In-class lesson plans

I really enjoyed seeing every ones lessons that they designed over these last few weeks. I felt like I gained a lot of insight about what you can do with technology across all subject areas as well as grade levels. I also thought it was great to be able to see what types of technology are out there to use. I am always looking for different resources to use in my own classroom so I thought that the presentations were very beneficial in that aspect.

My

1)What is the greatest advantage to having a blog in this course?

I thought that the greatest advantage to having a blog in this course was being able to communicate with other classmates in a very open environment where we could feel free to have open discussions. It was a more rewarding experience then just the regular boring discussion forum on angel that I have always used in the past. I also thought that the blog allowed us to be more personal. We could include information about ourselves and post pictures. I thought it was great how we could update and keep things current if we wanted to. I also enjoyed how some weeks we were given an open topic to blog about and some weeks we were given a specific blog topic and I thought that it kept things interesting and gave us more freedom to have a casual conversation with classmates and or a more professional one.

2)What is the greatest barrier to your successful use of a blog in this course?

The biggest barrier that I had with the blog was the fact that some of the information I posted took a lot of time and effort and I never received any feedback or comments. I know that I was guilty at not always commenting on others posts as well. Other than that, I had no problems with it and really enjoyed creating it and reading what other classmates posted and commented on.

What a weekend!!!

Well, I got married this weekend!!! It was a great day, I could not have asked for things to go any better. Everyone had a great time and now I feel like its all over with and it all went by way too fast. You spend a whole year planning things and then the day flies by and before you know it, its all over. Thank goodness for pictures thats all I have to say. I cannot wait to see them. I guess I also should comment on class as well. I thought that we were going to do more work on our websites because I know that I need some serious help! I thought the video clips we watched were a little goofy but I guess they got the point across. Other than that its spring break/honeymoon for me!

Article Discussion

Overall, I think that my article discussion went very well. I did not get to ask all of my questions but the ones that I did ask developed into very in depth conversations. I felt good about the topics that we discussed and was happy to hear all of the different opinions that people had. I think that it is safe to say that technology is a very controversial topic that has both its ups and downs and that the digital divide is, unfortunately, something that is always going to be present unless we can take the necessary steps to try and close it.

Correction for lesson plan pbs sites

When you go to the links posted in the lesson plan it will tell you that the page was not found but at the top there is a icon labeled video clips. If you click on the video clips it will let you scroll through each one and select the ones I listed. Sorry for the inconvenience!http://pbskids.org/lions/videos/twovowels.html

http://pbskids.org/lions/videos/vowelboot.html

Lesson Plan with PBS Sources

Heather Ryan
EDU 580A
Lesson Plan/ PBS sources
March 31, 2009


Lesson Plan Title:
When two vowels go walking.

Objectives:
Students will be able to tell what the two vowels rule is and be able to recognize it in words and apply it to their everyday reading strategies.

Standards:
Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for
information and understanding.


Anticipatory Set:
Each student will be given a vest to wear with a specific letter placed in the front pocket of the vest. Students will then be called up to the front of the class by their letter name. Students will be arranged in an order that builds a word. (i.e. students will stand together with the letters d e a r to form the word “dear”) A discussion about wear the vowels are located and the sounds that are heard will occur to begin the lesson.


Step by Step Procedure:
1. Vest Activity (anticipatory set) (5-10 minutes)
2. Watch Between the Lions When Two Vowels Go Walking on pbskids.org/lions/videos/two vowels.html. (3 min.)
3. Watch Vowel Boot Camp (review of vowels and sounds long/short and application of two vowels go walking rule)
pbskids.org/lions/videos/vowel boot.html. (3 min.)
4. Review Rule as a whole group
5. Repeat Vest Activity for guided/ independent practice and use vowel boot camp tone and terms
(i.e. build words such as tree, say, dream, and meat some used
in the clip and others not mentioned)
6. Continue to monitor students when they are reading to see if they can identify and use the rule. (this can be done informally)


This is a great lesson that is appealing to all students and helps to meet many different learning styles such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.

Smartboard Use

Even though our time with the smartboard was short, I did learn more about them then what I knew before. I have recently started using the smartboard inside my classroom and have been teaching the kids how to use it too! They have found it to be very interesting and always give a cheer whenever I turn the projector on. Overall, I know that there is still much more for me to learn but, I have begun a step in the right direction!

Smartboard Tutorials

I thought that the smartboard tutorials that we viewed in class were very beneficial. They were short and to the point. I felt like they gave a very easy step by step procedure to follow without giving too much information at one time. These are the types of tools needed in order to learn how to use a new type of technology, or at least I need these types of tools. It makes me wonder why all of the new forms of technology come complete with the old fashioned paper manual. If we have new technology to use, shouldn't we have a source of technology available to teach us with? The more exposure to and opportunities that we get to use technology, the more comfortable we will become with it.

