Final Lesson Plan

For this lesson plan assignment, I decided I wanted to imagine I was an elementary art education teacher. I came across this project idea while browsing blogs, and thought it would be a great way to teach the children about the elements and principals of design since it including so many of them. I chose to focus on third and fourth graders because it is at that age that the kids are really beginning to show their interests and can really dedicate themselves and focus on a project for an extended amount of time. It would definitely be challenging, but the sense of accomplishment after completing it would be motivation to have confidence in themselves and their abilities. There are so many different aspects to it, different media and techniques, that it would provide learning experiences and interesting discoveries during the entire process. 

Challenges I could possibly see arising would be helping the less motivated students to persevere and not give up. Because this project is so involved, I could see a student getting discouraged early on, and not wanting to finish. Also, helping students who may be motivated but not entirely confident in their abilities. I would do my best to encourage, inspire and motivate these students and help them understand that with art, it's not about being perfect, comparing their work to another peer's work, it's about the process, what can be learned along the way, and how overcoming obstacles in their art can help them overcome obstacles in other areas of their life. 

This is a PowerPoint I created to show my students the process of the project.

This Prezi would be used as a pre-assessment or review before we begin the project. 

This is a student example of a post-assessment, asking them to "show" me what they know about the elements of design using Google Drawing. They would be allowed to work with a partner to create this document.

Creative Commons

A short video to introduce Creative Commons - very helpful for us visual learners :)

 

Creative Commons is the place that fills the gap between "All Rights Reserved" and "Public Domain" when it comes to copyright laws. Anybody is free to post their creative work on CC, and then determine their own copyright terms. Dependent upon what those are, educators are allowed to share and use other people's work without the fear of copyright infringement. It takes away the stress of feeling like they are always in violation of copyright laws because they know that what they are doing is not only allowed, but encouraged! It opens up a realm on possibilities for not only educators, but artists, musicians and writers among many others.  Below is a graphic that breaks down the different types of copyright licenses that a person who is choosing to share their work can set:

By using Creative Commons, educators can create presentations and share work legally, knowing that they are not "stealing" or doing anything illegal, if they only adhere and respect the terms set by each individual of the work. They set a good example for their students by following rules, and can encourage their own students to use Creative Commons as a means for them to build upon the ideas of others or share their own work with the world.

Hooray for Creative Commons! I had never heard of this before doing this assignment, but now that I know about it, I am grateful for it's existence, and know that I will be utilizing it in the future for teaching and art.

Week 11 Course Reflection

Coming into this course, I said my tech skill was about an 8. I had pretty decent skills when it came to working with a computer, but very little knowledge about the inner-workings of one. Personally, I don't particularly care to learn much about the inside of a computer. As long as it works, it's good for me. After spilling a glass of wine straight into my previous laptop and seeing it completely disassembled, I was amazed about how complex they really are and extremely thankful for those people who are extremely intelligent about computers that were able to fix mine! :) I felt it was pretty easy to adapt to this class and do the assignments. I enjoyed completing the assignments and learning more about some applications I didn't know about - mostly about Google. I didn't realize all that Google had to offer.

My favorite assignment was setting up my blog! I was really excited to personalize it and make it my own. I plan on continuing to use this blog throughout the rest of my college career and will one day set up a blog for when I become a teacher. I also really enjoyed creating my Powerpoint presentation - even though I am currently making a different one on Prezi - I just really like letting my personality flow through presentations like those.

I definitely think that I can and will use my technology skills in the classroom. Everything from computers to ipads to smartboards - any technological resource that will be available to me, I will use. Even though I have no experience with ipads or smartboards, I feel confident that I can learn how to use them quickly and efficiently in the classroom. I think I will most likely use the Google applications the most - it has everything! E-mail, blogger, cloud storage, presentations - it's a wonderful resource for teachers, and it's FREE! The world is literally at fingertips - imagine the idea of connecting to kindergarten classrooms around the country and even around the world. The possibilities are endless when it comes to the capacity that technology can bring to the classroom.

I would like to learn more about Smart Boards. They seem so interesting to me and from what little I know about them, they seem to be very effective in the classroom. Also, I know nothing about projectors - but I'm sure I will learn along the way. 

I would say that my technology skills have improved from being in this class. I have tried different applications that I have really enjoyed, and have gained more knowledge about how to embed codes into my blog, and make sure hyperlinks are linked up correctly. I learned more about Google and cloud storage. I didn't realize I had that available to me, and for someone that loses track of small objects, not having to worry about losing a flashdrive with important information on it is very helpful!

