Cortney Welacha

Artifact Reflection Title: Peer Prezi Date: April 25th, 2013 Artifact Description: For this artifact, I choose a Prezi that I had to prepare and present with one of my peers. The Prezi is titled Nonfiction and it is a genre study of nonfiction. The Prezi consists of eight frames, each one focusing on a different aspect in Nonfiction writing. The eight frames are: What Is Nonfiction, Elements of Nonfiction Books, Notable Authors (3), Awards in Nonfiction Writing, Recommendations for Teaching, Common Core State Standard Alignment, & Sources. ALIGNMENT Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment I know that this artifact best aligns with standard six of the Wisconsin Standards for Teacher Development and Licensure which states: The teacher uses effective verbal and nonverbal communication techniques as well as instructional media and technology to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom. I feel that this artifact aligns well this standard because this was a group project, and I was required to work collaboratively with a peer student teacher to accomplish this Prezi. Since I live over an hour from campus and did not have time to drive there to work on the project together face to face, my partner in my group and I were required to communicate via e-mail to complete the Prezi. We were able to e-mail back and forth for many days communicating to each other about what we would cover in our Prezi and any adjustments or changes that should be made to perfect the Prezi. As a future teacher, I value many ways in which people seek to communicate with each other, and I will encourage many modes of communication in my future classroom. I was also required to work cooperatively with my group partner to present the Prezi once it was complete to the remainder of our peers in our class. While we presented, we were able to communicate nonverbally to decide which one of us would present each frame in the Prezi. We ended up deciding nonverbally that we would each present every other frame. Before we presented our Prezi to the class, we discussed what sort of questions we would ask the class as we presented. We decided we would ask our peers if they could share their favorite nonfiction stories. I know that I modeled effective communication strategies in conveying our ideas and information and by asking questions. By completing this prezi, it shows that I know how to use a variety of media communication tools to enrich learning opportunities. UW Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Statement Alignment I believe that this artifact best aligns with KSD1.d. of the UW-Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, and Disposition Statements which states: The candidate actively seeks materials and resources to enhance instruction by utilizing school and district resources as well as other resources available outside of the school/district. I choose to align this artifact with this standard because a good teacher should utilize many different resources to enhance instruction, including those online like Prezi. For our presentation, my peer and I choose to use a Prezi to present with instead of a standard PowerPoint because we thought it would be nice to try a new type of presentation tool. It is also good to use all different types of resources often in your classroom so that you can reach all types of learners with different instructional techniques.

Secondary Alignment: KSD3.c. Engages Students In Learning KSD3.a. Communicates Clearly and Accurately Reflection: What I learned about teaching/learning: By working together with a peer student teacher to compile our Prezi as a pair, I learned that communication is the key to success in both teaching and learning. If teachers or peers are not communicating well, it not only hurts them but also the students involved. Had my peer and I not been able to nonverbally communicate while presenting, I feel that our presentation would not have gone as well as it did, and our peers that we were teaching about our genre would not have received the material that we were trying to convey to them. It is also very important to be able to communicate effectively. My peer and I were forced to communicate via e-mail to complete our Prezi together due to the distance between us. However, since we were able to communicate so well, our Prezi came together nicely, and we both contributed to the finished product. What I learned about myself as a prospective educator: By completing my Prezi via e-mail with my peer, I learned that I am able to communicate well with others. Although completing a project as a pair through e-mail is not an ideal situation, we were able to complete the task successfully and in a timely manner. I learned that as an educator, communication can be a huge barrier to overcome. Although communication can be a big obstacle, it does not need to be that way. If teachers or peers are able to use good communication with one another, all students involved with benefit from this collaboration.