APA Format for Reference Page - Hanging Indent

I am sitting here working on this dreadful Literature Review for my third class at Lamar.  (This is three out of 12.  At least when this one is done I will be a fourth of the way done!)

I am "less than happy" at the moment.  This is too much work for one 5 week class.  We are having to not only write long posts on the discussion board and type up responses, we have a bunch of assignments.  Each one of these assignments should have been a different class if they really wanted quality work.

We are having to do a proposal letter, a literature review with 3 subtitles and 10-12 resources, an implementation outline, (as if this was really going to happen), a video, yes..... I said video, and a final blog post to summarize.  TOO MUCH to say the least!  There is no way this class was designed for "working adults".

I am glad to know that everyone that I have talked to in the class is very unhappy, overwhelmed, and stressed as well.  Look out survey, you are going to get an ear full this time from a lot of people!

Okay - back to my point.  I finally figured out how to make the references the right way and thought I should write it down so I would remember if I need to know again later.

Put your mouse cursor next to the resource you need to format or highlight all of them at the same time, if you have more than one.

THEN........

You click on FORMAT at the top.
Then click on "Align and indent".
Then click on "indentation options".

THEN.....
under "Special" it will probably say "none", so change it to "Hanging".  

Then your References will be in the APA Format with the second (and all other lines) indented. 

YOUR WELCOME!  :)

Discussion 4 - Want to Innovate?

            I think that I am flexible.  I am always changing things when things don’t work out.  I am willing to adapt and do things differently than I have done in the past.  I am always going to professional development and wanting to learn and implement the latest and greatest ideas.  I am always looking for new ideas and make changes accordingly.

I am not sure that all departments of my school district are willing to be so flexible. Some of the administrations don't understand or want to understand the need for change in the right directions.  Some of them want to change things, just to say they changed things. They aren’t willing to make the necessary adjustments that really work. They aren’t finding out from the sources (teachers in the classroom) what really needs to be done.  Some people, once they leave the classroom, aren’t really in touch with what is happening in the real world (in the classrooms) and aren’t in touch with what students really need these days. It is very frustrating to the teachers, the ones that are doing all the work, that people aren’t really interested in what we have to say about what is happening, they just sit in the offices making decisions without regards to our thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

I am very committed to the kids and letting them use technology.  Now that I am teaching pre-k (wasn’t my choice), I have to be a little more cautious when rolling out the technology.  Most of them “play” on their parents phones, yet they aren’t really using technology as a learning tool. We have slowly implemented technology in our classroom this year.  We are doing things slowly and I am making extra sure they are using it correctly. (We have to very careful when rolling out technology because these four year old are ruthless.  Sorry, but it’s true. Most of them don’t know how to play properly, and seem to not know or what to know how to use materials properly. Recently one student was in the dramatic play center and was banging one of the baby dolls on the “stove” like a hammer.  Needless to say we had to have a conversation about the proper way to play.)

I think that my colleagues want to use technology, but they really don’t understand it themselves.  They want to do things for the kids, but they can’t take the time to learn it first. The pressure that we all are under, doesn’t allow us to take time to slow down and learn things ourselves.  Even though most of the teachers will go to training, they learn something new at the moment, but aren’t given the time to implement the things they learn into their class. Administration is breathing down our necks and don’t realize that if they slacked off a bit, teachers would be less stressed and could do a better job and the students would benefit more.

I really try to provide a great learning environment for the students that offer choice, ownership, voice, through authentic projects.  Due to the requirements and the structure that the pre-k department provides us, sometimes it is a difficult task. There are certain ways they want things done, a certain requirement, a distinct way they want us to reach a goal.  When we are given set limits on what we can do and how to do them, it is difficult to provide freedom to the students. Again, I think sometimes administration is more interested in asserting their authority over classroom teachers, rather than allowing them the flexibility to do things that are best for the students.  If the teachers were given more freedom to accomplish the goals and the state requirements the way they see is best for their class, I believe that students would learn more. I like that Dr. Jean tells teachers, “Close your door!” Sometimes you just have to do that and do what’s best for the students.

