Keystone

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Animal Unit Reflection
Reflection Foundational Print Literacies and New Literacies
Keystone Implementation
Keystone lesson plan

Class Refection

Prezi - Click link or
copy and paste :
http://prezi.com/wnpeq_wsdbzp/lang-prezi/?kw=view-wnpeq_wsdbzp&rc=ref-39728489

T- Chart

T- CHART (please click link)

Glogster

School Lunch  (please click link)

Voicethread !!!!

Voicethread

https://voicethread.com/share/4442922/

Reflection

The affordance of Web 2.0 tools has revolutionized the education world.  Web 2.0 tool sites allows users to interact with other users or change website content.  Today, teachers are using Web 2.0 tools to introduce lessons in their classroom.  Students are collaborating with other students around the world, creating online content and displaying their work to a global world.  Web 2.0 tools facilitates collaboration, networking, critical thinking, innovation, creativity, global understanding and multicultural learning.  Various tools for collaborative writing and editing, private communication, online conferencing, file sharing, and desktop sharing.  This type of sharing enable teachers to effectively collaborate with the students beyond school hours, making optimum use of the technology available.  As educators, the use of Web 2.0 tools is transforming our work, and more specifically the way we support students in the classroom.

Week 10

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7akrq1eqnmcmy18/New%20literacies%20w10.pptx

Week 9

Article Reflection:
After I read the article it sparked some thoughts in my head about blogs in the classroom.  I think that using blogs in the classroom is tricky.  The reason I think its tricky is because some students will complete the assignments with little to no high level thinking.  However, some student’s will demonstrate some critical thinking and include high-level intellectual discussions in blog.  When I think about today’s students, my final thought is students will usually prefer technology based assignments.  I think students will spend more time on their assignments when they are posted on a platform such as a blog.  Instructors might use blogs as an interactive way of discussing class materials outside of the classroom. Students may choose the topics to blog by themselves, increasing their levels of interest.


Draft for Keystone:
Summary
A unit plan on animals, it is a topic that sparks children’s interest and makes them want to learn more.  This unit will help children learn more about animals and how animal life relates to humans.  In addition, this unit is being taught in many schools today and I felt that it was important for future teachers to understand that there are many subjects that could be taught using a unit on animals.  In this animal unit students will cover the following subjects: Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, Physical Education and Technology. The ideas using an animal unit are endless.

Grade: Kindergarten

Standards:

• Social Studies

Learning Standard 3: Geography
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

• English language arts

Learning Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding.
As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

• Science

Learning Standard 1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.

Students will need to have access to computer lab and be able to navigate the internet.  The integration of technology will help students take away with them the following "big ideas":
Animals come in a great diversity of shapes and sizes.
Animals need a place to grow and live, these places must provide specific things such as shelter, air, water, and food.
Animals interact with and depend on their physical environment.

Evaluation:
After studying and viewing animals students will draw animal’s habitat, label physical structures, and write/tell how these structures help it to survive.  Students will also be presented with different animals to sort based on their attributes.

Digital Storytelling Video (The Passenger)

The video I created is based on a piece of untold history,  I added text and audio.  Hope you guys enjoy it !!!

Reflections

Using Addie Model

I have used ADDIE with Dr. Wang in Multimedia.   I think that ADDIE is a wonderful outline educators should use, especially when using an open ended online environment like Second Life.  Teachers need to have well thought out learning outcomes.  They need to think about how they are going to achieve desired outcome, and how effective it is.  This form of planning is crucial to ensuring that the students are getting what is expected out of the online environment. Second Life is an open environment; anyone can drop in and distract users at any time, which can be unfavorable to the learning experience.  There needs to be goals and structure in order to make sure learning actually takes place because it is easy to wonder, explore, and get off task. 

