Bud, an educator from Colorado left an important comment in response to my original "Honor Code Violation" posting. He pointed out that it is not only important to explain to children that we should put information from other sources into our own words, but that we should also cite it. Although as an almost 2nd-semester college senior, citing seems like second-nature to me, it had not crossed my mind that students at all ages should learn this skill and learn it well. Furthermore, it is important to teach children how to cite at an early age so they become accustomed to it, and do not run into plagurism problems later on in their careers.
I came across an idea by "Mrs. C" called "Proofreading with Podcasts." Mrs. C's students made podcasts of stories they had written so they can catch errors by hearing them. Mrs. C also posts comments to students on their class blog, so they can all have immediate feedback. As we have talked about in class, this seems like such a great way to get students excited about using technology and integrating it with traditional school subjects. Proofreading by reading aloud is something I actively use in my own writing, but have not thought to do with my students. As my students work on the writing process I will try to introduce it so that they can also learn how hearing a piece of written work can allow you to take a different perspective.
Technology Implementation
I recently taught my lesson for my Teaching with Technology class. I designed the lesson with a partner and had a hard time nailing down what to teach. We had problems coordinating with our cooperating teachers on what to teach. We finally decided on a lesson on characters, setting, and important events in a Thanksgiving book. For the technology aspect, we designed a Kidspriration activity which had the students drag pictures into the appropriate boxes. I was much more relaxed about this lesson than the first lesson that I taught. The experience of one lesson under my belt made it much easier.
The lesson went fairly well. It was a rainy day so the kids had not had recess and I taught the lesson at 3:00, so the kids were pretty antsy. Also, I taught the lesson in the school's computer lab and the students were so excited to be in the lab that I had to fight for control. I finally got it, however, and the lesson went well after that. The students loved the book and seemed to grasp the concepts of setting, characters, and important events. They did the Kidspiration worksheet with no problem and finished much faster than I thought they would. Earlier in the day, the computer teacher at my elementary school had seen the worksheet and suggested that I add a part for the students to do once they finished. I added a box where they could drag in pictures of their favorite foods to eat on Thanksgiving (you would not believe the number of children who wished they ate tacos on Thanksgiving). That was a life-saving suggestion because the students did turn out to be much faster workers than I guessed.
I was surprised at how excited the students were to go to the computer lab. You would have thought I told them we were going to Disney World. They worked very well at the computers and had no problems typing their names or using the mouse for the activity. Just watching them and wondering what technology they will see in their lifetimes was astounding. I know I am only 15 years older than them, but in the technological world, that is a lifetime.
I enjoyed this project and it made me see how easy it is to integrate technology into a lesson, even with first-graders.
I recently taught my lesson for my Teaching with Technology class. I designed the lesson with a partner and had a hard time nailing down what to teach. We had problems coordinating with our cooperating teachers on what to teach. We finally decided on a lesson on characters, setting, and important events in a Thanksgiving book. For the technology aspect, we designed a Kidspriration activity which had the students drag pictures into the appropriate boxes. I was much more relaxed about this lesson than the first lesson that I taught. The experience of one lesson under my belt made it much easier.
The lesson went fairly well. It was a rainy day so the kids had not had recess and I taught the lesson at 3:00, so the kids were pretty antsy. Also, I taught the lesson in the school's computer lab and the students were so excited to be in the lab that I had to fight for control. I finally got it, however, and the lesson went well after that. The students loved the book and seemed to grasp the concepts of setting, characters, and important events. They did the Kidspiration worksheet with no problem and finished much faster than I thought they would. Earlier in the day, the computer teacher at my elementary school had seen the worksheet and suggested that I add a part for the students to do once they finished. I added a box where they could drag in pictures of their favorite foods to eat on Thanksgiving (you would not believe the number of children who wished they ate tacos on Thanksgiving). That was a life-saving suggestion because the students did turn out to be much faster workers than I guessed.
I was surprised at how excited the students were to go to the computer lab. You would have thought I told them we were going to Disney World. They worked very well at the computers and had no problems typing their names or using the mouse for the activity. Just watching them and wondering what technology they will see in their lifetimes was astounding. I know I am only 15 years older than them, but in the technological world, that is a lifetime.
I enjoyed this project and it made me see how easy it is to integrate technology into a lesson, even with first-graders.
Student Produced Webpages
One of my assignments this semester is to spend at least 10 hours observing or teaching with technology. I have worked with Mr. Morse, the technology teacher at DJ Montague, and he has introduced a project with the fifth graders that I am really excited about. I wanted to directly quote his lesson plan to preserve the key elements:
"Each fifth grade class will be assigned a habitat--Ocean, Rainforest, Desrt, Arctic/Antarctic, Freshwater, Plains, and Mountain. Students from each class will pick animals from a 'Mystery Box' which will contain animals form their assigned habitat. Using online resources, students will collect information on a worksheet. Using Google 'image search' they will collect images for their report. The reports will be created using SchoolCenter web authoring tools, allowing students to create their own individualized pages, and previewing pages of other students in the class and grade."
Although not mentioned in the lesson plan, the really neat element of this lesson is that the students never specifically say what anima their page is about. They write clues about the animal, like what it eats, distinguishing features, where it lives within that habitat, etc. The goal for the website viewer is to use the clues and online resources available to figure out what animal is being descibed. Mr. Morse told the fifth graders that a younger grade would be using this project, so they should carefully plan and create their page.
I just think this is an excellent way to have students learn how to create a webpage and investigate the animal kingdom. I watched the students today shout interesting facts about their animal across the room, reiterating the idea that learning should be FUN, INTERACTIVE, and PURPOSEFUL.
Even thought this project was conducted in a technology classroom, there is no reason why it can't be done in the general education classroom. I also really like that this page may be used within another grade level because it shows a school wide initiative towards fostering good thinkers and creative minds.
I will try to post a link to the website when it is finished.
