I. Natural Readers – A Free Text Reader
www.naturalreaders.com/free_version.htm
II. Readplease – A Free Text Reader
www.readplease.com/rpfree.php
III. Randel’s ESL Listening Lab
http://esl-lab.com/index.htm
Web “Sites” Review
I. Naural Readers
This Web site has a very new, free text reader. The URL was the first free text reading site listed on the Google Browser so I opened it up. It is owned by AT & T, co. 2008 and the company is called Natural Soft, Limited. There is a free verison, a $49.50 version, and a $99.50 version of Natural Reader 6.5 text reader.
Initially, I was looking for the text reader, Readplease, when I was directed to use Firefox Google browser to locate the address as my MSN browser did not bring that URL to view.
On Natural Reader, I especially liked the very explicit demonstrations that showed all the features available. There is a floating tool bar that you can add to your word document, to MSOffice, E-Mail, and so on. Then it will read the text aloud from these sites and the web sites either with a male or female voice at a speed that is selected.
Other special features included are copy, paste, cut, record, edit, stop, play, pause, reverse, and forward. Background music can be added to the text reader. Also, after you save a file, it can then be downloaded into a MP3 format and played on those types of devises.
The company indicated that this system would be helpful for ESL, Dyslexic, and the visually impaired students.
II. Read Please
Since I was curious, I viewed the Read Please site, also. It comes from Thunder Bay, Canada, the Read Please, Corp. 1999 – 2005. They too have a free version, a $59.95 version, and a $79.95 plus shipping version. It works with only Microsoft Windows. The one big difference from Natural Readers was that Read Please will magnify the text.
The Natural Readers Web site was easier to read and understand than the Read Please Web site. Natural Readers is a site that I would definitely use if need be.
III. Randel’s ESL Listening Lab
Another site I looked at was Randel’s ESL Listening Lab where a very helpful program for English Learners was found. There were topics listed for practical daily experiences in verbal word use as using the answering device on a telephone. A short conversation was played. Then several questions were asked about the conversation. The child answers the questions and gets an immediate score. She/he can then listen to the conversation again.
There are many topics listed ranging from the easy level, to a middle level and finally to a difficult level.
I am definitely going to use this with the ESL students in our classroom. This URL will be added to their bookmarks. I am able to bring two mobile lab lap top computers into the classroom for these two students to work on. They are highly motivated to work at these special Web sites.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Literature Circle - (Continued)
Web Site Review
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
This Web site is a Literature Circle made by the Modern American Literature students of Don Ginty at Hunterdon Central Regional High School to discuss in-depth the book, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.
This instructor in the year 2002 invited others to view and even to have the book’s author view the progress of the site as it occurred. Only the class students were to participate.
This site begins with the directions for the high school students for posting to this reader’s study guide.
What I especially liked was the artistic interpretations students rendered. It explained in detail how the students could post their symbolic drawings and how to post their interpretations of their drawings. So interspersed with the writings are appropriate drawings.
Other topics the class could post to were chapter summaries, the themes of chapters, an explanation of symbols used in the story, class discussions and research on information of historical events that occurred that affected the characters. One pupil wrote about how Johnson influenced the Civil Rights in that time.
Links could also be posted that were relevant. A link to the book’s author, Sue Monk Kidd was interesting as well as the Amazon book review site.
I felt that the students gave a very in-depth view of the chapter summaries, the characters and the chapter themes. Their comments on symbolism was interesting. They gave me a more thorough view of the book, theme, and characters than if I had just read the book on my own.
This is a very worth while site to read and would be helpful in giving ideas for setting up a Literature Circle on the Web.
Ida M. Rounds
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
This Web site is a Literature Circle made by the Modern American Literature students of Don Ginty at Hunterdon Central Regional High School to discuss in-depth the book, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.
This instructor in the year 2002 invited others to view and even to have the book’s author view the progress of the site as it occurred. Only the class students were to participate.
This site begins with the directions for the high school students for posting to this reader’s study guide.
