Austin+Hood



Hi! My name is Austin Hood and I am from Rock Hill, South Carolina. I am currently a senior at Clemson University majoring in Elementary Education. After my sophomore year, I decided to transfer to Clemson from Winthrop University, and I am so glad I did! My mother is a recently retired 4K teacher, which is what has always inspired me to become an educator. Growing up, I used to play school in my room and teach my stuffed animals. I loved the act of teaching at a very early age, and have never had one doubt what I wanted to do with my life once I got older. My third grade teacher really opened my eyes and showed me what it was like to be an extraordinary teacher. She not only taught us necessary skills we needed to succeed, but she taught it to us with passion. She really made an impact on not only my education, but my life as well. Going into college, I still knew that I wanted to major in education. I have had several extraordinary professors that have guided me and taught me skills that have gotten me to where I am today!

 When it comes to technology, I either understand how it works or I don't. I usually can figure out simple technology like my iPod and computers, but there are some types of technology that I would definitely need further instruction to figure out how to use. I have taken a technology class while at Clemson that was very helpful for me at the time, but since then, I have forgotten how to do most of the things I was taught and would definitely need a review of the material before using it again. For my practicum experience, I am in a fourth grade classroom at West Pelzer Elementary School. The classes in West Pelzer use Smart Boards during instruction. Throughout West Pelzer, there are two computer labs for the students to use for further instruction or testing.

 While browsing through Edutopia I found the blogs and the discussion boards to be very helpful since they talk about strategies and ideas to use in the classrooms for all grade levels. It also has current teachers discussing problems that I can relate to when I start teaching.

 In my 4th grade class at West Pelzer Elementary, and my class that I am currently placed in is only math and science instruction. My teacher does a good job explaining new material to the students so that they understand how do do it; however, I have noticed that she doesn't use many exciting strategies for the students to practice new material. I think it would be helpful for the teacher to go to http://www.coolmath.com and find some games that correspond to the current material they are learning and have the students play some of the games on the Smart Board together in class. She could have students come up to the Smart Board to work the problems and find the answers to the games. This would help the students practice the material and see that learning can be fun and exciting and will also show the students alternative ways to practice math at home or outside of the classroom.
 * Math Extension Idea: **

1. After thoughtful consideration, compose a brief reflection on what you gained from the hands-on science/technology workshop conducted by our guest presenters. How did this experience support/extend/connect with what you have been taught in your technology and science methods classes? Did you gain any new insights or perspectives? How do you think this will affect instruction in your student teaching experience and in your future classroom? (One or two substantive paragraphs will suffice.)
 * Science and Technology: **

 I really enjoyed science and technology day and found that it was not only helpful, but it was also very exciting for us. Most of the technology presented was very useful and would be awesome resources to use in the classroom; however, I feel that it would be very unlikely for my future school district to be able to provide me with these resources in the classroom. The digital microscopes could really take learning to a whole new level, but would be hard to have access to for the students to use in the classroom. The presenters were very knowledgeable and helpful as well. They were able to show us ways that they used technology in the classroom during science instruction, and how engaged students are when using technology during instruction. It was helpful to complete an experiment on our own so we could get a taste of what the students have to experience when they are doing these experiments. At the end of the day, I learned that technology is a great resource to use in the classroom if you are fortunate enough to have it available to you.

2. Using the links posted on our Wiki (http://educationfirecrackers.wikispaces.com/), explore 2 Websites (one from Science Resources and one from an area other than Science -- i.e., ELA, Social Studies, Classroom Life, or Digital Citizenship). After spending 15 minutes on each site, write a brief review of the sites. Include the title of the site, the url and 3-4 sentences that summarizes the site and indicates how (or if) you might use it in the classroom. (There are some product/hardware sites listed in the Wiki. Don't review these. Stick to sites that are activity or information based.) In addition to submitting your reviews along with your reflection through blackboard, add your reviews to the bottom of your personal Wiki page.

__Science for Kids __: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/ This site is a great resource that incorporates not only science but technology as well. The website provides experiments for use in the classroom or for kids to do on their own. These experiments are simple and have easy to follow instructions so that children can do them at home. This website also provides exciting interactive games that support all areas of science and technology. Another helpful component on this site are the quizzes and lessons provided for teachers to use in the classroom when learning science. Children can also use these quizzes to challenge themselves and test their knowledge on the subject. This website provides such a wide range of helpful tools and resources for not only teachers to use in the classroom but for students to use on their own as well. The website is easy to navigate so that anyone can use it.
 * Science Resource: **

__Poetry for Kids__: http://www.poetry4kids.com/ Kenn Nesbitt is a famous children's poet and he created this website for students and teachers to use when studying poems in Language Arts classes. This website provides a section for some hilarious poems that will keep the students laughing. It also provides games for students to play as well as lessons for teachers to use in the classroom when studying poetry. There is also a contest in which children can enter their poetry for a competition. This website provides a variety of helpful links for teachers and students to use in the classroom that help reinforce poetry.
 * ELA Resource: **