I just wanted to say that this is the first class that I actually learned something! Not only did I learn how to use different types of blogs and websites, but I can use them with my students. It is about time that this college has given us all something valuable. Thank you to Vanessa for taking us all into the 21st century!
Welcome to my website! Please remember it is a work in progress. Click HERE to view.
After reading the articles and watching the video due for this week, I was in awe at the different styles of learning available from little fingertips to teachers. I could not help thinking what a powerful age to be a teacher and have all these resources available at the click of your browser. Incorporating 21st Century skills and technology is essential to having a classroom that is ready for the newest technology. Every teacher should incorporate technology into their daily schedules to "promote interaction and a sense of community that enables formal and informal learning." (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 3) As I walked through each of the sites, I was impressed with PBSkids This site was extremely colorful and a site with a multitude of ways to learn. Any child can use this site with ease and even save their scores!
Wikijunior has books to read and you could even help to write a book. My students would enjoy this site because they would love the fact that they could be as creative as they wanted. Another site that was fun for younger children was Starfall. This site enables children to sound out any and all parts of words. If I was an early child educator, I would love to put my kids on this site. It would even help the reluctant reader because of it's vibrant colors and fun characters. For my class, Scholastic Interactives was the best site for junior high children. It allows you to print a variety of material for free, and teachers love free printables! If you wanted to join for more resources, there is a nominal fee of $8.99. When you sign up, you automatically receive 500 bonus points towards free books for your classroom, which is an added bonus. I also liked that they offer daily starters and engaging activities by grade level.
Another site that I would definitely use in my classroom is Stacks for Kids because it offers cool books to check out by genre. It also has games by certain book titles like Holes, and Goosebumps. Besides games, a student can create book review, book talk,and post them online. I love the fact that they include writing prompts that you could send a child to the computer to complete. This site seems the most challenging, but also it would be the most productive for my junior high children.
Questions:
1. At what age can online/digital literacy activities be integrated into the classroom? After reading this weeks articles, I believe that a child should be able to participate in online media in preschool. There is no reason why a child who can operate video games and other video materials, cannot benefit from early reading, phonics, and math skills with a digital program online. The child can soar so rapidly and have an early thirst for learning the younger they acquire reading skills. The biggest problem in literacy today was taking out phonics from the curriculum. When I was first teaching, many moons ago, phonics was part of the core curriculum across the state. Little by little, districts pulled phonics to try "new and improved" reading programs. There has been so much money spent on programs that are more colorful, or guaranteed to increase reading scores, when the districts should have left phonics alone and kids would have been reading in preschool. With the digital media that is around today that incorporate phonics into the reading process, every child should be reading at or above grade level in the lower grades. Once they master reading skills, their comprehension and math skills will also improve. Hats off to getting digital/online literacy into every preschool, home, and school, so every child could have the advantage of learning how to read and becoming a proficient reader.
2. What is a 21st Century Learning Environment? Technology is the 21st century, however, most teachers, parents, and administrators still adhere to the paradigm of education that is so extremely outdated and needs some serious training to learn what the 21st century offers so that we can advance as a society. We have 21st Century grant money in our school that allows us to have an afterschool program, and also pays for our summer school. With this money, we have strict guidelines that we have to adhere to while making sure our goals are part of the STEM cells. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. I found a diagram that helps understand the cycle of 21st Century.
3. How can you cultivate at least one of the 21st Century Skills into your current/future classroom? I am currently working on setting up a blog for my classroom to interact with Andrea's classroom across town. We are both reading the same book for or non-fiction genre, and we want our kids to answer open-ended questions and then TAGS each other to interact. Tagging is something that I teach my children from September to June. "T" stand for tell the author of the piece of writing something good that they wrote. "A" stands for ask the author a question. "G" stands for give advice to the author. Finally, "S" stands for something similar that you wrote in your response. Another thing that I do with my children is take them on virtual tours of the Holocaust. They are mesmerized when they go through the concentration camps in our WWII unit. This year, I will have them write blogs about their feelings as they go through the tour.
This is indeed an exciting time in education!
Wikijunior has books to read and you could even help to write a book. My students would enjoy this site because they would love the fact that they could be as creative as they wanted. Another site that was fun for younger children was Starfall. This site enables children to sound out any and all parts of words. If I was an early child educator, I would love to put my kids on this site. It would even help the reluctant reader because of it's vibrant colors and fun characters. For my class, Scholastic Interactives was the best site for junior high children. It allows you to print a variety of material for free, and teachers love free printables! If you wanted to join for more resources, there is a nominal fee of $8.99. When you sign up, you automatically receive 500 bonus points towards free books for your classroom, which is an added bonus. I also liked that they offer daily starters and engaging activities by grade level.
