Samantha+Golnek

My name is Samantha Golnek and I am a junior at Clemson University studying Secondary Education English. Although I now spend most of my time in South Carolina, my roots are grounded in Washington D.C. and New York. I have enjoyed experiencing both ways of life up and down the East Coast and am constantly blending both styles of life within my passions for cooking and fashion. In my spare time I enjoy reading, traveling, and spending time with my family, friends, and my two dogs. In the classroom, I hope to inspire students to develop their stories through English. My main goal is to create a classroom that explores literature, writing, and oral communication in unique, fun ways that cultivate students confidence, creativity, and passion for learning.

=English-related Websites =


 * ====Discovery Education ====


 * Discovery Education offers teachers and students "digital content, interactive lessons, real time assessment, virtual experiences." Discovery Education serves as a virtual library that offers a variety of resources on people, places, and all subjects of learning. Discovery Education also provides lesson plan ideas, free materials, and a variety of activities, contests, or challenges for students of all ages.
 * Edmodo


 * Edmodo is a network for teachers and students that offers "a safe place to create groups, collaborate on assignments, discover new resources, and more." Edmodo is a blending of Blackboard, Facebook, and Blogger that allows the class to work together online outside of class.
 * Promethean Planet
 * SmartExchange
 * ITunes Education Podcasts

=Glogster =

My Glogster hopes to give a brief overview of my interests and personality. I included fun colors that showcase my upbeat personality. Also, I made sure to use graphics and patterns that I think reflect my creative interests. I included a Clemson paw, my favorite book, The Great Gatsby, and a video of my favorite song, Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles. Glogster was an easy, creative way to express my ideas. One way that I could see utilizing Glogster in my classroom would be to have students create a new dust jacket for the book we would currently be reading. It would allow the students to use their creativity in order to highlight and express what they think is important about the book. Another creative way to use Glogster in the classroom would be to have students create a poster at the end of the year to "advertise" for our class. Students could use their creativity to express why English is an important class, what their favorite books were in the class, or the most exciting parts. I think that using Glogster in this way would utilize reflection and critical thinking skills in a unique way.

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=A Comet Appears =

The Shins. Written by [|James Mercer]
One hand on this wily comet Take a drink just to give me some weight Some uber-man I'd make I'm barely a vapor

They shone a chlorine light on <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">A host of individual sins <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Let's carve my aging face off <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Fetch us a knife <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Start with my eyes <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Down so the lines <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Form a grimacing smile

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Close your eyes to corral a virtue <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Is this fooling anyone else? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Never worked so long and hard <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">To cement a failure

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">We can blow on our thumbs and posture <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">But the lonely is such delicate things <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The wind from a wasp could blow them <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Into the sea, <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">With stones on their feet <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Lost to the light and the loving we need

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Still to come, <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The worst part and you know it <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">There is a numbness <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In your heart and it's growing

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">With burnt sage and a forest of bygones <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">I click my heels <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Get the devils in line <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">A list of things I could lay the blame on <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Might give me a way out

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">But with each turn <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">It's this front and center <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Like a dart stuck square in your eye <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Every post you can hitch your faith on <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Is a pie in the sky <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Chock full of lies <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">A tool we devise <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">To make sinking stones fly

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">And still to come, <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The worst part and you know it <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">There is a numbness <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In your heart and it's growing.

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=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">My Response = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> “A Comet Appears” by the Shins is a beautiful, but lonely song. With soft instrumentals, the melancholy tone of the singer is emphasized. The focus is on each and every slow pronunciation of the words, fleshing out metaphors, and creating a haunting atmosphere. Throughout the song there are two main metaphors to represent loneliness and the feeling of insignificance. First, the Earth as a comet hurting through space as people try to hold on and not get left behind, as the opening lyric suggest, “one hand on this wily comet.” The second metaphor throughout the song functions as the world as a sea where people try to keep from drowning. This metaphor is fleshed out in the fourth verse, “into the sea, with stones on their feet, lost to the light and the loving we need.” In both metaphors, people are in a position of feeling insignificant or lonely against the backdrop of nature or nature’s powerful forces. Throughout the song, the singer realizes he has lost all sense of meaning, or perhaps had always lacked meaning, “some uberman I’d man, I’m barely a vapor.” The singer also addresses the futility of life and the fact that it will inevitably end. These themes, combined with violent diction, and powerful acoustics add up to a hauntingly beautiful song.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">VoiceThread =

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=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Vocabulary Practice =

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">http://www.vocabtest.com

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This website focuses on Middle School, High School, AP, and SAT practice vocabulary words. You have the option to choose from one of the already made units depending on your desired grade level. However, you also have the ability to create your own tests. The website allows you to select how you would like to practice vocabulary. You can have a fill in the blank test, crossword puzzle, word search, play "memory", and more. You can learn synonyms, antonyms, spelling, and more. It's a clear, easy way to organize and is customizable. I think it would be a great way to practice vocabulary for a variety of grade levels.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Superhero Adventure Story =

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">http://mhjoyn8.wix.com/chooseyourown

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This website is an example of a "Choose Your Own Adventure" Story that is common in children's books. This website blends the traditional children's adventure story with technology that is useful for a high school classroom. This project allowed group members to work collaboratively in person and over the internet to create a unique and creative tale. This website also contains a lesson plan that showcases how this type of project could be implemented inside the classroom. For our adventure story, my group decided to highlight the tough decision on whether to become a superhero or a villain.