Almost Done...

Checklist Due By Tomorrow:
*Complete Instructional Frameworks: I will neither confirm nor deny where I am in that paper...=)
*Complete Last Technology Project:

2 Things to do, not too bad. I will be rejoicing come Thursday!

Happy Picture Day!

Happy Picture Day Everyone! Hope Everyone is getting every last minute thing done for classes this week! Think of it this way, this weekend is a holiday and we have a day off....YEA! So a Happy Early 4th to everyone! 2 more days and the weekend is ours! Updates: I have not finished some last minute homework activities. No big deal. My goal is to put the hammer down today and barricade myself in a room and get EVERYTHING DONE. Wish me luck everyone. Don't worry, I know I am not the only one done with my work! =) Enjoy the day! I'm off to get stuff accomplished!

It's Thursday....BOO YAH!

Thursday is officially the new Friday!! Finally turned in my Lit. Review and I plan on not worrying about until Monday!! However, with good news, come bad news. Got word that we start our research class on Monday...can we say "BOO to that!" My no life will continue next week...love my life =).
Happy Friday to me! First "Cadre-itas" after Technology and I'm still singing Tom Petty in my head after the concert last night! Have a good weekend everyone!!

Home Stretch!

On the home stretch for this Lit. Review! It's already Wednesday, so I am really looking forward to handing in my paper tomorrow. It will definitely feel like a weight is being lifted off my shoulders. Then I work on other assignments that are due soon. I am not really getting a break, but I will feel relief when I turn this in. I feel more comfortable about turning it in now, because I know it will get feedback, that I know will make my writing better. I feel proud at the fact that this will actually be a paper that I will use in my future classroom. Looking forward to the results. One more day and "HELLO!" weekend!

Opening the Doors to Learning: Technology Research for Students with Learning Disabilities (Reading Skills)

Description: The other article I read and reflected on today is also about using technology in those primary classrooms. These years, I believe, are crucial because children are learn motor skills they use in the classroom, as well as other effective instructional procedures. The article briefly discusses an effective starter program for beginning readers called Wiggleworks. In this program offer repeated reading practices to use with the students, along with them taking part in the activity by reading along and flipping the page with just a click of a button. It helps set that balance between fluency and comprehension with the reader. It really focuses on leveled books for the readers and sets the stage for finding that meaning, vocabulary, and understanding in the text, by making it fun and educational at the same time.
Analysis/Reflection: I would recommend the program for many users. the article also addresses the problems with the classroom situation and amount of students for a certain number of computers they have in the room. It reminds us to set limits to the students to show everyone a piece of the program and get a chance to experience it for what it's worth. It recommended 20 minutes, depending on the class of students and grade level you are dealing with at the time. That can easily be adjusted.

This article is just another example of how every day, our technology increases and changes up to higher standards. One of these days, everything will be on computers, it is only a matter of time of when this will happen. Until then, this program gives many students a chance to see what today's technology is offering to our learning environment.

To view this article, pleast go to the following:

http://www.ldonline.org/article/6344?theme=print

Critical Issue: Using Technology to Enhance Literacy Instruction

Description: So I have been doing some reflecting today on how my Choice Projects will contribute to me as a teacher using some of these ideas in my classroom. So today, I reflected on two articles that I believe have helped me broadened my horizons on using technology in the primary classroom: the positive, the negative, the possible outcomes, adn products that could be used in my future teaching instruction.
This article focused on specifically using technology in my classroom to enhance literacy development. Since my area of focus is literacy, I read this article and learned many new terms and strategies on how it is viewed so far in the learning environment. Literacy helps us read,write, think, speak, and learn. Incorporate that with technology, and you are learning even more to communicate, investigate, assess and expand in the learning atmosphere. The article is broken down into 7 types of literacy to use in technology: information, digital,new, computer, computer-technology, critical, and media. The article also discusses common electronic books and other online texts that allow students to experience when first being introduced into literacy methods.

Analysis/Reflection: Overall, I enjoyed reading this article as it offered collaboration tips for other readers, goals for administrators, media specialists, and the community on many different levels. I would use this information from anywhere to guided reading, reading workshops/stations, or assessing on leveled book activities. It was a great introduction into what exactly you experience your child to when technology sources are used in the classroom atmosphere.

To view this article, please visit the following:
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/reading/li300.htm

Terrible Tuesday

So I got abslutely NO SLEEP last night...so this definitely feels like a Terrible Tuesday! If you couldn't tell, I am bugged, yes bugged about my classes. I am already waiting for Thursday, you know, the new Friday to come...right now! Almost done with my Lit. Rev. but I need more people to read it. I hope this workshop is helpful today because this is the final stretch to get this paper done. I will feel more relief when Thursday comes, that way I can focus on other important things due coming up. Technology allows me to take a break from my strategies class, but it also makes me think about all the stuff I have due in here as well...shoot! I got to get going.
*Highlight of my day~ I'm getting new glasses today!! =)

Week 3...

So I have finished my rough draft of my Lit. Review and it feels nice to be done "partly." My paper needs a lot of work! Everything from the grammar, to the transitions, etc. I am still struggling with even linking my themes together. I need to mention it more in my introduction and really make that real-life connection to my classroom. I want it to be a paper where I will look back on it and say, "I did a really good job on this paper..I can use this." Things just need to be changed and adjusted. However, my motivation is lacking to get it done. UGHH! Who wants to finish it for me!?!?!?! On a brighter note, It is nice to get that "peer review" and help from my CADRE cohort and other family members as well.
I have more accomplished on this paper than what I thought I would have done today I just want people to read it and give me their opinion on it now. Then I will adjust and fix. So I am treating myself today, well sort of. I will catch up on my all of my technology stuff today. Wish me luck! Happy Monday everyone!

