All about the Prezi

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

First off I would like to say a congratulations for making it to the end of the Spring 2013 semester for all my fellow students, and another congratulations to all the graduates. This week I would like to talk to you all about my personal favorite Web 2.0 tool that I have learned about over the past semester.
While Web 2.0 has several tools that can enrich your personal learning as well as a students learning, I have realized that I enjoy Prezi the most.

This unique website is very similar to using the traditional PowerPoint, but instead of basic designs, layouts, colors, etc. it offers you endless option choices to spice-up a presentation. You can literally create a "PowerPoint" from scratch and add different animations to make it more interesting for the students to watch. Of course Prezi has generic layouts and colors you could use but on the opposite end you can create your own layouts and color schemes. The navigation is fairly simple, for me I just went into the system and played around with the different mechanics of the site.

I had the opportunity to actually create my own Prezi presentation, and I must say that I loved every second of it. I was able to create a fun and interesting Prezi that received many great reviews from my current professors. I was extremely proud of my understanding of the site and overall presentation that I shared it with any professor, student, friend, peer, etc. that would listen. Since learning about Prezi and all that if can offer individuals I can honestly say that I plan to use it in the future. I would like to encourage you to create an account or just browse the website yourself. It is just another creative tool that can enhance any presentation you may come across. If you do not like Prezi, then what Web 2.0 tool do you like the most? How do you plan to incorporate technology in your current or future classroom? If you are not a teacher or education major could you see yourself using any Web 2.0 tool at all in your profession?

Until next time darlings,

April N. Avery

Reading Gap

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I hope you all have had a wonderful week. Can you believe that finals are right around the corner? It is amazing how much time passes by without us ever recognizing it. Anyways, this week I would like to talk to you about an article I read over the gap in reading. The article discusses how there is a large gap between girls and boys when it comes to reading with the girls being ahead. Of course everyone has probably heard about the mathematics gap that is between boys and girls with boys taking the lead so I found it a little surprising when the article mentioned the gap for reading.

The article states that this gap is not just happening in America, but instead it is occurring world-wide. While teachers focus on closing the gap for mathematics, they are only looking at half of the problem. Boys are missing out on learning to read and it is hindering their overall performance. As a future educator this concerns me. I do not want there to be a gap for any subject, let alone mathematics and reading. After reading this article it made me think about what could be done to help reduce the gap and make all subjects a priority. In my own opinion I think tying together reading and mathematics will help. When you intertwine subjects it makes learning more interesting for students, and for some it is easier to grasp. There is no question that the gap on reading should be closed, but how can we do that is the question. 

So, read the article and come up with some suggestions on how to help fix this issue we are currently seeing. No child, boy or girl, should be struggle with reading or any other subject. We as a whole have too many resources and wonderful teachers to continue to let the gap grow.

Until next time darlings, 

April N. Avery

Is less really more?

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I hope everyone has enjoyed this week. We only have a couple of weeks left believe it or not. Anyways, I would like to talk to you about the changes that have recently been made to the Texas curriculum for high school students. I stumbled upon this article earlier this week and while I knew that there was a possibility that the graduation requirements would change I did not expect a bill to already be passed by Texas House of Representatives.

The article goes into detail how recently the House of Representatives have passed a bill to reduce the number of end-of-course exams need to graduate from 15 to 5, also the years of mathematics and science has been decreased from 4 to 3. While the entire country has been watching this decision closely, it surprises me that Texas would make a change like this to the curriculum of high school students. In the article it explains that parents and teachers from our Lone Star state have been the most outspoken on whether or not the curriculum should be decreased or not. Surprisingly individuals outside of Texas are concerned by the actions that have been taken. It is believed that with the reduction of curriculum the students in a lower socioeconomic environment will end up suffering instead of flourishing.
Another question that is raised is with reducing the number of required years for mathematics and science will freshmen college students need more remedial math courses? The number of first year college students needing a remedial mathematics class before proceeding to college algebra is on the rise. So, my question is with our legislators knowing that more students are needing remedial courses during college why would they change the curriculum? Yes I agree that testing has become excessive and is focused on a little too much, but I do not agree that the years of required mathematics and science should have been reduced. There are too many students that are already struggling with those two subject areas to decrease the exposure that students have in high school.
My question to you is do you think this was a smart move by Texas? Would you do it differently? As a future or current educator would you still advise students to take those four years of math and science? Is there another way we can reduce the number of students in remedial math classes in college? What are your opinions about this article?

