Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club

TE 402 Class Overview

2010-04-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

Over the last 14 weeks I feel that my understanding has changed in how I look at literacy. Not only has my definition of literacy changed to encompass both reading and writing along with many other aspects, but my ideas of teaching literacy have expanded enormously. I learned how important it is to combine reading and writing together, and not just specifically during allotted reading and writing times, but also during other content areas such as science, math, and social studies. It is so important to incorporate reading and writing in every aspect of our students day to continuously have them thinking about ways to further their development in these areas. I have also learned some great strategies for promoting literacy in the classroom through explicit instruction and balanced literacy learning. Not only is it beneficial to teach students various techniques for comprehension, word/letter identification, concepts of print, fluency, and other concepts, but it is also great to incorporate literacy discussion groups and book clubs so students are able to collaborate with their peers. This type of discussion and literacy learning allows the students to further their oral language development by speaking to their peers and express their ideas in an informal setting where all students can feel comfortable in participating. Not only have I learned many things in our discussions, but being able to incorporate these findings and strategies into our field placements have been very helpful. Just being able to see how the students react to these type of strategies and how far they have come since the beginning of the year is so rewarding. Looking at my kindergarteners writing from the beginning of the year until now is absolutely amazing because of all the progress they have made. I will definitely take much of my learning from TE 402 Literacy, with me into my future classrooms and implement much of the learning and discussions into my lesson plans and teaching.

Fluency with my Focus Student

2010-04-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

This past week my teacher had me working with my focus student on fluency when reading. My focus student is at a lower achieving level in reading for her class, so she is working on books that are appropriate for her reading level during reading groups. Normally the students are paired into groups of 3 or 4 students that are of similar reading levels as her. This week my teacher had me working individually with my focus student on reading her books instead of in her group. I was supposed to have her read the book several times through, the first time giving her help where it was necessary, and by the last time of reading through the book she was supposed to be able to read it on her own. The books were generally 5 or 6 pages long with simple sentences on them.

When working with my focus student on the first book for the week she had a very tough time getting through the words. She was unfamiliar with many of the words and did not do much to sound out the words and try to determine what the pages were saying. Instead, she would look at the pictures and try and guess what the word was. Although this can be an effective strategy sometimes by looking at the pictures after trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, but solely relying on the pictures can lead the child to thinking that certain words are different than what they actually are. For example, on one of the pages in the book my focus student did not know the word 'panther' but instead of looking to see that the word started with 'p' and trying to sound it out, she directly looked at the pictures and thought the word was tiger. Clearly she was not looking at the words and trying to use her reading strategies to figure out what the word was, but instead relying solely on the illustrations in the book. This was the main problem that I saw with my focus students reading, along with not trying to sound out words. Perhaps she is not familiar with some of the sounds that the letters make but she definitely needs more practice with letter and sound identification in order to develop her reading further.

After reading through the book with her and helping her when she was unfamiliar what the text was saying, she was able to successfully read the book on her own. She was so excited that she read the whole book that she wanted to read it again to me. I was excited to she that she was so thrilled with her progress and happy that she did well, because I could tell that it was a motivating factor for her. I hope to see her continue practicing her books within these last couple weeks that I am observing in her classroom.

Inffering Strategy

2010-04-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

I sub every Friday and last Friday I was in a second grade classroom! The teacher asked me to read a book to the class and work on the strategy inferring, which is a comprehension strategy. I was at Red Cedar in a very diverse classroom so I read a story about a girl from Africa. I told the students that we would be working on finding the meanings of words that we didn’t know. We could do this by looking at the pictures, skipping the word and using the words around it to find the meaning, or read through the whole paragraph and see if we can find the meaning. To make sure that the students understood I modeled it for them using the book about the African girl. I found it interesting that the children did not like the words that I chose. They all told me that they knew the meaning of that word. I told the students that this strategy could be used with any word and I was showing them how to use the strategy correctly. I had read the book before school and there weren’t too many words that would be foreign to the students so I did my best finding the hardest words. But when the students interrupted me I felt as though I didn’t get very far. I didn’t think that I had gotten anything accomplish once I finished modeling but to my surprise during the daily five I found that a lot of students were using the strategy. As I went around to the different centers I listened to the students read. I saw inferring the most when students were reading in pairs because they would talk out loud about a word that they didn’t know. First, they would look at the picture and if they couldn’t find the answer from there they would look at the words surrounding the word they didn’t know. I also took the time to read with individual students. When they asked me about a word they were not familiar with I asked if they could use the strategy that I had talked about. The students would immediately look at the picture and for the most part they were able to find the meaning from there. I also found that when I was reading with students they always wanted to explain to me what was going on in the picture. As they were doing this they would realize the meaning of a word that they had thought they knew. It was interesting working with the students because they all used the strategy in a different way. I enjoyed watching the student alter the strategy to fit their reading style.

What GOOD readers do when they read

2010-04-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

Oftentimes, my CT has me work with a specific student in order to help her develop her comprehension strategies, and fluency; however, this past Monday, my CT was at a conference and the substitute asked me to take over a literacy group in the back corner. Relatively speaking, the students I was working with were about average in their reading abilities. Since I was unsure of where the group was, in relation to reading their stories and completing assignments, I decided to go with the flow, and just talk to the students about their book, how they were doing, how they liked the story, etc.

Once the group, five students, were seated and attentive, I posed the following question…”What makes a student a ‘good reader’? First of all, fourth graders have strong opinions about their reading and the reading of their peers. They are well aware of who is struggling and who is over achieving. Second of all, their opinions are very worthwhile to hear and understand, and I felt strongly that having them voice their thoughts and opinions, in relation to this topic, could shed a lot of light on their thinking, and why they think a certain way. I also wanted to convey an implicit message; that is, “How you think, and feel, is important to me, and I want you to take ownership in your learning.”

The insights they provided me with, were VERY enlightening, and I want to share them with you. I think you’ll be surprised at how intuitive, thoughtful, and right on, their thinking is!

“Good readers know why they are reading something and they don’t just read to read, they have reasons behind it.”

“A lot of good readers will look through the book first, before they read the whole thing, and then they’ll read all of it…they look for pictures.”

“Good readers talk to their teacher and to their friends about the book they are reading. Sometimes, they will guess what the book is about before they even read it.”

“Sometimes, if a reader is really good, they stop and write notes about what they are reading…like, if they don’t know a word they will stop and look it up, or if they don’t get something they’ll ask questions.”

“Good readers can read really fast, they can a whole book in, like, a day!”

“Well, if you’re a good reader, then you can read like you talk.”

As you can see…my students had a lot to share! I wasn’t sure where this question would lead us, but it turns out, we were able to continue this discussion for a good fifteen minutes. If you look closely at their comments, you’ll see that they’re right! Everything they mentioned is one aspect of what it takes to be a good reader. I was very impressed and proud of the thoughtfulness and metacognitive thinking my students displayed. Hopefully, their ability to understand what it takes to be a successful reader will help them in their own journey towards higher reading levels.

Working with my Focus Student

2010-04-18T18:10:00.000-07:00

For the past couple weeks I have had the opportunity to work very closely with my focus student during writing workshop time. During writing workshop, the students have been focusing on making sure they have a beginning, middle, and end of the story. They are also working to make sure they are making spaces between words, and using their letter chart to sound out words to try and spell them as best as they can. These are the main things that the students are supposed to be working on during their writing workshops.

I have had the chance to work with my focus student during writing workshop and observe the progress she was making. First, I noticed that she always likes to make the illustrations for her story before writing the words on the page. She spent a lot of time working on her illustrations, and sometimes it seemed like she would try and prolong the process of drawing so she would not have to start writing. When she did finish the illustration she would first say the sentence she was going to write before writing the first word. She would begin sounding out the words in the first word and would ask me questions about whether or not it was right. I would tell her to refer to her letter chart and look for the letters that were heard in the word. She did a great job of looking at her letter chart and slowly sounding out the words to figure out what letters were in the words. She did this for the entire sentence on the first page, and seemed to be extremely happy with herself for finishing the firs page of her three page story.

Since they are working on the beginning, middle, and end of the story, after she finished the first page, she continued on with the second and third page. Again, she made her illustrations, and spent less time on her writing. Although she did a good job of sounding out words and creating the story, her pages did not make any sense and there was not a real order to her story. Her thoughts were jumbled from one page to the next and there was no chronological order. On one page she would be talking about what she was doing on the past weekend, but then on the next page, she would start talking about what she was doing at school. She would make sense on each of the pages she was writing on, but when it would go to the next page, it was not really a story because it was did not go in order.

Although she is still lacking some important parts of writing for her age, she has shown a great deal of progress since she first started working on writing stories this past year. She still has some key points of writing to establish, but she is making fairly good progress and is doing great at continuously trying to do her best during writing workshop.

Lesson Reflection

2010-04-18T18:02:00.000-07:00

I taught my lesson on similarities and differences among individuals to my kindergarten class. I learned a lot from teaching this lesson, and found it to be very helpful for the students social studies material that they needed to cover in their curriculum. All of the students were great participators during my lesson, and I felt great that they were interested enough to raise their hand and get involved in the discussion by sharing their ideas and experiences.

I learned that this was a great topic to share with kindergarten students because while they are learning about diversity, they still are able to share their personal experiences (preferences, characteristics, family, etc). I learned that students are much more aware of the differences that are among our society than what I would have thought. They notice a lot of the physical differences among their peers, but are still respectful and accepting of those characteristics, which is an important part of diversity. For the most part, the students understood why diversity is important to discuss, but need to further their concept of the value diversity has in our society. In short, I learned how much the students know in regards to the topic of diversity, and also was able to gauge their feelings about the subject, which showed as being favorable by the class!

I also was able to learn about myself and my teaching from conducting this lesson. I think that I did a good job of connecting with the students and encouraging them to continue sharing their response and experiences. I tried hard to keep the students on track and praise the ideas that they were presenting during the discussion. There were also many things that I learned about myself through my teaching that need to be improved. One of them is to not dominate the discussion and allow the students to get more involved. The whole point of teaching a lesson is to make sure they are getting something out of it and learning, so it’s important that they feel like they have an opportunity to ask questions and express themselves openly and often. Along with opening up the discussion to the students more, I also need to work on managing my time better throughout the lesson. While it is important for all students to get the chance to express themselves, it is also important to manage the discussion and keep track of time. These were several of the things I learned about myself after listening to my own lesson.

Working with my Focus Student

2010-04-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

For the duration of my time working in my fourth grade class, there is one specific student that I have spent a great deal of time helping. Alexa* is a kind, outgoing, and charismatic fourth grader who struggles in regards to her literacy development. When our spring semester commenced, my CT became aware of my literacy focus for the remainder of the year; therefore, he asked that I spend some quality time working with Alexa on her reading skills (specifically pertaining to her comprehension strategies and level of fluency). Seeing as how I was in the field during the students’ reading workshop time, I was able to spend a large amount of my time working one-on-one with Alexa. At the outset, I had Alexa pick out books she was either interested in, or books she was reading in her reading group, and we would sit in the hallway as she slowly worked her way through the various stories. This allowed the two of us time to develop a friendly, comfortable, and supportive relationship.

As our relationship solidified, I made a point to speak to Alexa directly, in regards to the reasons behind our working together. First, I explained that we’re working together for a reason, and I asked her opinion as to why that is. Alexa is an intelligent and observant kid; she was/is well aware of the difficulties she encounters in regards to her reading ability, and she had no problem articulating this to me. I took this opportunity to talk to Alexa about some specifics; where she struggles, why, how we can help her through our work together, and how she can help HERSELF.

After talking to my CT, I’ve come to the realization that students need to understand and participate in their attempt to achieve academic success. Through direct, and explicit, conversations with students (in regards to their specific struggles), I believe children will feel an ownership, and take more responsibility for their learning; exactly what I was striving for with Alexa.

As the semester has progressed, the activities we participate in together have slowly evolved. About four or five weeks ago, (I think), my CT and I took some time to sit and discuss Alexa’s development. As it turned out, my CT had recently been a participant at a literacy conference that focused on comprehension strategies and the importance of fluency in struggling readers. Obviously, Alexa was at the forefront of his mind. At this point, I had the opportunity to do some research on the literature my CT received at the conference. (I’ve been meaning to ask him the name of the conference, as well as the name of the text, but it keeps slipping my mind). I learned a great deal, and I’ve been able to execute a variety of strategies while working with Alexa.

One Hen

2010-04-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

I taught my literacy lesson the week after spring break. That being said, please forgive my short memory and inability to give a full and detailed summary/description of what occurred. Rather than present a full synopsis of my lesson (which would be quite boring, long, and dull, I’m sure) I’m going to briefly explain the general lesson layout, and then I will provide you with some insightful comments on the exciting, funny, surprising, and/or disconcerting outcomes of the day.

My literacy lesson was taught to a fourth grade class, and it was comprised of a read-aloud, a large class discussion (occurring before, during, and after the reading), small group discussions, and a written activity. The story book I read was entitled One Hen and it was an exceptionally well-written TRUE story about an African boy who encountered many obstacles, worked hard, became educated, persevered, and despite his many struggles, became the most successful poultry farmer in all of West Africa (and in the process helped his family, community, and entire country). The written activity required the students to reflect on the story, and engage in high-level thinking. I had the students write a letter to the main character of the story (Kojo), and explain what they will/would do to help their community.

First and foremost, I’d like to say that I was blown-away by how enthusiastic and engaged my students were throughout my two day lesson. My lesson began on Friday afternoon and I completed the lesson on that subsequent Monday afternoon. The students could not wait! As soon as they saw me on Monday morning, I was bombarded with questions; “Are you finishing the story today Ms. Forstat?” and “I can’t wait to hear what happens to Kojo, Ms. Forstat!” etc. It was very endearing. Not only that, but during the discussions, every single student participated; before, during, and after the read-aloud. Normally, I have two or three students who sit back and let his/her classmates take the burden of the work…not this time! I didn’t even have to call on students; they were happily voicing their thoughts and opinions.

That being said, I was surprised as to how difficult it is to facilitate a classroom discussion; as opposed to a “recitation”. In my lesson reflection that I turned in to Judy, I went into more detail as to how much I struggled in terms of taking that step back and allowing the students to take the metaphorical steering wheel. Honestly, I’ve tended to judge teachers rather harshly for their, supposedly, lazy approach to class discussions. I was arrogant enough to believe that they (teachers) were just too “stuck in their ways” to develop a more student-led teaching approach. Well, I’d like to take this time to apologize to those teachers whom I have discourteously judged. A student-led discussion is a difficult strategy to promote and I no longer believe that it can come naturally; this will definitely be something that takes some focus, and sincere thought.

Finally, I’d like to end this post with a comment relating to my students’ innate ability to empathize with human beings who may appear (on the surface) to be different from them. Before I began my lesson, I was worried that the class wouldn’t grasp the underlying themes of my lesson. I was anxious to see how my fourth graders would handle such issues as: global citizenship, poverty and poverty alleviation, perseverance, community, and helping those less fortunate. I NEVER should have doubted their ability. The thoughts and feelings my students shared were insightful, sincere, and extremely empathetic. The fact that these fourth graders are able to understand the importance of kindness, empathy, and global citizenship, when so many adults lack these insightful characteristics, is, truly, inspiring.

By the way, in case you are interested...this website...has wonderful activities, lessons, games, and information about the book One Hen, and about the country of Ghana. Make sure your speakers are on because beautiful African music plays in the background!

Comprehension Lesson with my Focus Students

2010-04-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

First, I would like to say that I love student’s reactions when they hear they are going to work with me! They are so excited and have big smiles on their faces but then when you tell them we are going to work on literacy there facial expressions completely change. I had all Title 1 or resource room students in my group. My teacher told me that they have nearly gone up an entire grade level in reading since she has been back from maternity leave, which is absolutely amazing! After I explained to the students what we were going to be doing their attitudes changed for the better. I asked all the students what their favorite book was and surprisingly the students had to stop and think about this. I know that when I was a student I would have been able to answer that question immediately. Each student had a different book that they enjoyed they ranged from The Three Little Pigs to The Little Red Hen. The students were able to tell the group what happened in the book. They actually enjoyed telling us what had happened and all the other students listened intently even if they had read the book before. After everyone had shared I asked if the students had a hard time remembering what happened in a new book that they read. They all said yes so I told them that is what we would work on today. They were excited!

To start the lesson I gave each student three sticky notes and they drew stars on each one. The students were so excited to receive sticky notes. They use them a lot in the classroom and always have them at their desk but I brought colored ones, which they were not used to. I told the students that as they read Meet me at the Watering Hole they should place each sticky note on a page where they learned something new or a fact they found interesting. Each student said that they loved animals so they were excited to read to book. I asked the students to keep their eyes on their own books because what I learned may not be the same as what you learned. The students got right to work and read very carefully and placed the sticky notes on three different pages. After everyone had finished they noticed that one girl had placed her sticky notes at the top of the page so they came out of the book so they all felt the need to change theirs. It did make it easier for them to find the pages they found interesting but it was still funny. I was a little scared because the first fact that each student found interesting was the same and this defeated the purpose of the lesson. But the next two facts were all different. Each student explained why they found it interesting and what they learned and almost every student referred to the pictures, which I found interesting as well. After each student had shared their three sticky notes I had them summarize what happened in the book. To my surprise they remember the order the animals were introduced and most of the facts they told about each animal. The students did such a great job and worked well together. The one student, Marissa, that was in the group can be extremely controlling in any situation and she did try to do this a few times but I reminded her that there was two other people in the group that needed to share their opinions too and she settled down and let them share.

When we were finished with the activity I asked if the students found this strategy helpful and they all said yes with excitement. Then I asked the students how they would use this strategy if they didn’t have sticky notes and their responses were really interesting. The one boy said that he would keep track on his finger and would randomly stop while reading and go over all the points on his fingers. One girl said that she had lots of bookmarks so she could put them on the pages she learned something or she could fold the page over to remember where it was. I did tell her that if it wasn’t her book that she shouldn’t fold the pages over because that would be hurting the book and she understood. The last girl said that she would remember in her head or she would stop while reading and recall some of the main ideas. I thought all were great ideas but I really enjoyed the finger one! Finally, I told the students to remember this strategy while they were reading and to share it with their friends because everyone likes to learn new ways to remember things.

Lesson Reflection Blog

2010-04-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

Wow! I taught my lesson today and alls I have to say is that time flies when you are having fun. My lesson went by so fast I don’t really remember what happened I’m glad I got it on videotape so that I can go back and watch it…although I don’t know how I feel about watching myself! I have subbed for my students before so that made my first time teaching less nerve racking. But I find it amazing how the presence of the teacher completely changes their behavior. This class is crazy when she in not here but during my lesson today they were angels, which is great but just interesting to think about. At first I thought that my mini lesson went to fast but now that I have gone back and read the students work I know that allowing them a lot of work time paid off because they had some great ideas written down! I taught the first lesson of their poetry unit. So the students put their poetry eyes on today and started to think like poets. In my lesson, students learned how poets take ordinary things like pencil sharpeners and make them extraordinary. Before I read the second poem I had students use their poetry eyes to see the ceiling and then discuss their ideas before we read the poem. I was so impressed with their ideas I thought they were even better than the poem we read. After the students had interacted with the two poems I had written on chart paper and had used their poetry eyes they were sent off to their desks to take ordinary objects that I placed their desk and write extraordinary things. And I mean to tell you there imaginations went to a level I didn’t know they could. I was so amazed at what these students came up with. Here are a few ok A LOT of examples of what I am talking about:

“It look’s like a space ship from stre wars.” (I believe he is talking about a shell.)

“The shell is like a house for some sea creachers and it protecr the sea creacher cause it is so hard like a rock and soft and smooth on the inside that has holes on the outside and they float. The float is like a boat for small animals like anntes, spidres.”

“Spaee ship goes through water.” (Sea Shell)

“It look’s like a little diper.” (Measuring cup)

“It look’s like a tree.” (Leaf)

“It look’s like a fishing hook.” (Paperclip)

“It look’s like a sleing shout.” (Plastic spoon)

“A shell looks like a pyrimid. My shell reminds me of a pyrimid it’s going to full a part because they are old.”

“A leaf tells me it has veins. It helps keep them a-live. When a leaf is on a trunk it looks like it’s a fan but it is not a fan it just gives air to us.”

“I think the leaf is a ranibow sometimes because it has diffenet colers and the stem is a pot of gold and the end of the ranibow it allwes has a pot of gold at the end of the ranibow.”

“The shell is a cotin ball and wene it gets in the water it gets hand and it gets smoth.”

“I think it is a castle because it as lots of walls and has buildings and the kigs home is the biggeds house in mingen (Michigan) and is has a bring (bridge) so you can run a why (away) and nevr come back.” (Measuring cup)

The students definitely used their poetry eyes to see the world in a completely new ways. I can’t say that all students did this but a large proportion of them did this. I had one student that was completely stuck on rhyming words, which I never mentioned during the mini lesson. And I could not get through to him that we were just writing down ideas and not writing poetry. Other students just described the objects in an ordinary way and did not take the extraordinary to heart. But today was their first day working with poetry so I was impressed with their beginning thinking. By the end of this unit Mrs. Berry is going to have some amazing pieces!

Gibbons Chapter 4

2010-04-12T18:08:00.001-07:00

This Chapter of Gibbons was extremely interesting to me because I have not had a lot of experience with second language learners so far. I liked reading about all of different teaching strategies that can be used. I also liked to see that my teacher uses these strategies with all of her students not just the second language learners. There were three strategies that stuck out to me while I was reading this chapter: modeling, scaffolding, and inventive spelling. After subbing in many classrooms I have found that modeling is so important. If you want students to do as you ask then you better make sure they know what you are looking for. If they don’t know then they just make it up and then you have work that didn’t want. Modeling for second language learners is extremely helpful because it shows him or her the exact steps that they need to take once they start to work independently. It puts all of the expectations out on the table for the students to take and follow. If second language learners do not know what to do they spend more time focusing on their peers and not on the content of the lesson. The intent of any lesson if for students to focus on the big picture and not on the small details as second language learners tend to do if they do not understand what to do. They become lost, confused, and frustrated and that gets them nowhere. So as teachers we need to make sure that are letting our students know exactly what we want them to do. Scaffolding is also extremely important when it comes to teaching literacy. The teacher needs to make sure that he or she has a close eye on the second language learners. These students to be questioned so that the teacher can see what they are thinking. Students may not be able to express themselves on paper but can verbally. By having the students discuss there ideas they are no longer focusing on the spelling and writing portion of the activity they are focusing on the content. This leads right into inventive spelling. If students don’t have to worry about how they spell things they are more focused on getting their ideas down on paper. This is the first step of writing, getting all of your ideas down on paper and then later students can revise and edit. My teacher uses this strategy during our writing workshop time. Students are not allowed to ask questions about spelling until the final stage in writing. This allows the students to focus on their ideas and not about writing their ideas on paper. Second language learners need explicit directions that are modeled to them and they need to be scaffold throughout their learning career.

