EDLD 5352

Week 5

Week 5

I was unable to attend the first conference; however, I was able to attend the second and third.  During the second conference, I enjoyed getting clarification on the assignment as the rubric was unclear.  I love attending conferences with Dr. Jenkins, as he is always very supportive of us as teachers and administrators and provides clarity on various issues.  During our second conference with Dr. Benavides, we were able to have discussions as to how use our newly learned technology (Google Drive, Livebinders, etc.) in the classroom.  This was very informative as it gave me new ideas on how I can implement these strategies with my students.  Brainstorming with other teachers who teach similar students is very helpful as we can bounce ideas off one another.  I was able to discuss with others how to implement Livebinders with my students whom many do not have technology access at home.  We also discussed how to use Google Drive in the school setting and the classroom.  Teaching Math, it would be difficult to use Google Drive for my students to complete homework; however, I would be able to use Google Drive to have my students provide written responses on the document and I would quickly be able to give feedback.   I would like to include Livebinders in my classroom to provide my students with all the documents and smartboard files so my students can have easy access the resources I am using in class.

The following week, we discussed the concepts behind Project Based Learning.  We discussed that Montessori schools are based on this concept and how it can be so beneficial and useful for students today as it gives them a purpose and value for learning.  The students have to explore and research the information to learn the concept.  Dr. Jenkins is very supportive of PBL but understands the time constraints now placed on education; therefore, PBL becomes extremely hard to master.  As educators and professionals, we all know how important and valuable PBL is; however, we never seem to have “enough time” in the classroom for it.  This web conference was also very informative because we were able to share various websites we use in the classroom and as resources.  I have had the opportunity to scan most of them and bookmarked a few for future use.

In this course, I learned how to use technology to collaborate with others.  I enjoyed learning how to use these resources so I can begin to implement them as a teacher and future leader.  I had used Google Drive when it was Google Docs once but forgot about it and never bothered to learn its value and purpose.  After working with my team and learning the program, I feel much more comfortable using this in the school setting with my coworkers and students.  I enjoyed learning about the Livebinders but need more time to familiarize myself with the program as we never had to create one.  I have created a Livebinder for each course I will teach next year and I look forward to becoming more familiar with it.  Being able to analyze the various Web 2.0 Tools was also very helpful as these are great tools I was unaware of that I can take back to my classroom.

Currently, I have finished my Action Research Paper, submitted it for approval to my Mentor and I am ready to turn it in!  I only have four more campus activities that I have to complete when school is back in session and I look forward to being finished with my internship, yet continuing to build and grow as a leader using all of the information and resources I have gained thus far.