Tuesday, June 29, 2010
PowerPoint Presentation Project Reflection
Monday, June 28, 2010
Week 5 T2P Hypotheses
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Week 5 T2P Hypotheses
If student’s basic needs are not being met outside of school, and they are worried about their family’s financial situations, then they more likely to focus on getting a job and helping their families then focusing on their schoolwork. For example in the video “Is anybody listening” Victoria explains her struggle “At the moment I am the only one that can support my family…I am really scared I will have to put off school for another year.” Maritssa talks about how she can see her mom struggling and there is nothing she can do about it. She explains, “I want to help her but she just wants me to focus on school. But I can’t focus on school when I know she is struggling and it is really hard.” According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs if a person’s basic physiological and safety needs are not being met they will not be able to reach the esteem and self-actualization stages. Both Victoria and Maritssa are worried about the financial security of their families. When a student’s basic needs are not being met and they are worried about having a place to live and food to eat they cannot be expected to come to school ready to learn. Eric a 9th grade student from the video “Youth Voices” expressed the same ideas. Eric’s father is an illegal immigrant who cannot find work because he is hurt. Eric explains “All I worry about right now is getting my job so I can help my dad.” As a teacher I must realize what is going on in my student’s lives outside of school. If my students come to school everyday worried about whether or not their family is going to have food to eat or a place to live, I can not expect them to reach their full potential. As a teacher I need to do my best to provide a classroom environment where all my students feel safe and have their basic needs met. I know that as a teacher I cannot always control what happens outside of the classroom, but I can control what happens inside my classroom. With this in mind I need to have an understanding of the different needs of my students and provide them with a safe environment where they feel open to sharing their concerns with me.
If students are use to immediate responses and multitasking due to the use of technology in their daily lives, then learning that incorporates the use of technology and quick responses will keep students engaged in their learning. In the video “Youth, Technology, and Learning: Opportunities for Educators” A group of freshman girls talk about the importance of technology and communication in relation to the school environment. Sarah talks about how most teachers use lecturing as their main form of instruction. She goes on to talk about how “it kind of really sucks cause you’re used to doing ten things at once. Its like slow.” Duncan Andrade idea that students learn when there is an engaging empowering curriculum that is culturally relevant can be applied to the use of technology in the classroom. As a teacher we must realize the current culture of our students in order to relate to them. By using instructional materials that our students are interested in they are more likely to take an active role in their learning. For example Morgan explains how texting is a great educational tool because you can “text Google to look up words (and) you can always read it over and over again cause it’s right here in your hand.” Duncan Andrade encourages educators to become culturally aware of their students. As a teacher I must become familiar with the type of technology my students are using and find ways to incorporate it into my curriculum. This will also give my students a sense of purpose in what they are learning because they will be able to apply it to their own lives. According to Daniel Pink people become intrinsically motivated if they have a sense of purpose in what they are doing. In order to create a meaningful learning experience for my students I need to find ways in which their learning can stem from intrinsic motivation.
If adolescents who do not feel safe or accepted in a specific environment and they find a group of other who share some of the same feelings as them, then they are more likely to have a higher self-esteem. In the video “Who We Be” young women talk about their constant struggle of being discriminated against by men. They describe an environment where they do not fee safe to learn. For example Maria describes how a “guy named Joe unzipped the back of my pants…he really pissed me off.” Another student named Shelia talks about how she felt uncomfortable when a teacher touched her inappropriately. In both of these situations two young women were put into situations where they did not feel safe. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs if a person does not feel safe they cannot reach self-actualization. Therefore, as teacher’s we must realize that if our students do not feel safe we cannot expect them to learn. Raelene explains “that’s why we have this group of young women of color to build skills, leadership, and power.” The girls have formed this group as a safety net in the school environment. With the help of others who feel the same as them they feel safe and are able to reach Maslow’s hierarchy of belonging. In the video “Gay Youth: Helping Youth Feel Safe and Supported” show how gay and lesbian youth struggle to feel supported and safe throughout their daily lives. Camp Firefly allows gay and lesbian youth to come together in a way that makes them feel safe and allows them to see that they can achieve great things. Kaitlyn Hatch talks about the camp having “a sense of community. I have a lot of friends and they are really supportive, but I don’t have a lot of gay ones.” As a teacher it is important to understand how certain students are feeling in my classroom and provide ways for them to feel safe and supported so they can get their needs met and focus on learning.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Week 5 Reading Responses
According to November (2010) there are many benefits to online learning for a wide range of learners (p. 84). Schools can use online resources to help students of all different types. The use of the Internet amongst our society continues to grow and cannot be avoided. Therefore, it is important for teachers to use online activities in traditional classroom settings. Online activities provide students with the ability to share their thoughts and ideas that they might not otherwise share in a traditional classroom (November, 2010, p. 89). For some students sharing their ideas and thoughts feels safer online. The online environment allows for a more anonymous nonjudgmental sharing of ideas and opinions. Students are also able to share these thoughts and ideas with their peers in a less formal setting. Teachers can also form meaningful relationships with their students through online activities (November, 2010, p.89). It can be easier for teachers to give and for students to receive corrective feedback online. This provides a less confrontational approach for teachers to give corrective feedback to their students.
