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Pecha Kucha – Nicole Gross

A Walk Through A Slide: I decided to choose this picture because it shows the reality of anonymous online bullying. This image is from a website called Formspring. I, like most people, have had accounts askwith Formspring and many other social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. They are just addicting to be on.

This picture fit in perfectly with my narrative because throughout the whole narrative, bullying and cyberbullying were the main topics. In this particular picture, cyberbullying is occurring because people are saying mean things such as “you are fat”, “do you try to look ugly or do you always look like that?” and “they would never like you”, which are all hurtful comments. For this slide in my pecha kucha presentation, Kevin Kelly acknowledged how social media would expand beyond what they originally thought. Formspring really took over in 2006-2010. This was not like any other social media website like Facebook or Twitter. This was just anonymous comments from people. I chose Kevin Kelly’s article, We Are the Web because it made me think of the various amounts of social media websites there actually are. When I think social media, I think Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The more social media, the more cyberbullying occurs.

I felt as if this picture fit in perfectly with my slides because it shows a real life example of cyberbullying. I think this picture stood out to most people because of the hurtful comments that people do make and can relate to it, even if it hasn’t happened to them. This picture builds on my argument by giving proof. Anyone can say things like “I hate you” or “go away” but those are different. Cyberbullying has to go a little deeper and has to impact a person. For example, in the picture the second response says, “I try to look pretty but…” which shows it has impacted this person’s confidence. Overall, I’m very glad I found this picture because I think it helped describe and prove our point about how bullying and cyberbullying affect people.

If I were to change one thing, I would have changed the order in which we discussed things. For example, I think Facebook should have been included and the first topic of discussion since it is one of the biggest social media cites with a lot of bullying.

What I learned about my blog topic: My blog topic was future teachers of America. I thought this was a very fitting topic for my group since we are all aspiring to become teachers. I have been learning all about the teaching process throughout my years in college, whether at Rowan or another school. I felt as if this was an easy topic to relate anything to because we are always learning new things.

Each article in the readings, I was able to relate to the topic of teaching. For example, Bolter’s article and the Memex article. Bolter’s article was about the technology in writing so I related it to teaching writing in the classroom multiple ways. For the memex article, I was able to compare how technology helps our writing today and how the memex was used back then. These articles gave me a new perspective on writing and ideas that I didn’t even know were possible. It showed me how we can still get by even with the use of little technology or tons of technology.

For my outside readings, I found it very interesting because there were so many topics I could choose from. My favorite, however, was the Ellen Degeneres blog post. I have been watching The Ellen Show for many years, it is my favorite daytime talk show. Constantly, Ellen and her team have been helping teachers because they understand how difficult it can be. Just the little things can go such a long way. I felt as if this was a great opportunity to give credit to Ellen because some day I hope I get recognized as an outstanding teacher.Unknown

Overall, my blog topic was perfect for me. I enjoyed reading these articles whether required or not because they were pertaining to my future. It impacted me in a way that many people won’t understand because of their choice of career. Education is such an important thing that people should not take for granted. Also, I hope as a future educator that people start to see what a different we truly make in student’s lives.

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One In a Million – Nicole Gross

I cannot begin to express how much I appreciate Ellen Degeneres. Her daytime talk show is one of my favorites for several reasons. However, the main reason is that she helps teachers all arounthe-ellen-degeneres-show-50f4a6bb7ebd9d the world who try their very best to provide as much as they can for their students. I enjoy finding these videos because I know they are going to get a surprise of a lifetime. Recently, I saw a video that really touched my heart. It’s truly amazing how much something as small as money can do to someones life.

In this video, Sonya Romero is a kindergarten teacher in New Mexico who makes sure her students are all fed and wearing clean clothes before she starts her lessons for the day. This is a quality so rare that teachers have. One day, I will strive to be just like Sonya who is a true inspiration to not only me but to all teachers. This video really shows her passion for teaching and compassion as a teacher (honestly, I did not make it through this video without tearing up). She feels as if she is a “first responder” for these students. She became a foster parent to former students because they had no where else to go. She took on the responsibility because she puts others before herself. Sonya is a hero to all children and look upon as a fantastic role model at her elementary school.

The video shows how Target donated $10,000 to Sonya and $10,000 to the elementary school. This amazing gift will go a long way for both the school and Sonya. Sonya already has a son of herSonya-Romero-2 own plus foster children, so I’m sure she very much appreciated this surprise. Teachers in general, don’t make a lot of money (which should be changed since teachers make a huge difference in the world) so this donation is genuinely humbling, even from an outsiders point of view. I hope one day that more teachers will be recognized for their amazing job and difference that they make in a student’s life. Teachers are more impactful on children than you might think.

I have tweeted several times (@nicole_gross3) about how the Ellen Degeneres show changes teachers lives. I hope to one day impact students the way that Sonya does. Sonya is one in a million teachers. School administration should be looking for these qualities before hiring teachers because of the impact that they will make on potential students.