Balanced Literacy

2010-04-12T17:50:00.001-07:00

Toward an educationally relevant theory of literacy learning: Twenty years of inquiry

By: Brian Cambourne

Brian found that while he was teaching he had ‘normal’ students who would fail to learn in the classroom environment and then because of this be classified as deficient. They weren’t deficient they just didn’t learn from the style of teaching the teacher was using. To figure out how stop this from happening in the classroom Cambourne decided to look at the most complicated process that students learn, how to talk and communicate with the world. He found the steps that children take to learn to talk and then applied them to a literacy classroom. He found that they had to be altered when applied to the classroom but also found that his new technique worked really well for all students. The following bullets describe the difference processes found!
Created ‘conditions’ that are particular states of being such as doing, behaving, and creating when learning how to talk. These conditions have to co-occur because they both affect and are affected by each other.

Immersion – Constantly immerged in the topic to be learned.
Demonstration – Ability to observe an action or artifact.
Engagement – When learners engage in the demonstration. (Hands on)
Expectation – Learners are given reachable goals to accomplish.
Responsibility – Learners decide what they pay attention to and what they internalize. They have are able to choose what they do next.
Approximations – Learners do not have to do each task right the first time.
Employment – Learners are given an environment to practice their new skills in.
Response – The feedback given to the learner about their progress.

When these ‘conditions’ were applied to the classroom they became four compact conditions that could not co exist without the other.

Transformation – When a learner has taken the information given to them, makes meaning of it, and then demonstrates it to others.
Discussion/Reflection – The language process that enables students to explore and clarify meaning.
Application – When a teacher asks learners questions that will make them further their understanding that was created through the transformation and discussion/reflection process. It is here where the learner can show others what he or she has learned.
Evaluation – Learners are evaluated based on their performance in the transformation, discussion/reflection, and application conditions. The feedback should be given in the form of a question to help the students extend their thinking or rethink their misconception.

An educationally relevant theory of literacy education should have the following characteristic:

Internal Consistency: It should be able to explain both successful and unsuccessful literacy learning.
Ecological Validity: It should be applicable to both in-school and out-of-school contexts.
Theory-into-practice congruence: It should be the basis for the design of instructional structures, processes, and activities.
Pragmatic coherency: It should not make sense only to teachers and students, it should be ‘doable.’
Transferability: The principles inherent in the theory should be extendable to contexts other than literacy learning.
High success rate: It should work in the sense that a significant number of learners acquire literacy as a consequence of applying the theory.

From the steps that have been written we can see that this strategy can be classified as balanced literacy because if all of the steps aren’t used then the process of learning literacy will fail. All steps have to be used together in order for this teaching strategy to work correctly.

Writing: Past, Present, and Future

2010-04-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

“Practice, practice, practice writing. Writing is a craft that requires acquired skills. You learn by doing, by making mistakes and then seeing where you went wrong.” - Jeffrey A. Carver

I thought this Jeffrey Carver quote was a fitting way to begin this post. Some may find this a surprising concept, and some may disagree entirely, but writing is a complex process. It is difficult, time-consuming, and requires an abundant amount of practice. I am 23…almost 24, and no matter how many papers I’ve been assigned, I still dread the moment when I have to sit down, and write a paper; whether its 1 page or 15! If adults feel this way…imagine how intimidating it must feel for children?

When I look back at my writing experiences while growing up, the fact that I’m an English major continues to surprise me! Writing never came naturally to me. I was continuously reprimanded for my prose; “You write how you speak, it’s too informal!” or, “Your spelling and grammar are horrible! You need to re-write this!” and so on. It wasn’t until the end of my freshman semester, that I developed the ability to adapt my writing style to fit the required writing “mode”. What boggles my mind is this: “Why did it take so long? How come I didn’t develop this ability in ELEMENTARY school?”

I think children need to be introduced to the variances in writing at an early age. Had I been privileged enough to learn and understand the different categories that comprise WRITING while in elementary school, I believe I would have been better prepared, in later grades, to meet my teachers’ lofty expectations. Personally, I’m going to make sure my future students are, at the very least, aware of the different writing categories; such as:

Narrative: Describing an experience, event (or sequence of events) in the form of a story.

Expository: Providing information (for instance: giving directions.)

Persuasive: Giving an opinion and trying to influence the reader's way of thinking.

Hopefully, I can create a nurturing environment that supports children during the writing process; through explicit instruction, one-on-one guidance, modeling, scaffolding, and finally…practice, practice, practice!

Learning to Write as a Child

2010-04-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

Although I don't remember much about learning to write when I was in elementary school, I do remember several things. One of the main things that I remember from not only elementary school, but also middle and high school was the time that we got for free writes and independent writing. Many of my teachers put a great emphasis on giving at least 15 minutes of the day for us to write about whatever we wanted. This could be a journal for us, something to write our feelings, or something to simply write what we were going to be doing that day. The mechanics and form were not an important part of these activities, rather it was for us to practice writing and express our ideas. These free writes were not graded, but just something to get us involved with the writing processes and practicing on a regular basis. I really enjoyed this activity throughout my K-12 schooling, and hope to implement something like that into my classroom in the future. The students do not feel the pressure to make a grade, rather they are able to talk about their own experiences without even realizing that they are working on improving their writing skills. Another thing I remember from learning to write when I was younger was the fact that we practiced, practiced, practiced! Early on we spent a lot of time learning how to properly write the letters, which then turned into practicing words, sentence structure, paragraphs, essays, etc. Each of these steps was a building block for the next more complex step so it was important to master each one before moving onto something more complicated. These were several of the things that I remembered from my writing experiences when I was younger.

Narrative writing and expository writing are both very important parts of writing that offer students the practice to work with various types of writing styles. Narrative writing focuses more on telling a story or a part of a story, while expository writing is an oral or written piece that is used to explain, describe, inform, or give information about a specific topic. In order to help students learn to write, we need to offer them different types of writing and genre to use and learn from to give them the best variety of writing. I remember when I was learning to write, I preferred expository writing over narrative writing. I always liked writing about specific facts and doing research on different topics to come up with a written project or paper. I never really enjoyed narrative writing because I had a hard time coming up with my own stories and ideas of how to explain a story. I did practice narrative writing throughout my schooling to try and get better at it, but it definitely was an obstacle for me to overcome in my ability to write. On the opposite, I enjoyed narrative reading rather than expository reading. I enjoyed looking at a novel and reading the story rather than reading a book for facts or specifics. It's funny how the preference changes from reading to writing on expository or narrative reading/writing, but as long as we are exposing students to all types of reading and writing genres, its okay to have a preference and lean towards one more than the other!

Gibbons Chapter 4

2010-04-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

Learning to write in a second language can be a tough task to face, but an absolutely necessary one to accomplish for students who are ELL. "Effective writers are likely to think about and plan their writing, at least in a general way, before they begin. They understand that writing is a recursive process-that writers continually revise and edit at all stages of the writing process, from first draft to final product" (Gibbons pg. 52). One of the most important steps in teaching children to write in a different language is showing them that good writers make a plan before they begin and are constantly re-reading their work to make it the best as it possibly can. Sometimes it can be hard for ELL students to learn, because in the western society, they put a great emphasis on understanding the processes of language and implementing that into their writing, which may not always be the case for these ELL students. Grammatical structures can also pose a great difficulty for ELL students, but preparing students with the proper guidelines for writing, such as organization, proofreading, and editing will help them be successful.

There are several explicit teaching strategies about writing that Gibbons presents in chapter 4. One of them being process approaches which put the learner at the center of the learning process which encourages them to use their own expressive language to write about their own experiences. At this stage of writing, "meaning is more important than form, and writing should take place frequently and within a context that provides real audiences for writing" (Gibbons, pg. 57). Structure and the actual mechanics of writing are not nearly as important right now in this stage of learning to write for ELL students, as it is to start expressing themselves in writing and getting the practice that is necessary to help them be successful.

Another important point that this chapter brings up is called 'The Curriculum Cycle", which is a way that particular text types can be made explicit to students. There are four stages in the Curriculum Cycle that allow students to get a better understanding and recognition of how exactly that are supposed to go about learning to write. The stages include, Stage 1: Building the Field, Stage 2: Modeling the Text Type, Stage 3: Joint Construction, and Stage 4: Independent Writing. Each of these stages are equally important to go through and introduce to students, even though it can take several weeks to accomplish all of these steps. One important point to note is that "not all activities will be appropriate for all ages, and they also are not all appropriate for use in the teaching of every text type. In addition, from your general teaching experience you can no doubt think of other language focused activities and ways of developing the topic" (Gibbons, pg. 61). Although these stages are beneficial to helping ELL students learn to write, it may not always be the best approach for every type of text that is introduced to the class, so the teacher has to use their best judgment to recognize what will work best for the students.

Scaffolding is extremely important for students to learn writing, because teachers need to scaffold and model beneficial processes in order for the students to learn properly. "The more planned and responsive the scaffolding, the more likely it is that students will write effectively, feel they have control over what they are writing, and gain confidence in using written language" (Gibbons, pg. 76). This quote sums up the chapter and shows how significant it is for teachers to be an integral part of instruction and teaching ELL students to learn to write.

Children and Writing

2010-04-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

Chapter Four: "Writing in a Second Language Across the Curriculum, An Integrated Approach" from Pauline Gibbons' text, Scaffolding Language Scaffolding Learning, provides readers with a look into an English Language Learners (ELLs) struggle with the written word. Writing is difficult for MANY students; it's a process that involves numerous steps and understandings...ranging from brainstorming, free-writing, planning, outlining, drafting, editing, revising, etc. This process requires an understanding of language structure, an author's "purpose", linguistic features, and genre (to name a few), and children who are only beginning to grasp a second language may not have even begun to understand writing in their OWN language, let a lone, a foreign one. Can you imagine?

Personally, writing was a struggle for me when I was in elementary school. I had a difficult time understanding that the way you write changes, depending on your audience, and the genre. Gibbons' chapter emphasizes the importance of understanding different genres and their features when learning to write (specifically, learning to write narratives). I agree with Gibbons. Helping students develop a meaningful understanding of genres and their features is an important part of, both the writing, AND the reading processes.

Another point Gibbons made in Chapter Four, is how intricately woven language is in an individuals' culture. An ELL student not only is unfamiliar with the language, but doubling their struggle, is the fact that this is a whole new culture for them too. There is no reference point for these children. That being said, I believe taking time for explicit instruction on genres, their cultural connections, and writing is very important in elementary school for ELLs.

Scaffolding and modeling are essential tools that we, as teachers, can utilize when attempting to help and instruct ELLs. I think it is very important that we create safe environments that allow children to learn to appreciate writing and learn to value their abilities to be good writers. When our students are able to feel proud of themselves and the work they are creating, then we are doing our job well.

Scaffolding Vocabulary Learning

2010-03-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

The article by Lapp starts out by saying, "The proportion of difficult words found in a text and a reader's general vocabulary knowledge predict how well a reader can understand a text. Research also indicates that early differences in vocabulary knowledge affect reading achievement scores in later grades" (pg. 276). Having students focus on vocabulary development is only going to help them later on down the road when they are needing to read more complicated text and derive tougher meanings. Also, it is vital that students have exposure to vocabulary when they are young because the achievement gap is likely to be closer than farther apart. This article discusses the achievement gap in low income areas, because often times children are one or two grades behind reading achievement and word recognition than what they are supposed to be. Effective instruction needs to be administered to students all throughout their literacy learning because having early exposure will help them as they move on in their literacy development.

"Differences in the type of language structures, interaction styles, and vocabulary found in many homes means that the language of schooling is significantly different from the language many students encounter prior to entering school" (pg. 276). While it is important that students have exposure to language no matter where they are; in school or at home, we as teachers have to understand that the type of language being used at home may be very different than they type of language that is being presented in instruction time at school. Conversations between children and adults can be beneficial to their literacy learning and development of vocabulary. This type of conversation can come from simply communicating with children about their day or random small talk, but one of the most effective processes is to read aloud to children. "Findings from several studies indicate that reading aloud to students can contribute to vocabulary growth" (pg. 277). It is important for students to find strategies that can help them increase their exposure to vocabulary as well as their understanding of new words, and how those can be used in real life readings and writings.

Word learning and vocabulary development takes place over time and is not something that happens right away. It is a process and continues to develop even into adulthood. Although children have vocabulary explosions early on, they still learn vocabulary as they continue on in school, just not at such a rapid rate. Along with that, there are various different types of instruction that is to be implemented when teaching different types of words. Some words that are specific to a subject require conceptual learning/instruction because that way they can see how the word pertains to certain real life examples. The overall goal of vocabulary is to derive meaning from words and apply that in a bigger scheme of things that allows us to understand an overall meaning of the text. Developing word consciousness is important in creating an environment where students can understand words and the meanings of texts. Exposing low income students to vocabulary and increasing the amount of language they are familiar with, will close the vocabulary gap that has become ever so prevalent in our schools that are lacking resources and effective teachers who can deliver instruction.

Tompkins chapter 7

2010-03-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Expanding student's knowledge of words and being able to increase their vocabulary is an important part of literacy for both reading and writing. The first main point that I noticed from the reading, was understanding how students learn vocabulary words. "It seems obvious that to learn words at such a prolific rate, students learn words both in and outside of school, and they learn most words incidentally, not through explicit instruction. Reading has the greatest impact on students vocabulary development" (pg. 225). Students learn vocabulary at an alarming rate, but their learning does not only increase from instruction, but also by incidental learning and experiences with real life activities. Engaging in conversation, and having real life experiences where they are surrounded by language allows students to increase their knowledge of words.

Vocabulary and word knowledge are very important for several reasons. First, "students with larger vocabularies are more capable readers, and they know more strategies for figuring out the meanings of unfamiliar words than less capable readers" (pg. 227). The main goal of vocabulary and word recognition is being able to derive meaning and using context clues around unfamiliar words, to come up with an overall meaning of what is going on in the text. There are several procedures that teachers can incorporate into their classrooms to promote vocabulary development. One of the most common ways to display vocabulary in the classroom, is word walls. A word wall allows students to be able to see commonly used words on classroom walls so they can reference these when needed. This is a great way to display various types of words including synonyms, antonyms, homonyms etymologies, and figurative meanings of words. Aside from word walls, word posters, word maps, word sorts, and word chains are all great ways to expose students to new vocabulary, in a creative and interesting way that allows them to familiarize themselves in the classroom.

When working on vocabulary, it is also important to take ELL students into account, because they are not always going to be at the same level as other students who have English as their first language. Recognizing Tier 1, 2, and 3 words is important to using vocabulary that can help with reading and writing development. Tier 1 words are words that are familiar to English learners because they appear to be the same in their native language. Tier 2 and 3 words are more complicated vocabulary that is essential to know for specific topics such as science or math. "Using context clues, analyzing word parts, and checking a dictionary," are all strategies to use when students encounter a word they are unfamiliar with (pg. 244). It is important to teach students these strategies because they can use these to help them when taking tests, completing assignments, or going through an assessment.

Bridging the Gap

2010-03-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

Chapter 21: “Scaffolding Vocabulary Learning - Ideas for Equity in Urban Settings”, from the text: Teaching All the Children: Strategies for Developing Literacy in an Urban Setting (written Judith A. Scott, and edited by Diane Lapp) was taken from my course-pack. I am so glad this article/chapter was assigned reading. I just finished reading and responding to the chapter concerning vocabulary form Gail E. Tompkins’ textbook and I have to say, I’m very disappointed in Gail. I’m not sure why she felt it was okay to leave out such pertinent information; that children whom are “economically or culturally outside of the mainstream…are being underserved, underfunded” (p. 471-472) and left out to dry, in terms of vocabulary learning.

It’s such a strange (yet being a teacher… familiar feeling) to go from feeling so excited about teaching one moment, to being completely deflated and saddened the next. There’s such a huge job ahead of us. As I said before, it is SO important to provide our students with as many opportunities as possible to read in school. After reading this article, I am reminded that there are students who may come to my classroom, and the reading they do with me could be the only experiences they have with books, with reading, and with writing ever. It breaks my heart. And I’m ashamed that this isn’t a constant thought in my head. I just can’t imagine a life like that. I can be as empathetic as possible for my students, but no matter how aware and educated I am, I will never have some of the experiences that they are having.

But, hopefully, because I am aware, and because I CARE, I believe that I can serve a thoroughly beneficial role in their lives. They (i.e., minority students, students from economically disadvantaged areas, students whose families are on welfare, etc.) need REPETITION, in regards to vocabulary usage; they need to be held to expectations that require them to push themselves. They have a huge gap to cross. According to the reading…“By grade seven, they were more than 2 years behind the norms [in regards to economically disadvantaged students defining literary words]” (p. 459). Since these children are not receiving the help, support, and advocacy from home, they need their teachers to do that.

These children need to understand the important of words and they need to realize that they are capable of developing a vocabulary that enables them to succeed academically. Words are tools for success and every single child should have access to those tools.

Word Posters, Word Maps, Word Sorts, Word Chains....word, words, words....

2010-03-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Chapter 7: “Expanding Student’s Knowledge of Words”, from Gail E. Tompkins’ book Literacy for the 21^st Century: A Balanced Approach, fifth edition. I really enjoyed reading this chapter. I know you’ll all think I’m a huge dork for saying this (I already know I am), but I LOVE vocabulary. I have a vivid memory of my fifth grade class and how excited my teacher was about getting us to use new words, making vocabulary into games as opposed to tests, and giving us a word a day to use in our writing. I think that year impacted me in a very positive manner. I am an English major; therefore, I think I’ve been writing about a paper a week for the past 5 years…crazy. But, it has really deepened my appreciation for words, and I am permanently connected to my thesaurus! Lol, I even had my boyfriend buy me a new one for Valentine’s Day! Lame, I know…But, I really do believe that my ability to use and understand vocabulary has positively impacted my reading abilities, and my passion for reading and writing. I really want my future students to feel this excitement as well!

When I finished reading this chapter, I came away with a few main ideas. I feel that instilling a sense of excitement and fun into a vocabulary lesson is an essential element of a successful language arts curriculum. If students are able to see the joy in learning new vocabulary and using new and exciting words, then they may be motivated to push the extra mile, and perform the work that is necessary in developing a larger vocabulary.

I also came away from this reading with a heightened enthusiasm for…wait for it…READING! Yes, I am incredibly enthusiastic and READY to incorporate NUMEROUS opportunities for students to read throughout the entire school day. Whether it’s through the use of read-alouds, or independent reading, my future students will be AVID readers. One particular reading opportunity I really like is: Sustained Silent Reading (SSR). In this format, students are able to choose a book they are interested in and excited about reading. They aren’t being forced to read a textbook, or something boring. This is highly motivating! I remember my time spent silent reading in elementary school; I loved it. I will definitely make sure to have comfortable cushions, chairs, couches, and what not in a cozy literacy corner in my future classroom!

Reading is incredibly important in order for students to learn new words and enhance their reading abilities. Tompkins stated, explicitly, “the amount of time students spend reading independently is the best predictor of vocabulary growth between second and fifth grades” (p. 226). That being said, if we’re going to have our students go off on their own to read independently, then it is our jobs as teachers to provide the class with tools necessary to help them understand and learn the words they are reading.

There are a lot of strategies throughout this entire chapter that detail ways teachers can model and scaffold strategies for students to utilize when they come across an unfamiliar word. A few of these are as follows:

Context clues
Analyze word parts
Check a dictionary
Look at the illustrations
Use logic
Look at the root words/affixes

These strategies are ALL helpful and the more students have under their belt the better prepared they will be when presented with unfamiliar vocabulary.

Finally, I just want to say that it is important, as teachers, to push our students. We have to give them those tier 2 and tier 3 words. They can handle it.

Fluency!

2010-03-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

After reading the article “Reading Fluency Assessment and Instruction: What, Why, and How,” I learned a great deal about the importance of developing fluent readers and writers in the classroom. Many times I think it is quite easy to overlook the significance that fluency actually holds. So much of our attention in literacy is focused on letter/word recognition, comprehension, and vocabulary, that it is extremely easy to pass by fluency. Fluency creates skilled readers who can read accurately, rapidly, and with proper expression and intonation, which is vital to being a successful overall reader. As discussed in Tompkins article as well, Hudson, Lane, and Pullen discuss the importance of “the three elements of fluency-accuracy, rater, and prosody”. Without all three of these components, one cannot be a fluent reader, because each of these elements create and overall fluent reader. There are both high frequency words and low frequency words that students learn to read, and being able to automatically recognize words is a key component to developing one’s fluency. Obviously with time students will have an easier time with automaticity, but some words need to be memorized as sight words from the beginning stages of learning to read and write.

I had the experience to administer fluency tests in my junior year at MSU, as I worked in a resource room with third and fourth grade students who were struggling with their fluency and other aspects of reading and writing. I would give fluency assessments almost daily to see how well the students with automatically recognizing words when they saw them on paper. It was incredible to me how much progress the students made with their fluency as the semester went on, but obviously that did come with much practice and repetition. Without practice and seeing words on a consistent basis, it is hard to become a fluent reader or writer, so it is important that children who are struggling focus on reading and writing for a significant amount of time each day.

Another thing that I find particularly interesting about fluency is that it is not just with reading, but also writing. Personally, when I think of being fluent, I solely think about reading while disregarding writing all together. If you think about it carefully though, writing is just as big of a component of fluency that reading is, because it is not feasible to sit and think about every single word that you write or type out on paper or computer. Eventually, students start to develop the same automaticity with writing that they do with reading, because without even thinking about what is going down on paper, it is being written. This is one of the interesting aspects of fluency that seems to be overlooked quite a bit when talking about literacy.

