England #3

London! A great city with thousands of years of history and I only have 2 days to see it all! Well I must first say that I did not see it all. I didn't even get to see everything I wanted to see, but I saw a lot so that's a good start.
The first day in London, my dad, brother and me walked around London and saw the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, etc. What amazes me is that this has all been around for hundreds to thousands of years. Westminster Abbey was first built in like 800 AD and it is still standing today! It's crazy to say the least! Both St. Paul's and Westminster were eyeopening. The architecture really shows that the people who built it really put their hearts and souls into what they did. Religion really meant a lot to the British back in medieval times and even up into the modern era.
The most interesting thing about London is that it is a blend of ancient and modern culture all mixed into one city. You'll see modern office buildings sitting next to sites that have been around for hundred of years. The culture of London is very mixed too. I saw a lot of Arabs, Chinese, Caucasians, Blacks, and many more. There were so many different languages spoken all around you, even in the Tube (aka the subway) or on the bus.
Technology is an interesting part of London too. Everyone around you seems to have a Blackberry or at least a phone and many have Kindle or Nooks. I didn't see too many people on laptops in my travels, but I'm sure they use their Blackberries for that. But something that was interesting in my travels was Internet is available in most places, but it is spotty at the same time. In smaller towns like Exeter and Mildenhall or Lakenheath they have Internet access in the hotels or in your own room for free. But in London, we would have had to pay for Internet and it wasn't available in our room. Makes you miss the USA where you can get on pretty much anywhere and everywhere.
Time to try and find a way home to good old Utah! I hope to be seeing my cohorts and teachers very soon!

England #2

We went to see Conwy Castle in Wales. It was built in the 1100's by Edward I and is the most complete castle that's still standing. The architecture was amazing! There were big towers with narrow passageways and ruins of the royal apartments. The chapel was very beautiful in the fact that it was intact. It was very simple in terms of the fact that there wasn't amazing carvings or anything. But you could see out the window into the harbor. And yesterday we drove around Summerset and saw areas that my ancestors had been in. I could almost see myself stepping into their time period in these small villages they lived in.
The next couple days we will be travelling around the country doing more family research before we will be in London. I'm so excited to go to London and see all the sites there. I want to see the Albert and Victoria Museum as well as the Crown Jewels, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, etc. Stay tuned for more!

PDP My Beliefs

I believe that technology is an asset to us as long as it is used correctly. The internet can provide instant and accurate access to information from all over the world and that is a wonderful thing! Students can communicate with others from the other side of the world and that is a great thing for out students.
I want to be a teacher who allows my students to use technology and to learn from my students. My students are more likely to be more tech savvy than myself. I, as a teacher, need to be comfortable enough with my self esteem that I can realize my students can teach me things and that I don't know everything about the world. I want to use technology as a tool to help my students become interested in what they are learning and to allow my students some flexibility in studying what they want to study.
The idea I had for using technology is allowing them to make a YouTube video about their favorite person in history or on a person or event we may be studying in the unit we are studying. I hope that I can keep up with the spirit of discovery and use that to guide my teaching and in making me the best kind of teacher that I can be.

PDP Lessons Learned

I learned a lot based off reading the articles I read (since videos and surveys wouldn't open). I learned that students really do perform better with technology. For me, technology sometimes is more trouble than it's worth and I get more frustration out of it and don't learn as much, but students that I will be teaching are a little more tech saavy and really like technology.
I learned there are plenty of ways to integrate technology in the classroom. You can create webquests, class websites, class acts, use polls and social networks, etc. I also learned it doesn't have to be fancy technology for students to enjoy it. Creating assignments where they can explore or solve real world problems is really what students are looking for.
The concern I have is when is there too much technology in the classroom? Some students are not tech saavy and they may feel a bit out of place in a highly technical classroom. I also worry about distractions in the classroom that come from the technology that is provided.

PDP Strengths and Weaknesses

Because of some technical difficulties in England I wasn't able to pull up the UNI survey, but based off of the NET standards, I would say that my strengths are as follows:
I have introductory knowledge of technology.
I am a lifelong learner (I always say that you learn new things everyday).
I try and choose technology to enhance my lessons and peak the interest of my students and address a variety of learning styles.

My weaknesses are:
I don't have any idea how to use technology in terms of assessments.
I don't really understand the ethics and legal practice of technology (other than cite your sources in papers).
I don't really know what they mean by looking for sustainable technology.

My goals are to learn more about using technology in the classroom besides doing videos in class. I would like to learn how to assess student learning with technology. I would also like to learn more about running a website for my classroom that will suit my needs.
The following website has a lot of workshops on assessments and having a web presence which would help me on my website.

http://www.larkin.net.au/026_web_presence.html

This article has a lot of great ideas of technology use in the classroom that I would like to use in my classroom.

http://www.edutopia.org/martin-behrman-charter-school-technology

Field Experience #3

Wow field experience has flown by! Can't believe this is the last week we will be there. I had the time of my life and I really don't want to go back to college. I really am starting to get attached to these 5th graders and I've only been there 3 weeks. It's insane really!
So this week we taught our social studies lessons again. Technology cooperated with us this week (cue the angel choir singing!). But I found that my videos took a little too much time and I kinda left Loryn in a lurch with hers even though I cut a few videos out. We did a diamante poem for the kids and wanted them to perform some for our 2nd drama activity, but we ran out of time for them to read them in front of the class.
Science went well too. I taught a lesson on chemical reactions and the students went to different stations to try mixing different chemicals. Some of my students didn't understand one of my worksheets, so I brought the class together and explained it. Took me 2 days to get through my science lesson, but I felt like I got them to understand chemical reactions really well and do what I wanted them to with the worksheets. I realized it's better to take 2 days to do something rather than cram it into one and they don't get what you need them to get.
Now I'm off to England to enjoy the sights there. Most of my field papers are in or will be in shortly and I'm very excited! Thanks to the teachers who helped me get here and worked with me to make this happen!