Another site that I would definitely use in my classroom is Stacks for Kids because it offers cool books to check out by genre. It also has games by certain book titles like Holes, and Goosebumps. Besides games, a student can create book review, book talk,and post them online. I love the fact that they include writing prompts that you could send a child to the computer to complete. This site seems the most challenging, but also it would be the most productive for my junior high children.
Questions:
1. At what age can online/digital literacy activities be integrated into the classroom? After reading this weeks articles, I believe that a child should be able to participate in online media in preschool. There is no reason why a child who can operate video games and other video materials, cannot benefit from early reading, phonics, and math skills with a digital program online. The child can soar so rapidly and have an early thirst for learning the younger they acquire reading skills. The biggest problem in literacy today was taking out phonics from the curriculum. When I was first teaching, many moons ago, phonics was part of the core curriculum across the state. Little by little, districts pulled phonics to try "new and improved" reading programs. There has been so much money spent on programs that are more colorful, or guaranteed to increase reading scores, when the districts should have left phonics alone and kids would have been reading in preschool. With the digital media that is around today that incorporate phonics into the reading process, every child should be reading at or above grade level in the lower grades. Once they master reading skills, their comprehension and math skills will also improve. Hats off to getting digital/online literacy into every preschool, home, and school, so every child could have the advantage of learning how to read and becoming a proficient reader.
2. What is a 21st Century Learning Environment? Technology is the 21st century, however, most teachers, parents, and administrators still adhere to the paradigm of education that is so extremely outdated and needs some serious training to learn what the 21st century offers so that we can advance as a society. We have 21st Century grant money in our school that allows us to have an afterschool program, and also pays for our summer school. With this money, we have strict guidelines that we have to adhere to while making sure our goals are part of the STEM cells. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. I found a diagram that helps understand the cycle of 21st Century.
After reading the assigned articles for this week, I was very excited to learn many different sites that can help my students learn, as well as, get them excited about using the computer and completing a project. One site that I absolutely loved was Read Write Think. I believe I stumbled upon this site a few years ago, and I had my students write some Diamente poems using their format, but I could never find the site again, (part of being old). When I started using the site for more than a Diamente poem, I realized my students would love so many of the interactive resources. One resource in particular is called the Bio-Cube, which states it is for grades 3-12. I will definitely use this resource soon just to get my children ready for their significant tasks. We just started reading non-fiction, so this will be a great tool for my classroom.
To find the Bio-Cube student interactive resource, just go tohttp:/www.readwritethink.com and click on classroom resources, then click on student interactive resources, and then type in Bio-Cube, or scroll down until you find Bio-Cube, or any other interactive activity that you want to have your students work on. With Bio-Cube, students can rotate the cube in any way and then add the data requested. Within minutes they will have a biographical research project completed! I think my students will love doing biographies now!
Read Write Think is not just for students to interact with technology, but a teacher can also interact and learn new technologies by watching key speakers and reading the latest postings on education and technology. This site connects thousands of educators in providing resources for the classroom, social networking tools, and newsfeeds on the latest educational news. (Dede 2011)
Another site that I know I am going to use with my junior high students is The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. This site is located at http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html. With this site, I will be able to give my students manipulatives on a computer screen to solve algebraic equations, plot on coordinate planes, find factors, transformations, or geometry skills for their grade level. This site can be for a child as young as pre-K through 12th grade. I think it will be a great site for my struggling math students, as well as, my proficient students. This site will keep my students totally engaged, while they are learning.
All of the sites on the free web resources for your classroom were informative and useful. Some of the sites even bring you to other connecting sites that are interactive and fun for children of all ages. Enjoy your web resources and use technology to your advantage in the classroom!
To find the Bio-Cube student interactive resource, just go tohttp:/www.readwritethink.com and click on classroom resources, then click on student interactive resources, and then type in Bio-Cube, or scroll down until you find Bio-Cube, or any other interactive activity that you want to have your students work on. With Bio-Cube, students can rotate the cube in any way and then add the data requested. Within minutes they will have a biographical research project completed! I think my students will love doing biographies now!
Read Write Think is not just for students to interact with technology, but a teacher can also interact and learn new technologies by watching key speakers and reading the latest postings on education and technology. This site connects thousands of educators in providing resources for the classroom, social networking tools, and newsfeeds on the latest educational news. (Dede 2011)
Another site that I know I am going to use with my junior high students is The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. This site is located at http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html. With this site, I will be able to give my students manipulatives on a computer screen to solve algebraic equations, plot on coordinate planes, find factors, transformations, or geometry skills for their grade level. This site can be for a child as young as pre-K through 12th grade. I think it will be a great site for my struggling math students, as well as, my proficient students. This site will keep my students totally engaged, while they are learning.
