Persistence

Persistence Reflection

This was the picture that I saw when I logged in to my assignments page and I thought to myself..."Oh, My...I have a feeling homework is going to be heavy this month if our vocabulary word is persistence!" Well, here are the questions that were asked for this particular assignment:
1) How you have been feeling the past two weeks and why - be as general or as specific as your comfort level
To be completely honest, I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed. With my plate being full- a wife, mother to 3, hockey season, housework (oh, the poor laundry!) report cards & conferences, and just teaching 5 & 6 year-olds! Not to mention Grad School homework and the anxiety of the upcoming Spring Conference...yikes! Needless to say, the weather has NOT been helping! I've been trying to weed out the things in my life that are unnecessary- like the little pebbles! I'm trying to focus my attention on the BIG BOULDERS!

2) How has reflecting upon “persistence” challenged your thinking
I've been trying to stay positive and keep reminding myself all the good that will come from all of my hard work! Soon I will be done with Grad School, summer will be here and I will appreciate all of the "Extra" time on my hands. I'm daydreaming of all of the fun that I will get to have with my family this summer and not feeling guilty for abandoning them because I have homework to do.

3) How has reflecting upon “persistence” broadened your thinking
It has helped me remain focused and it has also reminded me that I need to stop my negative self talk. I am proud of all of the hard work that I have put into myself and my teaching.

4) How has reflecting upon “persistence” improved (or not) your mental state and attitude to life in general
I have actually felt that the end is near and that I'm finally close to graduating! It has been a long year and a half and I now feel like I am better because of it! Not just a better teacher, but I am also better at making the most of my time. When I spend time with my family it is very focused on us being together...I am proud of that! I have learned how to juggle many tasks at once and feel like I've done a good job because I know in my heart that I gave it my all!

5) What have you learned from this two week process of “thinking about your thinking” (metacognition)?
That it takes TIME, for me anyway! Looking back at where I was to myself now I have learned a lot about ME! I've learned what type of learner and student I am. I am now able and more willing to be flexible when it comes to my students. I'm more open to having fun, playing and getting to know WHO my students really are!

Exploration of Haiku Deck

For class we were introduced to a new presentation platform.  It is called Haiku Deck.  Hiaku Deck is an online tool to help people create presentations.  While I was exploring this new technology tool I was thinking about ways that this could enhance student learning.  I'm not sure that it would be completely beneficial for my kindergarten students to create their own slides, however, I do see the benefits of using it as a teacher and for older students.  I think that any piece of technology will improve student levels of engagement and learning.  So, this is just another platform, almost a modified PowerPoint.  

In class I've been teaching my students about Reader's Workshop Strategies.  I created a Haiku Deck to review the strategies that I've taught thus far. Click Reading Strategies to see what I created.  It was a good way to review the strategies and my students seemed to be engaged.  I used it as a presentation tool (like PowerPoint.)  However, I wish that I could have figured out a way to put in pictures of our strategies without taking an actual picture.  I tried to upload an image but it didn't fit well, so I just choose some pictures that they suggested.  It was fun to learn that there is more out there and I would definitely use it if I taught older students or for professional presentations.