Word Processing Items for a Teacher’s File or Reusable Documents

Beginning of the Year Welcome Letter
I think that this should be given out by teachers every year. It is a good way to introduce yourself and how you will be teaching. Always leave your email or phone number at the bottom incase parents have any questions. This way they will be able to reach you. You should state the rules in the letter so the children and also parents know what you expect from them in your classroom.


Permission Letters for Field Trips and Other Events
These slips are very important. Whenever you are going on a field trip or to any other event where you are leaving the school, make sure you have the parents fill out a permission slip allowing their child to attend. This is a sure way to let the parents know that their child will not be in school that day and they will know where they will be incase they need to reach them.


Flyers and Other Announcements
Flyers are a great idea to get information out to people. You can hang them around the school, in your town, or even pass them out to everyone to take home to their families. You can put lots of information on them and also decorate them to make them stand out and get people’s attention.


Request for Fee Payments Letter
I am not really sure about this letter but I think that a letter for school lunches can be considered in this area. You can send out a letter to the parents letting them know how much the school lunch will be and then they can pay with check or money to the school. Field trip payments might also be under this category.


Fund-raising Letter
This is a good way to fill everyone in at home with what you will be doing. Whenever you do a fund-raiser, you should send a letter home. You can list the items you will be selling, why you are selling them (who the money will be helping), and how much each item will be.


List of Class Rules and Posted Flyer of Class Rules
This is very important for everyone to see. Every teacher should post a list of classroom rules in the front or the back of the room where every child can see them. Having a list shows the students what you expect of them during the school year. Also, having it printed up makes it easier for students to remember that that is how they should behave. You can also send it home for the parents to read over.

Letterhead Stationeries
Having letterhead stationeries is sort of like having your own business card. All of your information is typed across the top of the paper and then you are able to write your letter down below. You can have the name, address and phone number of the school, your name and phone number, and even a little quote that goes across the bottom. This makes the letter more professional when you are sending them out to the parents, or even other school district members.


Periodic Student Progress Letters to Parents
These letters are a good way to inform the parents on how their child is doing in school. There are no grades listed on this paper, just a brief sentence or two on how the child is progressing throughout the year. Sending this letter out once every marking period allows the student to get help if they are having any trouble with their classes.


Lesson Plans and Notes
Lesson plans and notes is a good way for the teacher to stay organized. By having lesson plans, it lets the teacher know what needs to be prepared before the lesson. It also will familiarize the teacher with the subject or topic that is being taught. Notes are always good to have. They provide the teacher and also the student with more information than what is covered in the book.


Student Information Sheets and Handouts
These are important for the teacher. This is a form that indicates the students contact information. It will have the address of the students, the phone number and also where the student will be going after school. It can also be a form that the parents fill out at the beginning of each school year with the student’s updated information.


Newsletters
Newsletters are a good way to let the students and parents know what you already went over and what is soon to come. You can mention homework assignments, projects, field trips, or even events that are happening in the school. This way they will have the dates of each event and will be able to plan accordingly.


Frequently Used Worksheets and Exercises
Worksheets and exercises can be distributed to the students for extra practice on a topic that has already been taught. You as the teacher can also post these worksheets and exercises on a WebQuest so that the students can get to them after school hours and their parents will also be able to work with them.

my dream classroom

I have always wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. I thought about teaching High School but I know that I belong in an Elementary School. I would love to teach 3rd grade. Yes, I love little kids but I think that 3rd grade would be a good grade because that is when teaching lessons actually begin. When I graduate I am going to try and get a job right away at a school near by. After a few years of teaching I would like to move to North or South Carolina and teach down there. I am just so excited to be so close to actually having my very own classroom!

behaviorist and constructivist theories of learning

I feel as a teacher that I will be using the Constructivist Model. By following this model it will help students become more interested in using technology and become more familiar with problem solving and group cooperation. I believe that every school should have computers and other technology to help students increase their knowledge. It will help the students because it is more hands on and many children learn better with visual learning and also kinesthetic learning. Also, there should be a designated time frame for learning about the new technology. Technology is very big in the world now and everyone should know about it and how to use it.

"Making the Case for Technology Integration"

1. Sheingold (1991) said that teachers will have to confront squarely the difficult problem of creating a school environment that is fundamentally different from the one they themselves experienced (p. 23). In what ways is the current K-12 environment different from the one you experienced? Do you feel this presents an obstacle to effective use of technology in your teaching? What are some strategies you feel might help teachers overcome this obstacle?

I feel that the learning environment is different from when I experienced it because in Elementary school we really did not have to worry about computers so much. Instead of typing up a paper, it was written out. This is where plagiarism comes into play. By having a computer to serf the web, students would be able to find what they were looking for, and then just copy and paste the part they needed. We also did not have any of the high technological advances that kids with special needs would need. This would cost a lot of money for the school. I do not feel this would be an obstacle when I become a teacher. With plagiarism, I would try and be prepared so I can catch any copying and pasting going on. Also, there are many children with special needs and it would not be fair to them if the other students were working with technology. If the school would buy the new technology for children with special needs, they would not feel out of place. These are also my ideas for teachers to overcome this obstacle if they did believe it was one.

2. NCATE's document Technology and the New Professional Teacher (1997) said that, in addition to technology skills, teachers need an attitude that is fearless in the use of technology, encourages them to take risks, and inspires them to be lifelong learners. What current factors and activities can help teachers develop such an attitude? What factors make it difficult for them to acquire it?

I think that if the teachers practice using the technology, they would not have any problem teaching it to their students. Back in my hometown there is a class for the teachers to learn the new technology that was purchased. When the Smart Board came out there was a class to show the teachers how it should be used. The factor that makes it difficult for teachers to develop a positive attidude for the technology would have to probably be for the older teachers. The teachers that have been in the school longer most likely has not grown up around computers or any other technology. This would make if harder for the teachers to learn because they were not brought up learning it. It is a known fact that younger people can learn faster than older people. This would probably give a negative attitude to some teachers.

Chapter 2 short answers

1. Describe the relative advantage of using graphic tools to help students learn new concepts.

I think that visual tooks would help students learn new concepts. I know that I am a visual person and it helps clarify certain things that I do not understand.

2. In Phase 2 of the Technology Integration Planning Model (TIP), teachers focus on the outcomes expected as a result of integrating technology into instruction. List four methods teachers can use to assess the outcomes of the plan.

1.)tests 2.)projects assessed using rubrics or checklists 3.)surveys for attitude outcomes 4.)observation instruments for behaviors

3. Describe two advantages of required school and district policies such as policies regarding Internet use, legal and ethical use, and equity.

The policies talk about appropriate behavior, safety, and fair treatment of all students.

Short Answers to Chapter 1

1. Name two advances or developments that have occurred in technology since the 1970s that you feel have had significant effects on education, and explain why these technological changes had such effects.

I think that the Microcomputer had a big outbreak in the late 1970s. This computer was used by teachers in schools and started to spread very fast. This was just a preview of what else was soon to come. Another advance that has helped many throughout the years would have to be the World Wide Web. This was great to find information on just about anything. It would also be good for school use.

2. Discuss one emerging trend in technology and the effect it could have on classrooms and schools.

I feel that Wireless Connectivity is a good emerging trend to talk about. This cuts back on too many cables being hooked up and also the freedom to move around and be in different areas.

3. Explain reasons for developing an electronic portfolio.

An electronic portfolio is developed to keep a collection of the students work over a period of time. This arrangement is to show the student how he or she progressed.