Field Experience Post #2

This week Loryn and myself did our first lesson on Patrick Henry and Benedict Arnold. A lot of our technology wasn't working (neither the Digital Story nor my Powerpoint would open up. So we had to do a lot of improvising and being flexible with the schedule. I ended up using a reader that projected my printed slides on the projector. Loryn's part with Patrick Henry went really well and she was super flexible with making things work. At the end of the lesson we did Decision Alley, which didn't work as well as I wanted it to. I don't think they fully got the concept of what they are supposed to do. Also, it was right at the very end of the lesson and there wasn't very much time to do it. So I think that contributed to it not working as well as I wanted.
We also taught our first science lessons which went really well. The students worked with chemical reactions. The first day, they mixed baking soda, calcium chloride and phenol red solution. This caused a heat reaction as well as a release of gas. The next day, the students had to figure out, using their own experiments, what chemical caused the heat to happen. They found out through the experiments that it was the calcium chloride that was causing the heat.
This coming week, we are teaching Patrick Henry and Benedict Arnold with a drama insert from the Diamante poem and we will be doing some more experiments with chemical reactions in science. Stay tuned!

Field Experience #1

Our first week of field flew by pretty quickly for me and Loryn. We've been working hard to try and make our lessons work the way we wanted to. We learned that we would only do 2 social studies lessons and 3 science lessons. That kinda freaked us out a little bit, but then we decided to just roll with it and make it work. So we got some materials from our teachers and we observed the students and helped where we could around the classroom.
We corrected tests, pulled staples out of a wall(lots of fun) and helped keep the students on task. I worked with a student who scored low on their math test. It was really cool to do that on the spot. It was kinda trial and error to see what worked to make this kid get the concepts of division. But by the end, he was doing it without my help and it was really amazing to see! So far field has been an awesome experience!

Vidcast

Podcast Series:
Renaissance (vidcast)

Core Curriculum:
Renaissance:
Social Studies 6th grade
Standard 2
Students will understand the transformation of cultures during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and the impact of this transformation on modern times.

We thought that this vidcast would be a good introduction to a unit on the Renaissance. It would introduce children to the important people who shaped the world and made landmark changes that we still feel today. We just wanted to give students a good idea of what we would be learning in our unit.

INTASC standards that connect to our vidcast:
Standard 2
C. Design and articulate instruction aligned with Utah Core Curriculum standards.

NETS standards:
3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:
a. demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations
c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats

Drawbacks to this assignment:
I would like to work on this vidcast a lot more to make it work better, but that would take more than the time allotted to make happen. I would also like to ask students about what figures might interesting to them so I could tailor it more to their interests instead of what I think is interesting to me.

Future plans for this series:
As stated before, I would like to perfect this vidcast a lot more. I would also tailor a lot more of my video to my students interests rather than just what I found interesting for me.

Vid Casting

This week we started throwing around ideas for a vid cast that is due in a couple of weeks. We kinda decided to do one on the Renaissance, but hadn't gotten any farther than that. We talked a lot in class about how to use vid casts possibly in a classroom. I really look forward to using and learning more about vid casts as I work on it further.

Podcasting

Today we experimented with Podcasting. We did it with a public service announcement. Me and Lori chose to do it on cyberbulling. I had a ton of fun with it. We were laughing and had tons of fun writing the script and recording it. I mean we seriously had to try it at least 15 times to get it right.
I would like to use this now to help me possibly with homework for teachers. If they are willing to allow me to record them, then possibly on the days that I'm gone, I can listen to their lectures on my iPod. That would be so totally awesome!
When I become a teacher, for certain subjects (This really wouldn't work well with math), I could record and podcast my lectures so that my students would know what I talked about during class and be able to listen and keep on top of their homework.

EDEL 3250 Google part 2

This week we worked on building a Google site. I have to say that it was a lot of work! Most of it was a review from 2200, but it was nice that we went over it step by step in class. I really think if I worked at it, I could probably get comfortable working with a class website.
I really don't see myself running a website at this current point in time considering my schedule, but it's good practice for when I am ready to start working on my very own real class website. It really works well for me to learn now when I have Doc Waters to help me if I get stuck rather than being frustrated on my own with no one to help me.
Once I become a teacher, I could really see myself using a class website in one form or another. It would be helpful to my students and parents. Students and parents can check announcements related to the class, get missed assignments, etc.

EDEL 3250 Google Part 1

This week we started learning about google, specifically gmail and google docs. I was already somewhat familiar with gmail since I already have an account. I really like it a lot better than the rest of the email accounts because it has a lot more features. But what I really loved learning about this week was google docs! Our entire cohort is using them all the time now.
We're using them on most of our assignments already and we just barely learned about them! Our entire cohort made a contact list and a calendar for our classes in google docs that we share with the whole cohort. Google docs is completely amazing.
I plan on definitely using this a lot in the future. Google docs really promotes collaboration with colleagues and other students. It's a perfect medium for papers that need that. I really look forward to using this in my professional life.

