What have you done today to make you feel proud?

Quick update now that I've revealed my secret identity as the student teacher interested in classroom blogging!!

My last post was on a somewhat negative theme, but after a good old cry on Tuesday night (and of course writing my blog), I picked myself up again and made the most of the rest of the week. I cannot describe how much better I felt after writing down all my thoughts last Tuesday, and although there hasnt been too many comments floating about, it is so nice to be able to read other student teachers blogs and realise how tough a time we're all having sometimes and remind me I'm not on my own.

Anyway, I posted a comment on Lesleys blog about me tackling my first PowerPoint with two different classes during the week. I was quite nervous before teaching these periods as my department isn't too uptodate with technology and I was kinda left to my own devices trying to hook up laptops and projectors etc and create make-shift screens with large sheets of paper! However, I was so pleased with how the lessons went and the kids go so much from it!! I was presenting the work of a designer to the class, as a prelude to some critical activity we will be working on in the next week, and tried to make the presentation as flexible and interactive as possible, allowing time for disscussion and pair/share questions. It took the pressure off me a bit rather than talking to the kids solidly, and it made it much more interesting for them. The department im in is open plan, and at one point, the teacher on the other side of the partition came running through to see what the kids were describing because she thought it sounded so interesting!! I got the kids to come up with questions they would like to ask the designer and my original plan had been to set up a classroom blog where the kids could post their questions, and pass the site URL onto the designer so he could have a look at their work and reply to the question posts. However, this proved tricky setting up, (hence my cry for help on David's blog) and in the end one of the kids emailed the designer the questions from the class. I just checked my email there and I'm happy to say - he relpied answering all the kids questions!!! They will be so chuffed!! We started the written work today, and their essays are looking so good already - I really believe the visual and audio played a big part in jogging their imaginations. So I am definately going to look into classroom blogging - it is something which I believe could really be put to good use in art and design!

So tomorrow I have my crit class again, last period! I'v had a good old think about my approach to tomorrows lesson, and will no doubt have some more thoughts about it this evening. Tomorrow will be the last period before I see them for the crit, so tomorrow I'm going to have to re-establish my expectations. I asked if I could re-arrange the desk arrangement in the classroom and the teacher actually suggested moving them into another room - a bigger one with windows!! This means I can organise groupings etc and there will be less opportunity to moan about the heat etc!! I also realise I was trying to cram too much into my lesson last week - so tomoro I am going to slow down the pace and really concentrate on classroom managment (something which iI havent really had a problem with until now.)

Right I'v rambled enough! Hope everyone else is doing well... cant believe we have less than two weeks left!!

p.s my apd assignment!! Argh!! I have 1000 words done and it is going so badly!! Im writing about my powerpoint thing.... mmmm!!