My Teaching Philosophy

When I was just eight years old, I walked into my first grade classroom every single day with a huge smile on my face. I just couldn't wait to experience what my teacher, Mrs. Leroy, had in store for my class. She was an incredible teacher- caring, pleasant, patient- but what I loved most about her, is that you could tell she really loved her job. And believe it or not, even though I was very young, Mrs. Leroy inspired me to become a teacher.

In my opinion, each child is a smart and well behaved human being that has the desire to learn. Sometimes it may take a little work, or some poking and prodding, but in the end, it is all worth it.

My job, as a teacher, is to help my students reach their fullest potential by creating a comforting (physically and mentally), safe, cheerful, and fun learning environment for them to become intellectually stimulated. I want my students to look up to me not only as their teacher, but someone who can help them in any situation, and will always support them. Although I won’t be their “friend”, I will be their counselor as well as their educator.

It is also important to me that my students completely understand the courses that I teach. I don’t want to look about my classroom and see a sea of confused faces. But, beyond that, I want the children to learn something more than just the book, pencil, and paper. I believe that kids learn more while being involved with the work physically, so I will often include hands on activities to my lesson plans.  

Overall, my three main goals are to promote positive learning, make my students more excited to learn, and to provide a strong foundation for lifelong learning. I want to make a difference in lives, just as Mrs. Leroy made a difference in mine. Children are our future, and if we don’t make them excited about learning, then why would they be excited to further their education after high school, to get a college or technical degree? Whether you be an elementary or high school teacher, a preschool or a special education teacher, every educator’s main goal should be to give each child a great education, and prepare them to become caring, active, and positive members of society.

Website Evaluation: Arming Teachers and School Staff with Guns (cont.)

     This article showed little indication that the information was valid, and was also a little biased. It stated that although guns are good for hunting, they are not good for being carried around in schools. In this article, there was no other side to it. I'm not saying I agree or disagree, but I believe that they should have had both of the opposing sides. Every good writer needs to include reliable information, have more than one opinion, and not be biased at all. I was disappointed that the article I picked did not have the information to back up why teachers should not be armed.


Bibliography:
"Arming Teachers and School Staff with Guns." School Safety and School Security Experts: National School Safety and Security Services. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. <http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/arming

Website Analysis Worksheet- Arming Teachers and School Staff with Guns

Authority

Author or sponsor of the site. Qualifications and reputation of author/source. The authority and reputation of the source of the information will depend on the expertise, reputation and status of the source.

Questions to Ask	Clues to Look For
Is there an author? Is the page signed?  No, there is no author named/ listed. No the page is not signed.	Look for a header or footer stating authorship or an e-mail/postal address
Is the author qualified and/or reputable? An expert?  There is no author named or listed.	Are the author's credentials listed? What information can you find about the author through other searches or databases?
Who is the sponsor? National School Safety and Security Services	Sponsorship statement? Is there an "about" link?
Is the sponsor of the page reputable? How reputable? Not listed	--Is there a link of information about the author or the sponsor? Who links to this site? Go to www.altavista.com, type in the search window: link:all or part of url
If the page includes neither a signature nor a sponsor, is there any other way to determine its origin? National School Safety and Security Services is a private, independent school safety consulting corporation. We are independent, not product-affiliated, and not part of any "strategic alliance" affiliations, thereby making us free of outside influences and hidden agendas.	Is there an "about" link? Look at/dissect the URL Look at the domain and country codes Try a "who is" search http://www.netsol.com/cgi-bin/whois/whois
Are there links that take you outside of the site? Yes, there are. Links that take you to Twitter, YouTube, etc.	Look for frames, URL's different from the current site. Try opening each link in a new page to see the true URL.

Accuracy

Reliable and error-free information. Conformity to fact. Precision; exactness.

