Prezi Reflection

I really didn't get to do much with the actual creation of the Prezi powerpoint because we were unable to do it during class time. I did love how easy it looked and how much you could do with it to "spice it up". I think it would be an amazing resource for all teacher to become experienced with incorporate into the classroom.

Scenario

I believe that I am familiar with multiple resources that will better me as an educator. I am also quite easy to get along with. I love to joke around and have fun. I feel I am an extremely patient person and love being around children. I plan to teach to my full potential and learn more each and every day. I would say my downfall would be "babying" my students at first until I become more used to teaching. I am extremely nervous about when I first begin to teach, especially in my own classroom. I really don't want my students to be able to detect my nervousness. That is something I need to work on.

In 3-5 years, I see myself in my own elementary classroom, teaching to the best of my abilities. I also see myself married and possibly starting a family of my own. To get to where I want to be, I have to give 110% in everything I do. My goal is to teach and I am determined to reach each and every goal that I set in my life.

To learn a new software, I could either "tweet" to other educators if they have any resources to help me, do a search online, or ask people I know that may have some suggestions for me. In the world we live in today, there is an endless amount of resources available to us at all times. Most of it can be found almost instantly too!

Technology can help students with any sort of disability or learning style. If they need a bigger font, you can do that. If they need visual or auditory, you can accommodate those needs too! Technology also has educational games that makes learning "fun" for students. There is also something for kids, teenagers, etc. of ALL ages! Technology also allows teachers to be able to "hook" their students at the beginning of a lesson. They can create a video, show pictures, etc. It also allows the teachers to be able to show smaller objects that can be seen by all easily.

When I was in school, we didn't have enough computers for all of the students, so there wasn't much learning using technology. There was a projector/elmo in almost all the rooms though. They were used mainly for powerpoints or notes though. My senior year, we finally got 2 interactive white boards for the junior/high school. You could tell it was like a "whole new world" for us. Nobody knew how to use it, so it was pretty entertaining to watch them try. Each teacher had it in their classroom for 2 weeks at a time to try to get a hang of it.

I don't know if I would encourage the use of cell phones in my classroom let alone in another teacher's classroom. I feel that some students would abuse the privilege. On the other hand, laptops and iPads would be helpful in the classroom. There are so many resources that can teach students different subjects at their own pace. That way you don't go too fast for one student, but too slow for another. Technology accommodates all needs for all students.

Education website has NUMEROUS activities for students. Some educational, and some that are more fun. Math Games for Kids is one of my favorite. I also really enjoy Animoto. It is not "educational" but it is a great tool to teach a quick lesson to catch your students' interest. These are just a few of the websites I have found useful, but I know there are an endless amount still out there to be discovered.

Podcast Favorites

I liked the "Tech Chick Tips" podcasts. My most recent was "Building Your Capacity". They always give AMAZING teacher resources. They're actually entertaining to listen to also because they don't talk monotone; they have fun with it and act normal.

My Wow Moment

I was SHOCKED at how much we had to do for DED 318 for it only being worth 1 credit hour. I do NOT have enough time to do all of the projects to the potential I would have liked because I have so many other classes that are demanding my time too! Unfortunatly, this class stressed me out rather than being a fun learning experience. It was impossible to keep up with everything each week. I think projects need to be more optional or given more time in class to do it rather than the one done in class being extra credit. Make the extra credit assignment be the one that is due outside of class time. I did learn about NUMEROUS amazing resources throughout this class though and truly enjoyed that part of it.

Semester Favorites

My favorite website that we used was Animoto by far!. It is so easy to use, but yet looks like you put SO much work into it. It's awesome! Everyone should check it out.

My second favorite tool we used was the Fun with Text Projects: Wordle and Tagxedo. These again were so easy to use and look amazing! You can choose your colors, orientation of words, size of words, shape, etc. You could use these to introduce a lesson to your class.

Podcast Reflection #12: Tags are Ways to See Things (Kevin Honeycutt on Tag Teams and Art Snacks)

This podcast caught my attention because we've been talking about tags a lot in my DED class at Kansas State University, especially with out Delicious sites. Using tags prevents information from getting lost in the virtual world. A tag is one word that you could use to describe the info, but you can have several tags for everything. If you have an educational website, you could use "teachers", "education", "edu", "teaching", "learning", etc. Anything that could help you find a resource later is helpful. The general "rule" about tags is that you should try to have at least five tags on everything because some people use different tags for the same thing or might make something plural while another leaves it singular. You need to find a balance between overstructuring tagging with strict rules and not having enough. Honeycutt used the phrase, "When you put things in the ocean, they get lost" just like information would without tagging in the virtual world. On the internet, people are overwhelmed with all the information that is available so easily and quickly. This is only going to increase, though, with time which is why we must implement tagging now rather than later.

