Thursday, December 8, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Respose to week 5 readings
At what age can online/digital literacy activities be integrated into the classroom?
Online/digital literacy activities can be integrated into the classroom as early as pre-school years. Teaching with the Internet K-12 described some instructional models which can be used in primary classrooms. As I explored the chapter, I noticed some different ideas which can easily be integrated into the classroom. For example, internet workshops, internet projects, and internet inquiry can be used to support and enrich digital literacy learning for young children. Implementation of some of these suggestions into the classroom can help students learn early skills such as the alphabet and early math skills. PBS Between the Lions has been developed for students between the ages of 4 to 7 years of age. The site features games coloring sheets, stories, video clips and much more. This site would be a nice addition to any pre-school or primary classroom. The chapter also provided a link to Enchanted Learning, a site that I would often use in my classroom to integrate digital literacy. My students would research an animal of their choice by using Enchanted Learning and writing a research paper. Enchanted Learning is a great site for teachers, students and parents because it is comprehensive and easy to use. Digital literacy activities should be introduced at an early age because they can teach a wealth of information in a fun and engaging way which can motivate children to become lifelong learners. Most importantly, opportunities to explore digital literacy activities at a young age will provide students with the technology skills they will need for high school, college and beyond.
What is a 21st Century Learning Environment?
A 21st century learning environment is an environment where all students learn best and individual learning needs and styles are accommodated by access to quality learning tools, technologies and resources. In addition, the 21st century learning environment fosters healthy human relationships in order to ensure operative learning. Twenty-first century learning supports professional learning communities for educators and project based learning for students. The architectural design of a 21st century learning environment is beneficial to group, team and individual learning. The framework is aligned closely to the idea of developing children who are emotionally, socially, physically and academically prepared to succeed in the world.
The following YouTube video explains 21st century learning environments in more detail and how to create classroom which is focused around community, collaboration, technology and networking.
As a classroom teacher, I have always believed that children learn best from their peers. The seating arrangement of my desks were in groups in order promote collaboration, healthy relationships and meaningful discourse. Students were not only required to learn core subjects such a language arts, math and science but were also introduced to problem solving, critical thinking and inquiry through group work. I have always used the cooperative learning model in my classroom because my goal was for the students to become active learners. Throughout the past few years, Clinton Avenue School has put forward an initiative to improve student learning by providing more opportunities for student discourse. Teachers have implemented strategies such as turn and talk, and literature circles which all enhance vocabulary and offer opportunities for students to articulate thoughts and ideas as well as becoming good listeners. We have found that committing these adult actions has improved instruction and student outcomes. Students have become active participants in the learning process which in turn enables students to effectively apply their knowledge.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
response #2
After viewing the different websites for this week’s response I have decided that the sites that I am most drawn to are "The Literacy Web at UConn" and "Math Forum @ Drexel." I have chosen these two sites because I have taught third grade for many years and I am always looking for new resources to share in my classroom and with other teachers. Also, my focus of instruction usually revolves around strengthening my students’ math and reading skills. I have become aware that other teachers seem to have similar priorities to mine. Performance indicator five for NETS-T states, “Teachers continuously improve professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by prompting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources” (ISTE, 2008). I feel that my grade level partners would benefit from these websites as well because they are frequently searching for valuable resources on the web to enhance what they are already doing in their classrooms.
The forum for Dr. Math seems most relevant to me because it has a link especially for elementary education. Dr. Math is part of the "Math Forum @ Drexel." It is particularly useful because it has a question/answer resource for teachers and students. Additionally, this would come in handy for kids when they need assistance and there is nobody nearby to answer their questions. Students are able to submit their questions to Dr. Math and answers are sent back via e-mail. The most common questions and answers are gathered and placed into a searchable archive which is organized by grade level. Dr. Math seems to be a valuable tool to educators and most importantly, students and parents.
The other website that is appealing is the "The Literacy Web at UConn." It is categorized by grade level and there are links to research, new topics, and literacy topics. The area of literacy topics will be useful to me because teachers are able to locate ideas for integrating literacy strategies into their instruction. As a teacher and literacy coach, I am always looking for new ideas and strategies to improve student achievement. Upon reviewing the grade three and four links, I discovered it is comprehensive. For instance, it provides websites for grades three and four, online lesson plans, and ways to integrate technology. In my opinion the most interesting link is the one entitled Children's Literature because it provides educators with a wide variety of children's authors and associated websites including ideas and strategies for implementing children's literature into the classroom. For example, the link entitled Jan Brett directed me to her website where I was able to find many suggestions of how to incorporate her books in my classroom.
I consider both of these sites to be beneficial to teachers, student, and parents. Therefore, I plan to share them with my colleagues.
References
The ISTE NETS and performance indicators for teachers (2008). Retrieved from http://www.ISTE.org
The forum for Dr. Math seems most relevant to me because it has a link especially for elementary education. Dr. Math is part of the "Math Forum @ Drexel." It is particularly useful because it has a question/answer resource for teachers and students. Additionally, this would come in handy for kids when they need assistance and there is nobody nearby to answer their questions. Students are able to submit their questions to Dr. Math and answers are sent back via e-mail. The most common questions and answers are gathered and placed into a searchable archive which is organized by grade level. Dr. Math seems to be a valuable tool to educators and most importantly, students and parents.