Questions to Ask	Clues to Look For
Is the information reliable and error-free? The information is error free, but there is no way to tell if the information is reliable.	typographical errors, spelling mistakes, bad grammar, credentials of the info. provider
Is there an editor or someone who verifies/checks the information? There is not a way to access the editorial information.	Is the information part of a larger publication, can you find the home page and access editorial information?
Where doubt exists, can the information be cross-checked with a reliable source? No, there is no bibliography or reference of where this information is based.	Bibliographies, references, check with established, reliable, sources

Objectivity

Judgment based on observable phenomena and uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices

Questions to Ask	Clues to Look For
Does the information show a minimum of bias? I think the information is a little biased.	--Who links to this site? Go to www.altavista.com, type in the search window: link:all or part of url (see "AUTHORITY")
Is the page designed to sway opinion?  Although it may be biased, the page is not designed to sway your opinion.	--A statement of the aims and objectives of the site (often in the "about this site" section).
Is there any advertising on the page? There is no advertising on the page.	advertising banners, links to commercial sites selling products/services

Currency

Belonging to the present time, being in progress now: current negotiations, prevalent, especially at the present time.

Questions to Ask	Clues to Look For
Is the page dated? No.	Date on page (often at bottom of page, news articles may have the date at the top of the article).
If so, when was the last update? There is not one that I see.	Is the date when the material was first written, first placed on the Web, or the date of when it was last revised?
How current are the links? Have some expired or moved? The links are as updated as 7 hours ago.	Click on links to pages inside and outside of the site. Do they work?

Coverage

The extent or degree to which something is observed, analyzed, and reported.

Questions to Ask	Clues to Look For
Is there an indication that the page has been completed, and is not still under construction? Everything is up and working correctly.	"Construction" signs, non-functioning links
If there is a print equivalent to the Web page, is there a clear indication of whether the entire work is available on the Web or only parts of it? There is not print equivalent.
What topics are covered? How in-depth is the material? School safety experts discuss why they are against arming teachers. There is not an index, but there is a site map.	An index A site map

Bibliography:
"Arming Teachers and School Staff with Guns." School Safety and School Security Experts: National School Safety and Security Services. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. <http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/arming

Think Aloud meet ISTE-Nets

Standard this video addresses:


1.Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning
and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter,
teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate
experiences that advance student learning,
creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face
and virtual environments.
a. Promote, support, and model creative
and innovative thinking and inventiveness
b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues
and solving authentic problems using digital tools
and resources
c. Promote student reflection using collaborative
tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual
understanding and thinking, planning, and
creative processes
d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by
engaging in learning with students, colleagues,
and others in face-to-face and virtual environments

     Think Aloud is a great tool that can be used for both teachers and students. Students always love to use new and "fun!" technology, and I think this is a way to impress them and make them feel included. I think letting children use programs like this makes them feel special and grown-up like, and they can really enjoy while they're learning at the same time. 
     My favorite part of the tool is how I can use it to show step by step instructions to teach my students computer-related projects using the tools we used to make the video. It saves so much time, and it's a new and cool way to support innovative thinking and make make my students more comfortable in virtual environments.

Think Aloud Video by Courtney Eckes and Britiany Blankenship

Courtney and britiany project1 from Britiany Blankenship


1.Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning
and Creativity

     Think Aloud is a great tool that can be used for both teachers and students. Students always love to use new and "fun!" technology, and I think this is a way to impress them and make them feel included. I think letting children use programs like this makes them feel special and grown-up like, and they can really enjoy while they're learning at the same time. 
     My favorite part of the tool is how I can use it to show step by step instructions to teach my students computer-related projects using the tools we used to make the video. It saves so much time, and it's a new and cool way to support innovative thinking and make make my students more comfortable in virtual environments.