One of my assignments this semester is to spend at least 10 hours observing or teaching with technology. I have worked with Mr. Morse, the technology teacher at DJ Montague, and he has introduced a project with the fifth graders that I am really excited about. I wanted to directly quote his lesson plan to preserve the key elements:
"Each fifth grade class will be assigned a habitat--Ocean, Rainforest, Desrt, Arctic/Antarctic, Freshwater, Plains, and Mountain. Students from each class will pick animals from a 'Mystery Box' which will contain animals form their assigned habitat. Using online resources, students will collect information on a worksheet. Using Google 'image search' they will collect images for their report. The reports will be created using SchoolCenter web authoring tools, allowing students to create their own individualized pages, and previewing pages of other students in the class and grade."
Although not mentioned in the lesson plan, the really neat element of this lesson is that the students never specifically say what anima their page is about. They write clues about the animal, like what it eats, distinguishing features, where it lives within that habitat, etc. The goal for the website viewer is to use the clues and online resources available to figure out what animal is being descibed. Mr. Morse told the fifth graders that a younger grade would be using this project, so they should carefully plan and create their page.
I just think this is an excellent way to have students learn how to create a webpage and investigate the animal kingdom. I watched the students today shout interesting facts about their animal across the room, reiterating the idea that learning should be FUN, INTERACTIVE, and PURPOSEFUL.
Even thought this project was conducted in a technology classroom, there is no reason why it can't be done in the general education classroom. I also really like that this page may be used within another grade level because it shows a school wide initiative towards fostering good thinkers and creative minds.
I will try to post a link to the website when it is finished.
Just a quick comment for the day. I went into my practicum classroom today to discover that my cooperating teacher was out with the stomach flu. Needless to say, there was a sub there in her place. While I talked to the sub for a few minutes and she seemed like a nice-enough woman, I didn't see her smile the entire time I was there.
Maybe it's just me, but smiles sure brighten up the classroom. I'm pretty sure kids can sense a teachers' mood and if a teacher isn't happy to be at school, can you complain if kids aren't happy to be there either?
Maybe it's just me, but smiles sure brighten up the classroom. I'm pretty sure kids can sense a teachers' mood and if a teacher isn't happy to be at school, can you complain if kids aren't happy to be there either?
I'm in the middle of planning my third lesson out of four for a unit in the spring. I needed to take a break, so I decided to write a bit in my blog. These first two lesson plans have been slightly discouraging. I know I didn't put full effort into the first one, but I thought my second one was really good. Never the less, when I got them back from my professor, my grade was horrible for both of them. I know that I'm still learning and I realize my mistakes once they were pointed out, but it's still discouraging.
Is lesson planning something that gets easier the longer you teach? I sure hope so. And I hope it doesn't take too long to catch on because right now it takes me about 5 times longer to create a lesson plan than it does to actually teach the same lesson.
Is lesson planning something that gets easier the longer you teach? I sure hope so. And I hope it doesn't take too long to catch on because right now it takes me about 5 times longer to create a lesson plan than it does to actually teach the same lesson.
I admit, it has been a while since I have had an inspiring occasion to blog about. However, this changed last week upon my observation of a 4th grade class researching and writing about hurricanes.
For the most part, the students were actively engaged in their assignment-- to use a website to find information about a hurricane of their choice, and write a newspaper article about their findings. After circulating around the classroom for a while, I noticed that one particular student was having trouble extracting pertinent information from the website and writing up her own article. I gave her a few pointers and moved on to helping other students in the class.
After a while, I was circulating back around to her side of the room. I overheard the boy next to her say, "I know a trick! Let me show it to you!" Immediately, my interest was sparked. He proceeded to show her how to copy sentences from the website and paste it to her word document. The first thing that popped into my head at this moment was "RED FLAG! RED FLAG! HONOR CODE VIOLATION!" The little girl then did just what the boy had shown her. I decided that this would be the moment to intervene, but just how do you explain plagurism to a 4th grader?
At this point, I began talking to the two kids. I said to the boy that copy and pasting can be very helpful at certain times, but that we need to be very careful with how we use it. I then explained that when we find information from any source, we must always put it into our own words, or else it is like stealing. The two seemed to understand what I was trying to say, so I was satisfied. As soon as I finished my explanation of plagurism, I noticed the boy re-opening his word document and deleting the entire paragraph. It was clear that he had simply copy and pasted his information into a word document and then began playing computer games.
In a way, the children's clueless-ness was adorable. However, I was surprised that no one had ever explained the concept of plagurism to them before. This incident brought to my attention that students who are required to do any type of research, especially using technology, should be given a lesson on plagurism first.
For the most part, the students were actively engaged in their assignment-- to use a website to find information about a hurricane of their choice, and write a newspaper article about their findings. After circulating around the classroom for a while, I noticed that one particular student was having trouble extracting pertinent information from the website and writing up her own article. I gave her a few pointers and moved on to helping other students in the class.
After a while, I was circulating back around to her side of the room. I overheard the boy next to her say, "I know a trick! Let me show it to you!" Immediately, my interest was sparked. He proceeded to show her how to copy sentences from the website and paste it to her word document. The first thing that popped into my head at this moment was "RED FLAG! RED FLAG! HONOR CODE VIOLATION!" The little girl then did just what the boy had shown her. I decided that this would be the moment to intervene, but just how do you explain plagurism to a 4th grader?
At this point, I began talking to the two kids. I said to the boy that copy and pasting can be very helpful at certain times, but that we need to be very careful with how we use it. I then explained that when we find information from any source, we must always put it into our own words, or else it is like stealing. The two seemed to understand what I was trying to say, so I was satisfied. As soon as I finished my explanation of plagurism, I noticed the boy re-opening his word document and deleting the entire paragraph. It was clear that he had simply copy and pasted his information into a word document and then began playing computer games.
In a way, the children's clueless-ness was adorable. However, I was surprised that no one had ever explained the concept of plagurism to them before. This incident brought to my attention that students who are required to do any type of research, especially using technology, should be given a lesson on plagurism first.
