Professional Development Trainingsand Reflections
"How to Better Serve Students in Foster care"-Teaching Tales | Education Podcast Reflection
because they are always thinking about survival. It is really amazing though that these children are not stuck in this one place. We have been given the tools of connection and relationship to be able to help these children relax, know that they belong, and rebuild trust in relationships. I am excited to be an educator who connects with my students and is able to be an agent of healing in their lives through relationship. This podcast encourages me to make my classroom a safe place where students know that they belong, and we function like a family. It encourages me that I can have an impact as a teacher, even if I may not ever see it. It encourages me to be available for my students because I may never know how one connection can deeply impact and influence their lives. I think about my AP European History class and how we were like a family that checked in on each other, talked about big life questions, and learned about history. I want to create an intimate classroom environment of relationship like that in the future.
Takeaway #2: For every move that a foster child makes it sets them back 4-6 months in academic progress. Most foster children move an average of five times or more during their time in the system.
This takeaway was a startling fact for me to realize how difficult it must be for these kids who are in the foster care system. As a teacher, I will need to be prepared to meet the needs of students who may have lost a huge amount of academic progress because they are transient students. This seems like a huge and daunting task. Yet, it is also a comfort to know that the Lord will be with me and that I am aware of these statistics. I want to be aware in my classroom of the needs of my students and really get to know them like the Danielson Framework for Teaching says so I can know the level of academic support that I need to give to them. To add to this point, the podcast also mentioned that there may be learning supports that these students need, but they are never able to get before they move on to the next school. I must be aware and discerning as a teacher to notice if these children need any learning supports, so that they can start receiving this support and so that those records will transfer over to the next school. I need to be prepared to putting time into helping these students to catch up with academic loss and ask the Lord to give me patience to work with them and love them through the process of learning. These statistics help me to feel a humble sense of compassion for the children who are in the foster care system. They also help me to remember how I felt alone and had a huge adjustment period when I moved in 6th grade and that was with a loving family! How much more will these children need support and help! Not only just academically, but socially, emotionally, and spiritually. I think I may see now part of why I moved several times as a child. It may have been so that I will be able to relate to children in the foster care system who move around frequently or just children who are going through a transition like that.
Takeaway #2: For every move that a foster child makes it sets them back 4-6 months in academic progress. Most foster children move an average of five times or more during their time in the system.
This takeaway was a startling fact for me to realize how difficult it must be for these kids who are in the foster care system. As a teacher, I will need to be prepared to meet the needs of students who may have lost a huge amount of academic progress because they are transient students. This seems like a huge and daunting task. Yet, it is also a comfort to know that the Lord will be with me and that I am aware of these statistics. I want to be aware in my classroom of the needs of my students and really get to know them like the Danielson Framework for Teaching says so I can know the level of academic support that I need to give to them. To add to this point, the podcast also mentioned that there may be learning supports that these students need, but they are never able to get before they move on to the next school. I must be aware and discerning as a teacher to notice if these children need any learning supports, so that they can start receiving this support and so that those records will transfer over to the next school. I need to be prepared to putting time into helping these students to catch up with academic loss and ask the Lord to give me patience to work with them and love them through the process of learning. These statistics help me to feel a humble sense of compassion for the children who are in the foster care system. They also help me to remember how I felt alone and had a huge adjustment period when I moved in 6th grade and that was with a loving family! How much more will these children need support and help! Not only just academically, but socially, emotionally, and spiritually. I think I may see now part of why I moved several times as a child. It may have been so that I will be able to relate to children in the foster care system who move around frequently or just children who are going through a transition like that.
“The Big Deal About Addictions: What Educators Need to Know” by Free Spirit Professional and Dr. James Crist | Education Webinar
Takeaway#1: Something that I thought was interesting that Dr. Crist said right away was that people would not be addicted to something such as alcohol or drugs if it did not have any benefits for them. This is a crazy thought. I think I always perceive alcohol and drugs negatively because of the damage I have seen them do in my personal family life and in my community. It is interesting to think about how they may have some positive effects such as a way to relieve stress or feel relaxed and open. This is a good aspect to realize because it leads me to consider how I might see addictions or usage of these substances more in a way of people searching for the comforts that we all need such as a need to release stress or to relax, and then help those who are addicted or using harmful substances to find satisfaction in more positive habits such as exercise, time outdoors, hanging out with friends, or picking up a new hobby.
