Day 20

Today is the last day for the GAETI workshop and I have learned so many productive tools to take to Belle-SHivers. Thanks to all the leaders who took the time to share meaningful tools for me.  Bittersweet, but glad to have few weeks  off,                                                                               

Veronica

Day 18

Today is almost it. One day before the last day. It's bittersweet though. I met a lot of new faces with great big hearts. My heart is always open to meeting new people, especially those like the participants of this workshop. I am grateful!

Now, away with the tears......

Today, we presented our artwork, and they turned out beautifully! Everyone did a fascinating job on their projects.

Next, we worked on our final portfolios. Yes, Jettie & I worked collaboratively on our lesson plans. Since we are team teachers, this plan works great for us.

Until tomorrow, our last day Bloggers,

Veronica 

Day 18

Hello Bloggers!

It's been a busy & full Wednesday.

Angie continued sharing details about starting our own businesses, then we preceded to write proposals for the business using the software given. We decided that the best type of business for our group was one involving something we were all passionate about, which is teaching. Therefore, we decided that our business would be in tutoring. "Full Circle Tutoring" will be open from 4-8 weekdays to assist with standardized test materials. It will also be opened weekends based on students' needs. 

After lunch, Dr. Straughter discussed methods for staying healthy within the teaching profession. It was a great lesson, and I will definitely practice some of the things advocated,

We had an international Skype form Brazil with Dr. B. It's always interesting listening to the lifestyles of people from other countries. I always ask about the schools, & students in foreign countries.

Well Bloggers, 

Veronica

Day 17:

Hello Bloggers,


Today was great!!


We had a blast working with Dr. Lee. He taught me so much that I will be implementing in my science class.


1st, I learned about software that allows the creation of digital auditory and visual (video), similar to that of PowerPoint, but much better.


We also used adobe sparks to create videos for our 1st day back to school. I will most certainly use this on the 1st day as well as the remainder of the year for engaging, interesting lessons.


I had the chance to work on my final project and finished everything except for my lesson plan, which I will begin working on tomorrow.


Last, we went to the library and worked with Prezi, which is software similar to Weebly.


Until tomorrow Bloggers,

Veronica

Day 16:

Today is Monday.

Hello Bloggers!



We learned to create webpages with Dr. Lee through the adobe website: https://spark.adobe.com

My story can be found at https://spark.adobe.com/page/WekZe0wESq3aB/.

Dr. Lee also helped us create newspapers with same content area teachers. Each science teacher (5 of us), researched a current science discovery to report in the newspaper to share with others.

I had a little time to try to put my final presentation together in Weebly. Really want to get it completed ASAP!

Last, but not least, groups created newspapers. I will do this in my science classes. This was a great way for bringing forth current science issues, then having students share their opinions of the collected data. 

Til tomorrow,

Veronica

Day 15

It's Friday Bloggers!!!


It was a wet day for GAETI participants, since their was a tornado warning this morning.


This morning Jeremy Martin presented interesting information for starting your own personal business. He provided a website that we all can use whether we decide to start a business or not. For instance, he showed us how to look for statistics on restaurants, car lots, education (schools),etc. In education, we were able to access records for each Mississippi county's grade from previous years. Not only was this great for me, but the fact that Jeremy broke each individual section of the website down and made it interesting was also great!


Yes!!!! I finished my art project. It didn't turn out the way I imagined it would, but I'm proud that I did my best and put forth effort. I didn't get a chance to work on my final project because I worked on completing the art.


Have a great weekend Bloggers!!


Veronica

Day 14

Today is Thursday, a former GAETI participant, Mrs Fuller came and presented valuable websites that can be utilized in our classrooms. One of them was really "catch" for me, and I will use it for integrating U-tube videos.

Next, we got the chance to put our movie together using Camtasia, then we presented the completed versions to the class and teacher. All of them turned out great!

We also started putting gluing our artwork projects in order to make them 3-D dimensional. I can finally see mine coming together. 😃😃

Last, we learned about making extra money by using our teaching backgrounds to make extra money on the side. Mrs. Angie did a wonderful job making it interesting, and sharing information about her own personal business.

Well Bloggers,
Have a happy Thursday!!
Veronica

Day 13

😲😲😲 Good Afternoon GAETI bloggers!


