TWT Turns 1!!

I am late... well beyond late. This is a very belated blogoversary celebration but I wanted to have time to celebrate with you and well... It took me a while but I have so much fun planned for all of you!

For the next week... I will be sharing with you some of my favorite bloggers, giving away some amazing products, memberships, and even some flash freebies! 7 Days of fun!!

To start the week of with a blast... grab the button below and share the celebration with your followers.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.thinkwonderteach.com" title="Think, Wonder ,& Teach"><img src="http://thinkwonderteach.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Blogoversary-Button.png" alt="Think, Wonder ,& Teach" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Have you all met my BFF Lorrea?? She has been my partner-in-crime for over a decade. We met when I was homeschooling my oldest who at the time was only a toddler. My computer died and I had not clue what to do. I was a HUGE emotional mess as I was also extremely pregnant with son #2. She dropped everything and ran over to my house to fix the thing. We have been inseparable since as have our children.

Isn't she beautiful? She is not only an amazing friend but she has a heart of gold and is extremely talented. We fit each other perfectly as my strengths are her weaknesses and her weaknesses are her strengths. Plus everyone seems to think we look alike. She started her own company a few years ago and just hired me on to keep her organized.

Cuz you know... It's not like my life isn't busy and hectic already! But who could resist getting a chance to work with their BFF?? Not me that is for certain! So of course I said yes!! And then I talked her into joining me over at Honey Bunch Blog Design as she is an amazingly talented programmer.

So... why am I sharing all of this with you during my blog celebration?? This is why...

She made me a present as I am almost done with Graduate School. Isn't it amazing!?

I was considering creating an online portfolio so that way I could use it on my resume. She combined everything into one spot and in essence created me the most beautiful portfolio ever.

Oh and she made the new logo with the help of Andi at Irrational arts who create a swirly tree for me that I am obsessed with. There are two different versions a black/red one and a white/red one. Did ya notice? I LOVE it!

To find me... all you have to do is go to thinkwonderteach.com! There... you can see this beautiful page. Each one of those pictures is a portal into my world... my blog, my classroom, and can you believe it a store!

My own store! She took every product I have ever made and turned it into a workbook graphics. And put it on the store shelves! She is still working on it as I have 80 products (yep some you have never even seen before) that she is fixing up. She also created my blogversary button to match. See why I love her so much??

Okay... so Lorrea made me a present to celebrate but she also has one for you as well! She is giving away an annual membership to Technology-Adventures! This is where she shares how she does all the incredible things she does like creating my portfolio site.

This is only the first giveaway of many and you will want to see what else I have in store for you. I am so excited! Winners will be announced for all giveaways on April 3rd!

Reading Strategies & the return of my portfolio

Okay, okay... I know I said I was done writing about my portfolio but I had so many great comments and ideas that I had to continue on and share another tip I learned. So I will no longer say... this is the last post as I am stuck with this thing forever and so it will just have to become my BFF and yours.

Back to the portfolio idea in a minute...

A few months back I ran across a great idea on Pinterest and it took some doing but I finally found the amazing teacher who created this:

In case you are unfamiliar with the Beanie Baby Word Attack or Reading Strategies method... this is it! It is nine ways to help a student get unstuck. Now I know, I deal with upper elementary and these are made for those just learning to read BUT all of us get stuck from time to time.

This is especially useful for our ELL and ESS students.

I have been loving the idea of  8 1/2 x 11 size posters. They are normal paper size and take up so much less space! I bought a cookbook stand and plan on having these on it in the reading area. Easy to reference and flip through. If everyone is struggling then I will simply post in on our focus board that week.

So with my mad paint and publisher skills I made the plain posters turn into this:

And now they match my class and coordinate beautifully!! Ms. Gleadall from Under the Alphabet Tree also created a letter home to parents and bookmarks that coordinate with this set. I decided not to change these as they are fine just how they are. I am going to add these to my packets to go home on the first day of school.

Wanna know the best part... they are all free!!!

You HAVE to stop by and see all the
amazing things she is doing.

You can also stop by my TpT or TN to get a free copy of my version. I recently read an updated post from Jessica where she used the originals on scrapbook paper. This is what my mentor teacher did after I used them with the fifth graders. She loved them!

Just don't tell the fifth graders that they are based off of beany babies or made for the younger grades. Even my eighth grader likes them as they are animals. Shhh! Don't giveaway my secret!

So back to the portfolio...

I was reading through the comments and other people's post on portfolios when a question struck out at me and brilliance occurred. Okay... maybe not brilliance per-say but a good idea. The question was "How do you as a teacher make a difference?" or "How are you a leader among teachers?" ... there is even a similar question on the national boards.

I was also asked it in my interview. "How will you improve the lives of your colleagues?" Pretty big question and seeing how it keeps popping up, I thought I would need to address it. So I thought...

and thought... 

and thought... 

and started to feel like Winnie-the-Pooh

And that is when I had my AH-HA moment!

Through my blog, TpT, and TN, I am networking with teachers around the globe. Not only that but the sales of my items and the massive amounts of freebies I have created that have been downloaded are proof of my skills as an instructor! 

