I Would Give This Post a 4

I have learned the difficulties of grading. I have walked through the valley of empty red pens and tossed away staples that glitter like metallic teeth. I have surveyed the map of Rubric. I have reviewed and discussed with the scholars. I have read into the mind of another. I have learned and pondered. I have been buried under the dead trees. I have buckled with the camel and the straw. I have risen with my decisions defined. I have distributed my knowledge to others. I have created a better writer. I have created an individual who is proud of themselves. I have created something that was always there. I have found what needed to flourish.  

Teachers...

Though after completing my last semester of clinical practice, I have realized that the last picture should look very different. There may have been times where I struggled but there was never a time when I reflected on my own profession and expressed the defeat this individual feels. The picture depicts the teacher so defeated. I had never felt that way and always knew that I was on the right path. In times of uncertainty, I merely had to look at my own students and realize....

They stand up for me, so I stand for them.

Graphic Organizer about Graphic Organizers

Rants on a Rubric

Rubrics are a means of establishing clear expectations for your students. Rubrics force you to fit into a rigid grading bubble. Rubrics help maintain equitable grading practices. Rubrics limit a student's creative choice and unique written voice. Rubrics help identify the standards and skills needed to be displayed. Rubrics emphasize the value of certain skills and abilities while devaluing others. Rubrics help maintain a clear set of criteria that could be shared throughout a department or curriculum. Rubrics can be altered re-establishing expectations from teacher-to-teacher. Rubrics don't provide feedback. Rubrics do provide feedback. Rubrics, rubrics, rubrics, what to do with rubrics. Rigid rubrics really wreck rambling rookie writers.   

Keep Calm

Monitoring and adjusting. Monitoring and adjusting. That's what I tell myself repeatedly when I stand in front of my class realizing that the minutes are slowly ticking by and I have yet to cover all of the material I had planned for today. How am I going to cram all of this in? What if they don't know the material yet? What if we don't get through everything we need to get through? What do I do? I take a deep breath, smile, and crack a joke. We laugh together as my brilliant distraction bides me enough time to quickly think of a means to cover everything. Then it occurs to me. Of course! It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if the student didn't fill in the appropriate graphic organizer. It doesn't matter if the assessment I originally planned for today must be tweaked to fit the unanticipated adjustment. It is more important that my students understand and practice this new material and feel confident in their abilities to tackle these new concepts before bombarding them with more concepts. What matters the most is their abilities and their skills. It is more important to adjust the lesson and adapt it to the needs of my students. As a teacher, I need to be able to recognize when to slow down and allow students the time to practice and develop their new skills. Scaffolding they call it. What learning looks like, I call it.

Bookmarking Tool

Hello everybody,
So here is my online bookmark organizational tool. I liked Googlebookmarks because it allows me to sort my bookmarks into various folders for better organization while also being able to overlap bookmarks that may have similar concepts or themes. 

My Bookmarks

(If link doesn't work please follow web address below)
file:///Users/sadeg003/Downloads/GoogleBookmarks-2.html

Digital Presentation Video

Hello there. This is my three part digital presentation reflection for EDSS 530. The first part discusses the value of technology for a teacher, creating resources and maintaining communication with your students. The second part explains how a teacher can use technology to build up their PLN (Personal Learning Network). The final part is how a teacher could use technology for homework assignments in the classroom.

First Part
Using technology for teachers.

Second Part
Using technology to create a PLN (Personal Learning Network).

Part Three
Using technology as homework assignments.

Please leave comments. I would love the feedback and would love to know how you would use technology in the classroom.