Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Dinosaurs and God
Recently I was teaching in a second grade class and we were learning about fossils and paleontologists, we discussed how dinosaurs' bones were found and put back together like a puzzle. A young girl raises her hand eager to share something. I call on her and she tells me she knows how and why dinosaurs died. I ask her to explain and she continues.."God was mad that dinosaurs at all the people and he killed them all!" As I looked around the room I saw the confusion and surprise on the little student's faces. I didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise so before I could respond in a polite way another student chimes in and says "No! It's because the asteroid hit the Earth!" the little girl's face was priceless...she was so confused but stood by her story. This is one of those teaching times I had to write about....
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Reflection: Effective Bridging of Technology and Instruction
Throughout my course readings, one of the most important notions I have learned is that students learn best through meaningful experiences. My personal theory about how people learn is that people make their own personal connections to ideas and concepts they learn. For example, if you are learning about WWII and a family member is a veteran who has shared personal stories of his experience, you will bring that to mind when you are learning and recalling events of the war. When students participate in experiences they store the experience in their memory. Compared to students reading information out of a book, it is easy to understand why this is not the most effective way to learn.
During my technology course I have been exposed to great lessons where teachers integrated technology to enhance learning. One adjustment I plan to make to my instruction regarding technology is to shift my teaching to a more student-centered environment rather than teacher-centered. It is easy for a teacher to order students around and tell them what they are learning, however, this is not an effective teaching strategy because students will begin to rely only on the teacher to learn and not themselves. Students need to explore and discover educational tools for themselves in order to gain an enhanced learning experience.
One goal I have is to allow my students more access to the computer and other technology tools and integrate them into all content areas. I have learned in this course that math, science, reading, and social science can all be enhanced with technology. I will allow my students more opportunities to use of various technology tools to complete their projects or as an assessment of what they learned. My second goal is not to use technology tools as a reward only. Many times in the past I would allow students to use the computer if they had good behavior for the day, and would not allow those who struggled with behavior to use it. I want to change this policy and always allow students to use the computers unless of course they are not using it as intended.
Two learning tools I would like to use with my students are voice threads and blogs. Both of these tools are easily accessible and easy to use. Voice threads can help my students come together as a community and share their knowledge and ideas with each other. I would like to use it for problem solving lessons and have other students share their solutions. This can be used for a math or science problem as well as language arts. I have created a classroom blog and use it mostly to post information such as homework, special events, study guides, and learning games. I would like to create a more student-centered blog where students can post ideas, assignments, and collaborate with each other. I would have students post certain assignments on the blog and allow students to post comments, ideas, and revisions to each other’s assignments.
I am excited to utilize all the technology tools and strategies I have learned in this course. I know that not only should I provide students with technology tools, but I should also provide them with the most effective teaching strategies in order to enhance every lesson.
During my technology course I have been exposed to great lessons where teachers integrated technology to enhance learning. One adjustment I plan to make to my instruction regarding technology is to shift my teaching to a more student-centered environment rather than teacher-centered. It is easy for a teacher to order students around and tell them what they are learning, however, this is not an effective teaching strategy because students will begin to rely only on the teacher to learn and not themselves. Students need to explore and discover educational tools for themselves in order to gain an enhanced learning experience.
One goal I have is to allow my students more access to the computer and other technology tools and integrate them into all content areas. I have learned in this course that math, science, reading, and social science can all be enhanced with technology. I will allow my students more opportunities to use of various technology tools to complete their projects or as an assessment of what they learned. My second goal is not to use technology tools as a reward only. Many times in the past I would allow students to use the computer if they had good behavior for the day, and would not allow those who struggled with behavior to use it. I want to change this policy and always allow students to use the computers unless of course they are not using it as intended.
Two learning tools I would like to use with my students are voice threads and blogs. Both of these tools are easily accessible and easy to use. Voice threads can help my students come together as a community and share their knowledge and ideas with each other. I would like to use it for problem solving lessons and have other students share their solutions. This can be used for a math or science problem as well as language arts. I have created a classroom blog and use it mostly to post information such as homework, special events, study guides, and learning games. I would like to create a more student-centered blog where students can post ideas, assignments, and collaborate with each other. I would have students post certain assignments on the blog and allow students to post comments, ideas, and revisions to each other’s assignments.
I am excited to utilize all the technology tools and strategies I have learned in this course. I know that not only should I provide students with technology tools, but I should also provide them with the most effective teaching strategies in order to enhance every lesson.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Check out Glogster!
This is a great technology tool for students and educators! This is a Glog I found on their site (not created by me).
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Voice Thread :Help me solve my problem!