EDEL 3250 Week 1 Educational Hero

I have had many heroes in my long journey through the American Education System lol. But since Doc Waters would like me not to write a dissertation I will focus on one or maybe two.
My big hero that I can think of is my high school English teacher Mrs. Lee. She was complete opposite from me in nearly every way, but I loved her confidence and her ability to question EVERYTHING and I mean everything. She taught me that it was really okay to question. She even let me question her, which was a big no-no for me underneath (you wouldn't know it if you know me, but it's true). She became one of my best friends and I really want to allow my students to question me (in a good way of course). I want them to trust me and I want to have enough trust in myself to allow my students to ask me questions about what I believe.

Resources

www.uvu.edu/csse
UVU’s job board and student employment services.
www.bridges.com
Site ID: 1020676
Password: uvsc123
Explore careers, education and money outlook to help with career decisions
www.linkedin.com
A networking site that you can use to network with others in companies or similar interests
http://www.uvu.edu/csse/students/resources/resumes.html
CSSE’s page for helping with resumes
http://www.landfood.ubc.ca/careerfair/students.html
Useful information about attending career fairs and elevator speeches

Final Reflection

When I first went into this class, I thought I had made my decision with my major and I found that I was still unsure even after being admitted to the Education Program. I wasn’t sure I had made the right choice. This class helped me think of all the possibilities and consider other options that might fit my interests. Also through this class and my Introduction to Education class, I found that I really enjoy the idea of teaching and I feel that with time, I can grow into the role of a teacher.
Also through this class, I found that maybe there are other options I can pursue if I find somewhere down the road that teaching isn’t for me or that teaching elementary school kids isn’t for me. I found that I could go to school to be a librarian or maybe a school counselor. I could even go and get a Master’s or PhD and teach college classes. So I feel much better knowing that there are other options I can choose if this one I have chosen doesn’t work out for one reason or another.
I really found the Informational Interview, Job Shadowing and Networking to be extremely helpful to me. I really think the Informational Interview and Job Shadowing go hand in hand. I talked to the same person when I job shadowing and I found so much insight from her. She gave me such good advice and guidance to help me know what was coming in the program and what it really took to be a teacher when you are just starting out after college. Networking was also very helpful, because I have a hard time with networking. I don’t like asking people for jobs and using them just for my careers sake. But I found if I talk to family members or friends, then it is much easier to network and get the information I need, rather than speaking to a complete stranger who doesn’t even know me or my circumstances.
My plans for the future are to finish the Education Program and while in my last year of school, I will be doing an internship or student teaching. My hope is to get hired at the school I student taught at or interned at. If not, then I will build my network and start using it to look for jobs. I will also gather the necessary materials for a classroom of my own and consider looking into Master’s degree programs for a couple years down the road when I get more established as a teacher. I also want to move out of my parent’s house and start my own life as an independent adult and I hope by the time I finish my schooling, I will have the tools and the confidence to start shaping a life that is completely my own.

Revised Action Plan

Fall 2010
• Take required classes for the first semester of professional program.
• Begin thinking about where to do student teaching for next year, research elementary schools.
• Research possible internships and see if I can do that instead of my student teaching.
• Start thinking about what grade I want to teach for student teaching.
Spring 2011
• Take required classes for second semester of professional program.
• Decide which elementary school I want to do student teaching at or have found an internship that I wish to apply for.
• Decide what grade I would like to teach for student teaching.
Fall 2011
• Take required classes for third semester of professional program.
• Begin networking at the elementary school I want to do my student teaching at and begin to prepare for student teaching/internship.
• Begin gathering necessary materials for me to teach in a classroom.
• Start researching what schools are hiring and prepare a resume for interviews after graduation.
Spring 2012
• Take required classes for fourth semester of professional program.
• Do student teaching/internship.
• Have necessary materials needed to start my own classroom once I graduate.
• Begin applying at the schools that are hiring teachers and use networks to help me find a job.

Decision making model

To make this easier for me to explain, I will put my decision making model into the context of how I decided to be an elementary school teacher, so please bear with me.
1. I looked at what was most important to me and what kind of things I enjoyed. I started making goals of how long I wanted to be in school.
I decided that having a stable and secure job where I can help people was a good place to start.
2. I start researching various careers basing my search off of classes I liked and excelled at.
I started looking at fields like history, psychology, pharmacy, education, etc.
3. I listed the pros and cons of the careers I found interesting. I also took several assessments and continued taking classes in the subjects I liked.
I really narrowed it down to education and psychology by this point, though I did love history as a hobby.
4. After logically evaulating my choices and doing job shadowing and talking with other people. I listened to my heart (super cheezy I know, but it's true). I listened to my feelings and went with what I felt would make me the most happy.
That is generally the model I follow on most if not all of my decisions, not just school, but in life as well.

Goal Sheet

Short term goals
1. I will turn in all my assignments for the Program early or on time as well as be at least 10 minutes early to my first class.
2. I will study at least 30 minutes a day, for the 3 days before a major test.
3. I will get at least a 3.0 GPA in my classes for the Fall Semester.
Mid-range goals
1. When I graduate in Spring 2012, I would like to apply for a job to become an Elementary School Teacher with Alpine School District within 6 months of graduation.
2. By 2017, I would like to start looking into applying for a Master’s Degree at either UVU or BYU.
3. During my years in the Elementary Education program (Fall 2010-Spring 2012), I will expand my network by at least 5 people.

