Field Experience Reflection

I was assigned to complete my first semester or student teaching at Ridgeline Elementary in Highland. I went into my field experience not knowing exactly what to expect, but I enjoyed my experience more than I expected to. I worked with Mrs. Patti Ratliff in the fourth grade. I had never thought much about teaching fourth grade, but after my experience with the fourth graders, I would definitely not be opposed to the idea.

            Mrs. Ratliff had a good balance of freedom and rigidity in her classroom. When she needed the kids’ attention, she demanded their attention and kept it. But when it came time for the students to work on their own, she was a little more lax, and as long as the noise level wasn’t too loud, she just let them work. The students in the class all respect Mrs. Ratliff and she creates a fun atmosphere for them to learn in. Mrs. Ratliff definitely taught me a lot about the teacher that I hope to become both by her actions and through words.

            One of the many things that I learned from Mrs. Ratliff is that you need to establish expectations early so that you can have fun in the end. Students need to know that they are expected to work so that they can create a strong work ethic at a young age. This way, the students will work hard so that they can have fun, and the fun they have is more rewarding because they worked so hard in order to earn their reward.

            Another thing that I learned from my time in Mrs. Ratliff’s room is that I want to have a well organized classroom. I could tell that Mrs. Ratliff started the year with a well organized room, but as the year has gone on, there are areas of the room that have become quite disorganized. When it came time to find something she needed or even a paper that she had used the day before, it was easily lost. This definitely taught me that I want to have a place for everything and that I need to keep my materials where they belong so that when it comes time to use them, I know exactly where to find them.

            Overall, I had such a wonderful experience with Mrs. Ratliff and her class. I learned so much from Mrs. Ratliff, the other fourth grade teachers, and the darling fourth graders themselves. I am definitely looking forward to my future student teaching experiences and to having a class of my own.

PDP Blog 3 - My Beliefs - April 14

I definitely plan on using technology in my classroom. I think it provides another way for students to learn. You hear all of the statistics about retaining information when you hear, see, teach, and do. I think that through technology, you can do all of these things at once, providing for maximum retention. The resources that are available on the internet are limitless! There are so many new ideas and I plan on using these ideas and resources in my classroom to help my students learn.

PDP Blog 2 - Lessons Learned - April 14

I feel like most of what I read and watched, I kind of already know. The only thing that worries me is that I won't be able to keep up. Right now, I feel great about my ability to work with technology. However, I look at my parents and wonder if, eventually, I will be behind on technology. I think that teaching, though, will keep me in contact with new technology because the kids will always have the latest and greatest stuff, so I will probably be able to learn a little bit from my students.

I am so excited to see what the future holds, but I sincerely hope that I am able to keep up with everything!

PDP Blog 1 - Strengths and Weaknesses - April 14

To sum up everything, shift really does happen and I sure hope I'm ready. I have seen the "Did You Know" video multiple times, yet every time, the information shocks me! I can't believe how fast our world is progressing and how much technology has advanced and how much it will advance in the future!

According to the UNI survey, I am a novice in almost every category. I feel like I am very competent when it comes to technology and I can do all of the basic things. However, I am not very innovative with implementing technology in the classroom. I love exploring technology and I love learning new things. I love having the latest and greatest technology and learning how to use it. I think this will prove very advantageous for me because as new technology comes out, I will be able to learn about it and be able to use it in my classroom.

There are lots of different ways to improve your personal use of technology. However, I think my best bet is to search ways to implement technology into the classroom. I know how to use it, it's just putting it into my teaching that might prove to be a challenge. There are a ton of ideas online that tell you ways to implement technology. All I have to do is utilize my technology resources and Google "Ways to bring technology into the classroom" and ta-da! I have lots of ideas right at my fingertips!