Day 19: Today was a good day. Dr. Bracey started the day with a talk about grants and grant writing. Also, she informed us that she will be teaching a class online about grant writing and I am very interested in taking this class. After that we continued to work on our portfolio. In art, we presented our projects to the group. In my opinion, Yolonda's, Donna's, and John's projects were the best, but we all did an outstanding job. I appreciate Mrs. Latham's patience and insight. She is freaking awesome! All in all today was great and we only have one more day to go!

Day 18: Today Dr. Lee showed us how to use Popplet, Padlet, Pictochart, Fotobabble, AudioBoom, Socrative, and Kahoot, My favorite website we used today is Socrative. I plan to use it to check for understanding in my classroom. In order for me to use the AudioBoom I had to download the app on my Iphone because this would not work properly on the computer. After lunch Dr. Lee showed us how to make quizzes on Canvas and on the other websites that are listed previously. The remainder of the day I spent time working on my portfolio. I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. All in all today was very productive.

Day 18: Today Dr. Lee showed us how to use Popplet, Padlet, Pictochart, Fotobabble, AudioBoom, Socrative, and Kahoot, My favorite website we used today is Socrative. I plan to use it to check for understanding in my classroom. In order for me to use the AudioBoom I had to download the app on my Iphone because this would not work properly on the computer. After lunch we Dr. Lee showed us how to make quizzes on Canvas and the other websites that are listed previously. The remainder of the day I spent time working on my portfolio. I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. All in all today was very productive.

Day 17: Today we started the day with a lecture on Prezi by Stephanie Agnew. She explained and showed the difference between Prezi and PowerPoint presentations. We did not get to try out the Prezi; we only observed the speaker while she worked on the projector screen. After that Dr. Lee discussed Wiki as a collaboration board. Also, Dr. Lee gave a presentation on Ipads usage and applications. He stated that we have to use the apps in order to deliver an effective lesson in the classroom. After lunch those of us who had free time worked on assignments that are due the last part of the week and the rest of us worked on the multimedia project. After that we did a newspaper project using the google drive. This activity allowed a group to work on the same project at the same time. All in all today was a good and busy day. I still have things to work on so that I can present on Thursday and Friday. I hope I get all of my requirements done soon!

Day 16: Today we did a webquest with Dr. Lee. I had fun working with my group members. We did an entire webquest that is ready to be explored by our students this coming school year. After the webquest assignment we learned more about Canvas. The more we learn about this database the more I wished my school district would adopt such practices. After lunch we worked on our Stanley movies. I had fun making the movie and it was not difficult at all. The last thing we did was work on our final presentation. I still have to complete my lesson plans and letter to the superintendent, but I think I have a better understanding of what is required for me to complete these tasks. All in all today was a productive day!

Day 15: Today we have learned a lot. We started the day with more Canvas training. Dr. Lee taught us storytelling through Tackk. This is similar to Weebly. It is a free service where you can showcase an assignment. After that Dr. B continued to show us how to make a video through Camtasia . We added our videos that we had of Stanley and we started to make our movie. This process was very slow for my group because of reasons I cannot discuss via blog. Then we worked on our multimedia project. I added my final piece to the project today. Also, I wrote a brief statement explaining why I choose my design and how I will use it in the classroom. Lastly, Dr. Lee showed us how to add vocals to a PowerPoint and how to make a video with the same PowerPoint. After that he showed us how to upload our video to youtube and embed that into Canvas. Also, he showed us how to grade an assignment in Canvas and how to create a rubric.

Day 15: Today we have learned a lot. We started the day with more Canvas training. Dr. Lee taught us storytelling through Tackk. This is similar to Weebly. It is a free service where you can showcase an assignment. After that Dr. B continued to show us how to make a video through Camtasia . We added our videos that we had of Stanley and we started to make our movie. This process was very slow for my group because of reasons I cannot discuss via blog. Then we worked on our multimedia project. I added my final piece to the project today. Also, I wrote a brief statement explaining why I choose my design and how I will use it in the classroom. Lastly, Dr. Lee showed us how to add vocals to a PowerPoint and how to make a video with the same PowerPoint. After that he showed us how to upload our video to youtube and embed that into Canvas.