Job Shadow

Kathleen Robinson
Shelley Elementary, American Fork
1. What made you decide to be a teacher?
a. I really liked teaching and when I was a child I would teach my friends or even my dolls. I liked to play school all the time so it naturally made sense for me to want to be a teacher. As I got older, I taught in primary and found I really liked teaching children, so I choose to go back to school and become a teacher.
2. How do you deal with students who are disruptive or have bad behavior?
a. Try to find out what could be causing them to act this way. Of course, if needed you take disciplinary action as needed to correct the bad behavior, but if you if out why the child may be acting this way, then you can prevent it from happening again.
3. How do you actually plan out all your lessons? There is so much to cover in the state core and I’m not sure how to cram in all in and make sure the students learn it.
a. I have a team of teachers that help me do that. We try and teach the same subject matter at the same time so all the students are learning the same things at the same time. It really helps when you have a team to help you plan all that out. And also to help the students learn, I would suggest group work. It allows the students to learn from each other and teach each other which will help the students learn better.
4. You’re class is so well behaved, how did you get them to do that?
a. I simply got them into a routine. Then they know what to do and how I want it to be done. It takes a whole year to get that down pat and you are seeing the results. The first month of school was the worst because all I did was correct bad behavior and try to keep the students on task. They were testing my boundaries and I just made sure to stay firm on the rules I had laid down.
5. Do you get good benefits and security from this job as well as the sense of satisfaction?
a. Alpine School District is pretty good with benefits. Their health insurance plans are one of the best in the state. That’s why I wanted this job so badly when I applied for it. When I was applying for this job, it was a lot easier to get and keep then yours will be because the economy was better. But hopefully by the time you graduate, the economy will be stable again and you will find a job fairly easily.
6. What educational requirements did you have to get to be a teacher like you are now?
a. I went to school at UVU and got a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. It helps that UVU’s program has a lot of observation hours to do, so I felt very prepared to be a teacher by the time I got out.
7. What do you do with your students in the morning to help them get set for the day? Mornings seem to be the worst for elementary school children.
a. I have them start reading a book as soon as they come in. Once everyone has arrived for class then we have morning meeting. We sit in a circle and introduce ourselves and say something nice about someone in the circle. This teaches children to complement each other and to listen as others are talking. Then children who want to share what is going on in their lives can do so. This helps the students unload and get out the things they need to say before I start teaching them. It really helps them focus better when they have talked about what they want to talk about before class officially begins.
8. How was your first year of teaching? I’ve heard it’s really hard until you get tenure at year 3.
a. My first year was pretty hard. I stayed after school until 7 or 8 every night working on lessons or other odds and ends. It was really hard to start everything from scratch and try to make everything work nicely. I didn’t have my team of teachers like I do now so that made it much harder to do everything as smoothly.
My impression of the job is that it is very hard, but seems very rewarding. Teachers work hard to help their students succeed. I had a very good time observing in a school because it helped me get a look at what a classroom is supposed to run. I wish I could have done it at the beginning of the year to see how they teach actual curriculum, but at least I got an idea of what being a teacher was like towards the end of the year. You have to be very flexible and willing to work with things. I really feel like this may be a career I want to pursue. It seems so rewarding and you get to see kids learn and grow, which I would really like, since I like helping people and I look for work I care about.

STAR Stories

1. Give an example of what teamwork means to you.
When I am working at my job in a pharmacy, it is critical that we work as a team to accomplish the task of getting a prescription filled for a patient and making sure it is billed properly. When a patient presents a prescription to us, one of us has to go and talk to the customer and gather the necessary information. Sometimes the person at the drop off counter is busy, another person on the team will go and pick up the slack and talk to the customer.
Once we get the necessary information, the person who is entering the prescription begins to enter the necessary information. Another team member may help out by counting the medication, answer phone calls, helping customers, or answering any questions that the data entry person may have. They may even make calls to the insurance if another pressing problem comes up that the data entry worker needs to take care of. By doing all these things, we support each other as a team and encourage working as a team.
2. Give me an example of a major challenge that you faced, and how you went about addressing the problem, and how it turned out.
When I was in high school, I participated in the marching band. We had to memorize our music and pass it off to section leaders and staff members in order to march in the show. I had a hard time memorizing music, as well as I had a major case of nerves when I was passing it off.
I choose to take the approach of working on the music at my pace, when I had a spare second in band class or after practice. I worked on it until I could do it with the music and then I would start trying it without it.
To help me with nerves, I would pick a section leader that I trusted and have them work with me to get through doing the music. I also explained that I was nervous and they helped me by working through my nerves while I was passing off. The result was that I got all my music passed off that year and was able to participate in the show.
3. Describe a past goal and how you achieved it.
I believe the previous example with my experience in marching band is a perfect example. I had a hard time with the music and the nerves of passing it off. I worked through it by practicing and then talking to section leader I trusted and had them work with me one on one to make sure I could do it. The results were that I passed off the music and could perform in the show.

