Chapter 3
“Trading Cards to Comic Strips” Xu
Vignette 3.1 of Rachael's class indicates how well her students link popular class teachings in social studies, writing and reading after a unit of popular culture “Dreams to Job's” unit.
This instructor designed lessons for gifted, average, and to varying abilities students within her classroom as they showed no spark of interest or understanding in their “Dreams to Job's” unit. Their culminating activity was to be to write an expository text on creating a business.
The teacher noticed their interest in drawing and comic books so she enlisted the aid of her cartoon animation artist husband to share with her class how he became a cartoon artist. Then they introduced a comic strip that had a theme of “Dreams to Job's” for part of their unit. This lead to interviewing skills, organizing information, and writing information. She followed the steps below in presenting her unit.
Use prior knowledge
Sort the questions
Conduct interviews
Guide the writing
Conduct Research
Write Comic Strips on Starting and Running a Business
Writing an expository text
Writing Personnel Reflections
Child conduct tour of their writing project
The class read www.davpelkey.com about the author of Captain Underpants and this is in the comic strip format. This whetted the children's interest, also.
I feel that this class was delighted and enthused with her modern
presentations using popular cultural text. They were highly motivated to do the work and were able to use the skills they enjoyed using such as drawing and using comic strip ideas. The students were able to use their prior knowledge of careers they were familiar with. Going out into the community and interviewing people was exciting for them also.
They were given a wealth of knowledge so they were able to write about the business they would be interested in creating.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
"Safety on the Internet" Web Site Review
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/go/VDOE/Technology/AUP/home.shtml
I checked the above site because I was interested in finding an acceptable use Policy Handbook for the the Internet. It's been several years since I received my Internet Driver's License and I wanted to be updated on the rules. Also, children at our school presently have no particular training regarding safety and the policies.
This information was obtained from the Department of Education of Virginia's Web Site under the Office of Educational Technology which led to the guidelines and resources for Internet Safety in school. The Legislative General Assembly of Virginia and the Governor Kaine added the safety component in 2006.
At the address: http://www.us.doe.virginia.gov-VDOE-Technology-OET-internet-safety-guidelines-resources.pdf a sixty page document was located, when I clicked on the Internet Safety in Schools on the first Web Site address. The Office of Educational Technology had what students need to know, what parents, grandparents, and caregivers need to know, and what teachers, instructional technology resource teachers, Library Media Specialist, counselors, and Resource officials need to know. Comments on predators, explicit sexual material, bulling, violence, inappropriate age sites, and identity theft were mentioned.
I booked marked several sites but also printed out the ten page Computer Technology Standards of Learning for Virginia's Public Schools, June 22, 2005, Board of Education. It covers Basic Operation and Concepts. Social and Ethical Issues, Technology Research Tools, Problem-solving and Decision-making Tools, and Technology Communication Tools for grades K – 12.
This was a good site. I did not take the time to check out the other sites mentioned in the text book.
I checked the above site because I was interested in finding an acceptable use Policy Handbook for the the Internet. It's been several years since I received my Internet Driver's License and I wanted to be updated on the rules. Also, children at our school presently have no particular training regarding safety and the policies.
This information was obtained from the Department of Education of Virginia's Web Site under the Office of Educational Technology which led to the guidelines and resources for Internet Safety in school. The Legislative General Assembly of Virginia and the Governor Kaine added the safety component in 2006.
At the address: http://www.us.doe.virginia.gov-VDOE-Technology-OET-internet-safety-guidelines-resources.pdf a sixty page document was located, when I clicked on the Internet Safety in Schools on the first Web Site address. The Office of Educational Technology had what students need to know, what parents, grandparents, and caregivers need to know, and what teachers, instructional technology resource teachers, Library Media Specialist, counselors, and Resource officials need to know. Comments on predators, explicit sexual material, bulling, violence, inappropriate age sites, and identity theft were mentioned.
I booked marked several sites but also printed out the ten page Computer Technology Standards of Learning for Virginia's Public Schools, June 22, 2005, Board of Education. It covers Basic Operation and Concepts. Social and Ethical Issues, Technology Research Tools, Problem-solving and Decision-making Tools, and Technology Communication Tools for grades K – 12.
This was a good site. I did not take the time to check out the other sites mentioned in the text book.