It's parent-teacher conference week at my school, and as always, I am looking for interesting ways for parents/teachers/students to stay connected when I begin teaching.
I came across a blog by Anne Davis, suggesting that parents really get involved in commenting on their children's blogs. Anne Davis showed an example of a blog where a parent had wrote on her son's blog, and her comments were very positive and thoughtful. In a world where papers don't always make it home and progress reports get lost in the bottomless pit of student bookbags, I think having student work online and parent posting is a great way to encourage invovlement from the home.
In addition, in my special populations class, we were learning a lot about grading, and this blog triggered my thinking about the importance of parent as well as teacher observation of student progress. To me, grading is a grey area that I still feel like I don't know enough about. However, I do know that nothing causes more of an uproar then a parent who finds out that their child made a bad grade on his or her report card. I can almost hear the phone ringing, "Why didn't you tell me my child was failing? I never saw any of his bad grades?!" With a blog that showcases student work and parents having the opportunity to observe it, comment on it, or praise it, this problem is eliminated. Once again, three cheers for blogging!
Are parents afraid to step into the blogosphere? Maybe yes, maybe not. However, if I were a parent, I would find it refreshing to have a way to see what my child is doing everyday and have a way to be a part of it.
I came across a blog by Anne Davis, suggesting that parents really get involved in commenting on their children's blogs. Anne Davis showed an example of a blog where a parent had wrote on her son's blog, and her comments were very positive and thoughtful. In a world where papers don't always make it home and progress reports get lost in the bottomless pit of student bookbags, I think having student work online and parent posting is a great way to encourage invovlement from the home.
In addition, in my special populations class, we were learning a lot about grading, and this blog triggered my thinking about the importance of parent as well as teacher observation of student progress. To me, grading is a grey area that I still feel like I don't know enough about. However, I do know that nothing causes more of an uproar then a parent who finds out that their child made a bad grade on his or her report card. I can almost hear the phone ringing, "Why didn't you tell me my child was failing? I never saw any of his bad grades?!" With a blog that showcases student work and parents having the opportunity to observe it, comment on it, or praise it, this problem is eliminated. Once again, three cheers for blogging!
Are parents afraid to step into the blogosphere? Maybe yes, maybe not. However, if I were a parent, I would find it refreshing to have a way to see what my child is doing everyday and have a way to be a part of it.
All the educational resources available via Web 2.0 are almost overwhelming. Prof Nussbaum-Beach has introduced my class to so many resources. We've tried out TappedIn, blogger, Flickr, wikis...tons of things that I'd never heard of before. I'm excited about all the new possibilities but I'm scared that 1. I'll forget about these resources 2. That they won't work out realistically when I get my own classroom.
It's reassuring to see examples of classrooms that have been able to incorporate technology effectively (for collaboration and communication!). One example is of Anne Davis's class of fifth graders. I explored their blogs recently and it was quite interesting to see what they had to say. Most of the students only had about 3 entries so far. The first entry was just a short introduction of themselves, the second was a poem, and the third seemed to be a response to an article of their choosing. While these entries didn't seem to have any information overwhelmingly special, I was able to see the importance of using blogs with these students. Benefits I noted:
1. Prepares them for the real world
There's no denying the fact that computers rule society. If we don't teach these students the technology while they're in school, they are in BIG trouble when they try to enter the workforce. Blogging gives students a meaningful task to practice computer-skills. Not to mention, it's great typing practice. I guess typing skills probably come more naturally for students these days, but wish I had been able to have that kind of typing practice instead of forced typing games.
2. Excites them
I'm not going to lie- I usually check my blog just to see if I got comments. Usually, they're just from Prof Nussbaum-Beach, but none the less, I'm thrilled to know someone is reading my writing. If nothing else, I'm encouraged to write more, just to get more comments. What better motivation could you give emerging writers?
3. Gives them a different mode for publishing
If students are taught like the students in my practicum school, then they've been writing and writing and writing and writing....forever. Handwriting gets old. This is an exciting new way to publish their writing. Not to mention a great way to share it with audiences that otherwise would never have the opportunity to read it.
4. Encourages them to work on their own
If students have access to computers at home, they can add to their blog whenever they feel like it. I know when I was a kid, I wrote tons of short stories. If I had been able to post them to a blog that would have been amazing! It would also help to give the teacher an idea of how much (or how little) students enjoy writing and creating stories, and how they are progressing.
Logistically, I'm curious how blogging works in the classroom. Would this be a daily task? Weekly? Monthly? I know that my students have computer lab once every 6 days, but the computer teacher usually has a lesson assigned. There are 2 sets of laptops available, but this would seem to be a hassle if blogging were a frequent activity. My classroom has about five computers..maybe it could be set up as an "in class" centers activity.
Just some thoughts. I'm glad that I'll continually have the blogging world and the entire internet to use as resources once I get out into the teaching world. It's amazing how much easier and quicker the internet has made life!
It's reassuring to see examples of classrooms that have been able to incorporate technology effectively (for collaboration and communication!). One example is of Anne Davis's class of fifth graders. I explored their blogs recently and it was quite interesting to see what they had to say. Most of the students only had about 3 entries so far. The first entry was just a short introduction of themselves, the second was a poem, and the third seemed to be a response to an article of their choosing. While these entries didn't seem to have any information overwhelmingly special, I was able to see the importance of using blogs with these students. Benefits I noted:
1. Prepares them for the real world
There's no denying the fact that computers rule society. If we don't teach these students the technology while they're in school, they are in BIG trouble when they try to enter the workforce. Blogging gives students a meaningful task to practice computer-skills. Not to mention, it's great typing practice. I guess typing skills probably come more naturally for students these days, but wish I had been able to have that kind of typing practice instead of forced typing games.
