ECMp 355 blog spot
 
This is my final reflection for this class!  I used Camtasia Studio to screen share and record my voice at the same time.  I also used Prezi to guide my discussion.  To share the video I made a YouTube account and uploaded my video there!

All in all this
 
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Maybe Dats Your Pwoblem Too.. by James W. Hall

This poem is a poem I read in English 100 about 4 years ago.  I thought it was hilarious to read and a fun read because you were challenged to read it in a different tone.   But the part I fell in love with the most was the meaning behind this poem.

Now this poem is a poem about Spiderman not wanting to be Spiderman.. but the problem with being Spiderman is you cannot stop being Spiderman.

Anyone making connections yet?  Well let me make the connection for you if you haven't yet..Spiderman is me or you or anyone else in this world.  And we (as Spiderman) cannot just simply stop being ourselves.  ITS IMPOSSIBLE.  We cannot just shed our suits and become someone else. 

"But den you just can't quit being sometin like
SPIDERMAN.
You SPIDERMAN for life.  Fowever.  I can't even
buin my suit.  It won't buin.  It's fwame wesistent.
So maybe dat's youwr pwoblem too, who knows.
Maybe dat's da whole pwoblem wif evwytin.
Nobody can buin der suits, dey all fwame wesistent.
"

I love this poem so much! It is a poem I would love to read to students about being themselves and understanding that YOU ARE YOU!  No one can change that, and being you is okay!  You cannot shed your suit and change who you are.  No one can get rid of their "suit".

With so much influence from the media on how you should look and how you should act and who you should be; this poem is a reminder that you cannot stop being you.




 
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I certainly believe that I have been called to teach.  Something I believe in is that everything happens for a reason and everyone has a reason and purpose for being here. 

My purpose is to teach others.  Ever since I can remember I have wanted to be a teacher.  There was never a doubt in my mind that this is what I wanted to do.

As of lately, I am starting to have doubts on my ability to teach others because I am questioning my knowledge that I am supposedly coming out of the faculty of education with.

I look back on all that I have learned (theories, theorists, what to, how to, and what not to do).  So much information has been laid in my hands and it is soon going to be up to me how I use that knowledge.

I found this picture on pinterest while I was looking for some inspiration.  This picture fits perfectly into how I am feeling lately and has reminded me that I am exactly where  I am supposed to be.

I thank all of my professors and teachers I have had these past years who have led me to this point.

It is scary to think about growing up, closing this chapter in my life and starting a new one.  But I know that this profession is for me because I was called.



 
I found this picture on Pinterest today.. What do you think?
 
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I love the idea of puppets in the classroom! They really engage the students and it is something that I would love to bring into my internship.  Problem is that I do not want to spend a lot of money on a puppet, as the ones I have looked at are not cheap! 

I work up north at a golf course and one of the members there is a retired teacher.  We chat everyday about her years of teaching and one of the things she is known for is her puppets!  So this past month we have been chatting about how I could incorporate puppets into my internship classroom.. She was kind enough to bring in some of her puppets she uses when she sub teaches the other day! Here are some pictures I took..

I think these would be perfect for internship! And the best part about them is that they do not look hard to make so there is the possibility that I could make a bunch myself this summer!

My question to you my readers is would you ever use puppets in your classroom? Are you brave enough?  And if you have use
 
I love Sarah Kay.  She does spoken word and this is a spoken word she performed for TED. 

This spoken word is about if she was to have a daughter, and what she would teach her daughter if she had one..
 
I am just listening to my ECMP 355 Live session, and George Couros is speaking about social media feeds and how we share so much with the world!  He mentioned that his "go to" sharing websites are Twitter, his blog (wordpress) and Google Docs.  It made me question what my "go to" sharing sites are.  I would have to say my FAVOURITE sharing sites would be Instagram and Facebook.  I struggle with posting on Twitter as I normally don't like posting my thoughts.. I would rather post my life through pictures which I share through Instagram and Facebook.

Another thing that George mentions is the conversation about having professional accounts vs. personal accounts. 

My question to you is what is your "go to" sharing sites?  And what is your opinion about personal vs. professional accounts?


 
I have always had a passion for working with children who have disabilities.  When I was attending the UofS for my first year university I volunteered in a special education classroom at my old high school.  The students ranged from ages 14-21, which at the time majority of the students were older then I was!  I was only 18 at the time with little experience in the classroom but I was willing to learn anything that the teachers would teach me. 

Mrs. B was one of the teachers that taught within that classroom and she is to this day one of my inspirations.  I aspire to teach just as she did.  She taught with such passion and loved coming into the school each and every day.  I volunteered in that classroom for 6 months coming in 2-4 days a week. 

As I got more comfortable with the students and with in the classroom setting the teacher allowed me to teach lessons of my own.  They encouraged me to use technology to enhance the learning for the students.  Some of the students who had severe disabilities had a hard time voicing their answers or questions, so using certain types of technology enabled them to become part of the classroom.  We used at the time lap tops and computer programs for the students and they from there were able to ask questions or answer questions that were asked.

Having the ability to use certain technologies in your classroom can engage those students that are sometimes forgotten about because they are so quiet.  Or maybe they are not quiet, they just are unable to find their voice.

This video is very inspirational towards using assistive technology for students with disabilities.  It allows them to become engaged and contribute to the class.  Watch this video and let me know what you think about assistive technology!
 
I just watched this YouTube clip and I am totally inspired by this strong woman.  She is so inspiring and speaks so emotionally about the teaching profession.  She speaks from the heart and says nothing but the truth.  Her love and passion for the teaching profession is contagious.  Please watch this clip and share. :)
 
I would like to begin this post with a quote from Suli Breaks

"This one is for my generation, this one is for the ones who found what they were looking for on google, followed their dreams on Twitter, pictured their future on Instagram, excepted destiny on Facebook.."

That quote is from the video is called I will not let an exam mark determine my fate.  That quote hits me every time I watch that video and makes me realize we are that generation, he is talking about me.  That is our generation, what about the generation we will be teaching? What about them?  How will we engage them?  How? How? How?

The technology we are using everyday is still amazing to me and is constantly changing.  How as teachers do we keep up with all of the new hip technology?

This question of "how" is something I constantly ask myself since Ive been taking this course.  I want to know how you as future teachers plan on using technology in your classroom to ENGAGE the fut