Adaptive Technologies Reflection

I really enjoyed our trip to Student Support Services. I thought that it was nice to know what was behind those closed doors. I also felt much more informed about what types of adaptive technologies are out their to help those students who have a learning or physical disability that would allow them to effectively and efficiently take part in the learning community. I have to say that the technologies that are available today are amazing and its almost hard to wrap your thoughts around what these technologies allow us to do. For example, the shake awake was a very amusing tool to be exposed to but at the same time it was nice to know that such a thing like that exists and it exists in a "bigger" form! When asked to pick an adaptive technology that I had been exposed to, I felt a pull towards the screen reader that we were shown at SSS. A screen reader is a type of software that allows screen displayed information to be read to a person who has a visual impairment, who is blind, illiterate, and/or has a learning disability. If you were to take this information and apply it to a classroom setting, I think that it would be a very beneficial resource to have. Personally, I think that if I were to have a student in my classroom, who displayed any of the following above, that a screen reader would be very helpful in allowing me to deliver my instruction to all students. Take the following scenario;

I am a fourth grade teacher who has a student who is visually impaired. Reading printed texts and being able to successfully research sources over the web is out of the question for him/her. Having a screen reader in my classroom would allow this student to participate and to do the readings and tasks just like the other students. The only challenges to be faced would be the ones that I have, as the teacher, with making sure I modify my teaching to ensure that this student has a successful year in my room along with all of the remaining students. I believe that having a designated place for the screen reader would allow constant and convenient access for him/her. They would have to be given a tutorial on how to use it along with myself. I would also have to make sure that all of the printed versions of my material were available on CD for the student to have easy and definite access to in order to participate in and complete assignments and activities. The other students in the class would also need to be informed of what a screen reader is and its uses within the classroom. I would not want to keep any secrets and I would want all students to gain exposure and an understanding of what an adaptive technology is and how it can be helpful. I would also want my students to play a role in helping the student with the visual impairment with his/her assignments. I think that the key in having a successful implementation of an adaptive technology in a classroom setting is making everyone aware of its presence and uses, not just the one who will be using it. I think that a good knowledge base, and the proper set up of an adaptive technology does not have to alter teaching strategies. Instead, I think that having those parts in place will allow the adaptive technology to become a second nature. The key is taking the time and putting in the effort. I would not look at in the perspective of how do I need to change my current teaching strategies but more as to how am I going to make my teaching strategies that much better!

Reflection on Monday's class 2/23/09

On Monday 2/23, we had a very in depth discussion about how to find credible sources. Most importantly, it involved students being able to locate credible sources in order to complete research assignments. My thoughts were that middle school students should be given a lot more exposure to what kinds of sources are out there for use. They should be given examples of .org, .com, .edu, etc. sites and taught what they mean and how to evaluate them. Having students hand in an annotated bibliography beforehand is also an important step in all research papers. Feedback can then be given to all students and teachers could get an idea of which one(s) of their students do not have the research skills that they need and then extra support could be given. I think we are too quick to assign work to our students without first assessing their prior knowledge. We sometimes make the mistake of thinking quantity instead of quality.

Educational Games, Websites, and Simulations

For the most part, I enjoyed my experiences with the evaluation of educational software and computer programs. I explored many different sites and had a fun time participating in them. I think that it gave me exposure to some of the programs that are out there for free use. Overall, I found that there are a variety of sites that can be used and incorporated into education. However, the one thing that came clear to me was that proper uses of these sites are key to student success. Too often, I believe teachers throw these games into the classroom and they do not have a firm grasp on the educational benefits that they are providing for their students. Supplemental resources are a great tool to use if they are used in the right ways. This will always be the challenge of incorporating technology into education!

Principles to Consider

Crabtree, Mary, (2007). Using Computers to Enrich Content. The Ohio Resource Center for Mathematics, Science, and Reading. 47(1).


This particular article was one that could be used when looking to incorporate technology into any content area. It was written by a technology resource coordinator who provided some very important but basic ideas to consider when looking to incorporate technology into education. She lists them as principles to consider and they are the following:

1. Focus on Knowledge Creation- students need to be able to gather accurate and relevant information that will contribute to new knowledge learned. They must be able to use prior knowledge and still build upon it to show depth and reflection.

2. Don't go it alone- don't be afraid to seek out help and resources. Collaboration is key.

3. Approach teaching from a constructivist point of view- teachers need to be the facilitators of learning and provide students with a learning atmosphere that is full of collaboration, exploration, and chances for innovation.

4. Partner up-students- provide group work and collaboration opportunities

5. Partner-up-teachers- collaborate with colleagues and share ideas

6. Fear not- don't be afraid to make mistakes and take risks and know that they will happen and will only allow those to learn from them

7. Always have a plan B- always have a concrete backup plan for those unexpected glitches that can occur

These principles to consider may seem obvious to many, however, I think that sometimes we forget these simple reminders that can be very beneficial to us. I think that the main points that this article allows the reader to walk away with are that we need to take risks and experiment with technology and that those risks do not have to be taken alone!

What Preservice English Teachers Have to Say

Pasternak, D.L. (2007). Is Technology used as practice? A survey analysis of preservice english teachers' perceptions and classroom practices. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 7(3), 140-157.


In this article, many preservice English teacher's were interviewed in hopes to get a general understanding for how they felt about incorporating technology into their content area and/or the ways in which they already had or planned to. Many of them had commented on how they were familiar with using web sources for research information and using digital texts. However, many of them claimed that they were not as knowledgeable about some areas of technology as they would like to be. One teacher said that "these technologies pressure [her] to change [her] teaching of how to teach the English language arts, because they compel [her] not merely to practice with the technologies that embroider [her] life but integrate them meaningfully into the English language arts to enhance content and become content-not merely to practice technology but use technology as practice" (141). I think that this was a really important statement because I feel as if it sums up what most teachers are thinking. Most teachers are aware of what is out there for use but, they are not sure how to go about using it in a way that is meaningful and beneficial to the students. Practicing with the technology is not the problem, its using the technology as practice that is of the most concern.

Technology and Education

I have learned that incorporating technology into the field of education is more than just having the presence of the technology in a classroom setting. How the technology is utilized is a big factor in the successful implementation of it. One of the biggest problems/concerns with incorporating technology into education is the lack of knowledge and training that our educators have. If we do not know how to properly use the technology, then we will never be able to use it to its full advantage.