Molly+Handorf

=Molly Handorf=

media type="custom" key="7412839"

Hello! My name is Molly Handorf and I am a third year Early Childhood Education major. My love for teaching began when I was a child; my friends and I would play 'school' and I was always the teacher of the class. As I grew older I began to believe that teaching would be a good fit as a career for myself. I was fourtunate to have several inspiring teachers throughout my schooling, who also reaffirmed that I would make and excellent teacher. I am the type of person who can never find a way to make up their mind, and here at the University I still hold true to that quality. First off, I started my college experience at The Ohio State University, but then transferred to UC after spending only one quarter as a Buckeye. Then last fall I decided to change my major from Secondary Education with a focus on Social Studies to my current one, Early Childhood Education. Now that my mind is finally made up, I am very thankful to admit that this is the school I'll graduate from and that this is the major I'll turn into a career. It just took me a little more time, money, and energy to figure it all out, but it will pay off when I finally am employed doing what I love for the rest of my life. I was born and raised here in Cincinnati, I attended Kings High School, which lies directly in the backyard of Kings Island Park. During high school I played soccer and lacrosse- and today still value the lessons I learned from my team and on the field. I am the oldest of three children, the oldest of twenty-six grandchildren, and the oldest manager at my work- Skyline Chili. Outside of school and work, I enjoy hanging out with my friends, going to football games, traveling, trips to my family farm, attending concerts, and SHOPPING! I look forward to this class because of my inexperience in the field of technology. I recognize the importance and influence technology has on teaching today; therefore I need to strengthen my skills and knowlege of the latest tech tools. I believe this class will help me find my way in the world of technology.

__Reflections:__

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:
 * 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity**

//a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.// As a teacher it is always important to come to class prepared. A lesson plan is useful to outline step of a subject and ensures organization for a class. If a teacher is equipped, ready, and confident of what they are teaching, then the flow of the class will be comfortable and inviting. When teaching it is important to have students interested in what they are learning; this can be achieved by making assignments engaging and hands on. In our class this quarter we participated in a series of stations that investigated the continent of Antarctica. Learning stations are a great way to introduce a topic to students because this type of teaching allows students the freedom to work in groups and to be creative. Our teacher prepared a variety of activities such as: journaling on a video of the seasons, recording information of basic facts from a websites, and from children’s books, and listening to recordings of animal sounds from Antarctica. Some of the stations used technology and some did not, but all of the activities inspired creative and innovative student learning. Also, as a class we compiled a list of websites that we found useful for creating our own learning stations when teaching. Some of the sites I found most helpful were: Creating and Managing Effective Differentiated Classroom Learning Centers [] and The Basics of Centers []. Artifact: The two links above are the artifacts for this standard.

**2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments**

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers: //d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.// While taking this class, I have learned the value and importance of evaluating a student's work. An assessment is a way to see what your students are learning. The results from the assessment can help you prepare for the subject next time it is taught, because the answers will show you which areas need to be readdressed and which areas were covered correctly. As a teacher it crucial to assess ourselves as well, so by reflecting on the student's assessments you can discover how well the subject was taught. Depending upon the assignment given to the student the assessment will vary. For example, an English assessment might be an essay, while a history test could be multiple choice, and a mathematics quiz will ask you to provide the correct answer. It is always important to exercise your resources; I have explored a variety of websites with web generated tests that are helpful for creating self-generated tests. My favorite site is EasyTestMaker.com. At this site you have the power to choose the format appropriate for your material. Also, you can ask questions in a variety of ways such as: Multiple Choice, Fill in the Blank, Short Answer, Matching, True/False, Essay, etc. An answer key is automatically printed with the test, as long as you select the appropriate correct answers when creating the test.

