The online organization that I enjoy being a part of is Scholastic.com. As a language arts teacher I often order books for my students. I like to have my own book sets in the classroom even though it is often expensive. Scholastic has the most affordable deals out there, and if you set up a teacher account you can receive bonus points and end up getting free books eventually. All you have to do is go to the website and sign up. They ask for the name of your school and can mail you books there. The website also has student activities and teaching resources so it is a good site for teachers, students, and parents.
Scholastic.com
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Dr. Kathie Nunley
Dr. Nunley is one of the main figures behind the idea of having a layered curriculum. A layered curriculum is where you give different criteria for different levels of students. Therefore, to get an A you must do A work, to get a B you must do B work and to get a C you must do C work. She develops lesson plans that have different tiers to match the needs of different learners. I think her ideas are brilliant but please check them out for yourselves.
Dr. Kathie Nunley's website
Dr. Kathie Nunley's website
Outta Ray's Head
Ray Saitz set up a great website where teachers can post their lesson plans as a resource for others. When I started teaching in 2003 I found a lot of good language arts lessons on this site. It is a great site for browsing for language arts lesson plans. There is a lot of fun material that you can adapt to your own classroom.
Outta Ray's Head
Outta Ray's Head
Read write think.org
This is a great website that provides quality language arts lesson plans. You can search by grade level and subject area. It is a great site for browsing for lesson ideas. It has lesson plans as well as a whole list of student materials.
readwritethink.org
readwritethink.org
Monday, March 24, 2008
2nd Semester Article Response 2:
by Gabe K. Asper, gabeasper@hotmail.com, 3/24/08
Article Title: Assistive Technologies for Reading by Hasselbring and Bausch
This is a cool article because not many authors write about this subject. It is clear that the author has researched a lot of assistive technologies, and they mention some of the more successful ones. I believe that assistive technology can provide opportunities for many students. I also believe that the schools as a system, and the teachers, have to both be behind such programs.
Questions I thought of while reading:
- How do we assure that SPED teachers are trained in using assistive technologies?
- How do we assure that regular ed teachers are trained in using assistive technologies?
- What can we do about the abuse of funding for assistive technologies? Materials are stolen from students; the families of students steal materials from SPED programs.
- Who is in charge of picking out the assistive technologies used? Not all software is good software. In my experience a lot of bureaucrats and “higher ups” are in charge of selecting materials that the teachers have to implement in their classrooms.
- Who is making money off these programs and how can we be sure they have the interest of the students in mind? Perhaps they are money-grubbing companies that care nothing for the students.
5 good points the author makes:
1. There are more than 6 million students nationwide who receive special education services.
2. Assistive technology is: “any item, piece of equipment, or product system… used to increase. Maintain, or improve functional capacities of individuals with disabilities”.
3. Assistive technology can help LD students increase literacy skills by giving them access to new programs and diversifying reading instruction.
4. Computers can provide students with a tool to read grade-level text without depending on a teacher or another reader.
5. When used skillfully, assistive technology can help students achieve.
This article is about assistive technology. Assistive technology means using technology to assist students with disabilities. I agree with the principle of assistive technology but I have seen far to many abuses of it. There are no measures on these programs. The teachers are rarely involved in choosing them, and there is rarely training offered for us to learn how to use these tools. Teachers must dedicate their own time in order to learn technology on any level. There is not enough training provided by school systems. Recently it was a relief that I attended a professional development workshop on Adobe Photoshop. I actually felt that I learned something useful for once. Instead of training its teachers in technology or useful skills, the Juneau School District spent all of its PD time this year in planning for the new high school. Somehow that should not be the job of the teachers. Why do we have central offices again? In my time as a teacher I have seen students benefit greatly from assistive technology. I have also seen expensive items stolen or broken by the student’s family, or worse, school staff. I can tell the author of this article is a person who takes learning about assistive technology seriously. I am not sure many teachers have that dedication. To me it feels more like money wasted because the school systems do not pay enough for training in the application of the technology. The teachers who do use it successfully are working OVERTIME!
Article Title: Assistive Technologies for Reading by Hasselbring and Bausch
This is a cool article because not many authors write about this subject. It is clear that the author has researched a lot of assistive technologies, and they mention some of the more successful ones. I believe that assistive technology can provide opportunities for many students. I also believe that the schools as a system, and the teachers, have to both be behind such programs.
Questions I thought of while reading:
- How do we assure that SPED teachers are trained in using assistive technologies?
- How do we assure that regular ed teachers are trained in using assistive technologies?
- What can we do about the abuse of funding for assistive technologies? Materials are stolen from students; the families of students steal materials from SPED programs.
- Who is in charge of picking out the assistive technologies used? Not all software is good software. In my experience a lot of bureaucrats and “higher ups” are in charge of selecting materials that the teachers have to implement in their classrooms.
- Who is making money off these programs and how can we be sure they have the interest of the students in mind? Perhaps they are money-grubbing companies that care nothing for the students.
