Field Hours Reflection Journal (Second grade)
Week 1: ( No questions for this week)
Week: 2
Field Experience–Research & Observe the NETS standards for teachers
The teacher met all the standards during her class.
She has a good connection with the students; this is very helpful to the
students to learn and make questions if they don’t understand something.
2.
Was the lesson effective?
How do you know?
Yes the lesson was effective because after the
teacher finished to explain, she started to ask questions about the topic
discussed in class and all the students were available to answer.
3.
What were the students
doing in the lesson? Were the students engaged, thinking critically,
collaborating, and communicating?
The students were very attended and they stared to
share ideas with each other.
4.
Were there any changes you
would make to the lesson? Explain.
I think the teacher has to include in the class more activities, like online games about the topic of the class.
5.
What learning model do you
think the teacher was using in his/her classroom?
She used Visual Learning Style, using a video and then she explained the
video to the students.
Week 3:
For your field
experience this week, observe students using learning tools. These tools
do NOT need to be only technology tools. They can be any tool that aids in the
learning process. Explain what learning tools you see in action and
justify why these tools are learning tools.The teacher used worksheets to complete the video watched during class. Since the video was about life cycles and biological changes, the worksheet was designed to reinforce the basic life cycle of a frog. The worksheet helped to illustrate the main changes of a frog so students could see and better understand the concept of biology.
Week4:
Field Experience – Newsletter Interview Added Journal
Classroom
Newsletter (1 hour) and Classroom/School Website (Discussion Activity 1, 1
hour)
For your
field experience this week, interview the classroom teacher and get a copy of
your teacher or school's newsletter to share with the class. In your
journal, post the answers to the interview questions, listed below, along with
a digital version or link to the newsletter.
Website of
the school:
Classroom
Newsletter:
Interview Questions:
1.
What information do you
communicate in the newsletter?
The educational activities and sports activities
offered in the school.
2.
How often do you publish
your newsletter?
Every Thursday.
3.
Is your newsletter
published digitally? Why or why not?
Yes it is, because sometimes the students loose the
newsletter, and when this happens the parents can find the information online.
4.
How do you ensure that all
students and parents receive the newsletter?
The teachers request the forwarding emails from parents to send the
letters electronically.
5.
Why is it important for
teachers to have classroom newsletters?
The newsletters keep parents and teachers informed
about the activities in the school.
Week 5
Field Experience – Favorite Teacher and Student Websites
1 hour
interview, 1 hour observation, Add to Journal
Interview the
teacher and ask for:
1. the top three websites
he/she uses for lesson planning and resources, and
2. the top three websites
he/she uses for students.
Teacher’s website:
http://www.cape.k12.mo.us/blanchard/hicks/Teacher%20Pages/tech_ideas.htm#Poetry
Templates
http://Trackstar.hprtec.org
Nature-Virtual Serengeti(Disney Interactive)
and Encarta Encyclopedia (encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/artcenter.aspx)
Students’ website:
Be sure to
ask the following questions:
1.
What are your favorite
teacher resources? What are your favorite student resources?
My favorite teacher resources is EasyTech. This website is a wonderful tool for
teachers, elementary and middle school students, and parents. The
suggested lesson plans with approaches is a source of inspiration for upcoming
lessons. As for the student resources, funbrain is an excellent website. It helps students develop technology skills
in different topics of English and Spanish.
What makes
these resources stand out from others?
These websites seem to be more readily equipped with both English and
Spanish lessons. This is something I
value going into bilingual education.
2.
What do you use the teacher
resources for? (lesson plans, content information, etc)
A complete digital literacy curriculum using
lessons and games to practice skills, reinforces concepts, and different
evaluations to check the level of understanding of the student.
3.
How did you find the
teacher resources?
I found it very interesting and educational. It
offers good material for the students.
4.
How do you have students
use the student resources? (at home, computer stations, extra practice, early
finishers)
All the students have computers at home, so this
makes it easier for them use the online material. Most of their computer work is done at home.
Week6
Field Experience-Assessment Interview and Observation
Obtain an
assessment or assessment tool from your classroom teacher – this could be a
rubric, quiz, or checklist. Also ask to see the teacher’s grade book. Notice
how it is organized, how many grades are present for each student in each
content area, and what the teacher uses to keep track of grades (i.e. computer,
paper).
The teacher
keeps most of the assessment tool with the student roster. On a separate list of names, she has brief
notes next to each student explaining how they seem to learn the best and what
assignments they have the most trouble with.
1. Interview the teacher about
how he/she uses the tool by asking the following questions:
o
What does this tool assess?
This assesses the student’s best collective
learning style.
o
How does the teacher use
this assessment tool? (formative, summative)
The teacher uses this assessment as a
formative tool to see what strategies can be used to make assignments make
sense to and educate the children.
o
Does this assessment tool
use technology?
This assessment tool does not use technology.
o
Is the grade book digital?
Ask the teacher why or why not?