By networking with all of you,
I become a better teacher! 

As so many of you have said, blogging is the best from of Professional Development!! Thank you to each and everyone of you who comment, blog, and share your ideas and inspirations!

This is a page from my portfolio, I hope you can see it clearly enough. 

Anyone notice the cute stationary that
matches my portfolio perfectly??

Yep... I had custom stationary made to match!

I am not OCD or perhaps I am in denial!

I have created similar pages for most of the items in my store. Some of the items I have grouped together (for example, all of the calendar items) onto one page. I have saved this as a format for my lesson plan section of my portfolio. 

In the frame you can see all the pages in this and then underneath it has information on how I use this in a classroom, how I can meet the needs of ESS and ELL students using this item, how I can differentiate instruction, and I also notated that this is an item I created based off of networking with other teachers and have created my own version available in my store as a means of further networking. 

I sent this page (my first one) to my certification advisor and mentor teacher. Both approved and love. I need to add pictures of my lesson plans in action but will add a second page to this for consistency purposes.

Portfolio Organization: Part 2

So to continue on from my post about a month ago..... What do I keep in this top-secret portfolio of mine? What do you keep in yours? And why is it such a secret? Why can't I find pictures and examples of such a thing on the internet? Everything is on the internet... I demand portfolio examples to be included! Okay... no one is probably listening to my demands... so here is what is in mine.

Section 1: Resume
I call this the "resume section" but it is actually the introduction to my portfolio. The "title page" for this section is a professional picture of me with my name underneath. Behind that is my resume. Nothing to exciting in here. I just have the tab to make it easy to find. I also have 3 copies of my resume stuffed in here. That way if someone wants a copy I can simply pull it from here. Plus since it is in the page protector it is guaranteed to stay clean and wrinkle free.

Section 2: Philosophy
The "title page" of this section is actually a table of contents (I use this same format for all the tabs going forward). This has my philosophy of education and educational goals list. Again, a very small section, the tab is just there to make it easy to locate. Since there is not much to include on the title page, some pictures showing your philosophy in action would be a great addition! A friend of mine recommended creating a list of your favorite techniques/professional resources.

Section 3: Classroom Management
Title Page/Table of Contents (again!). This has a picture of the classroom behavior management used (ie clip charts, cards, sticks, hearts, what ever it is that you use) and an explanation of how it is used in class. A picture of rewards associated with it and how they are used. Include sample behavior journal or other reflections for misbehavior. List of classroom rules or classroom ABCs - whichever you are using. A copy of the letter of expectations sent out to parents at the beginning of the year. A copy of a letter inviting parents to volunter and participate in their child's education.

Section 4: Classroom Design
Title Page/Table of Contents (again!). Include pictures of classroom with explanation of areas in the room. Show organization of classroom with explanations. Pictures of bulletin boards you are most proud of and explanations.

Section 5: Lesson Plans
Title Page/Table of Contents (again!). Include at 1-2 examples per subject. Include pictures of students at work, worksheets, and student work samples. Make sure you blur out students faces and get permission to use their work samples and photographs. You may want to use card stock to separate the subjects in this area. I am seriously contemplating this idea. You also need to include a copy of lesson plans: your weekly overview of lesson plans, detailed  (if you use them!), and assessments. Information on how you keep all of this information organized would be helpful to include as well.

Section 6: Parent Communication:
Title Page/Table of Contents (again!). Your introduction letter should appear here. This will include a brief backgroud of you for your parents and students to get to know you. Include a printout of PowerPoint slides from Open House. Newsletters. Homework Help you provide. Positive communication sample and a request for assistance with a misbehaving student.

Section 7: Certification & Education:
Title Page/Table of Contents (again!). National Teacher Cert. State Teacher Cert. Sub Cert. Endorsements. Master Transcripts. Bachelors Transcripts. I have official copies of both in mine. Fingerprint Clearance. CPR/First Aid Cert. Then I have completed a template for each one of my classes. I will add to this if I take any other classes in the future (Workshops are under professional development, this is for only activities earning me college credits, certs, or endorsements).

Section 8: Evaluations
Title Page/Table of Contents (again!). I would keep the last 2-3 years of evaluations as well as any awards earned in this section. Pictures of you receiving an award would be great! The rest of my evaluations, I would keep in another binder specifically for that purpose.

Section 9: References
Title Page/Table of Contents (again!).  You will need lots of different types of references. Start collecting them early. Collect them from your professors and mentor teachers. Ask friends and family to write you personal references. Include references from parents and students. Include thank you notes for a job well done. Pick the best of your references and store them in this section. The rest of my references I keep in a binder sorted by year (future blog post).

Section 10: Professional Development
Title Page/Table of Contents (again!). In this section I list all the volunteer work I have done in my children's classrooms. Field trips attended, bullentin boards created, parties I helped with, etc. I have my membership information for Professional Associations here. A list of professional reading that I have completed that was not part of a course I took and of course any professional development classes I took for work, workshops attended, and the induction program I participated in.