Fluency

2010-03-22T17:38:00.001-07:00

After reading Chapter 6 of Thompkins, Literacy in the 21^st Century I was overwhelmed! There was so much information packed into this one chapter and I had to go back and skim it to remember all the strategies that were introduced. Usually I would have not found this Chapter interesting because I like to be upper elementary classrooms and was in one last semester but I just moved to a second grade classroom so I am seeing a large focus on fluency in the classroom. So this article was extremely interesting. I love how we keep on coming back to word walls. They can be used in so many different ways and used with many learning strategies. First, we saw them last semester in science with Dr. Norm where students place their wondering questions on them and now we are seeing them for fluency in literacy. I really like the idea of having an entire bulletin board dedicated to a word wall. I find that students are always asking how to spell words so having a word wall in my classroom would be extremely helpful. At the moment, students have word booklets. Each letter has its own page and there are high frequency words on the side and then blanks for the teacher and helpers to write other words that the students ask. But I find that students forget about these books and if there were a word wall it would be right in front of them and they would never forget. I feel with adding three new words in a week through books students start to become familiar with the word in context not just by itself. They are able to see the word in a children’s book and associate it to what is on the word wall. I think that word walls could be used in so many different ways. I know that when I was in 5^th grade we had the word of the day and I think that a word wall would be perfect for this!

I have seen my teacher assess fluency in reading and writing in many different ways. For example, today she had individual students come to her desk and read her a book. She would right down the words that he or she got right/wrong while they were reading. If they got all the words right the next time she assessed them they would move to the next book and so on and so forth. Students also get tested in writing fluency. Each week all students have a spelling list that they all take on Friday but they also have individual spelling lists. They work with a special teacher twice a week with these words. The teacher writes five words on an index card and places it on their ring. They study these when they finish assignments early. Then when they go out with the teacher she gives them a mini-spelling test with those words. The students do not get a new list of five words until they have mastered the previous five words. These words are all high frequency words.

My teacher also showed me how she keeps records of her students. She has a binder for each subject and then number dividers since each student has a “magic number.” For each student she has an assessment from the beginning of the year that she is continually comparing to the assessments that she is doing now. In the end, she has an assessment from the beginning, middle, and end of the year. She keeps track of where they are in their assignments and what they are struggling with. All of the assessments that she has done with each student are placed in here so it is easy for her to find. It seems like a lot of work but it also seems really helpful. She knows exactly at what level her students are at because of it. Her school is required to have records for each student and then keep them for five years so that they can back up their analyses of students.

Strategies in the Classroom

2010-03-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention some things in my last two posts that I really wanted to share with you two. As you may know, I’m currently in a fourth grade class. I’ve been working one on one for the past few weeks with a student who is struggling with reading fluency. My Cooperating Teacher (CT) took me aside and asked if I could review an article he received from a conference on reading strategies. The article gave a very thorough look into ways in which you can help a student gain a higher level of fluency. After I took the time to review and makes notes on this article, my CT and I reviewed it together. He asked if I would use the strategies found in this article to work with my focus student on her fluency.

Basically, what I began doing was picking out books that had a rhythm to them; such as Doctor Seuss books, or books with rhymes, etc. I chose these books because when read with prosody, the reader can easily feel the rhythm; however, when read in a monotone voice, the beat/rhythm, is extremely difficult to make out. So, Alexa* and I would go to the media room and we would read and re-read these books together. I would start by reading the first two sentences with exaggerated expression and I would then have Alexa* re-read exactly what I just read; and so on. If she didn’t utilize the same expression that I did, I’d tell her to try again. Obviously, before we began these activities, I made sure to remind her that we’re doing this so she can develop her fluency and that I wanted her to be able to comprehend what she was reading. At first, Alexa* was REALLY annoyed with all of the repetition; but, as we worked together over the weeks, I think she really got into. She started utilizing a lot of expression in her voice without me even having to remind her.

Another strategy that we utilized was this…Alexa would read a story (at her level) on her own, then she would read it to me, THEN she would go to the back of the room and tape record herself reading it. Once she was through with that process, together, we would listen to the tape and pause and re-start to point out parts where she made mistakes or where she lacked expression.

I just wanted to point out some strategies that I’ve been using that have been REALLY helpful. It’s actually been a lot of fun helping Alexa* and seeing how quickly her fluency is improving.

Once again...Fluency

2010-03-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

I read Chapter 6: “Developing Fluent Readers and Writers” from Literacy for the 21^st Century: A Balanced Approach, fifth edition, written by Gail E. Tompkins, AFTER I read the article on fluency that I just posted about. And I have to say, while I obviously found this chapter to be extremely informational, as well as a great resource to look back on due to the vast amount of resources listed in tables throughout the text, I did find it a little repetitive to read both the article AND the chapter during the same week. I would’ve rather have split this two texts up throughout the course of our semester. That being said, I did find this chapter to be very informational. I did appreciate the fact that Tompkins included the concept of writing fluency alongside the concept of reading fluency. Often, I feel that writing fluency is overlooked in the grand scheme of things.

I love reading a text in which an author goes out of his or her way to incorporate strategies, resources, assessment activities, etc. in the reading. It makes for an extremely informational and essential resource that I will obviously utilize in my future. There are numerous tables presented that list high-fluency words, word to incorporate on a primary grade’s “word wall”, mini-lessons, assessment tools, strategies, etc. and I will definitely go back to these when I’m teaching my future students fluency.

I found one specific section of this chapter to be the most beneficial and that was the section that specified the four different strategies that students use to identify unfamiliar words. I found this section to be the most beneficial due to the fact that students of ALL ages must use these strategies. Tompkins stated that “Beginning readers encounter many unfamiliar words, and even fluent readers come upon words that they don’t immediately recognize” (p. 197). That being said, it is obviously important for teachers to help their students develop the strategies necessary for decoding these unfamiliar words. The four strategies include:

Phonic Analysis
Decoding by Analogy
Syllabic Analysis
Morphemic Analysis

The chart at the bottom of page 197 was very useful in explaining what these strategies are and providing examples.

All in all, the Chapter 6: “Developing Fluent Readers and Writers” had a few main, important facts that I came away with. Those important facts are as follows…

It is important for teachers to instruct students and enable them to recognize high-frequency words and help children develop a “bank” of sight-words to draw from.
Teachers need to explicitly teach students a variety of strategies to utilize when attempting to identity unfamiliar words.
Teachers need to use a variety of different procedures that are integrated throughout the day and used repetitively, in order to help develop students’ reading fluency...same goes for writing fluency...and...
Third grade is an important cut off time for students to have developed reading/writing fluency, and if they haven’t then regular assessments need to occur as they progress through school.

Developing Fluent Readers

2010-03-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading the article “Reading Fluency Assessment and Instruction: What, Why, and How?” written by Rosanne F. Hudson, Holly B. Lane, and Paige C. Pullen. I found this article to be VERY informational. Being elementary school teachers, our responsibility lies, not only with teaching students how to read, but also with teaching students how to become skilled readers, and skilled readers are fluent readers. During my junior year, when I was in TE 301, I spent a good deal of time connecting the dots between reading comprehension and reading fluency; however, I had never focused my attention solely on the different aspects of reading fluency and how theses aspects are directly correlated to a student’s level of comprehension. According to the reading, “fluent reading [is] comprise[d] of three key elements” (p. 1). At its foundation, these three elements are – accuracy, rate, and prosody. It’s important to realize that, as teachers, we need to assess our students' abilities to read fluently, in order to accurately and fairly instruct our class in an attempt to foster a deeper level of reading comprehension.

Automaticity is an important aspect of fluency to keep in mind. This refers to how quickly a student is capable of identifying words. Due to the limited capacity of a student’s working memory…when they are capable of identifying words at a faster rate, their cognitive abilities are free to focus on the context of what they are reading as opposed to focusing on word identification.

Another important aspect of reading fluency relates to a student’s ability to accurately decode words. Decoding refers to the process a student goes through when they are reading…it is composed of: seeing a word, recognizing the letter-sound relationship, and blending the phonemes together to create a word. This is a process that, in a fluent reader, should take a split second; however, for a struggling reader, the process of decoding can be extremely difficult. It is the teacher’s job to explicitly identify word-identification/decoding strategies for the class.

One aspect of this article that I found surprising relates to the section covering the importance of prosody. I have never really considered how important a student’s ability to read with expression is in correlation to their reading comprehension. BUT, it makes sense. I mean, if a student reads a question in their text like a statement, then they obviously do not comprehend what they are reading. If they did, then that statement they just read would be phrased like a question.

Not only did this article give in depth details and information regarding exactly WHAT fluency is, but, what I found most interesting, was the amount of information given in relation to HOW to teach fluency and HOW to ASSESS fluency. There are numerous tables and resources given that an instructor can reference and utilize in the future, which I most certainly will; specifically on the fifth and eighth pages of this article, two tables are given with listed assessment strategies and instructional resources. One thing I want to point out is how important it is to be EXPLICIT in your instruction of fluency with struggling readers…for some, fluency comes naturally, but for a majority of students, it does not. We are severely impeding their learning progress by not giving these students ample instruction, opportunities for practice and repetition, and adequate assessments that detail their progress.

I really enjoyed reading this article and it is definitely something that I see myself looking back on in the future.

Fluent Readers and Writers

2010-03-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

"Fluency is the ability to read quickly, accurately, and with expression, and to read fluently, they recognize most words automatically and identify unfamiliar words easily" (Tompkins, 188). There is a huge difference between children who are learning to read word for word, and a fluent reader. Being fluent means that students are using expression when reading, and able to read accurately all while being able to derive meaning from what they are reading. Many times we think of being fluent as only applying to reading, but being fluent also transfers to writing as well. By reading and participating in spelling tests and vocabulary practice, students are not only furthering their ability to read, but also practicing skills that are necessary for writing.

There are several important strategies that help students to learn to read and write fluently. One of those is word recognition, because "students develop a large stock of words that they recognize automatically because its impossible for them to analyze every word they encounter when reading or want to spell when writing" (Tompkins, 189). Being able to use high frequency words is important to fluency, because students will then be able to read quickly and accurately if they have the knowledge of high frequency words. Word walls, word recognition, and word identification are all great ways to help students become more fluent.

It is very important that teachers promote literacy in various ways in the classroom. "Teachers [need] to model fluent reading for students, provide oral support while students are reading, have students do repeated readings of brief texts, and focus students attention on chunking words into meaningful phrases" (Tompkins, 209). These are all great approaches that students can take to helping students become more fluent readers. Fluency is so important for our students to work on, and these are some of the main points I found from the chapter on fluency by Tompkins.

Comprehension

2010-03-15T20:05:00.001-07:00

I found the two reading that we had to do for this week really interesting, Gibbons Chapter 5 and Thompkins Chapter 4. I really liked the idea of having the students and the teacher work together to come up with a rubric for a major assignment. This lets all students have a say in the projects they are doing in class and motivates them to do the projects. The idea of talking with each student about their grades on major assignments is also an extremely interesting idea. Although this would be time consuming it would allow the students to have a better understanding of the grade that they received. I know that when I was in school I always had questions on the grading of my assignments and this would allow for all of the students questions to be answered. During this meeting, it was also suggested that the teacher and student talk about goals for the next assignment. This is also a great idea because the student can take what they did not do well on in the assignment before and then make this their goal for the next assignment.

Forgiveness poems are another way for students to connection with people in their life, work with poems, and work on comprehension. Some students have a hard time with expressing themselves with words so if the students are able to write how they feel it will make their writing better because they are writing about something that they care about.

The comprehension strategies that were given in the Gibbons chapter were ones that we have used in class but also some new ones. One of the strategies is using a book that is non-fiction and below there level of reading. If it is below their level of reading they will focus on the content and not on the words. I also read this strategy in Strategies that Work and I am using this in my mini lesson with my second graders!

Many of the strategies that are given in Chapter 5 are used in my second grade class. We have reading workshop and the teach starts this by reading a book to the children and model how they should read certain types of books. Then students read in pairs with students that are at the same level. This allows the students to feel comfortable reading with each other. When the students are done reading they are asked to summarize what they have read to the other person. After lunch the teacher has a read aloud book for two purposes one for the students to understand how to read and two a time for the students to settle down.

Some of the ideas that I have never heard of are story innovation, innovating on the ending, cartoon strip, readers’ theatre, wanted posters, story map, hot seat, freeze frames, and cloze. These are all creative ideas that I would love to use in my classroom someday. The hot seat was my favorite activity because it makes the students think about what they have read and then also use their imagination. I think that this would take a lot of modeling before the students would feel comfortable doing this on their own. The wanted posters and cartoon strips would interest the students that like to draw. Some students like to express themselves through drawings so this would be a really good activity for them. The wanted posters would also take some thought to make because the students would have to understand the character inside and out to make sure that people know who they are looking for.

Reading in a Second Language

2010-03-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

First of all, I need to comment on the very first page of Chapter 5: Reading in a Second Language…Pauline Gibbons begins this chapter in an extremely thought provoking, and interesting way; the second, third, and fourth paragraphs consisted of scrambled words, words with vowels or consonants missing, the endings missing, etc. yet, I could still read it! I’ve talked about this a lot in previous years…I’ve taken some TESOL classes and therefore have had a lot of opportunities to discuss ELLs and I have also been introduced to this idea before. Actually, I’m currently in an American Sign Language (ASL) class and when trying to grasp “finger spelling” I’ve had to remember that I only need to know the first and last couple of letters to grasp the word. It really is amazing…I just had to point that out.

But, moving on…another point that this chapter makes, that is SO important, is the fact that readers construct meaning NOT solely from the words and sentence structure, but from the interaction that occurs between the reader and the text. It is extremely important to remember, as teachers, that not all of our students will be able to develop that meaningful interaction; especially not ESL students. I mean, how could they? They are completely unaware of the cultural, social, political, emotional, etc. implications that reside within the text of a story. Can you imagine reading a book that discusses a holiday or celebration that you are completely unaware of? How could you possibly understand, or comprehend, what the story is about?

There are so many different roles/characters that a reader must try on, or become, when he/she reads text. You become a “code breaker, a text participant, user, and analyst”. As teachers, we can’t assume that every single one of our students is capable of putting on this mask when they pick up a story. We have to be patient, and empathetic to the journey every one of our students is taking in the process of becoming literate individuals.

As Brooke said in her post, I found the activities that were provided on pages 84-97 VERY helpful. But, not only is it important to plan and implement great activities, but (I’d almost say this is MORE important) is picking the right books. Picking the right book will help students acquire language AND reading skills.

All in all, it is vital that we, as teachers, “build bridges into the text” (Gibbons, p. 100), and allow our ESL students the opportunity to connect with the text in a meaningful way, and develop a love for reading.

Facilitating Comprehension

2010-03-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

After reading Chapter Nine, “Facilitating Students’ Comprehension: Text Factors”, of Gail E. Tompkins book - Literacy for the 21^st Century: A Balanced Approach, 5^th Edition, I’m realizing that one of the MOST important factors of facilitating comprehension with students is simply getting them to engage with the text on a personal level. What I mean is that students need to understand what they are reading…they need to understand what kind of book they are reading (Genre), is it fiction or non-fiction/informational, what kind of audience is the book geared towards, and they need to understand the patterns that present themselves in these texts. When a student has an understanding of these basic text factors, then they are able to develop a deeper connection with what they are reading. Rather than focus on information t hat isn’t important (such as trying to sound out words, stumbling over syntax, etc.) students can focus their attention to the plot, characters, and the conflict/resolution. By taking out the guess-work in their reading activities, we (the teachers) can enhance the level of understanding our students achieve. On page 311 of our textbook, Tompkins states an important finding…“Researchers have documented that when teachers teach students about text factors, their comprehension increases” (Tompkins, p. 311).

Another important point I’d like to make is this…as I said before, by providing our students the opportunity to develop a connection with what they are reading and what they are DOING (as in the subsequent activity) we can instill a sense of meaningful learning within our students. In the first section of this chapter, I read about Mr. Abrams and his fourth grade classroom. One aspect of his story that stuck out to me was when he discussed how he AND his students developed a rubric (TOGETHER) to assess the books they made. I thought that was a really beneficial activity. It creates an environment of collaboration that can really motivate students…and when students are motivated to work hard, they will engage and comprehend on a deeper level.

I’m currently in a fourth grade classroom and I am constantly seeing my Cooperating Teacher (CT) discuss comprehension strategies with this class. It may not be explicit; for instance, he does not say: “When you are trying to comprehend what you are reading, you should notice the text factors”. Rather, he asks questions during shared reading to get students thinking… “What is the author trying to do? How did that make you feel? What do you think is about to happen? What genre is this? Why?”

Not only does my CT guide student thinking to enhance comprehension, but he also does a really good job of incorporating reading/writing and think-alouds into nearly every subject he teaches throughout the day. While I do give him props for that, I do think that he could incorporate a more collaborative feel to his classroom. If students felt that they had more of a hand in their day to day lessons then I think they would work harder and therefore, engage with the material.

I think this was a GREAT chapter to read. The information given is something that I think I will continue to look back on.

Tompkins Chapter 9

2010-03-14T20:47:00.001-07:00

This chapter of Tompkins was really interesting to me, because I have never really thought about comprehension in terms of genre and text factors. I always think of comprehension as what is being portrayed and explained in the story, but there are different types of comprehension that takes place depending on the type of genre. For example, there are going to be different focal points around folklore stories, rather than realistic fiction or fantasy texts. "Students learn about the subgenres of stories and read stories representing each one, examine the structural patterns that authors use to organize stories, and point out the narrative devices that authors use to breathe life into their stories" (pg. 290). Children begin developing these understandings at a very young age, but it is important to teach them the context of comprehension in all genres and elements of text.

Elements of story structure was also an important element of this story. Characters, setting, plot, theme, and point of view are all significant pieces of story structure that students learn and add up to their understanding of comprehension. These element can develop at different levels throughout the students academic years. For example, I am working in a kindergarten classroom right now, and the way they represent plot is through beginning-middle-end stories. Not only do they do this for comprehension when reading a story as a class, but they also create stories that have a beginning, middle, and end. These are the first understandings of comprehension in plot for younger students which later develops in to summarizing, paraphrasing, and key points from the text.

There are countless ways to present text factors to students and it is vital that we do it in a variety of ways which include different genres and lesson plans. Text factors help students understand the text and use comprehension, but "the goal is for students to actually use what they've learned about text factors when they're reading and writing" (Pg. 312). As teachers, we cannot just give students meaningless activities that have them pick out characters or settings and not have it apply to their comprehension of the story, rather give them activities that can connect to their prior knowledge and real life examples.

Tompkins Chapter 9

2010-03-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

Gibbons Chapter 5

2010-03-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

This chapter gave a lot of great ideas about how ESL students go about reading, and also how we as teachers can help them with reading and comprehension. One of the most important things to remember about students who are ESL, is that many times the stories are written with the idea that everyone understand the social norms, which is not always the case. Gibbons states, "We should also remember that most children's books are written with the assumption that their readers will be familiar with the cultural aspects of the story and already fluent in the spoken language" (pg. 83). If we approach teaching ESL students in this way, we are setting up a detrimental learning environment for these children because we are not giving them a fair advantage to learn to their full potential. We must remember that there are many implications for ESL learners, and we have to approach teaching them in a careful and understanding way. Familiarity with the language is also important because there are many words that ESL students may confuse with other words or have two different meanings for the same word. These are all things that we need to remember when teaching ESL students and learning how to approach their learning.

There are several techniques that are discussed in this chapter that can help ESL students with comprehension. One of the most important ones is Predicting from a Key Illustration. I have seen this in my own experience in working with children, because if they are confused about a word, they can look to the pictures to try and come up with an idea of what is going on in the text. Although this is not always going to help the students, it is a good starting point for them to try and comprehend what is going on. Another important technique is Jigsaw Reading. Jigsaw reading consists of 3 or 4 people who each read a portion of the text and come together to share and get the idea of what is going on in the text. Jigsaw reading can be a great way to collaboratively work with students of different achievement levels, and it "provides an authentic context for developing summarizing skills, since each group of experts must decide on the key points they are going to share with others" (pg. 90). These are just a few of the techniques that can be used to help ESL learners, but there are many more on pages 85-96 so I encourage everyone to take a look!

Goin' Clubbin'

2010-03-02T14:36:00.000-08:00

I love that we are spending time discussing the benefits of incorporating Book Clubs into the language arts curriculum in an elementary school classroom. One question I have, that hasn’t been introduced yet in class, is: at what age should students be introduced to the idea of Book Clubs? I believe any student, as young as 5, could benefit from the concepts that coincide with Book Clubs; however, do the benefits outweigh the difficulties that would present themselves when trying to get children that young to understand and participate in such discussions? Should Book Clubs be limited to students in upper elementary? I’m in a fourth grade class, and I really wish my CT would’ve incorporated these activities with his students. The class is divided into reading groups and he meets with each group where they have discussion, etc. but I feel like the students are missing out. They lack opportunities to interact with each other, and learn the correct way to socially interact through the medium of a book discussion.

I can’t wait to introduce this idea to my future classroom. However, I think that the way we have been discussing this topic and exploring this topic in class has created a slightly “off” perception as to how easy/difficult it is. With all the ideas being thrown into the mix about having “reading roles”, writing prompts, student run discussions, etc., I feel like it’s easy to misconstrue exactly how much work this will be. It appears, on the surface, to be a very smooth running, classroom led, activity; but, I think that the only reason it appears this way, is due to the large amount of work the teacher has put into it. We’re not getting a look at the work that goes into this process at the start of the year. I would like to spend some time, as a class, discussing ways to introduce the idea of peer led discussions, correct ways to socially interact through book discussions, and how to respond to writing/reading prompts. Students don’t walk in on the first day of school, already capable of participating in an authentic Book Club discussion, it has to be taught; and I would love to spend time talking about THAT aspect in our TE class.

But as I was saying, a Book Club sounds like a wonderful tool to utilize in a language arts curriculum. I think that book clubs would GREATLY benefit student’s abilities to comprehend, as well as help each child develop the strategies necessary to aid in the comprehension process. Comprehension is fundamental to criticizing, questioning, analyzing, and responding to literature. A Book Club can teach students ways to read a story that will help them comprehend and therefore be better participants in class. As we said in class, Book Clubs and comprehension go hand-in-hand, and I think that teachers should take the time and energy to put a Book Club into place in their classrooms. There are SO many resources on the web to help in this process…take a look at a few here:

Planet Book Club

Great Schools

eHow

"How Can I Help Children With Learning Disabilities?"

