Summary of attendance

In this workshop we learned how to navigate through google classroom. First the teacher showed us his classroom and how he adds links, surveys, information and grades. Then we started to set up our own classroom. We got to pick what ever subject we wanted and we added questionnaires, about me pages, and a theme for the background. Then we gave the other students at our table our code so they could go into our google classroom and start filling out everything. It was fun to be able to answer other peoples surveys and see how they created their classroom. Then we went to "google keep." we did not create anything of our own on this, but the teacher showed us how to create notes and updates.

At this workshop, we learned about Google Classroom and how we could use it in our future classroom. It allows teachers, students and even parents to have easy access to different things from class. One thing I really liked was how you can different topics to keep it more organized. For my classroom, I created topics such as surveys, assignments, announcements and about me. Another cool thing is that it is connected to your other Google accounts which makes it very easy for access. For instance, I created a Google Forms survey and then linked it to my Google Classroom. I could use surveys for both my students and their parents. For example, I could have parents sign up for their preferred parent conference dates. We also learned how to add videos, change due dates, create surveys, and join other teacher accounts. 

In this webinar, we learned about Google Classroom and how we can implement it into our future classrooms. I do have to say, out of all the things that we have learned about in this class, this might be one of the top things that I want to incorporate into my teaching. I love how organized it can be and how it can really just have everything that I or my students might need all in one place. Since it's with Google, you can access it from anywhere too so if my student was away from their traditional computer they can still get to the information that they need. I could also use it for formative assessments, giving my students quizzes that they could take at home as homework. This way we don't have to take up time in class and I can get automatic responses while they can get automatic feedback about what they understand and what we need to work on. 

As someone who doesn’t have much experience with Google products beyond that of slides and docs, it was interesting to see what else they offer to people that can help in classrooms. Keep is an awesome way to keep organized and be aware of what you have to do. Chris showed us how to transfer word documents, or really anything with words on it, into a note, meaning that you are able to keep things such as business cards handy within your electronic device. This is great for students because, as teenagers, many are extremely unorganized and it’s a great way to learn how to adapt to a busy schedule, especially if you’re as forgetful as I was/am. While we didn’t create anything, I was able to learn how to use the app and was given enough instruction where I was able to create a note afterward for evidence, which I have attached in one of the submission folders on Badgelist. 

This webinar showed us how to use ChatterPix. ChatterPix is a fun interactive app that allows the user to take pictures and make the picture talk. I could see myself using this in my future Kindergarten classroom.

During this webinar, we learned how to use Chatterpix which is a fun app where you can make pictures of anything talk. I could see myself using this in my future history classroom and having students take portraits of famous people in history and giving them voices. I think it could be a fun way to present new people during lessons and to bring a little life to the classroom.

The instructor did a great job of explaining what each accessibility feature can do for us and for our future students that might have learning disabilities. We got to try out each feature to see for ourselves to see how it can help many people. We did not create anything for this session!

I had a little bit of prior experience using Google Forms, but this workshop allowed me to explore the application more. I had used this before as a way to gain knowledge over parents preferred forms of communication and as a way to learn a little bit more about my future students parents. I learned that Forms could be used as an entrance/exit ticket which I had never previously thought about. I liked how the application anticipated how you would like the question would be answered based on the wording of your question! 

I attended OKC Ed Camp at Irving Middle School on Saturday March 3rd. The second sesssion I attended was about what future teachers want to know. I got a better idea of what to look for in a school when I am looking for work after graduation. I also go to hear about other future teachers’ concerns. It gave me some perspective on how I should approach my classes while I am still a student. I should soak up as much knowledge and as many experiences as I can in order to get a better idea of what and where I want to teach. I also learned that it is important to stick to the other teachers who love their job and who also want to do the best they can.  Even if it means extending outside of your grade or school. 

Today we learned about Google Forms and how we can apply it in our future classrooms. Google Forms were originally designed to conduct surveys and analyze data, but they have recently added a quiz feature. This allows teachers to conduct quizzes and assessment through Google Forms. We made our own survey that we would give to our future students and played around with all of the different features. This will be something I use in my future classroom. I want to teach upper elementary so I will use Google Forms with those students some. However, I will primarily use it with the parents. I will send Google Forms to parents in regards to emergency contact information, child's allergies, class party sign up, and much more. I think this is a great for communication and helping everyone stay on the same page.

This seems difficult to answer because I learned so much. The first session I went to was about racial justice and included two students from the school. This was a challenging session because it is a very loaded issue and I could tell that everyone in the room truly cared about the topic and we all wanted to discuss it in-depth but did not have enough time. The most important thing I learned from this specific session was perspective. I already knew quite a bit about this topic because I discuss it often with my peers but what I had never learned was just how the students feel about these issues, also the power dynamic that is at play with a student and a well-meaning teacher. 
The second session I went to was "future teachers want to know" in which I learned a crazy amount of useful information that is pertinent to my life right this moment. I think what I learned in the first session is useful especially once I become a teacher myself but what I learned in the second session is important for me right now. It was also comforting. All day long we hear about the terrifying things to watch out for that can go wrong but we rarely hear the positive side of all of this from current teachers. I also learned some things that are more personal, things that we do not necessarily cover in class but are still incredibly important to know. It was almost as if we got the "low-down" on being a teacher. 

Another thing we did at the workshop was create a reward system called “Brownie Points,” where students can earn points for good behavior and once they reach a certain number of brownies, they will receive an award. This keeps students motivated and engaged in the classroom. The brownie points activity went along with the positive reinforcements we learned about that I mentioned in the first summary. Along with brownie points, we were given many other resources for free. I was given at least six children’s books, classroom pairing cards, desk essentials such as paper clips, binder clips, pens, pencils, and a notepad, and much more. At the end of the workshop, the instructor set out tubs full of other materials that we were able to take for free. These resources I collected are things I can begin to use now with tutoring, and others I can use when I have my own classroom.