What is a voice thread? Think powerpoint, but you can comment on people's slides using text, voice, video, and drawings. It is a great collaboration tool for students and teachers to use in the classroom.You can create a free account at voicethread.com!
Please copy and paste into your web browser to see voice thread: http://voicethread.com/share/1372609/
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Let them construct something!
When you are teaching students in a classroom there will always be a few tapping their pencils, rummaging through their pencil box, or swaying their chair back and forth. Many students get antsy when they are sitting in a chair and are forced to listen quietly and have no discussions. Constructionism is the theory of learning; As stated by Dr. Orey, “people learn best when they build an external artifact or something they can share with others” (Laureate Education, 2009). When students are given the opportunity to explore a concept by manipulating, building, or creating something, it will increase interest and help them retain the information better compared to simply reading about it.
Pitler et al. (2007) explain that students who are given the opportunity to use technology to learn a new concept or build knowledge of an old concept, it allows students to gain a deeper understanding and requires them to use critical thinking skills. Spreadsheets for example are a great tool to use for teaching hypothesis in mathematics and science. Students can make predictions, collect data, analyze the data for patterns, and create and revise their hypothesis.
“Using data collection tools enables students to see the bigger picture and recognize patterns” (Pitler et al., 2007,p. 210). One science class compared pH levels of water in their community with others to see if their city gets acid rainfall (Pitler, et al., 2007). Other tools that students and teachers should use are web resources and gaming software. In gaming software (think Oregon Trail or Battle Ship Online) it allows students to use what they already know, make decisions, and see the outcome of their actions and predictions. “Simulation software also can provide incredibly engaging learning environments, resulting in increased motivation and retention in learning” (Pitler, et al., 2007, p. 213).
Giving students problems without the solution is a great way for them to learn. It is up to them and their peers to come up with a list of solutions and try to solve the problem. This could be using in content areas (math, science, language arts) or real-life situations. Allowing students to create a hypothesis and giving them tools to discover the solution is helping prepare them for the future; in life and in their career.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). “Cognitive learning theories” [Educational video].
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K.(2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Web sites to visit:
http://office.microsoft.com (spreadsheet templates, help, and how-to’s)
www.globalschoolnet.org or http://collaboratory.nunet.net (collaborate project website)
www.making-history.com (WWII strategy game)
http://davidmcdivitt.wordpress.com (Mr.McDivitt’s blog about gaming and his student’s experience)
www.smogcity.com (weather/population/emissions interactive website)
www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig (learn about bridges, domes, skyscrapers, dams, and tunnels)
www.ciconline.org/windward (game about weather/wind patterns)
http://meted.ucar.edu/hurrican/strike/index.htm (Simulation of hurricanes)
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Memorizing vs. Understanding: Using Technology to Help Students Retain and Understand Information
As a college graduate, I have many experiences in classes where I simply memorized information for a test or quiz, and shortly after….the information magically disappeared from my brain. By cramming for a test or simply memorizing information instead of understanding it, I was storing information in the short-term memory part of my brain. So as a teacher, how can we get our students to store important information in their long term memory so they are getting the full understanding of the concept?
The Cognitive theory is a learning theory of psychology that attempts to explain human behavior by understanding the thought processes. Allen Paivio’s “dual code theory” he states that people process visual and verbal information differently. Dr. Orey (Laureate Education, 2009) discusses how Paivio believes that people store images, labels, and smells. So if you saw a picture of Abraham Lincoln or heard a speech you would store this information better than simply reading it. The “Elaboration Theory” states that the primary mechanism for storing information in the long term memory. By making connections and associations with the information being learned, it will be stored in the long term memory. One example that Dr. Orey (Laureate Education, 2009)discusses is if you are learning about the Civil War and need to know the name of the general from the south, you can make a connection to remember General Lee’s name. You could think of Lee jeans or a friend named Lee and make that connection; you will most likely remember it.
Now that we know how students learn best, we can begin to think of strategies we can use in the classroom to help our students succeed. “For many students, multimedia is very effective because it helps them both activate prior knowledge and develop a mental model to help them understand new information” Pitler, et al (p. 82, 2007). Using a variety of media to help students organize and store new information is one strategy teachers can use. Graphic organizers, outlines, graphs, and concept maps are a few examples. Programs like Kidspiration and Webspiration can help students organize their thoughts and information in an organized way. If you scroll down the blog page you will find an example of a concept map created at readthinkwrite.org.Other forms of media such as videos and audio can enhance students’ learning. I like the websites Brainpop.com and discoverykids.com for informational videos.