2010-03-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

The article, "How Can I Help Children with Learning Disabilities," was particularly interesting to me because I am a special education major, focusing on learning disabilities. There were a number of great examples used in the text, and a variety of ideas to use in a classroom with children who have learning disabilities. Now more than ever, we are seeing more mainstream classrooms, where children with learning disabilities are being incorporated into the general education class. It is important that we are reaching out to all of the children in our classrooms, to make sure each and every child is benefiting from their education and time spent in the classroom. Just because a child has a learning disability, does not mean that we need to overlook their needs, but foster their development by coming up with proper instruction techniques.

There are several comprehension techniques that were discussed in this article that are extremely important for students. The first way to foster comprehension is to use collaborative learning in the classroom. Working in collaborative learning groups can be beneficial to children with learning disabilities because it allows students to work with students that have various achievement levels. Working with students that have higher achievement levels, might challenge children with learning disabilities and give them a chance to step out of their comfort zone and work with children that they otherwise would not. It is also important for teachers to collaborate with other teachers to come up with the most effective instruction strategies so they can ensure the students are going to benefit from the material. Communication is another key component of teaching comprehension strategies to children with learning disabilities. Communication between students, parents, and the teacher is absolutely vital for students with learning disabilities not only for comprehension strategies but also in terms of behavior and academic interventions. Providing students with the expectations and standards early on, allows them to know exactly what is expected of them from early on, so the communication lines are open and there is no confusion. These are several of the important issues that were discussed in this article that will really help students with learning disabilities.

It is also important to create a classroom environment where the students feel comfortable participating in various activities that promote comprehension. Mixing up the activities for reading and comprehension keeps things exciting for the students which can be more motivating for them to work with and complete. As future teachers, we want to make sure we are keeping the idea of comprehension exciting for students and promoting reading comprehension in a meaningful way, to show children the purpose of such assignments.

Comprehension

2010-02-28T17:27:00.001-08:00

Comprehension is a very important part of reading. I have seen this first hand from moving from a 5th grade classroom to a 2nd grade classroom. My second graders are more focused on the words than on what the words are saying. I have sat with many of them and stopped them to ask what they read. Some have no ideas, other can remember some points, and there are a few that can remember everything. The focus on my mini lesson is comprehension so I have done some reading on how to teach comprehension and I find some of the ideas quite interesting. I always forget how useful sticky notes are but I have found so many lessons using sticky notes. Also I talked to my CT about comprehension who informed me that when teaching comprehension to students we should use a book that is at a lower level that she knows the student will be able to read easily. This helps them focus on what the words are saying. If she was going to focus on fluency she would use a book at their level. This makes complete sense but I never thought of this before we talked! Some other tasks that my CT has the students do is they take a new book from their classroom library home every night to read to their parents and then discuss what they have read with her the next morning. She has them in different colored groups that represents the level at which they are at. Each morning they come up to her table and work with her. So far I have seen her work with comprehension and give them a fluency test. Working with my 2nd grade class has really made me see how comprehension is a struggle for students when they are young and how they have to focus on what they are reading not just the words.

As for my reading comprehension strategies, I have used them all in the book. As a young student I struggled with reading and was in a separate reading group with a different teacher. I am a slow reader but can tell you exactly what I read! I find that I am always making a picture in my head of what I am reading. This helps me remember because I already have the story in my head and can go back to it. I also find that my mind is always racing so sometimes I have to stop and think about what I just read! If I can't remember than I go back and reread to make sure that I get the whole picture in my head!

Helping EVERY Child

2010-02-28T14:58:00.000-08:00

Helping children with learning disabilities is an essential aspect of every classroom. According to the article “How Can I Help Children with Learning Disabilities” written by Joanne F. Carlisle, there are certain steps a teacher can take when developing a classroom that accommodates ALL students. It is very important that teachers realize that teaching to students with learning disabilities is not a rare occurrence. “About 5% of school-age children are identified as having specific learning disabilities (LD). This means that in a class of 20 children, one child is likely to have a learning disability”. What this means is that we, teachers, need to be aware of the steps to take that will allow children with LDs to not only succeed, but thrive. That is our goal for our students, so why would we be comfortable settling with merely having students with LDs to “get by”. That just doesn’t seem fair to me.

As I said before, there are specific steps a teacher can take to ensure that children with learning disabilities have roper educational care. These steps are characterized by “effective communication and collaborative problem solving.” The first step a teacher should take is to identify whether or not a child has special needs and monitor that child. Teachers need to collaborate with others to prepare a proper educational environment for that child. Communication between educators, the student, and, especially, the parents is VERY important. Regular evaluations are also essential. This ensures that, if any changes occur, the student will continue to succeed. Another step that is important in fostering a caring, safe, and educational environment for a child with learning disabilities is to help that child develop a positive attitude towards themselves and their education. We need to have high expectations for these students; they can live up to them! They just need to be given the chance.

In order to successful complete these steps, teachers should be aware of the ways that they can successfully foster literacy development in their classrooms. Classroom lessons that integrate direct and indirect literacy instruction, with the incorporation of a variety of reading and writing activities that occur throughout the entire day is a very important first step. But, first and foremost, teachers need to create a classroom environment that fosters acceptance. This kind of environment will enable students will work collaboratively and respectfully with one another, and in turn, they will succeed.

"I am not a speed reader...I am a speed understander" - Isaac Asimov

2010-02-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

Why is reading comprehension important?? Because it is! Although strong reading skills can help students succeed in language arts and reading class, it is really, only, the beginning. Students have to use reading skills in every single subject they study and in every aspect of life. For example, students need to comprehend challenging science textbooks, work problems, directions, text in an application, as well as the newspaper, websites, etc. It is important, as teachers, that we intervene and address the issues that students encounter in relation to reading comprehension. Those who struggle in elementary school may fall so far behind that they will have limited opportunities as an adult. I don’t want that to be the story of my students.

Currently, I’m spending a lot of time working on reading comprehension with one of my fourth graders. She spends a lot of time in the reading resource room and she struggles with vocabulary and using an “expressive” voice as she reads. All of these issues are negatively affecting her ability to comprehend what she is reading. Often, she will have to read, out loud, a story two or more times in order to tell me what it is about. After talking with my CT about this, we decided that in order to help her comprehension, first, we need to address her fluency. If she can pay less attention to the words, sentences, etc. we hope that she will be able to pay more attention to the content. I think that being able to read expressively without and “choppiness” will be extremely beneficial in the long run. When you can read a story with expression, then you have to understand what is going on. For instance, if you read in a monotone then you miss the exciting, sad, or scary parts of a story; but if you pay attention to those aspects and your voice reflects that, then you will have a much better chance at developing your comprehension.

I like to use the process of “predicting” to help students will comprehension too. I feel that it really forces students to pay attention to what they are reading, seeing, hearing, etc. About half-way through a story, I will stop the student and ask them “What do you think is about to happen? Why?” this forces the students to think about what they’ve read and apply it. They also have to explain themselves and their thought process which is a really high-level metacognitive skill that can promote comprehension too.

According to the National Reading Panel (NRP) “comprehension is an active process that requires an intentional and thoughtful interaction between the reader and the text”. That being said, it is important that we ask students questions during and after reading that forces them to think about what they read and apply it. This interaction between themselves and the text will be greatly beneficial.

Comprehension Procedures and Strategies

2010-02-26T13:04:00.000-08:00

Reading comprehension is such an important part of literacy in children’s development, but also one of the toughest things to teach children. From my own experiences growing up, as well as my experiences of working with students in my placements, I have found reading comprehension to be a difficult task for many students. When I was in elementary school I saw a reading specialist several times a week to work on various literacy skills including, comprehension, pronunciation, letter/word recognition, and other components of literacy. It was not until then that I realized how my reading comprehension was lacking from my overall literacy understanding, and what an important aspect it really was to being a literate individual. Being a student, it is quite easy to forget about comprehension when reading a story, because it is so easy to focus on fluency and correctly identifying the words. Children can get caught up with reading correctly, that sometimes they are forgetting about what is going on during the story and the comprehensive aspects that they should also be focused on to gain the full idea the story is trying to portray. Although comprehension can be difficult to conquer for students, and a tough task to promote as teachers, it is absolutely essential that we give students various methods to help them with comprehension.

One comprehension strategy that could be helpful to students is KWL charts. Not only did I use these when I was in school, but I also used them last year in my 401 social studies component. These charts allow children to identify what they know, what they want to know, and what they want to learn. This is a good way for students to represent their understanding and misconceptions, but also a great way for teachers to assess what the students know, and what they need to focus on teaching them. Another idea for a comprehension strategy that has worked wonders in the classroom is reading comprehension worksheets. This allows the students to answer questions from the story to make sure they have an accurate understanding of what is going on in the story. It could also be beneficial to give students the worksheets ahead of time, so they have a chance to see what questions need to be answered, which allows them to look for those answers while they are reading. Students will then be more focused on comprehension and have an idea of what they should be looking for in the text. Story maps or graphic organizers can also be helpful to students who are struggling with reading comprehension because it allows them to carefully map out the characters, setting, plot, theme, etc so they know what is going on in the story. These are just several examples among many that have been beneficial in helping out students in my own placements, and have also made a positive impact on my comprehension development while I was in school.

Comprehension is arguably one of the most important aspects of literacy, because it allows us to identify the reason we are reading a text in the first place. Making sure students have the correct resources and proper instruction to further their understanding of comprehension strategies is vital to creating literate individuals. There are many resources out there that can help teachers and students with working out comprehension strategies in literacy, and it is important that we as future teachers, take full advantage of coming up with a list of resources to benefit our students. Here is a link that offers a couple other comprehension strategy ideas, http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00000737.shtml. Hope it helps!

Wiki Reflection

2010-02-26T13:01:00.000-08:00

After reading some of the reflections from my classmates, I have to agree with all of them when they say that their outlook on literacy has changed since completing this activity. Before completing this project, I looked at literacy as a means of reading and writing and how that relates to literature such as books and articles. I never realized the importance of incorporating a technological component into literacy, until I saw all the different options that you could use to show literacy. I would never have thought to portray literacy by using a wiki, scrapblog, or comic strip, so it just goes to show the various opportunities that are out there to make a unique depiction of literacy. Not every student learns in the same way, so having these different opportunities to present literacy in a number of ways, will only help reach all of our students in future classrooms. This project definitely opened my eyes to incorporating technology into our literacy learning, and how that can strengthen student's development and understanding.

I chose to do my project using a wiki, and within that project, I portrayed environmental literacy. I have always been extremely interested in environmental literacy because earth science and environmental science were always my favorite subjects in school. I have not had much experience using a wiki, so I thought it would be a good idea to create my own wiki and see what kind of preparation went into creating my own wiki. During the process of coming up with my own wiki, I thought it would it was important to not only discuss how environmental literacy can impact students development in areas of reading, writing, and science, but also to show some of the pressing issues that are facing our environment presently (global warming, destruction of rainforests, and endangered animals). When talking about environmental literacy, I came up with various pages talking about the importance of incorporating environmental literacy into our classrooms, and also provided various resources that could be used when teaching these subjects, such as picture/informative books. We know it is important to present these different types of literacies into our classrooms, but without the proper resources, it is impossible to provide students with the necessary information to further their competence in environmental issues, and the literacy around those topics.

Although the wiki did take much longer to create than I had anticipated, I really saw this projects as beneficial because I am much more familiar with how to use a program like this, which means I am much more likely to use this in my future classrooms. Technology is expanding at an alarming rate in today's society, so it is vital that we as future teachers know how to use this technology, but also how to familiarize our students with these options. One of the advantages of using a wiki, is that is can be edited and changed by both the creator, and members, which is why it could be used as a great discussion tool for students that may not be comfortable speaking out in a large class discussion. The wiki can also be set to private so only the members are able to view what goes on the wiki, which is important for confidentiality issues, especially for students who are in elementary school. These are a few of the advantages of using a wiki in classroom discussions, and how that will help portray various types of literacy.

I feel like my wiki was geared more towards teachers because it was talking more about how to incorporate environmental literacy into our education and schools. The wiki also provided various resources that teachers could be used in their lessons plans, so those aspects of the wiki are geared more towards teachers. Some of the links on the wiki are definitely geared towards upper elementary students, such as the links about how children can make a difference and help decrease global warming, the destruction of rainforests, and how to help endangered animals. This shows another important advantage of wikis because it can be geared towards teachers or children, which can definitely help familiarize both groups of people with how to navigate around the wiki and how to directly get involved with environmental issues and actively participating in environmental education. This type of technology allows students to be directly involved by using the discussion post, as well as exploring the different links that are available to them to explore, which will further their knowledge about the environment as well as this type of technology.

Overall, I found this new literacies project to be very beneficial in furthering our knowledge of how to use technology in our own lives, as well as how to use this in our future classrooms. I am very happy that we got the chance to explore these various types of technology and literacy because it opened my eyes about all the ideas that could be incorporated into our classrooms and how to reach all of our future students using different ideas if needed.

Scrapblog Reflection

2010-02-19T14:11:00.001-08:00

First, I would like to say that I really like the idea of a scrapblog! I love to scrapbook so I was extremely excited to do it online. I thought that it would go a lot faster but now…I don’t think that it would really save me anytime from doing it by hand. I think that part of this had to do with the fact that there was so much writing that had to be incorporated into this project. Where as a usual scrapbook is composed of mainly pictures and very little writing. But the hardest part that I had with the process was getting my curser to select the right box and then getting it to move to the correct spot. I don’t know if it was because I was using the mouse pad on my labtop…maybe next time I should use my actual mouse. But I was getting extremely frustrated! Then I would get the textbox in the right spot and then try to click on it to edit it and it would move it again!

I actually forgot that my very first problem was at the very beginning when it wanted me to chose pictures to incorporate into my blog. I thought that I would be able to go to google and select the ones that I wanted! But that was not one of the available programs to use. Then I couldn’t remember my flicker password. So I added finding all of the pictures I want from Google, then I downloaded them to my desktop and then added them to the scrapblog that way! I know that in reality you would be using pictures that you had on your computer so you wouldn’t have to go through all the hassle. I also didn’t like that the computer made the scrapblog for you. I wanted to create it myself. So it actually took me more time because I had to delete certain stickers and art work and change the pictures. This became confusing because I didn’t know what pictures I had already used! I think that it would have been easier for all of the stickers and backgrounds that I received with the theme to be placed in the tool bar and then start from the very beginning by myself!

Also when I got to the end I wanted to add more stickers! The program gave me 150 free credits to buy different sticker sets but I couldn’t figure out how it worked! So I didn’t get to buy anymore. Also a lot of the packages were a lot more than 150 credits! So although the scrapblog can be free you can only use the stickers that are given in that theme.

But on the positive side I think that there are many uses for them in the classroom! I think that if students were asked to do reports and present them to the classroom this would be a fun and creative way to do so! It would get the students using a new technology and they could see how things that are done by hand can also be done online! I also think that it would be very handy as a teacher! Teacher could create these instead of powerpoints, they could present projects using a scrapblog, and they could create a scrapbook with the class about a certain topic! By making a scrapblog open to the public students could always go back and look and what had been discussed! If a teacher did not have a personal website to place documents, such as powerpoint, using scrapblogs instead would be extremely useful to the students! I also think that at the beginning of the year it would be fun for each student to make a scrapblog about his or her self and present it to the class! This would allow the teacher and the students to get to know their peers on a different level!

So I wrote all of this and then went to the Literacy Blog and realized this was not what I was supposed to write about as I thought…So I apologize for that. Now on to what we are supposed to write for this blog!

When I first came to class this semester, I believed that literacy was reading, writing, and speaking. But through many readings and the project I have found that my definition is only partially right. Reading, writing, and speaking is one aspect of literacy but the introduction of computers altered the definition of literacy. In order to be literate you have to be able to use a computer and understand how the strategies that have been used with books and printed material can also be applied to literacy on the computer. I had to use many types of literacy while doing this project online. I first had to be able to research my topic, environmental literacy. This was a big task because I had to figure out which websites were reliable and then I had to sift through all of the information to find the main points. Both of these skills are part of literacy. The web is overwhelming and anyone can make a website so students have to understand exactly what they are looking for and know how to choose the right website. After I found all of my information I had to compile it into short paragraphs to put in my scrapblog. This is another literacy skill because I have to take what I have found in my research and reduce it to the main points to explain to my classmates. This is a hard take for students because they want to put everything that they have found. When skimming readings students need to figure out what are the main points that they need to share with others. The final aspect of literacy that I saw while doing this project was when I first got into the program. There was a quick tour of how to use the program. This was actually difficult for me because little boxes showed up next to the icons and told me how I could use that icon with my scrapblog. But they did not show me how to use it. So I had to take the words and then put that into action once I got started on the blog. It took me a few tries with the icons but if I would not have had the tour I would have been lost. This is once again another literacy skill. A student has to be able to read directions and then put them in action. As I am writing this blog I am amazed at how many examples of literacy I came up with that were used while making this project. The topic was obviously environmental literacy but in order to complete this project I had to use many aspects of literacy!

From this experience I have learned many things. The number one idea is not to be afraid of technology! Just try new things and it will amaze you! After finishing this scrapblog I came up with many ways that they could be used in the classroom! I am even going to make one for another one of my college classes to show my classmates the biography of a mathematician. When I think back to elementary school literacy I just remember books, books, and more books! But with the Internet this idea can change. There are so many ways that reading and writing strategies can be taught using the Internet. There are also many different ways that information can be shown to the students. We as teachers no longer have to stand at the front and lecture because we can use technology to help and enhance our lessons. Books can still be used, and probably always will be, but the information in the books can be presented with technology. When a person thinks of a scrapbook they usually think of a book that has pictures of a person live all organized with a cute theme. But with this project I have shown how you can use a scrapbook to present materials to a class. There were pictures in my scrapblog but they just told the story of the paragraph that was on the page. I am a visual learner so having a picture represent an idea is an amazing concept to me! Like I said before traditional literacy was a book paper and pencil but technology has opened up new doors to change the definition of literacy and how materials are presented in the classroom. We still use the same ideas that traditional literacy had but technology is used to present it! Technology has allowed students to express themselves in unique ways! My new definition of literacy is the ability of a person to comprehend what they are reading, writing, speaking, viewing and listening. Technology is also part of literacy so all strategies that apply to printed works also have to be used with the computer! To be literate you have to be able to use a computer correctly!

Effective literacy instruction is difficult because most classrooms have students at all different reading levels. So a lesson has to encompass all levels of learners in a classroom. So literacy has to presented in simple terms but also in challenging terms for the students that are struggling in your classroom. I have seen first hand that when students get bored their behaviors turn for the worst. In my concept map, I talked about how students need to be introduced to literacy from day one! The main idea in my concept maps was always to have books for the children to explore with. But never once did I mention technology. In this day and age, students now not only need to have books surrounding them but they also need to be introduced to technology. Technology is being incorporated into more and more classrooms each day so when students come to the class they also need to have some skills with the computer and the teacher can facilitate the rest!

I am now working in a 2^nd grade classroom and I have not seen them work with computers yet so I am not sure of their skills. I think that first students would need to understand what a scrapbook is and how they are made in real life. Students then need to know the basics of computers. For this specific technology, students have to know where and how to get pictures to incorporate into the classroom. If they have to browse the web this could be quite difficult. If students brought in their own pictures to scan it would go a lot quicker. Students need to be familiar with creating textboxes and places information that they want to present in it. They also need to know how to move objects around so that each page in the scrapblog looks neat, clean, and goes with the theme. I don’t think that this technology would work the best with 2^nd graders because there is so much background knowledge with computers that they have to have. I think that upper elementary could handle a project using this program. I think that it would be fun to create a scrapblog with my second graders. If I had a computer and a projector in the classroom this would be an easy way to show students new technology. We could make a scrapblog to inform the school of a topic we just learned. Students could brainstorm the main ideas and what pictures could represent this. Then the teacher could bring the internet up and show them how to find the pictures they have requested and then how to download them onto the website. The each table to tell the teacher how they want their page to look and the teacher could format it! I really think that this would be a great exercise. For my literacy lesson I am going to work with the students on poetry. So it might be fun to compile of their poems and make a scarpblog for them!

As for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing they would need all of these. They would really need to be able to listen and follow directions! The directions are also written on the computer for them so they need to be able to view the directions and then put them in action. In order to find information to place in their scarpblogs they need to be able to read the research that is done on their topic and then place that information neatly in the scarpblog. I feel as though all of these strategies would need to be developed as a class before each students creates their own blog! This could be done with the example I gave above! Doing a whole class scrapblog!

New Literacy Project Reflection

2010-02-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I've decided to post my New Literacy Project Reflection onto our class wiki. Mainly for the reason that I am very long-winded and rather than bog this noteblog down with my lengthy reflection, I just created a separate page for it on the wiki. Take a look at my page, Rachel Forstat's New Literacy Reflection, and feel free to comment there if you'd like.

Thanks! :)

Balanced Literacy Instruction

2010-02-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

After reading the article "Balanced Reading Instruction," it really opened my eyes up to the methods and instruction techniques that are needed to create a quality classroom learning environment. Instruction is one of the single most important parts of teaching, because the approach that a teacher takes to forwarding knowledge and information is crucial to each student's development. Pressley stresses the importance of this by saying, "balanced instruction requires knowledge of how to carry out effective skills instruction as well as high awareness of how to teach holistic reading and writing." Balanced Instruction for literacy is not just a one step process to perfect, rather an ongoing process that includes using proper literacy processes (comprehension strategies, phonics, vocabulary, etc) along with authentic literacy processes. Having the students work with holistic readings or writings is vital to their understanding of working with literacy that is meaningful and applicable to their own lives and experiences. Pressley also states, "the balanced instructional model is particularly appropriate and beneficial for students who have initial difficulties in learning to read and write." Being able to intervene early on for students with minor difficulties is important to their later development in literacy, because if teacher's do not have a proper plan for instruction to help these struggling students, then they will continue to be behind throughout their education.

One of the main points that was discussed in the article was balancing various elements of literacy instruction. Some of these elements included following up on literacy development and using unique approaches to literacy instruction that allowed teachers to reach each and every one of their students. After reviewing a survey of a group of teachers, Pressley stated that "teachers offer[ed] frequent skills instruction, both in the context of actual reading and writing and in lessons in which the skills were isolated and presented in a decontextualized situation." Many of the instruction strategies were quite 'eclectic' and gave each student a chance to benefit to their full potential by receiving them individually. Not each and every strategy works for every student in regards to literacy, so it is important that we learn our students strengths and weaknesses, and learn to play to their strengths, and come up with activities that will help improve their weaknesses.