2. Excites them
I'm not going to lie- I usually check my blog just to see if I got comments. Usually, they're just from Prof Nussbaum-Beach, but none the less, I'm thrilled to know someone is reading my writing. If nothing else, I'm encouraged to write more, just to get more comments. What better motivation could you give emerging writers?
3. Gives them a different mode for publishing
If students are taught like the students in my practicum school, then they've been writing and writing and writing and writing....forever. Handwriting gets old. This is an exciting new way to publish their writing. Not to mention a great way to share it with audiences that otherwise would never have the opportunity to read it.
4. Encourages them to work on their own
If students have access to computers at home, they can add to their blog whenever they feel like it. I know when I was a kid, I wrote tons of short stories. If I had been able to post them to a blog that would have been amazing! It would also help to give the teacher an idea of how much (or how little) students enjoy writing and creating stories, and how they are progressing.
Logistically, I'm curious how blogging works in the classroom. Would this be a daily task? Weekly? Monthly? I know that my students have computer lab once every 6 days, but the computer teacher usually has a lesson assigned. There are 2 sets of laptops available, but this would seem to be a hassle if blogging were a frequent activity. My classroom has about five computers..maybe it could be set up as an "in class" centers activity.
Just some thoughts. I'm glad that I'll continually have the blogging world and the entire internet to use as resources once I get out into the teaching world. It's amazing how much easier and quicker the internet has made life!
On thursday I will teach my first real lesson that integrates technology. I have spent hours upon hours creating and perfecting my lesson and the webquest that I am using. But now it comes down to how the students respond and how well it works in the classroom.
My webquest allows students to become explorers and sail with a famous explorer of the past, but this time they are steering the ship. The decide who they will sail under, Christopher Columbus, Juan Ponce de Leon, Jacques Cartier, or Christopher Newport after each student becomes an expert on one explorer. Before the students can "sail the ship" they prove their map skills by labeling the 7 continents, 4 oceans, equator, prime meridian, Spain, France, and England on a world map. I am excited just talking about it!
As I created my webquest I got so excited picturing the students on their laptops; laughing, smiling, debating with their group, and not even realizing how much they are learning. I can see my cooperating teacher loving the activities and how involved each student is. I can see her being inspired and asking me to help her incorporate more technology into her lessons. But at the same time it could all go wrong, the students could be lost; distracted by the computers in front of them. The lesson might be too complicated, or too easy. It is meant as a fun review of all of the map skills and explorers required under the VA SOLs. It's stressful not knowing how it will all turn out. Throughout my experiences in the classroom in and my technology class I have seen the benefits of using technology into the classroom. The idea has been ingrained in my brain, but I could see all that changing; could all of this be hinging on the outcome of one lesson?
Two days from now when my lesson is over, I hope that I am not frustrated with how the webquest turned out, but instead inspired by the impact that using technology made in my own classroom. Technology provides so many opportunities for students, I just hope that my webquest does the wonderful uses of technology justice and is effective enough that my cooperating teacher would be happy to see it used in the classroom again!
No matter what happens on Thursday I will always be proud of what I have accomplished and learned, my eyes have been opened to a whole new world. I may not have perfected the use of technology in the classroom but I know that I will continue to try. If you are interested here is My Webquest, enjoy!
My webquest allows students to become explorers and sail with a famous explorer of the past, but this time they are steering the ship. The decide who they will sail under, Christopher Columbus, Juan Ponce de Leon, Jacques Cartier, or Christopher Newport after each student becomes an expert on one explorer. Before the students can "sail the ship" they prove their map skills by labeling the 7 continents, 4 oceans, equator, prime meridian, Spain, France, and England on a world map. I am excited just talking about it!
As I created my webquest I got so excited picturing the students on their laptops; laughing, smiling, debating with their group, and not even realizing how much they are learning. I can see my cooperating teacher loving the activities and how involved each student is. I can see her being inspired and asking me to help her incorporate more technology into her lessons. But at the same time it could all go wrong, the students could be lost; distracted by the computers in front of them. The lesson might be too complicated, or too easy. It is meant as a fun review of all of the map skills and explorers required under the VA SOLs. It's stressful not knowing how it will all turn out. Throughout my experiences in the classroom in and my technology class I have seen the benefits of using technology into the classroom. The idea has been ingrained in my brain, but I could see all that changing; could all of this be hinging on the outcome of one lesson?
Two days from now when my lesson is over, I hope that I am not frustrated with how the webquest turned out, but instead inspired by the impact that using technology made in my own classroom. Technology provides so many opportunities for students, I just hope that my webquest does the wonderful uses of technology justice and is effective enough that my cooperating teacher would be happy to see it used in the classroom again!
No matter what happens on Thursday I will always be proud of what I have accomplished and learned, my eyes have been opened to a whole new world. I may not have perfected the use of technology in the classroom but I know that I will continue to try. If you are interested here is My Webquest, enjoy!
Yesterday, I taught my two first lessons. Ever.
Due to the way the schedule is set up, I ended up teaching my lessons back to back. This was slightly nerve-racking, as I was afraid that if I bombed the first lesson, there would be no hope for the second lesson.
My first lesson was taught during the children's computer centers time. I had planned a webquest for my students and then a worksheet on Kidspiration if they finished the webquest in time. Since I'm in a first grade class and some of the students are still struggling with reading, I decided to create podcasts for the entire webpage. I had a little difficulty finding a way to create a podcast, so I ended up using Xanga to create and audio file and then copied the html into into my html on questgarden.
I wasn't sure what to expect with the first graders and a webquest. I started the lesson by having all the students sit on the floor and we reviewed what they remembered from their field trip to Jamestown (the webquest was on the Powhatan Indians) and then I used the smartboard to go over a few things relating to the webquest. I explained to students that they should push the triangle button to hear the words read to them. I tried to explain the concept of clicking on a link and then clicking the back button to return to the main page.
