Journal 10: Is Cursive Worth Teaching?

Point/Counterpoint: Is Cursive Worth Teaching? 
Eilts, Sharon. "Point/Counterpoint: Is Cursive Worth Teaching?" International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE, Oct. 2011. Web. 23 Nov. 2011. 

Summary: This article lists why and why not cursive should still be taught to young students. First, the author discusses why it should be taught. Each year, people visit Washington D.C. to appreciate the hand-written documents (like the Declaration of Independence). A 6-year old girl noted cursive was something she was looking forward to do when she grew up. She also was aware that by learning to write cursive, one can read it as well. This is a skill that will help people read and understand the penmanship of others in the past, present, and future.
On the other hand, the author discusses why cursive should not be taught. Cursive is thought to be obsolete, and the goal of communication should be to get a message across, not concerning the tool used to get that message across. Especially with technology allowing students to type everything out (even electronic signatures), cursive seems to lack purpose in today's communication.

Question 1: What should I do if my school does not want me to include cursive as part of my curriculum?

It probably will not be too big of a deal to teach them cursive if the time allows. Teachers would not be punished for teaching cursive to their students, but would still need to meet their curriculum for teaching as well.

Question 2: How terrible would it possibly be to not teach cursive at all?

Recently, I read an article that claimed that discussed a study that revealed that learning to write in cursive improves cerebral activity in certain areas of the brain. I do remember how tedious it was to learn to write in cursive as a young student, but I use cursive all the time now, because it saves me time by me not having to lift my pen up as I write. I believe cursive should still be taught to young students.

Journal 9: Reading Redefined for a Transmedia Universe

"Reading Redefined for a Transmedia Universe" by Annette Lamb 


Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and Leading With Technology, 39(3), 12-17. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-november-2011.aspx

Summary: This article begins by explaining the impact digital technology has on the shift of our business, education and social lives. Everything seems to be more readily accessible. Particularly, this article focuses on how digital age technology has changed reading. According to the article, "reading is the process of constructing meaning from symbols". Reading does not have to only consist of words; it can also contain pictures. The authors describe five electronic reading environments. These include e-books, interactive storybooks, reference databases, hypertext and interactive fiction, and trans media storytelling. Each of these electronic reading environments makes it easy to access through a computer, smartphone, or laptop. They offer many selections of books, journals, articles, and even reading-related printable worksheets and games. There are different opinions stated on the helpfulness of technology-based reading for learning, but personally, I find it great that such electronic reading technology is allowing students to not carry around 20 pounds of books all day during school. I am using coursesmart to access my digital textbook for one of my classes, and I find it so helpful because I can type in words or phrases in the search bar to easily find what I'm looking for in the text. I have only had a great experience with this digital reading tool, and I hope that most people find it as helpful.

Question 1: Most digital reading environments require a fee, whether it is a membership fee or the price of the text. Can I access necessary digital texts for free?

The choices are very limited, but there are indeed digital texts that are accessible online at no cost.

Question 2: How can students access the digital texts at an affordable price to them (especially for low income students)?

Digital texts are typically less expensive than buying the hardcopy, because it is usually being rented for about a semester. However, students can share an account and split the costs for the textbook if taking the same class.

Journal 8: Adaptive Technology

Communication

AAC, or, Augmentative and Alternative Communication includes forms of speech other than oral, whether they are facial expressions, gestures, pictures or body language. For people with speech or language disabilities, there are special tools available to make communication and speech possible. These tools may help improve school performance and social interactions.

Proloquo2Go (high tech tool): This AAC tool is an iPad app which helps those with special needs communicate. For those who have a difficult time getting their articulations out into words, this app allows them to put phrases together and the machine says it out loud in the voice that they wish to speak in. This device is helpful in that it reduces the frustration for those with speech problems to articulate through the app.
http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/health/app-helps-those-with-special-needs-communicate?ref=scroller&categoryId=10001&status=true

Visual Scene Displays (low tech tool): This tool is an AAC strategy that uses visual images to support the special needs person in their communication. It provides context for the communication and supports that conversational exchange. It can be personalized by showing an actual picture; the communicator shows a picture that they are talking about, and then can point to one of the listed comments that they want the other person to read. This can be helpful in my class so that I can still communicate with my special needs student(s) through their use of pictures.
http://www.setbc.org/setbc/communication/aac_nontech_toolkit.html

Question 1: What are some pros of low-tech tools for communication in comparison to high-tech tools?