Code of Best Practice in Fair Use for Media Literacy

 1. What is the difference between Media in Education vs Media Literacy Education? Teachers have always used texts, now including audiovisual and digital material, to convey facts and information. From time to time, the school is also a venue for entertainment, as when a film is screened to reward the class. These activities, however, are not media literacy education. Rather than transforming the media material in question, they use that content for essentially the same purposes for which it originally was intended—to instruct or to entertain. In many or even most cases, of course, these uses of media will not have significant copyright implications, either because the content in question has been licensed or because it is covered by one of the specific exemptions for teachers in Sections 110(1) and (2) of the Copyright Act (for “face-to-face” in the classroom and equivalent distance practices in distance education).Teachers involved in media literacy education may, of course, sometimes make use of licensed materials or take advantage of the provisions of Section 110. But this guide addresses another set of issues: the transformative uses of copyright materials in media literacy education that can flourish only with a robust understanding of fair use.
2. What social bargain is at the heart of Fair Use? In fact, the cultural value of copying is so well established that it is written into the social bargain at the heart of copyright law. The bargain is this: we as a society give limited property rights to creators to encourage them to produce culture; at the same time, we give other creators the chance to use that same copyrighted material, without permission or payment, in some circumstances.
3. Why is Fair Use more important today? As copyright protects more works for longer periods than ever before, creators face new challenges: licenses to incorporate copyrighted sources become more expensive and more difficult to obtain—and sometimes are simply unavailable. As a result, fair use is more important today than ever before.
4. What are the two key questions judges use to determine Fair Use? 
• Did the unlicensed use “transform” the material taken from the copyrighted work by using it for a different purpose than that of the original, or did it just repeat the work for the same intent and value as the original?
• Was the material taken appropriate in kind and amount, considering the nature of the copyrighted work and of the use?
5. A teacher shows a movie of the Lion King and asks students to notice how the animals in the movie reflect racial stereotypes. Is this Fair Use? Why? Yes, because it is being used for educational purposes and the teacher is making a lesson out of it.
6. Which principle relates most strongly to the digital story you created in class? Explain. Four: STUDENT USE OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS IN THEIR OWN ACADEMIC AND CREATIVE WORK, because I used music and images to express my knowledge.
7. Are there limitations to the amount of pictures, length of music, or video that can be used in a multimedia project? Yes, there are limitations.
8. Are there limitations to the amount of pictures, length of music, or video that can be used in a multimedia project? If you are not sure if the materials you are using are protected by Fair Use, then you should contact them and make sure.
9. Should educators try to change the policies in their school if they are not in line with Fair Use doctrine? They should at least say something about it to prevent any problems. 
10. What common myth about Fair Use surprised you the most?
MYTH: IF I’M NOT MAKING ANY MONEY OFF IT, IT’S FAIR USE. (AND IF I AM MAKING MONEY OFF IT, IT’S NOT.) truth: “Noncommercial use” can be a plus in fair use analysis, but its scope is hard to define. If educators or learners want to share their work only with a class (or another defined, closed group) they are in a favorable position. However, some more public uses may be unfair even if no money is exchanged. So if work is going to be shared widely, it is good to be able to rely on transformativeness. As the cases show, a transformative new work can be highly commercial in intent and effect and qualify under the fair use doctrine

Andrew and Courtney♥

Here is a video I made while learning to use Photo Story 3. Enjoy!

Reading Assignment #2: Are Digital Media Changing Language?

Quote:
     
     "Although journalists tend to sensationalize the linguistic strangeness of "online lingo," quantitative analyses of instant messaging conversations and text messages reveal that abbreviations, acronyms, and even misspellings are comparatively infrequent, at least among college-age students. For example, in a study I did of college students' instant messaging conversations, out of 11,718 words, only 31 were "online lingo" abbreviations, and only 90 were acronyms (of which 76 were LOL). In a study of college students' text messaging, my colleague Rich Ling and I found a few more lexical shortenings; yet the grand total of clear abbreviations was only 47 out of 1,473 words, which is hardly overwhelming." (Baron, Naomi 2009)

Response:

     When I read this article, I was extremely surprised. I think the men and women who are studying electronically mediated communication should be more worried that children and young adults are turning the English language into something that looks more like a way to communicate with robots. I understand that a ratio of 47(abbreviations) to 1,473 (words) may not seem like a lot, but we must understand that we're talking about YOUNG ADULTS here. Meaning these kids are at the point in their lives when they're filling out college applications, applying for jobs, and submitting scholarship essays. Nobody is going to get in to college by adding an "OMG" or an "lol" to an application.
     The only way to fix this, I believe, would be to nip it in the bud right from the start. While in school, particularly English class, teachers need to instruct that using abbreviations and "text language" is unacceptable and should be used strictly for personal use. 
    As for young adults my age and older, unfortunately, I think the damage has been done.

Texting Damages Teen Grammar

References:
Baron, Naomi. "Educational Leadership:Literacy 2.0:Are Digital Media Changing Language?." Membership, policy, and professional development for educators - ASCD. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2013. <http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Are-Digital-Media-Changing-Language%C2%A2.aspx>.

"Text Messaging - YouTube." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzXhMNa2MK8>.