The grade book is not digital. The teacher informed me that she enters the
grades into the book first to map out a good lesson strategy first, then she
records the grades into an excel spreadsheet for her records.
o
Do you think making the assessment
tool digital would be beneficial, why or why not?
Doing it digitally would be convenient and
help keep the records organized and easy to find. Her approach to first writing the grades and
then digitally entering them is interesting and more attention driven.
o
How could you integrate
technology into the assessment tool?
Have students due assignments and tests on
the computer. This way the grades and
program style could to be immediately assessed and recorded.
o
How could integrating
technology impact the results of the assessment?
This would reduce the time needed for grading
the assignments, leaving more time to plan.
Week 7
Field Experience – Digital Divide and Submit Journal
1 hour
w/classroom teacher, 1 hour with another teacher.
1. Read the following articles:
2.
Arrange a visit to your
cooperating teacher's classroom.
3.
Observe the technology
being used by the students.
4.
Interview the classroom
teacher, ESL teacher, SpEd teacher, or Tech teacher by asking the following
questions:
o
What is the digital divide?
The most noticeable is between age groups.
The most noticeable is between age groups.
o
Is a digital divide
occurring in this school? Explain.
Yes. Older students, or higher grades, possess fewer phones and devices in class than younger students; who use there devices for almost everything in class.
Yes. Older students, or higher grades, possess fewer phones and devices in class than younger students; who use there devices for almost everything in class.
o
Do all students have access
to technology? Explain.
Almost all students have access to their own technology in our class. The devices are not required, but it they can access the internet or access website learning games, they may use them.
Almost all students have access to their own technology in our class. The devices are not required, but it they can access the internet or access website learning games, they may use them.
o
Are all students in the
school given equal access to technology? Are the some groups/grades/populations
that have more or less access?
Since the school provides wifi, which an assigned password is required, all students who have access to the internet through their devices may access sites to help in school assignments. If a student does not have a device but needs to access the internet, school laptops may be checked out for the period.
Since the school provides wifi, which an assigned password is required, all students who have access to the internet through their devices may access sites to help in school assignments. If a student does not have a device but needs to access the internet, school laptops may be checked out for the period.
o
Do all teachers in the
building use technology effectively?
All teachers have access to at least a laptop to enter grades, use online learning games and apps, and check assignments turned in electronically.
All teachers have access to at least a laptop to enter grades, use online learning games and apps, and check assignments turned in electronically.
o
What technology does the
SpEd/ESL teacher use with their students?
I use a personal laptop with internet access, and transmit a video signal to the projector.
I use a personal laptop with internet access, and transmit a video signal to the projector.
o
How can educators help to
level the playing field?
Educators may “level the playing field” by using “old” methods, such as having students perform research in the school library, or finding and printing materials from device from home for the next day. When internet on the spot seems a necessity, school laptops are distributed to anyone who is without a device.
Extra Questions to the Teacher:Educators may “level the playing field” by using “old” methods, such as having students perform research in the school library, or finding and printing materials from device from home for the next day. When internet on the spot seems a necessity, school laptops are distributed to anyone who is without a device.
What type of information do you communicate on your website?
I don't have my own website. For everything I want to communicate to the parents, I use the website of the school and Facebook at the school to do so.
What tool do you use to create your website?
At the school's website and their Facebook, I like to post links about meetings with the parents and post links for help with homework and visits to museums.
Is the website geared towards parents, students or both? Explain
The website is gears towards parents and students. Information is printed both in English and in Spanish, making it understandable to both if one or the other can only speak in one of the languages.
How often is your website updated?
Every 3 days.
Are there certain school/district requirements for classroom websites that you must follow?
I don't have exactly the information about the requirements for classroom websites, since this web page is designed for a charter school. Therefore, their standards and requirements may differ from those of public education schools.
What do you do for families who do not have internet access?
When parents pick their kids up from school, the school provides informative newsletters about the internet in both English and Spanish.
What elements of design do you think about/incorporate when creating/maintaining your website?
The website is designed to provide links to information about school activities, posted field trip announcements, class pictures, club activities and accomplishments, and so on.
Have you provided multiple means of presentations to imporve access for struggling readers or visual learners?
Yes, examples of homework assignments are posted so students may have an idea of how to complete certain assignments.
Why is it important for teachers to have class websites?
It is important for teachers to have class websites both for making announcements, scheduling class activities and field trips, and providing assignment examples for students to follow.
When you communicate with parents, what is your preferred method of communication? Why?
I prefer to communicate by meetings because it is easier to explain certain situations and ideas to parents. If the parents can only speak in Spanish or only in English I am able to better communication with them.
How often and in what format do you communicate with parents of students that have additional needs?
This depends on the necessity of each student. Special Education students are worked with by the Special Educational Needs headed by a Lead teacher who is in charge of students such as this.
What method do you use to communicate discipline issues to parents?
I cover these issues with one on one meetings with the parents.
What situations would you call a parent instead of emailing?
I prefer to call immediately for situations such as the student instigating a fight, smoking or drinking, drug use, accusations of theft, and verbal warnings concerning suicide and other dire situations.
