$$$Tutor Needed$$$

Help I need to have an I-movie ready for next week. I can not figure out how to make my slides longer (time wise) or how to add my voice. I do not own a Mac (so the apple store will not let me buy a leson), so I need to work with someone who has one or can meet up at school. Can anyone help me out? I would be more then happy to pay you if you could.

Please let me know. My personal email is JLET102619@AOL.COM

New due date for Contextual Factors Papers

It was suggested (by one of you) that the new due date be Wed 12/5. That's fine with me.

Housekeeping

Enjoy your visits this Friday; I won't be stopping by, I'll be out of town until Tuesday. While looking over my appointments, I didn't see yours, Marie--did I miss it or did you not sign up? Please email me to set something up. Also, Christine, you were out last class; can you meet with me on Tuesday at 3pm Dec 18th? Second choice would be Wednesday at 3pm Dec 19th? Please let me know via email.

Please be sure to have your forms all ready filled out and ready to discuss. Also, I'd be happy to discuss any questions you have about this course or the education courses to follow.

Oh--and if you're counting on using this next school visit to wrap up your paper--you are given extra time as I said in the last class--just be sure to send it to me in time for me to read and grade before we have our meetings.

See you soon.

MAPP

To the people that are familiar with the MAPP test: Can you PLEASE tell me what to expect. I know we discussed the content before, but since the test is coming up this week I need a refresher. Thanks!! (I'm nervous..hopefully they take me in)

This is where the Critical Thinking comes in...

Here's a little more help:

You are carefully gathering all kinds of information about specific students in a single classroom in a particular school in a unique community. With that in mind, and taking your knowledge, skills, dispositions and incomparable personality, you design the instruction and assessments tailored to this situation.

BUT, don't go crazy because...

In this Part 1 of the TWS, you are not asked to create learning goals, instruction or assessments...after all, you haven't taken any education courses yet! However, you've been observing teachers in their classrooms, attending presentations on education in our class, and hopefully reading books and materials made available to you this semester. Just end your paper with a brief but well thought out plan of action.

You shouldn't have to go past the first one:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_instructional_implications

http://webs.wichita.edu/depttools/depttoolsmemberfiles/ess/TWS%20V.pdf

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/mulvaney/instructional_implications

I hope you'll continue this discussion here if anyone has any other questions about this.

Samples of Contextual papers

Has anyone found anywhere that we can see other samples of Contextual papers? I've written the first 3 parts of it but would love to see another example. I've been searching on-line and not finding anything except the broad description and Rubric we already have.

Hope you all had a nice holiday-we are still eating leftovers here!

Lynn

Teacher Work Sample Comfusion

For some reason, I am still very confused on the fourth section; Instructional Implications. I saw Adriana's post and read Professor Tomich's response, but I am still very confused. I found data on Harrison's students that require such things as an IEP and inclusion, but Im not sure if that is the right direction and even if it is, what do I do with it. Someone please help!!!

Hey Guys

Hi Everyone. I was just on the internet and thought to myself that I should just come on the blog and see how everyone's Thanksgiving went. I hope everyone had fun and ate alot of food. I'm pretty sure some of you guys gained a pound or two or even more lol! Anyway, I had a great Thanksgiving and I had about 15 people at my house. Guess that's why my mom made two turkeys. One of greedy uncles even came by early this morning to get more food. Well hope evenryone enjoyed themselves and was able to get up to do a little shopping today. See you guys soon.

Friday Class

Thanks for making our last meeting together so pleasant by bringing food and drinks. It makes a difference, doesn't it?

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones.

When it rains...it pours! Praxis feedback :''(

Here is
a)some therapeutic venting for me
b)a random picture of my puppy
c)advice on the different sections of the Praxis.
d) all of the above

I hope it will help you pass the first time round...

I was up at 5am this morning (and I am NOT a morning person)-and pulling up to McDonald's drive thru at 5:15 (I needed coffee in a big bad way) In the process of making my coffee I ended up covered in it- but at least the scalding liquid put me in a "more awake" state.
I went to Rutgers (I was told to get there no later then 6am because parking is limited and fines are high) and even though there was construction on Rt18 I still made it to the parking garage by 6am.