Artifact: []


 * 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning**

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:

d. //Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to// //support research and learning.// As an educator, I am responsible for preparing our children/ students for the future. It is crucial to share with them all of the necessary information to help them advance in their learning career. Currently, we live in a day and age where the world revolves around technology. Therefore it is vital for me to enlighten my students of advances that are used in the classroom and in everyday life. This quarter as a class we have been examining various new digital tools that could be helpful in the classroom. Each student was assigned a various subject to explore on their own, and then after completing their research, present a "How to use it" to the class. Thus far, we have discovered an endless list of tools: animoto, delicious, diigo, flickr, grapevine, image chef, live binders, etc. The tools are used for a variety of reasons: organize pictures, produce video, communicate with a group, organize websites; but, all serve a purpose of making learning more fun and inviting to children. My artifact listed below examines the tool survey monkey. This tool is a create your own survey website. It offers a variety of ways to ask questions and variety of ways for one to answer them. Artifact:

Technology Tools Presentation: Name of Technology Tool: **Survey Monkey** URL Location of Tool:[|www.surveymonkey.com] My Survey: [] Is there a video or tutorial to learn how to use the tool? Yes, Tutorial Is the tool free? Yes Can I pay to upgrade for more options? Yes, The upgraded version is called PRO, PRO provides: Would you, as a teacher, use this tool? Yes Who uses this tool? Teacher is typically the creater of the survey, depending on the type of survey students or parents or even teachers could be the ones taking the survey. What does one use this tool for? To create smart, professional surveys with ease. The site allows you to have control over the content, format, and layout of the survey. Once the survey has been completed, you are able to analyze the results. Furthermore you can also create charts, graphs, excel sheets, summary reports, etc. from your data collected. What is the educational value of this tool? It is to provide the teacher specific information about the students in an organized manner. Further, the instructor has the ability to ask particular questions and choose the layout in which the information is presented.
 * Unlimited Questions** - We place no limits on your creativity. You can create unlimited surveys with an unlimited number of questions.
 * Easy Downloads** - Want to generate reports offline? Download your results at any time in a variety of formats.
 * Easy-to-use Survey Templates** - Don't know where to begin? We have dozens of templates in all categories.

**4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility**

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers: a. //advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.// In our world today, there are an endless number of sources that are available for research, learning, writing, teaching, etc. Therefore, it is important to cite and give credit to the author whose work you have borrowed. As a teacher, we share our information with our classroom of students, so it is crucial for us to follow //Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers//. This prevents teachers from getting into trouble or violating the laws of plagiarism. In our class, we spent a lot of time discussing proper respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources. Our teacher gave us a handout that was designed to inform teachers of what they may do under the law. It assessed different mediums: printed material, video, illustrations, music, internet, etc and then elaborated on the specifics, what you can do, and the fine print, for every medium. Artifact: More detailed information about fair use guidelines and copyright resources is available at [|www.halldavidson.net]

**5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership** Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. Teachers:

//a. participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.//

This final standard reminds me of our visit to Hughes High School. Here, teachers taught us the importance of making ourselves a teacher that an administration would want to hire. They provided us with tips on how to make ourselves marketable: specializing in high need field (science, math, technology), networking (with local businesses, local schools, etc), and to be knowledgeable in the field of technology. Teachers are expected to serve as a model of leadership for students and this is achievable by embracing lifelong learning. The teachers at Hughes also, explained how technology is constantly changing. It is our job as teachers to be up-to-date with the latest and greatest technology available to our students. Not only do we have to be informed of different types of technology but how they work and their purpose because they will more than likely be used in the classroom. Our teacher also, gave us an article titled //10 Internet Technologies That Educators Should Be Informed About// that analyzes the most popular forms of technology that students may want to use. It also, further divides into which sites are best for appropriate use and which are not.

Artifacts: Hughes Visit and //10 Internet Technologies that Educators Should be Informed About//

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Rubric:
URL: []

Building A Structure : The Life Cycle of the Very Hungry Caterpillar


 * CATEGORY || 4 || 3 || 2 || 1 ||
 * Order and Sequence || Correctly orders the stages of development in their proper sequence: 1. EGG 2. LARVA 3. PUPA 4. BUTTERFLY || Has two of the developmental stages mixed up: (For example- 1. EGG 2. PUPA 3. LARVA 4. BUTTERFLY ) || Has more than two of the developmental stages out of the correct sequence. || None of the developmental stages are correctly ordered in their proper sequence. There is no order at all to the life cycle ||
 * Labeling || Each picture representing a stage in the life cycle is properly labeled, visible, and spelled correctly. || Each picture representing a stage in the life cycle is properly labeled; but is either spelled incorrectly or hard to read. || 1-3 pictures representing a stage in the life cycle are NOT properly labeled; the pictures do not correspond to the term they're identified as. May be spelled incorrectly/ hard to read. || None of the pictures representing a stage in the life cycle are properly labeled; some spelling errors/ hard to read ||
 * Appearance || Creative and innovative design, neatly drawn, use of correct colors and shapes, strong effort out forth || Good design, basic drawings, uses few different colors and shapes, some effort put forth || Basic design, sloppy and poor drawings, little to no colors, and poor effort put forth || No design or planning, chaotic, No effort put forth ||
 * Mechanics || Includes: Name, Date, Title of [|Work], Author of Book in neat and ordered manner || Includes most of: Name, Date, Title of Work, Author of book in decent form. || Missing most items of: Name, Date, Title of Work, Author of book. || Includes None of: Name, Date, Title of Work, Author of Book ||