What I especially liked was the artistic interpretations students rendered. It explained in detail how the students could post their symbolic drawings and how to post their interpretations of their drawings. So interspersed with the writings are appropriate drawings.
Other topics the class could post to were chapter summaries, the themes of chapters, an explanation of symbols used in the story, class discussions and research on information of historical events that occurred that affected the characters. One pupil wrote about how Johnson influenced the Civil Rights in that time.
Links could also be posted that were relevant. A link to the book’s author, Sue Monk Kidd was interesting as well as the Amazon book review site.
I felt that the students gave a very in-depth view of the chapter summaries, the characters and the chapter themes. Their comments on symbolism was interesting. They gave me a more thorough view of the book, theme, and characters than if I had just read the book on my own.
This is a very worth while site to read and would be helpful in giving ideas for setting up a Literature Circle on the Web.
Ida M. Rounds
What's Your News?: Portraits of a Rich Language and Literacy Activity for English - Language Learners
by Dr. Patrick Manyak.
The Reading Teacher: 61. Pp.440 – 448
What I have viewed in the past regarding “What’s Your News” was a fifth grade class that wrote about school events in a letter that went home to their parents. For this activity the first step was to determine five topics that they were interested in that occurred during the past school week. After the five topics were selected by vote, the teacher placed the children into five small groups. Each group had a scribe while the rest of the children in the group helped formulate the ideas to write about around the topic they were assigned. They had about ten minutes to write a paragraph on their topic. Finally, the teacher would help the students edit the written paragraphs in a whole group. After the corrections, the teacher copied the information into a newsletter that went home to the parents.
This helped provide a school to home connection. Plus it was a connection for the students at school so that they could reflect upon the past week and the activities that they were involved in. Greater learning occurs when children do this.
I feel that when Patrick Manyak had the classes share news from the home with the school that even a greater connection was made especially for the ESL students. In this case, it helped the students learn more about each other and helped them form a closer community. You could see that the students were highly motivated because they could share something about themselves. It was permitted to share in either Spanish or English so they were comfortable in this activity.
The fifteen minute process did not take long but was very effective. As the children shared their news, at first the teachers were the scribes and pointed out spelling patterns and punctuation. They would ask students to stretch out words and spell them. Then the whole group would read it chorally. This gave the ESL student lots of opportunities to hear, see, spell, and say the words. Since both teachers knew Spanish, the students could respond in either Language although it was written in English.
At the half way mark of the school year, it was wonderful to note that students were able to be scribes and write the news themselves because of their past history in performing this activity.
They learned how to use who, what, where, when, and why in reporting news and also how to add more details.
The ESL students were at low risk of failure in participating in this group activity. They were very comfortable performing it.
Since it has been proven that students are more successful when they can share their lives, this would definitely be an activity to help bring the community life into the classroom of ESL and nonESL students. I would like to try this sometime in the classroom.
Ida M. Rounds
The Reading Teacher: 61. Pp.440 – 448
What I have viewed in the past regarding “What’s Your News” was a fifth grade class that wrote about school events in a letter that went home to their parents. For this activity the first step was to determine five topics that they were interested in that occurred during the past school week. After the five topics were selected by vote, the teacher placed the children into five small groups. Each group had a scribe while the rest of the children in the group helped formulate the ideas to write about around the topic they were assigned. They had about ten minutes to write a paragraph on their topic. Finally, the teacher would help the students edit the written paragraphs in a whole group. After the corrections, the teacher copied the information into a newsletter that went home to the parents.
This helped provide a school to home connection. Plus it was a connection for the students at school so that they could reflect upon the past week and the activities that they were involved in. Greater learning occurs when children do this.
I feel that when Patrick Manyak had the classes share news from the home with the school that even a greater connection was made especially for the ESL students. In this case, it helped the students learn more about each other and helped them form a closer community. You could see that the students were highly motivated because they could share something about themselves. It was permitted to share in either Spanish or English so they were comfortable in this activity.