5 good points the author makes:
1. There are more than 6 million students nationwide who receive special education services.
2. Assistive technology is: “any item, piece of equipment, or product system… used to increase. Maintain, or improve functional capacities of individuals with disabilities”.
3. Assistive technology can help LD students increase literacy skills by giving them access to new programs and diversifying reading instruction.
4. Computers can provide students with a tool to read grade-level text without depending on a teacher or another reader.
5. When used skillfully, assistive technology can help students achieve.
This article is about assistive technology. Assistive technology means using technology to assist students with disabilities. I agree with the principle of assistive technology but I have seen far to many abuses of it. There are no measures on these programs. The teachers are rarely involved in choosing them, and there is rarely training offered for us to learn how to use these tools. Teachers must dedicate their own time in order to learn technology on any level. There is not enough training provided by school systems. Recently it was a relief that I attended a professional development workshop on Adobe Photoshop. I actually felt that I learned something useful for once. Instead of training its teachers in technology or useful skills, the Juneau School District spent all of its PD time this year in planning for the new high school. Somehow that should not be the job of the teachers. Why do we have central offices again? In my time as a teacher I have seen students benefit greatly from assistive technology. I have also seen expensive items stolen or broken by the student’s family, or worse, school staff. I can tell the author of this article is a person who takes learning about assistive technology seriously. I am not sure many teachers have that dedication. To me it feels more like money wasted because the school systems do not pay enough for training in the application of the technology. The teachers who do use it successfully are working OVERTIME!
2nd Semester Article Response 1:
by Gabe K. Asper, gabeasper@hotmail.com, 3/24/08
Article Title: The Overdominance of Computers by Lowell W. Monke
I liked the controversial stance that the author takes in this article. It is interesting to read an anti-technology article from someone who obviously makes a living off of teaching technology. I liked her ideas about teaching students how to use technology responsibly. I feel that I fight that battle everyday in my classroom with I-pods and cell phones. As a teacher I understand that you can only use technology in your classroom when it is constructive and when there is a clear outcome. I have never believed in just sitting students down on computers because they will all just go straight onto Myspace! You have to provide clear guidelines and monitor that the students are on-task. As a Language Arts teacher I agree with the author that computers are detracting in many ways from student learning. I see it in the fact that my students don’t pick up novels to read as I used to when I was their age. I see it in the fact that their attention spans are so short because they are so used to being inundated by “eye candy”.
Questions I thought of while reading:
- How can computers be solely responsible for losing touch with all of these inner human capacities? Cell phones? Television?
- Isn’t mainly the job of the parent to train their child in developing interpersonal skills and experiencing real living world interactions?
- Why are teachers expected to impart moral fiber and character to their students?
- Isn’t it the job of a teacher to make technology use meaningful in their lesson plans?
- Are students really as inundated by computers as the author suggests? In my experience many students still do not have computer access, especially at home. Computers are used by economically privileged students but not as much by those who can’t afford technology.
5 good points the author makes:
1. We need to focus on teaching kids how to use computer technology responsibly.
2. Computer skills are meaningless without a connection to the physical world and community relationships.
3. Overall test scores are lower in students who have access to computers in home and at school.
4. Students are getting so much interaction with computers that they are losing a lot of personal interactions and the development of interpersonal skills. They are losing experience with real living world interactions.
5. Students are losing touch with inner human capacities such as: hope, compassion, trust, respect, a sense of belonging, moral judgment, stability, community support, parental care, and teacher competence and enthusiasm.
The author of this article plays the devil’s advocate. She argues that technology is responsible for a lot of the values that are being lost in today’s society. To me, this argument just does not hold a lot of merit. It is like all those people who were decrying rap music for causing violence. I am personally tired of all of these people placing blame on teachers and saying it is our fault or the fault of computers or whatever for the children’s lack of personal skills. There are so many factors, but poor parenting and unplanned childrearing seem to me to be the main culprits. Children are learning in a more visual way and with less academic focus than in the past. However, I believe that at the same time the moral values of our society are becoming suspect. I was raised with access to technology but I was taught to prioritize other things as well. Technology is fine as long as parents teach their kids to be good people and to do other things besides just playing games, watching shows, and using the internet. Parents are responsible for how physically active and “inner human” their children become.
Article Title: The Overdominance of Computers by Lowell W. Monke
I liked the controversial stance that the author takes in this article. It is interesting to read an anti-technology article from someone who obviously makes a living off of teaching technology. I liked her ideas about teaching students how to use technology responsibly. I feel that I fight that battle everyday in my classroom with I-pods and cell phones. As a teacher I understand that you can only use technology in your classroom when it is constructive and when there is a clear outcome. I have never believed in just sitting students down on computers because they will all just go straight onto Myspace! You have to provide clear guidelines and monitor that the students are on-task. As a Language Arts teacher I agree with the author that computers are detracting in many ways from student learning. I see it in the fact that my students don’t pick up novels to read as I used to when I was their age. I see it in the fact that their attention spans are so short because they are so used to being inundated by “eye candy”.
