Blog #10

• Last Blog....What! 
  
  I think data collection tools like survey are essential to a productive classroom. I have had teachers in the past who talk way too fast or cover huge amounts of material in a very short calendar week, without checking in with students' progress. I have found myself lost and falling behind and feeling very overwhelmed. So I believe surveys on Survey Monkey or Edmodo can be very beneficial to monitor student's retention and progress. Before this semester I knew I wanted to teach elementary but I did not know a specific grade. After mentoring a kindergarten class this past semester I know that Kindergarten is where my heart is! 
  
  

  Now, kindergarteners are still too young to use surveys because they are just learning their letter and sight words but I believe it would be a great tool for their parents to use. Students' parents could quiz them when they get home or ask their child about his or her week and then complete a survey. I would have the option of the survey to be anonymous if they would like. Parent-teacher involvement is key to a productive learning environment. Even if i do not begin in kindergarten I believe surveys on Edmodo for 3rd grade could also be very beneficial.

  I enjoyed getting to interact which my classmates on blogs because this way it was easier to talk to more people at once. I liked how hardly anyone picked the same websites or games because this way I was able to gain many new resources and ideas. Many of the things that my classmates posted I had never even heard of before like PBS TeacherLine Catalog. I will be sure to check this out when creating lesson plans in the future. I also saw a classmate post about pintersest. I use pinterest almost every single day and now I can use it to find cute and innovative lesson plans :)
  
  

  I would like to know more about computer related storage devices. I feel like I am always running out of storage or not saving a file in the correct format. I would like to be able to know how to store things properly and know what resources work best on which particular storage device. I would hate to lose a lesson plan or not be able to download an eBook correctly for my class. 

  
  I plan to continue to follow account related to teaching and technology. When I get a job at a school I want to create some sort of teacher blog for all of the staff member to be able to interact without another and help with lesson plans. The school may already have something like this set up, but I want to go the extra mile and create something that goes beyond an email chain.