Abby,
I agree that it would be difficult to not cast blame on others. That is how our society is set up, but wouldn’t the world be a better place if we didn’t caste blame and turned our circumstances around and found something beneficial in all things? It would be a challenge and hard to break the old habit, but I bet we would be happier.
I am also very thankful for my parents and teachers. Wow, they really did do a wonderful job of providing for me. I feel very fortunate.
Chapter 10: You are the board and you can take away from any experience with playing the “fault game”. But most of all know that what you take away from a circumstance is up to you. Relationships are the key to all things and you should be approachable and respectful towards others without judgment. Basically, be positive and try to find the underlying reason behind things without pointing fingers or giving into anger.
Chapter 11: Just this past week a mother of one of my 5th graders lost her life in a battle to cancer. The majority of my students have been together since Pre-K. Many of the students had questions and concerns about their peer’s loss. Death is obviously not a fun subject to talk about, much less in a classroom setting. But, I chose to address the issue and speak openly with respect to the family mourning. When I attended the viewing the father thanked me for the all the cards that the students mailed to his son and family. I believe this happened because the students were comfortable and felt strong enough to support their peer/friend during this time of loss.
Chapter 12:My “We” story: I had a 3rd grader many years ago enter my class below grade level in all areas and in addition could not read. When he entered my class we made a deal to take it one day at a time and in the end it would all work out. He worked hard throughout 3rd grade and kept persevering through his years of education. I have kept in touch with his mom and she is amazed out how well his academics improved and how he has soared through High School on grade level. The young man just graduated this past June and is now in his first year of college.
My presentation can be found at the following:
https://files.me.com/colishizaki/x8fzhl.key.zip
My Action Research is about exciting students to share their knowledge through technology. In cycle 1 my 5th graders created a Power Point of 5 slides. Then we incorporated all the slides as a class iMovie. In cycle 2 students chose a partner and created a movie using Movie Maker. They took pictures, imported pictures, created title and credit screens, recorded voice-over, and burned the final movie on a CD. Students enjoyed both cycles and have been asking what will they get to do next. This is just the beginning of 21st Century fun in the classroom.
Following are 2 sites I have narrowed down to publishing my AR project:
Association for the Advancement in Computering Education:
http://www.aace.org/newpubs/index.cfm?fuseaction=Info.Entrance
International Society for Technology in Education:
Completing the Abstract for my AR project was interesting. There was a 120-word limit and I wrote my first draft keeping it VERY brief. To my surprise I did not use all the words allowed so I was able to expand a bit more than I was expecting. It was a challenge, but it is straight to the point.
Be comfortable in your own skin and innocent like a child. (My baby, Leia, now 4 months.)In my career teaching 5th graders more so than not what is planned does not work out the way it is planned. I constantly need to re-evaluate and make adjustments. I have learned through my years of experience to be flexible and always allow for change. This has helped me tremendously to roll with the punches and make the most of every situation. For example we have a laptop mobile lab and some of the laptops were being worked on to correct flickering screens. This was a frustration for all the teachers and some teachers would not use them until there was one for each student. I chose to create a project where my students worked with a partner. I tried to encourage other teachers to do the same. Some did and some did not.
I believe I was holding back in the area of where I wanted to go with my teaching. I wanted to reach the 21st century learner with technology, but was overwhelmed with teaching all subject areas and having limited time to check out all the available technology resources. This past year has been a wonderful opportunity exposing and using some Web 2.0 tools within the classroom. I believe I now am allowing myself to participate wholly by using different technology tools in the classroom and if it works great I will perfect it and use it again and if it doesn’t work then lesson learned and I know to move towards a different avenue.
I encourage students to express themselves and to be confident with how they feel moved to present themselves. In my class we hold class elections every quarter and all candidates give a speech before our election process. Most students write out their speech and nervously read it. I distinctly remember this one young lady got up and sang her speech. I applauded her for her creativity and I will never forget her unique way of delivering her speech. I find it important in 5th grade to encourage students to be who they are and to be comfortable with themselves as middle school is a challenge for students to “find themselves.”
My Action Research Project is not a project only for this week but has been an on-going project over the past year. It has taken much time and energy to complete this research while living life and working full-time. I am very grateful for this opportunity as I have grown and stretched myself to in area that I’ve wanted to venture, but I’ve never quite gotten there.