Feeling the Pressure....

Happy Friday to me! I am excited it's the weekend, but not so thrilled because I am already spending it in the library. BOO! I don't know about everyone else, but I have just felt swamped this week with projects, readings, and let's not forget this paper! I have been struggling with this paper. Weird. I think I have been having so much trouble because these 8 pages that I will write about have nothing to do with my opinion: it is to the point, the facts, the research. This paper could care less about what my thoughts are on it. That's the problem for me. I have found tons of research, but it is all over the border, so I need to narrow down to 3 areas that will blend together to make my paper look flawless! =) I have ideas, and I think I just need to stop worrying about it and just write it down. If I have to go back and correct, that's OK, nothing is ever perfect!

*Goal for this weekend: Get a rough draft done, and find a little bit of "ME time."

Making Progress in Technology

I am making a lot of progress today in Technology class when it comes down to the Choice Projects and other major assignments due at the end of the class. I think what helps is that we can do it on anything we desire, it just has to touch on certain subjects, like stretching our learning and using it in our future classroom. I think these Choice Projects help me think outside the box and expand my learning/teaching horizon at the same time. I am excited to get started. Now if I didn't have to write this silly 8 page paper for our Strategy class.
I have a feeling I will learn a lot from this paper I am doing, but I know it's going to be A LOT OF WORK. It's an interesting topic for me that I know I will use in the future and it is all about creating projects, ideas, and concepts that will be beneficial for you classroom. The same thing goes for my Choice Projects. I am eager to get started on them now. I have tons of ideas to use. It is amazing what you can do with Technology!

MONDAYS=BBBOOOO!!

CADRE: Week 2 is already making me very busy. It is making me so busy, I am starting to get nervous about writing this paper in our strategies class we have due A WEEK FROM THURSDAY....no pressure right? I am just not looking forward to it because papers are never fun to write and I hope I can find the research I need to get it done. I am also still torn about the choice projects as well. I understand it, and then I don't. I have a feeling that when I get started on it, I will have a better idea of what to do for each one. I think the work days will help too. All this stuff makes me think about how I am starting to have no free time on my hands. So I am glad Molly Brown brought up the poll everywhere question today in class. It is kind of something to look forward to toward the the end of the week!

Is it bad that I already want this week to be done?...and it's ONLY MONDAY?

Dear Weekend, please come fast.

Thanks,

Molly =)

CADRE-DAY 3

On this third day of my CADRE Technology class, I really enjoyed the activities we did today as a grade level. I like how we had a chance to get with peers in our area, in my case, the Early Childhood area, and discuss on how we could use voicethread in this specific area, because this is the key area where we will do our teaching. Lot's of ideas we have already discussed I could see being used in the upper levels, and no where near my area. This is not something I will teach my Kindergarteners, how to blog on a website. I had no ideas before I got in my grade level. However, I feel very confident in using the voicethread now because we thought of multiple ideas, that I would have never thought of by myself. I am glad to have my classmates being very helpful throughout this process and I can't wait to learn more from them!

Survey Reveals Gaps in School Technology Perceptions-Article Reflection

Description: This article was very interesting for me to read. It states the most current use of technology in the classroom, but also why it seems to fluctuate in recent surveys. In a typical K-12 classroom, not every grade level has the opportunity to use technology as much as they originally want to use it, when it comes down to integrating it in the curriculum. I agree with the article as technology is mostly used to the education community: to students, teacher, staff, administration, parents, community, etc. Technology to me, like the article is all about communication and collaboration.
Reflection/Analysis: I think the survey reveals from 2008-2009 that numbers have increased recently of technology use in the classroom. Teachers, along with the entire education community use nothing but Facebook, MySpace, School/District websites, and other educational websites. It is our main way of communicating with the community, everything from updating paretns on upcoming events, to parent-teacher conferences, technology is used to the max. I enjoyed the article and wouldn't mind finding more research on this topic in the future.

To View This Article....visit the following: http://voicethread.com/#q.b1197592.i6462264

Day 2 of the CADRE Program

Day 2 of the CADRE Program went well today. I am learning a lot of helpful information in my Effective Teaching Practices class, but I think I will learn even more in my Technology class. I walked in the first day a little nervous because I have never blogged or done a voice thread before, so I felt I was a little behind. However, I got the hang of it easier than I thought I would and it makes me eager to learn more technology strategies. I wonder how I will be able to integrate these types of techniques into my Kindergarten classroom, because it's a key but hard age to put it in the curriculum. I look forward to researching that as time goes on. Can't wait to try out Blabberize tomorrow! It looks like a lot of fun!

My First Day of CADRE

My First Day of CADRE:

My time so far in the CADRE Program has been very beneficial, resourceful, supportive, and intense at the same time. The first day was about what I expected. We got a lot of information, assignments, readings, projects, upcoming events, and many others. It has been very busy, but in a good way. It is a tough program but it prepares me all to completing my first year as a Kindergarten teacher and then accomplishing my Master's Degree in Elementary Education. I am really enjoying the Effective Teaching Practices class. We are always moving around and everyone is taking an active part in the class. I am making new friends, as they go through the same experience with me. I am a little nervous about the Technology class, but I am getting used to it. For instance, yesterday was only intense because I have never done a voice thread or blog in my entire life. However, that is the purpose of the class, to be introduced to new learning styles and how to implement them in our future classroom. My first year is the year to try out everything: research, strategies, technology, and many others. I am excited to learn so many things.