Chapter 9
Teaching With the Internet K – 12: New Literacies for New Times
Leu, Leu, and Coiro
Again this week, I responded to the four suggestions of what we should be able to do according to the textbook. I reviewed Websites that were available for each of the four suggestions listed. I took a thorough look at about ten or more sites.
At recess time, I talked with our building Computer Specialist to let her know our Social Literacies Class was working on Preschool – 3 use of the internet. I told her there were some sites for Parents regarding the child’s safe use of the internet and also information about commercialization of not only .com sites but also of the educational sites. Great suggestions were given in the text to help counter these problems such as try not to use sites that have ads. Teach children not to open any ad site or to write their name anywhere without parent permission on the web sites. Our Computer Specialist encouraged me to publish these safety sites URL’s for the teachers. Perhaps the P.T.A. newsletter would be willing to publish these sites as well for the parents.
Since I don’t work directly with the K-3 students, the only way I could really assist is to share some of the exceptional sites that I have looked at. When I looked for emergent reader’s information, I found a really fun site that was recommended by others. It is www.professorgarfield.org/parents_teachers/home. There were colorful pictures, sound, action, and helpful topics. The child could go fishing for initial consonants or final consonants with Garfield with action and sound. There were electronic field trips to pick from. Then the Dolch words were listed and printable for Word Walls for PrePrimer on up. Lots of other fun activities could take place at this site.
Mrs. Silverman’s Webfolio was an impressive site to share with teachers at our school, also. Although it has to be searched out more carefully to find what is useable and where it is located.
I found that the Mind’s Eye Monster Exchange had no Wyoming schools involved in it. But for an Internet project this site would be very educational and a helpful site. There are lesson plans, time lines, and the objectives of reading, writing, drawing and technology. It is set to run the spring of 2008 for those who are interested.
This past week our class has been solidifying their multiplication facts. I have work sheets with 20 problems on each of the times two, times three, times four, and so on. They take a one minute test on it. When they get all twenty problems correct, they move to the next level as from the times two to the times three. We have taken one test a day. I needed printable flash cards for the students to practice with. These I found at www.funbrain.com/flashcard/ so that I could make a set for each child who wanted a set to use to practice. Today after they had gotten their flash card sets, they were eager to practice with a friend without even being told to. I believe that this idea could be used with younger student also.
Today, I used the A Plus Math site to make some division worksheets from scratch. The teacher can set up the parameters for number size, number of problems, types of problems, number ranges, how far apart, and so on. What an exciting tool to learn how to use.
So this coming week, I plan to share a few of these exceptional useable sites for the Preschool to third grade teachers but it will be sent out to all the building staff. It will be interesting to see if it generates some greater technology interest by the staff for the young ones at our school.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Using Weblogs in LIterature Circles
Additional Information for Last Weeks Web Review
Educational Weblog
http://mustangblog.typepad.com/
Since I didn't obtain the information that I planned to from this Web Site review last week, I would like to add this information to it this week. This time I went back to check out the literacy site on the home page of the Educational Weblog. It was absolutely amazing. I just happened to be reading a book called, _The Secret Life of Bees_ which I had just happened to pick up at the Senior Center acouple of weeks ago. When I opened the site on _The Secret Life of Bees_, I found it to be a Literature Circle. I opened up the recent discussions on the book and found about eighteen comments on it. What a coincidence! What a motivator too! Ida M. Rounds
Educational Weblog
http://mustangblog.typepad.com/
Since I didn't obtain the information that I planned to from this Web Site review last week, I would like to add this information to it this week. This time I went back to check out the literacy site on the home page of the Educational Weblog. It was absolutely amazing. I just happened to be reading a book called, _The Secret Life of Bees_ which I had just happened to pick up at the Senior Center acouple of weeks ago. When I opened the site on _The Secret Life of Bees_, I found it to be a Literature Circle. I opened up the recent discussions on the book and found about eighteen comments on it. What a coincidence! What a motivator too! Ida M. Rounds
The Biographies Project - Coauthor Enid Figueroa
Opportunities for Math and Change in the School Library
Chapter 8
Literacy, Technology and Diversity
Cummins, Brown, and Sayers, (2007)
“Connecting Math to our lives was organized by a Gobal Learning Network Project De Orilla a Orilla and the Pacific Southwest Regional Technology in Education Consortium in collaboration with International Education and Resource Network (iearn)” p. 183, Cummins, Brown, and Sayers.