Art Snacks is website that Kevin Honeycutt talks about in this podcast. On this website, you are able to build a creative learning community where students can access 10 minute art lessons that teach other lessons at the same time. There are 135 curriculum aligned 10 minute art lessons all on this one website! This website is also a learning network where teachers and kids work in the same place. Some teachers use it as art curriculum because there isn't an art teacher while others use it to "teach" the class, so they (the teacher) has the freedom to walk around the classroom and mentor the class in ways you normally wouldn't be able to. Honeycutt's dream is to have thousands of videos created by anyone and everyone about anything and everything. They try to keep this website as safe for kids as possible. If someone says something inappropriate, they are first warned. If it happens again, that person is then banned from the website completely. You have to register to use this website strictly because it helps to prevent scammers from getting on (which has worked so far). Also, this website has kids becoming mentors to one another. People go out of their way to be nice to each other because they have had mentors and role models. Another thing he mentioned is that there are currently about 3300 members, and he does NOT want a million users. At that point he would break it up into another website because it would lose it's "community" feel. I thought this was awesome. It just goes to show how important being a part of a community it is and makes me like the website that much more! When you go to the website, the creators and members "greet" you at the door just as an educator would to his/her students in their own classroom. To the creators, you are not a member, you're an artist. They aren't videos; they are are lessons. It isn't just a picture; it's artwork. You can also get in touch with Kevin Honeycutt at his e-mail kessdack.gmail.com or his website.

Podcast Reflection #11: Building Your Capacity

I watched the podcast "Building Your Capacity" by the Tech Chick Tips. Here they talk about 5 different websites for teachers to build the capacity to become an even better teacher. I actually went to these and really liked all of them.

The first website is "21 Foundation" which is all about 21st century learners with 21st century learning. It is to raise awareness and realize the importance of implementing learning to nurture the 21st century citizens. Within the website, there are several categories such as "Nurturing Creativity". Whatever topic you choose, you will then be given multiple websites to help you incorporate the topic in your classroom. Some, if not all, even have video clips for you to watch. It's really a great website for anyone that is interested in the 21st century learning.

The next is a website called, "60 Symbols", created by the University of Nottingham, which has a TON of symbols, all with which have something to do with physics and/or astronomy. Whichever symbol you decide to click on, it brings up a definition of what the symbol is for and a YouTube video that goes along with it. There are multiple pages of symbols to choose from on this website and it also talks about the scientists that put this masterpiece together. The one downfall, in my opinion, is that it is more for younger students, but it could probably be used for most science lessons/classes.

The third website is "TES Connect" or a teacher social networking site. TES stands for "Times Educational Supplement". You have to register to become a part of the community, but it is a great place to find numerous resources for your classroom, all in one place and easily. This website is used by thousands of schools and has over 700,000 registered users!!! Here, you have a place to share ideas, thoughts, and views to other people from all over. You can network with other teachers and even look for jobs! TES Connect has many classroom resources and advice as well as classroom materials. I believe that all teachers should be aware of this amazing resource.

Teacher LED is the next resource the Tech Chick Tips talked about. In other words, this is an interactive whiteboard resource for teachers. It's actually somewhat like the TES Connect website. You can download different resources depending on what you need at the time to open it up. It has different topics under the different subjects that you can choose from. It also has some games for students to play, and each option has a description with it that explains how to use the tool.

Finally, the fifth website these ladies discussed was "Online College" where you can find different resources to build your capacity. The thing they talked most about is the blog posts. They found a whole list of posts about being a new teacher: different tips, strategies, using technology, classroom management, working with students, etc. This website wishes to get as many teachers possible invested in blogging that they can by building a personal learning network. It can also inspire students. There is a blog post called "50 Famously Successful People that Failed at First". "20 Great Talks on the Future of Education" and "50 Inspiring Films to Share with your Students" are also interesting blog posts.

