A Question

I had a conversation on Twitter yesterday where I was discussing with two other teachers how pre-service teachers should be educated. Basically we were discussing when pre-service teachers should have classes on education theory, how much time they should practice teaching before they were given their own classroom, and how veteran teachers should assist new teachers.

For example I argued that pre-service teachers need much more time working in a classroom with a veteran teacher than the usual 8-10 weeks. I really think they should have two years of team teaching with a vet and they should take theory classes after those two years. I think the theory makes much more sense after having experience.

So, my question to you pre-service teachers is, "What would you prefer?"

May 4: National Teacher Appreciation Day

I just wanted to say thank you to all the teachers that have made a difference in my life. So many times, teachers go unnoticed. If it wasn't for teachers, none of us would make it in life. As a future teacher, I hope I improve my students' lives and encourage them to pursue their dreams. I am so appreciative of the teachers who have encouraged me and believed in me, even when I no longer wanted to continue my education. Dr. Strange, thank you for accepting my random, quirky sayings and beliefs. I have loved this past semester, and my life will forever be changed. Mr. Chamberlain, thank you for helping our class and assisting with our blog. You are an amazing teacher, and I look forward to the many things you have to offer us. For all the future teachers, I encourage you on your educational journey, and I look forward to keeping in touch! Thanks again for a great semester!

Continuing to Build My PLN

Even though the semester is over for me, I don't feel like I am done with EDM 310. I think this is the first class I have ever taken that I will continue to work on even though I am not formally required to. I wrote on my final exam that I felt more like a collaborator than a student in Dr. Strange's class. Does anyone else feel that way?

I am continuing to build my PLN in my "free time". I was looking for some new sites to add to my PLN and came across this site: 100 Best Blogs for Teachers of the Future. I wanted to share this with you because it seems like a great resource. There are a variety of blogs listed here on many topics from blogs by student teachers to blogs by special education teachers. I hope you find it helpful.

Vocaroo

I recently tried Vocaroo as part of an assignment for EDM. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use. I also liked that it was free. I used Vocaroo to create a little message from the Librarian on my Library Blog. I started thinking of all the ways I could make Vocaroo work for me. I want to record one of my K5 students reading a book. I would like to record some books and post to the blog. Weekly recordings of what's happening in the Library is another idea.

My question was/is does anyone know enough about Vocaroo to tell me if it is capable of doing the things I want it to? I just really like that it was so easy but easy is not always best.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Paula Casallo

What is going on in our local schools?

I stumbled across this presentation when I was browsing in You Tube for a videocast to post to my blog. Tabitha Greenlee and Dina Tillman compiled this video for an EDM 310 Project. Mobile County Schools-The information Society video is below. I thought this would give our distant collaborators an idea of where we are and how we are using technology in our local elementary school district of Mobile County. Thank you Tabitha and Dina for the insight.



While I was doing service hours in the Mobile County School System this semester I was introduced to several interactive games available for free on the web. Timez Attack was my favorite. This application is using multiplication to progress through the game. Timez Attack is on the level of your popular video games. See the following promo - success and confidence guaranteed.