Until next time darlings,

April N. Avery

A world without Cursive

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I do hope you all have had a fabulous and productive week. Surprisingly we only have about three to four weeks left of this semester so let's make them count.

This week I thought we would talk about cursive handwriting. I found an interesting article about if it's really important to teach cursive writing to students. The article basically stated that cursive writing is not a valued way of writing due to the use of computers and e-mail. All of this makes sense, but as an individual who was taught cursive handwriting in elementary I wish it was not a "fading art". The article continues to quote opinions of other educators and administrators from early childhood to college professors. Some individuals agree that cursive is not necessarily important while others say that cursive is important and will help students in the long run.
For the most part though, the decision to teach cursive is left up to the state, district, school, and/or the teacher. One part of the article talks about cursive writing helping students with dyslexia because it reduces the chance of them mixing the letters up since every letter is connected. Another issue that is causing cursive to diminish from the curriculum is that teacher's do not have the "time needed" for proper cursive instruction. These are all valid points as to why cursive is slowly fading out of the classroom, but I'm still a firm believer that cursive should be taught to our students.

There are benefits of cursive writing one of the most widely known reasons is "it's fancy" or "looks pretty" but those are not the only benefits. Students who know how to both read and write cursive normally score higher in reading and math classes. Also, students with dyslexia are better able to understand what they are reading and writing. So, I guess my question of the week is how do you feel about cursive leaving the schools? Do you think it's still important for teachers, schools, districts, and/or states to include cursive as part of the curriculum? As a future educator would you mind taking the time to teach your students proper cursive handwriting? Put some thought into it and let me know your opinions.

Until next time darlings,

April N. Avery

Making a mathematic connection

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I do hope you all have had a great week, and plan to have a wonderful Easter break. As I thought about what to discuss this week, I realized that mathematics should be the topic. To start this off right, how many of you know how to do LogRhythms? Do you even know what it looks like or the steps/rules you will need to know to solve the problem? (See picture below)  I would not be surprised if a few of you could not answer this question. To be honest before this semester I had no clue what a LogRhythm was or how to get the answer, but thanks to good background knowledge and a great teacher I can now solve most LogRhythm problems with ease.

Nowadays all schools and districts want teachers to incorporate mathematics and science into all of their lessons. Shouldn't be difficult right? Unfortunately that is not always the case. In fact most people, educators or non-educators, do not even know how to get their children or students to understand different math concepts. So, naturally I thought it was interesting to find an article about what it takes to help develop a child's mathematics cognition. The article talks about how parents can treat math skills just like they do reading skills, and working with their children or students to continuously build on prior knowledge to develop their understanding of mathematics. It continues to talk about how scientists are doing research to learn more about how they can fill the "gap" that students develop in math over a course of time as well as how to better educate students to reach their level of understanding. 

As current or future educators how does this make you feel? What can you do differently to help your child or student to increase their math skills and continue to build on prior knowledge? Is there anything you think would enhance the "real-life" connections between math and the students personal life? How do you feel about the article? Think about these questions and let's talk about it. 

Until next time darlings, 

April N. Avery

Get up and get OUT of that chair

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

First let me say welcome back after Spring Break. I do hope everyone was safe and enjoyed the small mid-semester break we each had. I'm not sure about everyone else but this week has been super hectic for me. Working twenty-five hours at my job plus doing all of the homework assignments that were given has really worn me out. Despite being tired from all the work I had to complete this week I stumbled upon a really great article about movement in the classroom.

The article talks about how when students are actively involved in the lesson with their bodies they are able to retain the information and make a better connection to the information. It goes into detail about how teachers and educators can improve their students understanding when they have the students get out of their seats to actively play a part in the lesson. This is a great idea in my opinion. I can remember being excited when I didn't have to sit in my seat for the entire class period in both elementary and higher education. It was those lessons that I can remember the most from my childhood education. For example my high school physics teacher constantly made us participate in a variety of lessons to give us a better understanding; as displayed below I am being used a weight on top of the box for one of his examples.