Overall, these are all great resources for anyone, especially teachers and future educators like myself. I think everyone needs to check out these websites and use them whenever possible!

Podcast Reflection #10: Celebrate Kansas Voices

This was an interview that Kevin Honeycutt had last year with my DED technology teacher, Cyndi Danner-Kuhn, at Kansas State University. This "event" started about 4 years ago now in Oklahoma and we are just beginning in Kansas. Last year they held a couple of workshops to introduce this to teachers to spread the word and teach them how to create their own projects in and/or out of the classroom. They have trained over 500 teachers to help tell the story of Kansas History with our own voices. You can use any kind of story that you feel is historical whether it is personal/within the family, about your town, something you remember growing up, something that happened such as September 11, etc. The options are endless and up to your creativity. The workshop costs $250 to attend which covers the cost to have the trainers come up or you could pay an additional fee which would then allow you to receive all the additional resources such as the cameras you would use to record an interview, etc. You can go to the Celebrate Kansas Voices website to sign up and learn anything and everything about the project. This project can be done in any classroom for any grade level and any subject. There are no boundaries. Please spread the word of this project. I am in the middle of mine right now, and it is so interesting. I'm finding out more than I could have dreamed I would!

Podcast Reflection #9: Salman Khan: Let’s use video to reinvent education.

This podcast was amazing and extremely motivating to me as a future educator. He started out by giving a tutorial and explained that he started doing this for his cousins that were struggling with math and it grew from there. Teachers are even using it in their classrooms and Khan has been making changes to what the teachers say would be beneficial. Now, teachers can easily monitor each and every student's progress in math. They can even see what videos each student watches, how long they watch the videos, what problems they miss, and so much more! I feel this is the best thing that could happen in a classroom, especially if you have a large diverse classroom. Everyone learns in a different way and at a different place and this accommodates for this need without stressing out the teacher and the students. Overall, this is better for everyone. Because it is online, it is also accessible to most students outside of the classroom if they need even more help or want extra practice. There is no wrong doing in using the website that is even FREE!!! This website allows students to move at the own pace. When they are ready to move on they can, without "hurrying" other students in the class or falling behind! This was an awesome idea and I can't wait to use it in my future classroom

Classroom 2.0

The website "Classroom 2.0" is sort of like a blog and resource website for teachers. You can join different groups, create a message board, watch videos, and so much more. Right now the website kind of confuses me. I don't know where to start; there is so much. One thing that is great is that they try to prevent spam; therefore, they have to approve of all pending members! I am sure you could ask for help from another member because there are almost 54,000 members!!! Once you get started you can create your own page for other educators to get to know you and see resources you may add that they find useful. Overall, I feel this is an amazing teacher resource, and I can't wait to get more familiar with it throughout the semester and years to come!

EduTeacher

I found several amazing resources at EduTeacher. Here you can choose from a variety of subjects. Within each subject you can choose a grade level if you like. Although I found several great resources, I am only going to to discuss three of them in this reflection.

The first that I chose to talk about is a Math resource because my emphasis is in Mathematics. I decided to use Aplusmath. Here you can choose between games, flashcards, word finds, worksheets, and a homework helper. All of these activities will help students tremendously. They can choose what they think will help them best to practice and retain the information better.

Next, I looked into Special Education because it also intrigues me. I found a website called, "Accessibar". This is a toolbar extension for Firefox to make it easier for navigation. It also has the "Read Aloud" option for struggling readers. You can make an unbelievable amount of changes to webpages to meet the needs of any and all students.

The last site I am going to discuss is a site called, "Fact Monster". At this website, you can choose from several topics such "Math and Money" or "Games and Quizzes". You can choose from several other topics within the one you pick. Under "Math and Money", you can choose between tables such as the multiplication table, money such as money around the world, numbers such as roman numerals, etc. There are never-ending amounts of options within all of these sites. Technology makes it so easy to access these resources, too!

Kan-ed Reflection

I visited the Kan-Ed Website and found some really interesting sites. At the Kan-ed Website, the main page is a list of a TON of different websites full of teacher resources.

I really like the Kansas Education Resource Center (KERC) website. There are so many things to look into at this site. you can go into a specific subject or the grade level. You can also upload a lesson plan you found successful. If you go into a specific subject, you can then choose your grade level. It then gives you the standards. It is so useful and everything is at the touch of a button.