It's Wednesday, HUMP Day!!!!
In the GAETI workshop today, things transitioned smoothly and purposely. 😃😃

• With Dr. Lee, I learned about a method for creating a story using Canvas. I had no clue that this website existed. It's amazing. I will use it on the 1st day of school to share facts about me to the students. I will also use it to enhance multicultural classrooms by creating stories about diverse students, and sharing pictures and fact about their native countries.
• My group & I also worked together to complete creating our movie using Stanley as a focal point Though we have not began formatting & editing recorded footage, we discussed parts to delete, and others to keep. Hopefully we =can quickly finish on tomorrow.
• Yes, I now know how to cut glass and make art! It's fascinating to know that's how it's done! I always thought it was put in a machine that magically made a perfectly, cut piece of glass.😵
• It was a good day, & I'm looking forward to tomorrow!

Until tomorrow Blogger,
💚💚💚💚💚💚💚


Veronica Blair

Day 12

Today we learned to create online presentations. I never knew that''s how people are able to upload videos on you tube. It was pretty interesting designing a PPT, then putting my voice on it. I will certainly take this strategy into my classroom when teaching from PowerPoints. 

Next, we worked in groups to create videos with Stanley. Boy!!! It was extremely hot & humid today, but we got it done. We got about 4 minutes of footage recorded.

Third, I worked on my art project, and almost got the shapes cut out. Whew!!

Last, we finished our WebQuest on Weather. It was length, but well worth the time.

Til tomorrow Bloggers,

Veronica

Day11

Today, we received lessons from Dr. Lee. He did a wonderful job showing us how to create WebQuest pages, and detailed information on the "specifics" of Weebly site. The best part of today was his teaching us how to use canvas with our students. I will definitely use this website with my science students. 
In addition, I also had the chance to cut pieces of my artwork project. It was awe-ful! I thought I was losing my mind trying to cut, yet seemed to be getting nowhere. But in the end, it wasn't so bad after all. 

Until tomorrow Bloggers,

Veronica

Day 10

Today is Friday!!

We took a walk to the TK Martin building and got the chance to learn about ways the staff provides for children with learning disabilities. It's great knowing that place exists. The representer discussed how one little boy, who was 4 years old, and has never spoken, learned to speak  with the assistance of the auditory equipment.

Another speaker, Jeff, introduced us to various ways of using formative assessment in our teaching. I will use the information given to integrate in my science class.

Of course, I worked on my awesome artwork project.

Until Monday Bloggers,

Veronica

Day 9: Almost 2 weeks in

Today is Thursday, a very good day in GAETI! I learned a combination of things, including the following:

bubbl

• We worked in groups with content area teachers to create lesson plans on the area we teach. I liked doing this because it allowed me to listen to the methods other teachers complete lesson plans. In addition, it allowed all of us to learn the correct, effective way for creating lesson plans.
• We works on art projects, which is always awesome!💙💙💙💗
• We learned from Dr. Huang about various technology websites to include in our classrooms. For example, we learned how to use the  "plickers" website, which a great for students to interact & engage in lessons. I think it's wonderful when reviewing or for bell-ringers.
• Here is another example of a website provided by Dr. Huang. This site 'bubbl' allows the creation of concept maps for learning.

Until tomorrow Bloggers,

Veronica

Day 8:Understanding by Design, Art, Indian & Chinese Cultures

💗💗💗💗💗Again, today was very informational, and a bunch was discussed. 1st, Dr. Huang introduced 'Understanding by Design,' and methods for creating a well-written lesson plan. In this design, you start backwards because it is important to know the lesson & goal you're going to teach, then design an assessment that corresponds to the goal. If is more effective because teaching revolves around the assessment. I definitely plan to use this in future lesson planning, as well as the template provided by Dr. Huang for writing weekly plans.

I also got the chance to cut out the structure needed for my art project. So far, I think I've done pretty good. My colors are amazing!!!!

One of the best aspects of today was hearing about the cultures of people from China and India. It fascinates me to hear about the lifestyles, educational systems, diet, & daily living styles of other countries. It really wowed me!💗💗💗

Until tomorrow Bloggers,

Veronica

Day 7: Weather Forecasting, Art project & Native Americans

Hello Blogger World!

Today is Tuesday & it went much better than yesterday. It was fun and informational!
We learned data on the following contents.

1. 1st, we learned to create our own personal weather forecast, using the Internet as a tool. I chose to do a daily weather report from Miami, Florida. Personally, I think I did great on it, and I plan on allowing my students complete the same type of project when covering a unit on weather.
2. 2nd, we continued working on our personal art projects. Today, we painted backgrounds, and then began cutting the shapes for our desired picture. I'm not sure how I did on it, but time will surely tell.😐😐
3. Finally, we had the opportunity to hear about Native American history. I will probably use the information from this lesson when teaching about Columbus Day

In addition, science teachers were provided GREAT books with different lesson activities to include into the curriculum. They are excellent because they are engaging, informational and include a rubric as the assessment.