Even though I feel I know a lot about technology, I realize what I know is just the tip of the iceberg. Technology is advancing so quickly and sometimes it's hard to keep up with all the new fancy gadgets. I hope I always find motivation to keep learning about the growing world of technology, and don't ever get stuck in the "dark ages" because technology starts to get to be too difficult to learn about. It's all just a part of being a life-long learner.

Pinterest In The Classroom

1. What did I learn from the Pinterest activity? How does it relate to what I have learned about UDL, lesson planning, and differentitation?

Pinterest is such an amazing resource because it gathers ideas from all over the world from a greatly diverse population of people. It is an excellent way to compile curriculum from a variety of sources that can encourage learning in multitudes of way to meet the needs of all students. Since they are all just ideas, they can inspire the teacher and then the teacher can tweak them in ways to better fit the individual needs of her own students in her lesson plans.

2. How do you believe you will utilize Pinterest as a teacher?

I will definitely use Pinterest as a means of inspiration, and also a way to stay organized. I will categorize my boards according to subject matter, and use Pinterest as  a way to connect with other educators around the country. I can comment on and re-pin their ideas, and they can do the same for me. It is a great way to share success with others and feel like a part of a larger community.

3. What are the strengths of Pinterest?

It is organized well, and very easy to use. I just love to whole idea of Pinterest - I can't remember what it was like before it! It is so genius to gather ideas from all over the internet into one easily accessible place. I thank whoever invented Pinterest :)

4. What are some of the challenges of Pinterest?

Sometimes pins are not linked correctly, and lead to faulty websites which can be frustrating - but then it can always be Google-d if it's really that important. Also, it can be challenging dealing with a Pinterest addiction. In addition, sometimes I find myself pinning tons of ideas - but never actually doing them - so it would be very beneficial to actually incorporate ideas from Pinterest into the classroom instead of just always browsing new ideas but never doing anything with them!

5. What comments, questions, thoughts, opinions, and/or feedback do I have about Pinterest?

Overall, I am a huge fan on Pinterest. I love it, it inspires me to try and be a great teacher one day. It also is just a daily inspiration for all of my life - from living a healthy lifestyle to inspiring me to do more art. It's fun to see my friends boards because it reveals things about them that I might not have otherwise known. It allows me to look further into things that interest me, and share what I find with others in my daily life. I can't even count the times I say, "I saw this (blank) on Pinterest...." and it will lead to discussion and conversation.

My Pinterest account can be accessed by this link:

Ashley's Pinteresting Boards

Lesson Plan Assessment

This would be the assessment for the children in my kindergarten class after we finished up the Corduroy Unit. I kept it pretty simple and straight-forward, but I would have the children complete this assessment on Google Drawing, so they would get some experience using the internet and Google applications. It would also be good fine-motor practice because it is pretty difficult drawing with a mouse. In addition, it would require that they use those reflective skills we worked on during the unit as they would need to think back upon the different adventures Corduroy went on with other students in the class. Asking them to write something Corduroy might say is a way for the students to think about different perspectives - writing from a bear's perspective is much different than writing from their own perspective! 

The Freedom Writers

 A classmate recommended this film last week. I read The Freedom Writers Diary back in 2007 and was very moved by it. After watching the movie, I was once again overwhelmed with how powerful their story is. Below are  twp clips from the movie. The first clip was at the beginning of the movie when the students were still very much divided...and Erin Gruwell (played by Hilary Swank) finds a way to help them see that they are not that different from each other after all. *Gets chills all up arm*


This next clip is equally as powerful. The students all write letters to the amazing woman who hid Anne Frank during the Holocaust. They raise enough money to have her fly in from Europe and tell her story. This is how she responds when a student says that she is his hero.



This movie was kind of hard to watch, very emotional intense, but I highly recommend it. Very eye opening and inspirational. This last video is an interview with the real Erin Gruwell. Very interesting to hear her perspective. This video also includes interview with Zlata, a young lady who wrote a diary of her experiences in Sarajevo growing up in a war zone.

Ohio DL Schools

If I had absolutely no other choice but to send my future child to an e-school, I would send them to:

This is the only e-school in Ohio that was rated "excellent", as well as being the only virtual public school to be recognized by the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA). In order to receive this accreditation, they had to meet twelve standards of distance education, and they did not just meet these standards, but exceeded them. They also use  programs developed by leading educational publishers such as Calvert School and Prentice Hall. Their website is professional, informative, and very easy to use. 

I would be very cautious about sending my child to an e-school, but I would feel confident in my choice to send them to this one if I had to because I feel like they would receive quality education by qualified teachers, and even though they would not have the socialization that a traditional public school could offer, I would do my part as a parent to make sure they attended all the field trips, and any other social plans to meet with other students and their families.