Discussion 3 - Progressive Education

I like what John Dewey said, “The world is moving at a tremendous rate.  No one knows where. We must prepare our children not for the world of the past, not for our world, but for their world, the world of the future!”  We have to prepare the students for jobs that haven’t been invented, prepare them for changes that haven’t happened, for technology that hasn’t been invented.  We have to teach these students about the ever changing real world.

In the video it mentioned about a one room schoolhouse.  My grandmother and grandfather were teachers long time ago…. Probably in the late 20’s.  My grandmother had the lower grades and my grandfather had the upper grades and coached the sports. The room was small and sometimes where were only one or two students in a grade level.  They were in a small town area and so they didn’t need a large school.

I remember doing some hands-on activities in kindergarten, but not too many after that. I remember Ms. Conley loving to cook so whenever she could, she had us cooking things.  I think she did most of the work, but we “helped” by stirring etc. I remember making Christmas ornaments that were salt, flour, and water (I think) and my mom kept those for many many years, until they basically fell apart.

One other activity that comes to mind was a macrame pot holder we made in fifth grade.  My mom bought the necessary items and we learned how to do it at school. The teacher showed us how and we were able to work on it when we finished our work.  It inspired most of us to focus and finish our work so that we could work on this project. It was lots of fun and we sat in a group and were able to be creative.  I remember mine was blue and had butterfly accents. My mom loved it. She loved plants and had a bunch on our back patio. She hung this up and put one of her plants in it.  She kept it there for many many years, until the weather caused it to deteriorate.

One phrase they used in the video was “learning by doing”.  This is what we are doing in Pre-K. They are learning by doing the activities, hands-on engagement.  We have different centers in our classroom. They are math, writing, construction (Legos), technology, creativity, dramatic play, alphabet, library and sometimes “floor” which is usually a puzzle.  Each center has different activities and they are learning by doing. I wish that all grade levels would do this kind of thing.

In order for students to learn by doing, they have to be invested in what they are doing.  I took a boring Biology class in high school. Of course we had to dissect a frog. Luckily I had a boy partner who was okay with touching the yucky frog.  I wrote the reports. I knew right then that I didn't want to touch things so that eliminated several career choices for me. I have been on many job interviews in my life and none of them have asked me if I knew how to dissect a frog and none of them have asked me to actually do it.

I know why teachers don’t have more centers, because administration doesn’t always see the value of hands-on activities.  They are so blinded by the test, getting ready for the test, the test, the test, the test… they “can’t see the forest for the trees” so to speak.  If other grades are doing money in math, why can’t they have a “store” and pretend to buy and sell things? Look at how many other skills they would be working on while doing their “math lesson”.  I think that teachers would be willing to step out of the box more, if administration were always “breathing down our necks.” They are always nitpicking on things.

We now have “power walks” in our district.  (The coaches go to all day trainings on these things.)  Any “coach” can come in at any time and see if you are in the "power zone", doing critical writing, having purposeful talk, if your lesson is “framed” and on the board, and doing recognize and reinforce.  They claim that it is a “snapshot” but it’s really not. It is a “gotcha” most of the time. They “collect data” and then have these little “talks” with you about what you did and what you didn’t do. Teachers are scared to do anything out of the norm, scared to be creative, and scared to venture off at all because someone will say something.  They are so worried about “staying on schedule”. To me real teaching is those moments when you get side-tracked when a students asks a questions that takes you down a different path and you need to spend a few minutes venturing down that path. This is when students become invested into an idea or thought. This is when students start to develop a true interest in what is happening in the classroom.

Teachers hands are tied when they try to do new things in the classroom.  The teachers that do want to change aren’t always allowed to make changes.  It is exhausting to fight a battle that you know that you aren’t going to win.  People talk about wanting to make changes, but they aren’t making them in the right way.  Just buying technology isn’t going to help. We have to know what to do and how to do it. We (classroom teachers) have to be given the freedom to make a change, take a chance, and given opportunity to show the results.  It seems like administrators wan things right now and sometimes “right now” isn’t how things happen.