Multimodal Education

After reading this article I thought about some of the ELA classrooms I have observed in the present and past where I could immediately see students lose interest, they yawn, their eyes glaze over, and they tune out. Educators need to break up content, especially for today’s learners.  A great way to break up content is by using multiple modes for learning.  Students need to be engaged different ways.  In addition to breaking up the monotony, presenting the same concepts in more than one mode can reinforce ideas and help students learn in ways that suit them best.  Lessons could include a Web quest, an animated PowerPoint presentation, and even a video, using the same material in three different ways.  Students probably won’t even realize that in the three lessons they’ve gotten the same exact information three different times. Incorporating various modes within each lesson can keep students engaged.

My Avatar

Ways to incorporate Second Life into the ELA classroom:

• Teacher and students can create a space in Second Life as a class
• Students can explore other destinations in Second Life and create a presentation on what they have observed or teacher can used explored destinations as a writing prompt
• Teacher can support students by offering virtual homework help sessions
• Teacher can have students explore different genre and interact inside those islands

UDL Book : I Learn Everyday!!!!!!

The "I Learn Everyday book" is a non-fiction book created for a kindergarten general education class.  Before creating the book, the ELA teacher and I had a discussion about what types of books she needed her students to take interest in. Teacher stated within the common core standards for reading and writing there is a big emphasis on reading informational text.  The teacher needed to expose her students to more non-fictional informational text.  This discussion inspired my book idea.  “I Learn Everyday” would be an informational text with real world experiences.  Students would be able to read book, look at illustrations and relate it to their everyday lives.  After publishing book I emailed link to ELA teacher.  The ELA teacher loved book and had many questions on how it was created.  I introduced teacher to book builder site and showed her how she could use book builder features. The ELA was excited and immediately thought of ways she could incorporate it into her lessons.  The ELA teacher stated that she could use “I Learn Everyday” with all her readers.  She stated the book is a great way to expose her young students to informational text.  She also indicated that the pictures were so realistic and that students would definitely be able to relate to them.  The ELA teacher stated she loved the audio features embedded in book builder.  The audio would be great for younger students who sometimes have trouble decoding words and for others that may read below grade level.  The ELA teacher raved about the response feature because she loves to have students interact with text.   

Book Builder is truly a great web 2.0 tool where teachers and students can read, but also create and publish their work.  The books can then be read and shared with students all over the world.  Comments and edits can be made to build skills in communication and writing.  Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, offers students many different routes to take in order to find their best learning style, and to experiment with different formats of learning and presenting to find greater success.  Open ended projects can be created and expanded upon.   This idea offers students a chance to think outside the box.  The ELA teacher and I were in agreement about taking a UDL approach to textbook usage, any text book could be reworked to drive home key points to students in a manner of different ways using Book Builder.

Middle School Science Teachers’ Confidence and Pedagogical
Practice of New Literacies
After reading the article I wasn’t surprised by the results.  The major barrier for new literacies practices to occur in classrooms was limited access to technology.  I think in today’s world most teachers’ aren’t afraid of new technology and would embrace new literacy practices but the lacks of available technology in school buildings are killing educator’s motivation to use technology.  I think most educators have come to terms with the idea of the use of technology to support their lessons.  The bottom line is no access; no technology, equals computer illiterate students.

Social Networking Sites
Social media as part of teaching strategies will encourage students to view social networks as less of a pleasurable distraction, and more as something that can be used in projects and for personal expression.  Some possible strategies for teachers to use social media have been outlined in article.  Using free social networks help incorporate real-world experiences into the classroom as well as the ability to encourage collaboration between students.  For students, social networks provide a mix of creative expression and group work through tasks like contributing to a blog, designing websites, uploading video presentations, and creating Facebook pages for class projects.  Social media can be used productively in schools.