The fifteen minute process did not take long but was very effective. As the children shared their news, at first the teachers were the scribes and pointed out spelling patterns and punctuation. They would ask students to stretch out words and spell them. Then the whole group would read it chorally. This gave the ESL student lots of opportunities to hear, see, spell, and say the words. Since both teachers knew Spanish, the students could respond in either Language although it was written in English.
At the half way mark of the school year, it was wonderful to note that students were able to be scribes and write the news themselves because of their past history in performing this activity.
They learned how to use who, what, where, when, and why in reporting news and also how to add more details.
The ESL students were at low risk of failure in participating in this group activity. They were very comfortable performing it.
Since it has been proven that students are more successful when they can share their lives, this would definitely be an activity to help bring the community life into the classroom of ESL and nonESL students. I would like to try this sometime in the classroom.
Ida M. Rounds
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Inclusion
Web Site Review
http://www.uni.edu/coe/inclusion/philosophy/benefits.html
The contact person for this Web Site is Dr. Sandra Alper, Department Head, Department of Special Education, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa.
(319) 273-6061
“The IDEA law requires that children with disabilities be educated in regular education classrooms unless the nature and severity of the disability is such that education in the regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.” From Inclusion Web Site
The main topics covered were the Philosophy, Legal Requirements, Decision-Making, Resources and Teacher Competencies.
Under Philosophy several thoughts were issued regarding maximizing the individuals growth and building a sense of community. Included were thoughts about the children with special needs, the general education, the teachers and society. Several different education specialists gave their thoughts regarding the Philosophy of inclusion.
The legal requirements were discussed in detail. The court cases and the 1997 Amendment to the (IDEA) Individuals with Disabilities Education Act were explained in depth.
Although Resources were listed, when I opened that site there were not many links that would open. I was disappointed in that fact.
Decision-Making had eight different topics covered under the general heading. Decisions When Adapting General Education, the Four-Step Approach for Team Decision-Making, Content/Behavior Strategies, What Does An Inclusive Classroom Look Like?, How to Generate Learning Supports, Nine Types of Adaptations, A Curricular Adaptation and Decision-Making Process, and Program Planning Steps for an Inclusive Education Program were topics that were covered. The most helpful information was obtained from this particular link.
There was also a link to help teachers get through the I.E.P. process.
This Web site was a good review for me and would be helpful for others not familiar with Special Education or with inclusion in the classroom.
Including All Students on the Internet
Chapter 11
Teaching With the Internet K-12: New Literacies for New Times
Internet equity maybe considered true at our school with the use of an Computer Lab but Internet equity and accessibility at home is another issue that is not in our control.
Most all of the special technologies web sites that I checked had items that were accessible but for a price. There were special visual devices to help the visually impaired, reading devises to help children with low reading abilities, and information regarding teaching the use of sign language.
The Jan Scaplen’s list and Linda Burkhart’s management sheet had lots of ideas for using one computer for a whole classroom. I like their ideas and thoughts.
Over the year, I’ve searched the Web for information on autism. There are thousands of sites to view. So I am certain that other disabilities have an equal number of excellent sites to view besides the ones listed in the text book.
The Special Education curriculum class, that I took a couple of years ago had us calculate the reading level of a textbook. I chose a Jr. High Biology book for eighth grade to discover what the actual reading level was. That text book that I evaluated was at the eleventh grade reading level. Was I surprised! So I really appreciated finding a web site for Readability Statistics and Reading Level Calculator site where a sample text can be typed in and it automatically finds the reading level for you.
I thought the Online Feeling games were excellent for autistic children who do not understand peoples facial expressions. It displayed different expressions and had the child guess which expression went with the face. Some of the expressions were happiness, anger, surprise, and disgust. At one site you could select all the facial parts to make an expression.
The Inclusive Education web site was helpful too and I used it for my Web Review.
Finally, now days we have many more “explosive” children in our schools that I have seen previously. So I welcomed this article on that topic and feel that I should publish this site for our whole school.
