I elect Ms. Nikki Smith for Mentor of the Year

On my first day of Field Experience III I walked into Sigler Elementary in Plano and immediately knew I was going to love the school.  It was completely brand new.  High ceilings, open classrooms, friendly staff... it felt perfect.  I was then lucky enough to be paired with the most wonderful 1st grade teacher around, Ms. Nikki Smith.

One of my most memorable moments in her classroom was during a science lesson on interactions.  Ms. Smith presented a slideshow full of pictures of diverse people and animals and asked the students to make observations based on what they saw. From observing Ms. Smith's class on a regular basis, I was used to responses that were very creative and out of the ordinary, so naturally, my expectations were very high.  However, that day, a young student named Macie simply blew me away.

The picture was of a colorful frog on a limb, set with a black background.  In response to this photo, Macie raised her hand and nonchalantly stated "The frog must be nocturnal because he is awake at night." Wow!  I was amazed and felt so proud!  I am CERTAIN that I did not know what nocturnal meant when I was in 1st grade.  Ms. Smith's class is filled with the brightest, sweetest, and most energetic children I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with.

Today was my last day of Field Experience at Sigler Elementary and I realized more than ever how much I love Ms. Smith and her students.  I actually failed to mention to Ms. Smith that today would be my last day because in all honesty, I wasn't even aware.  So, as I began to make my way to say my goodbyes, I broke the sad news to Ms. Smith.  She immediately rose from her seat and gave me the tightest, most sincere hug and told her class to come line up to give Ms. Christina a hug goodbye, because today is her last day.

I hugged them all and whispered in their ears that I believed in them and would miss them so much.  They all shouted "We will miss you!"  Some cried, and one even carried me! I couldn't believe how much it hurt inside to walk away from that classroom, and I know that even though Field Experience is now over, I will continually visit Ms. Smith's 1st grade class as long as she lets me.

I also got an invite to their end of the year party!! :)  Buggin' out!

Way to go Maine!

I am so glad to see that some schools are headed in the right direction.  This is awesome! Way to go Maine!  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/09/maine-ipad2-kindergarten_n_846948.html

Buggin' out!

Jorge & Alexa Narvaez

I recorded this at SXSW this year.  Could this father and daughter be any cuter?  I hope they continue singing together for a VERY long time! Buggin' out! :)

The Future of Learning through Mobile Devices

Check out this great blog post by The Future of Education!

http://blog.futureofed.org/index.php/2011/04/04/mobile-learning-just-makes-sense/

Stay tuned for an upcoming glog on the phenomenal session The Future of Education had at SXSW!  I'll make you feel better about missing it and share all the highlights.

Buggin' out!

Online Bulletin Boards

If you haven't yet, you must check out glogster.com.  It is a tool that essentially allows you to make online bulletin boards.  Think about bulletin boards in elementary schools.  They are powerful and relay important messages in colorful and meaningful ways.  Why do we use them?  We use them to engage students and teach concepts using visuals and minimal text.  This method makes learning fun for students and easy to comprehend.

Now, with glogster we can easily create these bulletin boards online.  I have recently began attending forums and panels on education and technology.  My glogs will represent the highlights discussed during these question and answer sessions and be provided for all to see! Enjoy!

One of my favorite panels this year at SXSW was Designing Stuff Kids Will Love and Use
Buggin' Out!