1. From his class blog, Mr. McClung seems to absolutely put his students first. He also seems extremely passionate about his job and takes it very seriously.
2. As an educator, he seems to be a very creative and "hands-on" teacher. I love how he tied to "Prosser's Gabriel" song into his lesson. Things like this, kids can relate to!
3. His rules are short, few, and to the point. Rules like this keep order in the classroom. They may seem strict but the strictest teachers I've had, caused me to respect them more. Order in the classroom and respect from your students are crucial in a classroom.
4. Day Planner is the first thing that every students needs in Mr. McClung's class. I think this is first because education is key in success! This also is a way for students to learn to become organized.
5. I think that Dr. Strange's penalties for late homework are similar to that of Mr. McClung's. If our work is late, this opens up the possibility for receiving an "F" in the course. A "D" will be received if we are consistently late with our assignments. Mr. McClung's is similar. The later it is, the more points will be deducted.
6. I love the way Mr. MrClung has set up his classroom. I love his attitude about teaching as well. I hope my passion for teaching never burns out! He seems to have a high energy and engaging way of teaching. I love that! I love his nontraditional views on homework. His goal is for students to learn and enjoy it! Their focus should not be on just trying to get the homework done, but grasping the material! I want this to be the same in my classroom.
7. The two links that I chose were The Arkansas Runner and The Lightening Explorer.
www.arkansasrunner.com
http://thunderstorm.vaisala.com/explorer.html
The Arkansas Runner is a webpage that has many of the road races that are available in Arkansas. This is such a cool concept! I was very impressed with it and I hope we have something like that for Mobile! It's an awesome way to keep up with the races that are available around you and the races that are coming up.
The Lightening Explorer was also very cool! It showed the lightening that was happening across the U.S. I'm not sure why he chose this, other than the fact that it is a very awesome tool! Why not stay informed of the weather that is coming your way?!
8. His internet rules were great! I wouldn't add or subtract any of them! I think teachers are often scared to create class blogs because of the dangers of the internet. This brings back up the pencil metaphor. You can't be scared of the few negatives that come with the internet compared to the so many positives it has to offer! I think his rules were safe and he can easily monitor his class's blog.
9. I was assigned his "What I've Learned This Year" post. It was awesome! As a new teacher he has already learned so much. I love that part that emphasized the importance of realizing nothing will go exactly as planned and your resilience as a teacher is crucial! He also mentioned that kids aren't perfect and shouldn't be held to perfect students! Lastly, he explained how we may not understand everything about technology, but it is important that we at least give it a shot! You are capable of so much more than you may realize!
10. So far, my encounter with Blogger has been positive. I do love his "Song of the Week" through Grooveshark. I don't know if this is a capability of Blogger but I do love how songs are often incorporated into his lessons. This is a great way for students to grasp the concept that he is trying to get across to them. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be much that Blogger can't also do.
11. Mr. McClung's blog is useful to everyone in that it is accessible to everyone, it is informative, and it is entertaining! It is accessible to everyone yet the safety of his students is not compromised! It is informative in that it shows what they are doing that week, homework and assignments are posted for students and parents to see, his class rules are available. The little bio about himself is also helpful to new students entering his class and for the parents of these students. His posts like what he has learned through teaching and his classroom concepts are helpful to students like me because they are a picture of what a great teacher does and expects in his classroom. It helps us learn from the things he has experienced in his classroom.
12. His students seem more mature and engaged in the classroom than other eighth graders. Their spelling and blog posts are very well written. I think the difference has everything to do with the teacher. Mr. McClung "gets it". He teaches and seems to have complete control of his classroom. He realizes his students aren't perfect, so when a mistake is made, he corrects it and explains why it its wrong. He seems to have patience! So many of my teachers have lacked this and it is such a difference when you do get a great teacher with patience and passion!
13. No more comments for me other than that he seems right on key with what he's doing in his class. I would love to be a teacher like this one day.
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