Commparing Top 4 Ohio E-Schools

There is no chance that I would ever send my child to:

I found this statistics at PlunderBund which justs lays the groundwork for my reasoning to not send my child to this school.

Has had consistently flat or declining test scores for a nine year period

Has graduation rates of below 35% over that entire time (consistently 20 points lower than Cleveland Schools’ scores)

Has attendance rates that are consistently below the state average

Has student achievement scores that are significantly below state averages

Received 36% more in per pupil funding than the state average

Is run by an unlicensed superintendent and unlicensed assistant superintendent who are each being paid over $100,000 per year (above statewide averages)

Pays teachers are paid an average salary of $34,450, well below the state average of $55,812.

I would not send my child to this school knowing these things. I would not be swayed by their website and all their fancy promises - I would do my research and find out the truth, and knowing the truth about this school confirms my choice.

QR Code

To build your own QR, please visit this website:
goqr.me

Above is the QR to my blog.

ORC Lesson Plan

This lesson plan is suitable for children Kindergarten through 2nd grade, with some appropriate tweaks to the lesson plan accordingly. This lesson plan features a stuffed animal bear named Corduroy, who is nestled deeply in the hearts of many children and adults alike. This lesson focuses on English Language Arts, and promotes skills in writing, reading, and discussion as well as engages their creative and literary reflective skills. In this lesson, the children will listen to a variety of stories featuring Corduroy over the course of a few days. They will discuss the characters in the story, as well as the plot. They will begin to feel a personal connection to this bear that they have followed on journeys throughout the books.  Through a variety of writing activity handouts, they will gain a deeper understanding of the books and storylines. They will then have the opportunity to experience their own adventures with Corduroy. A classroom Corduroy will get to go home with a different child every night, and the student will write a short paragraph and illustrate a picture of Corduroy's stay with them. These stories will be compiled together to form a journal, and each student will share their experience and illustration with the class.

This lesson plans meets the criteria for the following national standards:

NCTE/IRA National Standards For The English Language Arts
4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g. conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g. for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

The lesson plan also meets the individual standards for each state. In the drop down menu, after choosing Ohio, a multitude of standards come up as being met from this lesson plan. 

#4 Standard is met because the students will be writing their own experience with Corduroy and then using a visual representation of the words to communicate their story.
#5 Standard is met because the students will need to organize their words to form full and complete sentences with correct punctuation.
#11 Standard is met because the students will understand that as they become knowledgeable in reading, they become part of a reading community and can begin to formulate their own thoughts, opinions and preferences for different types of literature. 
#12 Standard is met in much the same way #4 is met, except that the student is able to tap into their own creativity and think deeper about the literature and take it one step further with their own imagination.

A Journal For Corduroy: Responding to Literature

I would love to implement this lesson plan in my classroom one day. I remember reading about Corduroy's adventures when I was a child, and I have a feeling that the children in my classroom would enjoy the sweet gentleness of this cuddly bear as well. Parts that might pose a problem would be the need for some parent involvement, depending on how old the child is. I would be hopeful that the parents would enthusiastically participate in helping their child with this activity but it's always up in the air when it comes to parent involvement. The child would be the one primarily responsible for bringing the bear home and back to school, and writing their own short story, but it's always helpful for the parent to help along the way. I would change the lesson depending on what grade level I was teaching. I would keep it short, sweet and simple for Kindergartners and 1st graders, but expect a little more depth in the writing and reflection and evaluation from 2nd graders. 

Assistive Technology for Deaf-Blindness

Deaf blindness is defined under IDEA as

       "...concomitant [simultaneous] hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which cases such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness."

This does not necessarily mean that a person who falls into this category is completely blind and completely deaf. It means that they experience some degree of vision, as well as some degree of hearing loss, and this degree of loss can vary from person to person. According to National consortium on Deaf-Blindess, this can "severely limit an individuals natural opportunity to learn and communicate with others."

(The following list was found on the Minnesota DeafBlind Project website)

Challenges that students have in educational and other settings include:

• Difficulty with communication.
• Distorted perceptions: Difficulty in grasping the whole picture or relating one element to the whole.
• Lack of anticipation: Difficulty in knowing what is going to happen next because the context normally provided through ‘overseeing’ or ‘overhearing’ information and cues is missing or distorted.
• Lack of motivation: The motivating factors may be missing from a situation, going unseen or unheard.
• Lack of incidental learning: Firsthand individualized experiences are a much more effective way for a someone who is DeafBlind to learn than incidental observation or group experiences.

