Week 14: This semester has been 1 4 the books

Lessons plans, clinical experiences, homework, studying, and prepping for finals are all of the things that we are trying to cram in and get finished before the end of the semester!  This week I am trying to get back readjusted to the work flow and catch up on any assignments that I missed while in DC.  I am also trying to work ahead in order to relieve some of the stress that comes along with the expiring deadlines that all just happen to be during the same week. 

This week we are having a guest speaker in Social Studies Methods and I am excited to hear what she has to share.  I think it will be cool to hear from her perspective about different educational topics that may benefit us in the near future.  I am also excited to just hear about her experience working with all different grade levels and being able to use literacy skills across all disciplines. I have attended and lead some sessions on this topic as well, so I am interested to see what all is covered in this session tomorrow! 

For my research portion of my blog for this week, I found an article that introduces and models what an EdCamp looks like.  I chose this article because earlier in the semester, Gardner-Webb University hosted an EdCamp and it was a great success!  I really enjoyed this EdCamp and gained a lot from my first professional development experience.  I was able to listen in and contribute to discussion sessions that a variety of educators attended which provided me with the opportunity to gain great insight about the responsibilities, frustrations, and rewards that all come along with being an educator.  EdCamp is solely based off of the audience's participation and topic preference, and that is what makes it such a unique experience!    I am super excited about the EdCamp coming up and traveling to Western Carolina University for another opportunity to complete a professional development session.  This article is great for introducing and breaking down the reasoning and ideas behind EdCamp.

Here is the link to the article:  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/film-festival-edcamps-PD-resources

Feel free to check out the article itself, along with the videos and TED talks that are on there.

The teaching standard that relates most to this article is NCPTS 5, which states "teachers link their professional growth to their professional goals".  This means that teachers should always be involved in professional development.  They should be putting what they have learned from these workshops, meetings, conferences, etc. into practice for the benefit of their students' academic experience and success.