An obvious one is that low-tech tools are much less expensive. However, high-tech tools do have an advantage, in that it is much more convenient to use, and typically much more effective in trying to communicate what one has to say.

Accessibilitiy

An input device that transfers data into a computer to be processed. An input device for students with special needs is a piece of computer equipment that can be used to control signals to a computer or some other information processing system. Such devices can be helpful for students with special needs to take tests or write papers.

DynaWrite Keyboard Communication Device (Hardware Option): This hardware device allows those with speech disabilities (with good literacy skills) to type and talk. This device is connected to a regular QWERTY keyboard that most are familiar with, so it makes typing and speaking quick an easy. The device also offers Word Prediction, which reduces the amount of time it takes to type out a speech. A convenient feature of this device includes the ability to save common speeches for later use.

(http://www.disabled-world.com/assistivedevices/computer/dynawrite.php#ixzz1eRkrqeqX)

Voice Recognition Software (Software): Voice Recognition is a computer software that allows students with disabilities (due to dyslexia, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.) can speak into a microphone that is connected to the computer and the typing will be automatically be done by the computer. The speaker may tell their computers to open a document, save changes, delete a paragraph, and can even move the cursor without touching a thing! The voice regonition works best when the speaker is using discrete speech instead of fluent speech (how we normally talk to people), but the computer remembers the punctuation and voice qualities of the user for certain words. With this tool, students may write papers, and take exams (like the GRE), and communicate by sending emails! Students with disabilities may hav a difficult time spelling and writing, but saying the words into a microphone will let the computer do the spelling for them.

(http://www.rehabtool.com/forum/discussions/97.html)

Question 2: Can these tools be an unfair advantage for those who do not have these tools to use in their education?

Except for the spelling that the computer does for you with a voice recognition software, I do not know any other advantage that these devices may have, because students without special needs are already at an advantage; they are able to write and speak! I believe these are great tools for a more-inclusive eduation.

Journal 7: My Personal Learning Network

A PLN stands for Personal Learning Network. It is an online network in which teachers can connect with other educators to build a community among teachers all over the world! Your PLN allows you to create a collaboration network with colleagues and other educators, and it can be accessed whenever and wherever you are. Examples of PLN are social networking tools like Twitter, Search engines (Wiki, YouTube), blogs/news (like Diigo as a collaborative social bookmarking tool), communication tools (Skype, email), and you can follow colleagues and educators (through twitter and facebook). PLN can help me as a teacher, to collaborate information and ideas with other educators through the collection of tools in my PLN. I can gain information to news, information, lesson plans, updates regarding education. I can access and share great ideas to use in the classroom or as an educator. 

Twitter is a great way to share links to helpful educational resources. It is also a great way to gain easy access to the educational links that other educators are posting. I can follow people or groups that I find interesting in terms of educational information. I chose to follow HPTeachExchange, eschoolnews, TeachPaperless, edutopia, and EdWeekTeacher; I am following them because each one provides me with a broad spectrum of education-related news, and with useful teacher resources. On Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 4:00 pm, I viewed the online chat session going on in #edchat on tweetchat.com. The topic being discussed was "how much should educators be allowed to determine their own professional development?". The chat included discussions about the extent that educators should be allowed to determine their professional development, what the requirements of teachers should be, different views on how learning happens, and what potential in learning there is when teachers have some amount of control in their professional development. From this chat, I have come to understand that teachers do not feel that they have much of a say in their own professional development because of the strict standards of the district. I was inbetween the extreme views as far as how much educators should be allowed to determine their own professional development. I believe that it is important to help guide, intervene, and model teachers' curriculums to standardize education to some degree, but I also believe it is crucial for teachers to have enough choice in their own professional development so that they are able to adjust to the learning styles of their students. 

Diigo is a social bookmarking tool, that is made public for others to see, depending on the topics they are interested in researching. It is a very convenient tool that allows easy access to things that people who see my Diigo bookmarks may find interesting, and that allows easy access for me to find things that may be of interest on another person's Diigo bookmark list. I am following Marissa Onaga, Ms. David, Rich Kiker, Viki Davis, and Sherylin Crawford on Diigo, because their research includes information on education justice, education news, technology in education, technology in math, and micro- and macro-issues in the education system.