Bob Peterson, a fifth grade teacher and Rethinking Schools editor was the inspiration for the biographic activity described in the CMTOL project.
An easy-to-use data collection form was used by students in their schools. The teacher set up links with other school classes as an audience for their writing and to obtain a broader data base.
Third, family members accompanied students while they obtained information from the San Francisco Public Library. Parents acted as facilitators.
Finally, the results were shared globally inspiring others nationally and world wide.
I was surprised to find out that this project was compiled by grades 1, 2, and 3 in schools that bilingual.
Through explicit teaching and collaboration at each step along the way the teachers helped these children decode what they needed to find in the big nondecodable biography texts in the school and city libraries. First of all they practiced by writing their own friend’s biographies. Then they wrote biographies of children in the other school. After they understood this process, they were able to collect the data. Information gathered was about race, occupation, class, disability, gender, and dead or alive from the biography text. They could use graphs, percentages, or fractions to describe the collection. They gathered all the information pictorially on a wall chart so that even the first grade children could understand it. Then eventually both schools shared their data on the Internet with each other. Finally after both schools had collected information from their own school libraries, they branched out to visit the city public libraries. Last of all they all met as a huge group and visited one city library together with their parents assisting.
After all this information was collected and recorded they shared it with the Global community. Finally to obtain change, the students wrote a letter to the libraries recommending the type of books that they felt should be obtained to make it a fair coverage including more biographies on women and people of other races.
All the way through the project students used an online date base to record their information, E-mail to coordinate activities, a mailing list, and Web based forum, word processing and graphing software. They covered a number of curriculum areas and went way beyond that.
These student were empowered to make changes for the good in their community and to promote fairness with the knowledge that they obtained from the data gathering.
Chapter 8
Literacy, Technology and Diversity
Cummins, Brown, and Sayers, (2007)
“Connecting Math to our lives was organized by a Gobal Learning Network Project De Orilla a Orilla and the Pacific Southwest Regional Technology in Education Consortium in collaboration with International Education and Resource Network (iearn)” p. 183, Cummins, Brown, and Sayers.
Bob Peterson, a fifth grade teacher and Rethinking Schools editor was the inspiration for the biographic activity described in the CMTOL project.
An easy-to-use data collection form was used by students in their schools. The teacher set up links with other school classes as an audience for their writing and to obtain a broader data base.
Third, family members accompanied students while they obtained information from the San Francisco Public Library. Parents acted as facilitators.
Finally, the results were shared globally inspiring others nationally and world wide.
I was surprised to find out that this project was compiled by grades 1, 2, and 3 in schools that bilingual.
Through explicit teaching and collaboration at each step along the way the teachers helped these children decode what they needed to find in the big nondecodable biography texts in the school and city libraries. First of all they practiced by writing their own friend’s biographies. Then they wrote biographies of children in the other school. After they understood this process, they were able to collect the data. Information gathered was about race, occupation, class, disability, gender, and dead or alive from the biography text. They could use graphs, percentages, or fractions to describe the collection. They gathered all the information pictorially on a wall chart so that even the first grade children could understand it. Then eventually both schools shared their data on the Internet with each other. Finally after both schools had collected information from their own school libraries, they branched out to visit the city public libraries. Last of all they all met as a huge group and visited one city library together with their parents assisting.
After all this information was collected and recorded they shared it with the Global community. Finally to obtain change, the students wrote a letter to the libraries recommending the type of books that they felt should be obtained to make it a fair coverage including more biographies on women and people of other races.
