Chapter 10 Classroom Incorporation

Blogs could easily be incorporated in an English classroom. The students could read a book and as they were reading it, reflect on it in thier blog. I could prompt their reflections with leading questions and give them different references in which to relate the reading to. They could also post their rough drafts on a blog and I could view them and give the student ideas in class the next day. This way, the rough draft could become fluid and I could constantly help them tweak their work.

Chapter 10 Question

How do I encourage my students to view eachother's blogs consistently?

Chapter 10 April 18, 2010

Objective: Differentiate blogs from diaries and traditional journals and ways they can be used to guide student learning.

Blogs and traditional diaries are very different in the way they are used. Where a journal, similar to a blog, is used for personal reflection, a blog is open to the world. They are mediums for communication among all types of groups, which makes their idea base extremely extensive. Also, a blog is inspired by materials found on the internet, which could include videos, pictures and countless references. The use of the internet makes a blog very thoughtful and full of informed ideas.

Blogs can be used to guide student learning in several important ways. By prompting ideas, a teacher can guide discussion within the entire class, while each student finds their own unique meaning in the assigned blog posting. Also, students can assess eachother's ideas, learning from eachother and designing their blogs in a collaborative fashion. This form of peer guiding is very effective and creates community within the classroom.

Chapter 7 Classroom Incorporation

I would incorporate e-mail in my classroom by asking my students to keep each other posted when they are in groups and new ideas are being thrown around. Also, it would be a great place to share information, if one group member has info that another needs, they can just e-mail it. Discussion boards would be really effective in a cooperative learning, where my students can glean information from eachother using an interactive space for ideas. Listserves could be used between me and students. I could provide feedback on assignments and post resources for them to use.

Chapter 7 question

How do I incorporate this during my actual classroom time and ensure that my students are not using the computers irresponsibly?

Chapter 7 April 18, 2010

Objective: Explain how e-mail, listserves, and discussion boards are similar yet different.

List serves, discussion boards and e-mail are very similar in that they can be used as collaborative communication tools in the classroom. They are very effective for consistent idea-sharing among students and between students and teachers. Also, they incite creativity, allowing the student a personal space to record their ideas, and share them with their peers.

To begin, e-mail is a very commonly used tool for communication in the classroom. A student can quickly and efficiently express their ideas and communicate other important elements. It is also worth noting that an e-mail may include video, audio and pictures.

Next, listserves are a newer form of internet communication. These, unlike discussion boards, are not viewed by the public, but must be subscribed to. They are exclusive, so teachers and students may communicate more privately, allowing for a safe space in which to work.

Last, discussion boards are an important element of the internet-friendly classroom. These boards are collaborative spaces where students can throw ideas back and forth, post thier thoughts, and store information.

Chpt. 5

1. To enhance student learning in my unit, I would use word processing to help my students create a blog about the assigned literature. This blog would allow them to have a private area where they could reflect about their reading of the literature.'

2. Another idea for enhancing student learning in my classroom would be the utilization of Microsoft Word. By assigning papers to my students, asking them to use Word, I will give them the opportunity to write in an environment where they are able to correct their mistakes and see the problems they are having with writing.

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In what ways could an English teacher more effectively utilize spreadsheets? That is, other than the ideas I used.

Chapter 6 In relation to my teaching

As an English Major, honestly, I don't know how I would use spreadsheets. Maybe I could use them, personally, to grade my students. By putting them in a spreadsheet format, each individual student could view their grades, from unit to unit, and realize their strong points and weak points. I suppose I could also create a spreadsheet that recorded the average amount of pages my students read a day, which would result in an academic reward. This, of course, would depend on the outcome of the average. The reward would be something like they would be allowed to create five of the test questions on the next test, or something simple like that.

Chapter 6

Objective: Show how spreadsheets can be used as problem solving and decision-making tools.