According to Richardson (2010) “all roads now point to a Web where little is done in isolation and all things are collaborative and social in nature” (p.85). With sites such as facebook and twitter our students’ are constantly exposed to all types of social networking. As teacher’s we can use these tools to create rich learning environments rooted in social interactions and networking. I can see students working on projects with other students from around the world. Students will also be using social networks to educate themselves with topics of interest found outside of the traditional classroom (Richardson, 2010, p.131). Teacher’s can also use these social networks as a way to share instructional ideas and practices with teachers from other classrooms. The 21st century learning environment will be based around students and teachers building collaborative relationships with each other and with others outside of the traditional classroom.
Resources
November, Alan. (2010). Empowering students with technology (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Richardson, Will. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Website Creation Project
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Week 4 Reading Responses
Richardson, Will. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Internet Workshop Reflection
I received positive feedback from my group members. They all liked the lesson plan format that I used for the lesson portion my Internet Workshop. My group members like the Venn diagram comparison question on my handout. They all felt this would be a good way to differentiate instruction especially for visual learners. My group members also liked my idea of having students cross reference information from more than one site.
As a special education teacher I could use an Internet Workshop to teach about using the Internet safely. I think that critically evaluating a website might be difficult for some special education students. I think that I would have to take a more whole group instruction approach if I were to use an Internet Workshop in a special education classroom.
"Students will become victims of the expansive dark side of the Internet unless we teach the critical thinking necessary to make meaning out of the overwhelming and potentially manipulative amount of information that is now available and growing every day" (November, 2010, p.27).
We all agreed that students could have a negative experience with the Internet if they are not given the proper tools to manage it. Teachers should have honest and open conversations about the dangers associated with Internet use. We all felt that it is very important for teachers to teach their students about how to safely use the Internet. We talked about using the Internet Workshop as a scaffold. It would be good to begin with lessons on safety. Then the students could evaluate a site. Next, students could explore the Internet independently. The most important thing to remember is to always be available to monitor the students’ use of the Internet.
Monday, June 21, 2010
T2P Week 4
Friday, June 18, 2010
Week Three T2P
Week 3 ADHD and Motivation
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Screencast Reflection
- Our group worked very well together to create our screencast. Each of us were active participants in the entire process. It took us a long time to complete the assignment because we were not familiar with the program. We had to meet outside of class to complete our project. I think that more class time would have been useful.
- The feedback we received was very positive. Overall, everyone who provided feedback felt that they could utilize PowerPoint in their content area after viewing our screencast. I think that the section on how the PowerPoint can be used in the classroom provided the most useful feedback. Everyone who responded had multiple answers for this question. I think a section on how the presentation could be improved would have offered even more insight into how our presentation was received.
- I found the screencast on Microsoft Excel to be very useful. I am not very familiar with this program and its features. I like how the group set up a mach grade book for their demonstration. The concept of creating a grade book using this program is something that I can definitely use as a future teacher.
- I think that visual and auditory learners will benefit the most from the use of a screencast. For the visual learners there is the visual component of viewing how to use different programs on the computer. For the auditory learners there are step by step directions that they can listen to.
- I could use a screencast in my classroom as a special education teacher. This would be a good way to show students how to use different computer programs while at the same time incorporating multiple learning styles. I think that this program would be more beneficial for older students. I feel that younger students might learn from actually using a program rather than watching someone else use it.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Week 3 Reading Responses
- Now that there is unlimited potential to celebrate the work of our students with their communities there are many ways to manage this opportunity. It is important to find an appropriate site for students to publish their work. One useful site is Thinkquest.org (November, 2010, p. 44). This is a site where students can publish their projects for others to see. The students are also able to view other students work. Another way to manage this opportunity is through the use of Wikis (Richardson, 2010, p.58). Wikis can be a good tool for students working on group projects. Individual group members can make changes to their specific groups work through the wiki. Other students, teachers, or community members can then view the students' work on the wiki site.
- We can create authentic work and relationships for our students to give them a deeper meaning in relation to complex issues such as globalization and cultural sensitivity in a variety of ways. The first way to to create a better understanding of different cultures is by providing students with opportunities to interact with other cultures. By using real-time video conferencing students can communicate with people of different cultures (November, 2010, p. 40). The act of video conferencing provides authentic learning experiences as students learn about the customs and beliefs of different cultures first hand. Teachers can also have students research global issues from different cultures perspectives to gain insight into how different cultures think (November, 2010, p.40). Another affective means of creating authentic relationships to help our students better understand globalization and cultural issues is through the use of e-mail. Students can e-mail people from different cultures about important issues or with questions they may have. This can create an authentic assessment in the form of a dialogue between students and people with different cultural backgrounds.
