Fall 2010 complete!

This has been an amazing semester.  My student teaching has just completed.  I learned a lot about the public education system in New York and was able to work with amazing, talented students.  I appreciate all the support I received from my friends, colleagues and the faculty at NYU along the way. 

Almost Done

Right now I'm in the middle of thesis madness.  I am working on a curriculum that will integrate math concepts with dance instruction.  There are many parallels that can be made in terms of spatial awareness, counting music and choreography based on patterns and sequences.  I enjoy the topic very much but I'm getting overwhelmed because it's due tomorrow!

Blackboard

I think Blackboard is nicely laid out and simple to use.  There is a lot of information,  but it does not become overwhelming to navigate.  This is all due to the layout.  When first being introduced to the system, it took a little while to get used to it, like learning any new program but now I fly through it wih ease.  One criticism I have is that I don't like changing my password every semester, but I understand the security reasons associated with it.

Presentation

I thought the presentation went great.  Ours was a little lengthy, but it was because we all had so much material to cover.  We could have done a half hour lec demo!  I really enjoyed working with Kate, Kelly and Laura, they are all intelligent and talented women.  I think they will excel in each of their areas of expertise. 

Meeting

After our meeting, we decided to take a change in direction.  Through discussing our interests with one another, we realized that we had all worked with literacy in each of our disciplines for teaching purposes.  We all had amazing teaching experiences and it was wonderful to hear about each program.  When working with children, it is important to find creative devices so that they you can spark their interest and hold it!

Moving Along

Viewing my colleagues' blogs has been very enjoyable and I can see the unique and creative nature of each person through their postings and design.   Laura wrote a whole segment on our planet, Uranus, which I thought was informative and interesting.  Kelly's page looks like a good time and is very festive and colorful, this seems to be an accurate reflection of her personality as well.  Kate's page is pretty and green, reflective of nature and its simplicity.  I am looking forward to moving along to the next phase of our project.  Links to all three posts are at the top of the page.

Group Meetings

I am happy about our group selection.  Kate, Kelly, Laura and I are a dynamic team and I think we will come up with some good ideas.  So far we have decided to combine our individual disciplines so that there will be dance, voice and drama involved in the project.  We have also decided to make a commentary on our busy schedules and the mayhem that incurs during life in graduate school.