Chapter Eleven was very helpful in assisting all children to be able to use the internet including the Special Needs children with visual, hearing, and other disabilities. This Chapter had much to offer that all teachers can use.
Teaching With the Internet K-12: New Literacies for New Times
Internet equity maybe considered true at our school with the use of an Computer Lab but Internet equity and accessibility at home is another issue that is not in our control.
Most all of the special technologies web sites that I checked had items that were accessible but for a price. There were special visual devices to help the visually impaired, reading devises to help children with low reading abilities, and information regarding teaching the use of sign language.
The Jan Scaplen’s list and Linda Burkhart’s management sheet had lots of ideas for using one computer for a whole classroom. I like their ideas and thoughts.
Over the year, I’ve searched the Web for information on autism. There are thousands of sites to view. So I am certain that other disabilities have an equal number of excellent sites to view besides the ones listed in the text book.
The Special Education curriculum class, that I took a couple of years ago had us calculate the reading level of a textbook. I chose a Jr. High Biology book for eighth grade to discover what the actual reading level was. That text book that I evaluated was at the eleventh grade reading level. Was I surprised! So I really appreciated finding a web site for Readability Statistics and Reading Level Calculator site where a sample text can be typed in and it automatically finds the reading level for you.
I thought the Online Feeling games were excellent for autistic children who do not understand peoples facial expressions. It displayed different expressions and had the child guess which expression went with the face. Some of the expressions were happiness, anger, surprise, and disgust. At one site you could select all the facial parts to make an expression.
The Inclusive Education web site was helpful too and I used it for my Web Review.
Finally, now days we have many more “explosive” children in our schools that I have seen previously. So I welcomed this article on that topic and feel that I should publish this site for our whole school.
Chapter Eleven was very helpful in assisting all children to be able to use the internet including the Special Needs children with visual, hearing, and other disabilities. This Chapter had much to offer that all teachers can use.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Oyate
Web Site Review
c. 1990 – 2007
http://www. oyate.org/
Oyate (People) is a nonprofit organization with an all Indian board that sponsors evaluative and educational work. This Native organization evaluates books and curriculums with Indian themes. They present “Teaching Respect for Native Peoples” workshops. Another responsibility is that they manage a small resource center and reference library. These people distribute books and material for all ages with Native people as writers and illustrators.
The Web Site designers are Abejo, Palma, Prado, Ryan and Szoke. Rudolph got it done with additional funding help from Slelten.
Under the link, “Broken Flute” two book reviews were listed. One was “A Broken Flute (2005) Seale and Slapin and the other one was “Through Indian Eye” (1987) Slapin and Seale. The first book won the 2006 American Book Award while the second book in 1999 won the Skipping Stones Honor Award.
A “Broken Flute” is a brutally honest bibiliography review on childrens and teenage books from the 1900’s through 2004 through the Native American perspective.
“Through Indian Eyes” is a collection of article reviews of the often subtle, stereotypes and mythology that abound about Native American in children’s books.
After a third grade class play on the book, “The Courage of Sarah Noble”; a Native American girl, Raven Hoaglen was teased and bullied unmercifully. This happened because the book said, “Indian people were savages and murderers and chop your head off and eat you alive.” She was made to feel sad and so ashamed that she did not want to attend school any more.
For this reason, I feel that teachers need to be very cognizant of what stereotypes and characteristics are shown by the individuals in fiction and nonfiction stories they have their classes read.
Links available at Oyate are: About Us, Our policy statement, FAQ’S, How you can help, a Broken Flute, Resources, Workshop, Our catalog, Order form and Books to avoid.
Ida M. Rounds
c. 1990 – 2007
http://www. oyate.org/
Oyate (People) is a nonprofit organization with an all Indian board that sponsors evaluative and educational work. This Native organization evaluates books and curriculums with Indian themes. They present “Teaching Respect for Native Peoples” workshops. Another responsibility is that they manage a small resource center and reference library. These people distribute books and material for all ages with Native people as writers and illustrators.
