Blog #10

Data Collection Surveys 

Fifth grade was my favorite - you're finally the top dog in you're elementary school and you haven't been exposed to all the drama that's just around the corner in sixth grade and beyond. I've always envisioned myself teaching fifth grade. The kids aren't too cool for you yet and they're at a sweet spot age when they're getting a good sense of who they are/what they enjoy doing. I think data collection surveys could be a really useful evaluative tool to keep students engaged. As a teacher, I would create surveys so that my kids could have a chance to provide feedback -  I liked this about this assignment, I didn't like this, I would want do this again or I would rather do this, etc. I want my students to take an active role in their learning and data collection surveys are a good way to keep them engaged in a limited way. 

Blogs

One of the most interesting things I read on my classmates' blogs was something Libby posted about using LinkedIn as an educational tool. She watched a tutorial on for one of her ILPs and basically outlined the ways it can be used in the classroom. I was already familiar with how to use LinkedIn (I have an account), but the surprising thing was more so that it was being posed as a tool for the classroom. In high school, I always separated work and school. Libby's ILP made me wish that I had merged the two and also made me realize that I have an opportunity, as a teacher, to do help my students bridge the gape between academia and real-life! The whole point of teaching is to give students the tools for success in the world outside the classroom. Even still, it's easy to get too caught up in the things that go in INSIDE the classroom - like and test scores and projects and pop quizzes. These are good forms of evaluation, but there's also a need to make connections between assigned school work and its relevance to life after graduation in upper-level grades. LinkedIn is a great tool to use to demonstrate to students that the skills they learn in the classroom are important and can be used as tools for success in the workplace.

Photoshop 

For months, my camera has been sitting in it's bag collecting dust but lately I've really tried to tuse it more. I've been taking pictures of my friends, and nature and other random things. I'm pretty good! I know that I have an eye for it and I used to love photography, but I kept getting unmotivated by everyone else who always seem way ahead of me. The technology-related skill I would like to learn is photoshop. In all the years that I've been taking pictures, I've really appreciated the raw, unaltered ones, but it's time to give in. Learning how to use photoshop could really help me hone my skills. I plan to visit the Digital Studio in the William Johnston Building after the break. There are people in there that can help me. 

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