1. KIM COLLINS Introduction

2. MY MOTIVATION My babies and I Kohl, 8 & Kipp, 9

3. THE COLLINS FAMILY Husband and I with our 5 boys

4. TEXAS BORN AND RAISED My husband and I are currently living in a small town called Fairfield, Texas. This is where we have been for the last 7 years. We have 5 rowdy boys: Nick is 20 and currently serving in the Air Force, Drew is 15 and a sophomore in HS, Sean is 13 and in the 8 th grade, Kipp is 9 and in the 4 th grade & Kohl is 8 and in the 2 nd grade. We are a blended family, however, I have played the role of mom to all 5 boys for the last ten years that my husband and I have been married. Our boys are very involved in sports, so we spend most of our free time watching them.

5. 8TH GRADE ELAR TEACHER & COACH I have been working as an 8 th grade English/Language Arts /Reading teacher and Jr. High girls athletic coach for the past 3 years. Prior to this I was a reading intervention specialist at a nearby Jr. high school for 4 years. I have been a loan officer, collection manager and repo girl, and I was in Human Resources for a long time prior to jumping into my teaching career.

6. MAED The most intriguing parts of the MAED program that Ashford had to offer are: Design appropriate and challenging learning experiences informed by analysis of how learners develop individually across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical patterns to promote student learning and growth; Employ differentiated instructional practices aligned with learner strengths and differences, diverse cultures, and diverse communities to promote student learning in a safe, collaborative, engaging, inclusive, 21st century learning environment; Design a variety of evidence-based assessments used for ongoing evaluation of student progress, and to guide teacher and learner decision making; Design learner-centered instruction aligned with Common Core State Standards, digital age standards (NETS-S), and 21st Century skills to promote learner achievement and growth; Engage in continuous professional growth through leadership in educational environments and the demonstration of legal and ethical behavior in professional practices; Use knowledge of subject matter and central concepts of the discipline(s) to create technology-enriched learning environments that promote learner achievement and innovation; Effectively communicate and collaborate with various stakeholders through written communication, verbal communication, and a variety of current and emerging digital age tools to ensure learner growth and to advance the profession; and Use a range of digital technology tools to research, organize, evaluate, and communicate information while exhibiting an understanding of ethical and legal issues surrounding the use of information technologies. Retrieved from: http://www.ashford.edu/degrees/online/ma-education-details.htm

7. ASSESSMENT When assessment is used properly, the information that can be retrieved from each student can be very impacting on how and why a students learns. Assessments are a tool that each and every educator should learn to use so that they can provide the best educational experience for all of their students. Assessments will show how students learn. Not everyone learns the same way & assessments should help teachers identify those needs of all students. I think that it is very important for a teacher to assess the students prior to a unit, so that a lesson plan can be created or modified to meet the needs of all students.