It also has a Back to School page, where you can find intriguing lessons, activities, and so much more. Here, again, you can choose a specific grade level. It has a page that can help you build a classroom community and shows you how to stay connected using technology. I strongly suggest this website. There are so many options and it's all on one website right there for you to use.

Nettrekker is another great site on the Kan-ed website. On this website, there are several subtopics underneath each subject. This makes it that much easier to find a specific lesson. You don't have to go to the broad Math title; here you can go to a specific lesson you are going over immediately. You can also use the Search option.

Say you are doing a lesson in Geometry. You could click on that button. It opens to a page with another list of topics even more specific such as "Plane Figures". It also tells you how many pages it has under that topic. This one has 364!! Again, it gives you a list of topics within "Plane Figures" such as Dimensions which has 77 options and this goes on and on. It's a bit of a process if you don't know what you're looking for, but overall so much easier because you don't have to go through a list of items that have nothing to do with the lesson you are trying to plan.

Overall, I find Kan-ed EXTREMELY useful and plan to use it all the time now and in my future classroom. These websites that I mentioned are only two of MANY websites all located on the Kan-ed website! I strongly suggest this website to other educators!

Podcast Reflection #8: Creating an Educational Follow Me Project

Sarah Beeghley created a podcast called, "Creating an Educational Follow Me Project". She is a Seventh Grader in Pennsylvania. In 2009, she won 1st place at Pensylvania State Middle School Computer Fair in the Webpage Design Category and the Edublog Award for Best Student Blog.

A Follow Me Project is something you creat to share your adventures with the world via Web 2.0 technology. It supports the creation of traveling stuffed animals, similar to the "Flat Stanley" project. This project is not only for teachers, but students and families too. You can find more out more here.

Her project is titled, "Civil War Sallie". She has been to Andersonville Prison in Georgia; Clara Barton Home in Maryland; Richmond, Virginia; Ford's Theatre; and Bull's Run. Her brother's is named, "Patriot Pete" who teaches and learns more about patriotism and wants to visit the capitol of all 50 states.

To create your "Follow Me Project", you must first name your project. Then, you need to decide the purpose for your project, whether it's a specific or general topic. How and where is he/she going to travel. Are you going to keep it within your classroom, local, or global. You can go to any Build-A-Bear Workshop or go to their online website to get started. You can even try to get one donated and can use whatever animal you prefer.

You can also collaborate with others using Skype, iChat on a Mac, and/or Google Video. Using these you can connect with your teacher and others. Teachers can use it to promote student writing, enhance social studies and science lessons, and incorporate technology into the classroom. It also encourages group collaboration, creates unique opportunities for math and analyzing web traffic and statistics.

You need to make sure you maintain internet safety. This project protects your name because you create a random username for your project. Students learn to use Web 2.0 tools safely and it promotes digital citizenship. Other benefits include: improving writing and technology skills, connects your students with other students and teachers around the world, allows students to explore places they would not normally see, and teaches you about other issues such as copyright.

Podcast Reflection #7: Primary Digital Portfolios

I recently watched a video called "Primary Digital Portfolios". This was posted by Kathy Cassidy, a first grade teacher in Canada. In this video, she had two of her current students and two of her formers students: Carson, age seven; Sabrina, age five; Braeden, age six; and Dalton, age seven. These four students reflected on their experiences using digital portfolios. Cassidy uses a classroom blog for their digital portfolio. Here they can post writing, images, and other things that help them to showcase what they have been learning throughout the year. Using this blog also allows parents to see what is going on in the classroom.

What is a portfolio according to these students? They said that it was a way to show the work they've done and that it shows your work at the beginning of the year and how much you have improved at the end. On their blogs, they are most proud of different activities that they have posted such as the patterns they created, things they have made out of clay, and stories that they have created. The students also discussed what choices that had in creating their blog. One said that she got to choose what to make her pattern out of such as ice cream, strawberries, numbers, letters, etc. Another said if they used Vocaroo or Sketchpad, and that they got to choose a picture to write about.

There were several ways that they could show what they are learning in the classroom. You could put up pictures, writing, activities, or both. You could use Vocaroo, which is a recording of yourself reading. Storybird is a tool you can use to create your own story and add pictures to it. Sketchcast is another tool they use in the classroom. Here you can draw pictures while it videotapes you. You can record for up to 20 minutes. They used this tool to draw what they knew and learned about plants and on Mother's Day, they drew a picture of the mother.