My AR project is about students completing digital assignments opposed to traditional assignments in the hopes that my 5th graders will be excited and yearning to share their knowledge through assignments. I am amazed at how many students do not have experience with computer software like Power Point and Movie Maker. It surprises me because technology is surrounding us. I have learned that my 5th graders get on computers and play games or search for You Tube videos. They lack skill with utilizing technology to share their knowledge.
Through my journey this last year my students have been excited about learning how to use computer programs. It pleases me that each day the 5th graders inquire when is the next time they will be able to work on their project. The outcome at the end of my cycles was rewarding when students shared the value they had gained for understanding and knowing how to use technological means to share information they have gained.
Kelli,
Your summary is wonderful and I enjoy your personal connections that you have made with the reading. Your thoughts on chapter 4 stand out for me… inspiration and contributions can align together.
In regards to Monika’s post, I’m in the same boat as my husband took my 2 year old to a birthday party and I’m rocking my 4 month old with my foot as I type this blog. “Living life in the realm of possibilities.”
Chapter 4 Summary: How we look upon life and react is our contribution. It could be something small or something big but don’t waste time fretting over trivial matters instead take each moment that you are given and treasure it by making a difference for the greater good. You never know how this may affect others.
Chapter 5 Summary: As a leader if a mistake is made and blamed on an individual and come to find out the leader is the one making the mistake. The leader should apologize and correct the mistake and the leader will be appreciated for admitting his/her mistake. Also, utilize other’s intelligence and thoughts by listening and when it’s appropriate incorporate good ideas shared by others and give acknowledgement to the person behind the idea. Rely on those you are in charge of and allow them to take the lead and see where it takes them and their peers. This builds confidence and others may rise up and shine more than in the past.
Chapter 6 Summary: “Lighten up and don’t take yourself so seriously” pretty much sums up this chapter. Live each moment stress free and learn from experience. Those focused on order and systems don’t see the bigger picture or don’t allow themselves to see a different way to accomplish things. Chill out and learn through your experiences. You may even learn to appreciate your environment in a new way.
Eric,
I like the format and the bullets for the reading. It captures key points within the chapters. This bullet stood out to me, "People consume more than they need to survive." Isn't that the truth is that a bad point? Could be, but maybe not I guess it depends with what you do with what one consumes.
I agree chapter 3 was more random than 1 and 2 although there were some good points dealing with grading. Thanks for sharing your insight.
The first chapter of our reading insinuates our brains are trained to follow a map and to not venture further than what we are trained to do. But we should be creative and exercise thoughts outside of the box. I realized several years ago that I struggled with this because I tend to feel “safe” following a format or a course of action. At the same time I wanted to incorporate non-traditional teaching techniques in my class to engage students. So, I stepped a bit outside the box and started using my curriculum as a foundation and I incorporated technology, videos, digital and physical games during my teaching time. Students seemed more engaged during class, parents commented on how their children enjoyed learning, and test scores went up. I really enjoy when students say, “We didn’t do a _____ lesson today,” and then I review what we learned and then they respond with “Oh, I guess we did.” This response is all because it wasn’t a traditional lesson.
In the second chapter the overall theme is that the world is full of possibilities, so be positive and move forward. In order for this to happen we need to forget about the social rules in life and go beyond the borders. Relax, enjoy yourself and the true colors will become evident and you will be able to discover more and make more of your life. It you feel like you have to accomplish something and you’re stressed about it then your success will not soar to its potential. The analogy of the glass being half full or half empty is a good example of possibilities in chapter 2. In all circumstances there is something positive so instead of being so quick to be negative take a moment and travel the positive outcome. I stand by this in my own life if someone complains to me about something I turn it around and state the positive.
Chapter 3 hits the nail on the head with comparing students one to another with grades. I loved the example of giving an “A” at the beginning of class with the condition that students had to write a letter as to why they would receive an “A”. What an inventive way to have students really look deep within and reflect on themselves. As a result they may change for the positive and become more confident. I am one of four children and I put major pressure on myself when it came to grades. My older sister always got straight A’s and that was my goal but there were a few subjects it didn’t matter how hard I tried I couldn’t pull off an A. My parents always encouraged me to do my best and that was an A in their book. I am thankful for that because I never felt like a failure as long as I tried my hardest. This was my parent’s way of giving me an A.