I joined a digital forum called Classroom 2.0. Classrom 2.0 is an education social network where you can join discussions, and also to find and connect with other educators. Some of the features include videos, online seminars, discussion forums, and online education groups. This website provides a video that explains how to use Classroom 2.0 as a social network for teachers. According to the video, Classroom 2.0 is a social network that has a lot of opportunity to add and join discussions. It is a great source fo professional development, as you share helpful resources and information with other educators. Some helpful features include free live seminars, videos, discussion forums, introduction walkthrough of Classroom2.0, and a constantly updated calander for the schedules for the webinars. I believe that Classroom 2.0 is a great social networking tool for teachers, especially for professional development. On this social network with countless members, you have the opportunity to connect with educators around the world, and to share and gain knowledge in teaching and in education. 

Journal #6: All About Google+

GOOGLE+ : THE COMPLETE GUIDE

Parr, B. (2011, July 16). Google+: The complete guide. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2011/07/16/google-plus-guide/

Summary: This article goes in depth about the aspects of Google+ and exactly how it functions as a social network for Google, including its main features. This article uses commentaries, videos and photos to demonstrate the features of Google+. In general, Google+ is an online social network that will include a newsfeed, a recommendation engine, a video chat service, a group texting service, a friend management service, and photos; the makers are still in the process of producing more features, like games. My personal favorite thing about Google+ is that you can make separate "circles" of friends that you can communicate a certain way with; sometimes, not everything you post may be relevant to everyone on your friends list. The features listed in this article include Google+ Profile, circles (categorizing group of friends), streaming and sharing content (as in status), filter option to see different categories of streams, hangouts (audial/visual chat window with a maximum of 10 people at a time), Photos, Mobile (app that allows you to access your Google+ account), Privacy that is being given extra attention to, and Google+ for businesses (create business profiles). Facebook has been a very strong social network for so many years. People have developed a strong attachment to this social network already; I am not certain Google+ will be able to beat Facebook because facebook is very simple to use, and it seems to provide everything that Google+ provides except for the facetime, which gmail, Skype, AIM, and iChat already offer. Also, as the article claims, Google+ is still an ongoing project because it still has a lot of bugs that need to be fixed. I would like to rest assure that the social network site that I am using has full proof privacy and security.

Question: How effective and beneficial do you believe Google+ will be, as a social network, in communicating and sharing with other educators?


With Facebook in the picture, I am not too sure how effective of a social networking tool it would be. Also, with the number of bugs that are not fixed yet, I would not feel too safe sharing and recieving educational resources with other teachers around the world. I do not believe it would be very effective as of yet; it will not be ready to use until it is free from bugs.

________________________________________________________

EDUCATORS - GOOGLE PLUS IS FOR YOU

Brogan, C. (2011, Sept 30). Educators – Google Plus is for you. Retrieved from http://www.chrisbrogan.com/gpluseducators/

Summary: This article discusses the usefulness of Google+, for an educator, as a collaboration tool that can be helpful to the classroom. For instance, the Stream feature allows educators to share lesson plans with the teachers in their Circle. Educators may have discussions, post videos, photos, and links. The Hangout feature allows educators to share and collaborate classroom-related ideas and information. I believe that there is a potential for Google+ to be a useful tool in collaborating lesson plans and classroom ideas and material. I also believe that the Circle feature is a great way to categorize the educators that you want to share and receive material with. However, this article also leaves out the fact that Google+ is not yet complete, and that it does contain many flaws as of yet. We cannot be sure that Google+ will keep all of the information that is shared, secure. Twitter is and has been a great way for educators to share information with each other, while keeping the professional level stable because there is not much that can be said in a character-limited status update box. Google+ may not be the most helpful, because people may be tempted to update a lot of overwhelming, useless information that only takes up too much space of a Stream.

Question: If Google+ was just as secure as the other popular social networking sites, would educators begin to use Google+ as their main source of education-collaboration?


It is difficult to say, because as I said before, Facebook is already a huge social networking website that people are feeling comfortable with, because it offers many things that people want and need in a social networking site. However, Xanga and Myspace were also, at one point, very popular and people have moved on at gradual paces onto the newest social networking site, so I have hope in Google+. Also, Google+ would have many more features to offer than Facebook once safe, so it would be a great tool for collaborating with other educators. 

Journal #4 "It's in the Bag"

Basham, J. D., Perry, E., & Meyer, H. (2011). It's in the bag. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(2), 24-27. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-september-october-2011.aspx


Summary:

This article introduces digital backpacks, and its potential usefulness for the teaching and learning experience for the digital age students. This backpack literally is a knapsack containing digital gadgets, such as a laptop, to research information, gather data, and create media. It also may include digital camcorders, iPod touches, and more, which may include already set applications to help the learner. This digital backpack allows the learner to understand, express their understanding, and promotes the interest of the learner. This article talks about testing the results of using digital backpacks that are available for multiple age groups, and found that the digital backpacks are helpful because it supports multiple means of representing instructional material. The authors conclude the article with instructions on how to build your own digital backpack.