Not only did every student end up understanding the lesson, but we also had fun while doing it. We were able to retain the information that was given and also apply it to our own personal experiences. The article mentioned goes into detail about why getting students out of their seats is so important to education today. There are a plethora amount of benefits to having your students actively involved in the lessons, but one of the greatest benefits is the fact that when pupils are not constantly sitting in their seats they actually remember, understand, and process new information better. As future and current educators, isn't that the purpose? We want students to retain all the information we throw at them and be able to apply it in several aspects of their life. 

So, to all my readers I have a few questions to ask. Do you think having kids get out of their seat in the classroom would make a difference to their level of understanding? What are some creative ways you can include body movement into a lesson plan? Can you recall a school memory where you were actively participating in a teachers lesson? Finally, do you think you would have remembered some information more clearly if you had been active in the class lesson? 

Until next time darlings, 

April N. Avery

Who said P.E. was just for recreation?

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I hope you all have had a fabulous week! Can you believe it is already over? At the beginning of the week I stumbled upon a video of our First Lady Michelle Obama dancing with Jimmy Fallon to promote her Let's Move Campaign (video posted at the end). It was adorable, and really made me want to get up and move.

So, later on this week when I was reading an article about P.E. teachers starting to incorporate different subjects into the students play time I thought it was brilliant. It made perfect sense to have students play games where they can review their vocabulary words, place value, history lessons, and etc. That's why it slightly irritated me when I seen that some parents did not think including other subjects in the P.E. classroom is beneficial to their students. It allows students to have a better...

The way I see it, is if students are playing games that touch basis or relate to what they are learning in other classes/subjects then those moments allow for a child's understanding to be enriched. It also might strike an interest for students who do not normally actively participate in the classroom to go above and beyond to "win" the game or be the "first to finish" when doing activities related to other subjects during P.E. time. The parents were arguing that by making students continue to do "work" the teachers are going to stifle their general interest in school. This is another problem for me because as a future educator I think using math, english, or another subject to play physical games with in P.E. class is going to be more beneficial for the students overall understanding of the material.

Of course, including different subjects into P.E. time is not the best for every single student but for the most part it probably is. By allowing students to play games and learn at the same time that is fun and in my mind it's effective teaching. When students enjoy what they are doing they are more successful and confident individuals. I honestly believe that combining physical play with different subjects will help students grasp the many concepts covered, bring normally shy students out of their shell, and enhance overall student participation in their learning both in the "regular" classroom as well as in P.E. class.

How do you feel about this? Would you be angry if your child's gym teacher was including different subjects into "play time"? Let's hear some feedback.

Until next time,

April Avery


Here is the video I mentioned above, check it out.

Change is not always good.

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, 

I hope everyone has had a good and productive week! School just seems to be flying by. I'm pretty sure no one minds that though. Anyways, I'd like to get your opinions about an article I read this week about Texas changing graduation requirements for high school students.

The article goes into detail about how Texas legislation and lawmakers are "scrambling" to diminish the requirements for graduation of high schoolers that was passed only four years ago. Just so we are clear what law was passed four years ago is referred to the "4x4" which means in order to graduate high school in Texas all students must complete 4 years in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. The law was initially passed to help prepare students for college curriculum, and most students who attended high school in Texas graduated by this plan (also known as the "recommended plan"). Problem is, now many individuals are wanting to change the "4x4" rule and instead lessen the years/credits in mathematics, sciences, and social studies. To compensate for students having fewer credits in these three subjects they would be required to have "endorsements" in order to get their diploma. The endorsement courses would be offered in areas such as business and industry, engineering, and humanities.

Many professionals and education agencies and organizations seem to agree that Texas should "scale back" on math, science, and social studies. A few people have mentioned that by removing the 4x4 plan students have more freedom to choose what they feel is best for them after graduation. This is simply saying that if Texas does eliminate the 4x4 rule then students who do not desire to go to a four year college could already be trained and ready to start a job right after graduation due to taking the "endorsement" courses. Several of the arguments that are made state that plenty of industrial, manufacturing, and mechanical jobs are available for people with just a high school diploma, but because the fresh graduates do not have the required knowledge or skills they cannot be accepted for the open positions. I can understand that a four year university is not for every student, but I do not agree with taking out the 4x4 rule in our high schools.