All the way through the project students used an online date base to record their information, E-mail to coordinate activities, a mailing list, and Web based forum, word processing and graphing software. They covered a number of curriculum areas and went way beyond that.
These student were empowered to make changes for the good in their community and to promote fairness with the knowledge that they obtained from the data gathering.
The Oral History Project
From a Shrug to “How Much Time Do I Have, Mr. Green?
Chapter Seven
Literacy, Technology and Diversity
Cummins, Brown, and Sayers (2007)
James, the instructor, uses an exciting Oral History Project whereby his students search out their family history and family tree.
The students were able to select how they wanted to incorporate tools into the process of finding out “Where do we come from?’ and “What kind of history can we find in our family?”
No one was penalized for not having a long branch of family history. A regular family tree computer site did not apply to all the various families that the class members had so James found an Apple Works Draw Program where teams of students could draw individualized trees that meet each families own needs.
Students learned how to question and interview, take and organize notes, and use tape recorders to capture voices and transcribe interviews. They used interview questions as “What do you remember about…,” “What was life like when…” and “Tell me about…”
As the project continued much enthusiasm was generated. Plus history questions were being generated about D-Day, the Spanish-American War, and the Battle of the Bulge. They discovered many family members histories fit under the heading of fought in wars, fought for liberty or healed others, or were recognized publicly for their works as leaders. The students discussed obstacles to success such as lack of formal education, lack of money, and minority challenges.
Class members became closer and more open with each other. Further more students became more respectful of others.
Students were proud to be the first history note takers and keepers of the family history.
The culminating activity for this project was an iMovie for the parent Open House. The students made it available in English and Spanish so that all parents could understand it.
Then to top it all off , Mr. Green found many additional secondary benefits that the students exhibited following this project. Students appeared more confident in producing long term projects. They had better critical thinking skills. Students were able to express opinions easier. Last but not least, they had learned to ask probing questions during this project. It greatly benefited the whole class in producing this project.
What an exciting historical research project for Mr. James to have his students experience. How motivated they all were! This project was just what these impressionable children needed to enhance their self-worth in knowing where they came from and where they could hope to advance to by obtaining the education they needed.
Ida M. Rounds
Chapter Seven
Literacy, Technology and Diversity
Cummins, Brown, and Sayers (2007)
James, the instructor, uses an exciting Oral History Project whereby his students search out their family history and family tree.
The students were able to select how they wanted to incorporate tools into the process of finding out “Where do we come from?’ and “What kind of history can we find in our family?”
No one was penalized for not having a long branch of family history. A regular family tree computer site did not apply to all the various families that the class members had so James found an Apple Works Draw Program where teams of students could draw individualized trees that meet each families own needs.
Students learned how to question and interview, take and organize notes, and use tape recorders to capture voices and transcribe interviews. They used interview questions as “What do you remember about…,” “What was life like when…” and “Tell me about…”
As the project continued much enthusiasm was generated. Plus history questions were being generated about D-Day, the Spanish-American War, and the Battle of the Bulge. They discovered many family members histories fit under the heading of fought in wars, fought for liberty or healed others, or were recognized publicly for their works as leaders. The students discussed obstacles to success such as lack of formal education, lack of money, and minority challenges.
Class members became closer and more open with each other. Further more students became more respectful of others.
Students were proud to be the first history note takers and keepers of the family history.
The culminating activity for this project was an iMovie for the parent Open House. The students made it available in English and Spanish so that all parents could understand it.
Then to top it all off , Mr. Green found many additional secondary benefits that the students exhibited following this project. Students appeared more confident in producing long term projects. They had better critical thinking skills. Students were able to express opinions easier. Last but not least, they had learned to ask probing questions during this project. It greatly benefited the whole class in producing this project.
What an exciting historical research project for Mr. James to have his students experience. How motivated they all were! This project was just what these impressionable children needed to enhance their self-worth in knowing where they came from and where they could hope to advance to by obtaining the education they needed.
Ida M. Rounds
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