It is hard to believe that this is the last blog I will be writing for this Master’s program. It feels as though I only just created my weebly site instead of having blogged for the last year! What to say? There is always an unspoken high level of expectation for the conclusion of things. I should think of something very profound and enlightened to say, but the truth is, the most important thing I learned, was actually rather simple Be willing to grow It is that simple. There are so many countless resources for teachers and students and various theories about education and classroom managements and engagement. It can be overwhelming. But you simply need to be open minded and willing to reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses and be willing to grow. Admit when you need help or are not familiar with an idea. Seek out feedback and ideas from peers and colleagues. Don’t be afraid to be transparent with your students. They are your greatest resource. Ask them what they want and need. Be willing to take their ideas into action. As I was reading through my old blogs, I stumbled across an one from the summer. In it I spoke about my intentions for the upcoming year. All the new strategies and resources I explore with my new students. While I have only partially lived up to my own expectations, I can see that I have grown a lot in a short year and am willing to continue to grow in the years to come. Thank you cohort 12 Thank you Napa Learns
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Let me start by stating the obvious: Designing a website is not small task. Fortunately, my cohort members and I have been working with Weebly all year long within our different courses. Maintaining our blogs via Weebly has provided us with valuable and necessary practice. It is fair to say that I would be overwhelmed if not for the fact that I have become familiar with the basics of weebly, from inserting texts to uploading images and videos. Perhaps the greatest challenge of creating my capstone is balancing creative limitations of weebly against the necessary Touro criteria. One key aspect of creating my capstone is keeping my audience in mind. My intended audience is primarily other educators. As a teacher myself, I know that when it comes to conducting the type of research that would lead me to such a site, I am typically looking for resources that are easy to integrate into my own lessons. With that in mind, I have made it a goal to provide a large range of helpful resources and as well as ideas and examples of how to implement them. At the very least I would be happy to know I have simply provided other teachers with engaging resources for their students. Another aspect to consider is the importance of my content. As I create my capstone, I constantly have to choose between rifling through my old blogs or writing fresh words. Then I also have to worry about writing too much and over explaining which means running the risk of losing my audience’s interest. Meanwhile, if I am too brief and write too little my work may appear shallow and uninformative. Last but not least, I have to give careful consideration to the visual appeal of my capstone. Especially considering how much I have learned about the color and design. There is a lot to consider aesthetically. One decision I am actually confident about is my choice to consistently use purple to accent certain texts throughout my site. I wanted to match the purple from my logo and use it throughout the pages as a way to create uniformity. I do however struggle with choosing my images and icons. For one thing they must be stock images and not copyright or pay to use. But more importantly I want each aspect of my sight to reflect my personal style as much as professionally possible. All in all, I am more proud of the simple fact that I have come this far and learned as much as I have. Creating a website may not be small task but fortunately I have spent the last year preparing for this. To quote my mentor teacher, “Now is the time when the rubber meets the road.” |
AuthorThe best teachers never cease to be students. Archives
December 2017
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