Takeaway#2: Another important piece of information that I learned from this webinar is the importance of treating students who have addictions with dignity and not condemning them for their behavior. We all deserve respect and love because we share common humanity. It does not matter what behaviors that we are engaging in. Students will be more motivated to change their behavior when they do not feel condemned for doing it, but instead have an understanding adult asking helpful motivating interview questions which increase their awareness of their addiction and their motivation to work on recovery from it.
Takeaway#2: Another important piece of information that I learned from this webinar is the importance of treating students who have addictions with dignity and not condemning them for their behavior. We all deserve respect and love because we share common humanity. It does not matter what behaviors that we are engaging in. Students will be more motivated to change their behavior when they do not feel condemned for doing it, but instead have an understanding adult asking helpful motivating interview questions which increase their awareness of their addiction and their motivation to work on recovery from it.
Microsoft INnovative Educator Training
Course 1: Addressing social issues in the classroom with WE Teachers
Takeaways
Takeaways
Takeaways
- Teachers should be much more to students than just conveyers of academic knowledge.
- WE Teachers provides 7 free curriculum modules on social issues facing youth in the community so that they can educate their students about addressing these issues and overcoming them. The curriculum modules include: Trauma-Informed Classroom, Mental Well-Being, Bullying, Diversity and Inclusion, Pandemic-Informed Community, Poverty, and Youth Violence.
- WE Teachers hosts virtual teacher training sessions to help educators understand these issues. They also can provide year round support for teachers.
- WE Teachers had an online teacher resource platform where teachers can connect with each other, resources are provided, teachers can share resources and lesson plans, there is a discussion board, and teachers can host online office hours to talk with other teachers and educational experts about issues.
- Teachers can win $500 gift cards to Walgreens to support the out-of-pocket costs for their classrooms when they are entered into the competition for the WE Teachers Award, a collaboration between WE Teachers and Walgreens.
Takeaways
- You can insert fully functioning Buncees into OneNote notebooks and put Buncee or Buncee Board tabs into Microsoft Teams for students to access. You can start a Teams meeting in Buncee.
- I learned more about how the ISTE Standards can be applied in student work with the use of Teams and Buncee. For example, for the Innovative Designer standard, students can use the internet to search for real world problems and select one to come up with a solution to, use OneNote to store their research and ideas about how to solve the real world problem, and then present these ideas in Buncee. In this way, students are using technology to solve problems with imaginative solutions!
- Buncee can be integrated in with Flipgrid. So, students can be assigned a Flipgrid with a Buncee link in it. Then, they click on the Buncee link and can respond to the Buncee and then record their responses to the Buncee in Flipgrid or they can screen record with Flipgrid while using Buncee and talk through their work.
- On Buncee, you can create Book Bentos. This is basically an idea board with different sections, based off of the structure of a Japanese takeout container. In one section, you put the book cover. Then, in the other sections you put different objects that represent or symbolize different ideas in the book. Buncee has templates for this. Alternatively, you can have students bring the items that symbolize themes or ideas in the book in as physical objects from home and then take pictures with them and the book.
Google for Education Fundamentals Training
Takeaways
- I can use Google Docs to give my students feedback on essays before they are due, enable them to give each other peer feedback, or to create collaborative stories between students.
- I can incorporate more modern texts in to my class literature discussions through using the tool of Google search to find non-traditional texts that still apply to common themes. A teacher in the training used the example of teaching about a story arc through the use of the story of "Kung Fu Panda."
- Google Drawings is a great tool that I can use to create graphic organizers that students can work on in Jamboard.
Takeaways
- In a Google Groups I can email everyone in the group with one email address. Google Groups are used to meet people with similar interests about you, learn about topics and discuss them, and host meetings and conferences. Teachers can use them to collaborate and share ideas.
- There are many Google resources that I can use in order to better learn how to integrate Google and technology in to my school, curriculum, or classroom such as Google for Education Certified Trainers, Google for Education Certified Innovators, Reference Schools, Education Partners, and Transformation Partners.