It was dark, cold and all of the buildings were locked. There were no signs on the buildings, so they were nameless to me. None of the signs ETS claimed would be posted, had been posted.


I walked three blocks before I found a building directory. I sat outside of the building I thought I was supposed to report to and other lost souls joined me. At 6:30 am a security guard unlocked the doors.


At 7:15 I saw a man posting signs letting us know what buildings to report to based on our last names. He apologized for being a "little" late.


A group of students and I located our test location (3 buildings away) bonded only by our anger and the fact that our last names started with the letters L-N. (Helplessness can make for fast friends.) My new pals and I then sat in an empty room til 8:15 when the proctor finally showed up. The test did not start until 9-It was horrible. Avoid taking the exam at Rutgers if at all possible.



As for the test itself- there were only 3 teaching theory questions so do not freak out like I did when you see those questions in your review books, but be sure to start looking at your review books now.

• The Social Studies section was unlike anything I have ever seen before. ..it jumped from reading maps to determine likely commerce, Confucius quote identities, questions on famous court cases, president's wives political views etc. It was a hot mess.
• The Math section was easier then it was on the MAPP in my opinion, but know the metric system. Also make sure you know the formulas for diameter, area, and mass. You MUST be able to read graphs to do well on this test.
• The English section was time consuming. Multiple passages had to be read all the way through- but the difficulty level was equivalent to the MAPP.
• The Science section covered many of the things I am learning in Bio 1000. Review your book prior to the Praxis and you should do well on this part of the exam.

I think that covers everything.





McCartney Out
(of her mind)

Found Article... Teachers Salaries has Increased ! Take a Look!!

Hey,
I read the Star Ledger today, it talked about how teachers salaries in certain schools rose from $18, 000 to a good $50,000. And yes, $50,000 is the starting salary. Not to say I am all about the money because I am not, but this could be an added benefit. I believe that teacher should get paid a good amount of money just because we are such apart of students everyday lives in and out the classroom. We have such an effect on the students that it puts a heavy burden on us. It is definitly hard to be a teacher.

Click on Star Ledger below. You will find it interesting which schools and counties are rising their teacher salaries.

Star Ledger

Diana Medeiros

COMMUNICATION

I loved this video because it shows how we can connect with the parents if a student is doing well in our class. In this case, the student got into trouble in school and the parents assumed the house visit was for that reason. Instead, she went to their house to inform them how bright their son is. Positive interaction with parents is a great way to build a strong relationship! Sorry for the technical difficulties, but here's the video! Enjoy!

Update

Hi guys Bolove again. While i've been doing my presentation. I realized that the information i'm finding is kind of old. It was based on findings in 2001 and things definentely have changed especially with the Bush administration implementing "No Child left Behind". So I found something more up to date and based on findings in 2004: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/2007006.pdf

My presentation

Hey guys this is Bolove. All week I was thinking about what I should do my presentation on. I know on our syllabus we wrote down that I would be doing Learning theories, but I thought I might try something different which is seeing how our education system stacks up with some other countries. I found this file online which i'm going to use for information. You guys can check it out if you want: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/2005021.pdf

PRAXIS NERVES

So last night I decided to take a practice Praxis exam-I had no idea that the content test was on teaching methods. (I only got 30 out of 49 correct. I will be cramming like a mad woman all week-the test is this Sat!)

I assumed the Praxis would be exactly like the MAPP-do not make the same assumption I did. Run out and get a review book today!

Just a few questions for anyone who might know:

Is it better to guess or to leave a question blank if you have no idea what the answer is?

What is a passing score?

What % of the test is question about methods vs content knowledge?

Thank you for your help!

Teachers are throwing out their textbooks

What do you think about this?

Paulsboro science teacher Linda Smith built a hovercraft and "floats" students down the school hallway to demonstrate air pressure.

History teachers Douglas Cervi at Oakcrest High School and Steve Marcus at Egg Harbor Township High School invite veterans into the classroom to help bring World War II to life.

