Chalk and Wire/Licensure Lecture

Attending the Chalk and Wire/Licensure Lecture really opened my eyes to all that is involved as an education minor. I think that it isn't necessary for undergraduates to take two standardized tests in order to get licensed. I know that society wants teachers who are proficient, but I believe that if someone can get into a college and be successful in college, they don't need to take two standardized tests.

Even though I think that the standardized tests aren't necessary, I do believe that chalk and wire is a great tool. It seems pretty simple, and I will be able to easily bring up items for my portfolio.

I realize now that I really need to start planning in the future. I should start thinking about student teaching, I need to turn in my application for the education department, and the list goes on. I am glad we had this lecture, because it was very informative and helpful.

Better Grades in Less Time: A Lecture by Gary Tuerack

When I heard about this lecture I wasn't very excited. I thought it would be cool to learn how to get better grades, but I thought it would be pretty boring. It was actually quite the opposite. Gary Tuerack opened with a slideshow that had everyone cracking up. He then proceeded to have someone jump as high as they could and mark on a piece of paper. After this, he taped a $10 above the mark. If the volunteer was able to mark the dollar she would win the $10, if she went above the $10 she would win $20. Of course, she won the $20. He was trying to demonstrate that we may think we are doing our best, but having an incentive, we can do better.

I truly believe that I can get better grades in a shorter amount of time. I came to the lecture only able to read 240 words per minute, and left the lecture reading 530 words per minute. I need to practice this daily, but I believe reading faster could really cut down on my homework time. He also told us three things that will help us get better grades: 1) within 5 hours of taking notes, review them. 2)take breaks when studying and during those breaks don't listen to music or watch TV because that is still more information 3)get enough sleep

This lecture was very beneficial to go to. I will use this throughout the semester and see if my grades improve at all. I will also have to see how much faster I can read.

"Lions for Lambs"

After watching "Lions for Lambs" I feel kind of inspired. The teacher in the movie seemed to truly care for his students. He saw potential in a student that perhaps other teachers would not, and he acted on it. I want to be able to do that. I of course want to encourage all of my students, but I really want to be able to pay close attention to the students who are struggling. The teacher in the movie was also able to find a way to relate to the student, keep him thinking, and also challenged him a bit. All of this is important in a teacher. I took away from "Lions for Lams" an understanding of what some aspects of a good teacher are.

I Created My Blog!

Today I created My Ed. Psych. Blog. YAY! I really like everyone's pictures for the metaphors today. They were terrific!