Resume and Cover letter

Cover letter
Mr. Ken Brown, Pharmacy Manager
I am applying for the position of a Pharmacy Technician at your store. I feel that I am highly qualified for this position and will serve Rite Aid’s current needs in that position.
I have been working as a Pharmacy Technician for 3 years. I am Nationally Licensed through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and am licensed with the state of Utah through the Department of Professional Licensing (DOPL). I have worked in several work settings and have a lot of experience in retail pharmacy that would be beneficial to your company. I work well with others and will be a great asset to the pharmacy team.
I have enclosed a copy of my resume for you to read as well as a list of references. I would like to meet with you as soon as possible to further discuss the position in question. My phone number is included on the resume. Thank you very much for your time and interest in me as a possible candidate for the position.

Sincerely,
Heidi Hutchinson

Resume
Pharmacy Technician
Work experience [05/08-Current] Rite Aid Pharmacy Orem, Utah
Pharmacy Technician
 Gained additional experience in filling prescriptions, computer processing, worked with doctors and insurance companies, and customer service.
[09/07-04/02/08] Wal-Mart Pharmacy South Jordan, Utah
Pharmacy Technician
 Gained experience in filling prescriptions, computer processing, worked with doctors and insurance companies, and customer service.
[6/6/06-9/07] Arctic Circle Restaurant Lehi, Utah
Cashier
 Gained experience there in customer service, how to use a cash register, sanitary and cleaning practices, and working on a team with others.

Education [8/2007-Current] Utah Valley University Orem, Utah
 Studying General Education for the last two years. Currently has an associate’s degree and is working towards a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Expected to graduate Spring 2012.
[9/2004-5/31/2007] American Fork High School American Fork, Utah
 Graduated in May 2007. Have taken several Advanced Placement and honors classes as well as several college classes.
[9/2006-5/2007] Attended Mountainland Applied Technology College. Graduated from the Pharmacy Technician Program. Passed the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board Exam. Obtained State License from Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing.
Extracurricular activities Participated in the American Fork Marching Band from 2004-2007. Learned the value of hard work and how to work as a team.
References Ken Brown:
Rite Aid Pharmacy
774 South State Street
801-426-6650

Michael Jepson
Wal-Mart Pharmacy
3706 West 9800 South
801-282-5732

Jesse Kyte
Arctic Circle Restaurants
35 E. Main Street
801-768-4679

Find an Internship

http://jobview.monster.com/GetJob.aspx?jobid=89463633&source=jswidget
Amity-Teaching English to School Children in Japan
http://jobview.monster.com/GetJob.aspx?jobid=88743693&source=jswidget
Ivy League Tutoring Connections Inc.-tutoring kids at all grade levels
https://www.myinterfase.com/uvu/job.aspx
TEFL International-Teaching Abroad
https://www.myinterfase.com/uvu/job.aspx
Elko Institute for Academic Achievement-Teachers K, 5th, 6th.

Internship Group Project

Paul,
Thank you so much for seeking our help in your career search. The following are recommendations that we suggest taking in order to achieve success:
 Take some of the career tests at your local college. Discuss with a counselor his options in conjunction with his interests and needs. We suggest discussing related fields to Theatre with a counselor so that they can use his interests and needs to find a career that will fit with his major.
 We suggest that Paul may want to look into going into a technical college. Since he has already almost gotten his degree in Theatre and wants to pursue that as a hobby, he may want to consider getting a certificate in a skill so that he can support his family, but not have to go back to school for another degree.
 Paul should begin looking for an internship through his local college before he graduates so that he can possibly find a related field to his major and have some work experience before he graduates.
 To help Paul find a job that suits his interest, we recommend that Paul begin networking with individuals that he knows such as teachers and advisors in his major, fellow actors and students in his program, friends, family, etc. This will allow Paul a chance to get a vast network and build a foundation that he can use when looking for a job or internship.
 Finally we recommend that Paul be proactive in his career decision. We suggest that he discuss his options and research them carefully. Look into companies that he may be interested in working for and do an internship for that company. If he uses his network that he has built up and follows the recommendations listed here, then he will be successful in his chosen career.
As we discussed in our initial consultation, we researched a few possibilities of jobs that fit the requirements specified. They are:
 SCERA Theatre internship
o UV Job Board-https://www.myinterfase.com/uvu/job.aspx
 Assistant Buyer (Marketing)
o UV Job Board-https://www.myinterfase.com/uvu/job.aspx

If Paul follows these recommendations, we as a department, feel that he will succeed in his quest for a successful career.
Group 6 Counseling Department
Heidi Hutchinson

Elevator Speech

Hi! My name is Heidi Hutchinson. I am currently majoring in Elementary Education and will graduate in the Spring of 2012 with my bachelor's degree. I have had many field hours of experience in classrooms and will have the skills necessary to run a classroom effectively. I currently work as a Pharmacy Technician which has given me the skills of working with people and solving difficult problems which will prove useful when I deal with problems in the classroom, whether they be with parents or teachers.
I want to be able to teach children the skills they need to succeed in life as future members of society.
I would probably use this in an interview or possibly at a job fair to explain who I am and what skills I have to draw on. I haven't had a chance to practice this yet, but I will post again and tell about what happend with practicing it.

Tempting 10

Education-Elementary School Teacher, Special Education Teacher, Librarian, University Professor, Speech Pathologist, School Counselor, School Administrator.
Creative Arts-Writer, Artist, Musician, Screen Writer, Editor, Photographer, Broadcast Journalist.