If Texas does choose to do away with the 4x4 requirement then the number of students who need remedial math in college will most likely increase. The number of students needing remedial math is already high, but we would be adding more to it if less math credits is required to graduate. In turn, more students taking remedial math in college would cost the state over 1 million dollars.  Math is a pretty sore subject for most people, and I know from personal experiences that not all high school graduates or college students can identify the Pythagorean theorem (see picture below). This is a formula to find missing measurements of a triangle, and I know that it is taught in high school.

Retrieved from: http://pixabay.com/en/plate-chalk-mathematics-graphic-67320/

Of course this formula looks complicated, but it really is not. With students freshly graduated and at the college level not knowing how to properly apply this formula to a problem I see cutting back the required amount of credits for mathematics is not the best idea. Instead of cutting back, maybe Texas could implement dual credit for specific courses that students take. An example would be my old high school, it offers pre-nursing courses and within three years (starting your sophomore year) you can earn a few college credit hours and become a CNA (Certified Nurse Aide). This benefited many of my peers who planned on becoming a nurse by allowing them to have first-hand experiences in the field and a strong background knowledge of what to expect before going to nursing school. All I'm trying to say is I believe Texas educators, lawmakers, and legislators would be hurting students more than helping them if they eliminate the 4x4 rule. 

How do you feel about this? Would you have been as successful only taking two years of math in high school? Do you think this is the best decision for the youth of today?

Until next time darlings, 

April Avery 

Make-Over for U.S. Education System

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,

This week has been pretty hectic, but I'm sure we all are starting to get busy as the semester proceeds. After reading a few articles on education I found through Google, I found this interesting piece.

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/02/15/3-ways-to-radically-remake-us-schools-and-education

As a future educator, I like what this article has to say. It talks about changing the education system that Americans are accustomed to in order to better meet the needs of both students and the economy. Pretty brilliant right? I most certainly thought so. It was excited to see that political leaders of today were speaking out about how changing the education system and the way we teach can enhance the U.S. economy.

Before I go into the details, just let me ask this question first, would you rather be in a traditional or technologically advanced classroom?

 

Vs

A few key points (three to be specific) are noted that could be done to radically shake the current foundation of education across this nation. The first thing is to start integrating college course work when students are in high school so they can potentially have an associate or technical degree before they graduate. Wouldn't that be cool? You just graduated high school and already have a steady, stable job with benefits. Secondly using technology to its full potential. Of course we do use technology in the classroom, but are we really getting the most out of it? I do not think we are; there are tons of resources and ample amount of college courses offered online that high schools can tap into or introduce to their students. The third change that was mentioned was to adopt different employment options for students. This means that instead of pushing for all students to go the traditional route and attend a four year university, asking the students what they feel is best for them (including them in decisions for their future). Informing students that they have other options than just a four year university; letting them know and have access to information on technical schools, trade schools, and degrees that they can obtain strictly online or within two years at a community college. Let's face it, a four year university is not the best route for every student and their are people who would be happier and more successful with an associate or technical degree or with a license for a trade.

So my question to you all is would you have rather graduated high school being able to start a career immediately or are you happy taking the traditional route by attending a four year university?

Until next time darlings, 

April Avery

Goals and Aspirations

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

My name is April Avery and I am currently a junior at Prairie View A&M University. I am majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Generalist Early Childhood (EC) – 6^th grade. This blog is to share my ideas and thoughts related to education and what I believe makes an efficient teacher.

As a future educator, I have already started making goals to achieve once I get into the classroom. My main goal is that my students will be able to achieve 100% mastery level over everything we cover, and relate our objectives to their real life. In order for me to be truly successful I believe that my students need to be successful in all of their endeavors.

Since I plan to teach at the elementary level, I know that I must be a prime example for my students. The picture above is a perfect example of how I can begin to lead by example. By applying this quote to real-life, my students can observe that I have the ultimate faith in their ability to achieve anything they put all of their heart into, and I as their teacher will do whatever it takes to make each one of them achieve or exceed their own goals.

Teaching is not just something to do, for me it is about making a difference in the pupils I will come in contact with.  Knowing that many teachers often lose interest in the field or become repetitive in their lessons, a goal of mine is to keep the desire and compassion that I feel now throughout my career as an educator. As I progress through my career, I hope to obtain more knowledge on how to better myself as an educator, more creative ideas to integrate into my lessons, and a stronger compassion towards teaching. 

Below you will find a link to a video that reinforces another reason why I want to become a teacher.

Teachers do care

Until next time darlings,

April N. Avery