This is a great idea for a bellringer activity rather than putting grammar sentences or math problems on the board to entertain the students until class time. I think there are many times during the school day that we could fuse in more learning rather than stalling time with an unproductive task. Digital games and interactive whiteboards are both learning tools I want to become knowledgeable about and use these tools as much as I can. I believe that the Ipad camera tool used with a whiteboard could really boost students learning. Students are able to draw, write, and use manipulatives in front of the Ipad camera to detect motions. The students work can be shown directly on the teachers computer to show immediate learning and progress. I think there are many different learning games that could be used much like the Osmo idea. This could change teaching and learning because the teachers could airdrop a specific task to all students to complete and it send feedback right back to the teacher.
During our interview I asked the third grade student several vague questions to get a general idea of what games/activities interest students. Her responses led me to the conclusion that third graders love games that have real life situations such as store, pizza delivery, and pet groomer. They enjoy counting money, making change, and fast paced addition/subtraction games. These students also like to participate as a whole on the classroom promethean board by solving problems and writing sentences. The students enjoy reading e-books on the Ipads and playing comprehension games and quizzes their teacher creates by scanning QR codes.