Nikki+Dagot



Hello! My name is Nikki Dagot and I am from Orlando, FL. I am currently a Senior at Clemson University. I am an Early Childhood Education Major and I would like to be either a kindergarten or first grade teacher! I absolutely love children and I can't wait to impact their lives. Knowing that I can make a positive difference on these children's lives means the world to me. Outside of school, I enjoy going camping, swimming, and being outside. The beach is one of my favorite places to be because I love swimming in the ocean. Football season is the best time of year at Clemson University because I love the school spirit and I am so glad that I go to school in South Carolina!

=Nikki Dagot's PLN=




 * Pinterest:** This blog allows individuals to organize and share interesting things that they find on the web. Many different categories are provided in Pinterest, but I use it mostly for educational topics that capture my interest. There are pictures on Pinterest of creative ways to decorate the classroom, innovative activities to do with the students, and even pictures of how to make fun worksheets. Pinterest is somewhat of a new blog and it is capturing everyone's attention around the world. The amount of educational information offered on this website is endless!


 * Kindergarten Crayons:** This blog was created by a kindergarten teacher, Fran Kramer. She has taught kindergarten for 25 years and also is certified in Special Education. Her blog consists of potential activities other teachers can use and information about possible give-a-ways other teachers can receive. Under each activity she posts on the blog, there is a row titled, "You might also like", which are books and other activities that go along with the ones that she has posted. Her blog has received many awards, such as the Top 50 Early Education Blog Award, the Top 10 Award, and the 2011 Really Good Classroom Blog Contest Winner Award (presented by The Teacher's Lounge and A Really Good Stuff Blog).


 * A Place Called Kindergarten:** This blog was created by a kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Bell. Her blog consists of photographs of artifacts, lessons, favorite pieces of literature, and work done by her students. She also has a page on her blog that links to her friends blogs, such as "The Inspired Apple". This blog site has received four awards: the Top 50 Early Education Blog, the Kindergarten Midwest Region Top Blog, the Blog Frog Award, and the Top 10 Award!

After viewing many teaching blogs on the Internet, I have realized that there are many resources on the web offered for teachers! It's amazing how much information I can find on how to make exciting worksheets and materials, fun activities, creative ways to set up the classroom, etc. I also have realized that lesson plans, materials, and ideas are being added to the Internet everyday. Before this assignment, I didn't exactly know where to look for dependable resources, but now I do. I will definitely use these PLN's to my advantage not only while student teaching, but also when I am a teacher and have my very own classroom! I am interested in creating a teaching blog of my own in the future to express what worked in my classroom and what did not to help out my fellow teachers who are browsing the Internet for new and creative ideas.

=Blabberize- "Happy Dog"=

http://www.out-and-about-with-your-dog.com/funny_dog_poems.html http://blog.timesunion.com/holistichealth/files/2011/03/pug-smiling.jpg
 * Source for poem:**
 * Source for picture:**

media type="custom" key="10792332"

This Blabberize widget is a great tool to implement in a classroom for the children because it satisfies not only multiple ELA Standards, but also, some of the Guiding Principles for the state of South Carolina. The following Guiding Principles correlate with this assignment:

Blabberize allows children to practice their listening skills while listening to other peoples poems. They also can practice their speaking skills while creating their own poems/songs. The website, Blabberize, makes use of the Internet. The children can find appropriate poems and illustrations to go along with the poems online and record themselves saying the poem. This activity makes learning about literacy fun and exciting, along with engaging the children. This activity will help children learn and understand where to locate appropriate information.
 * Guiding Principle 5:** //Oral language and expression is foundational to literacy learning and development.//
 * Guiding Principle 8:** //An effective English language arts curriculum utilizes all forms of media to prepare students to live in an information-rich society.//
 * Guiding Principle 9:** //An effective English language arts curriculum emphasizes informational text that is relevant to our increasingly complex and technological world.//

The Blabberize activity correlates to the ELA Standards as well because the children will learn how to comprehend text, their knowledge of vocabulary will increase, they will learn how to organize their work, they will create work for a variety of purposes, and the children will learn how to find information using multiple sources. Hearing poetry is a great pneumonic strategy for children. Reading the words that go along with certain poems is a great way to build upon their comprehension skills.