WebQuest Research

WebQuest research paper
Speech Pathologist
Works with people who are hearing impaired including administering hearing tests, preparing and conducting plans to help clients with speech and hearing problems.
They also work to fine tune hearing aids and cochlear implants so that they can help their clients.
They may also advise educators or other professionals on hearing and speech problems.
Most professionals in the field get a master’s degree in speech pathology. More than 230 colleges and universities in the United States offered graduate programs in speech pathology.
Licensing in most states requires that you take a national examination through the Praxis series. Other requirements may vary including clinical experience of 300-375 hours or 9 months of post graduate experience.
In Utah, the starting salary for Speech Pathologists is $36,890. Experienced Speech Pathologists earn $84, 530. Outlook is supposed to increase by 31% around the state.
In the U.S., the outlook looks stable and it is supposed to increase by 10.6% overall. The majority of Speech Pathologists work in elementary or secondary schools.
Skills needed are you need to be good at reading comprehension, writing, speaking, critical thinking and active learning.
Related Occupations are Audiologist and Voice Pathologist.
The personality types that fit this career are INFJ, ENFP, ENTP, and ENFJ.
Librarian
Compiles lists of books, periodicals, articles and audio-visual materials on particular subjects.
Searches standard reference materials in order to answer patrons' questions.
Helps patrons to search for information in databases.
A Masters in Library Sciences (MLS) is encouraged for this career, though school librarians may not have to get a MLS. They will be subject to licensing requirements for their particular state.
A PhD in library sciences may be required for teaching or administration positions at a large university or if the librarian is supervising a large library.
In Utah, the starting annual salary for librarians is $27,000. An experienced librarian can earn $70,950. The outlook is stable and is expected to grow about 17%.
In the U.S., the outlook looks stable and is expected to increase 3.6%. Most librarians work in schools or local government. The most opportunities are to be in schools where librarians are picked from among the teaching staff.
The skills needed for this career are reading comprehension, writing, active listening, speaking, critical thinking, and active learning.
Some related occupations are Acquisitions Librarian, Children’s Librarian, Library Director, and Audiovisual Librarian.
The typical personality types for this occupation are INFJ, INFP, INTJ, and ENTJ.
University Professor
Develops teaching materials.
Prepares and gives examinations.
Grades examinations and papers.
Prepares and delivers lectures to students.
Directs the research of graduate students working for advanced academic degrees.
Conducts research, and publishes findings in professional journals.
For most colleges and universities, a doctorate or PhD is required for full time teaching positions with tenure.
Teachers may be hired if they have a master’s degree for certain fields like the arts or if they are just temporary or part time teachers.
At 2 year institutions, most teachers have a master’s degree, but if hiring is competitive, then the school is most likely to hire someone with a PhD.
For University Professors in Utah, the starting wage is around $28,130, though it varies between disciplines. The wage for an experienced professor is around $124,780.
The outlook for the U.S. is very good. It is expected to grow around 32.2% as professors retire and enrollment numbers increase. Most of these positions opening up will be part time positions.
In order to be successful as a professor, the following skills are needed: reading comprehension, learning strategies, writing, speaking, and critical thinking.
Some careers related to this one are teaching in different specialties like nursing, engineering, history, the arts, computers, etc. There are also positions in administration when the professor is a little further along in their career.

Informational Interview

1. What made you decide to be a teacher?
a. I really liked teaching and when I was a child I would teach my friends or even my dolls. I liked to play school all the time so it naturally made sense for me to want to be a teacher. As I got older, I taught in primary and found I really liked teaching children, so I choose to go back to school and become a teacher.
2. How do you deal with students who are disruptive or have bad behavior?
a. Try to find out what could be causing them to act this way. Of course, if needed you take disciplinary action as needed to correct the bad behavior, but if you if out why the child may be acting this way, then you can prevent it from happening again.
3. How do you actually plan out all your lessons? There is so much to cover in the state core and I’m not sure how to cram in all in and make sure the students learn it.
a. I have a team of teachers that help me do that. We try and teach the same subject matter at the same time so all the students are learning the same things at the same time. It really helps when you have a team to help you plan all that out. And also to help the students learn, I would suggest group work. It allows the students to learn from each other and teach each other which will help the students learn better.
4. You’re class is so well behaved, how did you get them to do that?
a. I simply got them into a routine. Then they know what to do and how I want it to be done. It takes a whole year to get that down pat and you are seeing the results. The first month of school was the worst because all I did was correct bad behavior and try to keep the students on task. They were testing my boundaries and I just made sure to stay firm on the rules I had laid down.
5. Do you get good benefits and security from this job as well as the sense of satisfaction?
a. Alpine School District is pretty good with benefits. Their health insurance plans are one of the best in the state. That’s why I wanted this job so badly when I applied for it. When I was applying for this job, it was a lot easier to get and keep then yours will be because the economy was better. But hopefully by the time you graduate, the economy will be stable again and you will find a job fairly easily.
6. What educational requirements did you have to get to be a teacher like you are now?
a. I went to school at UVU and got a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. It helps that UVU’s program has a lot of observation hours to do, so I felt very prepared to be a teacher by the time I got out.
7. What do you do with your students in the morning to help them get set for the day? Mornings seem to be the worst for elementary school children.
a. I have them start reading a book as soon as they come in. Once everyone has arrived for class then we have morning meeting. We sit in a circle and introduce ourselves and say something nice about someone in the circle. This teaches children to complement each other and to listen as others are talking. Then children who want to share what is going on in their lives can do so. This helps the students unload and get out the things they need to say before I start teaching them. It really helps them focus better when they have talked about what they want to talk about before class officially begins.
8. How was your first year of teaching? I’ve heard it’s really hard until you get tenure at year 3.
a. My first year was pretty hard. I stayed after school until 7 or 8 every night working on lessons or other odds and ends. It was really hard to start everything from scratch and try to make everything work nicely. I didn’t have my team of teachers like I do now so that made it much harder to do everything as smoothly.
I really enjoyed talking to Kathleen and she taught me a lot. She gave me a good look into what it was going to be like to be a teacher that was just starting out. She also gave me good insight into UVU’s Education program which is what I am scheduled to be in. I really felt comfortable talking to her, even though I had just met her to do some observation hours. I liked how she didn’t seem bothered by my questions even though we had just met. I was so excited to meet someone who knew something about the field and was willing to talk about it.