- By creating a Personal Learning Network, I can collaborate with other teachers across the world to bring diverse learning experiences and discussions into my classroom.
Takeaways
- On Google Drive you can have a group review document shared on the drive with all of the students and they can collaborate together to each work on the review document throughout the semester to create a great study guide for exams.
- You can convert Microsoft Word Documents to Google Docs by changing the default document type setting in Drive settings to Convert uploaded files to Google Docs editor format.
- Forms creates a Summary of Responses on a Google Sheets document so you can view all of your student's responses together and compare them there.
Takeaways
- You can customize Google Chat notifications so that it will email you for messages that you have not read in over 12 hours. Chat allows you to communicate with students about assignment questions and simple misconceptions outside of class time so that you can use class time for productive work. All chat members must have a Google account to participate.
- You can archive a chat using the Gear icon. This hides the chat for a time and allows your inbox to be less full. When you get a message again the chat will pop back up into your inbox.
- Gmail has a daily sending limit of 500 emails. You can use Google Chat and Google Groups as a way to bypass this limit if needed.
- Google Groups can function as a tool for students to feed off each other's ideas in discussions about literary topics. It enables quieter students to "speak up" and share their opinions, showing that they are learning.
Takeaways
- You can make calendars public, share it with a link, send it through Access Permissions, or share it with specific people to cater to different calendar demands and inform different groups about different important events. You can color code your different calendars, so then as they appear on your Default Calendar you can see clearly which events correspond to which areas of life.
- Google Tasks allows you to take the information from an entire email and send it to create a Google Calendar event with all the details included when you select Add to Tasks from the More menu in Gmail.
- When you assign a due date to a task, it automatically appears on your Google Tasks calendar as an all day event. You can check off the task here when you are done.
- Google Keep allows you to view your to-do lists online, share them with others, and add information, images, and text.
Takeaways
- You can attach a shared Google Doc with a meeting agenda when you invite people to a meeting using Google Calendar so that you are all on the same page when the meeting begins. You can also use a shared Google Doc during the meeting to take minutes that everyone can see and know if any follow-up action must take place.
- In Google Meet you can have up to 250 members of a call with a Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals Account.
- You can use Google Meet to connect with student who are sick and cannot make it to school on that day to update them about work assigned and lessons taught or for a set homework time in the evening where student can call in if they need help.
- You can Add a Video Call into a calendar event, enabling you to share the Meet link with all of the people that need to attend in a simple way.
- To respond to issues with bandwidth in Google Meet you can reduce your video quality or turn your camera off.
Takeaways
- Setting for Classroom can be controlled all in one place through the settings gear at the top of the Classroom page (Class code, class description, guardian summaries, class materials, how students can post or comment on stream).
- Sheets can be used to keep students' emails, names, grades, comments, and other records such as permission slips for field trips or what activities the student is involved in.
- You can assign homework to individual students or to groups of students in Classroom, providing a tailored learning experience. You can also reuse assignments to change the due date for different classs or individuals.
- To help student make a copy of a document that you do not want them to edit, share the URL with "/copy" on it instead of "/edit."
- You can view what students are working on while they are working on it and offer help if needed.
Takeaways
- I can use Google Forms as an online rubric, with grades for students all in one place, incorporating different multiple choice value or level questions to asses performance.
- When entering in data in Sheets you can select what the format of the data is (text, numbers) which determines the display and the use of the information.
- You can use the =Unique(A:A) to collect a list of students who have responded to a Form, rooting out needing to wade through multiple responses.
- Teachers can use Sheets and graphs in sheets to track student progress for early intervention, class observation, or to inform parents and other teachers about student progress.
Takeaways
- A knowledge graph is the box that typically appears to the right of your screen when you search for a person, place, or thing on Google. It enables you to learn quickly about the topic and get more ideas for search terms.
- If you use a hyphen before a word, when searching for something, then that word will be excluded from your results, making them more on target for what you want.
- A good idea to ensure that students find accurate information online is to have them search for three sources on a topic and compare them to ensure validity. They can also search for opposing view points so that hey can present an accurate view of an issue in their responses.
- You can use the Omnibox (Google Chrome's Address Bar) to define words with a specific formula "define:snow" or even plug in math equations or conversions that it will do for you!
