Blog 3- Online Teacher Resources and Newsletter

I chose to look at the ELA standards for 3rd grade because I might actually teach 3rd grade. One of the standards is using technology to create and share writings. That would mean learning how to type, how to type on different programs, and how to share that material. This is a very important lesson for students because this is a skill they will need for their entire life, especially in education. I do feel prepared to teach them how to do this to some extent, especially at a more basic level. However, I do not type “properly” with my fingers on the home keys so I would have a hard time teaching that. Besides that, I have enough experience with creating and sharing typed content that I could teach them the foundation of what they need to know.

The CPALMS Educator Toolkit appears to be an incredible resource! Again, I chose to look at 3rd grade and I was amazed by how many subjects are covered. There was even stuff like dance, theater and foreign language- subjects I never learned in 3rd grade. For each subject, there is a link to learning objectives as well as a handful of free to use materials for the subject. This seems like an excellent source to use if I am ever in a pinch and need either some fresh ideas or supplemental material. This tool is excellent because it didn't require an login information, it was just easy access for anyone who wants to use it. I think there needs to be more stuff like this- easy to access resources for all grades and subjects. We want everyone to learn, so why make materials exclusive?

In class we made a newsletter as if we were a teacher and I think I enjoyed that assignment way too much. I love being to make something informational in a creative way. I kept forgetting that it wasn't for a real class, so the actual information I put on it didn't have to be perfect. It was all about learning to use word. I think I can improve by learning how to be faster at using the features on Word. It was a little tricky using the newsletter format because sometimes I couldn't immediately position text and things they way I wanted to. I had to learn when was best to use a text box, or what would happen when I switched to columns, just some trial and error things. I will absolutely get to use these skills in the future as I make things for my future class. I always thought of Publisher to be the program to use for those kinds of thing, and it might still be what I use for things like newsletters, however, it was nice to learn that Word isn't as rigid as I once thought it was. I have attached my class assignment newsletter for you to see! I was happy with how it turned out!