- There are many emerging collaborative relationships for teachers. The first emerging relationship is a Teacher's use of reverse mentoring (November, 2010, p. 48). The idea behind this concepts is that teachers can learn from their students. A teacher can ask a student to show them how to use a program that the he or she is unfamiliar with. The teacher can then work what the student already knows into instruction without being formally taught how to use the program. The next form of emerging collaborative relationship for teachers is known as collegiality (November, 2010, p. 50). This is the idea that teachers can learn by building collaborative relationships with other professionals. Teachers can work with other educators to share best practices and ideas they can then incorporate into their own classrooms. Another emerging relationship for teachers is through the feedback of anonymous reviewers (November, 2010, p. 51). The idea behind this concept is that teachers receive anonymous feedback on their posted work and ideas. This can be very helpful to teachers because when a source is anonymous that source is more likely to provide honest feedback. Lastly, teachers can collaborate with parents to create a stronger relationship between home and schools (November, 2010, p. 52). This can be done through the use of videos to involve parents in classroom activities, and ultimately gain a better understanding for what their children are learning.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Week Two T2P
Sunday, June 13, 2010
EDCI 5065 Content-area specific resources and descriptions
Chase, B. (2007). Starfall. Retrieved from http://www.starfall.com/
Starfall.com offers a variety of games and activities related to phonics and phonemic awareness. I believe that every person learns differently. This site offers activities and games for multiple learning styles. There are visual, auditory and logical components to this site. I believe that good teachers allow opportunities for students to learn according to their different learning styles. Many special education students struggle with reading. This site touches on the concepts of phonics and phonemic awareness, which are both key elements in developing reading fluency.
Santomero, A.C., & Alpert, S.F. (2007). Pbs kids. Retrieved from http://pbskids.org/
I believe that people learn best when they are actively engaged in an activity. It is a teacher’s job to find activities that actively engage his or her students and motivate them to become lifelong learners. This site allows students to participate in an interactive reading adventure. When special education students are struggling to read it can be hard for teachers to find ways to motivate students. This site allows students to practice spelling, comprehension and vocabulary skills in a fun way.
Krimsten. (2009). Multiplication.com. Retrieved from http://multiplication.com/index.htm
All people learn differently and it is important that we as teachers cater to all the different styles. This website accommodates visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. Each multiplication lesson has a visual aide for those students who learn visually. Each lesson has a multiplication related story that the students can listen to, which is best for those auditory learners. Lastly, each lesson has an activity for those kinesthetic learners who learn best by doing. As a special education teacher I will be required to work with students across a variety of content areas. This is a great math resource that will help struggling students understand their basic math facts.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Session 2 Reading Responses
- In order to be information literate a person must be able to decode information on the internet and draw conclusions about whether or not that information is valid. This requires the use of a variety of investigative techniques along with an understanding of the structure of internet based information to critically examine the validity of that information.
- There are many ways in which teachers and students can thoughtfully evaluate online information resources, including the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. The first and most logical way to evaluate information is to make sure that you are in the right place. Make sure the information you are reading covers the topic that you are researching. The second step in evaluating an internet resource is to consider the source. The student or teacher should locate the author of the information and try to find out some of the authors background (November, 2010). Next, the teacher or student should consider the type of site the information is located on such as a government, commercial, educational, or organizational site. The evaluator should then try to find the main purpose for the site being created and when it was last updated. One quick way a teacher or student can evaluate a site is by quickly scanning the information for grammar or spelling errors. If a site has spelling or grammar errors it is more likely to be less reputable. Lastly, a teacher or student should test a source against a variety of other sources. If the information from one source seems completely different from a number of other sources its validity cold be questionable.
- There are many similarities and differences between the four instructional models of Internet use; Internet Project, Internet Workshop, Internet Inquiry and WebQuests. All four of these models can be used at all different instructional levels to incorporate the use of technology into all content areas (Leu, 2004). Each model involves the use of an important skill and are curriculum based. Internet workshops focus on reading, writing, and content skills. The students are required to gather information from the internet to share in a workshop setting. The basic idea behind Internet Projects are developing students' collaborative skills. Students can use these projects to collaborate with classrooms around the world. WebQuests are curriculum resources that allow teachers to share lessons and complete units with one another. Internet Inquiry models allow students to build upon all the skills learned in the previous three models. The students build on these skills by identifying problems that are important to them. The students then go out and gather information about their topic to present to the class. This model allows students to practice their problem identification skills.