Day 14: In class today we learned about different websites that can be used for teaching class. Dr. Lee introduced us to Canvas. He added us to the GAETI class and we learned how to post and add assignments. After that Dr. Lee gave tips on how to do online searches where you do not get a lot of choices but more specific choices. After that demonstration, Mrs. V and Ms. Nickoal lectured  to us about copyrights. Basically, they informed us to be mindful of the things we use and to cite were the information come from and to use portions of work to avoid copyright violations. After lunch we continued to work on our multimedia projects and I  glued my entire project except for the glass piece. I should be done with this project tomorrow!!!! Lastly, we worked on board games and we setup our microphones for our videos with Dr. B.. Unfortunately, technical difficulties kept us from doing a lot today but we will continue tomorrow. All in all today was a great day!

Day 13:  We started the day with a lecture on 1: M Initiative. We discussed the pros and cons of implemented this is our school district. We worked in groups to discuss the pros  and cons of such a program. We shared the pros and cons with the whole group. After that we worked in groups to write a letter to the superintendent explaining the need for a BYOD or 1:m Initiative in our schools. After lunch we continued to work on our multimedia project with Ms. Latham. I am excited because I have all of my pieces cut out as well as my glass piece. The only thing I have left is to place the pieces  on the final board. Lastly, Dr. B introduced us to Flat Stanley. We had to take a tour of MSU with Flat Stanley and make a video with a partner. I pray that our video turns out as good as I think it will be. All in all today was a good day. I really can see my students making a Flat Stanley video for their class one day. I will certainly share this idea with my general education teachers.

Day 12: Today was a good day. We started out the day learning how to write an effective lesson plan. Dr. Huang presented an excellent lecture. She broke down the process of lesson planning so that it will not be too difficult for us to complete this task. Also, she introduced us to Plickers and IF AT cards. These tools can be used as a formative assessments to check for understanding and to evaluate how well the content is being learned by the students. We ended the lecture with a showcase of what we learned on lesson planning by developing a lesson plan for school. After this task we worked in groups to decide which lesson plan was the best and we voted on the best. We had two winners, April and Tanisha. After lunch we continued to work on our multimedia project with Ms. Latham. She showed us how to cut, grind, and fuse glass that will be used in our project. Also, I spent the majority of my time in art cutting out my project. This is a tedious process and I will be partaking in this step for several days. At the end of the day, Dr. Huang showed us how to access Plickers and we setup an account for later usage. I definitely plan to use this low-tech tool to assess my students in class. After presenting a lesson I need to know what needs to be retaught and this tool can help me make that determination. Also, Dr. Huang showed us Wordle and told us the bigger words indicates a trend. Lastly, she showed us dipity. This is a timeline tool. The last tool she showed was bubbl.us. This tool creates concept maps.
I tried to create a sample concept map and here it is:

All of the tools Dr. Huang showed today are very practical. I will continue to play with these apps so that I can show the general education teacher as well as my students. All in all today was a great day!

Day 11: Today was an awesome day. For the majority of the day we did fun activities. The activities were engineer driven but they can be modified for math, history, and science class. The first project we did involved making a rocket. I really enjoyed flying my rocket and hitting Jason with it. This project can be used when discussing mean, median, range, and mode. Also, this project can be used in English to write a description paper about designing the rocket. In the next project we designed and built a truss bridge. This was a bit of challenge but I did better than I thought with the strength. If I get the opportunity to build another bridge, I will take more time to make precise measurements and use the ruler more when cutting out and positioning the parts. The last project we did involved designing and building a boat. We had to guess how many marbles our boat can hold. I predicted that the boat can hold 16 marbles but it actually held 64 marbles. These projects really taught me a lot about myself and my confidence with designing and building. I will definitely use these activities in the future because they are fun and my students will be engaged with the project!  All in all, these hands on projects are fantastic and I plan to introduce them to the general education teacher so that every student can be engaged in learning!