Pitler et al. (2007) explain that summarizing and note-taking is a skill that is helpful for students to learn in order to better understand and process information. By integrating various forms of technology students will be able to organize important information by summarizing and take notes effectively. Using programs such as Inspiration and PowerPoint to make notes is one strategy discussed by Pitler et al. (2007). Notestar.4teachers.org allows students to take information from the web, organize it, and automatically create citations for it.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Pitler,H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: McRel.
The Cognitive theory is a learning theory of psychology that attempts to explain human behavior by understanding the thought processes. Allen Paivio’s “dual code theory” he states that people process visual and verbal information differently. Dr. Orey (Laureate Education, 2009) discusses how Paivio believes that people store images, labels, and smells. So if you saw a picture of Abraham Lincoln or heard a speech you would store this information better than simply reading it. The “Elaboration Theory” states that the primary mechanism for storing information in the long term memory. By making connections and associations with the information being learned, it will be stored in the long term memory. One example that Dr. Orey (Laureate Education, 2009)discusses is if you are learning about the Civil War and need to know the name of the general from the south, you can make a connection to remember General Lee’s name. You could think of Lee jeans or a friend named Lee and make that connection; you will most likely remember it.
Now that we know how students learn best, we can begin to think of strategies we can use in the classroom to help our students succeed. “For many students, multimedia is very effective because it helps them both activate prior knowledge and develop a mental model to help them understand new information” Pitler, et al (p. 82, 2007). Using a variety of media to help students organize and store new information is one strategy teachers can use. Graphic organizers, outlines, graphs, and concept maps are a few examples. Programs like Kidspiration and Webspiration can help students organize their thoughts and information in an organized way. If you scroll down the blog page you will find an example of a concept map created at readthinkwrite.org.Other forms of media such as videos and audio can enhance students’ learning. I like the websites Brainpop.com and discoverykids.com for informational videos.
Pitler et al. (2007) explain that summarizing and note-taking is a skill that is helpful for students to learn in order to better understand and process information. By integrating various forms of technology students will be able to organize important information by summarizing and take notes effectively. Using programs such as Inspiration and PowerPoint to make notes is one strategy discussed by Pitler et al. (2007). Notestar.4teachers.org allows students to take information from the web, organize it, and automatically create citations for it.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Pitler,H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: McRel.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Using Technology to Motivate Student Achievement
As teachers or psychologists we have all heard of behaviorism and remember experiments done by B.F. Skinner (rat presses lever, gets food) or Ivan Pavlov (dog salivates when bell is rung). Almost every teacher I know uses behaviorism in their classroom with their students in order to keep students in control and to behave. Teachers give rewards for students who are behaving appropriately, and punish or give a consequence to those who are not behaving in the appropriate way. How can we use technology as an instructional strategy while incorporating behaviorism? In the book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007) I have found several strategies that are simple and helpful for students and teachers.
The Reinforcing Effort chapter discusses using software computer programs such as Microsoft Excel to track student effort and achievement. Teachers can show students how to do this and students will see the relationship between their effort and grades. This will in turn, give students confidence because they can visually see themselves grow in a specific content area. Personally I wish I could have done this throughout high school with math in particular because I never felt confident in math, and I began to have a negative outlook on all my math classes and assignments.
Homework; it’s been a topic of controversy with students, parents, and teachers for years; should students have it, how much, and what it should look like. Pitler et al (2007) has a whole chapter dedicated to homework. “Typically students need about 24 practice sessions with a skill in order to achieve 80 percent competency” (As stated in Pitler, et al., p. 188, 2007). This tells us that students do need practice; enter- homework. Teachers and parents can work with students to help them do homework with a few tools described by Pitler et al. (2007). When a student is using a work processor, they can use tools such as research, thesaurus, definition, and auto summary to guide them to a successful paper. Also teachers can expose great educational websites to students where they can practice skills learned for the test on Friday. Some I liked were:
www.starfall.com
www.iknowthat.com
www.flashcardexchange.com
www.brainpop.com
www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise
“Technology is most effective when remediation activities are minimally incorporated” (Laureate Education, 2009). We have all heard the phrase “practice makes perfect”, and in education it does sometimes work that way. Integrating technology into the classroom is something that is not a ‘quick fix’. If students are performing lower than expected sending them to the computer lab for an hour or so to play an educational game or practice a skill will not dramatically raise their performance or test scores. Technology can however be a great tool for students and teachers to use in combination with effective teaching. In conclusion, behaviorism is connected to observing and measuring human behavior. When students put forth the effort in their classwork or homework the outcome is the grade they earned. By using graphing tools or spreadsheets, students can see their effort (hours spent studying/completing) and their outcome (grades/scores).