Takeaways
- Students can take notes directly below the slides in Google Slides in the notes section when viewing a presentation.
- When searching in the Chrome Webstore, you can select certain filters so that you are looking at apps that students, who do not have internet connectivity at home, can access and use. This tool makes learning more equitable for all students.
- You can explore underwater spaces in Google Earth in some parts of the world and go on Global Lit Trips. There is also a street view gallery that allows you to explore a set collection of street views of locations that connect to content, and you can use the Roll the Dice function to take students to places that inspire them to respond to a creative writing prompt.
- Your Plan, Your Planet is a Google application that allows students to reduce their impact on the environment by making sustainable lifestyle changes.
Takeaways
- You can search for YouTube videos within a Slides presentation when building a slide deck for a lesson. There are also no advertisements for a YouTube video if it is embedded in a Slides presentation.
- To save YouTube videos to use in a lesson later, click the clock icon below the video to add it to your watch later list.
- When you click the Add To button on any playlist created by someone else, it will save it to your guide.
- To protect learners from inappropriate content, you can turn on Restricted Mode.
- To help English Language Learners understand videos, you can click on the gear button on the video and select Translate Captions under Subtitles/CC and select the language that you want to autotranslate the captions to be.
Takeaways
- Google Docs makes it easy to monitor the progress of multiple groups of students working on group projects because the teacher can assess progress of each group quickly from his or her computer if the Doc is shared with him or her.
- Google Docs has a named version history of what changes are made to a document and who they are made by. This feature enables teachers to see if each person in the group is equally doing his or her part. Students can use this feature to reflect on the writing process and compare documents. Students can even restore old versions of a document if something was accidently lost (Found under File>Version History>See Version History. To see full revisions click on triangles next to each revision. Can only see this for documents that are shared by email address).
- For groupwork, you can create a checklist of what needs to be done in Google Keep and assign roles of who will accomplish what or view that checklist with the revision history of the document to gauge equal participation. You can also do this on Google Sheets, even providing a status of how much work has been done on a certain task that needs to be accomplished.
- Students can create Gauge graphs in Sheets (like a gauge on a car) to show how far they have come on a task.
Takeaways
- Staying safe online means having healthy skepticism about what you read, spotting a scam, and knowing when things are too good to be true. Teaching students this will help them to stay safe long after school ends.
- Incognito window in Chrome allows you to login to a computer and do work on it and leave it without a trace of browser history or cookies. This works very well for students who share computers to protect their personal privacy!
- Students need to be aware that everything they do online is permanent. If you doubt you should do it, don't do it!!!
- School advisory program where teacher mentors same 10 students until they graduate. Students develop a trusting relationship with these teachers. Then, this trust of adults leads students to trust their parents more too.
- Techniques when dealing with cyber bullies: don't respond, don't retaliate, document it, block them online, and report to an adult. Teach students to be resilient online when encountering negative behaviors.
- A good approach to online behavior is to respect others, report wrong behavior, and protect yourself through the use of good passwords and evasion of scams.
Special Education Placement by Suzanne Chomas | Educational presentation
What stood out to me about Ms. Chomas’s presentation was her confidence. Even though she was in a new environment, Ms. Chomas was collected, professional, and proactively connected with each student in the classroom by greeting each student and offering him or her a piece of candy. I was impressed by her presence and confidence. Through her confidence, Ms. Chomas created trust with her students. Additionally, Ms. Chomas’s invitation for students to ask questions throughout the presentation and her modeling of how to actively involve students in instruction by asking her audience questions was a great demonstration of engaging teaching. Another takeaway was how she encouraged us as future teachers to plan for IEP meetings and to incorporate parents in this planning process. This advice reminded me of the importance of including parents in every part of the IEP process and how planning ahead enables us to find the best placement for the student. An additional takeaway I gained was the difference between homebound instruction and at home instruction. Homebound instruction is when educators provide instruction in the student’s home or to the student in the hospital because of a temporary medical issue/concern for the student. At home instruction is a long term plan to teach a student in the home because this placement has been determined to be the least restrictive environment for that student. This distinction will be helpful to me in discussing the placement of students in the future.