The presentation by Dr. Huang was spectacular. She provided us with pictures and background information about her home country, China. I find all of China's history fascinating. I really like to travel abroad one day and China is a place I definitely want to check out!

Day 10: Today was a sad day. Last night one of my students was killed in a car wreck along with her mother. I am truly saddened by this because all of my students are my babies and I love them all. Nevertheless, today was very insightful. We started the day with a presentation for the Assistant Secretary of State, Jeremy Martin. He provided us with a host of information on Mississippi that can be used to start a business as well support research for any project at school about Mississippi. After this presentation, we Skype with a retired teacher in Chile. We got to ask questions about his home as well as culture. He assured us that Chile is not an underdeveloped country anymore. Next, we worked on our multimedia project. I finally got to glue my project down. My next step will be to cut the pieces out. I pray that all will be well. Lastly, Mrs. Latham presented to us about supplementing our income. She provided us with information that can be very useful and I will definitely us the books that were provided so that I can create a brand for myself. All in all, today was a day full of information and resources.

Day 9: Today was a good day! We started the day with a receipt/toilet paper project. We made a timeline of earth recording events that happened throughout the times. This was a very interesting project. We learned how to do formulas on excel for an entire column. After recording the new measurements we unrolled the receipt paper and placed our measurements in the correct places. The length of the receipt tape was very long and impressive. After lunch we worked on our multimedia projects. I was able to trace and cut out my shapes today. Also, I traced my shapes onto the paper that will make the final project. I am still nervous this project will not turn out like I intend. After that we had a discussion about civil rights in Starkville. Michael Murphy did a wonderful presentation for us and he showed us different websites that highlight civil rights throughout history. I was very impressed about the extensive research and materials that are available for the public. I will probably spend hours looking at these websites later in my spare time. Lastly, we discussed science fair. Dr. Sherman-Morris offered us information and contact information that will be beneficial for us and our students concerning the science fair. All in all it was a good day!

Day 8: Today was a great day. We started off the day discussing Chile. We learned about the temperature, climate, earthquakes, and volcanoes of Chile. Then Dr. B intended for us to speak with a native from Chile via Skype but he was not available so we just researched videos and pictures of Chile. After that we took a walk to the geoscience building where we discussed weather. We got the opportunity to do the forecast and weather on camera (I was not good with this activity). I have a new found respect for meteorologists because they have to do a lot to provide us with the weather. Then we did a scavenger hunt in the geology museum. We learned about early Mississippi and how it was under water because artifacts that were found are aquatic animals.  After lunch we continued to work on our multimedia project. I pray that this project turns into something nice because at this point my project is in need of some professional help!!!! We ended the day with a lecture on Native American stereotypes by Nick Timmerman. Her made a few valid points about political correctness. As a black woman I can totally relate to what he was saying and I will definitely take these things into considerations.

Day 7: Today was a good day. We started the day off with a PowerPoint Presentation. I learned how to use the the bells and whistles of this program. After the PowerPoint Presentation we took a tour of TK Martin Center. This center is awesome! It provides services to students who are physically disabled. We learned about devices that can be used to help none verbal students communicate as well other devices that can be used to maximize learning. This was very benifical because I have a deaf  student who does not sign and he needs to communicate better to his peers and teacher. In Ms. Latham's class we started our multimedia project. We painted with our water colors today. I must say I am a little nervous about the end product because right now it does not look too appealing. The last thing we did today was discuss classroom management. The presenter provided us with many different tools and strategies to help with problematic students so that we can optimize more time to teach the of content. All in all, today was a pretty fantastic day!

Day 6: Today is Monday!!!!! We started the day off learning how to create a web page. This is going to be a very difficult thing for me to do. Although we had really wonderful instructions on how to start, I am still a little nervous about doing the process.

Next, we learned about interactive educational games that can be used in the classroom. We discussed the good and bad web games and what makes them good and bad. We found five interactive games that can be used in class to help enrich our students' learning. I found 3 history sites, 1 math site, and 1 science site that I will use this coming school year. I hope my students enjoy playing the games as much as I have enjoyed playing them.