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
The Reinforcing Effort chapter discusses using software computer programs such as Microsoft Excel to track student effort and achievement. Teachers can show students how to do this and students will see the relationship between their effort and grades. This will in turn, give students confidence because they can visually see themselves grow in a specific content area. Personally I wish I could have done this throughout high school with math in particular because I never felt confident in math, and I began to have a negative outlook on all my math classes and assignments.
Homework; it’s been a topic of controversy with students, parents, and teachers for years; should students have it, how much, and what it should look like. Pitler et al (2007) has a whole chapter dedicated to homework. “Typically students need about 24 practice sessions with a skill in order to achieve 80 percent competency” (As stated in Pitler, et al., p. 188, 2007). This tells us that students do need practice; enter- homework. Teachers and parents can work with students to help them do homework with a few tools described by Pitler et al. (2007). When a student is using a work processor, they can use tools such as research, thesaurus, definition, and auto summary to guide them to a successful paper. Also teachers can expose great educational websites to students where they can practice skills learned for the test on Friday. Some I liked were:
www.starfall.com
www.iknowthat.com
www.flashcardexchange.com
www.brainpop.com
www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise
“Technology is most effective when remediation activities are minimally incorporated” (Laureate Education, 2009). We have all heard the phrase “practice makes perfect”, and in education it does sometimes work that way. Integrating technology into the classroom is something that is not a ‘quick fix’. If students are performing lower than expected sending them to the computer lab for an hour or so to play an educational game or practice a skill will not dramatically raise their performance or test scores. Technology can however be a great tool for students and teachers to use in combination with effective teaching. In conclusion, behaviorism is connected to observing and measuring human behavior. When students put forth the effort in their classwork or homework the outcome is the grade they earned. By using graphing tools or spreadsheets, students can see their effort (hours spent studying/completing) and their outcome (grades/scores).
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Integrating Technology Into the Classroom Reflection
During my recent classroom course I have broadened my knowledge and experience on understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. I have realized that integrating technology into my lesson plans does take time and is not needed for every single assignment; however, I know how important it is to teach our young children the foundations of technology. Since being introduced to the 21st Century Organization and exploring their website, I have learned how crucial technology will be in my students’ future and careers.
Since most young children today already use a wide variety of technology in their lives, it is challenging to re-teach them how to use the internet for example, in an effective and safe manner. In their generation the idea that you can find anything on the internet has been ingrained in them and the thought of reading anything online by any imaginable source can be overwhelming. I have learned that it is my job as an educator to teach students how to find reliable information and also using precaution when posting anything online. I have also learned that many of my students are very creative in the assignments they complete and for me to act as more of a guide than a dictator. I have learned from my students that many of them use the computer and other technologies daily in their personal lives and educational lives as well.
Some ways I plan to continue my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology to increase student achievement is to continue to read educational journals, articles, and blogs so I can stay up to date on the latest research and technologies. I also plan to attend a variety of educational conferences and seminars to learn from experienced educators and researchers. In order for me to transform my classroom environment I plan to work with my school’s administration to have a space where students can use computers with their class at a scheduled time and also on their free time such as after school or during lunch recess. I hope that having a space for a computer lab will cause other teachers to integrate technology into their lessons as well. My second goal for my own classroom is to begin a classroom website at the beginning of the year that includes my student’s goals for the school year as well as an introduction of themselves. I will also have students posting reflections about work created, various discussions about what we have learned, and contributing to online study guides for various subjects.
During the first week of this course I completed a checklist of my skills and practices that I currently use in my classroom. Since that time I have changed my answers in regards to my participation in developing a vision for technology integration as a leader in my school. I have been more involved in the decisions our school makes in regards to technology, as I have attended leadership meetings with my colleagues. In the future, I plan to seek our other professionals at my school site and in the larger global community to learn from and collaborate with to benefit my school and students.
Since most young children today already use a wide variety of technology in their lives, it is challenging to re-teach them how to use the internet for example, in an effective and safe manner. In their generation the idea that you can find anything on the internet has been ingrained in them and the thought of reading anything online by any imaginable source can be overwhelming. I have learned that it is my job as an educator to teach students how to find reliable information and also using precaution when posting anything online. I have also learned that many of my students are very creative in the assignments they complete and for me to act as more of a guide than a dictator. I have learned from my students that many of them use the computer and other technologies daily in their personal lives and educational lives as well.