Edmodo for ELA class
Class announcements-  Edmodo is a great way to get class announcements out quickly and easily.  Lessons can be posted, resources, and basic class information.
Assignments-  Students can post reading assignments.  Next to their name, it will tell you if the assignment has been graded or not, and it will also tell you if it hasn't been turned in.
Formative Assessments- "Polls" a feature to give a quick assessment, either during a lesson or at the end of class.  Polls are great ways just to get a general feel for how a class is doing while learning is taking place.  Also, feedback is instant, and there is no going through documents or papers in order to collect data it tallies the results.
Sharing folders from the Library-  You can create folders in your Library and add links or documents to them.  Then, you can share these folders with an entire class, small group, or individual.  This is a great way to distribute ELA class resources.
Quizzes-  You can choose from multiple choice, true/false, or short answer questions, pick time limits, edit previously assigned quizzes, and assign them to groups or individual students.  This is a great way to test students on reading comprehension.

Edmodo Screen Shot

Article: "Research confirms social media's impact on adolescent development"
This article suggests that social networks have negative impacts on adolescents.  The article also suggests that social media sites distract students, take way from study time and makes students unfocused on independent class assignments.  However the author does give an example of the positive that can come from social networking such as expression.  This short article makes you really think about the positive and negatives of a social media platform.

Fallen Shapes

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c0x3g2x1gesi2w0/Game.pptx

Week 5

Using games in the classroom
When using games in the ELA classroom, reading is one of the most important skills a student will use when playing a game. Depending on the game for example, a reading game might require a student to read quickly to advance in the game.  Educators use games to expose students to vocabulary acquisition, reading comprehension, and reading for information.  In addition, having students involved in games allows them the creativity to create characters and delve further into the game’s plot and theme.  By taking on actual characters, they are acting out the story themselves, which is a literacy skill.  Teachers realize that having fun in the classroom is one of their greatest assets in motivating students.  Games add meaningful experiences that contribute relevance to student’s reading.

Philosophy on using games
I think games in the classroom are great.  I think all students need an escape from their daily life in school.  The same old routines day in day out even makes me as an educator bored.  My motto is “ if it’s boring to me then it’s boring to the students”. Today’s generation of students relates to graphics first, versus traditional information from textbooks.  Students learn more when they are actively engaged. Games make learning more entertaining and more accessible for today’s students.  Students used problem-based approaches to complete game goals.

Edmodo
Edmodo can engage students in relevant discussions about class readings.  It can be used as a tool to model grammatically correct writing and sentence structure.  Kids love Edmodo, but the parents also appreciate what Edmodo has to offer.   It features a calendar to keep up with due dates, parents don’t have to worry about a lost paper or their child leaving an assignment in school because they can download materials they need from home.  I am beginning to explore the quiz feature.  Students can post their own book trailers to their favorite books, and playing educational games.  The list of useful benefits to Edmodo and the possible way in which to engage students through technology are endless.

I love "Hanging with Friends" its a 21st century "Hang man" game.  Hanging with friends is a multi-player word game that can be played on mobile device or tablet.   Players take turns guessing words with either friends or random opponents.  Players who challenge opponents must create a word between four and eight letters long, using the letters provided to them.  The challenge is then sent to a player who must guess the word with a limited amount of guesses (based on how many letters were used to make the word).  The exchange of guesses continues until one player uses all five of their balloons and their player falls into a pit of lava.  Players are given a limited amount of lifelines  that can either restore guesses or reveal letters that may be part of the word.  Texting, visual graphics and audio are a huge part of the gaming element in this game.  You have to text your guesses to figure out the correct word.  The visual aspects of the game make the game even more appealing.  Your player is hanging from balloons over lava.  The background colors are vibrant.  There is background  audio that plays throughout game and when you lose and fall into the lava the sound effect changes.  

Grade level: 3rd 

Common core standards: 

Reading K-5

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from non-literal language

Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently

Instructional activities : 

In an effort to improve spelling, vocabulary, and critical thinking, students will learn how to effectively play "Hang with Friends" in the classroom.  Once students have been exposed to the rules of the game and practiced, they will work in pairs to incorporate technology in the ELA lesson by using the Hanging With Friends.  Students will use classroom iTouch devices, or their own personal device. 