Effective Instructional Models: Internet Workshop, Internet Project, Internet Inquiry, and WebQuest
Chapter Three
“Teaching with the Internet K-12: New Literacies for New Times”, Leu, Leu, and Coiro
Effective Instructional Models:
Internet Workshop, Internet Project,
Internet Inquiry, and WebQuest
Four instructional models were clearly defined and examples given of the use of each. They were the Internet Workshop, Internet Project, Internet Inquiry and the WebQuest.
At the present time, I have not seen much of the use of collaboration with any
other school or website. Why? I don't know. Perhaps it is because our school is a Title II school and our emphasis is on reading, math, and improving our PAWS scores. Although, it could perhaps be that some teachers are using these ideas and I just have not been aware of it.
I've seen portions of the Internet Workshop used in the classrooms. Good sites are bookmarked. Student are assigned a topic or select a topic to write about. Outlines or questions are given for information that needs to be located on the Internet. Students have shared ideas and sources for finding the information. Then after gathering the information they are to write their reports or synthesis all their thoughts.
I feel that the last paragraph of the article sums it up pretty well in the “Final Words”. Teachers are isolated in their classrooms and the Internet give them more of a chance to chance to connect with other teachers and students around the world. Sharing these ideas from this book with other teachers can help with the Internet being more successful in the classrooms because the important issue is success depends greatly upon the classroom's teacher decision to use these resources.
The following ideas I would like to see being incorporated into our use of the Internet at our school. One idea I really liked was the “Healty Skeptics” addresses that are available to check the accuracy of the site information.
The Internet Workshop was helpful as it “teaches content” and indicated “sources”
of the content. The lesson was socially constructed as the teacher sought out other teachers advise on the Internet. A WebQuest site can be incorporated too which are complete lessons that are found on the Internet. Internet Project whereby a collaborative project with other classroom's leads to new outcomes as information
is shared and discussed.
Sharee, the classroom teacher used the idea of “author's chair” but I do not know that this practice is.
The article suggested when using the computer laboratory only as a “free choice” activity teachers are abdicating their responsibility to prepare students. The students are without direction and special guidance.
It was suggested rotating class time on computer's use so that students do not miss out on their computer time because of specials. Change the schedule every two weeks or so. Use partner learning and rotate the partners often. I liked the fact that when the teacher only had one computer in the classroom she scheduled thirty minutes for each child or each pair of children to work on the computer during each week.
I especially liked the end of the week Workshop Session where all discussed their finds, questions, and new discoveries of sites on the Internet.
Finally, the Internet Inquiry seemed important to use also where children learn to ask their own questions about a topic. They then search out the answer. They evaluate all the information, finally compose and share all this information.
These were many excellent models and ways to use the Internet for the classroom teacher and the children.
Ida M. Rounds
“Teaching with the Internet K-12: New Literacies for New Times”, Leu, Leu, and Coiro
Effective Instructional Models:
Internet Workshop, Internet Project,
Internet Inquiry, and WebQuest
Four instructional models were clearly defined and examples given of the use of each. They were the Internet Workshop, Internet Project, Internet Inquiry and the WebQuest.
At the present time, I have not seen much of the use of collaboration with any
other school or website. Why? I don't know. Perhaps it is because our school is a Title II school and our emphasis is on reading, math, and improving our PAWS scores. Although, it could perhaps be that some teachers are using these ideas and I just have not been aware of it.
I've seen portions of the Internet Workshop used in the classrooms. Good sites are bookmarked. Student are assigned a topic or select a topic to write about. Outlines or questions are given for information that needs to be located on the Internet. Students have shared ideas and sources for finding the information. Then after gathering the information they are to write their reports or synthesis all their thoughts.
I feel that the last paragraph of the article sums it up pretty well in the “Final Words”. Teachers are isolated in their classrooms and the Internet give them more of a chance to chance to connect with other teachers and students around the world. Sharing these ideas from this book with other teachers can help with the Internet being more successful in the classrooms because the important issue is success depends greatly upon the classroom's teacher decision to use these resources.
The following ideas I would like to see being incorporated into our use of the Internet at our school. One idea I really liked was the “Healty Skeptics” addresses that are available to check the accuracy of the site information.