The other website that is appealing is the "The Literacy Web at UConn." It is categorized by grade level and there are links to research, new topics, and literacy topics. The area of literacy topics will be useful to me because teachers are able to locate ideas for integrating literacy strategies into their instruction. As a teacher and literacy coach, I am always looking for new ideas and strategies to improve student achievement. Upon reviewing the grade three and four links, I discovered it is comprehensive. For instance, it provides websites for grades three and four, online lesson plans, and ways to integrate technology. In my opinion the most interesting link is the one entitled Children's Literature because it provides educators with a wide variety of children's authors and associated websites including ideas and strategies for implementing children's literature into the classroom. For example, the link entitled Jan Brett directed me to her website where I was able to find many suggestions of how to incorporate her books in my classroom.
I consider both of these sites to be beneficial to teachers, student, and parents. Therefore, I plan to share them with my colleagues.
References
The ISTE NETS and performance indicators for teachers (2008). Retrieved from http://www.ISTE.org
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Response to Week 1 Readings
Before responding to the readings for week 1, I would like to express that I have completely enjoyed creating a blog. I had always heard people talking about blogging but I never really knew what it was. I want to express that I felt a bit intimidated by technology because I haven't had many opportunities to experiment with it outside of e-mail, Facebook, and online shopping. As soon as I got to school on Friday, I was so excited about creating a blog that I quickly pulled it up and showed all of my co-workers. They were quite impressed but the reality is that it wasn't that difficult to create. I am thrilled that I am taking this class and that I am going to learn something useful that I can share with the students and teachers at my school.
In response to the question about defining new literacies, my first thought was that literacy means to be able to read and write. New literacies are forms of reading and writing through technology for example, blogging, creating a website, social networking, emailing, and digital storytelling (Wikipedia, 2011). New literacies have a direct link to teaching and learning today. It may be difficult to determine the appropriateness of an electronic source and as educators it is our responsibility to help students understand which sources are reliable. The following video clip from YouTube highlights the proficiencies students need in order to attain success in the 21st century.
http://youtu.be/jiPDZUP-9ww
I have experimented with technology in my classroom through literacy and math. My students have had the opportunities to use technology during literacy and math instruction through Lexia, Bookflix, Starfall, and Envisions Math. However, I have always felt like there is a disconnect between technology and the curriculum I teach. Technology is an amazing resource for teachers but with the limited training provided to educators in many school districts, it is not being used as a means of to improve student achievement. Many of my co-workers would have no clue as how to integrate technology in an effective way to maximize their instruction or student learning.
In response to NETS for students, I think that all of the performance indicators will serve students well in the 21st century. They standards are aligned to the expectations we have for our youth and will be very beneficial in preparing our youth to compete not only nationally but globally. As for the NETS for teachers, I found that they will also benefit teachers as well because in order for our children to succeed teachers need to be on board with technology and the expectations need to be across the board. It is our responsibility as educators to implement these standards in order to improve student learning and ensure that our students are ready to become successful adults in a world full of technology.
As a classroom teacher for the past ten years, I have done my best with limited time and training to implement technology into my classroom. As I read through the standards for both teachers and student, I realize that the school system I work for isn't doing enough to make sure our students are ready to compete and succeed in this world. I have provided my students with opportunities to research information for reports on the computer and I have use videos to enhance instruction. I have also used the technology component to EnVisions Math by assigning online student work and assessments. I found that many of the students could only use the internet at school due to the fact that they do not have computers or internet access. As I think about my own children, I remember how they learned the basics about technology at school but they were able to sharpen their technological skills at home because they always had access to a computer and the internet. The students I teach are not as fortunate so that is why it is so important for teachers to be trained in how to integrate technology.
I have experimented with technology in my classroom through literacy and math. My students have had the opportunities to use technology during literacy and math instruction through Lexia, Bookflix, Starfall, and Envisions Math. However, I have always felt like there is a disconnect between technology and the curriculum I teach. Technology is an amazing resource for teachers but with the limited training provided to educators in many school districts, it is not being used as a means of to improve student achievement. Many of my co-workers would have no clue as how to integrate technology in an effective way to maximize their instruction or student learning.
In response to NETS for students, I think that all of the performance indicators will serve students well in the 21st century. They standards are aligned to the expectations we have for our youth and will be very beneficial in preparing our youth to compete not only nationally but globally. As for the NETS for teachers, I found that they will also benefit teachers as well because in order for our children to succeed teachers need to be on board with technology and the expectations need to be across the board. It is our responsibility as educators to implement these standards in order to improve student learning and ensure that our students are ready to become successful adults in a world full of technology.
As a classroom teacher for the past ten years, I have done my best with limited time and training to implement technology into my classroom. As I read through the standards for both teachers and student, I realize that the school system I work for isn't doing enough to make sure our students are ready to compete and succeed in this world. I have provided my students with opportunities to research information for reports on the computer and I have use videos to enhance instruction. I have also used the technology component to EnVisions Math by assigning online student work and assessments. I found that many of the students could only use the internet at school due to the fact that they do not have computers or internet access. As I think about my own children, I remember how they learned the basics about technology at school but they were able to sharpen their technological skills at home because they always had access to a computer and the internet. The students I teach are not as fortunate so that is why it is so important for teachers to be trained in how to integrate technology.
References
New literacies. (2011). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_literacies
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
intro post
Hi, I am a literacy coach for New Haven Schools. I am currently enrolled in a master's program at Saint Joseph's College. I am very nervous about this class because I do not feel comfortable with technology. As my 16 year old son would say, "Mom knows nothing about computers." I have two kids and a cute puppy named, Spike. I enjoy shopping, manicures, pedicures and spending time with my family. Spending time on the computer is probably one of my least favorite things to do but I guess I have no choice if i want an A in this class.
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