Assessment:  

Students will be assessed through teacher observations and their ability to make and solve word puzzles.

Debriefing:

During debriefing students will compare scores with peers and have discussions on what they liked and disliked about game.  Students will have discussions with oppenents on what words they were able to solve and those that caused them to fall into lava.

What cognitive skills do this game help to cultivate ? 

Knowledge/ Comprehension/ Application

Analysis

Synthesis

What new literacies skills do this game help to cultivate ?

Reading/ Language/ Speaking/Collaboration

Assignment #1
The articles discuss the many ways new literacies can help teachers create 21st century learners.  Meshing technology into every aspect of the class can help students learn how to conduct research and use the internet responsibly.  New literacies can enhance student’s comprehension skills of text at the click of a button.  For example, if a student comes across a word in digital text that they cannot comprehend its possible for them to click on the word and retrieve the meaning.  When I was in school that wasn’t possible, you had to get a dictionary.  New literacies open the door for students to become tech savvy and comfortable using technology to boost their learning experiences.  Though “new literacies” show great promise, there are still many challenges to using new literacies in today’s public school classroom lack of technology and professional development.  Lack of these key components creates a huge barrier to introducing new literacies in today’s classroom.

Assignment #2
Which ideas from the video reflect what the ELA teachers you interviewed are currently doing to integrate technology with their literacy instruction?                                                            
Although the videos had great ideas, I didn’t see one that would reflect on what my school’s ELA teacher is practicing in her classroom.  The ELA teacher at my school only uses traditional literacies.  She doesn’t include technology into her lesson at all.

How can you help change their instructional practices to include the use of technology and the Internet in their literacy and content-area curriculum?                                                                    
I think I can help the ELA teacher in my school by giving her an idea on a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom.  The ELA teacher always complains about the lack of tech in the building but what if we had children to bring their own technology to school.  We could take a class survey of what type of technology students have access to at home.  For example, if its tablets then we could have students bring tablet to school with parent and administration permission.  Students could read short informational text on tablets during class and create a simple mind map on what they have learned from reading.  Students could work in pairs and share maps with peers.

What professional development and/or resources will they need in order to make these changes?
The ELA teacher would need support from administration and parents.  The ELA teacher would need access to school Wi-Fi password and a small stipend to purchase short informational text apps and mind mapping app.  The ELA teacher would also benefit from attending a few professional developments on different ways to use tablets in the classroom to support school curriculum and enhance student learning.

What ideas do you have for grouping students so they will have equal access to technology in the classroom?
Grouping the students wouldn’t be a big issue if all students bought in their own technology but in the event that a student didn’t have any technology to bring in, I would pair that student with another student according to reading level.  The students could take turns reading text and then have a small discussion about text before completing task.  Another way of grouping students would be to have rotations; maybe 3 groups would complete assignment on tablet one day while other groups complete a pencil and paper assignment.  Groups would rotate until all groups have had a chance to use technology.

Assignment #3
Grade level: 6th Grade

Topic: Pre-writing strategy

Standards addressed: L.4.2, L.4.3, RL.5.7

Learning outcomes: 
Students will learn how to prepare for writing a persuasive text through brainstorming arguments/ideas and also how to use a program designed to aid in brainstorming.  

Technologies needed: 
computer lab with Internet access                                                        
Timeline for implementation (how many classes needed): (2) 40min class periods                      

How can it be integrated and implemented in the lessons? 
Students are always struggling with organizing their ideas before writing an essay. If students can organize ideas, I believe they can produce great essays.  A mind-mapping tool like bubbl. us or mindomo would be a great pre-writing tool to help students organize key points from class readings.  This tool can be used to digitize the brainstorming process.  Students that learn visually could use this tool to see ideas and how they link up.  The tool could also possibly elevate student engagement in topic.

Assessment (on writing skills and technology skills): 
Students will be assessed through teacher observation, the ability to use mind-mapping tools and verbally recount information.