The Internet Workshop was helpful as it “teaches content” and indicated “sources”
of the content. The lesson was socially constructed as the teacher sought out other teachers advise on the Internet. A WebQuest site can be incorporated too which are complete lessons that are found on the Internet. Internet Project whereby a collaborative project with other classroom's leads to new outcomes as information
is shared and discussed.
Sharee, the classroom teacher used the idea of “author's chair” but I do not know that this practice is.
The article suggested when using the computer laboratory only as a “free choice” activity teachers are abdicating their responsibility to prepare students. The students are without direction and special guidance.
It was suggested rotating class time on computer's use so that students do not miss out on their computer time because of specials. Change the schedule every two weeks or so. Use partner learning and rotate the partners often. I liked the fact that when the teacher only had one computer in the classroom she scheduled thirty minutes for each child or each pair of children to work on the computer during each week.
I especially liked the end of the week Workshop Session where all discussed their finds, questions, and new discoveries of sites on the Internet.
Finally, the Internet Inquiry seemed important to use also where children learn to ask their own questions about a topic. They then search out the answer. They evaluate all the information, finally compose and share all this information.
These were many excellent models and ways to use the Internet for the classroom teacher and the children.
Ida M. Rounds
Friday, February 8, 2008
Integrating Popular Culture Texts in Primary Grades
Chapter 2
“Trading Cards to Comic Strips” Xu
The following are excellent examples of how modern day teachers have used popular cultural text in the primary grades.
In Vignette 2.1 Anna, the teacher introduced “nouns” by using popular text that first grade children were familiar with and could respond to immediately with their own connections.
Since I do not watch much T.V., I would need to present a video or movie to the classroom; then use that as a guide for further enhancement of motivation of using “nouns” students might recognize from that.
Jean, another teacher used the children’s interest in super heroes in the past and modern day to whet the interest in learning more about “super heroes” by reading, watching T.V., games, and videos. This class found out that heroes weren’t just men and large but could be small and female. Jean used heroes as a spring board to discuss character traits, also.
The next popular cultural text mentioned was Sherry’s Unit of Musical Bands. While she worked with five third grade students, she surveyed them and found their interest to be Latino and Rap music. The group selected two songs in that genre and amid excitement and anticipation. Sherry’s teachings evolved in the following manner.
Read the lyrics.
Learn about the artists.
Learn to dance La Cumbia
Compare and contrast music using the Venn Diagram
Wrote a paragraph of the comparison
Wrote thank you letters to the dance instructors.
I felt this teacher had a great comfort level in delving into this particular approach using modern music and even to learning a new dance. She is amazing. It very much fit into the standards and benchmarks, also.
My experience with the Venn diagram was in comparing and contrasting the two stories about Helen Keller and Louis Braille. This was an excellent exercise to use in recalling events in the stories.
April, another third grade teacher, used contextual clues to teach a Unit on Scooby-Doo. He was chosen as she and her students were familiar with him as a character on T.V. Her first activity was a compare and contrast of Scooby-Doo and Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas using the Venn Diagram. Her next activity has the children writing the ending to “Scooby-Doo and the Weird Water Park” story after only watching a short portion of it. For this project they wrote, edited, and did a final draft on the computer. The third portion included an in-depth study of the character traits of the previous story. Finally, last of all, the class wrote their favorite recipes from home. It was noted that Scooby-Doo had a snack recipe section available at it’s web site. The student then compiled a cook book of these special recipes.
All of these teacher’s integrated popular cultural texts in several interesting ways into their classroom, thereby motivating the children to be more interested and to do better work.
Ida M. Rounds
“Trading Cards to Comic Strips” Xu
The following are excellent examples of how modern day teachers have used popular cultural text in the primary grades.
In Vignette 2.1 Anna, the teacher introduced “nouns” by using popular text that first grade children were familiar with and could respond to immediately with their own connections.
Since I do not watch much T.V., I would need to present a video or movie to the classroom; then use that as a guide for further enhancement of motivation of using “nouns” students might recognize from that.
Jean, another teacher used the children’s interest in super heroes in the past and modern day to whet the interest in learning more about “super heroes” by reading, watching T.V., games, and videos. This class found out that heroes weren’t just men and large but could be small and female. Jean used heroes as a spring board to discuss character traits, also.