Until later,
Veronica

Day 6: Hilbun museum, Art project, Games

Hello Bloggers!

Today has been a super long day for me. After all, it is Monday 😭! It started out with the team of us going to Hilbun Hall to learn about different fossils found in Mississippi & other states around the world. It was informative, but a little confusing, especially for middle school students. If I decided to  complete a field trip there, I would give students some background information on some of the fossils located in the museum. On the other hand, the art project was simple, easy and fun. I think students would love participating in this form of activity. Finally, we got the chance to learn about integrating games into the learning curriculum. I really liked this because I got the chance to see really cool games of other participants.

Until tomorrow,

Veronica

Day 5:

Today is Friday!!!

We learned about B.Y.O.D. ( Bring your own device). Face it, technology is a big deal these days. Student learn in all types of ways, and technology seems to be the ideal way for them to learn concepts in multiple ways. Cellphones, computers, and I-pads are all things that children love, so why not integrate them into the school curriculum? 

Some advantages of using B.Y.O.D. is that teachers and students wouldn't have to use as much paper printing worksheets and tests. Nor would we have to worry about grading, since many software programs completes the grading. In addition, B.Y.O.D increasing student engagement/participation.

In addition, I wrote a letter to the school board to try to get them to adopt this program for our school.

Until Monday,

Veronica😍😍💙😏

Day 4: Ackerman Coal Map Trip

💗💗💗Today we went to the coal mine in Ackerman, MS. This was such an amazing trip for me. Smiley, our presenter, really informed us on the operations of the mine. Though this was my 2nd trip there, I learned new and valuable information that can be used in my science class. For instance, operators are only able to dig up to 70ft deep to retrieve coal. Then, those sites are made whole by either planting trees, grass, or fishing pools. One thing I forgot to ask Smiley was about the contribution of the plant to global warming, since the 8th grade science curriculum focuses on fossil fuels (coal), and its factoring to the high temperatures on Earth.


I'm so glad I got the chance to hold a drone; it was a $40,000 drone. 💗💗💗


In my classroom, I will use a map to show locations of places where large amounts of coal are located. I will focus on the coal mining company in Ackerman, and share how the electricity from WTVA and 4-County electric company is created there.


Signing off bloggers,
Until tomorrow,
Veronica

Day 3: Cookie Mining, Gooth Earth/Mapping, Poetry

💗💗💗  Day 3 was amazing, and I've learned something to implement into teaching. One of may favorite activities from today was the poetry activity. I loved the way the strategy allows students to read, select something out of the text that stands out, then write it on a strip. Then, groups put their strips together to create a poem. I believe this will work well for any subject area, especially language arts. As for the other activities completed today, Google Earth/Mapping & Cookie Mining, I already used  these with my science students, and they love it.


Tomorrow, we're going to the coal mine in Ackerman, MS. I am overly excited about the trip!
Veronica

Day 2: Excel, Geography, Civil Rights. Political cartoons

Today we learned multiple things. My favorite parts of today were learning how to complete an excel sheet and revisiting the history associated with the Civil War era. Previously, creating an excel document was nearly impossible, but today, within an hour time, I think I can successfully work the program without an complications (at least I hope so). As for the Civil Rights lecture, it was amazing for me. I love hearing stories about African American history and some of the things discussed were concepts that I'd never heard about, such as the story of the young adopted boy in Starkville, MS. He  attended Mississippi State University and was forced to live in a dorm room in isolation for long periods of time due to the segregation laws. I also learned some fascinating facts about implementing maps into the science curriculum. Overall, today was great!


Tomorrow should be even more interesting!!!
Veronica

Day 1: Welcome, Blogs & Standards

        Today was a good day! Fun to meet everyone and to realize that there are others who have the same problems as me in technology'. I honestly didn't know what to expect, but I think there will be plenty to take away from this workshop. The walk around the campus was unexpected and it was raining, which made the trip very uncomfortable. However, I really enjoyed the learning about the Magnolia database. I will definitely implement the resource into the science curriculum for lesson planning and educational resources. 

        Creating the blog was a little difficult, since I've never created a blog before. However, it's always beneficial to learn new things. For the rest of this class, I hope that I can take away from it enough knowledge to help my students. they love technology, and giving them new ways to explore science through it would be awesome!