The Web Site designers are Abejo, Palma, Prado, Ryan and Szoke. Rudolph got it done with additional funding help from Slelten.
Under the link, “Broken Flute” two book reviews were listed. One was “A Broken Flute (2005) Seale and Slapin and the other one was “Through Indian Eye” (1987) Slapin and Seale. The first book won the 2006 American Book Award while the second book in 1999 won the Skipping Stones Honor Award.
A “Broken Flute” is a brutally honest bibiliography review on childrens and teenage books from the 1900’s through 2004 through the Native American perspective.
“Through Indian Eyes” is a collection of article reviews of the often subtle, stereotypes and mythology that abound about Native American in children’s books.
After a third grade class play on the book, “The Courage of Sarah Noble”; a Native American girl, Raven Hoaglen was teased and bullied unmercifully. This happened because the book said, “Indian people were savages and murderers and chop your head off and eat you alive.” She was made to feel sad and so ashamed that she did not want to attend school any more.
For this reason, I feel that teachers need to be very cognizant of what stereotypes and characteristics are shown by the individuals in fiction and nonfiction stories they have their classes read.
Links available at Oyate are: About Us, Our policy statement, FAQ’S, How you can help, a Broken Flute, Resources, Workshop, Our catalog, Order form and Books to avoid.
Ida M. Rounds
Using the Internet to Increase Multicultural Understanding
Chapter 10
Teaching with the Internet K-12: New Literacies for New Times
Leu, Leu, and Coiro
When I think about multicultural understanding, I think about several things.
One incident was when my brother returned from the military with a German wife and two year old. She and the child spoke very little English. My husband and I later went to Germany and visited her parents in Gernsbach, Germany.
The other occurrence was when a high school Foreign Exchange Student gave a talk at our rural community building – the country schoolhouse. She shared information about the cowboys in her country and their dress. Their cowboy hats had strings under the chin to keep them on while most of our cowboy hats do not have this. We learned many other unique cultural differences and facts from her, too.
Last of all my parents sponsored a fourth cousin and his wife to immigrate from England as farm laborers in the fifty’s. Although we spoke the same language, they used many different meanings for words such as a boot is a trunk of a car. Their British accent was different. I can remember barely understanding what they were saying when they first got off the train in Rapid City, South Dakota late in the evening that first day they arrived.
So the main idea of this article is to remember that it is very important to have diverse ideas represented in the world’s problem solving. Having lots of ways to look at an issue gives us more ideas to help in making solutions to problems. We know that our world is constantly expanding and we need to prepare our students for changes. A very powerful source of help comes from using the Internet and Literacies to develop a greater understanding of diverse populations and having greater respect/appreciation for our differences.
Since our two fourth grade classes plan a cultural education field trip in May, I particularly wanted to look at and share with these fourth grade teachers Web Sites that would be helpful to them in teaching about diverse populations and appreciation of the differences of individuals. A Webquest I thought that looked interesting was Native American in a Natural World. A Registry site would be Registry Global School Net Project Registry. Then Directories that could be helpful would be “Index of Native American Resources on the Internet”, “Native American Sites Awareness”, and “Yahooligan: Around the World”. Other interesting sites would be the “American Indian Education” site, “The Circle of Stories” site, “Evaluating Native American Web Sites”, the “Oyate” site, and the “Alaska Native Knowledge Network” site. The Internet Project Registry had a current project regarding the Native American Tribes. They wanted basic information about the Tribes in a simple design format. The student, teacher and school would get credited for the research done. Then the Evaluation of Native American Web Sites was very helpful and could be used to evaluate other types of sites.
Then because we have many Spanish speaking families in our school and community, I wished to find Internet URLS that would be helpful for the teachers and our students. I believe that I could set up a whole page on my PBWiki with ELL and ESL information and Directories for Latin Americans. Since my daughter-in-law teaches Spanish, I could share these sites with her. For assisting the individual students the “ESL Independent Study Lab Activities for ESL Students” would be helpful.