The next popular cultural text mentioned was Sherry’s Unit of Musical Bands. While she worked with five third grade students, she surveyed them and found their interest to be Latino and Rap music. The group selected two songs in that genre and amid excitement and anticipation. Sherry’s teachings evolved in the following manner.
Read the lyrics.
Learn about the artists.
Learn to dance La Cumbia
Compare and contrast music using the Venn Diagram
Wrote a paragraph of the comparison
Wrote thank you letters to the dance instructors.
I felt this teacher had a great comfort level in delving into this particular approach using modern music and even to learning a new dance. She is amazing. It very much fit into the standards and benchmarks, also.
My experience with the Venn diagram was in comparing and contrasting the two stories about Helen Keller and Louis Braille. This was an excellent exercise to use in recalling events in the stories.
April, another third grade teacher, used contextual clues to teach a Unit on Scooby-Doo. He was chosen as she and her students were familiar with him as a character on T.V. Her first activity was a compare and contrast of Scooby-Doo and Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas using the Venn Diagram. Her next activity has the children writing the ending to “Scooby-Doo and the Weird Water Park” story after only watching a short portion of it. For this project they wrote, edited, and did a final draft on the computer. The third portion included an in-depth study of the character traits of the previous story. Finally, last of all, the class wrote their favorite recipes from home. It was noted that Scooby-Doo had a snack recipe section available at it’s web site. The student then compiled a cook book of these special recipes.
All of these teacher’s integrated popular cultural texts in several interesting ways into their classroom, thereby motivating the children to be more interested and to do better work.
Ida M. Rounds
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Web Site Review - www.Refdesk.com
www.Refdesk.com
I was specifically looking for information on Mountain Men and the Solar System for fourth grade. Then when I looked at the Web Site www.Refdesk.com, I found that I had discovered a gold mine which I was delighted with. Overall, the site looked like a reference section of the library.
There were dictionaries, encyclopedia’s, thesauruses, word of the day, National and State newspapers, an Astronomy picture of the day and archives for this, plus maps, World Atlas, the Kelly Blue Book, and many other reference sites too numerous to mention. Especially, helpful were the four search engine listed with a search space by each. They were Google, MSN, Yahoo, and Wikipidia. Other search engines were available at the click of a button.
At the Wikipidia site, I found a very large text readable article about Jim Bridger as well as pictures of the man.
Then I was pleased at the huge amount of material available at the Astronomy and Space Information site also. There were close-up pictures of outer space from the Hubble telescope. Then, too, there was a solar eclipse painting from the 1700’s that was displayed for the children. Space games were available as well as other games for children.
All in all I recommend this site to be added to your favorites lists.
I was specifically looking for information on Mountain Men and the Solar System for fourth grade. Then when I looked at the Web Site www.Refdesk.com, I found that I had discovered a gold mine which I was delighted with. Overall, the site looked like a reference section of the library.
There were dictionaries, encyclopedia’s, thesauruses, word of the day, National and State newspapers, an Astronomy picture of the day and archives for this, plus maps, World Atlas, the Kelly Blue Book, and many other reference sites too numerous to mention. Especially, helpful were the four search engine listed with a search space by each. They were Google, MSN, Yahoo, and Wikipidia. Other search engines were available at the click of a button.
At the Wikipidia site, I found a very large text readable article about Jim Bridger as well as pictures of the man.
Then I was pleased at the huge amount of material available at the Astronomy and Space Information site also. There were close-up pictures of outer space from the Hubble telescope. Then, too, there was a solar eclipse painting from the 1700’s that was displayed for the children. Space games were available as well as other games for children.
All in all I recommend this site to be added to your favorites lists.
Navigating the Internet with Efficiency and a Critical Eye, Chapter 2
EDCI 5760
New Literacies For New Times
“Teaching with the Internet K-12:
New Literacies for New Times”
Leu, Leu, and Coiro, c 2004
Now is has been shown that “learning how to use the internet becomes a literacy issue, not a technology issue,” 2004, Leu. Children are learning the use of internet technology while researching and writing their reports. This way it comes naturally to them in the excitement of viewing new sites and gathering more information. A criteria can be set up to use three different web sites to find their information. Then as pictures are needed the students are shown examples of how to copy, enlarge, and print photos. Our class had an outline to use to help the student’s search for specific information. They were to take notes to fill in their outline.