Spreadsheets lay information out in a readable, comprehensible fashion, which the students can use to make informed decisions and use as a problem solving tool. Sets of information can be used in math class for equations, they can be used to solve missing variables, such as the example in the book which deals with wind patterns in a city. The students have to study the wind patterns and decide what city the spreadsheet is referring to. This example includes problem solving and decision making. By using the information in the spreadsheet, the students solve the problem and also decide which city the info is about.

Question

As a teacher, if these multimedia tools aren't readily available, will I be penalized for not reaching my technology standards?

In relation to teaching

These authoring tools will be very handy in the classroom. My students will be creating final projects and they will also be using video tools for such projects. Brainstorming, for students in an English class, is also very important. With the use of technology, brainstorming will become hopefully more interesting for my class. Power Point, I beleive, is a very important tool in some instances. Although I think that some teachers overuse Power Point, I also beleive that it can be used very effectively in some instances. For example, when doing a brief overview on a unit to be covered, a teacher can outline the basic topics, filling the students in on what they are to learn.

Objective: Identify authoring tools that offer a multimedia environment for students to express and communicate their ideas.

The first tool talked about, the Concept Map Communications Tool, is very interesting and geared towards every learner. I say this because, whether the student has a visual/spatial learning style or a learning style centered more around listening, this tool allows for both. This tool also creates a map for the students, letting them brainstorm thier ideas, and lay them out in a comprehensive, orderly fashion. The second tool, Slide-based Communications, allows the students to express their creativity while they convey their information in an organized fashion. Specific tools, such as Microsoft Power Point, are easy to use and they have several settings that add to the creativity of the project. The third tool, Clip-based Communications, allows the students to stream audio and visual clips together. Rather than creating a video including both audio and visual elements, they can just video thier project, adding background music or any other sounds they find fitting.

Question

As teachers will we be required to assess our students with and through technology?

In relation to teaching

Technology based assessment will be important in my field of education. My students will need to use search engines to finish final projects and they will be using computers to type essays and papers. Formative assessment will also be another way to use gauge thier learning with technology. As they search thier topics and create drafts of assignments, I will be able to assess thier progress.

Objective: Describe the relationship of technology-enhanced instruction to assessment.
When using technology to instruct students, a teacher is adding an entirely new element to their learning. The fact that they are also learning about the technology means that they are adding the ability to use these tools to thier knowledge. While it is important to assess the students according to the subject material, it is also important to assess them in relation to the technologhy tools used to teach the subject.

Chapter 3 in connection to my teaching

I realize how important technology is in the modern classroom. As an aspiring English teacher I know I will be using everything from online journals to search engines. According to Chapter 3, which focuses mainly on general student learning, the form of instruction is always changing according to new demands upon students. As a teacher, I will always strive to maintain modern knowledge of technology and, to the best of my ability, implement it in my classroom. With technology as a tool to facilitate learning, I will be able to open my student's eyes to a multitude of resources they wouldn't have had years ago.

My question about the material in chapter three is: Isn't it also important for students to know the dates in history and major historical events? With the new testing samples it seems as if the students aren't encouraged to know the major historical occurrences.

Describe your understanding of what learning is and how students learn.

The process of learning is defined differently, according to different theorists. A behaviorist theorist would say that learning is the process of students retaining information by responding to external stimuli and relaying information must be facilitated by positive reinforcement. The theorists then observe the effect the stimuli has on the students. Cognitive theorists focus more on the mental process, which can't be openly observed. Rather, cognitive theorists test thier philosophy through assessment and testing. Constructivist theorists combine these two theories and create a student-centered learning experience, which focuses on how the students learn and how they best retain information. Constructivists would argue that how information is conveyed should depend on how the students best understand the information. Also, students learn according to schemas. If a schema is already formed, it is the job of the teacher to cause disequilibrium within the schema, that is if new information is being presented, and urge the student to strive for equilibrium. Once equilibrium is reached, the student's schema is reformed and the information is learned.

Chapter 1 & 2 Reflection

1. The objective I chose to respond to was...

My reflection would go here.

2. My question about the material in ch. 1 & 2 is...

3. Connections between the reading and my own teaching are...