Name Googling and Porfolio Structuring

When I Googled my name, I was somewhat disappointed (but not surprised) to find that my name was not in the top 20 results. Many of the results that came up were for different Jessica Flacks who performed scientific or psychological research. However, I tried typing in my name along with the town I grew up in (Jenison), and I was able to find a little more about me. The first result in this search was a link to the website for Camp Geneva where I worked as a counselor for 1st-3rd graders in the summer of 2007. Most of the other top ten results on this search simply listed me as an alumnus from Jenison High School. I think the first search result for Camp Geneva is a very good representation of who I am. This shows my love for children and my ability to have fun with them in the chaotic setting of a summer camp. I broke my collar bone the day before this picture was taken which I think gives it a little character. If a prospective employer knew that, they would be able to see my devotion to children and my job as their counselor.

The main goal I have for my portfolio is to show future employers, students, and their parents who I am. I will do this by telling them about my personal history, sharing my teaching philosophy, and showcasing the teaching projects I have done over the last two years. So far, I have the homepage and "About Me" page finished on my portfolio, and I think they tell a lot about who I am. On the main page, I said a little about myself and why I created the webpage. I also included a link to my blog and a few quotes that show my my views of teaching and life in general. In my autobiographical section, I wrote three paragraphs about myself and my teaching experiences. I also posted three pictures which show my family, my travelling experiences, and me reading to kids at Camp Geneva. These three topics are all covered in my writing and provide a good summary of what is important to me. At the bottom of the page I included a Google map showing the places I have travelled to. This emphasizes even more my love for travelling and exploring new places.

I chose the layout and background, because it is not dull, but still looks professional. I wanted to make sure the background on my webpage did not take away from what I was trying to accomplish with it, and I think the theme I chose serves that purpose. I also like that this template shows the page links at the top of the page instead of down the side. I think this sticks out more and makes for easy navigation between pages. In setting up each page, I paid great attention to detail in how I set up the headings. I want to make sure every page follows the same format to show my detail-oriented thinking. Organization is a very important thing for teachers to have and I want to make sure this shines through in my portfolio.

Different Ways of Using Blogs in the Classroom

After creating this blog, I started exploring different ways teachers can use blogs, and I found two I really enjoyed. The first one was created by Mr. Ferraris and his fifth grade students from New Jersey. Mr. Ferraris uses this blog to post podcasts the students make about various topics such as the science of laughter, college football predictions, the book Because of Winn-Dixie, and High School Musical 3. He also made a list of categories on the side of the page to make finding a specific podcast easier. One post I really liked involved two students doing a radio broadcast called N.E.A.T. TV. On this radio station, they talked about various endangered species and interviewed other students who were pretending to be from places like Australia. Listening to the radio broadcast of the students was a fun way to learn more about endangered species all over the world. In making this blog, Mr. Ferraris created a unique learning environment where students can research something they are interested in and find an inventive way of sharing their information through podcasts. This allows students to take learning into their own hands and have fun with it.

The second blog I really enjoyed is called 2M Gems which is run by Mrs. M. and her second grade class from Brisbane, California. This blog has links to each students' individual blog and shows class schedules, homework assignments, spelling words for each week, and several other class events. The most recent post shows a quilt of pictures students drew for Remembrance Day and a description of the project. Also, each student wrote a sentence or two about what they thought peace was. These descriptions can be seen by clicking on the quilt. My favorite blog entry was made by some students who attended a seminar and learned how to use a software called Crazy Talk. The software allowed the students to make an endangered species video where a koala bear talks about the issue from its perspective. Another entry I liked was a video where the students watched in amazement as their pet praying mantis shed its skin in order to become an adult. This blog is interesting because it shows what the students are learning in class and also allows them to be creative by involving technology. I also like the idea of each student having their own blog, because it makes them partially responsible for their learning. The blog is a good place for parents to see the progress of their students and helps them stay informed on what is happening in the classroom.

Because I want to be a lower elementary teacher, the second blog best captures how I would use a blog in my classroom. Because it can be hard to keep parents informed of what their child is doing in school, I think using a blog is an excellent thing to have. It helps parents track their child's learning and also shows them important upcoming events and homework their child needs to do. Unlike Mrs. M., I would post more of the children's work on the blog and have videos, audio recordings, or written captions where the children describe what their piece of work is about. For example, if the students learned about what happens inside the egg as a chicken develops, I would have the students draw a picture of what is happening each day and talk about it. This would help with literacy, because it gives the students the opportunity to practice writing or speaking with the purpose of informing others. I would make my class' blog all about the work of the students.

Who am I and why am I here?

My name is Jessica and this is the first blog I have ever made. I am part of a class called CEP 416 at Michigan State University where I will learn about how to use different kinds of technology in my future classroom. I am really excited to learn about all the possibilities that are out there and I hope my future students will enjoy the things I will learn from this course.