All in all, it wasn't a disaster. It was pretty chaotic, though. I know that many teachers are wary of using webquests with children this young. As far as the material goes, I don't think my students had a problem at all. They understood how to click to listen to the audio bits, but overall I think the students needed a little more exposure to webpages before doing an independent webquest. Many of the students didn't understand the concept of scrolling down each page to make sure they had read all the information. Many of them got confused once they clicked on a link and did not know where to go from there.
I think that they seemed to enjoy the idea (especially the fact that there were games at the end they could play once they finished!), but next time I'll ease into the webquest gradually. Probably if I had done a webquest on the smartboard first and then in another lesson done something small about navigating webpages and I modeled and then students tried the same thing, then my lesson would have worked better.
Due to the way the schedule is set up, I ended up teaching my lessons back to back. This was slightly nerve-racking, as I was afraid that if I bombed the first lesson, there would be no hope for the second lesson.
My first lesson was taught during the children's computer centers time. I had planned a webquest for my students and then a worksheet on Kidspiration if they finished the webquest in time. Since I'm in a first grade class and some of the students are still struggling with reading, I decided to create podcasts for the entire webpage. I had a little difficulty finding a way to create a podcast, so I ended up using Xanga to create and audio file and then copied the html into into my html on questgarden.
I wasn't sure what to expect with the first graders and a webquest. I started the lesson by having all the students sit on the floor and we reviewed what they remembered from their field trip to Jamestown (the webquest was on the Powhatan Indians) and then I used the smartboard to go over a few things relating to the webquest. I explained to students that they should push the triangle button to hear the words read to them. I tried to explain the concept of clicking on a link and then clicking the back button to return to the main page.
All in all, it wasn't a disaster. It was pretty chaotic, though. I know that many teachers are wary of using webquests with children this young. As far as the material goes, I don't think my students had a problem at all. They understood how to click to listen to the audio bits, but overall I think the students needed a little more exposure to webpages before doing an independent webquest. Many of the students didn't understand the concept of scrolling down each page to make sure they had read all the information. Many of them got confused once they clicked on a link and did not know where to go from there.
I think that they seemed to enjoy the idea (especially the fact that there were games at the end they could play once they finished!), but next time I'll ease into the webquest gradually. Probably if I had done a webquest on the smartboard first and then in another lesson done something small about navigating webpages and I modeled and then students tried the same thing, then my lesson would have worked better.
WebQuest is not for Dummies!
I have recently heard how easy WebQuests are to make and how anyone can do it...even a dummy. Let me tell you, that is not true. It is very hard to make a WebQuest. From a technological point of view-piece of cake. I (and my partner for the assignment) have been using QuestGarden and it is so easy to put the WebQuest together. Everything is mapped out for you. All you have to do is follow the directions and you are done. The HARD part is figuring out what to put in the WebQuest.
We are having a terrible time trying to figure out what to say, how to say it, and how to make it fun for the students. We know what the task is going to be and the general skills we want the students to learn and use. It is just hard getting it all down on the keyboard. It is harder than regular lesson planning because the computer lesson should probably take longer and everything you do on the computer seems to take less time than if you were just writing it. That makes it like writing three lesson plans in one. For the time that I am working on this WebQuest I hate the convenience and speed of technology. I know that the finished product will be great and the students will love using it, but it is hard work. Whoever said WebQuests can be accomplished by dummies was just talking about the technology part. They have no idea how hard it is to come up with a GOOD one.
I have recently heard how easy WebQuests are to make and how anyone can do it...even a dummy. Let me tell you, that is not true. It is very hard to make a WebQuest. From a technological point of view-piece of cake. I (and my partner for the assignment) have been using QuestGarden and it is so easy to put the WebQuest together. Everything is mapped out for you. All you have to do is follow the directions and you are done. The HARD part is figuring out what to put in the WebQuest.
We are having a terrible time trying to figure out what to say, how to say it, and how to make it fun for the students. We know what the task is going to be and the general skills we want the students to learn and use. It is just hard getting it all down on the keyboard. It is harder than regular lesson planning because the computer lesson should probably take longer and everything you do on the computer seems to take less time than if you were just writing it. That makes it like writing three lesson plans in one. For the time that I am working on this WebQuest I hate the convenience and speed of technology. I know that the finished product will be great and the students will love using it, but it is hard work. Whoever said WebQuests can be accomplished by dummies was just talking about the technology part. They have no idea how hard it is to come up with a GOOD one.
I was doing errands this week and decided to pop in and browse through a "Teacher Store" in one of the local shopping centers. I was like a little kid in a toy store at Christmas time! I saw so many wonderful teaching tools, books of all sizes, educational games, posters, cool classroom decorations, and yes, toys- for students and teacher! I went from one display to the next, not able to stop for more than a few seconds because my eyes would spot something even better that I had to go check out! I really wanted to ignore my conscience and dive in and begin the process of accumulating all the fun "teacher stuff" for my future classroom, but then that little voice that always irritates me when I'm shopping kicked in and told me to wait until I actually have a classroom before investing in stuff to fill it with. But I've wondered... where do teachers get all their stuff? And more importantly, how do they afford it? Most of the teachers I've talked to have all said most of it comes out of your own pocket, although some is tax-deductible. I found this somewhat discouraging. It only made that irritating voice in my head warning me not to spend money stronger, so I left the super-cool "Teacher Store" without my "teacher stuff".
I was browsing again this weekend, this time through blogs, and I came across a wonderful "store" that will certainly help when I do have my own classroom. Cynthia Rutledge has compiled a list of resources for free educational materials and shared it in her blog. This list is especially for teachers, and there's some wonderful items that would be an asset to any classroom, especially for subjects like geography and the sciences, with everything from posters to videos and even textbooks! I found myself having the same reaction as I had in the teacher store- eagerly going from one website to the next in the excitement of finding cool "teacher stuff". But what makes this shopping experience even better than the first, is that it's all free! I may not have my classroom yet, but thanks to this list, you can bet that when I do, I'll be able to shop like a pro... like a teacher!
