UEN

Utah Education Network (UEN) is the ultimate resource website for educators. UEN is one of the most difficult and, at the same time, most useful resources I have ever used. When first introduced to UEN, I was completely confused by the dynamics of the personal page and the public page. I honestly felt like I was doing twice the work to reach a single goal. However, I quickly learned how to maneuver my way through both pages and I am extremely happy with how my UEN page looks. I was able to add the appropriate tabs and change the look and content of each of the pages. After I mastered my UEN page, it was time to learn my way around the main UEN website.

The main UEN website is absolutely amazing. Everything that you need as an educator can be found on that website. The resource possibilities are endless! Pioneer, Utah's Online Website is a great resource for both teachers and students. The best thing about Pioneer is that it can be accessed from home. This feature allows ALL students to visit a public library from the comfort of their home computer. As a result of this easy access to information, homework and research projects can be done faster and with more accuracy. I think the Pioneer Online Library is huge asset to schools. The UEN website also contains a large number of curriculum-relevant Interactives. I spent a lot of time looking through the different Interactives that are available on UEN. I think that Interactives are a fun way for students to practice important concepts. Many of the interactives feel more like games rather than educational activities. UEN also provides Utah educators with Utah's Core Curriculum and Lesson Plans that accompany them. I was beyond excited as I clicked through the different Core Curriculum Standards and the Lesson Plans used to teach them. There are so many great ideas for teachers. A Utah educator can never claim that they do not know how to teach something. Another great thing about UEN is the Professional Development Workshops. Through these educational workshops, teachers can always stay current and relevant. UEN is without a doubt the ultimate educational resource website for teachers in Utah.

In the beginning, I was completely overwhelmed by the main UEN website. I had no idea where to find things or even how to go about staring a search. I quickly learned that you just have to dive right in. My first searches took me down several different avenues, but towards the end of the assignment, my searches were easier and much faster. The Google UEN search engine helped me out tremendously. I would have been lost without it. I am now confident that I can use UEN in any way that I am asked to do so. I am excited about this because I know that the possibilities are endless on UEN. There is so much valuable information on the UEN website.

UEN will be invaluable to me when I become a teacher. I plan to use my UEN web page as a liaison between my classroom and my student's parents. My UEN web page will be a place where parents can go to find answers to their questions and help their children with assignments. I plan to use the UEN main website to improve the education of my students. I will use UEN as a reference to know what to teach and to get ideas on how to teach certain standards outlined in the Core Curriculum. The Interactives found on UEN will definitely incorporated into my classroom. Students will be able to use Interactives during computer time and during free time. I believe that through using UEN, I will become a better educator. And as a result, my students will learn more efficiently.

I once again went to Teacher Tube to find an educational video to reflect upon. This week I chose a video entitled ABC's For New Teachers. This video goes through the alphabet and gives advice that corresponds with each letter. Here are some of my favorite pieces of advice presented in this video:

Admit your mistakes and learn from them.
Empower your students; don't just lecture them.
Have the courage to try something else if what you are doing isn't working.
Just listen-to both what the kids are saying and what they are not saying.
Quit worrying and just do your best.

I really like this video. I think it presents advice for new teachers and old teachers alike. I plan to watch it often.