Farewell

Reflection of EDC3100.  As Crystal states in her blog Nearly there now this semester is over its a huge sigh of relief. As I suppose it is when every semester is over.

I had talked to previous students about this subject and they all replied with something a log the lines of “it is a tough” its a big one” “lots of blogging” “so much blogging”.

I have rather enjoyed blogging. I find it a lot easy and actually enjoy it. I think I will definitely continue blogging

I have enjoyed this subject. But its been a very big semester for me. I think I need a holiday.

Mid Prac Overload

During my professional experience I had a massive assignment due.As  Natalie  states So many Assignment.

Well my OVERLOAD was a mix of assignments, home life, family and visitors.

I did know about this assignment due date before commencing my prac, but as my previous blogs state I am a bit of a procrastinator. I did however begin this assignment before prac and I had an idea of what I needed to do. I had every intention completing the assignment before prac. But I didn’t.

During prac I discovered a huge element that I hadn’t realised I needed to do. And it turns out I should of been filling out this reading log since week one. 15 picture book, 2 graphic novels, 8 early reader novels and 8 young adult novels. these all needed to be read and evaluated. Talk about stressed.

The librarian at my prac school was extremely helpful in this area.

I got all books read it helped that I have read some young adult novels.

One book I suggest that could be read in 4 or 5  class that could easily have and ICT integrated element Grimsdon by Deborah Abela

 

And my assignment was submitted on time.

 

Week 1 Professional Experience

So week 1 is complete and didn’t go as I hoped.

The first 4 days I had a relief teacher. She didn’t feel comfortable letting me teach as it was not her class.

Friday I met my prac teacher and her plan was all in her head (which I believed she just winged it).

So my first week and I am yet to teach a class and I was very bored and eager to teach.

I did some planning with my teacher and so far she has only given me 1 lesson next week to teach. I have told her what I need to do. I am hoping that it is because we have only had 1 day together and after my lesson I will get more.

I am too shy to beg to teach.

Looking Forward to Prac

Now that Assignment 2 is done and dusted and like Karina I am looking forward to my Professional Experience. I met with my Professional Experience teacher on Friday. She was lovely, the class was lovely and the school seemed lovely. I am hoping for a lovely 3 weeks. We had a great meeting, she uses a fair bit of ICTs within her classroom. ClassDojo was on the Interactive White Board, which I am very interested to see working from a teacher perspective and not the parent perspective. I am also interested to see the difference between a private school and the public schools I am familiar with.

Right, I assignment to go before my Professional Experience starts.

Wish me Luck.

 

StoryBird

My unit plan is based around students creating a story using Storybird.

I was reading Natalie’s blog post about My Story Book and the two are very similar. My Story Book seems to be a little more simpler to navigate compare to Storybird, which would make it a bit easier for year 2. My Story Book also has a lot more artist features which I think allow student to have more say in the illustrations and layout of their stories.

I didn’t know about My Story Book while I was creating my unit plan, but I think I would still use Storybird as my objectives were focused on re-creating a new version of a well know fairy-tale. Come to think about it either would work.

Bloggers I love to follow

I just needed a quick space to document the bloggers I love. I do use Freedly but thought I needed a spot for a quick search list.

They are all relevant to early childhood teaching.

 

Teach thought

Maths Coach Corner

Crafty Morning  Great mothers Day Ideas

123 Home school Has lots of literacy Ideas- the Very Hungry Caterpillar work sheets  one of my favorite

Stacey Loyd Teaching has lots of free resources as well as lots of great advice

 

I will add when I find more. Please feel free to add a link to your fav blogger in the comments.

Finding a Prac School Outside QLD

I have just moved to the NT so I have had to find my own school to complete my Professional Experience. There are sooo many schools around me within a 5 minute drive, I thought it would be easily done.  Think again Dayna.

Every school said No.  It took me 10 weeks to find a school that said yes.

Turns out that the Charles Darwin University get all public schools to sign a contract that they have to place CDU students first. Thus all schools would not even consider me.

So I started searching private schools.  The ones around me have all said no due to having new teachers themselves (they are not in any position to teach a Preservice Teacher).

Finally I have a school St Paul’s Catholic Primary School and a teacher that will accept me and I will be meeting with my teacher tomorrow afternoon. (So nervous and excited)

I will be in a Transition class aka Prep class.  I was looking for year 1 and up because I have already had  a professional experience in a prep class but after 10 weeks of searching and rejection I was willing to take on high school (I wouldn’t go that far) but accept anything.

 

Procrastination

Procrastination/no motivation seems to be a very big Blog topic after the Easter break. I know it found me and hasn’t quite left. I copied Natalie strategies about reading more blogs to see how everyone was coping.  Just reading other students blogs have given me the boost I need to get through to meet this assignment 2 deadline.

I have had small bursts of motivation and have pounced on them so I am not as behind in my assignment as I am with the blogs. Assignment 1 I had 3 blogs done before the week was up. I was even high fiving my self for the effort to get all weekly task done before the week was up.  This was a first for me and every semester I strive to keep motivated thought-out the whole semester. I have 3 semesters left the question is Will I succeed?

This you tube video is me

Procrastination Tales of Mere Existence

 

 

 

Choosing

OK create a unit plan. My biggest dilemma has been too much to choose from. After weeks of searching, researching, idea searching and changing….. Yay I have decided.

Year 3 English.

I choose English as I struggled with an English assignment last Year and English is not in my strengths basket. Year 3 because I have yet to complete anything for this age group.

I have found another students Blog that is a similar to my Assessment 2 unit plan, . Kylie

Assignment 2

My “somewhere”

 

Context

• Year 2 class
• 22 students (10 boys, 12 girls)
• 2nd semester English Unit
• middle class area on the outskirts of Darwin NT
• 380 student at the school

 

Learning Path

Students will know that… (Constructing Knowledge objectives/SELECTED content descriptors from the syllabus)

Identify visual representations of characters’ actions, reactions, speech and thought processes in narratives, and consider how these images add to or contradict or multiply the meaning of accompanying words (ACELA1469)

Elaboration

Comparing two versions of the same story, for example ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, identifying how a character’s actions and reactions are depicted differently by different illustrators

 

Students will be able to… (Transforming objectives / SELECTED content descriptors from the syllabus)

Construct texts featuring print, visual and audio elements using software, including word processing programs (ACELY1674)

Elaboration

Experimenting with and combining elements of software programs to create texts

Criteria

Understanding and skill dimension / Productive mode/ ideas and information