Some ways I plan to continue my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology to increase student achievement is to continue to read educational journals, articles, and blogs so I can stay up to date on the latest research and technologies. I also plan to attend a variety of educational conferences and seminars to learn from experienced educators and researchers. In order for me to transform my classroom environment I plan to work with my school’s administration to have a space where students can use computers with their class at a scheduled time and also on their free time such as after school or during lunch recess. I hope that having a space for a computer lab will cause other teachers to integrate technology into their lessons as well. My second goal for my own classroom is to begin a classroom website at the beginning of the year that includes my student’s goals for the school year as well as an introduction of themselves. I will also have students posting reflections about work created, various discussions about what we have learned, and contributing to online study guides for various subjects.
During the first week of this course I completed a checklist of my skills and practices that I currently use in my classroom. Since that time I have changed my answers in regards to my participation in developing a vision for technology integration as a leader in my school. I have been more involved in the decisions our school makes in regards to technology, as I have attended leadership meetings with my colleagues. In the future, I plan to seek our other professionals at my school site and in the larger global community to learn from and collaborate with to benefit my school and students.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Integrating Technology Into the Classroom Lesson: American Hero
A postcard to the hero. 
Graphic Map : A timeline of positive and negative events that occurred in the heroes' life.
Both projects were created online and printed out from www.readthinkwrite.org
Lesson Plan: American Heroes Graphic Map
Goal or Objective: Students will research an American hero and create a graphic map about their life and create a postcard addressed to the hero.
Content Curriculum Standard(s):
3.4.6. Describe the lives of American heroes who took risks to secure our freedoms (e.g., Anne Hutchinson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr.).
NETS*S Standard(s):
Find and evaluate information related to a current or historical person or event using digital resources. (3)
Conceptualize, guide, and manage individual or group learning projects using digital planning tools with teacher support. (4,6)
Demonstrate the ability to navigate in virtual environments such as electronic books, simulation software, and Web sites. (6)
Select and apply digital tools to collect, organize, and analyze data (3,4,6)
Grade Level & Subject: Third Grade Social Science
Prior Knowledge:
This lesson will be used to introduce students to American heroes. Students are introduced to some of these important figures in first and second grade so the names will be familiar and some students may know some information about them from previous readings and assignments in class.
Preparation/Materials:
Classroom computers will need to have internet access and printers.
Students will need references about their hero (library books, classroom books, and or online research from a credited source.
Projects created from: www.readthinkwrite.org
Classroom Configuration:
A school computer lab would be the best choice for this project since each student needs to have their own computer. However, students can take turns working in their classroom on computers (Group 1-Monday, Group 2-Tuesday, etc.). Students will have a block of time each day to work on their projects and will need to make time to work on them if absent during their computer day(i.e. recess, lunch, before or after school, or at home).
Introduction:
I would introduce the lesson by brainstorming with students what a hero is and the qualities of a hero. Next, I would model what their assignment will look like by showing them the final product (graphic map and postcard). I would let students know that the work will be done during class time, but if needed due to absences or other interferences they can access the website from any internet capable computer at home or at a library.
Procedure:
1. Tell students that for the next week they we will learning about American heroes and important events that occurred in their lives.
2. Have students brainstorm in small groups American heroes they know about and write their answers on a poster board. Have a representative from each group share what names they came up with and why.
3. Using a large screen and a computer, connect to the internet to show students how to navigate the website and go over instructions with them. First, I will show the graphic map and then the postcard project.
4. Assign students to their own computer or assign four or five to groups and pass out books then have them start researching which hero they are going to choose.
5. They will each complete a timeline in their notebook on their hero using at least five important events and use the information to create a graphic map. They will need to decide whether the event was positive or negative in the heroes' life by placing a smilie face/ sad face or +/-.
Students will get in groups with classmates who researched the same hero and share their ideas. They will begin writing their hero a postcard with this format:
I admire you because...
I think it must have been hard fro you to....
I wonder if you...
If I met you I would...
Each student will then print out their graphic map and postcard and present their hero to their group. Each student will have a comment card with two positive statements and one question or suggestion to write down and submit to me as part of their grade. Each student will get these comment cards after grading to evaluate their work.
21st Century Skills:
Students will work independently for the most part but their peer’s collaboration during this process will provide students with skills in communication and collaboration. Students will learn to respectfully comment on another student’s work and experience receiving comments from others about their own work. A standard for communication and collaboration for the 21st century states that students will ... “Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams” (Partnership for the 21st Century Skills).
Assessment:
Students will be assessed by their finished products (graphic map and postcard), in which the map must have at least five important events the hero experienced and the postcard is written by following the format described above. Students will also be assessed during the group presentation time and their comment cards to other students.
Resources
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org.
Graphic Map: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/graphicmap/
Post Card: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/postcard/
Graphic Map : A timeline of positive and negative events that occurred in the heroes' life.
