What I am thankful for...

1. My family
2. My challenges, silly but they help me grow
3. My teaching opportunity, and my students
4. My parents
5. Good friends, who heaven only knows why they put up with me!

Teaching's Top 10

10. "We don't call them Beetle Bugs in this country" - Dawson
9. "Look boys, we need to sit quietly, ok?" -Me "We're not boys Miss Foster, we're men. See I have a mustache. I shaved it this morning. I like it when your hair grows back faster" - Dawson
8. "Please clear everything off your desk, I am looking for the table that is ready with their arms folded and voices off" - Me "Well, I'd rather not." - Cameron
7. "Dog pile on teacher" - Daniel
6. Daily stories from Rebecca, my retelling would do them no justice!
5. "It's already 8:30, and I need my caffine IV, stat!!" - Me
4. "We planned a double date, Grady will go with Lena, Cameron will go with Lindsey, and Miss Foster you get to take Dawson!" - The boys "Wow, aren't I lucky" - Me
3. "Miss Foster, I love you" (then he blew me a kiss) - Reece, and he's not even in my class.
2. "I think for our next field trip we should go to the temple. I'd really like that" - Landon
1. "Miss Foster, you and me, never gonna to happen" - Grady

Oh, How Could I Forget!?!

Here is my ongoing list of things I had forgotten how much I liked until I was reminded...


1. Oscar Meyer Cheese Dogs
2. Trix Yogurt
3. Fun Dips
4. Toy Story Movies (and in 3-D its even more amazing)
5. Knott's Berry Farm (though not the same without the entire fam)
6. Boysenberry Syrup
7. Apple Beer
8. The Wizard of Oz
9. String Cheese
10. Kristin Chenoweth

BYU Football

Three weeks ago our defense shocked the college sporting world with their speed, mobility, and efficiency. We blocked well and penetrated an offensive line better than we have in years. What the h happened boys? We fell apart against FSU. Max Hall is not the greatest QB, and doesn't have the best arm BYU football has seen, but it is not all on him. Our defense looked like a rec league of 12 year old boys playing on a stage far to big for their skill level. This should not have been the case, the game should have been close. If we had played our best we would have had a great game, more easily pulled out a win...but that was not the case. Kids at the game all commented that it was the pride cycle in action. Our team does well, gets ranked in the top ten and then they fall. We let our success get the best of us, and feel like a win will come easy. In the words of Jan Jorgensen God blesses 'His' team for their righteous living. Apparently that week we were a little to self-righteous. So now that we have been banished to the high-teens in rankings we will take a slice of humble pie and after a conference win maybe come back to playing the game the way we know how.

First Day Jitters

This will be short..and I will write again tomorrow and post pictures of my class. Tomorrow is my first day of school/teaching, and I'm a tad nervous. I feel just fine, and then once I think about it I start to question if I am really ready. I'll let you all know how the first day goes!

Hating the Beehive State

Ok, so hate may be extreme but i am not happy with some of their policies. I was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease, which " is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley". It is more than an allergic reaction, leads to malnutrition and increases probability of stomach and intestinal cancers. I found out recently that many companies manufacture their products within the state of Utah because food policies do not require companies to list all ingredients on the nutritional label. For those of you who can enjoy the luxury of quick and easy foods, eating out where you please and digesting it with ease it makes no difference. But for me, who any food with even cross-contamination from a gluten product works wonders on my digestive system and feel sick for hours it is unacceptable. It is already hard enough that I have to spend more time in the grocery store reading labels, when I used to be able to make a trip in 20 minutes. Or I can choose to spend my money at a whole foods store, which I will pay out the nose for foods that fit my diet. There is a movement to require companies to list possibilities of cross-contamination, or wheat products are included, but it is not currently required. It is a complete lifestyle change, and a difficult transition to make. It is hard enough to find foods that are gluten free, especially in the states so to not list the complete ingredients only further propels my frustrations.


Get it together Utah!

Breaking the Rules

So I needed to buy my textbooks for the summer term and class got out at 11. I am super frustrated with BYU, which is a few semesters in the making. I understand that they close down for devotional, but if I am choosing to not attend please let me buy my books! I don't need the deathly stares from every person as they walk to devotional and I walk the other direction! I enjoy devotionals and forums when it is a subject matter that interests me, but when I don't want to go don't shut me out of the labs, testing center, bookstore, or the Cougareat. Like I said I've already made my decision, to not attend let me make that choice!

Dad's Day

Well as we all know today is Father's Day. I spent some time on the phone with my dad, and so I won't write it all here, but I am grateful I have my dad. He is the most honest, well spoken, intelligent man I know. He has been such an example to me, in how to live my life the right way. He isn't perfect, but he knows what's important, he has his priorities in order. He loves my mother, though they have their issues. He loves me and my siblings unconditionally, though at times each one of us has let him down in some way. He lets me know how proud he is of me, and I know he means it. I have had my share of life challenges, and he has always been there to help pick me back up. I know he loves me, and that he wants what is best for me. I am happy that he has taught me truths and allowed me to make my own decisions. I appreciate everything he has done for me, the sacrifices he and my mother make on my behalf. I hope he knows how much I appreciate and love him for all he does.

Happy Father's Day

For My Sister

"Good Morning, What's more important than family? If you ask me, nothing. Growth and change are inevitable, but the only constant in life are your loved ones. Remember life is an incredible journey, that's only enhanced by those you share it with. So keep your friends close, but your family closer. God is love, Rev Run!" -Rev Run


I know this feeling all to well. You're family will (should) always be there for you, and if you can't count on them who can you count on. I've got your back kid.

Love you!