SWOT Analysis

I did my SWOT Analysis on my major (Elementary Education).

Strengths
• I like that I already have taken a lot of the classes needed to graduate.
• The classes seem interesting.
• I believe this degree will prepare me to be a teacher and give me the tools I need to be successful.
• The classes that look the most interesting to me are Elementary Social Studies methods and the Creative Arts Methods.
• It will take me 37 more credit hours to graduate or approx. 2 years according to the Education Department.
Weaknesses
• What I like least about this major is the workload once you are in the major. The maximum amount of credits I have ever taken is 13 and I nearly lost my mind. The program has between 14-16 credit workloads every semester.
• I also don’t like how my classes are chosen for me. I like to take things I am interested in as well as required classes.
• Most students in the program work part time and some ever work full time so that works really well. I just got accepted into the 8-12 cohort, which works perfectly with my schedule.
Opportunities
• This major has a lot of field experience hours. So I believe I will be prepared for what the real job is like. There won’t be too many surprises once I enter the workforce.
• It will open doors that will allow me to become an elementary education teacher. I can’t get into a school and really teach without this degree.
• I hope to learn how to effectively teach and manage a classroom. I also want to learn what I can do to help kids learn to succeed.
• There are a lot of mentors in the program that will help me out. Supposedly teachers in the program become like your family and when you are doing your student teaching then you are assigned a mentor teacher to take care of you.

Threats
• Financing an education could become complicated if my parents don’t help me finance it. I don’t qualify for scholarships or grants at the moment and I don’t want to take out loans if I can help it.
• Finding time to work, study, go to school and have a life could be a problem for me. The first semester which I start in the fall is 16 credits which is way more than I am used to.
• There are not so much family issues as personal issues that this major could cause. I don’t really date and don’t have a social life. So it’s hard to think of having one when I am taking 16 credits and working at the same time.

Assessments

I went and took the Myers-Briggs and Strong Interest Inventory and here are the results according to the sheet my teacher wanted us to use.
MBTI Report

1. List your reported type. (Example: ESTJ)
INFP
2. According to your report, what are some of the characteristics that best describe your personality type?
I have a lot of warmth but don’t show it until I know a person really well. I tend to recharge my batteries by myself rather than in a big group. I use my heart and intuition to make decisions.
3. Refer to the list of the 50 most popular occupations page or go to http://www.careervoyages.gov/top50occupations-main.cfm Read the list of occupations, circle the ones that you would like to explore, and list them below.
Speech Pathologist, Librarian, University Professor, School Counselor.

4. How do you believe the occupations you have chosen to explore fit with your personality preferences? Explain how these occupations allow you to work in your preferred work environment.
Some of these professions allow me to work one on one with students without burning out since I am not extroverted. All these careers help me to work in an environment that has a purpose that is bigger than a paycheck. I get to do a combination of working in a team and by myself, which is perfect for me.


SII Report

1. List your general occupational theme code. (Example EAS)
SA
2. List your 5 Basic Interests Scales and determine what type of interest they represent from the following: vocational, educational, leisure activities, personal interest. (Examples might include: religion-personal interest, teaching-leisure, healthcare-vocational)
Teaching & Education-vocational, Counseling and Helping-educational, Writing and Mass Communication-personal interest, Medical Science-vocational, Culinary Arts-personal interest.
3. Refer to pages 5, 6, and 7 of your SII profile. Look at all the occupational scales you scored highest in (generally 40 or above), or that have a combination of your theme code. List the occupations from the scales that you might like to research.
Speech Pathologist, Special Education Teacher, Foreign Language Teacher, Elementary School Teacher, College Instructor, Social Worker, Musician, Librarian, Translator, Artist, Photographer, University Professor, Psychologist.
4. For the following questions refer to Personal Style Scales on page 8 of your SII profile.

A. Look at your “Work Style” rating. What does your score suggest to you in relation to the occupations you listed above?
I think it fits well with these careers. It says I prefer a balance of working alone and working with people, which makes sense with the careers that were listed.



B. Look at your “Learning Environment” rating. How do the educational requirements of the occupations you listed fit with your interest to pursue additional training?
That fits really well too. It says that I like to learn from books and a lecture, which means it won’t be a problem for me to get a Master’s or PhD which may be needed for some of these careers. And I am pretty sure I will be going back for graduate school at some point anyway,

C. Look at your “Leadership Style” rating. How do these occupations fit your personal style?
I think that could work with these careers. Some require more of a leadership role, but most can be done by leading by example which is my preferred method of leadership. I think a lot of these don’t require a ton of leadership in terms of being a leader over a large group of people.