All of the sites on the free web resources for your classroom were informative and useful. Some of the sites even bring you to other connecting sites that are interactive and fun for children of all ages. Enjoy your web resources and use technology to your advantage in the classroom!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Labels: http://www.readwritethink.org/about/news/learning-through-technology-chris-47.html 1 comments
New literacies can and do represent a vast form of differences of opinions on what truly constitutes "New Literacies." For me, new literacies are anything that you can create for reading or viewing sources on any type of digital media.
As I read the NETS standards for students and teachers, I found things that I already do in my classroom with my students, but many things I have yet to attempt with them. The most important things I found for me to concentrate on were: 1. creating original works as a means of personal or group expression, 2. using digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, 3. to select informational sources and digital tools based on appropriate to specific tasks, and 4. Usercritical thinking skills to plan for, conduct research, and mangage properties.
In my classroom, I use Animoto twice a year. I did not know about getting the service for free. I use the 30 second free promo with my students. The first research project is on an author, and the second is on WW II. The children add music, pictures, and facts to their video, and it is a major grade. We also have books on CD which the students get to go to different groups. We are working on their projects now, so they will be finished and theb work on the final touches it needs.
NETS for teachers give a framework to work upon in which the teacher implements instruction, plans, uses technology where ever or whatver place they had to work in, and do what was written. These standards are required, and should be implemented in every classroom.
NETS for students involves students working in the classroom solving all types of computer questions in various subjects that coincide with classroom instruction. Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. (ISTE, 2011).
In my own classroom, I teach 6th grade, but all subjects. When the computer lab is open, and it has bot had any access to the lab thus far, because the computers are broken. We do use the computer lab for creating children's stories, math projects, scoial studies, and walking. We use Animoto for WWII, and for their "I am Me" projects, as well as creating their poetry with online templates. We also have the plugged in series for reading that I love. My studetns get to listen to the story on CD, and then gather their things to go to literature circles for critical thinking skills to help group members because I can't do it next year.
This year, I will impliment blogging into my curriculum. I think it will be a lot better for group projects. I will be able to monitar their work a little closer. It would help if we had all of the resources that suburban shcols have to give the inner city cild an even playing field in this age of technology.
As I read the NETS standards for students and teachers, I found things that I already do in my classroom with my students, but many things I have yet to attempt with them. The most important things I found for me to concentrate on were: 1. creating original works as a means of personal or group expression, 2. using digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, 3. to select informational sources and digital tools based on appropriate to specific tasks, and 4. Usercritical thinking skills to plan for, conduct research, and mangage properties.
In my classroom, I use Animoto twice a year. I did not know about getting the service for free. I use the 30 second free promo with my students. The first research project is on an author, and the second is on WW II. The children add music, pictures, and facts to their video, and it is a major grade. We also have books on CD which the students get to go to different groups. We are working on their projects now, so they will be finished and theb work on the final touches it needs.
NETS for teachers give a framework to work upon in which the teacher implements instruction, plans, uses technology where ever or whatver place they had to work in, and do what was written. These standards are required, and should be implemented in every classroom.
NETS for students involves students working in the classroom solving all types of computer questions in various subjects that coincide with classroom instruction. Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. (ISTE, 2011).
In my own classroom, I teach 6th grade, but all subjects. When the computer lab is open, and it has bot had any access to the lab thus far, because the computers are broken. We do use the computer lab for creating children's stories, math projects, scoial studies, and walking. We use Animoto for WWII, and for their "I am Me" projects, as well as creating their poetry with online templates. We also have the plugged in series for reading that I love. My studetns get to listen to the story on CD, and then gather their things to go to literature circles for critical thinking skills to help group members because I can't do it next year.
This year, I will impliment blogging into my curriculum. I think it will be a lot better for group projects. I will be able to monitar their work a little closer. It would help if we had all of the resources that suburban shcols have to give the inner city cild an even playing field in this age of technology.
Hi, my name is Paula, and yes, I feel like I have been a teacher for life! I have been teaching for almost 30 years; please do not do the math, because then you will realize that I am truly OLD! Someday I will be on Jeopardy and win $100,000 with all this insignificant knowledge that I walk around with, but then I would probably give it to my students and my husband would kill me! As you can tell, I have to laugh at myself, or I would never have survived this life. Please follow me and laugh at my future zany acts!
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