Previous Posts

So all my previous posts were for a class assignment and can be ignored....actually I will probably delete them. It's rather embarrassing to have all my homework and class assignments up for the world to see. I have decided to make this my official blog so I can keep people updated. I am horrible at journal writing and I figure that I spend most of my free time on my computer so this is the best way to keep track of my life. SO just to get everyone up to speed...I entered the Elementary Education Program last Fall(September 2008) and planned on minoring on History Teaching so I could teach 8th grade History. This last semester I got to spend the entire month of March in a 2nd grade classroom and I loved it. The teachers, principal and facilitators I worked with felt I was ready to teach and persuaded me to interview for an internship position at the school. I got the job and am finishing up classes this summer so I can be a teacher. The internship takes place of student teaching, so I am the teacher for the full year...my classroom, my rules. The kids better be scared! I am so excited and today knew I am really a teacher. I walked through Target with my roomie Tesha and everything I saw I looked at and said, "OHH, I could use that in my classroom!" I never thought I would be teaching...I had plans to go into forensics(yes, CSI type stuff), so quite the transition, but I am glad that it worked out this way. So that's life for now, just taking summer classes and finishing up the degree!

Peace and Love,

K.

Last Day of Class

I learned quite a few things from watching other students presentations. I saw some great ideas, using tape recorders to record students reading so they can hear themselves. I learned about how to use smart board, and many different resources I can use in my future classroom. I was given some great ideas from my classmates, and enjoyed seeing how others used technology in their practicum experience.

Practicum Powerpoint

View more presentations from roxygal7.

Classroom Inventory

I have seen the benfits of using technology in the classroom, but I also feel that overplanning the use of technology can hinder the learning experience. I have seen the struggle with trying to find that balance. In my classroom, the teacher is the only one with an in class computer, but uses her technology accessibility to an advantage. I have also seen that the time spent in computer and keyboarding not used wisely. The children get experience using technology, but I feel that they need to learn it in context.
I hope that when I get into my own classroom I can find that balance, the balance between meaningful lessons with technology, and educational lessons without. I think that it is beneficial in the classroom, but its not somthing that easily lends itself to every lesson. I want to find the best, most practical ways to use technology in my classroom.

Google Earth Tour

Join me on a tour of CNN's 7 Natural Wonders of the World, and experience the geographical diversity of the world we live in! My original plan for a Civil War Tour was less successful because of the changes since the 1800's. My second idea, attributed to CNN, is a great way to teach landforms, different ecological systems, plant and animal life etc. The link straight to my filing cabinet is in my links list, or the address is below.

http://sites.google.com/site/makeitlastforeverinc/my-files

Tech Savvy Teacher

Students in American schools are most likely familiar with the Fahrenheit system, but the science community uses the metric system to measure. Therefore, it is important for students to learn about different temperature scales, and devices used to measure. We would discuss different ways the students are familiar with taking temperatures, and what they measure; pool thermometers, oven thermometers, and other measuring devices. After students have identified what they're familiar with, make comparisons to the metric system (Celsius).
For example, have different temperatures in Celsius and Fahrenheit and ask the students to make predictions about what type of weather they would see. If it was 32 C (which is 89.6 F) outside, would the students be dressed in winter clothes, or would they be at the beach? Discuss the difference in measurement scales, ie., water boils at 100 C, and your body temperature is approximately 98.6 F, but your body is not about to boil.

As a class we collected samples of objects we believed would represent a range of temperatures. We collected snow, water from the drinking fountain, and warm water from the bathroom faucet.


We then used the temperature probes to collect temperatures digitally. We had two probes, one measuring in Fahrenheit, and the other measuring in Celsius. We put both probes in the same cup and measured the temperature of its contents. We used a program named Logger Pro to create graphs of the temperatures collected, in both Celsius and Fahrenheit. This would help to clarify Celsius and Fahrenheit measure temperatures the same using two different systems. For example, the freezing point of water in Celsius is 0 C and the freezing point of water in Fahrenheit is 32 F. Though these numbers appear to be different, they are equivalent measurements.





Using the temperature probes to gather measurements firsthand enhanced our lesson. Students were able to measure one object using two measurement systems simultaneously. They were able to track the results using Logger Pro, and create visual graphs representative of their data. Students are more likely to retain their knowledge because of their hands-on involvement, rather than just listening to a lecture.

TPACK, Science and Math

What I gathered from the tutorials and information on TPACK is the importance of using all 3 knowledge areas to supplement the classroom.  It is not simply using a projector to show pictures to the entire classroom, but to use different technologies to enhance the learning experience.  There are benefits to having a lesson that uses all the knowledge areas.  We've all had professors who are so smart their lectures make no sense whatsoever, or professors who use powerpoint to the extreme, every slide packed with text.  We have to be sure that the content and technology we use enhances our pedagogical moments.  I also spent some time today exploring Google earth.  I looked up the different places I have lived and the different places I traveled. It is a great resource because it allows us to see things and explore areas we most likely will never be able to visit, or see.  It would be a great tool in learning about different landforms, and the diversity of terrain.

RSS and Web 2.0

RSS and Web 2.0 are great resources to keep connected with your students.  I think that some of the resources we have discussed will be more beneficial to upper grades.  I really liked the Goodreads resource and will probably be using it as a personal tool as well as supplementing my classroom.  I think it will help parents to find books that their children should be reading, based on their grade level. I don't anticipate using Del.icio.us, only because I don't like the layout of the website.  I may use it to store videos and other resources.  

Technology Experience

I have experience with technology. I have TA'd for tech courses in school and helped my mother, a computer illiterate woman to use a computer.