User:Vneal

Year 2009-2010 Learning Stories: Absences were still a big problem, in fact, two students completly dropped out of school, not because of our class, in fact I think they stayed longer because of our class; but because of personal issues. What a shame, they had such potential. I taught this class along with Angie and I wish that I had been more proactive in realizing what I needed to tell her instead of waiting on her to ask. We both learned a great deal from this experience. Goal 1 for next year- Be more rigid in the beginning about following the course schedule and posting their progress on the wikis. Goal 2 - Expect more from the games and focus on certain areas for the games. No superficial games. Goal 3- USe former students to help teach the others in the class. Goal 4 - Have students do their grades.

Year 2008-09 Learning Stories:
Frustrations: One of the biggest problems was absences, especially towards the end of the year with some of the Seniors. This is not a problem with Gobaloria however, but with high school in general. The other was with not knowing enough about Adobe Flash to begin with when the class began. After the training in January however, with our "Bunny Defender" game we were able to really begin flying with the Action Script programing. Rewards, Ah-ah moments, etc.: In the middle of class one day a student did not know that I could hear what he was saying. (this is the student who likes to fool around a lot!) He turned to his team partner and said, "You know, this is really cool to see how it is all coming together. We've worked really hard on all these different parts, but now we get to see how it comes together, Cool." Probably the most gratifying time was the day of the presentations when Team Chereena gave their presentations. These two girls are the type that don't speak up unless absolutly necessary. To see them very confidently step up and do a fantastic job on presenting their games, speaking of what problems they had and how they solved them, was a jaw dropping moment. The growth in their self confidence was simply amazing and the defining moment for me as a teacher.

Look at this link to see the students' games: Greenbrier West Game Page
Note: The first game, Tabcco Trivia, was completed in less than 2 weeks by a student whose partners were absent so much that she just did a game on her own. The Team Chereena's game presentation used video of an interview with her 5 year old niece to validate the learning taking place with their game.

Vicky L. Neal
As a teacher, I see myself as a facilitator. My goal is to present new materials in ways that inspire students to experiment and learn as they create individual and team projects. I want the students to be the driving force behind their own learning; to see that it is acceptable to sometimes fail on the initial attempt but to keep trying. I allow the students to see that I also sometimes fail at new techniques but I persevere until I come up with a workable solution.

• School you represent:Greenbrier West High School
• Role in Globaloria program at your school: Teacher
• Favorite food(s): Seafood
• Favorite music: Eclectic
• Place in the world you'd most like to visit: The Louvre, Paris, France
• Hobbies and things you like to do outside of school: Painting, Sculpting and Home Improvment projects
• Educational or Social issue(s) you are passionate about: Creating students that are socially responsible and lifelong learners.
• Favorite technology 'gadget' and why: Avid Editing Suite
• Describe when you started using computers: When they became economically feasible for our family to have a home computer; 20 years?
• Describe what you like to do on the internet: Find information, keep in touch with family and friends.
• In what ways have you used computers in your teaching, previously? To convey images and information, to explore as a class (using a data projector)and for students to individually research, assemble information and create projects for presentation to others for their learning.

• What do you hope to achieve in Globaloria this year, personally? To learn new and innovative techniques to motivate student learning
• What do you hope for your students to achieve in Globaloria this year?‎ To be self-motivated learners that can work individually or in a team

Blog:Mrs. Neal's Blog