I was browsing again this weekend, this time through blogs, and I came across a wonderful "store" that will certainly help when I do have my own classroom. Cynthia Rutledge has compiled a list of resources for free educational materials and shared it in her blog. This list is especially for teachers, and there's some wonderful items that would be an asset to any classroom, especially for subjects like geography and the sciences, with everything from posters to videos and even textbooks! I found myself having the same reaction as I had in the teacher store- eagerly going from one website to the next in the excitement of finding cool "teacher stuff". But what makes this shopping experience even better than the first, is that it's all free! I may not have my classroom yet, but thanks to this list, you can bet that when I do, I'll be able to shop like a pro... like a teacher!
Yesterday morning we had our first fire-drill of the year. Overall, the students were very good in lining up, going outside, and following directions. When we got back to our classroom, my cooperating teacher wanted to discuss a few safety concerns that had been brought up by some things she observed. The rules for fire-drills are to stay in line, face the building (no turning around in line), and no talking. While we were outside, some of the students had turned around to talk to the person behind them, and my teacher had to correct them several times. She wanted to reinforce each rule by asking the students for reasons why we stay in line, face the building, and don't talk.
When she got to the "face the building" rule, she asked the students to tell her why we do this. (The real reason is so everyone knows when it's safe to go back inside.) One of the boys raised his hand and in all seriousness, replied, "To watch it go down?!?"
When she got to the "face the building" rule, she asked the students to tell her why we do this. (The real reason is so everyone knows when it's safe to go back inside.) One of the boys raised his hand and in all seriousness, replied, "To watch it go down?!?"
I’m starting to look more and more like an actual professor--unfortunately for my students, this particular resemblance manifests itself in my over-reliance upon and addiction to PowerPoint. Fortunately for me, they’re good sports about the whole thing (or maybe they’re just good about not speaking English in our immersion classroom…and the problem is that they don’t yet know how to whine and complain in French).
I am, to be honest, absolutely tickled with today’s class. For me, the education student, it was a synthesis between best-practices that I’ve been learning in several of my classes. It’s rare that I have an opportunity to apply even a little of what I learn, so this has left me positively giddy. Most basically, this lesson combined content knowledge (French vocabulary) with pedagogical content knowledge (teaching language) by means of technological knowledge. This chapter that we are working in has so many picky vocabulary words—it’s the chapter on food, and of course there’s a lot, being that their reputation for food is second only to their reputation for arrogance.
I had written all of the vocabulary words on index cards—one word per card. Each student had about 6 vocabulary words on cards. Using PowerPoint, I directed them in a modified word-sort (a best-practice in elementary language arts instruction!!!). We started simple with “words that are feminine” and reviewed that. After the prompt showed up on the PowerPoint that was projected in the front of the room, with another click the appropriate words appeared below so that students could check their answers. And because all of the words were displayed so easily (no need to have to write them all out by hand for the example), we could go through them and examine spelling and pronunciation patterns that are typical for feminine nouns. We did the same for masculine nouns. We then sorted them culturally, as in “Things you could eat for breakfast”, or “Things you would buy at a bakery”, or “Things you would take on a picnic”. Not only did this allow for some practice with the words, but also it permitted small cultural lessons, such as briefly explaining the difference between French and American meals and the foods usually taken at each. We then focused on elements of pronunciation (“Words with nasal vowels” or “Words with /r/”), and students practiced pronouncing each word. I also had them switch after every couple of prompts so that they could practice with many different words.
This lesson could have been done without technology, so much so that I almost don’t think it’s fair to flaunt it as a “technology lesson”, but it was much easier as a result of the technology. Having the words already available on PowerPoint allowed the students to see each, and in certain categories where there were patterns of spelling, the students were able to observe that, as well. And more generally, I think the technology made the material more accessible, which is perhaps the most important advantage. The lesson worked with three kinds of learners—people who need to physically manipulate things to learn; people who need to hear; and those that need to see. Without the PowerPoint, the visual aspect of the lesson would have been greatly reduced for the visual learners. And ultimately, I think that this use of technology is perhaps both the most common but most powerful—when it can be used to do better and go farther what we were already doing.
Extra Extra, read all about it!
As I was studying last night for a quiz, my mind began to stray off to think about units I would like to teach next semester when I am student teaching full-time. My cooperating teacher said that he always welcomes enthusiastic student teachers who like to think of creative lessons, so I went ahead and e-mailed him with what I had in mind.
I was a yearbook editor in high school for a nationally renown yearbook staff, so I figured, hey, why not pursue this interest in the classroom? I thought it would be neat to modify what I learned in high school journalism to my fifth grade class and develop a mini staff to create a fifth grade paper.
Because of the variety of learning styles, I thought it would be interesting to assign students different tasks, based on their strengths and interests. For instance, I could have some students take pictures, others write sports stories, others do special features, cartoons, etc. I want to create an editing table, so whenever there is free time, students are working on editing the work of their peers by providing positive feedback.
Because this is a SOL year in the state of Virginia, it is imperative that this incorporates SOL's...editing is the primary skill I want students to develop throughout this unit, because by the time they begin, they will already have a solid understanding of what makes a good paper.
I am still in the process of conceptualizing this unit; I think the best thing for me to do is to begin to outline tasks for each student and assign students to these tasks based on ability. For instance, high ability students can be given the role of editors, since they may finish their work more quickly. Students who have difficulty with writing may work with a co-author, or have the opportunity to take pictures or express themselves using an alternative means.
I will have students type all their work, and I will copy/paste all their items into a newspaper template in Publisher. I think this will be a great thing to send home toparents and to have as an artifact when I apply for jobs.
As I was studying last night for a quiz, my mind began to stray off to think about units I would like to teach next semester when I am student teaching full-time. My cooperating teacher said that he always welcomes enthusiastic student teachers who like to think of creative lessons, so I went ahead and e-mailed him with what I had in mind.