Can thick, heavy, print-laden textbooks compete in these modern classrooms filled with students raised on Dora the Explorer and GameBoys?

"I give the textbook out the first day and tell the students to leave it home and bring it back in June," Cervi said. "It's a reference resource, but if you're just teaching out of the book, you're missing the boat."

"If we're going to be doing inquiry-based lessons, there are no books," said Smith, a former state Science Teacher of the Year. "The students now are learning to find their own answers, not just parrot what's in the book."

This past week in Atlantic City at the New Jersey Education Association convention, Smith and Cervi each gave a workshop that highlighted lessons not found in traditional textbooks.

Down the hall in the exhibit area, book publishers displayed their latest offerings and promoted what they are doing to remain relevant to the YouTube generation.

Textbooks are not yet obsolete in most schools, but they are less likely to be the only source of information. They may provide just an introduction to a topic, or be used as a secondary reference, especially in areas like history and science, which can change in an instant.

AMSCO supplements its $85 hardbound history book with a softcover $11.95 book called "The World Today," which is updated every two years.

"A language arts textbook can last for years," said Irene Rubin, AMSCO vice president of marketing. "Grammar won't change. But social studies and science are not going to hold up."

Textbook sales are a $6 billion per year business, according to the American Association of Publishers 2006 annual report. The K-12 market made up 25 percent of the $24 billion spent on books last year. But the market has been erratic, and sales grew less than 2 percent over the last five years. After 2003 and 2004 fell pretty flat, there was a 10 percent jump in 2005, followed by an almost 6 percent drop in 2006.

Sales, publishers said, are affected by state aid, school budget constraints and state education standards.

"Some districts want their books to last five years or more, especially if they're budget conscious," Rubin said. "Others want to be more up to date." [...]

::+::

The article would be very long if I post it on here so you can read the rest of it by clicking the link below:

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/top_three/story/7516209p-7415233c.html

(= Sarah =)

Our final class as a group is this Friday

We have Allison and Bolove making the last two presentations on this coming Friday Will you (Allison and Bolove) please post any readings or instructions of what we need before your presentations? If the technology permits, we'll also take in some digital stories. I'll try to have all your papers ready to return...

Are you still interested in having a party? (Which basically means bringing in food & drink...)

Why don't you all add comments letting us know what you're planning to bring...there are thirteen of us so don't bring a lot of anything.

Second Life Getting Famous

So, I was watching one of my favorite tv shows The Office on NBC. One of the characters named Dwight had a Second Life avitar and they were showing clips of Second Life on the show. It showed him flying and he created a store called Dwights Second Life in Second Life. Then, I saw a book at Barnes and Noble about S.L. I didn't realize how famous this whole ideas was. For a computer program to make it into a hit TV show, I thought was pretty cool. You can check out the episode on www.nbc.com and find the show The Office.

HOT GOSSIP ABOUT THE MAPP

When I signed up for the Plato learning for the Praxis I overheard, and later confirmed that the school is going to replace the MAPP with the Praxis I at the cost of $150 per student.

They feel that the MAPP is not reliable because it makes the test taker go back and forth between their right and left brain (That and the school pays $40,000 a year to give the exam) I suggest if you don't want to have to pay for the Praxis I and the Praxis II I you take the MAPP this year while you still can.

Your philosophy statements...

Hey you guys...I'm a little concerned that you may not be so clear on what we mean by philosophy of education...in some of your papers I'm seeing your various reasons for wanting to become a teacher, and it's not exactly the same thing...here's a site to get started with looking at some definitions and examples. Explore further if you need to.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_education

Housekeeping

Hi Everybody!

Please remember that your Philosophy Statements are due this Friday. I'm happy to take an e-version instead of hard copy, but will accept either.

Your 4th visit report is due this Friday as well...

Your TWS Contextual Factors is due on Nov 30th; don't forget to bring to class the sample I distributed to you earlier...shuffle through all of the handouts you've gotten from me and bring what you'd like to talk about more...I'm happy to spend a little time on any of those documents.