D. Look at your “Risk Taking/Adventure” rating. Explain how the occupations do or do not match your risk taking style.
They work really well. Most of these careers are very safe and secure. They don’t require a ton of risk taking.


5. What college majors are suggested for your theme code that you find interesting?
Counseling, Elementary Education, Family Studies, Hearing and Speech, Home Economics, Creative Writing, Occupational Therapy, Secondary Education, Special Education, Women’s Studies.

6. Of your top 10 occupations, list 3 you are most interested in and the educational
preparation required for each.
Speech Pathologist-MA or PhD in Speech Pathology
Librarian-Master’s degree in Library science
University Professor-PhD

Transferable Skills Letter

In my experience as a college student, I learned that multi-tasking was key to achieving my goals of graduating. I had to learn how to juggle multiple demands on my time including, but not limited to, a demanding schedule in the Education Program at UVU, working as a pharmacy technician, and my family/church duties. By being able to learn how to meet the demands of these activities, I have learned that it is possible to find balance in life as well as in the workplace.
I also learned that having an optimistic attitude can really make one’s educational and workplace environment a better place. I suffered a few stumbling blocks on my road to a college education. For a long time I couldn’t decide what major I wanted to pursue and because of that, my grades slipped for a little while. But once I found what I wanted to do, I used my optimistic attitude to overcome obstacles that came along in pursuing and getting into the Education Program at UVU. I didn’t let the daunting task of taking the Praxis exam, group interviews, or any of the other requirements to get into the program get me down. I focused on what I had accomplished and the abilities I had that would help me achieve my goals.
In my position as a pharmacy technician, I have learned the skill of working with different kinds of people and how to meet their needs, as well as dealing with problems when they arise. In my job, I work with many different kinds of people. Some people are very driven and know exactly what they want done. Others are willing to work with you and are patient. As such, my job requires I learn to work with these different people and learn to help them meet their specific needs. Sometimes you have customers who are very upset because their insurance company will not cover a medication or they may have high co-pays because of a deductible. I have learned to calmly explain to the patients what is going on and help them look for a solution to the problem. I have also learned that if you tell patients what is happening as soon as it happens, it makes it easier to work with them rather than waiting to tell them exactly what is going on.
As a future teacher, I believe all these skills are very important in the career. I believe that through my experiences of college and my current job, I will make a very effective teacher.

Skills Assessment

3 skills I enjoy:
1. Being optimistic
2. Teaching someone how to succeed
3. Being friendly towards my coworkers

3 skills I perform well:
1. Being optimistic
2. Working as a team
3. Being dependable on the job

3 skills I would like to develop
1. Organization
2. Time management
3. Self motivation

My top couple occupations that came up were School Administrators, School Psychologists, etc, which is kinda where I am going with my elementary education degree. I hadn't really thought a ton about administration and it might be something to consider after I have been teaching for a while.
I'm working hard to try and develop the skills I'm having a hard time with. I have found that once I find something I'm passionate about, I can be a self starter, but when I don't really care about the task that I have been given then it is very hard for me to keep motivated. I'm hoping that some of my classes coming up in my major will teach me some effective ways to organize things like lesson plans and how to run a classroom but have it be organized. Not really sure what to do with Time management because I really get distracted quite easily and so it's hard for me to focus on one task and manage it effectively.

Mission Statement

This is what I wrote for my personal Values (aka things I like to do) and I really think it works well as a mission statement for me. They are:

1. Read and Write
2. Playing Computer and Video games
3. Talk to friends
4. Cooking
5. Shopping

I think the values in these activities reflect creativity and interpersonal connections.
These values are very important in a career, but there are other things that are of more value like security and stability.

My mission statement kinda ties in with my top 10 values. I really value family and friends, stability and security, as well as work that is meaningful.

Top 10 Values

I started getting back into the blog thing for my new Career and Major explorations course. I'm taking it to make sure that I really want to be an Elementary School Teacher like I say I want to be. So here goes:

Top 10 Values

1. Security-I need to be a job that is secure. I don’t want to be looking for a new job all the time. That’s very hard on a family.
2. Stability-I really strongly want a job that has stable work all year. I don’t want to be in construction where it is really only a seasonal job.
3. Benefits-You never know if I will get married or if my husband’s job will have benefits. I really think they are really important especially for a family.
4. Respects My Values-If my job doesn’t respect my values and me as a person then I can’t imagine myself staying with the job very long.
5. Helping People-I really like helping people and making their lives easier. I like having people smile.
6. Close to family-I am really close with my family and I don’t think I could move out of state just to take a job.
7. Satisfaction with my job-I really want to be satisfied with my work. If I don’t think that it’s important and contributing to the better good, then I don’t really see a point in doing that job.
8. Flexible work hours-I want to be able to have a family and be a mother as well as a member of the work force. That means I really need flexible hours to make that happen.
9. Allows a Balance in life-I really need to be able to balance a home, work, church and other things in my life. I really don’t want work to seriously interfere with that.
10. Fun Work Environment-If you don’t have fun at your job, then it’s really miserable.
Many of these values will determine what kind of job I get and where it is located. I really don’t think this list will change a whole lot considering I think this list is pretty reasonable.