There are a variety of assistive technology available for children who are deaf-blind. One type are voice output communication devices. These devices essentially "speak" for the child using recorded messages. On the California Deaf Blind Services Fact Sheet, these electronic devices are described as a way to provide "a child or young adult with their first true success at expressive communication using a formal system" and that "the device becomes an important component of the child’s expressive communication system, along with other possible expressive modes such as speech, objects, signed communication, pictures, gestures, etc." There is a wide market for different types of voice output communication devices - many different models with many different capabilities - but they are all similar in the fact that they offer a way to communicate with the world for a person that would not otherwise have the means to do so.

There are other assistive technology devices that aide in communication for the deaf-blind student. Pictured below is the Braille Sense U2, just one of many note taking devices that can be very useful for deaf-blind students to feel a sense of independence and competency in their learning environment and social world. These devices allow the deaf-blind to effectively communicate through the use of braille-topped buttons and vibrations. Dictionary, thesaurus, calculator, bilingual abilities, vibrations, text messaging, emails, internet search capabilities - these devices are a means of connecting to the world in a way they may have never known before.

Braille Sense U2

Technological advances are happening everyday. I came across a deafblind community-based website that is a wonderful resource for parents of deafblind children to share their ideas, thoughts, concerns, triumphs, and so much more as they travel through life working hard to make sure their children have the best possible resources available to them to ensure their success and happiness in life. Assistive technology is more than electronics - it is taking the time to learn what has worked in the past and figure out how to best make it work in the future - and sometimes that means not using technology at all. Simple things like sign language that involves touch may be what works best for a child - technology and electronic devices may not always be the best approach. It's understanding first and foremost the needs of the child, and then going from there.

Resources:

Creative Expressions

Perkins School For The Blind

Deaf Blind Info

Braille Sense U2

Minnesota Deaf Blind Project

National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness

Solipsistic Introjection: It's All In Your Head

Our term to define was solipsistic introjection. Solipsistic introjection is your perception of what someone else looks like, sounds like, acts like based on the information you have received from them.

For instance, as we graphically designed in our definition, a male is sitting behind his computer, chatting on the website Omegle talking to a complete stranger. Without seeing her picture or hearing her voice, he is making calculations in his head (possibly without even realizing it) of who the person is on the other end of the conversation. He may envision that he is talking to a young, thin, attractive, high-pitched speaking blonde when in reality, she (or he!) may be none of those things.

Preschool Days

Last year, I had the amazing opportunity to team teach preschool at Smoky Row Children's Center. I worked 5 mornings a week. MWF I taught 3/4 year olds, and T/TH I taught young 3's. What a learning experience that was! I did not know anything about teaching children that young. I had not taken a single early childhood class yet at Columbus State. But with the help, guidance and support of some amazing co-workers, I grew and learned right along with the children!

Yesterday, I went back to visit my little preschool friends. The children from those two classes merged together to form an afternoon Pre-K class. So, I was a "mystery reader" and knocked on the door....and walked into a room of 20 four year olds with huge smiles on their faces sitting at group time!

My heart was pounding, I was so happy to be back in the Sunshine Room. I read this book called Duck Says Don't by Alison Ritchie and Hannah George. It was SUPER cute! The kids totally loved it, and were awesome listeners.

The best part about my visit was when each and every child came up individually and gave me a hug. My heart was soaring, I could feel the love in that room!

It just made me realize how important teachers are in the lives of young ones. Just because they are young doesn't mean they don't feel the way we feel - they feel anger, sadness, love, hope, encouragement just like adults! The way these children can lift up an adult is so amazing to me. I believe I learned more from them than they learned from me! I have no doubt in my mind that teaching is my calling. I want to spend my days in the classroom surrounded by children. It's the passion in my heart, and I feel that passion driving me everyday to finish my degree so I can begin my teaching career!

Just a little tidbit I wanted to share. Happy Thursday!

Reggio Emilia

I have heard about Reggio Emilia a little bit throughout the past couple of years but it wasn't until I taught at Smoky Row Children's Center that I became more interested in it. One of the full-day program classrooms incorporated many RE ideas into their room and I was so inspired by it.