Then once all the notes are gathered, the next step is organizing or synthesizing the notes into a well written story. At this point, they can write it on paper and write the story directly onto the computer.
A few years back when I substituted in a fourth grade classroom, they literally did a cut and paste but with using paper only for that process. Now it is much easier to do editing with the computer.
Another idea mentioned in this chapter was a Classroom Web site. This would be difficult to attempt at our school because so few students have computers in their homes. I do know that computers are available at the County Library but there is always a line of people waiting to use them. This has been my experience when my computer has had some down time and been taken in for repair.
Reading this text has given me a new perspective on new literacies for new times.
New Literacies For New Times
“Teaching with the Internet K-12:
New Literacies for New Times”
Leu, Leu, and Coiro, c 2004
Now is has been shown that “learning how to use the internet becomes a literacy issue, not a technology issue,” 2004, Leu. Children are learning the use of internet technology while researching and writing their reports. This way it comes naturally to them in the excitement of viewing new sites and gathering more information. A criteria can be set up to use three different web sites to find their information. Then as pictures are needed the students are shown examples of how to copy, enlarge, and print photos. Our class had an outline to use to help the student’s search for specific information. They were to take notes to fill in their outline.
Then once all the notes are gathered, the next step is organizing or synthesizing the notes into a well written story. At this point, they can write it on paper and write the story directly onto the computer.
A few years back when I substituted in a fourth grade classroom, they literally did a cut and paste but with using paper only for that process. Now it is much easier to do editing with the computer.
Another idea mentioned in this chapter was a Classroom Web site. This would be difficult to attempt at our school because so few students have computers in their homes. I do know that computers are available at the County Library but there is always a line of people waiting to use them. This has been my experience when my computer has had some down time and been taken in for repair.
Reading this text has given me a new perspective on new literacies for new times.
New Literacies Studies and Popular Culture Texts, Chapter 1
EDCI 5760
"Trading Cards to Comic Strips"
XU, Perkins, & Zuninch, c.2005
One main idea listed in this Chapter was a study of Alvermann’s and colleagues of four ideas of ways teacher’s present New Literacy Studies. Some of the teachers ban new literacies altogether. Some teachers have students critically analyze it but do not allow the student to enjoy doing this. Other teachers allow the children to enjoy the new literacies in class but have no special directions regarding using it. While I think it probably would be best if the teachers would follow that last suggestion of the group. That suggestion was to allow student to enjoy and share their knowledge but also to critically analyze it with special directions being given to help them do this.
I have seen these new literacies taught in these various ways in the classroom. There are banning of writing about Yo Gi Oh’s when it has been used too much. Also, I have seen the encouraging children to not draw violent pictures about the games that they have encountered. Other teachers have taught about advertisements, the good and bad involved in this. Some children have had free rein to surf the net to find information for their reports. Other children have been directed to specific sites to find their information.
Our school is unique and some teachers feel uncomfortable having children surf the net because of a horrific incident that occurred at our school in its past history. It will take a long time to overcome that incident and for trust to be built in the internet system services again.
That is why I believe it is important to make known to the teachers all of the SAFE web sites that are available.
"Trading Cards to Comic Strips"
XU, Perkins, & Zuninch, c.2005
One main idea listed in this Chapter was a study of Alvermann’s and colleagues of four ideas of ways teacher’s present New Literacy Studies. Some of the teachers ban new literacies altogether. Some teachers have students critically analyze it but do not allow the student to enjoy doing this. Other teachers allow the children to enjoy the new literacies in class but have no special directions regarding using it. While I think it probably would be best if the teachers would follow that last suggestion of the group. That suggestion was to allow student to enjoy and share their knowledge but also to critically analyze it with special directions being given to help them do this.
I have seen these new literacies taught in these various ways in the classroom. There are banning of writing about Yo Gi Oh’s when it has been used too much. Also, I have seen the encouraging children to not draw violent pictures about the games that they have encountered. Other teachers have taught about advertisements, the good and bad involved in this. Some children have had free rein to surf the net to find information for their reports. Other children have been directed to specific sites to find their information.
Our school is unique and some teachers feel uncomfortable having children surf the net because of a horrific incident that occurred at our school in its past history. It will take a long time to overcome that incident and for trust to be built in the internet system services again.
That is why I believe it is important to make known to the teachers all of the SAFE web sites that are available.
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