Along with talking about the various comprehension strategies, understanding of the alphabetic principle, and phonemic awareness strategies, the article also talked about the important aspect of motivation in regards to a balanced literacy instruction approach. Pressley explains motivation in this balanced learning approach by saying, "Teachers balance skills teaching and holistic experiences while flooding their classrooms with motivation." Without providing students with an opportunity to be excited about learning, and see a meaningful purpose to their learning, they will not be encouraged to learn literacy. "Encourag[ing] students' to learn, to encourage their engagement in literacy-development tasks, especially real reading and writing, [is crucial to their learning]." This balanced instruction in literacy is extremely important not only for teachers when planning their lesson for the classroom, but also for the students as their learning and development in literacy is dependent upon the teachers instruction methods and approaches to literacy.

A Balanced Approach

2010-02-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

After reading the article, “Balanced Literacy Instruction”, I now understand that literacy instruction is most beneficial when it is taught by combining the essential skills based lessons AND a very holistic approach in which students are immersed in an environment of authentic reading and writing experiences.

The central aim of this article is to help literacy instructors understand the important of balance. Offering students a wide variety of eclectic experiences and practices with reading and writing and also offering frequent instruction in basic skills is the best way to promote a positive literacy learning environment.

There is also an emphasis on the fact struggling readers and writers should not be taught in a different way from the rest of their peers. Obviously, the skills instruction will be more extensive in comparison to readers who are excelling, but the students who are struggling will still be immersed in a large amount of authentic, holistic reading and writing instruction.

An obvious point the article also makes is how important it is for literacy (reading and writing) to be a part of EVERY aspect of the school day. Students who are constantly reading and writing will excel in their literacy development in comparison to students who are only doing reading and writing for an hour or two a day. Scaffolding is also emphasized as an important element of literacy instruction.

Basically, all in all…the article talks about how important it is to immerse your students in literacy instruction ALL the TIME. The article does a great job of providing evidence through the discussion of case studies. Balancing literacy instruction with skill based learning and holistic reading and writing experiences, with a WIDE array of activities and experiences, is the best way to ensure students succeed.

Recitation and Scaffolding

2010-02-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

Currently I am only seeing recitation in my classroom, which I find very frustrating. When I sit and observe my classroom I feel as though I am in a college class. The students all sitting in rows listening to the teacher lecture about one of the four core subjects. What I do find missing from this picture though is the students taking notes. The teacher makes them clear their desks while she either writes on the overhead or the white board. This does not make sense to me one because the students become distracted and don't pay attention and second they aren't taking anything from what she is saying because they aren't writing it down. I also know that they aren't understanding it because when she gives a worksheet after she is finished lecturing they always have questions and don't understand. So pretty much her idea of teaching a lesson is lecturing to the kids and then giving them a worksheet to work on individually. She does not want them working together because they will talk to much. But they do end up talking and it just isn't working. She informed me that she does not plan on teaching them how to work in groups because it would cause her too much of a headache to teach them because they all have bad behavior to begin with. So instead of doing something about the whole situation she has given up on them and is treating them like college students and not like 10 year olds, which is really what they need.

For response center talk to occur the right questions need to be asked. The teacher needs to ask a clear and concise questions that the students understand. The question or idea needs to be thought provoking so that students have lots of ideas to share with their peers. The teacher also needs to model different activities that he or she would like to take place so that the student understands what they need to be doing to facilitate their learning. Once students understand how to complete an activity many questions will arise throughout the class period. This is a harder question for me because the teacher does not do much scaffolding as explained above. After the students get their worksheets she sits at her desk until the students are finished and then moves on....

There are many different levels of learners in my classroom but the worksheets do not reflect this. All the students get the same worksheets and always get frustrated right when they see it. There is this one girl that barely looks at the worksheet and then raises her hand and says I don't get how to do this...I don't want to do this. It is very frustrating to watch. When I go around and explain the different tasks to them the students have a better understanding of the worksheet. But as I have said before they don't take notes while the teacher is talking so they never get to write the examples the teacher is doing first and then work on their worksheet. The first time they explore is with the worksheet that is graded. She does allow one student who is the lowest in math come to the front desk during the math worksheet time so that she can constantly ask the teacher questions. When there is a reading worksheet she reads the words to the two students who have reading as their IEP. But in reality she needs to have many worksheets for these students because half of the kids don't even know their multiplication tables so reducing fractions is just not working at the moment. Overall I think that if there was more scaffolding in the classroom students might start to improve and understand the topics better. We have 33 students how I feel are at all different levels and that makes it very difficult to teach. Also I think that if the students were taught how to work in groups the different levels could work together to solve the different problem. When a student can explain how to do a problem to someone else you know that they understand the task.

Talk and Discussion in Classrooms

2010-02-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

After seeing the prompt given for this week’s note-blog, I started thinking about the importance of discussion in my classroom. There are a number of different types of discussion that occur in my kindergarten class for my placement, which include large group discussions, group discussions during centers, and regular social interactions in the classroom. Most of the discussions that take place in the classroom are group discussions that are lead by the teacher for group lessons or directions. The class starts every day with morning announcements, which leads into group lesson, which consist of a science, math, or phonics lesson. During this time the teacher does a great job of involving the students in the discussion by asking them to respond to questions, or allowing them time to offer up their own opinions or experiences. After looking at Chapter 10, “Managing Recitations and Discussions”, of Weinstein and Mignano’s textbook, they brought up an interesting point about classroom discussions by saying, “Selecting only those who volunteer or those who call out may limit the interaction to a handful of students” (pg. 306). This was an interesting outlook on children participating, and it made me think back to how this is relatable in my own kindergarten classroom. I have noticed that my teacher goes out of her way to give each and every child an opportunity to offer their ideas to the discussion, as well as making sure all students participate in some way during the discussion. Not all the students in my classroom are active participators and willing to raise their hands, so my teacher does a good job of getting them involved without making them feel uncomfortable. An example of this was when my teacher called on one of the shyer students, and asked her if she agreed with another student’s opinion, or if she had a different idea. This was a way to get her involved in the discussion, without putting her on the spot and making her to feel like the spotlight was on her. Weinstein and Mignano also state, “those who volunteer are often high achievers, [so] calling only on volunteers is likely to give you a distorted picture of how well everyone understands” (pg. 306). It is vital to involve all students in order to not only assess their understandings of academic topics, but also make them feel that their opinions are valid and worthy of being part of the classroom discussions.

There are also several scaffolding practices that my teacher uses in her classroom for response-centered talk in discussion. The first way scaffolding is put in use in the class, is when my teacher models activities by giving them visual aids or activating their prior knowledge. For example, the students were doing an activity where they were working on practicing writing the numbers 4 and 5. After discussing what the students were going to do, the teacher went to the whiteboard and wrote out the numbers and showed them the steps of how to make 4 and 5’s. This was a great way to scaffold their learning by putting visual representations on the board for them to reference while they are working on the activity themselves. My teacher also described making 5’s, as being similar to making S’s, which activated their prior knowledge since they have already worked on their writing of letters, so this is another great way to scaffold their learning, and prepared them for the upcoming activity. During this modeling activity, she allowed several students to come up to the board and practice themselves, which got the students involved as well. Although there were only a few students that were able to come up to the board, the rest of the students were able to comment on the students numbers, by putting a thumbs up or thumbs down on whether they wrote the number out properly. This was a great way to involve all the students in the discussion, which is important according to Weinstein and Mignano, as they say, “the important point is to make sure that the interaction is not dominated by a few volunteers” (pg. 312). These are a few of the ways that I have noticed scaffolding and modeling occurring in the classroom in order to produce a response-centered talk in the discussion among the teacher and students of the class.

There are several students in our classroom that need a specific type of scaffolding in order for them to properly complete some assignments. One of the examples of this is seen in the modeling and scaffolding that the teacher does to a specific girl in class that is of a lower achievement level. Since she is not very familiar with her phonics or the sounds of particular letters, the teacher provides her with an alphabet chart that has all the letters of the alphabet, along with an object that starts with that particular letter, which helps students with the sound of the letter. This is just one strategy that my teacher incorporates into this child’s learning to scaffold her learning during writing workshops or reading buddies. There are other instances of these types of learning taking place, and it is important to individualize the scaffolding and modeling of learning for different students.

Brooke Somers

Recitations vs. Authentic Discussions

2010-02-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

After today’s class, I spent some time thinking about how my fourth graders interact and communicate with one another through out their school day. Immediately, I thought about the large amount whole class discussion that occurs during the time I spend in my fourth graders’ classroom. After taking the time in class to discuss Chapter 10 from Carol Simon Weinstein’s text, Elementary Classroom Management, I have come to a realization. Initially, I was very impressed at how well my CT handled the class discussions; whether they were during science, math, reading and/or writing. However, I now believe that what I initially viewed as authentic classroom dialogue and discussion, are actually more closely related to an “Initiation-Response-Evaluation” (IRE) recitation. I’ve noticed that my CT asks a question, the students raise their hands, he calls on a specific student, and they give their answer. Once he receives this answer, he usually digs in and forces the student to elaborate and explain his/her thinking. But it typically ends there, and another question is asked, and so on and so forth.

In regards to the aspects of recitation vs. discussion that we talked about in class, there are obviously positives and negatives to each. When my CT initiates a recitation style class dialogue, he uses tongue depressors with each students’ name; therefore, everyone has a turn to talk. That, in itself, is an essential reason for teachers to continue using the recitation method, when appropriate. I think it’s very important that everyone has an opportunity to express themselves and share their thoughts and ideas. This also allows us (the teachers) the opportunity to give informal assessments of our students. Recitations also clip along at a decent pace. This is very evident in my field placement. The school day flies by and there is so much to get through. Obviously, incorporating collaboration and classroom discussion is a priority to many teachers. But how can we incorporate such a time consuming process? That’s where recitations come in; students answer questions, and we move on.

That being said, I believe that authentic classroom discussions are a must throughout the day. The practice of taking a step back and allowing the students take a more active role in their learning is very important, and that is exactly what happens when a real classroom discussion is taking place. Teachers become the facilitators, and then the spectators, and students take the active role of interacting with each other, asking probing questions, participating in meta-cognitive thinking, and encouraging one another to be creative and expressive. Allowing this practice to take place can be really difficult for a teacher. As we talked about in class, teachers are extremely used to being the “benevolent dictator”. Well, it’s time for that role to change.

As I said before…incorporating authentic classroom discussions into our daily teaching practices will be time consuming; especially in the beginning. Students are not used to this sort of dialogue; therefore, its important that we scaffold the process for them. We should have the students participate in role-plays that show the correct process of interacting where there is no right answer. We need to practice the correct ways in which we should interact with each other; i.e., with respect, integrity, empathy, etc.. Students don’t come to class with this knowledge…we have to help them gather it.

One more important thing to consider...authentic classroom discussion does not have to end when the students leave for the day. It is here, that a teacher must consider the benefits that a class blog, (click on the previous link and you'll find 50, must-read, up-and-coming teacher blogs) and/or wiki would offer. A classroom wiki/blog would be a collaborative forum that students could access at any time. They could facilitate their own discussion. Twitter could be used as a way to facilitate classroom discussion. The technology available in the 21st century is astounding and it is expanding our students' horizons for collaboration.

Internet Reading and Diversity in the Classroom

2010-01-31T17:59:00.000-08:00

Internet Reading

This article was really interesting to me! I liked how it started off with two different student perspectives. This got me thinking about how I felt about technology and literacy. Their new definition of literacy is very interesting to me “literacy skills necessary for individuals, groups, and societies to access the best information in the shortest time to identify and solve the most important problems and then communicate this information.” Is there really a need for literacy to be fast? I think as long as we eventually find the answer then it is good. I don’t necessarily think that time should be a part of a literacy definition because I know that I can read and comprehend but it takes me awhile.

Some nuggets that I think that we should talk to the class about is the three things that a person needs to be successful as an internet reader.

A reader must be able to handle the amount of text that can be found on the internet.
A reader must be able to handle all of the distraction that can be found around the text while reading. A reader has to find the important parts of the website and focus on them.
The text of the Internet is expository so the reader must have a large vocabulary and be able to deal with different formats that the text might be in.

*Readers have to realize that the Internet is continually changing as new research and information comes out. So website that were useful before may be deleted or revised and the reader has to take that into account. Whereas a book will always read the same way and always have the same information. New books are written to include the new information found.

*Internet readers need to use strategies that they used for printed text for the text found on the internet. Such as:

1. Draw inferences

2. Ask questions

3. Active prior knowledge

4. Monitor comprehension

5. Repair comprehension

6. Determine important ideas

7. Synthesize

*When students read on the Internet literacy and technology connect. The same techniques that are used to comprehend text are used to comprehend expository writing on the Internet.

Diversity

The noteblog that we are suppose to write about this week is interesting to me because I feel as though we haven’t read very much about it or talked about in class. But I’ll just give a few ideas of what I think and have seen in the classroom. Every student no matter his or her race comes from a different background. We could have two white boys in the classroom that were raised completely different and we as teachers need to figure out every students background. I find that when you meet students for the first time that you should have some questions prepared for the students to answer independently. This helps the teacher gain a small glimpse of where each student is coming from. I have also found that students are very proud of the holidays that they celebrate and enjoy talking about what they do on these days and why. So I think it is interesting to have a whole class discussion on the different holidays that are celebrated by the students. If this is done in the beginning of the year then the teacher can make sure to include the holidays in his or her classroom. I also think that gaining a personal relationship with each student is very important. A teacher needs to find time to talk with each student one on one throughout the year and have him or her share different things that are on their mind. Always have the students explain why they think the way they are thinking so that you know where they are coming from. I also enjoy listening to the way that other people think about the same problem or idea. Each person thinks about things completely differently so hearing new ideas get the students minds moving and it allows the teacher to see how the students comprehend the topic! Allowing students to choose their own research topics or books shows a lot about whom they are. This is an easy way for a teacher to see what the students are interested in so that these topics can be added into lesson so the students become more interested. Having students write daily journals allows the teacher to understand what is going on in their life. This could also help explain a student’s behavior in the classroom. I’m not sure if this is what the question is asking but this is what I came up with!

Diverstiy and Multiple Perspectives

2010-01-30T12:06:00.000-08:00

Recognizing diversity is such a significant part of working in the classroom and being a successful teacher. Establishing classroom norms and letting students know that you appreciate their uniqueness is important to do right away in a classroom, so the expectations and standards are set right from the beginning. In the Ladson-Billings article titled "Seeing Culture, Seeing Color," it discusses the importance of noticing each and every student's traits which include race, ethnicity, traditions, and overall preferences. Having a teacher recognize something unique about students can make all the difference in their lives, and show them that the teacher is not only concerned about their abilities in the classroom, but also is interested in learning more about them as people instead of just students. One way that teachers can learn about the diversity in the classroom is to do icebreaker activities the first week in order to gain a better idea of who the students are as people and what they enjoy. This could be more informal in the beginning, and then these activities could start talking about what the students find as their strengths and weaknesses in school, and discuss the things that they want to improve upon. Creating an environment where students can feel comfortable sharing their experiences and their diverse perspectives is crucial in learning and teaching.

Another important point that the Ladson-Billings article discussed was the importance of having a reciprocal role as a teacher. As much as the teacher is going to be relaying information and knowledge, they can learn just as much from the students. It is important that students know that they are able to share their ideas openly in the classroom and questions certain topics using logical thinking. Too often I have seen students not share their ideas, for fear of being wrong or told not to share out, so it is crucial that we as future teachers create a comfortable learning environment where students can open up to the teacher and their peers.

I wanted to add one final thought about an activity that I did in seventh grade that is not necessarily tied to diversity, but goes along with noticing individuals and the importance of recognizing and celebrating each person. We were working on our autobiographies in seventh grade, and one of the activities we had to do was create a collage of thoughts from our classmates. Our teacher passed out blank pieces of paper that had each person's name on, and we all had to write one nice thing about each person. It could be anything positive that we thought about the person, whether that be academically, in sports, or about the person's personality, but we had to do it for each person in the class. After we turned them in and our teacher sorted them, she handed them back to us and we had to create some kind of collage with the compliments to put in our autobiography. Getting these papers back and reading the comments that my classmates had said about me was amazing. It was such a good feeling to hear all these things about me. Most of them were things I would have never thought my classmates even noticed about me, so it just goes to show the power that each individual has in creating a classroom unit. I want to incorporate this into my future classroom, as well as many other activities to notice and celebrate diversity and uniqueness among the students.

Reading on the Internet

2010-01-30T11:22:00.000-08:00

"Reading on the Internet: The link between literacy and technology," was a great article that discussed the importance of incorporating the internet into classroom activities and how this can further students literacy skills. "New forms of literacy called upon students to know how to read and write not only in the print world but also in the digital world" (Schmar-Dobler, pg. 81). Now more than ever, our world is advancing technologically so it is important to familiarize students with these new advancements in the classroom so they can benefit academically. The text and information that is found on the Internet is constantly changing and modifying, so it is crucial for students to know exactly how to navigate on the internet in order to benefit from the information they find on a specific topic. Being able to search through text and find references on the internet, is all part of being a literate person in today's society.

Instruction in teaching children proper ways to use the internet to enhance their literacy is vital in making sure students are being productive and informed. "Students can be taught about the existence of reading strategies through informed direct instruction" (Schmar-Dobler, pg. 81). Since text on the internet is constantly changing, it is important for teachers to first master these techniques of using the internet for literacy and then model those practices for students. Without proper instruction from teachers on how they want students to use the resources from the internet, they have no guidelines or understanding about what or how these activities will benefit their literacy development.

There were several reading strategies that were discussed in the article including activating prior knowledge, monitoring/ repairing comprehension, determining important ideas, synthesizing, drawing inferences, asking questions, and navigating. All of these strategies are important and with proper instruction, teachers can allow students to use these reading strategies to help them when they are using the internet for literacy. "Educators can guide students to be successful Internet readers by helping them recognize their experiences with various types of text and applying this knowledge to Internet reading." (pg. 85). It is vital that we provide students with the necessary resources to continue their learning, which is advancing along with the technology that is becoming available. "Through modeling and instruction, teachers can begin to build the bridge connecting literacy and technology" (pg. 85). We as teacher can make all the difference in allowing students to connect literacy to technology and the internet, so we must strive to do so in our future classroom.

Internet Reading

2010-01-30T08:53:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading the article, “Reading on the Internet: The link between literacy and technology”, written by Elizabeth Schmar-Dolber. The article discussed the similarities and differences between reading plain text and reading internet resources, i.e., websites, emails, blogs, wikis, etc. The article also discussed how the definition of literacy is rapidly changing due to the ever expanding world of the Web 2.0. The internet is changing how we need to teach literacy. It is no longer enough to teach reading and comprehension strategies that relate only to books, and printed materials. We, teachers, have to acknowledge the fact that students do a large portion of their reading on the computer.

One portion of the article discussed the special demands that reading on the internet puts on student readers; for instance, “A reader must be able to evaluate all the features of a webpage and quickly decide which one will likely be the most helpful in accessing information”, or “the Internet reader must be able to handle the sheer volume of text”. These are two distinct ideas that a reader must be aware of when they are reading on the internet.

Flickr Image Accessed From: San Jose Library

Basically, I think this article is emphasizing the importance of acknowledging the difference between reading on the internet and reading plain text. In order to create successful, literate students, we need to address these differences with our students. I think many teachers are scared of technology and they would rather have students go to the computer lab once a week/month to do who knows what. Really, internet reading and using the Web 2.0 needs to a consistent pass time in schools and classrooms. In order for students to gain competency and acquire the correct strategies for reading comprehension on the internet they have to practice, and I think that practice needs to start early.

Recognizing Diversity

2010-01-30T08:17:00.000-08:00

The ability to look at your students and see everyone for who they are…the color of their skin, the language they speak, their families, their likes, dislikes, their hopes, fears…that is what separates an average teacher from an extraordinary teacher.

When we discussed the readings in class this past Tuesday, we spent time referencing two specific articles from our course pack. Those articles were entitled “Culturally Relevant Teaching” and “Seeing Color, Seeing Culture”. These two texts highlighted the importance of recognizing the huge range of knowledge and backgrounds and understandings that children bring to their classroom. In order to create meaningful and relevant lessons for your students it’s important that you see these differences. In the article “Seeing Color, Seeing Culture”, there is an excerpt that states, “I don’t really see color, I just see children” (p. 31). This idea does children a disservice. You can’t ignore a child’s background when the walk into the classroom. They bring their experiences with them everywhere they go, and by ignoring them, we are basically telling them that they don’t matter, when to them…it’s all that does.

As teachers, I believe that part of our job is to empower our students. In order to do that, we have to acknowledge who they are, and get them to know who they are.

There are multiple ways to do this, as our reading displayed. One teacher made a point to take her students on a class camping trip when the school year began, thus allowing her students to let their guards down, and be themselves, allowing her to get to know them. I would like to create projects and assignments that break down my students boundaries. I would love to have my students create digital stories about themselves that they could then present to the class. This would show me visually and orally how they view themselves. I would love to have art projects where the students could be free to creatively present a look into their lives. They could create posters, drawings, bring in a CD they made with their favorite music. They could cook something that they love to eat or that represents their culture, such as Mexican food, Italian food, absolutely anything.

There is an activity I did when I was in middle school. My teacher called it the “Name Game”. Basically, we were responsible for writing a page on our name. Who named us? Why that name? Where did our name come from? Do we like our name? Why, or why not? What are your nicknames? Etc. This was a really cool activity. I remember discussing my name and my Jewish heritage was brought up, as well as my relationship with my grandmother. You can learn a lot about a child from their name. I would love to put this activity to work in my classroom. I would add another aspect that would allow the class to present something of their own. Like a show and tell activity. They could bring in people, things, anything they wanted.

There are so many activities that would be awesome to implement in a classroom when the school year begins that would allow the students to open up with one another and begin to establish a safe, comfortable learning environment.

When I was thinking about this topic, I wanted to incorporate some sort of video or image to help support my ideas. I searched "Diversity" on YouTube, and this was the video that came up. I LOVED it. Please, listen and enjoy! lol

What is Literacy?

