This is a very difficult reflection that took great time and much pondering, because I don’t surf the web much so I don’t know that I have three resources that I didn’t find in this class. But I will try.

The first website that I found was the scholastic webpage. Under the resources tab was a treasure trove of ideas. Articles, blogs, ideas, and where to get the resources! This is an ideal site for upcoming or already teachers.

My second site was found just while googling educational resources for teachers! Free printables for teachers is where I found some amazing resources, several several worksheets and videos that could be used in the classroom. The best part about this website is that it is all free, if that isn’t a good enough reason to go to this site then I am not sure what is.

The last website I found was a resource for English teachers in particular, but that does not mean you should zone out just because I said that. This webpage can also be used for other teachers too! Project Gutenberg is one of the greats, if you aren’t a teacher it can still be something worth checking out. I have had many teachers use this site, thankfully, because it holds so many great books that are all FREE! Once again, this entire website is free. If you haven’t already clicked the link to get to this page then I am not sure what world you are living in. Jane Eyre, The adventures of Huckleberry Fin, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Art of War, War and Peace, Gulliver’s Travels, the list just keeps going. This is not just an educational resource, but also a good place to go to find a book to read.

Two of my favorite projects this semester was the challenge based learning and also the the cooperative learning project. Both of these I would consider using in my classroom because they both had the students in a fun safe environment and they required a higher level of learning (for Elementary students).

I think my favorite project  was spaghetti and marshmallows because it was fun and delicious! Also it made students really step back and build some architecture skills even when none were apparent. It was nice to work in a group and to talk about our ideas, then to reflect on our project with a video. 

I believe that my second favorite project was the cooperative learning project. It was exciting to make a longer video with my group over something that we felt could potentially make the classroom a better place. My group really focused on music and how beneficial it can be to your students. The video was fun to make because of all the singing and dancing that was involved, so I know that if you were to assign this project to your students they would excel and have just as much enjoyment

Both the reflection for the spaghetti and marshmallows as well as the video for the “music in our schools” can be found on youtube

K12 Online Conference is a FREE online technology conference.  Each presentation comes from educators across the World. These are just two of the many presentations that I found.

The first one that I had the pleasure of seeing was George Couros’ Playing in Public,  where he shares how leaders must take-risks, how they cannot shy away from their duties, and most importantly lead by example for others. Publicly demonstrating risks with learning inspires educators and youth.  One great thing is that  social media has allowed individuals like you and me to share their experiences with the community.  For instance, people have the ability to adventure about and learn how to model learning. As a future educator, I want to provide a safe learning environment for students to take risks.  I also must demonstrate risk-taking in order to expect my future students to expand their own learning.  Educators must embrace change, develop creativity, and establish fun inside and outside the classroom.

The second presentation I had the privilege of  viewing was about Kim Cofine and Chrissy Hellyer discussion. Where they spoke about the why’s, how’s, and what’s of using technology in the classroom. All can be found in their conference, Hardware is not Enough – The Teacher/Facilitator Partnership.  First, collaborating with others such as technology facilitators can help to integrate both content and tech goals into the classroom.  Thus, the collaboration improves student learning. Educators share the responsibilities, therefore, they can also learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The process is an excellent way to share and expand diverse strategies within education.  Collaboration creates a positive impact on educators as well as the students.  Education is about individuals sharing and expanding ideas to produce learning.

QR codes are fun when you have a smartphone, but using them in the classroom is a NO GO! The idea may have had good intentions, but it would be very time consuming to teach, access websites and then make a scavenger hunt, or to incorporate it into a lesson. I was sorely disappointed that this was a project that we had to do, when their are better ideas and resources out there for teachers.