1. Reflection on your understanding of ELA instruction.

Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts
Incorporating informational text in the curriculum in the early years of school has the potential to increase student motivation, build important comprehension skills, and lay the groundwork for students to grow into confident, purposeful readers.  Students need a broad and rich knowledge base to recognize and understand the meaning of words and ideas they read throughout their years in school and beyond.

Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text
A significant percentage of tasks and questions are text dependent.  Standards strongly focus on students gathering evidence, knowledge, and insight from what they read and therefore require that a majority of the questions and tasks that students ask and respond to be based on the text under consideration. Text dependent questions require students to demonstrate that they not only can follow the details of what is stated but also are able to make valid claims about text.

Practice with complex text and its vocabulary
Vocabulary is critically important to readers who use the words they speak and hear to make sense of the words they see in print. Decoding without understanding what words mean is not reading meaningfully.  Vocabulary is critical to reading comprehension throughout the grades. A reader cannot comprehend what is read if he or she doesn’t know the meanings of most of the words. As children advance in reading, they encounter words that are not part of their oral vocabularies, which they need to learn in order to understand what they are reading.

2. Research one technology tool that can best assist in each of the FIVE components mentioned in Learning Task#1.

Bubbl.us is a web 2.0 tool that will enable users to create mind mapping and brainstorming diagrams online.  Bubbl.us can aid any student in organizing and generating ideas.  The tool incorporates multiple intelligences.  Students can use the tool to present ideas for research.  In addition, students could organize sources or notes for a paper or research article, in order to aid in the writing process and narrow the focus of selected topics.
Bubbl.us is a tool I think could definitely aid any student in the area of ELA instruction.  The great thing about a mind-map is that it shows you the relationships between separate entities in your thought process clearly.  It is in a form which you can review and comprehend easily, even if you're looking at someone else's map.  This tool could be a powerful alternative for conveying complex information.

3. Interview an ELA teacher to learn his/her challenge(s) in integrating technology in the teaching of ELA/Literacy

Interview with ELA teacher (6th-grade):
ELA teacher stated without adequate hardware, software, and internet access, it is difficult to truly integrate technology into her ELA classroom.  Another complaint from teacher was the school does not have appropriate amounts and suitable types of technology in locations where teachers and students can use them.   For example, even though the school has a computer lab, teachers do not have easy access to them if they needed to use them.  Teachers have to compete with other teachers for computer lab time.

Hello!! I’m Coresa Griffin.  I am currently a teacher, a mother, and a wife.  I guess I wear many hats.  I love dinning out, movies and good music.  

2. If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you name it? The book would titled, “Slow down enjoy LIFE” 

3. Tell us one of your favorite jokes. I do not have a favorite joke.

4. Tell us what subject you teach, years of teaching, and how far you are in the MSIT or Teacher Education program.  I am a general education kindergarten teacher, I have been teaching kindergarten for 5yrs.  I will complete this program this MAY 2013, this semester I’m finishing my thesis and taking this class.

5. How much do you know about teaching language arts?                                                       
Teaching language arts to kindergarten consist of the following:                               
Alphabet:
Recite the alphabet in order
Recognize and name all the letters of the alphabet, both upper and lower case in random order
Know the sounds corresponding to each letter of the alphabet

Reading/ Reading Readiness:
Identify the front, back, title, and author of a book
Understand the functions of both the author and illustrator of a book
Understand the difference between fiction and nonfiction
Name and imitate the sound heard at the beginning and ending of word
Use left to right and top to bottom motion when reading
Use picture clues to read
Make predictions
Identify the characters, setting, and main idea of a story
Understand the simple structure of stories (beginning, middle and end)

Writing:
Write all of the letters of the alphabet in both upper and lowercase
Correctly write first and last name
Print correct letter symbols to correspond with pictures
Write and correctly spell some simple consonant-vowel-consonant words 

6. How much do know about "new literacies?"  I don’t know much about new literacies.

7. What are your concerns about taking this course? At this present time I don’t have any concerns about course.