2010-01-25T18:58:00.000-08:00

When I think of literacy I think back to when I was in elementary school language arts, in my mind, it consisted of reading and writing. As I think about it today that would be a very broad definition because they’re many aspects of reading and writing that our taught. To get a better insight of the definition of literacy I googled it and this is what I found:

“…literacy is the ability to make and communicate meaning from and by the use of a variety of socially contextual symbols. Within various levels of developmental ability, a literate person can derive and convey meaning, and use their knowledge to achieve a desired purpose or goal that requires the use of language skills, be they spoken or written.”

“Literacy is the ability to use printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential.”

"Literacy not only involves competency in reading and writing, but goes beyond this to include the critical and effective use of these in peoples' lives, and the use of language (oral and written) for all purposes."

After reading through many different websites online I see how difficult it is to find one definition that includes all aspects of literacy. In the broad sense, the definition of literacy as reading and writing makes sense. But if you think about it a person may be able to read and write but have no idea how to use it in everyday life. So the definition above that includes the idea of using reading and writing in everyday life makes complete sense. You have to be able to read and write to function in this society. But you also have to know how to use reading and writing correctly to function in society as well. I don’t think that there will ever be a concrete definition of literacy because I feel that is it always changing based on the new advances in society.

After I think about it for awhile though I realize that I just read and found all of the information about literacy online and yet none of the definitions that I found included technology. Computers are everywhere know and that is where most teenagers and college students spent their time so I now think that technology should be added into the definition. Are you technology literate, which I believe ties into the quiz that we were to take. After taking the quiz I feel that I am between a native and an immigrant. I know half of the definitions. But it’s also sad that if I had taken this at the beginning of last semester I would totally say that I was an immigrant. If it weren’t for Erik I would have not known what any of that was except AIM. I believe that right now I am emerging from digital literacy. I learned a tremendous amount last semester in 401 and I am continuing to learn more this semester as well. Tompkins explains that children come to school with background knowledge and this knowledge came from exposures that their parents had given to them. My emergent of digital literacy is coming from teachers using and show different technologies in the classrooms. As wikis and blogs become the norm in society all citizens learn how to use them from exposure. Same goes for children as children are exposed to new material they learn it!

My ideal literacy-learning environment would have lots of books that were about topics that I was interested in! There would be lots of comfy pillows and blankets around so that I could relax and focus on reading. And I have to have it completely quite to focus and comprehend what I am reading and writing!

http://www.bridgew.edu/Library/CAGS_Projects/LDUBIN/Definition%20of%20Literacy.htm

http://nces.ed.gov/NAAl/fr_definition.asp

http://www.unm.edu/~devalenz/handouts/literacy.html

What Am I?

2010-01-23T11:08:00.000-08:00

According to the article, "Digital Natives in the Classroom", “Digital Natives perceive technology as their friend and rely on it to study, work, play, relax and communicate.” The article also states that “Digital Immigrants…struggle to understand and master these new technologies.”

"Digital Natives in the Classroom" offered its readers a Digital Natives Quiz to take. I took the quiz…and according to the article and my answers, I guess you could call me a native speaker; meaning, I am comfortable with a wide range of technologies. However, with all this talk about the new D – gen (i.e. the Digital Generation), and how children have been raised surrounded by up-to-the minute technologies, I would not consider myself a part of this category.

Image via Kwout

Yes, according to the quiz, I am a native; however, the level of comfort that I have achieved, in terms of utilizing technology, has only recently developed. I have used computers, the internet, cell phones, digital cameras, etc. for many years throughout my life, but those resources are a miniscule portion of what is available. Over the course of my time at Michigan State University, I have been introduced to an astonishing amount of technology that I was not familiar with before. Last year, I took a course called, “Teaching and Learning with Technology”, CEP 416. This course introduced me to blogging, personal websites, wikis, twitter, Smart-boards, etc. Thankfully, I took full advantage of that course and in doing so, I have had practice working and playing with numerous digital resources.

During the last week of class, we spent a fair amount of time discussing our upcoming project…the “New Literacies Project”. I am really excited to begin the exploration process. As a class, we reviewed a great deal of technologies available for us to dive into! After listening to the variety of resources presented, I realized that, while I am familiar with a large amount of them, I still have a lot to learn. Honestly, no matter how comfortable I feel in terms of the technology available, there will ALWAYS be more.

I was looking through Gale E. Tompkins’ text, Literacy for the 21^st Century, A Balanced Approach: 5^th Edition, when I came across the term “emergent” (pg. 111). Tompkins utilized this word as a way to describe a how a child becomes literate; that is, how a child learns to read and write is emergent literacy (Tompkins, 2010). Right now, I’m going to use the word “emergent” to describe myself. Currently, I am an emergent new, digital literacy learner. I am in the process of learning the ins and outs of the technologies out there.

I can’t imagine that I will EVER be anything other than emergent. Since the influx of technology is so rapid and growing exponentially, there is no possible way that an individual can be anything other than emergent. It just isn’t possible for one person to feel comfortable working with every single technological resource out there.

Here's a funny comic I found online...

What is Literacy?

2010-01-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

Literacy has many definitions but I consider literacy to have two parts: reading and writing. Being a literate individual means using reading and writing to enhance a students learning and development and being able to relate that understanding of reading and writing to everyday experiences. I never realized how important outside experiences are to learning literacy, but being able to bring something familiar into the classroom can really improve students motivation and engagement. Another key component to literacy is classroom management that is effective and beneficial to for students development. After having our classroom discussion last week, I have noticed the impact that classroom management and instruction have on literacy because it is needed in order for the teaching and learning to run smoothly. Without organization and the implementation of various literacy strategies, it will be nearly impossible for students to effectively learn. Various strategies that I have experienced personally in school and at my placements include free writes, silent reading, book buddies, read alouds, writing stories, and many others. After looking at the concept maps from my classmates, it is obvious that there are so many components that go into teaching children literacy, and I hope to fulfill many of those as future educators.

Throughout my MSU courses and experiences in my placements, I have been able to come up with an ideal classroom environment that I would want to have in the future. One of the main things I want is a level of confidentially and feelings of being comfortable in discussing and sharing our ideas of literacy. Multicultural literature is also something I hope to incorporate into my classroom because I want all students to relate to the literature, regardless of their race or ethnicity. Incorporating a wide variety of activities to do with reading and writing into the classroom, allows students to find a way of learning literacy that they prefer. Not all children learn in the same way, so it is vital to offer them numerous options on how to learn literacy their best. It is also significant that students know that they should be excelling in both reading and writing, not just one or the other, because it takes both components to become a literacy learner.

After taking the digital natives quiz, I realized that I am not a digital native, but rather an immigrant. I was unaware of several of the definitions for specific terms, and had not even heard of some of the words, so I did not feel comfortable in using those words in a technological sense. Emergent learners, according to Tompkins, say that, "literacy development has been broadened to incorporate the cultural and social aspects of language learning, and children's experiences with and understandings about writing language--both reading and writing--are included as part of emergent literacy" (pg. 111). It is important for children to relate their social experiences and things they are doing outside the classroom with literacy in the classroom. For instance, I used instance messaging frequently when I was younger, and although that did not have the same effect of learning literacy as I would have had in the classroom, it still had me practicing writing and reading so I was getting the repetition that was necessary to continue on with my literacy learning. These are all important components of literacy, and being able to give the students comparisons about their outside social world, in the classroom, will be vital experiences for them to succeed in literacy.

Is It Really That Simple?

2010-01-21T20:13:00.000-08:00

When presented with the question, “what is literacy?” often, an individual’s initial response is something similar to this: “Literacy is the ability to read and write”. (The previous statement was taken directly from the online resource, Wikipedia). When I was first introduced to the concept of literacy in TE 301, I had a very narrow view of what it represented. Essentially, my ideas directly coincided with Wikipedia’s. However, when you think about it, how long has that been an accepted definition? Society is evolving and I am beginning to realize that it is time for my view of literacy to evolve as well.

Thanks to the pile of educational textbooks I have stockpiled over my years at Michigan State University, I have a range of texts to reference in my search for a twenty first century definition of literacy. According to the book Primary Literacy Standards for Kindergarten through Third Grade (1999), the main concern of literacy is reading and writing (New Standards, Primary Literacy Committee 1999). According to Pauline Gibbons, the author of Teaching Second Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom (2002), the primary emphasis of literacy education should be focused on reading and writing. While I do agree with the previous two texts, to some extent, I want to take their ideas further.

When considering literacy and literacy education, it is important to consider the world in which our students live in. In order to succeed in the world outside of the classroom, students need to be literate in ways that far exceed reading classic text, and writing with pen/pencil and paper. Children need to be capable of mastering multi-media resources; meaning, students need to learn how to use media (for example, the Web 2.0) as a means to create, communicate, and collaborate. Another aspect of literacy that extends beyond reading and writing is the social aspect. It is important that children be able to share their thoughts and ideas. It is important that children know how to appropriately relate and interact with others.

How about this metaphor…I would like to refer to the concept of literacy as a tree. The trunk of the tree consists of the basic concept of reading and writing. Why? Because, I believe, reading and writing is the fundamental undercurrent to nearly every aspect of our lives. The branches of the tree could be the different aspects of literacy; including, but not limited to: social, cultural, environmental, and media. One could go even further and refer to the tree’s leaves as the different techniques and/or mediums a teacher may use to teach his/her students. When considering some examples that could be considered adequate leaves, I would propose blogging, drawing, cell phones, podcasts, digital storytelling, modeling and scaffolding (techniques), recycling (environmental aspects), etc..

It is easy to think of literacy as a rigid, unchanging concept, but it is not. As society and children evolve, so, too, will the definition of literacy. There will always be a wealth of information to consider when presented with the challenge of preparing children to become literate members of society.

Here is an image of a wordle document I created last week to represent a literacy concept map. One week ago, this image represents my views on literacy. It is interesting to see just how much my views on literacy have changed over one week's time.

Thoughts on Literacy

2010-01-18T16:19:00.000-08:00

Language Arts has never really been my favorite subject. It’s not that I didn’t do well in the subject I just really never had an interest in it. I have been placed three times in lower elementary school and I absolutely hate it. I don’t what to spend three quarters of my day on literacy. I know that sounds horrible but I’m a science and math girl and that’s what I want to focus on in my classroom. Not that I’m saying that literacy is not important. It’s very important when it comes to science and math. I have no real interest in teaching students how to read but with this economy right now I am going to have to take any job that I can get. So my number one goal this semester is to learn different strategies for teaching students how to read. It is interesting to me as I read about literacy and think about my elementary experience I really don’t remember how I learned how to read. I have no idea right now how to even go about teaching a class how to read. I can work with a student one on one about how to sound out a word and tackle a sentence but how do you start from the very beginning?

I am in a 5^th grade classroom so their literacy time that I observe is either the class reading a chapter book aloud. Or they work with the passages that are found in their literacy book. They work on comprehension and what message the author is trying to portray. To prepare for literacy instruction I am going to have to make sure that I understand all aspects of the book or the passage so that I can ask the right questions to the children. I need to come up with questions that students have to think about and use what they have read to brainstorm the answer. So many of my students are bored so I want to challenge the children in my classroom that are above average students. Hopefully, from this class I will be able to learn how to challenge the students in my classroom that are bored but at the same time incorporate the below average students that are in my classroom as well. I need to learn how to incorporate all the different level of learners that I have into one lesson.

The school that I am placed at has no parental support. My students don’t have any idea what the word respect means and they just don’t want to be at school. My teacher has to get everything done in school because the students don’t do homework. I want to learn some strategies for how to deal with a situation like this. This causes a lot of stress on the teacher because all the learning has to take place in the classroom and not at home. I know that we have learned about classroom management a lot but after this placement I have seen how important it is. So I would still like to learn more classroom management strategies.

In school I felt that literacy was something that was pushed on us. We had a reading card and we had to track how much we read each week and our parents had to sign it. To me that makes reading a job and not something that is enjoyable for the students. I want to learn how to make literacy fun and enjoyable for my students. My students will be using literacy the rest of their lives so they need to know how to do it well and enjoy it at the same time. I need to find a happy medium of how to teach students literacy but at the same time make it something that they look forward to.

Literacy and Me

2010-01-16T13:04:00.000-08:00

What is literacy? Typically, when presented with this question, individuals respond with: “reading, writing, talking, and listening”; however, when I pause and consider this question, literacy means so much more. The word literacy does not have a fixed or uniform definition, and individuals often use it in many different ways. While I don’t find it necessary to be constrained by a set definition, I do think understanding what it means to be literate in our society is a valuable asset. As a future teacher, I believe that being able to understand what it means to be literate in our current culture is a necessary starting point to understanding how to teach children literacy.

After reviewing the syllabus, overview, and class objectives of this course, I can’t wait to begin! I love literature, writing, discussing books and pretty much everything that relates to literacy and I am excited to begin the process of learning how to instill that same love into my students. I hope that this class will present me with opportunities to teach my students in ways that are innovative and exciting. Nowadays, children are glued to their TVs, computers, and cell phones; therefore, teachers have to work that much harder to develop lessons that are engaging for their class. I would love to leave this class with ideas on how to teach students using media that is modern and immediately applicable to their daily lives. As I said before, literacy does not have a fixed definition and teaching literacy should not be a fixed process. It is ever changing; as are the children we are focused on teaching. My goal is to leave this class with fresh and exciting ways to teach children literacy. I hope to discover what it means to be literate and teach literacy in the 21^st century.

I took a few minutes to look at what you wrote, Brooke, and I feel similar to you, in regards to your views on teaching in an urban setting. It is something that I am completely open to. I may not have the experience of teaching in an urban setting, seeing as how I’ve been placed in Okemos and Holt public schools while at Michigan State University, but I believe that I can handle it. Obviously, it will be much more difficult than teaching in a school that has the money and resources to provide their teachers with all the latest technologies and aid; however, I think it could be an extremely rewarding challenge. I’m not sure how familiar any of you are with the book/movie “Freedom Writers”, but it is a story of a female teacher accepting the challenge of teaching highly at risk students. She helped those children and it was a very inspiring movie. I realize that is not typical, but it is something I would strive for. Check out the trailer HERE.

That’s all for now! Here is a video I found on Youtube. It is relatively long but if you have a minute, take a look!

Literacy and Urban Settings

2010-01-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

After reading through the syllabus and looking over the goals and objectives of this course, I am extremely excited to embark on this semester of furthering my knowledge in the area of literacy. Literacy is such an important part of a student’s learning and development within education, so it is vital that we, as future educators, provide the best opportunity for students to excel in this academic subject. Throughout my elementary education and the teachers who have helped me learn to read and write, I gained a great insight and motivation for literacy, which I hope I can do for my future students as well.

One of my main goals for this course is being able to gain a better understanding of how to organize literacy instruction in the classroom. I think that I will further these skills not only by participating in my field placement, but also from class discussions, readings, and listening to the experiences of my classmates. Classroom management is crucial to creating a positive learning environment where students feel comfortable to express themselves and be able to engage in their learning of literacy. I think classroom management is definitely one of the things within teaching that I need the most help with, so I hope to further this, specifically within the context of literacy. Another goal of mine for the literacy portion of this course is developing better strategies and examples to help students with their reading and writing. Although I thoroughly enjoy helping students with reading and writing in my placement, I do not necessarily know how to implement strategies into promoting their learning of the subject, which is an area that I could improve upon. These are just a few of my goals that I have for this semester in regards to learning about literacy, and implementing that into my teaching practices.

I have always been very interested in working in an urban setting, but have little experience in working with that type of setting. In my previous placements through Michigan State University, I do not feel like I have had a great deal of experiences in urban settings, so do not necessarily feel that I am prepared to deal with this population and the teachings that would be involved with reaching these students. I think that working in this type of setting could be a very rewarding and satisfying experience, so I hope to further my knowledge on how to approach teaching these children and eventually implement that into my future classrooms that may either be an overall urban setting, or with only a few children from this population. It would be a great privilege to get the experience to work in an urban setting, and I think that I could learn a great deal of knowledge that would help me in all areas of education. Since so many urban schools lack the resources or credibility of teachers to teach literacy in an efficient way, it is vital that these students receive the proper instruction to further their opportunities in their comprehension of literacy. I would love to work in this type of setting in order to increase students motivation and desire to further their education and understanding of reading or writing. From this course, I hope to take away a better idea of how to reach second language learners and students in an urban setting to improve their motivation and desire to learn literacy.

These are just a few of my initial thoughts on the course overall and how that pertains to urban learning in schools. I am looking forward to continuing the conversations on this blog, and learning from everyone’s experiences and ideas in the realm of education.

A New Year!

2010-01-12T09:25:00.000-08:00

Hello to all of you out there in "Blogger Land"! It is officially a new decade and I know I am not alone in my attempt to stay true to those pesky New Year's resolutions. Good luck to you all in your endeavors, I know I need it!

As the year of 2010 commences...my blog will be acquiring a slightly different look. Let's say...new and improved, if you will. Rather than focus on methods of integrating technology into my future teaching practices, this blog will now serve as an online forum (with an emphasis on open communication and collaboration) for a group of my peers. The three of us...Brooke, Heather, and myself...are currently enrolled in a teacher prep. course, TE 402, at Michigan State University! This course is split into two distinct sections and those sections are: Math and Literacy.

This blog will now serve to aid the four of us in our journey towards discovery in the field of language arts/literacy.

I hope you all enjoy the new feel. Please feel free to continue to comment where you deem appropriate. I am sure we will appreciate any and all comments; they may very well lead to bigger and better discussions and debates.

Teaching in the Now

2009-12-14T10:15:00.000-08:00

I was perusing the site, Slideshare.net, the other day and I came across this slideshow. I thought it was very well put together. The images that coincided with the teaching and technology quotes created a powerful message. Take a moment to watch this presentation. I don't think you'll regret it!

Education & Technology Quotes

View more presentations from Tony Vincent.

What's Best For You???

2009-12-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

Blogs, websites, and wikis…what is so great about them, and when should I use one or the other? This question has surfaced within my head numerous times. After spending an entire semester learning about blogs, and creating my own, learning about websites, and creating my own, AND learning about wikis and creating my own, I realize that there is a time and place to use each; at least from my view point.

Blogs are a wonderful way to get personal on the web. They provide individuals with a place to share personal thoughts, opinions, and ideas. Basically, a blog is a hassle free (and money free!) way to express your personal beliefs. I’ve seen blogs be used as a forum for literature discussions. Individuals can write book reviews and other people can add their comments without detracting from the original post. Personally, I greatly enjoy being able to post my thoughts and opinions to my blog. People are free to read what I write, or they can pass right by. I have also participated in a blog that was used as a literary tool. As a class, we would post reviews of books being read and then we would have the opportunity to comment on others’ posts. I really enjoyed it!

I view websites, such as Google sites, or Weebly, as being much more “business like”; professional, if you will, in comparison to blogs.

Actually, before I continue…let me make myself clear. A blog IS a website, just a different form. Remember, a blog is short for web-log.

Anyway…a website is a great tool to be used in a professional way. I enjoy having my website as a professional portfolio. Employers can view this and be free from reading irrelevant information; such as, my feelings regarding Twitter, or my thoughts on some celebrity. I can have numerous pages on a website that contain a wide range of information; such as work experiences, sample work, resumes, etc. Schools often have websites that provide individuals with information about their standards, their curriculum and their philosophy statements. I will continue to use my website at Weebly.com as a tool for professionals to use when interested in learning more about me, in the “teaching” world.

Now, let’s talk about wikis. I consider wikis to be an interesting mix between blogs and websites (such as Weebly.com). Wikis provide members with a resource to be used in both a professional and personal way. On the surface, a wiki appears to be a simple website. There are pages with different information. There is a “home” page, a navigation page, and there are tabs to be used to help navigate the site. However, when looked at more closely, a wiki is also very similar to a blog. Why? Because a wiki allows users to collaborate with one another…individuals can edit the pages, they can post their thoughts and opinions regarding the information available and they can add any sort of media they would like. This is very similar to a blog, because on a blog, people can post their thoughts and opinions regarding your post. Wikis are a wonderful tool to be used in a classroom. I think students would be eager to use a wiki due to its capabilities for interaction and collaboration, and yet it still looks professional due to its appearance (it looks very much like a simple website).

I believe these three tools (blogs, wikis, and websites) are very similar to one another; however, they also have very distinct differences that enable them to be better suited for different tasks. It is really up to you, how you’ like to use them. As I said before…I believe a blog to be a great tool to use as a personal sound board, websites are wonderful to be used in a more professional setting, and wikis are a great tool to be used in a collaborative community. Try them out, experiment! It’s the only way to figure it out for yourself.

Flickr Image Accessed From: kid.mercury

What Are They Good For?

2009-12-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

Wikis are excellent tools to be integrated into a classroom and into a child’s daily life. As I worked on creating my own wiki (to be, hopefully, introduced into my classroom either next semester or next year), I have really come to understand just how useful and beneficial they can be for students. In order for children to develop a significant relationship with the information they are being presented during their regular school day, it is important that they are able to intimately interact with that information. A wiki is an excellent way to do that. Through the process of collaboration and communication, students can acquire the ability to participate meaningfully in an academic environment.

Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the concept of using a wiki…maybe you’re wondering “Why would I want to use a wiki for my classroom? Well, I have a few ideas for you:

1. Wikis are a GREAT way to assess student learning.
2. Wikis are a wonderful way for you to integrate writing into ANY subject.
3. Wikis are excellent resources for students to peruse when trying to study for a test.
4. Wikis are INSTANTLY collaborative…people are editing, commenting, etc. at all times, and everyone has a say.
5. Wikis can be accessed anywhere there is an internet connection!

In a previous post, I also mentioned some key reasons why Wikis are an awesome resource for students...you may want to take a look. The post was entitled: "Wikis and Blogs and Online Journals (Oh My!)"

Wikis allow students to take control of what they are leaning and to become empowered by it. A wiki can be used as an online journal and resource for a class as they make their way through their different school subjects. I think wikis could be a resource children can use to find information on the topics they are learning. Students can post audio files, images and videos; it could be kept up to date with the most recent information; ranging from PowerPoint slides, photos, educational links, games, assignments, and articles. Students could edit the pages themselves and add anything they find relevant and informational. They can also add photographs of themselves and information about who they are and why they are interested in science. That could even be a journal post they make.

There are hundreds of ways to utilize wikis in schools. I would suggest searching for educational wikis online as a way to form ideas as to how you want to utilize one in your class. Here is a link that offers TONS of educational wikis to view and analyze. Now go forth and create your wiki!

OH! And here is a funny picture for you. Whenever I discuss wikis, I ALWAYS think of wookies and ewoks...lol. Don't ask me why!

