Teaching Response

I just finished reading a blog that talked about teaching seventh graders. The teacher enjoyed the experience, but was surprised about the confusion that arose from the assignment. I have my first teaching experience this week for my practicum, and I haven't fully prepared yet. I wrote out my lesson plan, but I think I need to change some things. Because of what this other student said, I have realized that I need to go back and clarify some of the ideas in my plan to help my students succeed.

Copyright Analysis

The first video I watched was I feel it all-Jakey Toor. I think that this video did follow copyright law because she used the music to teach her students and make them become more involved in the classroom. It was a successful technique. However, the guidelines that were on the video we watched for class say that 10% of music should be used and she did use all of the song, but I think it was effective for her students.

The second video I chose was 1 El Tiburon Music Video. I think this group of students and this assignment did a good job of observing copyright. They created a music video that showed their Spanish skills. The students created the project, which means that it didn't require special permission. It helped me to see what my students can do within the classroom as they use the technology available to them.

Copyright Law

I really enjoyed learning about copyright. I've wondered about what is appropriate to show in the classroom before and this tutorial really helped. This makes it so I will be able to use additional material in the classroom and get ideas from things in popular culture. I also liked that they included the fact that it is not okay to show copyright material as a reward. I had never heard that before so it was interesting to learn about.

Resources for my PLN

I decided to use a variety of resources when I was creating my project. I chose a few blogs which describe the different teaching practices that a teacher can use, particularly focusing on foreign language speakers. I also included Clif Notes in order to try to make it easier to understand popular ideas. The other two resources link me to ideas in the media that describe current teaching conditions.

The social networking connection I participated in was Twitter. I decided to do this because I think it's important to understand what's going on with different teachers in the community. It is a good opportunity to participate in the teaching community.

Mindmapping

I really liked the idea of mindmapping. I think this would be useful in teaching an English class because it is a new way to connect ideas for students that they can see. It would also be effective because it is something that they probably haven't done before and it allows them to do something that they may be more comfortable with than writing.

Gadget

I decided to add the gadget that updates the news from Google. I decided to do this because I think it will end up being a benefit. I like the idea of having the current new and information on my blog because I think it will help to strengthen my blog and awareness of what I can do as a teacher.

Technology

I am scared to death of anything relating to technology. Usually I can find someone else who is willing to do it for me- which is great. However, I know that I need to overcome this barrier and I am really trying to do that. It's something that has always been difficult for me. I do know how to do some basic things on the computer, but that's the extent of my knowledge. I'm looking forward to the chance to learn more.