Question 1: Would you implement a digital backpack in your 3^rd grade class?

I would try to use this as much as possible because these students are very tech savvy, and allowing them to use the various forms of digital media to learn can be very hands-on, visually stimulating, and they also get to work as groups to figure out how to gather their information using which method, and they would be able to present their findings to their classmates. Like the research of digital backpacks used at the zoo field trip, it could be great for a number of different lessons as well.

Question 2: What could be some challenges of implementing the digital backpack in your 3^rd grade class?

Not all students have access to a lot of technological devices. Their technological levels vary depending on multiple factors, and trying to teach some kids how to use a device while the other kids are anxious because they are growing impatient and bored of the instructions on how to use something they already know how to use. However, this could also be a good thing, because the students who do know how to use it, can learn to teach their classmates that don’t know how to use it, and that can be an interactive thing as well – learning to present their knowledge in a clear manner. 

Journal #3 Students Dig Up Dirt to Learn About Internet Safety

Morehouse, J. (2011). Students dig up dirt to learn about internet safety. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(2), 34-35. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20110910?pg=36

Summary:

This article addresses the issue of online security. The teacher conducts an Internet activity in which the students research the Internet to collect information about their teacher. The students are then asked to draw conclusions based off of the collected information. Some were true; some were false. The teacher, then, had students browse through the Internet for information on a complete stranger, given a number of basic background bio of the stranger. The students then put together a presentation on their stranger, and came up with conclusions about the person they were researching on. This successfully made students truly concerned about their privacy and security on the Internet. The students were given the opportunity to change their Facebook privacy settings, as to limit the amount of information they give out. All of the students make changes.

This is a great way to personalize the importance of not feeling invincible just because you are sitting behind a computer screen. The things you post on your social networking sites can and most likely will turn up again in the future, and you would not want to post anything you will end up regretting in the future.

Question 1: Would you implement this activity in your classroom?

I would definitely implement this in my classroom. One of the best ways to learn is to actually go through it in real life. If my students are able to personally see that it is very easy to obtain and misinterpret information on a person, even negatively, they will probably be concerned about their online reputation and security, and will be more likely to take the content of theirpostings on social networking sites, more seriously.

Question 2: What consequences could occur from this activity?

Some students may use these researching tools to try to gain as much access possible on a person of interest. This would be a violation on the other person's privacy, and would be the complete opposite of what the purpose of the lesson is striving to achieve.

Journal #2 All About Twitter

JOIN THE FLOCK

Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(8), 12-15. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20100607?pg=14&pm=2&fs=1#pg14

Summary: 

Twitter can be a tool to learn from other people, what you would like to know! This can require some work, however. You would need to develop a professional learning network (PLN), so that you can gain access to greater information. Developing a PLN on Twitter is a commitment, and this commitment is carried out in the following steps:

1.   Set up your account: Add a photo (real or Avatar). Add a bio!

2. Learn to follow: Following someone makes them feel good, so they will be more likely to check out your page to see if they would like to follow you as well.
3. Tap into great lists: Follow people who know great people, and follow those people!
4. Watch and listen: Feel free to sit back and learn from other peoples’ tweets! You don’t have to always be tweeting.
5. Give generously: The more you contribute, the more likely people will be to share their time and knowledge for you.
6. Expose yourself: If you come across good educational/helpful resources and tools, tweet them.
7. Tag your tweet: Use a hashtag (#) to gear it towards a specific stream of educators.

Using Twitter to develop my PLN seems like a great idea to obtain fast, current information on the things I'm looking for as an educator!

Question: What kind of commitment can you make as a Tweeter, in order to build your PLN?

Each tweet can contain a maximum of 140 characters; that means that it is not going to take much time to share a resource, and it does not require much detail, thus does not require much time at all. Committing to Twitter at least once a day, even if it is for a short while, should not be too great of an obligation, because I am personally on the computer almost everyday anyway.