Image accessed from: online movie database

Let it Snow!

2009-12-04T05:02:00.001-08:00

Here's a little tune to get everyone in the Holiday spirit :)

A Classroom Economy

2009-12-01T18:05:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading the article Teaching and Practice: Elementary School Curricula and Urban Transformation; written by Paul Sylvester, and elementary school teacher in an urban school, located in Pennsylvania. When I set aside the text, I sat on my couch for a moment and allowed myself time to experience the emotion that this article generated within me. I felt inspired; truly inspired.

Over the years, I have worked diligently to do what needs to be done in order to become a “good” teacher, and throughout this process, there have been numerous times, no…thousands of times, that I have felt completely overwhelmed, stressed, anxious, nervous, and entirely apathetic in regards to my future career as an elementary school teacher. I know that may sound awful to some of you, but, honestly, it is HARD. However, there are moments throughout my days, weeks, and months, in which I feel like “hey…I can do this, and I can be GOOD at this!” While those moments may be few and far between, they are so consuming and all encompassing, that it makes up for those times where I feel terrified! Well…after reading Sylvester’s article, I had one of those feel good moments.

For the hour or so it took me to read Sylvester’s article, I was able to visualize a teacher…a man…a mentor, who cared so much about his students, that he travelled the extra mile that teachers don’t often travel. He challenged himself and his students to question and voice their thoughts and opinions through the execution of a classroom economy: “Sweet Cakes Town”. But this wasn’t just some week long project he implemented and then discarded. “Sweet Cakes Town” was a year-long process of observing, analyzing, questioning, and experiencing. Sylvester’s students had the opportunity to learn important school subjects, such as: economics, social studies, geography, and math, through the utilization of “Sweet Cakes Town”. Those subjects were transformed from being static and boring, to being applicable, meaningful, and relatable.

Take a look at some of these pictures I had a friend of mine send me. She implimented a mini-classroom economy for her fifth grade class and, while her's may not be as in depth as Sylvesters...she's off to a great start! The students love it :)

This is a picture of two students interacting as a banker and the customer.

These two consumers are shopping for goods.

One specific aspect of Sylvester’s “Sweet Cakes Town” that I found particularly moving was the level of involvement between the outside community and the classroom. The students were able to communicate and collaborate with the members of their community; such as; Ziggie (the owner of “Ziggie’s Barbeque Pit”), the town major, lawyers, etc. I thought that was so AWESOME. Specifically, on page 315 of Sylvester’s article, he states “After a few months of learning from people in the neighborhood, students wrote nominations for neighborhood citizenship awards…We invited those people, as well as all those whom we had interviewed in our study, to come to the classroom and receive awards for their contributions.” That brought tears to my eyes…just imagine how PROUD those children and community members must have felt that day.

As I said before, this article sincerely inspired me. I would love to put Sylvester’s idea into practice. As a student myself, I can read that article and be inspired, motivated, and excited…but also, as a future teacher, I can read this article and understand and appreciate the amount of hard work, energy, and time, that goes into implementing this into a classroom curriculum. My goal as a teacher is to not shy away from that hard work and time…

PREPARING our future LEADERS to NAVIGATE the world = PLN

2009-11-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

So, I’ve gotten behind some in my blogging this past week, due to my week-long sojourn into South Carolina. But, here I am, once again. After a week long stint of turkey, mashed potatoes, leftovers and shopping, looks like its back to reality! I’d like to recommence by discussing my Personal Learning Network (PLN), or, as my title states, Preparing our future Leaders to Navigate the world (PLN). I like to look at Personal Learning Networks as a window into who we are as people, professionals and students. Our PLNs provide a look into who we are, what we enjoy, what are passions are, and what we care about. For me, my PLN would tell you that I care about my career as a teacher; that I care enough about my future students to work hard and diligently to provide them with the technological tools and resources necessary to succeed in an ever changing world.

Currently, my PLN is expanding at an astonishing rate. As I progress through my fall semester, I have had, and will continue to have, many opportunities to learn about different technologies (in my TE 401 class, CEP 416, conferences, etc.) and I have also had numerous opportunities to observe, experiment, and analyze the different resources I’ve come across; my PLN is beginning to reflect the wide array of experiences I have had. My delicious account is brimming with URLs to educational websites, teacher blogs, and an abundant amount of start-up tutorials, web application introductions, and many other resources to help teachers integrate technology into their daily lessons.

Obviously, my blog is up and running; allowing me the opportunity to openly discuss topics of interest to me and providing me with the opportunity to easily communicate with others in regards to the teaching profession. I have my online digital portfolio that is quickly (and amazingly) coming together. I’ve also gotten over my earlier Twitter aversion and can see the definite value in utilizing this tool in schools. I have to say, my Google Reader is, by far, the handiest application I’ve come across for organizing the massive amount of information I find on the web. This application makes it possible for me to sort through my delicious bookmarks, educational blogs, and technology resources, as well as other websites, that I want to keep track of.

All in all, my PLN is getting a pretty good work out. I believe it is helping me PREPARE the future LEADERS to NAVIGATE the world! :) As I said before…your PLN tells me a lot about you. What do you want yours to say?

Flickr Image Accessed from: caridgewell

Twitter in Education

2009-11-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

First of all…I’d just like to say that I am having a change of heart, in regards to Twitter, that is. My change of heart officially began this past Saturday at the Technology Conference I attended at Erickson Hall. When the conference began, Twitter was quickly highlighted as a way for individuals to “backchannel” during the day. (In case you’re confused, the term “backchannel” refers to the practice of using networked computers to maintain a real-time online conversation alongside live spoken remarks.)

Anyway, I was immediately reminded that I do, in fact, have a Twitter account! This is something that I had completely forgotten about. Earlier in the year, when I first began using Twitter, I was not impressed and commenced to setting it aside for a long period of time. Well, to make a long story short…I realized, after spending time reconnecting with my Twitter account during the conference, that Twitter can be VERY beneficial when used in a way that promotes learning and education. So, I would like to discuss a few ways in which an educator can utilize Twitter in a valuable way.

Google Image accessed from: watblog.com

As a pre-service and future teacher, I want to engage my students. Twitter is a relatively new and highly proficient form of communication that can do just that. The use of Twitter in a classroom can increase the amount of chatter that occurs. This is a GOOD thing because, before long, the students will begin using Twitter to have conversations both inside and OUTSIDE of the class. I believe this can help develop a sense of "classroom community" as students begin to build an understanding of who their peers are in school and outside the classroom space. Twitter can also be used as a way for students to backchannel during class; that is, if your school has the resources to provided their students with laptops/computers. Talk about open communication! Obviously, there are things to consider when allowing students to Tweet during class. Twitter may enhance students’ abilities to talk to inappropriate people or to discuss inappropriate topics; but, sites such as Youth Twitter or Today’s Meet allow teachers to monitor who and what students are discussing. Opening your classroom to back-channeling can promote metacognitive thinking. (Metacognitive thinking refers to the practice of thinking about and reflecting on your learning.) What I mean is that Twitter, if used as a classroom tool, can enhance students’ abilities to think about HOW they are thinking and learning.

I think Twitter could also be used as a way to remind students about homework, trips and other classroom things, especially since they can enter their mobile phone number to be alerted when a peer or teacher “tweets” such information.

There are so many technological innovations popping up everywhere that, as educators, we have many opportunities to use sites, such as Twitter, and other social media tools in a way that can cater to 21st century students.

26th Annual Technology Conference at Michigan State University

2009-11-16T16:48:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, on Saturday (Nov. 14th), I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 26^th annual, 2009 Technology Conference. It was held at Erickson Hall on Michigan State University’s campus, and it was an all day affair for those individuals interested in attending the sessions and workshops. I found the conference to be very well planned out. It consisted of morning sessions and workshops and afternoon sessions and workshops (The sessions were free while the workshops cost extra money). If you’d like, you can take a look at the conference agenda. This may provide you an understanding of the day’s events.

Oh! Another very cool thing about this conference…it was easily followed on Twitter, via #coetc09! I had almost completely forgotten about my Twitter account until that morning. I was able to follow conversations and ask questions and receive answers on a variety of topics relating to information being conveyed during the conference.

I had the chance to arrive early enough for the continental breakfast which led right into the key note speaker’s presentation. Andy Losik, the 2009 MACUL educator of the year, did a fantastic job of garnering everyone’s attention and admiration for the amount of hard work and energy he puts forth in the area of teaching and technology. Once his presentation was complete, I attended the morning session, “I Have a SMART Board…Now What?” This session was extremely informational. I have not had the opportunity to work with SMART Boards, sadly. The schools I have been placed in have not had such high-tech resources at their disposal. After attending this session, I realized how AWESOME they are! I REALLY hope that my future classroom has a SMART Board. However, I also left the session feeling extremely overwhelmed with just how lacking I am in the area of understanding how to USE SMART Boards. Hopefully, in the weeks/months to come, I will have the opportunity to practice using a SMART Board and, with any luck, feel comfortable utilizing one with students in a classroom.

I had debated with myself, at an earlier time, with whether or not I should sign up for a workshop. I decided to go ahead and I’m glad I did. For the afternoon I attended the workshop “Unlocking the Collaborative Power of Your Classroom: Creating Classroom Wikis Using Wikispaces.com” presented by Erik Byker. First of all, Erik Byker is my TE 401 Social Studies course instructor and I think he is an awesome teacher. Not only am I interested in creating classroom wikis (I want to create one for my fourth grade class as my final extension project) but I also wanted to show support to a great instructor. I’m glad I did. I had a wonderful time investigating the “behind the scenes” of creating classroom wikis, and I’m excited to begin making my own. If you are interested; I was given a handout during this workshop with quick tips, and useful suggestions to contemplate while creating your wiki and I would be happy to forward it along.

Finally, I want to throw a thank you out there to everyone responsible for putting the conference together and ensuring that all those in attendance would have a meaningful experience. Not only did I enjoy myself, but I also learned a great deal. Thank you!

The Wonder of it All

2009-11-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

This week, I’ve decided to focus on one specific educational technology resource that, I feel, could be found extremely beneficial to many. During the early weeks of this semester, my TE 401 class took a fieldtrip to the Michigan State Children’s Garden. While we were there, Dr. Norm, took time out of his day to walk us future teachers through the process of creating a meaningful field trip. It was an extraordinarily informational day and I greatly enjoyed the tie spent outdoors walking through the 4-H garden. However, what I found most enlightening, was the time we spent as a class inside, explicitly discussing the ways in which to prepare for and initiate an awesome learning experience for my future students.

During the class discussion we had with Dr. Norm, we were introduced to an interactive online tool that facilitated student participation, assisted students in the process of learning, and established a high level of motivation. This tool is called…Wonder Walls.

To put it simply, a Wonder Wall is a virtual bulletin board with a built in chat that kids can add questions (including images) to or chat with one another and/or an educator. A “Wonder Wall” is a way in which students, group members, faculty, peers, etc. can connect, with the help of a moderator (the teacher, perhaps?) and work together in a colorful, playful, exciting, visual, and stimulating way space. Wonder Walls promote synchronous and asynchronous communication…meaning; individuals can interact with one another simultaneously, or at separate times, at whatever times work best for them. When users (students) are logged on at the same time, they are aware of each other, see new posts as soon as they are posted, AND can live chat with each other. All posts are permanent unless the poster or moderator (teacher) deletes them, so users and moderators can log in later to read and add to the posts.

Dr. Norm is the original creator of the MSU Wonder Wall. The original was simply an 8 foot by 3 foot large piece of blank white paper and magic markers. Children, students, teachers…any visitor to the Children's Garden were encouraged to write anything they wondered about throughout the day.

The Original Wonder Wall accessed from wonderwall.msu.edu

The new and improved electronic Wonder Wall began with the same principle in mind. Digital, online Wonder Walls are specialized and stimulating environments that facilitate within students a sense of curiosity, fun, excitement, and importance…they also support inquiry, reflection, and cooperation; three very important elements of a child’s education.

The New and Improved Online Wonder Wall accessed from wonderwall.msu.edu

There are so many different things Wonder Walls can do and be used for…here are a few:

1. Connect museums, gardens, other educational locations with school children beyond the field trip.

2. Connect children and students with each other between class-times and meetings.

3. Connect entire classrooms with distant scientists, educators, and enthusiasts.

4. Engage learners with each other and encourage a sense of wonder.

5. Wonder Walls provide both synchronous and asynchronous connectivity.

During the time I spent with Dr. Norm, I was able to see how enthusiastic students are about the Wonder Wall, especially upper elementary students. It appeared that, the more comfortable students become using the online Wonder Wall, the more complex and thoughtful their questions and posts grew to be.

I would love to create one for my future classroom. It would be such a great tool that my students could use outside of the classroom. I would use it as a way to promote extended learning. I could have my class ask questions and I could facilitate discussions relating to topics being discussed that week. It would be very beneficial in a science unit, or ANY unit.

To learn more about using Wonder Walls and how to create your own Wonder Wall, follow this link!

Inspirational Video

2009-11-10T19:56:00.001-08:00

I attended a workshop last week put on by Michigan State's SMEA. This workshop covered the how to's and why's of digitial storytelling and I really enjoyed it. There was a really inspirational video that was shown at the beginning of the workshop and I felt I HAD to share it with all of you...please watch. I hope you all feel as inspired as I did :)

Taking the Initiative

2009-11-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

It is my belief that in order to improve education and bring it to the level it NEEDS to be at; technology is an essential element that should no longer be ignored. Schools are quickly taking the initiative to integrate technology into their daily habits. It is an initiative that I believe will make it possible for more students to excel in school and in the real world. It will prepare students with skills and knowledge that are essential foundations for life-long learning. It is important to remember that integrating technology into classroom instruction means MUCH more than teaching basic computer skills and software programs in a separate computer class. Effective technology integration must occur across the curriculum in numerous ways; ways that enhance rather than impede the learning process. Technology integration needs to support active engagement, participation, interaction, feedback, and real-world connections. This can be achieved when technology use is routine and coincides with our curricular goals.

It is important, that we, as teachers, support one another in this process; a process that can be intimidating to so many. In order to build a base…a foundation…that allows for the integration and application of high-quality, challenging, high-motivating, and effective technology resources, we need to become aware of what these tools and resources are…we need to learn how to use them (by attending workshops, professional development conferences, research, online tutorials, etc.) AND we need to take that scary step that propels us into a world where students are no longer passive receptors of information…a world where students can do so much more.

When students are using technology as a tool or a support system for learning and communicating with others, they are in an ACTIVE role rather than the passive role of recipient of information that has been traditionally transmitted by a teacher and/or textbook. Once we provide students with the opportunity to use technology they are able to actively make choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information. Technology use allows students to be actively and critically thinking about information and about making choices, more so than in a typical teacher-led lesson.

But like I said previously, this can be a scary step. Why? Because it means that our roles as teachers must change. Rather than simply dispensing information, we fulfill the role of facilitator. We set project goals, provide guidelines and resources, and offer support and suggestions. But students are taking the driver’s seat.

The realm of teaching is changing and evolving at an extraordinary rate. Pretty crazy.

The following picture was taken in a classroom in Ethiopia. They have began an initiative called One Laptop Per Child (OLPC). Very cool.

Image from wiki.laptop.org

Digital Stories

2009-11-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

Take a look! This is a digital story I created to coincide with a sixth grade language arts lesson plan entitled: This Is Me!

I've also published a previous post that discusses the use of digital storytelling in classrooms, entitled: "An Alternative to Traditional Storytelling". You may be interested in taking a look.

Also...If you take a look at my online portfolio, you can preview the lesson outline that coincides with this digital story. Enjoy!

Personal Learning Network (PLN)

2009-11-03T15:57:00.000-08:00

So, my Personal Learning Network (PLN) is constantly being modified, added to, and adjusted to fit my needs as a future educator and current learner…well, really life-long learner is more accurate. For those of you who are unaware, a PLN is an acronym for Personal Learning Network. The acronym is moderately new; however, the idea is not. Teachers have always had learning networks—people we learn from and share with. We’re education and information junkies and we’re very social creatures. Put these together you have Personal Learning Networks!

Anyway, my PLN. For me, so far, my PLN provides access to information of interest to me as a pre-service teacher and future educator. I join the Nings they suggest (such as The Educators’ PLN), click on the links they recommend, read their blogs and wikis, checkout bookmarks suggested on Delicious, and I follow all of the above through the use of my RSS feed, Google Reader. I’ve recently added tools such as Google Docs, Slideshare.net, and Microsoft Photo Story to my repertoire.

Just last week, my experiences in relation to my PLN were particularly varied and rich. I collaborated on a group project with fellow peers using Google Docs, I created a slideshow on Slideshare.net to use in my field placement, I found some great ideas for my lesson plan by following bookmarks recommended on Delicious, AND I communicated with fellow educators through the use of Twitter on the pros and cons of PowerPoint presentations! Whew, talk about a busy week huh? Throughout all of these experiences, I sensed a feeling of camaraderie. How cool is that? Here we are, people separated by time and space and yet we are still able to make connections with individuals who share the same interests as we do. THAT is what I find so undeniably awesome about PLNs.

I believe that PLNs have unlimited potential. The amount of information, resources and technology available is rising exponentially and as educators we benefit from this, I think, more than anyone. Like I said above…my PLN allows me to make connections with fellow educators that I would not be able to make any other way.

BUT!

At least for me, I believe less is more. What I mean is, if I am keeping track of thousands of education resources to look through in Google Reader, do you think I’m really paying attention to any ONE in particular? That’s nearly impossible! I’ve realized this…I have to keep it short and sweet, just follow what I find necessary and if there is something in my RSS feed that I may not be paying as much attention to, I DELETE it!

Wikis and Blogs and Online Journals (Oh My!)

2009-11-02T18:09:00.000-08:00

As I’m sure a lot of you know…in TE 401 we have an extension assignment due as our final class project. The idea is simple: take an idea we have been discussing in science and EXTEND it. That’s it. We have been given the freedom to be creative, and I am really excited! The main guideline is this: you must incorporate technology as an innovative way to teach, assess and/or inspire students in the area of science teaching. There are so many different ways to run with this. As of right now, I have a few ideas. I’m thinking about possibly creating a class blog or a class wiki for my fourth grade students in my field placement. This class has done an excellent job preparing me for this assignment. I have had the opportunity to study exactly how blogging and online journaling can benefit students. For example:

1.Using technology is a motivator for many kids, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms.
2.Excellent opportunities for students to read and write.
3.Effective forums for collaboration and discussion.
4.Powerful tools to enable scaffold-ed learning or mentoring to occur.

These are just a few reasons why I would love to implement a blog or wiki in my fourth grade classroom.

Flickr Photo CC by Kristina B

To enable the use of an online science journal and resource for the class to utilize as they journey through their different science units would be so much fun for them! The fourth graders I work with are an incredibly enthusiastic group of children and I think they would be thrilled at the idea of having a class wiki or blog. I think it would create a strong sense of ownership for them. They can share their thoughts and ideas and opinions in regards to the science concepts they are learning and they will feel motivated thanks to the innovative concept of an online journal.

I would want this to be used as an online science journal and resource for the class as they make their way through their different science units. I thought this could be a resource they can use to find information on the topics they are learning. I would make sure to keep it up to date with the most recent information; ranging from videos, slides, photos, educational links, games, etc. They could edit the pages themselves and add anything they find relevant and informational. They can also add photographs of themselves and information about who they are and why they are interested in science. That could even be the first journal post they make. I’m not sure what would be more beneficial, a blog or a wiki? I’m familiar with blogging, especially after having the last couple of months to gain some experience in the area of blogs. However, wikis, I’m not so familiar with. I have wikis for a couple of classes, but I’m not sure they are being utilized to their full potential I would like to see some examples of wikis that are. Any suggestions? When I go to the Technology Conference on November 14th, I will be taking a workshop on creating classroom wikis, so I’m hoping that workshop will open my eyes and give me some great ideas on where to go from there. It sounds like a lot of my fellow peers in TE 401 have thought of creating a class blog, so I was hoping to do something a little different. We’ll see… Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Solar Dance PowerPoint

2009-10-25T19:11:00.001-07:00

I added my voice audio....very cool :) Check out slideshare.net...they have a great tutorial that will walk you through the process. My next step? Adding Music :) Enjoy!

Solar Dance

View more presentations from forstatr.

Beyond Bullet Points

2009-10-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

It really is amazing how after all these years of creating PowerPoints, I’ve never realized that I was doing it incorrectly. After reading the article, “Beyond Bullet Points” by Cliff Atkinson, I have a fresh outlook on the process; an outlook that will greatly benefit my future students, peers, co-workers, etc. Atkinson emphasized a specific structure for creating PowerPoints and that structure should directly relate to the workings of your audiences’ memories. I have always been under the impression that a “good” PowerPoint has text, visuals, and charts (if applicable), etc. I’ve also always assumed that if you have a good PowerPoint, then you (the presenter) simply has to read the slides and present the information. Was I ever wrong! Atkinson referred to this viewpoint in a “pipeline” metaphor. This is an incorrect way to look at PowerPoint Presentations. If you want to present a powerful and meaningful presentation, than you must keep in mind that you’re not there to simply present information and if your audience doesn’t get it then too bad…you need to present information in a way that allows your audience the OPPORTUNITY to “get it”. This means, that the research done in regards to an audience member’s memory, must be taken into account. As a presenter, you cannot shovel loads and loads of information and text at the audience; they won’t have the chance to process anything! You have to present information in bits and pieces; there should be a beginning, middle and end like in a story, there should be a header and a visual on each slide; however, it is NOT necessary to fill the slide with text. You simply have to SAY what corresponds to the slide; you do not need to have written text as well. That was my biggest surprise when reading this article. No text is needed?? But, after I read that…it makes sense! Why would it be necessary to write AND say the text to the audience? They already read what was up there, don’t need to listen to you repeat yourself.

Basically, when creating a PowerPoint…Less is more! If you follow the link above, you should be able to read the article, “Beyond Bullet Points” by Cliff Atkinson, and I’d recommend everyone checking it out! I’m also embedding the PowerPoint I created after reading this article as a reference point to anyone that’s interested. It is a PowerPoint on the motion of the sun, moon, and earth; prepared for a fourth grade lesson in the earth science unit. Enjoy!

An Alternative to Traditional Story Telling

2009-10-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

I know I have previously posted some of my thoughts on Digital Storytelling, but I always have more...