Both projects were created online and printed out from www.readthinkwrite.org
Lesson Plan: American Heroes Graphic Map
Goal or Objective: Students will research an American hero and create a graphic map about their life and create a postcard addressed to the hero.
Content Curriculum Standard(s):
3.4.6. Describe the lives of American heroes who took risks to secure our freedoms (e.g., Anne Hutchinson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr.).
NETS*S Standard(s):
Find and evaluate information related to a current or historical person or event using digital resources. (3)
Conceptualize, guide, and manage individual or group learning projects using digital planning tools with teacher support. (4,6)
Demonstrate the ability to navigate in virtual environments such as electronic books, simulation software, and Web sites. (6)
Select and apply digital tools to collect, organize, and analyze data (3,4,6)
Grade Level & Subject: Third Grade Social Science
Prior Knowledge:
This lesson will be used to introduce students to American heroes. Students are introduced to some of these important figures in first and second grade so the names will be familiar and some students may know some information about them from previous readings and assignments in class.
Preparation/Materials:
Classroom computers will need to have internet access and printers.
Students will need references about their hero (library books, classroom books, and or online research from a credited source.
Projects created from: www.readthinkwrite.org
Classroom Configuration:
A school computer lab would be the best choice for this project since each student needs to have their own computer. However, students can take turns working in their classroom on computers (Group 1-Monday, Group 2-Tuesday, etc.). Students will have a block of time each day to work on their projects and will need to make time to work on them if absent during their computer day(i.e. recess, lunch, before or after school, or at home).
Introduction:
I would introduce the lesson by brainstorming with students what a hero is and the qualities of a hero. Next, I would model what their assignment will look like by showing them the final product (graphic map and postcard). I would let students know that the work will be done during class time, but if needed due to absences or other interferences they can access the website from any internet capable computer at home or at a library.
Procedure:
1. Tell students that for the next week they we will learning about American heroes and important events that occurred in their lives.
2. Have students brainstorm in small groups American heroes they know about and write their answers on a poster board. Have a representative from each group share what names they came up with and why.
3. Using a large screen and a computer, connect to the internet to show students how to navigate the website and go over instructions with them. First, I will show the graphic map and then the postcard project.
4. Assign students to their own computer or assign four or five to groups and pass out books then have them start researching which hero they are going to choose.
5. They will each complete a timeline in their notebook on their hero using at least five important events and use the information to create a graphic map. They will need to decide whether the event was positive or negative in the heroes' life by placing a smilie face/ sad face or +/-.
Students will get in groups with classmates who researched the same hero and share their ideas. They will begin writing their hero a postcard with this format:
I admire you because...
I think it must have been hard fro you to....
I wonder if you...
If I met you I would...
Each student will then print out their graphic map and postcard and present their hero to their group. Each student will have a comment card with two positive statements and one question or suggestion to write down and submit to me as part of their grade. Each student will get these comment cards after grading to evaluate their work.
21st Century Skills:
Students will work independently for the most part but their peer’s collaboration during this process will provide students with skills in communication and collaboration. Students will learn to respectfully comment on another student’s work and experience receiving comments from others about their own work. A standard for communication and collaboration for the 21st century states that students will ... “Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams” (Partnership for the 21st Century Skills).
Assessment:
Students will be assessed by their finished products (graphic map and postcard), in which the map must have at least five important events the hero experienced and the postcard is written by following the format described above. Students will also be assessed during the group presentation time and their comment cards to other students.
Resources
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org.
Graphic Map: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/graphicmap/
Post Card: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/postcard/
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Podcast
Students in this generation are using and learning technology more than ever. In the podcast below I describe my school's population and interview three students about their use of technology at home and school.
Shorter Version
Shorter Version
Sunday, May 30, 2010
21st Century Skills Website Review
The 21st Century Skills is a national organization that advocates students in K-12 classrooms to become prepared for the workforce and community they will be apart of. They have developed a framework for students that includes: Life and Career Skills, Learning and Innovation, and Information, Media and Technology Skills. The organization is sharing the important message that the traditional 3 R's that students learn in school will not be enough for them to be successful they must also know the 3 C's: critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation. These frameworks are integrated along with the school's core subjects already in place. The purpose is to get students ready for the 21st century world they will work in and become members of society. The organization is in partnership with many businesses, government agencies, school districts and educational companies. They currently have fourteen U.S. states that are members with the organization, sadly California is not yet one of them. I am surprised that I never heard of this organization before, yet so much has been published about this topic and organization. Many school administrations, educational magazines, journals, and even blogs have been discussing how to prepare our students for the workforce and community they will be apart of in the 21st century. Just think of all the problems and challenges these children will have to work with even more than we currently are dealing with; pollution, global warming, technology advances, and new state and U.S. policies. Many companies are updating the way they get work done and integrating technology into their businesses. Will our students be prepared to use computers every day to get their job done, will they be able to use social network media such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter to post job applications and promote their company?