Web Resources:
Title: Brain Pop URL: [] Summary: BrainPOP creates animated, curriculum-based content that engages students, supports educators, and bosters achievement. Ideal for both group and one-on-one settings, BrainPOP is used in numerous ways, from introducing a new lesson or topic to illustrating complex subject matter to reviewing before a test. Content is aligned to academic standards and easily searchable with our online Standards Tool. Uniquely suited for 21st-century learning, all products are fully compatible with interactive whiteboards, learner response systems, projectors, Macs, and PCs. No downloading, installation, or special hardware is required. Student's Name: Molly Handorf

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Benchmarks: Explain how organisms function and interact with their physical environment. =====

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Indicators: Investigate the habitats of many different kinds of local plants and animals and some of the ways in which animals depend on plants and each other in our community. =====

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Brief description of lesson plan: Students identify plants and animals that live together in forests, fields or waters in Ohio. They explore how animals depend upon plants and other animals for their needs. After using technology and other media resources for research information and images, students design and build a mobile of an Ohio habitat and share their understanding of the habitat with their classmates. =====

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Brief Description: This lesson teaches students the basics of species interdependency within an ecosystem or habitat. Students will perform a simple simulation to see how one species can affect many others, and gain a basic understanding of the importance of biodiversity. For older students, you may want to define and use the word "ecosystem" in the lesson. =====

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Brief Description: To help students understand that some animals have features that make them harder to find in their surroundings. Some use these features to hide from predators while others use them to help catch prey. =====

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Final Reflection:

Coming into this class, I really had no idea what to expect. I was slightly nervous because technology has never been one of my strong points. However, after taking this course I feel so much more confident in my ability to utilize technology tools. We explored a variety of tools: Survey Monkey, Smart Boards, Grapevine, Delicious, Animoto, Diigo, Flickr, Teacher Tube, Live Binders, Google Documents, etc. Through each student presenting one of these tools to our class, I was opened to a whole new world of learning that could and will be beneficial for me as a teacher and for my students. Our teacher also, showed us two sites that I know will definitely make test making and grading a whole lot easier for me when I become a teacher. EasyTestMaker,com is a site where you can build your own test that corresponds to the subject you are teaching, as well as the type of questions you as a teacher want to ask: Multiple Choice, Fill in the Blank, Essay. An answer sheet is also generated with the test which makes grading easier too. Another site useful for assessment is Rubistar.com, this site allows you to create a rubric for your assignment or choose from one of their existing rubrics created by other teachers. Another source that was introduced to me this quarter was the CECH library. I had no idea about the unlimited resources available to us as teachers that were located right here on campus. Our instructor had a librarian come to our class and give a presentation on the most valuable resources and basic how-to's available for our use. My partner, Allison and I, utilized the library for our lesson plan presentation by checking out children books and other various materials at no cost at all! However, one of the most valuable lessons I have learned from this class was at Hughes High School. It was fun and exciting to get out of the university and into a real school setting where my classmates and I could potentially teach one day. The teachers there were very inviting and willing to share any tips on how to make ourselves into the teacher that gets hired for the job. Also, I was blown away by the use of technology that each and every classroom we visited had used each and every single day. I believe the students in that school could actually me a thing or two about the use of technology in the classroom. The learning in this building was engaging and productive; you could feel a positive energy flowing from teachers, students, and administrators, all alike! Overall, this class has truly strengthened my skills and confidence as a teacher who will use technology. I am able to comprehend the proper use and techniques of specific tools and their purpose. I understand the rationale and logic behind the use tech tools and because of this I no longer fear technology, I embrace it! Afterall, it is only there to make our lives easier and more exciting!!