How can students use online in a safe manner? Do not allow students to put their last name or a picture of themselves to remain anonymous. They can also tell if people are viewing their online portfolios or not. Each post has a count of how many times that post has read. Viewers can also make comments about how the students are doing.

The students thought that an online portfolio is better than a paper portfolio. They felt this way because when it is online, it is easier for people to see your work. A paper portfolio restricts this to your classmates and teacher. After hearing about how much online portfolios have impacted these four students, I am inspired to use this in my future classroom.

Podcast Reflection #6: Integrating Online Language Tasks for Young Learners

I found a really interesting podcast posted by Shelly Terrell called, "Integrating Online Language Tasks for Young Learners". In this podcast, she explained how important technology is now and all the different ways young children (and adults) can use it in and out of the classroom. All of her resources for this podcast can by found at "Technology for Kids Wiki".

Current students now grow up learning technology immediately, while when we were young we learned using paper and pen. Because of the changes, we need to be able to prepare our future students for "their" world.

She had students from a classroom write down how they use technology, and almost all of them use it for something different. Some said they use it for fun and others said because classes are boring. One said it helps them to achieve their goals while another said that it opens a new world. Several wrote that they use it to meet to new people all over the world; some even met people from another country! Many students also noted that it is an easy way to communicate with friends and those that you haven't seen in awhile, such as relatives. One student even said that technology inspires them and allows them to be creative! Hearing students say that they use technology for so many different ways and not just to play games inspires me to integrate technology in my classroom and help widen their knowledge on the many resources technology gives them.

Technology allows you to create videos in the classroom, but if you do so you must get permission from their parents. You can even get permission slip pages off of the internet with the click of a button. In order to create a video, you will probably need a digital camera, laptop or computer with a microphone and/or webcam, and a scanner. Which almost every school has AT LEAST one of all of these.

Most computers also already have applications on the computer that allow you to create a video. On a PC, you could use Paint, Windows Movie Maker, etc. A Mac has iMovie, GarageBand, iPhoto, etc. There are also multiple web tools such as Skype, Blog, Wiki, Voki, Glogster, and VoiceThread.

Voki is an avatar that you can create and have it talk. You can either record a message yourself or hide your identity by using a voice that Voki has uploaded. Glogster allows you to create and design a multimedia poster. You can embed audio and videos, add pictures, etc. And VoiceThread is a digital story teller. You can upload videos, pictures, audio, and even doodle. All three of these can also be embedded easily into your class Wiki or Blog.

Wiki's are a great source to have in your classroom because it allows parents to become and stay involved with what their children are doing in the classroom. Kids become more interactive and it goes beyond the walls of the classroom. Also, teachers are able to easily edit the page(s).

Podcast Reflection #5: Plan Less, Do More

I watched a video by David Wells titled, "Plan Less, Do More". His podcast was inspiring to me. He said that having a plan is good, but the learning aspect is more important than the planning itself. Therefore, don't stress as much on the planning process and focus on what the students will or need to learn. As long as they learn something, you've done your job. But, the more complicated the plan the less connected it is to student planning. Plans are still needed though.

He believes that technology needs to be embedded into your plan. Technology needs to be integrated into lesson plans, professional development, school curriculum, etc. Nothing will ever go perfectly, but you need to make the best of it and accept those challenges. You also need to realize that changes need to be made all the time in order to have a successful classroom. You have to be able to talk to other teachers to get answers to questions that you may have or for ideas that you may find useful.

Podcast Reflection #4: Project Based Learning in Hand

Tony Vincent created a podcast called, "Project Based Learning in Hand". Here, he explained how hand held devices could be used in the classroom. Students are able to connect, communicate, and collaborate with others easily. They also have other resources whenever and wherever they may be needed.

He made an entire video project on an iPod Touch using an app called SonicPics. It was really interesting. He could do many additions to his video to make it interesting for all students. It would make lessons more engaging and could also be used for presentation you may have your students do for a project. Using a video like this, you can also post it onto your website for other educators to use if they like it. He did ALL of this from his iPod Touch...AMAZING!

By using technology for projects, you can allow less time for projects students do because the technology decreases the amount of time necessary to complete a good project. It also decreases the amount of information teachers need to cover in a lesson while increases the amount of information students uncover on their own.

