Monthly Calendar

If you are unable to read the calendar, please click on it., this will open an expanded view and you will be able to see everything I've inputted!

- Miss Jerald

Copy Right Power Point

Hello Everyone!
I have included a link to get to a Power Point I created to inform others about Copyright Laws. I hope you enjoy looking over it and possibly learn something new!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3EcKKbPEzZjUmZUeFlZMU9aNkE/view?usp=sharing

-Miss Jerald

Acceptable Computer Usage

1.Only visit bookmarked websites when using free time on the computer. If you are instructed or assisted in going to another website, that is the only time it is acceptable to visit anything other than bookmarked websites.

2.You are not allowed to access any chatrooms or forums unless they have been approved by a teacher.

3. Do not share any personal information including your name, how old you are, where you go to school, what neighborhood you live in, or how many siblings you have. Don’t tell anyone anything about yourself.

4. When using e-mail, if you receive an e-mail from someone you do not know or from an e-mail address you do not recognize, please get a teacher immediately before opening the e-mail. The teacher will review the e-mail and see if it is safe for you to read and respond to.

5. You are not to utilize social media while you are at school, this does include Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Tumblr and any other social media sites. These sites are blocked and if you are caught trying to find a way around these blocks, or gain access to any of these sites, you will lose your computer privileges.

6. You cannot download anything onto the computer without permission. If you feel that a download is necessary for something you are attempting to do on the computer, please ask a teacher for assistance before downloading anything.

7. If you receive an e-mail or any other for of communication that has cyberbulling in it, please seek help from a teacher, counselor, or a parent so it can be addressed and taken care of.

8. If you are visiting a website and a pop-up appears, do not click on it, do not input any information about yourself, and do not follow any links it may give you.

9. When doing a google search, do not click on links that are not .org .edu or .net for any research projects. The best are .org and .edu and will have accurate information, as well as be a safe place to look.

10. Do not share photos of yourself or of your neighborhood or school through an e-mail. This is just as important as not sharing your name, age, or location.

How I plan to teach my students these important safety rules is simply talking to them about what can happen on the internet. Putting terms like sexual predators, and cyberbullies in words that they can understand and relate to. I don’t want to scare my students of the internet, but I want them to understand that they are always at risk while they are searching online.

I truly believe that showing students what can happen is a really important portion in teaching them about internet safety. I have seen on Facebook many photos shared of a teacher that has a sign that says something along the lines of “Please share this and state your location so I can show my students how quickly something on the internet travels.” I would share these stories with my students to show them how quickly their information can be shared. I’ll also demonstrate a google search of my own name to show them what information comes up, including photos of myself, any social media that I have, etc. I would also attempt to bring in someone from the Teenangels organization, hopefully a younger child and their advocate, to talk to the class about what they do – how they find predators, what they do to protect themselves, etc. I would also attempt to bring in someone from law enforcement to talk to the students about what legal repercussions there are for people who prey upon young children, as well as explain to students what puts them at risk. I would also remind my students on a regular basis what our rules for computer use are and remind them of the risks if they do not follow them, not just what punishment they will receive. 

A note to parents: You can utilize a lot of these same rules in your home to make sure that your students are safe while using the web in your own home. I know a lot of younger students, like your children, don't utilize social media but the threat is still there. I would suggest to keep the computer somewhere "out in the open" like a living room or a den. I would also suggest to routine monitor what your child is looking at online. Set up safety features and utilize the parent control settings that your internet provider as well as your internet browser offer. 

Computer Concepts Lesson Plan

Activity 2: Lesson Plan Evaluation

Online Lesson Plan Evaluation Organizer

Title of Lesson: Animal Alphabet                               Subject Area: Animals                                    Grade Level: k-2

URL (web address): http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/animalAlphabet/ (Hint: Copy/Paste the URL onto this document)

Online Lesson Plan Components/Steps (List and give a brief summary of the steps included in the online plan.)

DID Components (Which components or steps of the online lesson plan fit into the DID format? Where do they fit?)

·         Go over the alphabet with the students and have them identify the sounds of each letter then watch the video “Animal Alphabet.” ·         Break the students up into small groups and with the help of an adult, review each letter sound. ·         Assign each student in the class a letter to work on. They will be creating pages for a book including an animal that starts with their letter. Try not to get duplicate letters. ·         Review the sounds of the letters with the students as well as how to write their letters. Make sure they have a reference to look at while they are making their book page. ·         Using the animals in the “Animal Alphabet” video, talk about the animal names and where they live, what they do, etc. You can use print outs of each animal so students have a reference. ·         Once the students seem to be ready, and understand their letters, give them construction paper and crayons to illustrate their animal. Have them write the letter on their drawing and for more advanced students, have them write the name of their animal. Check in with students while they are working to make sure they are understanding what they are doing as well as know the sound of their letter and the name of their animal. ·         Once everyone is finished, combine all of the pages into a bound book. Read the book with the class and identify the letters, the names of the animals, and if they are an insect, mammal, or reptile.