I was surprised at how popular this topic of 21st century readiness is and how much work this organization has done creating their framework and promoting their cause. I was also surprised that the ever-changing and progressing state of California is not a member of this organization. For my students, I know I will have to prepare them with a focus on the 3 C's while integrating real life situations and problems. Integrating technology into the classroom and assignments will also help prepare them for the changes that will be taking place in the workforce.
I was surprised at how popular this topic of 21st century readiness is and how much work this organization has done creating their framework and promoting their cause. I was also surprised that the ever-changing and progressing state of California is not a member of this organization. For my students, I know I will have to prepare them with a focus on the 3 C's while integrating real life situations and problems. Integrating technology into the classroom and assignments will also help prepare them for the changes that will be taking place in the workforce.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Utilizing Blogs in the Classroom
I am currently teaching in a third grade classroom and would love to start a blog for our classroom. First I would need to find out how many of my students have Internet access at home and would utilize our class blog. I would use the blog as center for information on our class work, special events, homework postings, study guides, class calendar, and photos or videos of what we are doing in third grade. This would be a fun website for students and parents to visit to showcase work, gain access to materials for the class, and find out what we are studying that week. I would show students how to access and use the blog so they could then show their families. I would also encourage students to visit the blog once a week and maybe even give extra tickets to those that left a comment or found any mis-spellings. I could post flash cards for students using our vocabulary words, have crossword puzzles using spelling words, upload a video of the Native American tribe we are learning about, etc. I think my students would love to visit the classroom page because I would also have them be apart of creating it. I would have a blog writer chosen each week to write a short summary of events that happened or interesting facts they learned. I would review this summary and then post it with the student's first name or number as the author. I am not sure if it is too late in the year to set this up (we have 3 weeks remaining). What do you think?
Saturday, May 1, 2010
New Opportunity
It has been a week since I have been in my new teaching position- long term teacher in third grade. The teacher I am replacing underwent a surgery and she was able to plan the whole year out for me! I was tutoring in her class since January every day for about an hour. I am relieved to say they are a great group of students and she has done a great job "training" them to be the students they are today. We get to do some fun projects the next few weeks, weaving and clay making for Mother's Day, Native American studies, animal reports, and of course the always fun FRACTIONS!! (sigh) I did try to make the fractions interesting by reading the Hershey Fractions book and bringing in some real Hershey candy bars (too bad I had didn't know that 2 students were allergic to chocolate). The students loved the book and the treat of course. It is such a hard concept to learn; 2/2, 1/1,12/12 equal 1 whole? During the lesson I was relieved to hear some students say "Oh, I get it" "oh, it's 12 pieces but 1 candy bar!" mission accomplished! Now if I can just get everyone's interest for their new story of the week and make decimals clear to them!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Spring Break-Teacher Break
So spring break is approaching me and because I am just a long-term teacher- I don't get paid during break! However, I still am excited to get a break and recollect myself. I am also looking forward to finishing my honeymoon scrapbook! It has been collecting dust since September. I also plan to be very productive in other areas; sleeping in, staying up late, reading fiction books, and going out dancing. How's that sound for "recollecting"? :)
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Letters and Notes....
I was this girl's substitute teacher for one day...
This is from a student in third grade. I mentioned to him that I too liked the video game "Halo" -from that point on he trusted me and felt a connection with me...this is his picture of a scene in the game. The picture is actually poster size but I don't have a big enough scanner to scan it.
This is one reason why I teach...to get lovely notes like this from my students! Note that she is learning about angles in math....
This letter was written to me after the student misbehaved in my class. I sent him back to his "home" teacher and his teacher had him write me an apology letter. This student is in the fourth grade and his teacher said this is probably his best writing; he took a lot of time on it. I felt so sad for this student and I know that his struggle has just begun...I hope to see this student's progress by the next school year, other wise I am sure he will fall farther behind.
This is from a student in third grade. I mentioned to him that I too liked the video game "Halo" -from that point on he trusted me and felt a connection with me...this is his picture of a scene in the game. The picture is actually poster size but I don't have a big enough scanner to scan it.This is one reason why I teach...to get lovely notes like this from my students! Note that she is learning about angles in math....
