Easy CBM (Curriculum Based Measurement)

Curriculum Based Measurement is useful when administered correctly. It is important that students are given a quite space that has no distractions. The first module that was an Overview of Individual Administration, was something that I have seen done in classrooms before. The Phoneme segmentation was the hardest to do, because the directions were not clear on how you scored the student. Eventually I figured it out, but it took me a couple of times of trial and error. Refreshing my memory on how to correctly administer the testing was a good experience, but it was something that I had done before. 

Although I think this is an important tool to use, I have found that our classes that we are learning at Grand Valley give us experience in these topics already. Our assessment course gave us practice on these tutorials. For me personally, I do not think I would ask the district to fund the extra licenses for this. There are plenty of other ways that the district can spend their money and this is something that teachers who need to use, should already be proficient in if they were even hired in the first place. Now I know this is not logical to assume that every teacher would have been proficient in administering testing, but at least if the district were higher a special education teacher, one would hope that they have a solid understanding on how to administer testing. 

Virtual Schooling and Interactive Whiteboards!

Virtual Schooling:

Virtual/online schooling is an increasing trend for many public schooling options. It is done online, with a teacher or someone qualified to help "guide" the student through the online curriculum. This is an essential part to online schooling being successful. As a future Special education teacher, I worry that this curriculum will becoming challenging to help those students who have not yet been diagnosed, become diagnosed. But, that being said, that may be a good thing because the student becomes more "virtual" and you do not see them always in person. This could eliminate the bias that the teacher has towards their beliefs versus the behavior of the student. Groups of students that wouldn't benefit from this would be those students who have trouble concentrating, such as students with ADHD. There would need to be a monitoring system in place.

Interactive Whiteboards:

Interactive whiteboards is something that is also trending in the classroom. I have found this to be used in almost every classroom that I have worked with in my placements, and I have to say, I agree with Lisa Neilson and her article about why interactive whiteboards are dumb. I have found that to be true in all of my classrooms. They are just such a timely process to run. It takes sometimes close to five minutes for the board to load, and then once they load it does not always work! You have to make sure that you have board lined up so the writing on the board is consistent with your movements. As a future special education teacher, I do not think I would use this in my classroom. Transitions are hard enough for these students, let alone taking the time to have the technology work.

Cyberbullying

What is Cyber bullying?

• "Cyber bullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites (Stopbullying.gov)".

-The problems with cyber bullying is that it can have a negative affect on anyone who has experienced it. Here are some effects of cyber bullying: 

Kids who are cyber bullied are more likely to:

• Use alcohol and drugs
• Skip school
• Experience in-person bullying
• Be unwilling to attend school
• Receive poor grades
• Have lower self-esteem
• Have more health problems

http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html

• Statistic: Adolescent girls are significantly more likely to have experienced cyber bullying in their lifetimes (40.6% vs. 28.2%). 

Teaching Resource?

I would start with showing students a video on cyber bullying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG-7pldYvvQ

Depending on the grade level, I would use this website to help guide me into teaching a lesson on cyber bullying: 

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/cyberbullying-toolkit

Feedly Screenshot

Teaching Observations :)

My teacher has time "wasted" mostly during transitions. I say "wasted" loosely because the students are still learning academics, just in a distracting manner. The way the schedule is set-up, half way through each hour, some students come into the classroom and other students leave. When asking my teacher what things take more time than she liked?, she stated, "Transitions seem to take the longest, and checking their grades". My teacher is also a teacher consultant, so she has to work with students on their grades and see how they are doing in each class. Because students she has cannot come into her classroom until a time she is teaching other students, she has to check their grades in the middle of another classes lesson time. Her students have a routine of knowing that when they come to check their grades they are supposed to be working on homework, but that does not always happen. She stated that she wishes the students who she has teacher consulting, could come into her classroom at a time that is not in the middle of her helping her students who are scheduled to be in her classroom at that time.
When I asked my teacher about the building level operations, she did not state anything that was taking their time unnecessarily, she simply stated that there are meetings every Wednesday after school. I have attended those meetings each week, and they are informative. We have had professional developments, and other topics about students success and behavior plans. We also meet with the general education teachers to talk about some students that may need to observed or monitored for academics or behavior. Those meetings have been helpful. My teacher did state that she has to come earlier in the summer, before it is mandatory for teachers to be there, so she can get the students who have individual education plans, the proper documentation for the general education teachers.
Every teacher has things they would like to improve on. Every teacher finds time in their day they would rather be doing something else, but at the end of the day, the teacher is doing their best to educate their children and I think that is exactly what my teacher is accomplishing. That is what being a teacher is all about.

Why are Blogs Useful?

Blogs are useful in that teachers can use them in many different ways. Rather than a simple Google document or Word document, the students information can be accessed publicly, so the information they present in their blogs must be critically edited before it is published. There are more steps for the student to self-edit and create the best possible blog post they can make.  Blogs give students and other professionals the chance to respond to what has been written. Giving students an assignment from a blog, they are easily able to connect with you and receive a response more rapidly than waiting for the next day at school. Other students can see what has been posted and that makes the communication much stronger in the classroom. Another way blogs are so useful is they open up pathways of creativity. Students feel "in charge" of their creativeness and their responses. Blogs open up more communication than could ever be possible with a simple Word or Google Document!

Teacher Blogs

Ms. Cassidy’s Classroom Blog: She posts about her classroom in an interactive way with the internet. The country is able to see what her classroom is doing and they can reply to her blog to give words of encouragement to her students!

ScienceFix: A blog for teachers wanting fun and engaging science experiments. 

A Year of Reading: This is blog created for teachers that reviews new children's books. They talk about how it could be used in the classroom and what grade level it would be appropriate for. 

Techno Tuesday: Is a blog for incorporating technology into the library and the classroom lesson plans. 

Learning Is Messy: Comes from a teacher who uses technology in his classroom. He has used Skype to give his lessons to his students, and has called professionals via Skype to talk to students. He has also used Skype to call a student who is given in home instruction due to leukemia.

Hooda Math Blog: Hooda math posts game and activities using his blog. He gives free print outs and downloads that go along with his blog posts and he even creates math games using flash player, such as Pac-man. 

Angela Maiers: A top advice educator who has written books. You can use her information in your classroom the very next day. 

dy/dan: Posts blogs about different Sudoku puzzles and brain teasers.  Students can use these when they finish their other work, or just want something fun to do!

dynamitelessonplan: Gives teachers resources on different debatable topics in education. He also posts different lesson plans that teachers can use in their classroom. 

Infinite Teaching Machine: Gives teachers resources for using technology in the practical world. Tips and ideas to help students thrive in the 21st century. Also on his blog are different podcasts to help students with different topics such as writer's block.