I was a yearbook editor in high school for a nationally renown yearbook staff, so I figured, hey, why not pursue this interest in the classroom? I thought it would be neat to modify what I learned in high school journalism to my fifth grade class and develop a mini staff to create a fifth grade paper.
Because of the variety of learning styles, I thought it would be interesting to assign students different tasks, based on their strengths and interests. For instance, I could have some students take pictures, others write sports stories, others do special features, cartoons, etc. I want to create an editing table, so whenever there is free time, students are working on editing the work of their peers by providing positive feedback.
Because this is a SOL year in the state of Virginia, it is imperative that this incorporates SOL's...editing is the primary skill I want students to develop throughout this unit, because by the time they begin, they will already have a solid understanding of what makes a good paper.
I am still in the process of conceptualizing this unit; I think the best thing for me to do is to begin to outline tasks for each student and assign students to these tasks based on ability. For instance, high ability students can be given the role of editors, since they may finish their work more quickly. Students who have difficulty with writing may work with a co-author, or have the opportunity to take pictures or express themselves using an alternative means.
I will have students type all their work, and I will copy/paste all their items into a newspaper template in Publisher. I think this will be a great thing to send home toparents and to have as an artifact when I apply for jobs.
How to Rule
I taught my first lesson this past week and had so much fun. I was scared to death beforehand, but my teacher gave me two pieces of advice: 6 year-olds will not know when you mess up and you do not need a 6 year-old best friend. The first tip was to calm my nerves about teaching; the second tip was to help with classroom management. I thought both helped. I was sharing these tips with my mother-in-law who used to be a teacher. Her cooperating teacher for her practicums had the best advice I have heard yet. She said that elementary school teachers need to rule with an iron fist....in a velvet glove.
From what I have seen so far, this is very true. You cannot let the students walk all over you and rule the classroom, but at the same time, they look up to you and call you 'mom' on occasion. I have no problem with the velvet glove part, I just need to work on the iron fist part. I need to not look at the students as cute kids, but as the students that I need to teach. The great teachers that I have had the pleasure of observing have found the thin line between two. They have the iron fist with order in the classroom, and they have the velvet glove which will make their students look back on first or second grade and smile. I don't think that balance is taught in any college class; I think this is one thing that we are all going to have to figure out for ourselves.
I taught my first lesson this past week and had so much fun. I was scared to death beforehand, but my teacher gave me two pieces of advice: 6 year-olds will not know when you mess up and you do not need a 6 year-old best friend. The first tip was to calm my nerves about teaching; the second tip was to help with classroom management. I thought both helped. I was sharing these tips with my mother-in-law who used to be a teacher. Her cooperating teacher for her practicums had the best advice I have heard yet. She said that elementary school teachers need to rule with an iron fist....in a velvet glove.
From what I have seen so far, this is very true. You cannot let the students walk all over you and rule the classroom, but at the same time, they look up to you and call you 'mom' on occasion. I have no problem with the velvet glove part, I just need to work on the iron fist part. I need to not look at the students as cute kids, but as the students that I need to teach. The great teachers that I have had the pleasure of observing have found the thin line between two. They have the iron fist with order in the classroom, and they have the velvet glove which will make their students look back on first or second grade and smile. I don't think that balance is taught in any college class; I think this is one thing that we are all going to have to figure out for ourselves.
This week I taught my first lesson in my practicum classroom. (insert squeal-of-delight here) The lesson was a literature-based lesson that we designed as a group project in our "Teaching Social Studies" class. The process of creating and planning the lesson proved to be hard enough, but I was even more nervous about teaching it. Every teacher I have talked to has said that experience is the best "teacher" when it comes to learning how to teach, and that I'll learn more from experience than from any college class. How true this is!
Overall, the lesson went well. But the biggest lesson I learned in teaching my lesson was not what I expected it to be. Going into this, I was most worried about how I would perform as a teacher. Would I explain things clearly and logically? Would I be able to keep the kids engaged? Would they understand the concepts and "get it"? Surprisingly, this wasn't really an issue. My greatest challenge turned out to be something I hadn't prepared for in my lesson plan... classroom management!
The students in my class are wonderful, and they were well-behaved during my lesson (as they usually are). But I realized that this good behavior is attributed to more than the natural, pleasant dispositions of first graders. Sure, I had observed student's behavior plenty of times, when my cooperating teacher was teaching. I guess I never realized how "high-maintenance" classroom management can be. This showed me what definitive control my teacher has over her class. Her students instantly respond to a hand signal, a whisper, or a look. Sing-songy tunes like "1,2,3, eyes on me", positive reinforcement, praise, and high-fives seem to be much more effective than corrections with negative connotations. She never raises her voice, because she doesn't have to. As a result, the classroom has an aura of happiness about it.
Having the role of "teacher" opened my eyes through experience to all the little things teachers have to pay attention to. Observing in the classroom has taught me a lot, even more than I expected or have learned from class. But stepping into my teacher's shoes and actually teaching clued me in to the power and effect a teacher can have by the way they manage their class. I'm eagerly looking forward to having more of these learning experiences.
Overall, the lesson went well. But the biggest lesson I learned in teaching my lesson was not what I expected it to be. Going into this, I was most worried about how I would perform as a teacher. Would I explain things clearly and logically? Would I be able to keep the kids engaged? Would they understand the concepts and "get it"? Surprisingly, this wasn't really an issue. My greatest challenge turned out to be something I hadn't prepared for in my lesson plan... classroom management!
The students in my class are wonderful, and they were well-behaved during my lesson (as they usually are). But I realized that this good behavior is attributed to more than the natural, pleasant dispositions of first graders. Sure, I had observed student's behavior plenty of times, when my cooperating teacher was teaching. I guess I never realized how "high-maintenance" classroom management can be. This showed me what definitive control my teacher has over her class. Her students instantly respond to a hand signal, a whisper, or a look. Sing-songy tunes like "1,2,3, eyes on me", positive reinforcement, praise, and high-fives seem to be much more effective than corrections with negative connotations. She never raises her voice, because she doesn't have to. As a result, the classroom has an aura of happiness about it.