This letter was written to me after the student misbehaved in my class. I sent him back to his "home" teacher and his teacher had him write me an apology letter. This student is in the fourth grade and his teacher said this is probably his best writing; he took a lot of time on it. I felt so sad for this student and I know that his struggle has just begun...I hope to see this student's progress by the next school year, other wise I am sure he will fall farther behind. Friday, February 26, 2010
A child's life...
This week, in my second grade class the teacher whose father has been very ill received a call in her room and began to cry. I knew at this point that something was wrong and she most likely needed to leave the room or leave the school to drive to the hospital. I took over her class for a short time until another teacher came to get her class. As the teacher left the students were asking if she was okay and what was wrong. A few students got out of their seat to give her a hug and tell her they were sorry. I wondered if the students understood what was going on and how many of them have experienced death. The class knew her father had been sick and were empathetic and worried for her. Her father later passed away later that day and I am assuming she may be out for a period of time. When does a person start to feel up to returning back to work after a death in the family? I am sure it is a very slow process and hard to get up in the morning.
I have so far spent each day with my students since January and I have learned so much about their families and personal lives. As we all know, children are very open people and have no boundary for what they share. So far a kindergartner told me her mother died when she was little because she was sick, a third grader told me he was adopted when he was a baby, and many students (mostly boys) have told me about their dad living "somewhere else". Hearing these sad glimpses into the student's lives reminds me that each child is dealing with a difficult situation or possibly tragic at home and to always take that into consideration as a teacher.
Lastly, on a lighter note- the student who recently told me he was adopted has been behind his class on multiplication (he is on his 6's, while most of the class is on 9's). I work with him a little bit each day on flash cards and most days he just gets frustrated and shuts down. The last few days he has been studying and practicing his 6's. When I came into his class today he called me over to his desk and with the biggest smile said "I passed my 6's and I didn't get not one problem wrong!". I was so relieved that he passed and so pleased that he had worked hard to study and it paid off, I know that made his day-maybe even his week!
I have so far spent each day with my students since January and I have learned so much about their families and personal lives. As we all know, children are very open people and have no boundary for what they share. So far a kindergartner told me her mother died when she was little because she was sick, a third grader told me he was adopted when he was a baby, and many students (mostly boys) have told me about their dad living "somewhere else". Hearing these sad glimpses into the student's lives reminds me that each child is dealing with a difficult situation or possibly tragic at home and to always take that into consideration as a teacher.
Lastly, on a lighter note- the student who recently told me he was adopted has been behind his class on multiplication (he is on his 6's, while most of the class is on 9's). I work with him a little bit each day on flash cards and most days he just gets frustrated and shuts down. The last few days he has been studying and practicing his 6's. When I came into his class today he called me over to his desk and with the biggest smile said "I passed my 6's and I didn't get not one problem wrong!". I was so relieved that he passed and so pleased that he had worked hard to study and it paid off, I know that made his day-maybe even his week!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
So far...(kids are so funny)
So far...I have looked forward to going to teach each day. I am happy to say I don't experience all the stressors of having my own class; so I think I actually enjoy the students even more. So the kids are so funny- a second grader told me last week "Mrs. Katie I have a question, why do you look so pretty today?" I then asked him " Did I not look pretty yesterday?" lol. I was asking students in my 2nd grade reading group about a time when they had to get a gift for a loved one and a little boy raised his hand and says, " I remember when I had to go buy my cousin a dead body!" The other students all looked at each other in surprise and then busted out with a loud laugh. I then asked the student where he had to go to get this body and he replied, "At the Halloween store, so we could put it on the lawn for decoration." Everyone began to realize that it was a Halloween gift and not an actual dead body! I told the little boy that next time he tells that story he should probably explain the Halloween part first before mentioning the dead body part.
first blog!
I am so excited to start blogging about my adventures in teaching. I am a teacher, however I am a classroom-less one! I guess you could call this blog the diary of a new teacher (temp. a sub.). I am working temp. at an elementary school as a small group instructor in Southern Cali at at title one school. I work with grades K-5 and spend about 45 min. in each class working with small groups of students tutoring them to help improve their test scores. I am a young and aspiring teacher that craves a class of my own. I am using my time of subbing as a learning experience and taking note of what TO DO and what NOT TO DO! Of course I will have many interesting stories to share about my various teaching assignments and the names of teachers/students/schools will be changed and or omitted. I want to write a blog as a form of therapy and as a purpose to learn from my readers and fellow bloggers. I chose to blog on a technology in education website because I love tech. and am currently earning my masters degree in integrating technology into the classroom. I look forward to learning from everyone and sharing all that I learn. My blog will focus on stories from my daily adventures, questions, advice and other misc. education ideas.
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