The end! 

I have created a portfolio package for you! Head on over to my store for a checklist of things to include along with my custom designed stationary, my professional picture page, a table of contents page, a philosophy page, and my course template.

So now that you have had a chance to take a peek into my portfolio - what is in your portfolio? How often do you update it and/or add to it?

Portfolio Organization: Part 1

Is anyone even interested in the portfolio information? I know that when I started this project, I searched and searched and rarely came across any good information on the subject so I decided to create my own information to share with all of you.

There is A LOT of information that goes inside a portfolio. It is a record of your teaching career. It is designed initially to be shared with potential employers but then can later be used in the review process. It should not be something that is put away once you have completed school. It is an ongoing tool. It should be sitting on a shelf in your classroom right now.

There are a lot of different ways to organize your portfolio. The preferred method currently is to organize them according to standards: either your state standards or national standards of your choosing as long as they fit within the scope of the position you are applying for/teaching. I just have one small issue with this.... how are you suppose to write the standard on a tab???

 Umm... Yea... I am pretty sure I cannot fit the standard onto one of these tabs! So I came up with my own method that makes sense to me but I made sure that each standard is somehow addressed within the pages of my portfolio. I used the dividers pictured above.  I {heart} them as I can create custom dividers or in my case table of contents for each section. I printed out the labels in red ink to match my binder and custom stationary. These are the exact same size and look just like my page protectors which gives my portfolio a nice streamlined look to it. They are perfect!

I have 10 sections in my portfolio. In another post I will share with you what I have in each section. Remember, this is an ongoing process and not created in one day! I add things continously to this binder. Kind of like I do my blog!

1 ~ Resume
2 ~ Philosophy
3 ~ Classroom Management
4 ~ Classroom Design
5 ~ Lesson Plans
6 ~ Parent Communication
7 ~ Certification & Education
8 ~ Evaluations
9 ~ References
10 ~ Professional Development

My e-folio is broken up into different sections as mandated by the university I am attending. I have a cover page, a certification page, a page for me to add whatever I want, and a page for each class I am taking.

So there you have it... a breakdown of how I have organized my portfolio. How did you organize your portfolio?

YOUR SHOPPING LIST:
~ 2 Packages of Dividers (5 Tabs)
~ Page Protectors

Charting a course...

I have no idea what to call this post but this just came to me. We are talking about creating a form to record course work. I use a chart to do so... hence charting a course {giggle!}.

In a previous post, we started discussing the importance of the portfolio and my process to create this book. As I work through each of my courses, I add information to it. One of the things that was highly recommended was to complete an information sheet for every course I take. It was further recommended to complete one of these for each course I took after my certification as well.

This is the template I created for each course. I included in this sample what I fill each section in with. If you would like a copy of this, it is a word document. Please leave me a comment with your email address and I will send it to you. Please note this has a 2.3" margin at the top of the page due to my custom stationary.

UPDATE: This is currently available at TpT as part of my portfolio kit. 

This same format can be used for workshops and any other professional development you complete. I am hearing more and more from my teacher friends that they truly wish they continued to develop their portfolios once they were in the classroom. However, with all the other things to do... this is last on the list. I too would put it at the bottom of the list if not for the groans of complaints I have been hearing. As the world of education continues to evolve and teachers are being held to higher standards, more and more administrators are asking for portfolios as proof of meeting these standards. They are being used during observations and performance reviews.

What are you doing to ensure that you are ahead of the latest expectations?

Teaching Portfolio

One of the first things you are told about as a student is the need to create a professional portfolio and the importance of staying organized and updating it with every class and every experience you have.

I am also told that many districts are now using them for performance reviews. There are two options available to current professionals: electronic or traditional portfolios. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Some districts or schools prefer one over the other.

For me, I simply decided to do both to satisfy whomever I meet in the future.

My university requires a completed electronic portfolio as a graduation requirement. Their choice of provider:

After countless hours of researching, I finally decided to create a custom binder at Zazzle. Zazzle is another one of those great finds that create custom products for a fair price and you receive it quickly.

I paid about $15 for my binder with free shipping and it arrived in about 2 weeks. Look for special offers online.

I love how it turned out. It is a 2-inch binder with two pockets inside. I used my classroom colors that I had chosen previously so that it will all tie nicely together.

The next thing I did was to create a title page (which I still need to add a professional picture of me to) and stationary. I used scrapbook paper to design these items them took them to a print shop to have high-quality/resolution copies made.

I am using page protectors to keep the pages neat and clean. Look for future blogs for information on organizing your portfolio, my template for classroom reflections, and items to include. I am still building mine so this will be an ongoing process. My TaskStream Portfolio is an electronic reflection of this project.

YOUR SHOPPING LIST:
~ 1 Custom Binder from Zazzle
~ 1 Black scrapbook paper
~ 1 White scrapbook paper
~ 1 Red scrapbook paper
~ 1 Black & White polka-dot scrapbook paper
~ Red glitter letters
~ Top-loading page protectors
~ TaskStream Account