_______________________________________________________________________

ENHANCE YOUR TWITTER EXPERIENCE

McClintock, S. (2010). Enhance your twitter experience. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(8), 14-17. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20100607?pg=16&pm=2&fs=1#pg16

Summary:

This article provides very useful tools for the beginning Tweeter, including the Twitter Organizer. The Twitter Organizer organizes various Twitter streams into columns (Friends, Direct Mentions, etc.). There is also a big list of "twitter twerminology", which define often-used Twitter jargon. For instance, "twaffic" means "traffic on twitter". The author also mentions a resource called Hootlet, which easily allows the Tweeter to tweet to any account linked to the Hootlet account (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). I think that the most interesting thing about this article, is that it provides strategies for tweeting. Indeed, Twitter is a social networking site, and the things you see and experience are heavily dependent on who you know. Thus, following the strategy may be useful in connecting better with those you would like to be associated with!

Question: How could you use Twitter in my 3rd grade classroom?

I can use Twitter to send my students educational games and online activities, to remind them of homework, to make immediate big announcements, and other classroom related news. I can also teach the students Social Networking Ettiquette, using Twitter as a networking source. Not only will my students be able to learn more about the subject matters; but they will also be able to learn to be civil over the internet.

NETS IV: Technology Self-Assessment: School 2.0

NETS-T: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity (#1)


My Results: 












 About the Website!
On NETS IV (National Educational Technology Standards), I investigated ways to "advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of technology and information including copyright, privacy issues, and cyber-bullying, and security of systems, data, and information." One resource provided to me was on Digital Citizenship . This website provides various sources that discuss the technology etiquette and also how to use technology the safe way. According to this website, Digital Citizenship is defined as, “the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use”. Cyber-bullying, illegal downloading, privacy issues, etc., are all major concerns in today's technology world. Unfortunately, not too many people know how to deal with these issues, or do not understand the implications of these issues. This Digital Citizenship website provides a page of a number of Published Articles on the topic of Digital Citizenship, and also have a page that describes the 9 Themes of Digital Citizenship. The 9 themes include: Digital Access, Digital Commerce, Digital Communication, Digital Literacy, Digital Ettiquette, Digital Laws, Digital Rights & Responsibilities, Digital Health & Wellness, and Digital Security (self-protection). If you want to find out more about Digital Citizenship, or had any questions related to this topic, there is the option of contacting Mike, the maker of this website. Very easy to use source if you are looking for information or sources on Digital Citizenship!