Tony also uses Rubistar online to create his own personal rubrics for different assignment. Then, he can allow his students to help him design it and decide what is important and acceptable and what is not. Therefore, the students know what is expected of them and feel as though their ideas are important too.

You can even copy and paste notes or keynotes onto a notes page on the same hand held. Research is at the touch of a button, if needed, quickly using technology.

Podcast Reflection #3: A Gardener's Approach to Learning

I watched a video by David Warlick called "A Gardener's Approach to Learning". He believes that we are cultivating our classroom to our students. Cultivating is preparing and using land; therefore, we are preparing our students and using our classroom and resources. I love this analogy. It fits perfect, especially for me as a Kansas girl. Farming is everywhere!

We don’t need to spend so much money on textbooks and worksheets. If we convert to technology it will save us money in the long run. We don’t have to spend money on an endless supply of paper and ink. You can have the students use computers or use overhead projectors to give lesson plans or submit online worksheets or homework assignments.

Plants grow next to each other to protect themselves from diseases and bugs. Students become friends and learn from each other. Whether it’s school-related or social/manner-related, we need to integrate modern technology into the classroom cultivate our future.

Using Twitter as an Educator

Personally, I am not a big fan of Twitter. I don't know the exact point of it. Right now I don't have time to look at sites educators post and find out which ones are good or not. I also don't like how a bunch of random people that I have no idea who they are and they have no idea who I am add you all the time. And I'm sure that some of the educators that I am following now may feel the same way. I do feel though that if I had time to look at websites (maybe this summer), there would be some websites that I could use in my own classroom. It's just finding time to go through them that is the hard part. Maybe as I get more and more used to it I will change my mind, but for now this is my personal opinion of Twitter.

There were a few websites that I did look at and found interesting:

Math Activity Website

What Students Need From Teachers

The Innovative Educator

My Twitter Page

Fun With Text

I had a blast experimenting with Wordle and Tagxedo. They are so easy to use, but a great way to connect things together in an exciting way. You can choose different designs or shapes to have your words expressed in. You can choose the colors and background you prefer, which way the words are shown, and so much more. The more times you type a word the larger they are; therefore, you can show which words are most important to you or to a lesson. You can use these websites for so many things such as research papers so that you do not repeat yourself too much, in your classroom, or just for something fun to post on your website to "brighten" it up a bit. I plan to use these websites for many more years to come, and it is also free! Can't get much better than that!

Animoto in My Classroom

I LOOOVE Animoto.  It is so easy to use and create an amazing photo which just a few clicks of a button.  All I have to do is choose the photos I want to use and the rest is pretty much done for me.  And...IT'S FREE..for my purposes at the moment anyways.  I could use these short videos as a lesson beginner in my classroom to interest my students in the subject.  I could also take photos throughout the year of activities we do in the classroom and do a short video about our class at the end of the year.  The possibilities are endless with Animoto.  If I would need a video longer than 30 seconds, I could pay the low monthly cost of only $30.  I recommend this site for educators and everyone else.  You can always make a video for something!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Reflection 2: CDK’s Education Technology Place

Exploration of Website

On this website, I found several YouTube videos, links to blogs, and so much more!  The videos were my favorite part.  They were extremely inspirational!  I loved the one about the school that wanted to encourage their students to read.  Not only did they encourage them, they got the students involved!  The video of "bad teachers" encouraged me to not be like that, no matter how long I have been teaching.  Teachers like that show students that they do not care and in return the students get the same attitude about school and life in general.  To me, it is terrible to think of having a teacher like that in classroom setting a bad example for not just one group of students, but years and years of students that they have taught over the years.

Reflection 1: Technology Bits, Bytes, & Nibbles

Cool Cat Teacher Blog

"Hey-I'm not messing up-I'm learning!"

After reading this blog I realized that in order to be a successful teacher, you have to be willing to admit your mistakes and learn from them.  Nobility is a great characteristic that all teachers should have.  I knew that everyone needs to learn from any mistake they may make, but I never realized that it is taken to the degree that it is today.  Not only do teachers need to have this characteristics, but people in all professions need to have this personal trait.  After reading this post, I realized that I need to make sure that I am always learning from my mistakes no matter what it may be.  I also need to make sure my students know that everyone makes mistakes, and that is okay as long as you use it to your advantage (learn from it).  As a future teacher, I need to have the courage to own up and admit to my mistakes.