Having the role of "teacher" opened my eyes through experience to all the little things teachers have to pay attention to. Observing in the classroom has taught me a lot, even more than I expected or have learned from class. But stepping into my teacher's shoes and actually teaching clued me in to the power and effect a teacher can have by the way they manage their class. I'm eagerly looking forward to having more of these learning experiences.
Lately, we've been working with the kids on improving their reading fluency. Every day they read aloud to themselves and sometimes with a partner. During this time, my cooperating teacher will pull a small group to work with her. She's been teaching the kids to read with expression, like story-tellers, and also been working with them on reading faster and not--- like--- this. To phrase it in first grade-language, she tells them to "read like you talk". They've really seemed to pick up on it and are making progress. Recently during quiet independent reading, one of the boys called me over and said,
"Ms. May? I'm really going to have to work hard on this. If I'm going to read like I talk, I'm going to have to read pretty fast, cause I can talk super fast."
"Ms. May? I'm really going to have to work hard on this. If I'm going to read like I talk, I'm going to have to read pretty fast, cause I can talk super fast."
I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference what kids learn, in terms of their curriculum.
I mean, let's qualify that by saying that I don't think it makes a difference so long as the material is true and devoid of prejudice, and helps to instill a common set of values essential for living with other people. But outside of those parameters, no, I don't think it really matters.
I find I am relearning a lot of material as I need to teach it. I certainly learned it in elementary school, and probably again in middle and high school, and maybe even in college (and, a disclaimer: my information retention time is very, very short). But rather than leaving my education with a head full of facts, I've reached the for-now end of my formal education with several more important skills in tact: the ability to write and communicate, analyze, think critically and logically. All of these skills were born as a result of my learning the curriculum. But the curriculum was merely a tool--it provided something to manipulate in higher service to the development of these skills.
Now, with the emphasis on standards, there is, in my opinion, a misguided focus on curriculum. Certainly there are things that students should memorize, if they can, because it will be helpful in developing these higher-order thinking skills later on, or because it will enable them to better articulate certain things. However, in our ever-changing world, I see the curriculum as a tool which must teach more than just higher-order thinking. As noted in Will Richardson's article in Edutopia, "The New Face of Learning", individuals must learn to be savvy information consumers. The availability of information as allowed by technology demands that students be discerning information consumers.
The curriculum should serve to whet the appetite. In school, more than higher-order thinking skills, students need to feel in charge of their education and be able to construct meaning based on their interests and what they need to know because it is pertinent to their lives. The most effective teachers are the ones who are able to create lifelong learners--who empower and teach students to ask questions and seek answers. "Curriculum" is of little worth in and of itself because no one can predict what it will be necessary to know. However, it will be necessary to be able to formulate intelligent questions and find answers to them; to identify what one needs to know to complete a given task and then be able to gather that knowledge--a "nomadic learner", as Will Richardson calls himself.
As technology increasingly expands the accessibility of knowledge to the everyday person, and also expands the ability of that everyday person to add to that knowledge (valid or not), students need the ability to find and access the knowledge that they need and then they must be able to assess the validity of that knowlege. Amid these new demands, the student who is tech savvy will certainly have an edge over he who is not. Indeed, Richardson goes so far as to say that the ability to discern between solid information and that which is misleading should be incorporated into our definition of "literacy".
It seems to me that the most powerful teaching will be a synergy between traditional instruction and technology. The realization of such a synergy will be left to us, the next generation of teachers. Whooeee! :o)
I mean, let's qualify that by saying that I don't think it makes a difference so long as the material is true and devoid of prejudice, and helps to instill a common set of values essential for living with other people. But outside of those parameters, no, I don't think it really matters.
I find I am relearning a lot of material as I need to teach it. I certainly learned it in elementary school, and probably again in middle and high school, and maybe even in college (and, a disclaimer: my information retention time is very, very short). But rather than leaving my education with a head full of facts, I've reached the for-now end of my formal education with several more important skills in tact: the ability to write and communicate, analyze, think critically and logically. All of these skills were born as a result of my learning the curriculum. But the curriculum was merely a tool--it provided something to manipulate in higher service to the development of these skills.
Now, with the emphasis on standards, there is, in my opinion, a misguided focus on curriculum. Certainly there are things that students should memorize, if they can, because it will be helpful in developing these higher-order thinking skills later on, or because it will enable them to better articulate certain things. However, in our ever-changing world, I see the curriculum as a tool which must teach more than just higher-order thinking. As noted in Will Richardson's article in Edutopia, "The New Face of Learning", individuals must learn to be savvy information consumers. The availability of information as allowed by technology demands that students be discerning information consumers.
The curriculum should serve to whet the appetite. In school, more than higher-order thinking skills, students need to feel in charge of their education and be able to construct meaning based on their interests and what they need to know because it is pertinent to their lives. The most effective teachers are the ones who are able to create lifelong learners--who empower and teach students to ask questions and seek answers. "Curriculum" is of little worth in and of itself because no one can predict what it will be necessary to know. However, it will be necessary to be able to formulate intelligent questions and find answers to them; to identify what one needs to know to complete a given task and then be able to gather that knowledge--a "nomadic learner", as Will Richardson calls himself.
As technology increasingly expands the accessibility of knowledge to the everyday person, and also expands the ability of that everyday person to add to that knowledge (valid or not), students need the ability to find and access the knowledge that they need and then they must be able to assess the validity of that knowlege. Amid these new demands, the student who is tech savvy will certainly have an edge over he who is not. Indeed, Richardson goes so far as to say that the ability to discern between solid information and that which is misleading should be incorporated into our definition of "literacy".
It seems to me that the most powerful teaching will be a synergy between traditional instruction and technology. The realization of such a synergy will be left to us, the next generation of teachers. Whooeee! :o)
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