Bittersweet

As I was sitting in Literacy class today, it occurred to me that we are finally starting to see the "light" at the end of this very long tunnel. When I looked at the calendar, and realized we only had three weeks of the semester left, I began to get a little sad that this experience was coming quickly to an end. Time has flown by this past year, and often times I don't know whether I am coming or going. There have been many moments of frustration, lack of motivation, and doubt that I would even make it, but most of all this experience has been a blessing. Even with all the sleepless nights and exhausting days, I couldn't be more thankful to have the opportunity to be a part of this program and have a full year to intern and practice what we have learned.

Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank my fellow classmates and UF who have made this journey endurable. Without your support and encouragement, this experience would have been much more difficult. My favorite day of the school week is Tuesday when we all come together. It is a nice little break from the pressure of interning and a great reminder that I am not in this alone. I am so thankful for the friendships I have made throughout this experience, and will miss seeing you all each week. I know that we will still have a semester to go, but all of a sudden, it is starting to feel "real" to me. The end is near, and we will soon be in the spotlight of our very own classroom. I thank each and every one of you for your love and guidance, and hope that we continue to seek each other as support in the years to come.

I hope you enjoy Thanksgiving with your family and friends!!!

Much love, Leslie :)

One of the challenges of being immersed in the graduate program here at Mason, has been finding time to do one of the things I love most… Dance. Before I started my Masters, dance was such a huge part of my life. I have been dancing since the age of 6, and I made time for it throughout grade school and college. Balancing course work and student teaching has been quite the struggle for me, so I had to give up something in my life that would allow for more focus on school. I hope after this year, I will be able to incorporate dance back into my life a few times a week. While I may find a day here or there to take a dance class, it is nothing like I am used to. To fill the void of taking part in the physical activity of dance, I often find myself watching dance shows like So You Think You Can Dance. It is a way for me to get lost in the art that I love, and enjoy the hard work and creativity that the dancers put into their pieces. Below is a wiki I found on So You Think You Can Dance. This wiki explores the history and highlights of the popular TV show, and also includes feature articles, polls, and blogs that the fans submit. In addition to the wiki link, I am also including a video on one of my all time favorite performances on So You Think You Can Dance.  

So You Think You Can Dance

All time favorite SYTYCD Dance!!!! 

Blogging in the Classroom

During my undergraduate time at Mason I was a part of New Century College, which was all about cooperative learning and critical thinking. We had the opportunity to participate in many blogs throughout the four years as a part of assignment requirements, but I never looked at blogs as a way to enhance cooperative learning or critical thinking. I just thought of blogs as an outlet for people to share what is on their minds, or to share an important message they wanted to get across to a variety of audiences. After reading Blogging and New Literacies by Diane Penrod, my view of blogs has changed. 

My first thought is, what an AWESOME tool to have in your classroom. Not only will it peak students' interest because of the opportunity they will have to use technology, but it is also a great outlet for them to share their thoughts and work with other students and teachers. Before this article, I thought of cooperative learning as a way to "bring together students of diverse backgrounds or multiple intelligences, encourage prosocial behaviors and values among students, fosters higher-level reasoning, and deepen cognitive development." Penrod used this definition on page 23 of her article to describe cooperative learning, but I never thought of it beyond the physical/social interaction in the classroom. Blogging is a great way to encourage cooperative learning through the "feedback loop." It gives students the opportunity to post on others' sites and form a collective opinion about a particular topic. It is like cooperative learning in cyberspace. It fosters a whole different realm of prosocial behavior. Students have to learn to be respectful when posting on other blogs and analyzing/editing new information. They also have to learn to be respectful in the way they present their own blogs through the language they use. 

Another aspect of blogging that I never realized before is the amount of critical thinking one must use when creating posts or viewing others' posts. "They learn to read, write, analyze, and evaluate the information in front of them, with the intent of discovering more." (Pg 23) Students must learn to pick through the information they read about a topic and pull out the valuable parts and write them in a way that can be understood by others. Students must ask good questions, and learn to take a stand in their presentation when selecting information to share. They learn how to evaluate information for their own blogs, as well as evaluate the information presented by others. Through blogging, they come to realize that "no single person knows everything and that shared inquiry helps everyone uncover more useful information and knowledge." (Pg 23) Critical thinking is an important skill to develop in students. I think blogs are a great way to encourage critical thinking skills because they are constantly having to discern the information they are presenting and/or viewing. 

Here is an article by Allison Sawmiller that explains how to use classroom blogging in science instruction. Not only does it talk about the role of blogs in science, it also mentions how this tool can be used to develop cooperative learning and critical thinking in young scientists.

Classroom Blogging: What is the Role in Science Learning?

Until next time :)

Current Thoughts

Below is an acrostic poem describing my current feelings as a graduate student.
      Loopy
      Exhausted
overStimulated
      Lost
      Inspired
      Erratic

In the moment, I feel like I am drowning in graduate school. Although, this year has been exhausting and comprehensive, I know the payback will be well worth it. I am looking forward to next year, when I can put all of the hard work into action in my first classroom.

Until next time!!! :)