Questions I thought of while reading:
- How can computers be solely responsible for losing touch with all of these inner human capacities? Cell phones? Television?
- Isn’t mainly the job of the parent to train their child in developing interpersonal skills and experiencing real living world interactions?
- Why are teachers expected to impart moral fiber and character to their students?
- Isn’t it the job of a teacher to make technology use meaningful in their lesson plans?
- Are students really as inundated by computers as the author suggests? In my experience many students still do not have computer access, especially at home. Computers are used by economically privileged students but not as much by those who can’t afford technology.
5 good points the author makes:
1. We need to focus on teaching kids how to use computer technology responsibly.
2. Computer skills are meaningless without a connection to the physical world and community relationships.
3. Overall test scores are lower in students who have access to computers in home and at school.
4. Students are getting so much interaction with computers that they are losing a lot of personal interactions and the development of interpersonal skills. They are losing experience with real living world interactions.
5. Students are losing touch with inner human capacities such as: hope, compassion, trust, respect, a sense of belonging, moral judgment, stability, community support, parental care, and teacher competence and enthusiasm.
The author of this article plays the devil’s advocate. She argues that technology is responsible for a lot of the values that are being lost in today’s society. To me, this argument just does not hold a lot of merit. It is like all those people who were decrying rap music for causing violence. I am personally tired of all of these people placing blame on teachers and saying it is our fault or the fault of computers or whatever for the children’s lack of personal skills. There are so many factors, but poor parenting and unplanned childrearing seem to me to be the main culprits. Children are learning in a more visual way and with less academic focus than in the past. However, I believe that at the same time the moral values of our society are becoming suspect. I was raised with access to technology but I was taught to prioritize other things as well. Technology is fine as long as parents teach their kids to be good people and to do other things besides just playing games, watching shows, and using the internet. Parents are responsible for how physically active and “inner human” their children become.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
IEP Project
My IEP project is a reading assignment that interconnects the themes of the reading to the lives of my students. The students go through distinctive phases. Phase I: pre-reading activities and assessment of prior knowledge through writing. Phase II: Reading the novel Big Fish by Daniel Wallace. Phase III: Watching Big Fish the movie directed by Tim Burton. Phase IV: post-reading essay writing assessment. Phase V: Digital Story Project about the history of a grandparent.
I feel that this project will provide students with a relevant project that is directly related to the themes of the novel. The novel will become more powerful to them because they must learn about their own family. Student progress can be easily measured by looking at the outcomes of the two essay assignments. Students will have to interview their own family members and form a better understanding of their own family history and the history of a grandparent.
The presentation aspect of this project is also very important. After students complete their final project they will have to present it to the class. Right now I am teaching 11th grade and presenting information is crucial to the standards and benchmarks of that grade level.
For a detailed plan of this assignment and the lessons involved please click on this link.
As far as the development of my own technical expertise, please watch my Digital Story Final Draft that is posted in an entry below. This is my teacher example that I will use to show my students how to use I-movie to create a story about their grandparents. For variety I will also allow them to use powerpoint if they already know how, or if they have access to a video camera to do a video interview if their grandparent is still alive, or even to possibly interview a parent about their grandparent. I want to make this project flexible in order to achieve best practice student work. A lot of class time will be devoted to working individually with students on their projects. I would use students who finished early as aides to work with those who had not completed one yet. I would also have a scanner in the classroom in order to scan pictures for the students for their projects.
I think this project is one that can potentially incorporate every aspect of Language Arts standards and benchmarks. It also is personally relevant to the students so that is what makes it great.
I feel that this project will provide students with a relevant project that is directly related to the themes of the novel. The novel will become more powerful to them because they must learn about their own family. Student progress can be easily measured by looking at the outcomes of the two essay assignments. Students will have to interview their own family members and form a better understanding of their own family history and the history of a grandparent.
The presentation aspect of this project is also very important. After students complete their final project they will have to present it to the class. Right now I am teaching 11th grade and presenting information is crucial to the standards and benchmarks of that grade level.
For a detailed plan of this assignment and the lessons involved please click on this link.
As far as the development of my own technical expertise, please watch my Digital Story Final Draft that is posted in an entry below. This is my teacher example that I will use to show my students how to use I-movie to create a story about their grandparents. For variety I will also allow them to use powerpoint if they already know how, or if they have access to a video camera to do a video interview if their grandparent is still alive, or even to possibly interview a parent about their grandparent. I want to make this project flexible in order to achieve best practice student work. A lot of class time will be devoted to working individually with students on their projects. I would use students who finished early as aides to work with those who had not completed one yet. I would also have a scanner in the classroom in order to scan pictures for the students for their projects.
I think this project is one that can potentially incorporate every aspect of Language Arts standards and benchmarks. It also is personally relevant to the students so that is what makes it great.
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