Otherwise, I'll plan to describe the concept of digital stories and present a few to you.

See you soon.

More Staph Infections Hit New Jersey

Be careful! As most of you may know, Kean University has a Staph Infection warning out. The people at residence life on campus are taking many precautions to prevent this from spreading.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/10/more_staph_infections_hit_new.html

New cases of the staph infection known as MRSA continued to spring up around New Jersey today, with a Newark school security guard becoming the state's latest victim of the antibiotic-resistant infection.

The Newark guard, who works at the city's Roberto Clemente Elementary School, tested positive for MRSA on Friday, prompting school officials to notify parents, sanitize the school and post a bulletin on the district's Web site. The guard's diagnosis came on the heels of four newly reported cases in Passaic County, including children in Clifton and Paterson.

None of the New Jersey cases thus far has proved deadly, and physicians have repeatedly cautioned against overreaction to an infection that's been prevalent for years. But last week's death of a Brooklyn middle schooler diagnosed with MRSA has kept the so-called "superbug" high on the minds of Garden State residents.

"I just want to know what's going on," said Rose Ortiz of Newark, whose 9-year-old granddaughter attends Roberto Clemente School.

Ortiz said she became worried yesterday morning when she heard about the security guard's infection on the news and was apprehensive about sending her granddaughter to school without fully understanding the risk she might face.

"If that is true, I would be worried. I don't know that I'd want to send my granddaughter back to school," she said.

School officials took a calm tone, noting that the school would be sanitized and remain open.

"The district is working diligently to ensure that proper precautions and products are being utilized per the CDC's recommendations," said Superintendent Marion Bolden in a written statement, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(= Sarah =)

Roselle vs. Clark

The two schools were so differnt to me. The kids are great in both schools, but I feel that the atmospheres of both of the schools are so different. In the classroom that I was in, in Valley Road, the teacher kept saying that the children were misbehaving and being disruptive, but I didn't feel they were doing anything wrong at all. The class was in fact so quiet that it seemed like they were being too quiet. In Roselle, when the teacher felt that the class was misbehaving, they actually were. I just felt that it was very interesting to see the differnce of the two schools.

Here is a clip about how standardized testing affects english as a second language students

After spending the day in a bilingual class I was curious as to how these kids are tested for standardized testing. This clip shows teachers talking about how it is to test students where english is not their primary language.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRemrjlF6zo

Please tell me you know more than they do...

Next Friday

Hi Everybody!
Can't wait to hear how you guys in the suburban school made out this morning; I went to the urban school and stayed for so long that I had to get back to the university...let me know how your day went.

On November 9th, we'll hear presentations from Diana & Nicole about after-school programs and extracurricular activities. After that I'll go over the TWS/Contextual Factors paper. And then, as a treat, I think I'll introduce you to digital stories. Adriana opened up a can of worms when she mentioned the article from the last COE newsletter...anyway, it's something I'm sure ALL of you are going to enjoy.

See you soon.

So this is what my life has come to.

So, as I was collecting information about our teaching philosophy this is what happened. I stapled the papers to my sleeve and my loving husband decided to take a picture.

Parking?

I'm going to Harrison tomorrow. So, where do I park? I drove by the school today and I saw a little parking lot on the side. Is it ok to park there? And what did you guys do for lunch breaks? It doesnt look like there were any places to go to.

Question about the MAPP?

So I went to Hennings Room 443, to sign up for the MAPP on December 1st ! Unfortunately not only was the test filled up but so was the waiting list ! Do you think I could just show up on the 1st and try to get in, or should I just wait till it is offered in the spring? I was hoping to apply for the education program in January/February so I don't know what to do!!! Much advice is needed !!!

Hey...

Hey guys... I finally figuered out how to post a blog how exciting lol... I'm not a blog virgin any more hehe (I know corny joke just pretend to laugh lol)... I just want to wish you all good luck at your new school tomorrow... To everyone going to Harrison school you'll love it because I did and I'm pretty sure the girls who went with me will agree that it is a great school... Everyone is so friendly... I know I'm late but I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween :-D