About Me

To the viewers of this blog, my name is Hannah Knapp. I am currently in my fifth year at Grand Valley State University, and teacher assisting at West Godwin Elementary, in a first grade classroom. If you hadn't guessed by me teaching first graders, I am an elementary education major, with an emphasis in math. I am originally from Rochester, which is on the east side of the state, however when I graduate I plan on leaving Michigan and heading south. I also got back from a semester abroad in London in May, and had the time of my life. While "studying" there I traveled to Ireland, Scotland, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Bamberg (Germany), Munich and many different locations throughout Southern UK. Outside of the classroom I also love to do anything that involves being active. I recently have picked up running and have ran three half marathons, however I was a competitive swimmer for 12 years, two in which included the varsity swim team here at Grand Valley. I was also a member of Phi Mu fraternity, which last year helped raised over 30,000 dollars for Children's Miracle Network Hospital.
Throughout my childhood, technology became more and more apparent in the classroom. I remember having some computers in elementary school, and when I got to high school we had to go to the library to use the computer. Also, in high school my teachers started to receive smart boards, however would mostly use white boards and handouts for instruction and activities. While teacher assisting I have noticed that most, if not all, classrooms have smart boards and use them efficiently. My teacher has many videos and tasks that the students use the smart board for throughout a good portion of their day. In my future classroom, I would love to use a smart board if one is given to me at my school. I think the use of videos to help students learn is great. The videos that my CT uses include dancing and singing, therefore my students sing along and learn in a more engaging way. I also love the idea of having a classroom website. My CT and all the other first grade teachers at West Godwin have a weebly that the students, parents and all the teachers can log onto to view information about the teachers, lessons, and view videos for learning. Finally, my CT uses a site called "plan book" which I fully intend on using when I become a teacher. This site helps you plan out your entire year and move things around with ease if need be. Then I can either print it out and move things on paper throughout the day, or I can use my computer and move things while the students are working. This way I know exactly what needs to be done throughout my day.
I hope you have learned something about me, and I would love to answer any questions if you have them! Thank you :)

Here is a (really blurry and I don't know why) video of me about to go on a run!

Use of Blogging in Classrooms

Throughout the last couple years of my college career, blogging has become more and more popular. At least one class a semester has a requirement of making a blog and posting/commenting throughout the week. I think this is a great tool for those who can fully read and write (elementary and middle school). Being an elementary education major, I think it would be hard to have students blog in the classroom. However, I think that as an elementary teacher it would be really useful to have a blog to share ideas and lesson plans. Collaboration is a large part of teaching, therefore having a blog and communicating with other teachers that may not be in your building could be very beneficial. If I were to ever work in a middle/high school classroom, I think that blogging could be very useful. Blogging offers a wide variety of sources the students could incorporate such as pictures, videos and hyperlinks. Although Word also has these features, being able to throw your ideas out to the world, instead of having them on paper makes receiving feedback much easier. Not only would classmates and teachers see a students blog, but other viewers on the internet as well that could offer inside to the blog post. I also believe that blogs have more personality to them, than writing a paper. Students can express themselves in a blog rather than having to follow certain MLA directions. Overall, I believe the use of blogs in a classroom, or for classroom ideas are very beneficial to both students and teachers. I will most definitely be using blogs in my future classrooms.

School Through the Eyes of Lizzie McGuire

Growing up I watched all sorts of shows, but my favorite would have had to been Lizzie McGuire. While I may not have known what it was like in middle and high school back in the early 2000's, I can see some of the classroom routines through what Lizzie and her friends encounter in the show.

Lizzie grew up in a middle class home with her mom, dad and brother, Matt. Like all siblings Matt and Lizzie fight most of the time, but love each other just the same. She has two best friends, Gordo and Miranda, whom help her get by in school. The three friends are not the most popular kids in school and they are reminded of that everyday by the queen of popular, Kate. Kate and her friends, make fun of and distract Lizzie from her everyday learning in almost every episode Although Lizzie may not be the most popular girl in school, she is an average students and holds straight B's even with the constant irritation of Kate. She even tutors her crush, Ethan, in many subjects considering Ethan is not the brightest. Outside of school, Lizzie loves to do gymnastics and hang out with her two best friends. Below are some clips of Lizzie in and outside of school.

^(start at 23:58 and watch until 24:40). This is an example of Lizzie being made fun of before class even starts for hanging out with a seventh grader.

^(Watch until :30). This is an example of Lizzie being a B students, but wanting to have better grades and do well in school.

^(Watch until 1:30). This is a clip of Lizzie competing in a rhythmic gymnastics competition.

As you can see, Lizzie is a smart girl and an average student who just gets picked on in school, and fights with her brother at home, which causes a distraction. If I were Lizzie's teacher some things I would do in my class would be a lot of independent work. Therefore, there is not an opportunity to talk or have Lizzie get made fun of. I would also use technologies such as the clickers to answer questions. This way Lizzie and other students who are embarrassed to answer questions, could answer freely without being afraid of being picked on for having the wrong answer. Finally, I would have hands on tasks since Lizzie likes to be active outside of school. Doing hands on actives are a good way for students to learn information in a fun way.

Overall, since Lizzie is still in middle school throughout all the of the seasons, I would not say she is "college ready." However, she is high school ready for sure and if she keeps up her hard work, there is no doubt she would be ready for college when it was graduation time.

You can all learn more about Lizzie and her friends by clicking here :)