Step 1: "Know the Learners" There are multiple ways that this fits in. The lesson plan utilizes the cognitive developmental stages by allowing more advanced students to include the written name of the animal. They use their incoming skills by putting the new knowledge of the letter, sound, and shape of the letter on their page as well as their current knowledge on what the animals are, what they typically do, and what they look like. Step 2: "Articulate Your Objective" Once everyone is finished, there will be a book made and they will review it as a class. This is what the learners will do after the lesson. The objective definitely focuses on skills of the students because they are expected to write the letter they just learned but not the entire animal name, unless they are able to. Step 3: "Establish the Learning Environment" There is a positive and nurturing environment due to the adults in the classroom encouraging the students to make the sounds of the letters. The adults check in with them while they are working. The learners are active and engaged because they are working on their own page in the book. Step 4: "Identify Teaching and Learning Strategies" The activity that is being utilized by the teacher by the teacher helps students master the content by having the constantly repeat letter sound and then associating the letter they learned with an animal. This familiarizes them with something in their own world. Step 5: "Identify and Select Support Technologies" There is a video shown to the students, this is definitely a support technology. They hear the names of the animals as well as the sound of the letters. Step 6: "Evaluate and Revise the Design" At the end of the lesson, the class reads the book out loud. Each student should be able to identify the sound of their letter.

Answer the following questions:

1.      What learning theories seem to be reflected in the steps of the plan you found?

The learning theories that seem to be reflected in the steps of the plan I found would be the behaviorist theory, the constructionist theory, and multiple intelligence theory. The behaviorist theory is reflected because the students are expected to repeat the sound of the letter they learned over and over. The Constructionist theory is reflected because they learn the sound of the letter and then apply the letter and the sound to an animal giving them a mental image of something in their daily life. Lastly, the multiple intelligence theory is covered because there are multiple aspects included in the lesson, verbal-linguistic is covered by watching the video and hearing the sound of the words and letters that are being said they also utilize their skill while creating their book page, musical is covered by the video as well – they can associate the sound of the letter to the name of the animal that is sung and the rhythm of the song may help them remember, interpersonal is reached by the group activity of creating the book pages together, and lastly visual-spatial learners are reached with the video because they can picture the letter as well as the animal, they are also reached again when the book is read to the class – they see the animals that are drawn as well as the letter on the same page.

2.      How does this plan differ from the DID model in terms of both steps and theoretical framework?

It doesn’t differ much from the DID model other than the steps not being listed clearly as “step 1: know the learners” etc. There are clear lists of objectives, material needed, the procedures and how to execute them, and what the evaluation should entail. The only aspect, other than the steps being outlined would be the evaluation and revise of the design.

3.      Which format do you prefer? Why?

Personally, I prefer the DID format. It gives a clear outline of what I should be including in my lesson plan, how I should go about executing the lesson plan in the classroom, and it goes step by step. Sitting down to create a new lesson plan can be overwhelming when you’re starting with a blank page and have no sense of direction but the DID format gives an outline that is easily filled in with the necessities to complete the lesson plan smoothly. I really like that it gives me a chance to evaluate my classroom and how my students learn so the lesson is directed specifically towards them instead of it being generic. It also gives me a chance to list the technologies that I will need in order for the lesson plan to be successful so I can find a video, or a picture/diagram to display that will help my students without having to try to search for it last minute. Overall, I like the structured aspect of the DID format.

A Little About Myself!

Hello Everyone!
I am so excited that I get to share this school year with your children! I'm sure you're wondering who I am and would like a little insight to who will be watching over your little ones during the eight hours they are in school, let me fill you in!

I am 22 years old and I have attended both Pima Community College and the University of Arizona to get to where I am today. I loved learning about how to become a teacher and what resources and methods I should be utilizing while teaching an array of different students. My goal is to reach every single student, every single day.

I have heard a lot of stories from other teachers about how they didn't initially plan on becoming a teacher, but I have dreamt of being a teacher for as long as I can remember. My first memory was when I was about four years old. My mother and I had been out and about visiting different yard-sales to see what "scores" we could find. This particular Saturday we were at a retired teachers home and I was in heaven! She had an old-style desk that had the flip lid - the chair was fixed to it and the table top portion lifted up to keep your belongings inside. She also had books, markers, stencils, construction paper, you name it, but I kept going back to the desk. I begged my mother for it and eventually she caved in and the next thing I knew, I had my own desk at home! As soon as we got home I immediately set all of my stuffed animals up on the floor in my bedroom and began "teaching" them. I mimicked lessons that my preschool teachers had given and I was so proud. From this moment on, I knew what my career was going to be.

Again, I am so thrilled to have your students in my class this year and I cannot wait to get to know each and every one of them. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out by either phone or e-mail.

Miss Jerald
(520)555-5555
ajerald@school.edu