Journal 1: 100 Things That Make Me Happy

1. My mom’s laugh
2. My boyfriends’ hugs
3. My girlfriends’ random phone calls/texts
4. When my family is happy
5. Genuinely sweet, selfless people
6. Generous givers
7. Children having fun outdoors
8. When the sun flaunts a very blue sky and pearly white clouds
9. The beach on a very hot and sunny day
10. How the Jacuzzi will keep me warm, even on a cold winter night
11. When people remember little things in conversations we had in the past
12. My boyfriends’ best BBQ (hands down)
13. When my boyfriend opens the car door for me
14. When my boyfriend randomly picks me flowers
15. Funny people
16. Stand Up Comedy (when the jokes are not so dirty)
17. The list of funny/random/odd memories my old roommate used to document of us at Maryland, that she sent me
18. Pad Thai Noodles
19. Singing
20. Jamming for hours with great musicians
21. Great Bargains
22. Summer Breaks
23. Living away from home (freedom to eat/sleep/play whenever I please)
24. Living at home (mom’s home-cooked meals, free rent, etc.)
25. Ice-Cold Stone Pale Ale
26. Club A Steakhouse’s 3-course meal
27. Club A Steakhouse’s amazing service
28. New York City (Love/Hate Relationship)
29. Washington DC
30. Spontaneous trips to NJ for White Castle, or to the beach to camp, or to my neighbors’ place to watch a scary movie, etc.
31. Great steak (Azul’s filet mignon)
32. Italian gelato from Little Italy
33. Free stuff
34. Babies
35. Baby Jason’s attempt to massage the person doing dishes by pulling up a chair behind them to reach their shoulders
36. Productivity
37. A spotless home
38. Cool bathroom sinks
39. A good nights rest
40. The tiny marshmallows that come in the hot chocolate packages
41. When people are up to do random stuff spontaneously (i.e. hiking, flying a kite, boogie boarding at the beach, thrift store shopping, trying out a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, etc.)
42. New outfits
43. Comfy heels
44. Meaningful, deep conversations
45. Pizza Port’s BBQ Chicken Pizza with their own Brew (California Honey Ale)
46. Knowing YouTube will have a tutorial for whatever it may be that I want to know how to do
47. My boyfriends' eyes when they turn bright blue in the sun
48. Bonfires that actually provide warmth without having to be directly on top of the fire
49. Passionate People (for a good cause)
50. A Good dream
51. Adam Sandberg
52. Huge Red Carpet Dresses
53. Pay Days
54. A good hair day
55. A full gas tank
56. Cheap gasoline
57. Big Macs with crispy, freshly made French fries
58. Seeing a lower-than-usual number on the weight scale
59. A finished crochet project (that usually lasts me hours)
60. When I feel like I’m the only person that knows about a Great song
61. Sharing meals with those I love
62. Funny road signs/banners/billboards
63. Not having to cook/spend money to eat
64. The sound of rain as I fall asleep
65. Having exact change at the cash register
66. Hundred dollar bills
67. Super creative and thrifty crafts
68. Pretty Weddings
69. Good Wedding food
70. Puppies!
71. Watching “The Terminal” on my laptop every single time I get on a plane
72. Peterson’s Donut Corner Blueberry Cake Donut
73. Beginner’s Luck (when I’m the winner)
74. Doing Zumba with my friend, Lara
75. Inside Jokes
76. Girl’s Night Out’s
77. Seeing my grandmother’s face light up when I visit her
78. My Baby Nephew’s hugs, kisses and babblings
79. Starring at all of the A’s on my transcript
80. A good makeup day
81. The smell of gardenias
82. Active and healthy people (although I am not one myself)
83. “Ah Ha!” moments when teaching
84. Surprisingly Scrumptious Meals
85. The warmth of my wet suit in the cold ocean
86. Waking up and finding packed lunch on my desk from my mother
87. Perfectly Fluffy Chocolate Mousse
88. Handwritten Letters from friends/boyfriend
89. Lying in freshly washed sheets/pillow cover/blanket after taking a shower
90. Carpooling to school with my boyfriend
91. Realizing I am allowed to take the carpool lane during traffic because I am not the only person in my car
92. Seeing someone rocking to music by themselves in their car
93. Super soft yarn
94. Recording Studio Gear
95. When someone actually thinks my jokes are funny (I am The.Worst.Deliverer.)
96. Days when the bags under my eyes don’t seem so dark
97. When difficult assignments get cancelled (and I haven’t done it yet)
98. Successful Power Naps
99. Plane rides that seem really short (those are rare for me)
100. Being finished with, yet, another assignment ☺

Intro Letter

Hello. My name is Sharon Choi and I am a 23-year-old teaching-credential-prerequisite student at CSUSM. I was born and raised in Chicago until my 9th birthday (K-3rd grade, 2 different elementary schools). I moved to San Diego County and lived there for almost one year (4th grade, los penosquitos elementary school), and then moved to Middle-of-Nowhere Harrisburg, PA for a half a year (no school yay!). I then moved to Baltimore, MD and lived there for about 7 years before I moved back to good ol' San Diego (5th-11th grade, pot spring elementary, ridgley middle school and dulaney high school), and have been a resident here for the last 7 years (finished the rest of high school in San Diego, RBV high school). I graduated from University of Maryland College Park with a BA in Psychology. I absolutely love music and singing. I also love arts and crafts - I am currently really into crocheting. Above all, I am a huge foodie; I love to eat anything and everything, so please fill me in on any suggestions!

In this day and age, people who have access to a computer and the internet have a huge advantage in the diversity and amount of information and entertainment available to them right at their fingertips. I started my computer career (if you want to call it that) with chatting through AOL when I was 9 years old. From there, my skills have somewhat evolved. I would not consider myself as very tech savvy, but I do get by quite well using the most basic tools provided by the internet, and also with my not-an-iphone phone. The main internet sources I use are Google and YouTube, like for helping me find directions (google map), or learning how to tie a tie (heaven knows what I would need to know that for). My virus-free macbook treats me wonderfully, and Google never fails to provide me with the information I want to look up at that very moment, so all seems to be well with the computer world on my end. One of the things that the mission statement of the School of Education states, is to transform public education by preparing thoughtful educators. I feel as though teachers are lowly regarded for the good amount of work they do; and that may contribute to teachers feeling less motivated to be good educators. However, I believe that through the thoughtfulness and intentionality of the Teaching Credential Program educators towards the prospective teachers, the resulting future teachers may find themselves more serious and motivated to put forth more thoughtful effort into their own students.Yay, SoE mission statement! :D