Children love stories. You can quiet a classroom of precocious kindergartners in two seconds flat if you open a picture book. Fourth graders will stop with they are doing, in the midst of VERY interesting conversations ;), to turn and listen as their teacher opens the current chapter book they are reading. Even high school students, who are too cool to even acknowledge their teachers, will open their ears, and listen, as a story is being read.

Why are stories important? Stories help children in so many different ways, it’s astonishing! They can help children cope with their internal issues; such as fear or stress. Stories help children handle their feelings and the feelings of others. When you read or tell a story which contains feelings and emotions, children learn to accept their feelings and to understand how others feel. So, in a way, stories can help children develop empathy. They learn that other children may feel the same as they do, and this helps them realize that their feelings are normal. Children can use stories as a way to find information and learn facts and history. Stories can help develop a child’s imagination; they offer children an escape from reality that is all too often neglected. I find stories to be a wonderful tool for teaching lessons that students can relate to. The historical fiction chapter book, Fever 1793, depicts a young girl’s journey through the Yellow Fever epidemic in Philadelphia Pennsylvania; set in 1793. This story would be an awesome supplementary text to a Social Studies lesson...this story provides children with a relatable young female character, and this can add a whole new level of meaning to an upper elementary history lesson.

So, here I am telling you how important stories are. Well, Digital Storytelling is simply a different approach, yet it’s still addresses the issues and concepts that “regular” stories address. Digital Storytelling has just added a new twist to traditional storytelling. We all have stories about the events, people, and places in our lives. In a group process, the sharing of these stories connects people in special ways. And the integration of digital images, sounds, narration, and music can pique interest in a variety of students with a story to tell! It can add excitement to a normally dull activity. However, it is important to remember and make sure that the content remains the driving force behind any project. Digital stories are great, because they highlight WHAT our students are saying, which should always be more important than HOW they are saying it.

With all that being said, the use of technology for Digital storytelling (using the available tools such as the computer and Internet) may be difficult in a lot of classrooms that lack the resources due to financial issues. Honestly, at this point, I’m not sure how to combat those problems besides spending time in a computer lab or creating group projects to be created outside of the classroom. Either way, the final outcome of a Digital Story will bring an interesting multi-media mix of images and voice to your classroom. And, the fact is, new and innovative technologies are "popping" up at the speed of light! And with these incredible resources at our fingertips, teachers need to adapt! We have this opportunity that would be so unfair to our students if we didn’t take advantage of it.

Just to give you an idea….my TE 401 group made a Digital Story as a companion to our Michigan Historical Museum Field Trip. I’m posting it here, please take a look!

Tell Me What You Think!

2009-10-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

I'm working on the introduction to a short story and I'm interested in some feedback/constructive critisism. Please feel free to tell me what you think....here it is....

Father is a geologist. He finds rocks, polishes them, looks at them, and puts them on a shelf in his den down the hall from my room. He has a lot of shelves. When one gets crowded, he builds another. He clunks down to the basement where his tool bench is and begins the process. And it’s a long process. I can’t decide what he enjoys more…polishing rocks or building shelves? Years ago, when I was far too small to be paid attention to, I used to follow him and peer through the open staircase; hoping for a glimpse of the table saw that amazed me. And yet, once that awful noise began, the fear of seeing fingers soar through the air, never failed to send me into a dead sprint up the basement stairs.

Mother tended to ignore the whole routine; the relentless polishing, and building seemed rather silly to her. He’d show off a new “specimen” and she’d oo and ahh like he wanted, but when his back was turned, she’d wink at me. Our little secret…“we don’t want to make Daddy feel bad!” As Father played with his rocks and built an excessive amount of shelves, my mother put on pretty dresses, checked her hair in the hall mirror and slipped out the back door, on her way to see the clients. I didn’t care about clients. They were simply voices on the telephone, mysterious callers taking up too much of mother’s attention. Now the polishing, that I was enthralled by. I couldn’t get enough of those rocks…what began as boring, gray, chunks of who-knows-what, transformed into shiny and exciting treasures. Petoskey stones emerged from beneath his diligent hands and Geodes were cracked open to reveal dazzling masterpieces. For hours on end, Father would sit in his den, books covering his desk, cascading over his legs onto the floor, and I would watch; waiting, hoping for that discreet invitation…the heavy groan and stretch, a slight tilt of the head, or even better an acknowledgment. Whenever it came, no matter what appearance it took, I was always ready. I’d peak in, delighted with the chance to explore his private chamber. On tip-toes I’d slowly allow my fingers to roam the shelves, tenderly holding and touching the precious stones.

Some days the signal never came. On those long and dreary afternoons I would sit cross-legged just outside the den door and imagine I was one of his rocks. Dull, gray, uninteresting…just waiting for my moment. Waiting for that instant when I would get picked up, when I would be examined. And then, under the attentive eyes and gentle hands of my father, be transformed into a shiny treasure…an exciting masterpiece.

It was during one of those long, dreary afternoons, that it happened.

Thoughts????

And so it goes...

2009-10-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

4.0 on my micro-teaching assignment! woo woo! great way to start the day.....hope everyone has a good Tuesday :)

Making Connections: Talking and Learning in a Fourth Grade Classroom

2009-10-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, I spent the first two hours of my morning at Midway Elementary School in Holt, Michigan. My Collaborating Teacher (Mr. CT) is a fourth grade teacher and he has been teaching for six years, two of those years at Midway. He graduated from Michigan State University and he does a wonderful job with his students...(I think it's because he's an MSU grad!) On Wednesday morning, I arrived at the school at 8:20, ready and raring to go! I had just enough time to discuss my objectives for the day (observing a classroom discussion) with Mr. CT before the students filed in from the playground. I was in luck! He was teaching a science lesson called, "Let's Think About Night and Day" and the lesson would begin AND end with a whole class discussion. I took a seat in the back of the room to avoid catching the wandering eyes of fourth graders, and set to work making my observations.

Before even beginning the lesson, Mr. CT quieted the class down by using a hand signal. He then spoke directly to the students and asked for quiet and he also explained the need for respectful classroom behavior while participating in the discussion. He told the students that this was a "brainstorming activity" then he said, "Are we allowed to make mistakes?" and the entire class yelled, "YES!" He went on to explain that no answers or opinions were wrong, and he wanted everyone to take a stab at participating. The lesson began with a "Science Talk". Mr. CT stood at the front of the room and asked the class leading questions that would prompt critical thinking. Obviously, the main question/bid idea for the lesson was: "What causes day and night?" However, rather than begin the class discussion by immediately addressing the big idea, Mr. CT actually asked questions that would lead the students in that direction. For example, his first questions was, "Who can tell me something about the motion of the earth?" As the discussion got rolling, Mr. CT took a less active/participating role. He allowed the students to step up and lead the class by allowing them to freely talk with one another and he simply observed and wrote notes on the board when students made good points. The whole discussion lasted about ten to fifteen minutes and the atmosphere in the room was very respectful...quiet when students were talking, children were raising their hands, and telling one another "good job...good answer!"

As I was observing the classroom discussion, I was surprised at just how engaged the entire class was in the activity and at how well Mr. CT was able to propel the discussion while keeping the entire class eager, and excited. Everyone was listening quietly with their eyes on the speaker, students were raising their hands, waiting their turn to speak, and everyone had the opportunity to talk. I was very impressed at Mr. CT's ability to create a safe classroom/learning environment, and at his knack for relating to the students. He spoke to them as equals, and he had very high expectations of them, which I feel they deserved.

As I observed Mr. CT's ability to create a safe learning environment through great classroom management, as well as his discussion techniques, I was reminded of the article I read called, "Collaborative Conversations: Strategies for Engaging Students in Productive Dialogues" written by Dorothy Simpson. Simpson's article discussed how important open dialogue and classroom discussions are in creating meaningful lessons for students. On the third page of Simpson's article, she listed eleven different strategies for teachers to use during a dialogue. A few of the strategies included in Simpson's list are:

1. Are you inviting all students to speak without judging their comments?
2. Are you listing the ideas on a board or projector during the discussion?
3. Are you asking for supporting evidence after each comment?
4. Are you paraphrasing each comment?
5. Do you provide "wait time" after each comment?
(Simpson, 1997, p.3)

Those are just a few; however, I witnessed Mr. CT utilize ALL of those strategies and more.

Simpson, D. (1997). Collaborative conversations: strategies for engaging students in productive dialogues. The Science Teacher. P. 1-8 (Accessed from angel.msu.edu)

A Fading Generation

2009-10-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

Many students are unaware of Google Docs' existence. I was one of those students just last week. For those of you located somewhere in left-field, Google Docs is a free, Web-based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation and form application offered by Google. Google Docs introduces a unique and new educational sphere for students. Thanks to Google Docs, students are now able to collaborated online, in REAL-TIME, with teachers, their peers, with friends, family, etc. Google Documents can be edited in REAL-TIME with a person thousands of miles away. Google Spreadsheets has a chat screen that opens whenever another collaborator logs in, so they can chat in real time while they edit! Cool, huh? The academic advantages of being able to collaborate on a document in real time with some one in a different building on campus, half way across the world are invaluable. Two people could co-author an article, or entire classes could brainstorm for an activity.

I have to say, some of the tools available through Google Docs may not be as refined as Microsoft Office's solutions (I have been getting frustrated with the formatting on a resume I'm working on); however, Google seems to do an excellent job implementing desired features and continually developing their products to exceed the highest of expectation. In the world of education, I wouldn't be surprised if Google Docs soon replaced pencil and paper in classrooms.

One thing is for sure, Microsoft Office is only one generation away from extinction if they don't create free collaboration tools of their own, SOON.

Personally, I think I was an easy win over. I love the ease with which Google Docs enables me to work on papers and documents, presentations, etc. at any time, in any plcae. I even converted my group members from my TE 401 class and we now have our group project online, enabling us to collaborate, work together, and get our project done on a time frame that works for us...without even having to meet at the library! That, in itself, is an amazing benefit. As a BUSY college student, I NEVER have the time to meet with a group for a project. Google Docs has the solution, I'm definitely going to do some more research on ways to utilize this app in the classroom. I'll update soon :)

One of those days...

2009-10-14T14:39:00.001-07:00

Overslept this morning...

Late to school...

Left ALL of my lesson materials in the classroom...

Missed a meeting at work...

Realized the lesson materials I left in class were necessary to complete an assignment tonight, ie. cannot complete assignment...

The weather is crappy..

(need I say more?)

Well, as I'm driving home from work this evening, thinking to myself..."what a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" an amazing thing happened. My ALL TIME FAVORITE song decided to make an appearance on the radio (an occurance that RARELY, I almost want to say never, happens). Any ideas what that song may have been?? It was Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror". This song never fails to lift my spirits and perk me up. You can't help but sing along and smile. So, seeing as how it did the trick in lifting my spirits tonight, I thought I would try and return the favor to so many of you who are having bad days as well. Listen up :)

Innovation

2009-10-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

What’s all the buzz about iClickers? What ARE iClickers? There are those of you who are unfamiliar with this relatively new technology. Personally, I have had the opportunity to utilize this resource while enrolled in my Chemistry, Astronomy, and Biomedical Science courses at Michigan State University.

An iClicker is an Audience Response System (ARS), or sometimes called a Personal Response System (PRS). For the purpose of simplicity, I’m going to simply refer to it as an iClicker. An iClicker is a remote control that functions as a technological interaction tool. Individuals in a large group or audience have their own iClicker/remote control which communicates with a computer via receivers that are located around the room. What happens is this…a professor, teacher, speaker, etc. poses a mulitple-choice question/poll which is posted for the entire audience to view. The audience is then responsible for answering that question via their iClickers. The audience chooses their answer, either A, B, C, etc., points their iClicker at a receiver located at around the room, pushes a button (A, B, C, etc.), and their answer is then sent to a main computer. After a certain amount of time, the poll/question is closed and the computer then tabulates the audience members’ answers and displays the results, often, instantaneously via a bar graph or percentages. In many situations, a professor or teacher will utilize this technology as a means to track participation in their classroom. In settings such as those, each audience member should have submitted their iClicker’s serial number into the control computer’s database. This enables the individuals’ answers to be identified and evaluated at a later date. There are many different uses for iClickers; however, it typically appears to to be utilized as a way for students to instantaneously provide feedback, and answer questions posed by their instructors.

As I’ve said before, in a previous post, there are positives and negatives of virtually ALL aspects of innovative technologies, and iClickers have pros and cons too.

Pros:
1. Instant access to student knowledge
2. Provides immediate feedback to students
3. Encourages participation in ALL students, including the shy ones
4. Keeps students’ attention
5. Provides anonymity

Cons:
1. Students may forget to bring them to class
2. Costly
3. Not necessarily useful in small classes
4. May be difficult to grasp by the non-technological savvy individual

As a future teacher, I would unquestionably enjoy the opportunity to utilize iClickers in my classroom; however, I do believe the issue of cost would be a detriment. If there were a way to provide this technology to my class at a minimal cost, I would! Incorporating iClickers into a daily lesson plan could be very beneficial. For example, if I were teaching a social studies lesson on a controversial topic, the class would be more apt to participate in a discussion if their opinions remained anonymous.

I have one last comment to add. After reading the TPACK article for CEP 416, I realized how important it is to consider the fact that true technology integration requires the understanding and negotiating of the relationships between a teacher’s knowledge of teaching, of their lesson content, and of the advantages and disadvantes of technology in a classroom. When considering these three componants and iClickers, I realized how teaching a lesson would change with the addition of a new technology. iClickers would obviously cause a shift in your teaching methods as well as significantly alter the way in which you and your students interact. Just something to consider…

I'm So Proud...

2009-10-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

A heartfelt congratulations goes out to President Obama!! Winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for giving the world hope for a better future. He really is a remarkable and inspirational individual and I am proud to call him my president.

According to NPR's website...Obama won the prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

The Best Part of Waking Up, is Foldgers in Your Cup...

2009-10-07T04:19:00.000-07:00

As I drift out of obscurity, my dreams fade away, and I slowly drag myself out of my cozy bed. What is that barbaric noise?? And must I start my day before the sun??? As I scramble to turn off my alarm, the need for caffeine slams into me. Thank goodness for my sleek and dependable Mr. Coffee Automatic Coffee Maker...ohh what would I do without you?

It's 7:00 am. I am currently sitting at my dining room table, clutching my cub of coffee. The days are getting shorter...I no longer wake up to sunshine pouring through my bedroom window. Before the events of my day unfold infinitely before me, I need to take a moment to collect myself. Why am I up so early, you ask? Well, I am preparing myself for an 8:00 am arrival at Midway Elementary School, to spend the morning with a wonderful fourth grade class. I'm excited, the kids are great, my Collaborating Teacher is helpful and kind...yet, I'm still nervous. It seems that no matter how often I am in these situations, I still feel slightly apprehensive. I know the old saying..."everyone is in the same boat...you're not alone" but why doesn't anyone else ever talk about it? It seems as though every other COE senior is excited and can't wait to start their careers...and I am too, don't get me wrong....but I'm nervous! I'm nervous every time I walk into my classroom! Hmmm.....

But what can you do? I'm sure the nerves will fade. I just wish more people expressed their true feelings. They can't ALL be THAT excited? really?

The Mitten

2009-10-06T12:28:00.001-07:00

"A country without memory is a country of madmen." Quote by: George Santayana

I just spent my morning at the Michigan Historical Museum in downtown Lansing and I am feeling quite contemplative at the moment. I had the pleasure of visiting this museum at an earlier time; specifically, in fourth grade as a segment of a social studies field trip that also included a visit to the state capital. Sadly, I have a feeling I appreciated my second trip to the museum more than my first. As a child, it is difficult to fully comprehend the magnitude and importance of what it is you are seeing, observing and learning while wandering the halls and galleries of a historical museum. To examine and study the vast amount of artifacts in the Michigan Historical Museum is a daunting task; there are thousands of artifacts that fill that majestic building and just imagine being a small child in the midst of all that history. Overwhelming, indeed.

Flickr photo CC by greaterlansingcvb

As I wandered the museum today, I kept thinking, "what a wonderful resource we, as Michigan citizens, have at our fingertips...right here in downtown Lansing, my backyard!" I imagined myself as a fourth grade teacher, herding my class into the buidling and watching their jaws drop in awe as they stood and stared up at a White Pine Tree (our state tree), standing three stories high in the center of the building. Talk about capturing some rambunctious kids' attentions! But the awesomeness doesn't stop there. The Michigan Historical Museum consists of five levels of galleries and exhibits that tell the story of Michigan's past from pre-contact through the late twentieth century. The museum tells a narrative...OUR narrative, as Michiganders. The exhibits include interactive computers, audio-visual presentations and hands-on elelments; the entire foundation this museum rests on is interaction. Yes, interaction! You are expected, as soon as you walk through that front door, to utilize all of your senses...well, they may not want you to EAT their artifacts, but you get my drift. Basically, it is an inviting and exciting environment where children can really learn the history of their state in a meaningful way. And isn't that what's most important...that children are able to find meaning inthe subjects we are teaching them?

I can't wait for the opportunity to enlighten my future students. I want my classes to have those experiences in historical museums, where they can envelop themselves in the past and learn about themselves in meaningful ways. History is an essentail element of learning who you are, of becoming good, kind citizens.

What would happen if we were to lose our sense of historical perspective? What do you think??? Is it dangerous? Ignorant? WRONG? Do not hamper yourself in the present and limit you future by ignoring the past. READ history, LEARN, travel, investigate! Explore your personal and family history. But don't stop there...probe and study your communities, towns, states, etc. Grab life by the horns...take EVERY opportunity that comes your way to expand your life, your knoweldge. Develope you historical perspective.

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly...

2009-10-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

As of October 2, 2009, Twitter is the end all, and be all of the twenty first century. Posting “Tweets” of 140 characters has enabled a world of “Tweeple” to stay connected. Individuals who utilize the world of tweets range from business men, students, stoners, pop stars, news anchors, cat-lovers, teachers, professional athletes…the list could go on forever! Imagine yourself sitting in class…the student next to you is Twittering; imagine yourself in a boardroom…the CEO is currently updating his Twitter profile; and finally, you’re visiting your grandmother, and what is she doing? She’s following up to the minute tweets on the new brand of cat food she’s interested in! What is the world coming to?? The next thing you know, the streets, schools, stores and office buildings will be empty and all you have to do is log onto Twitter, and there they are…giving you TMI on the minutiae of their lives.

Now don’t get me wrong. Unquestionably, I am a proponent, AND advocate for the integration of technology into our daily lives. However, I am having a difficult time understanding the extent to which Twitter can enrich and/or transform our lives for the better. Obviously, there are positives and negatives of virtually ALL aspects of innovative technologies, and Twitter is not exempt. As a prospective teacher, I am well aware of the long list of valuable resources Twitter offers, and I will do my best to employ those resources in a constructive and effective way in my future classroom. In the following list, I will record MY reasons for using Twitter as an educator.

1. Twitter can represent a virtual staffroom; a virtual world where teachers can access in seconds a stream of links, ideas, opinions, and resources from a hand-picked selection of global professionals.

2. By utilizing all that Twitter has to offer, educators are able to compare their ideas and classrooms with other educators located thousands of miles away.

3. As a mentor and educator, I want to be the BEST that I can be, and the only way I can do that is to reflect on the work that I am doing and maintain and develop it in order to make it better. Twitter would enable me to share my reflections, as well as offer support to other educators, and receive INSTANT feedback.

4. Twitter can also help you stay up-to-date on news and current affairs, and the latest developments in areas of school leadership and technology.

So, there are my reasons for wanting to use Twitter as an educator, mentor, and teacher. But, going back to what I said previously…I STILL am having difficulty in understanding ALL the positive ways in which one can utilize Twitter to its fullest potential. I keep getting bogged down by the mundane details of everyone’s daily (boring) lives. I have had one or two opportunities to follow educational “Tweets”; however, these occasions have been few and far between. I’m hoping these opportunities will rear their heads on a more daily basis. I guess, basically, I am having a hard time grasping how to go about FINDING these opportunities on my own. Adding on to the fact that I am a complete novice in terms of Twitter “lingo”…I have a really difficult time actually understanding what it is people are tweeting. All the abbreviations and what not just confuse me more!

Essentially, my view on Twitter is this: unless you are using Twitter in a PROFESSIONAL way…it is simply a way for individuals to make themselves feel better; it is a phony and bogus way to make yourself feel “popular”; like people actually CARE about what you are doing EVERY second of your life. Again, I can see the positive aspects of using Twitter as a professional, but I can’t seem to get past the surface level…

If anyone has any suggestions…PLEASE let me know…

Check it out :)

2009-10-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

I got a Flickr account about a week ago, in order to help me find suitable pictures for my blog, website, classroom, etc. I don't have very many photos uploaded at this point due to the sad state of my digital camara. But, hopefully, she (my camara) will be in working order shortly and I can add to my photostream.

Take a look at my slide show!

It's Here!

2009-10-01T04:47:00.000-07:00

Happy October everyone! I'm so happy my favorite month has finally made her appearance :) It even smells like October now...

Time to head to the cider mill, carve pumpkins, visit haunted houses, and buy that Halloween costume :)

Flickr Photo CC by YAXZONE

Advocating Creativity!

2009-09-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

Creativity is vitally important in the lives of children AND adults.

Creativity can improve a child's self-esteem, motivation and achievement...students who are encouraged to think creatively and independently become interested in discovering things for themselves, they are more open to new ideas, and are ready and willing to work with others and explore new ideas.

Creativity prepares our students for the future; for life.

Creativity enriches the lives of children.

Encouraging creativity in young children is a PROCESS. Teachers have to open their own minds and allow, accept, and turn over their control to the children themselves.

Once again, my TE 401 class has provided me with a wonderful example of a technique that fosters creativity through the use of digital images. Here it is...Digital Storytelling. Anyone heard of it? Has anyone created their own digital story? Well, the gist of it is this...

"Digital Storytelling is the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories. As with traditional storytelling, most digital stories focus on a specific topic and contain a particular point of view. However, as the name implies, digital stories usually contain some mixture of computer-based images, text, recorded audio narration, video clips and/or music. Digital stories can vary in length, but most of the stories used in education typically last between two and ten minutes. And the topics that are used in Digital Storytelling range from personal tales to the recounting of historical events, from exploring life in one's own community to the search for life in other corners of the universe, and literally, everything in between." (http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/)

If you're interested...the following link will take you to a sample Digital Story :)

A second grader's autobiography