Recently, in my Guidance and Curriculum class, we were shown a video about a preschool in Northern California called Roseville Community Preschool. This school is ran by a lady named Bev Bos. This isn't the exact video we watched in class, but it is close. It showcases the amazing job she has done at creating a very RE inspired learning environment for children. Please take a minute and watch, the background music is upbeat! I would love to visit this school one day. Maybe even send my children there...oh wait, I don't have children....and I live in Ohio...but a girl can dream! :)



For more information about Reggio Emilia, this website offers great FAQ's.
Reggio Alliance of North America

I also came across this blog....check it out if you have the time.
Beauty In The Eyes of a Child

Waiting For Superman

'Sundance 2010 winner - Showcasing the real stories of kids in public schools who struggle to earn their promised education. The film follows a handful of promising kids through a system that inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth. Director Davis Guggenheim undertakes an exhaustive review of public education, surveying "drop-out factories" and "academic sinkholes," methodically dissecting the system and its seemingly intractable problems."

Directed by Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth")
Released on 2010

I highly recommend this film.

This documentary is available for instant play on Netflix, 

or you can watch it in segments on YouTube.

Also, please visit their website

Waiting For Superman

for more information!

Take a stand. Take Action. Make a DIFFERENCE.

Blog Feedback

Please provide your feedback here. Thanks!

Powerpoint Presentation

My presentation highlights the reason why I want to teach Kindergarten. It gives some background information about my life and where I'm coming from, and gives a good idea of who I am as a person. I would want the parents to feel good after watching this to know their child was in good hands at school.  

I chose to use Powerpoint for my presentation because middle school was the last time I had made one. I knew I had come a long way since then, and was excited to see what I could do with Powerpoint. I gave Prezi a try, and started over multiple times but really did not like the program. All the movement made me feel like I had motion sickness, and I was not pleased with the limited choices on fonts and what I could do with what was available to me.

More PowerPoint presentations from Ashley

The Heart Of A Teacher

50 Inspirational Quotes For Teachers

 

I came across this website this morning as I was searching for a quote for the top of my blog. I enjoyed reading through these quotes and was pleasantly surprised when I also came across this video about the heart of a teacher. Beautiful music and touching words of kindness, it is in my opinion definitely worth the 3 minutes to sit and watch. Enjoy!

Three Great Teacher Blogs

Clutter Free Classroom

I absolutely love this teaching blog. It is packed full of amazing and creative ideas for the classroom, tons of free printables, and links to many more equally amazing blogs. It is obvious that this blog if well-known among teachers and a very valuable resource for teachers new and old.

The Teaching Palette


This blog is very streamlined, and also is specifically art education. Lots of great information and ideas on this site, as well as links to many other great art education blogs.

Mrs. Rojas Teaches - Create Teach Share


I really enjoy this teacher blog because this young teacher has had many different experiences with different schools and ages. She has great information to share in a well-set up format that is easy to navigate and explore.

Welcome To My Blog

Hello! My name is Ashley, and I am a 25 year old student at Columbus State Community College. I decided to come back to Columbus State this year to pursue an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education. I currently have my Associates Degree in Arts, but after much thought, I realized that I couldn't ignore my calling to teach. I knew I wanted to teach from the time I was a small child. I had wonderful teachers every single year throughout Elementary School, and was especially inspired by my art teacher to be daring, creative, thoughtful and explore the world and truly appreciate the beauty it possesses. I was lucky enough to have wonderful school experiences throughout my childhood, and I would love to be able to help make that happen for many other children.

I considered Art Education for many years, and have not completely ruled out that career. However, I have decided that I would like to pursue my bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, (hopefully!) find a job teaching kindergarten, and then, at a later point in time, go back to school for my Master's Degree in Art Education, and see where life takes me.

I would like to transfer to Miami University next fall, and after I graduate, I am open to moving anywhere in the US to teach....or possibly to another country. I am a free spirit and wherever the wind blows, I will go and make the best of it.

My interests include spending time with my boyfriend of (almost) four years. We love to go on adventures together, including ziplining, roadtrips, running in 5k's together (including really awesome runs like The Color Run and Mudathlon), spending time with family, going out to different restaurants around town, enjoying sporting events as well as playing sports, and spending time with our two parrots, Marley and Jay (pictured below). They are white-bellied Caiques, and have huge personalities! I also love listening to music, and watching movies. I love romantic comedies, and Robin Williams is my favorite actor, so any movie with him in it I am a fan of.

Jay (left, 1 year old) and Marley (4 years old) both love walnuts.

I also really love art. I enjoy photography, drawing, painting and design - whether it is on the computer or by hand. I live a very colorful life - color is very important to me. I love to be surrounded by beautiful patterns and designs, and enjoy picking out things that reflect my personality! I always carry a wide variety of colored pens and markers, because I always like to incorporate color whenever and wherever I can. 

I have three sisters and one brother. I love having a big family! One sister lives in Michigan, one lives in Cincinnati and my two other siblings live here in Columbus.