After lunch we discussed multi media art. We had to research an image that we will create for the project. I am not going to like this because I am not artistic at all. I pray that the instructor will be patient with me through this journey.

The last thing we did today was continued to work on our web page. I think I have the layout the way I want it but I see some major editing in the future! Things are picking up fast in the workshop. I pray I can keep up!

Day 5: Today I got a rocky start to the day and as a result, I was not too eager to participate in any activities. We began our day researching standards that we have trouble teaching. This exercise caused issues with me because I will be in a new grade and I am not familiar with any of these standards at all. Also, I have to create a lesson plan for this standard but in my school district as an inclusion special education teacher I do not have to write elaborate lesson plans. I only modify lesson plans that the general education teacher provides to accommodate the students I teach. However, I am dedicated to this workshop and I want to learn as much as possible. I will do my best to complete all tasks that is required of me.

After lunch we spent time researching more standards. I really struggled with this task because I really do not understand the standard itself and how I will teach it with my students. I will definitely have to do a lot of research for this task Then we were informed that we will create a lesson and present it to the class at the end of the workshop. I am so nervous about this task. I pray my creativity and skills kick in real soon!

Dr. Bracey provided us with The Art of Lesson Planning. I find this material very helpful. In the event I have to do lesson plans in the future I will use this information to write the most effective lesson plan.

The last thing we did today was talk to an English teacher in Taiwan via the web. This was awesome. Technology is a fabulous thing! Too bad I really suck at using it and implementing it!

Day 4: Today was an eventful day. We visited the Red Hill Coal Mine which is located in Choctaw County, my hometown. During the presentation, I learned that the coal mine use the coal to power TVA in West Point, MS and after the land has been used, the coal mine replants the vegetation and restore the land to its approximate, original state. After the presentation we took a tour of the site and we saw how massive the equipment that is used for mining really is. We were able to mount one of the huge trucks and get an up close view of it. This was by far the most fun I have ever had on a field trip. We wrapped up the day with a science experiment. We learned that clay has the highest porosity and moisture retention.  All in all, this has been the best tour a teacher can attend. I look forward to taking my students there one day. Good Job Red Hill Coal Mining Company!

Day 3: Today was a good day. We started the day with an activity about climate and seasons. The activity was hands-on. Then we went to the library for Google Map and Google Earth training. I learned so much about these apps. I am excited to play more with these apps so I can see all the different things I can create from using them. After lunch, we did an assignment with Dr. B and she taught us visual literacy. This was a little difficult to understand because I am not a visual person, but I think I got the bulk of the assignment. We wrapped up the day with a mining exercise and a reading/writing exercise. The mining exercise was my absolute favorite exercise because it involved cookies!! The reading and writing exercise is something I definitely will do in the classroom because it can be done with all students and it was fun!

Day 2: Today was another exciting day. We started the day off discussing the five themes of geography. When it was time to create a chart in excel, I was a little apprehensive because I do not work well in excel; however, the instructions that were designed for the assignment was easy to read and I created the chart just as intended. Creating charts in excel does not seem as bad now after today's instruction.

Ms. Susan Bunch spoke with us today about data collection. I have to keep in mind that whatever I learn in this workshop will be used later to better serve others in the teaching field. I hope I make all who are involved proud!

The tours at the library were especially interesting to me today. The Templeton Museum and the Grant tour provided much information that I think my students will enjoy. I must sign my students up to attend this tour in the future.

The political cartoon activity was very interesting. I will use the information to better serve my students who will be taking the SATP2 US History test.

Day 1: Introduction to GAETI

Today was an exciting and tiring day. After arriving at the workshop, we were introduced to the creator of GAETI and the staff who will assist with the workshop. We were told the purpose of the grant and all the wonderful things this workshop has to offer educators. I am very committed to using the materials and skills that are being provided and taught at the workshop. I look forward to serving my students better through technology after this intensive training.  To start, today we learned how to utilize the MDE website to access frameworks as well as search job vacancies. Also, we took a tour of campus and we got to learn about the Magnolia website which can be used for research purposes as well as assist with writing lesson plans. I can't wait until tomorrow to see all the wonderful things that are in store for us! Hail State!