Many other sites had very helpful, useful information. I liked Miscositas, TESL/TEFL/TESOL…..Directory, Activities for ESL Students, E.L. Easton: Materials for Teaching English, FLTeach: Foreign Language Teaching Forum, Center for Applied Linguistics, and Interesting Things for ESL Students. The Tower of English had a World Clock site where you could set up times to meet with others in other countries using the World Clock.
The last Web site I was interested in was the "Cranes for Peace" site which represents the 50 year commemoration of the bombing of Hiroshima. A teacher at our school had the children in his class make lots of cranes which were made into a huge mobile that is now hanging in our library. I thought this teacher would be interested in this particular site.
Again looking at all the above sites would be very helpful in teaching cultural awareness of others. Lots of information is available for the teachers to use.
Teaching with the Internet K-12: New Literacies for New Times
Leu, Leu, and Coiro
When I think about multicultural understanding, I think about several things.
One incident was when my brother returned from the military with a German wife and two year old. She and the child spoke very little English. My husband and I later went to Germany and visited her parents in Gernsbach, Germany.
The other occurrence was when a high school Foreign Exchange Student gave a talk at our rural community building – the country schoolhouse. She shared information about the cowboys in her country and their dress. Their cowboy hats had strings under the chin to keep them on while most of our cowboy hats do not have this. We learned many other unique cultural differences and facts from her, too.
Last of all my parents sponsored a fourth cousin and his wife to immigrate from England as farm laborers in the fifty’s. Although we spoke the same language, they used many different meanings for words such as a boot is a trunk of a car. Their British accent was different. I can remember barely understanding what they were saying when they first got off the train in Rapid City, South Dakota late in the evening that first day they arrived.
So the main idea of this article is to remember that it is very important to have diverse ideas represented in the world’s problem solving. Having lots of ways to look at an issue gives us more ideas to help in making solutions to problems. We know that our world is constantly expanding and we need to prepare our students for changes. A very powerful source of help comes from using the Internet and Literacies to develop a greater understanding of diverse populations and having greater respect/appreciation for our differences.
Since our two fourth grade classes plan a cultural education field trip in May, I particularly wanted to look at and share with these fourth grade teachers Web Sites that would be helpful to them in teaching about diverse populations and appreciation of the differences of individuals. A Webquest I thought that looked interesting was Native American in a Natural World. A Registry site would be Registry Global School Net Project Registry. Then Directories that could be helpful would be “Index of Native American Resources on the Internet”, “Native American Sites Awareness”, and “Yahooligan: Around the World”. Other interesting sites would be the “American Indian Education” site, “The Circle of Stories” site, “Evaluating Native American Web Sites”, the “Oyate” site, and the “Alaska Native Knowledge Network” site. The Internet Project Registry had a current project regarding the Native American Tribes. They wanted basic information about the Tribes in a simple design format. The student, teacher and school would get credited for the research done. Then the Evaluation of Native American Web Sites was very helpful and could be used to evaluate other types of sites.
Then because we have many Spanish speaking families in our school and community, I wished to find Internet URLS that would be helpful for the teachers and our students. I believe that I could set up a whole page on my PBWiki with ELL and ESL information and Directories for Latin Americans. Since my daughter-in-law teaches Spanish, I could share these sites with her. For assisting the individual students the “ESL Independent Study Lab Activities for ESL Students” would be helpful.
Many other sites had very helpful, useful information. I liked Miscositas, TESL/TEFL/TESOL…..Directory, Activities for ESL Students, E.L. Easton: Materials for Teaching English, FLTeach: Foreign Language Teaching Forum, Center for Applied Linguistics, and Interesting Things for ESL Students. The Tower of English had a World Clock site where you could set up times to meet with others in other countries using the World Clock.
The last Web site I was interested in was the "Cranes for Peace" site which represents the 50 year commemoration of the bombing of Hiroshima. A teacher at our school had the children in his class make lots of cranes which were made into a huge mobile that is now hanging in our library. I thought this teacher would be interested in this particular site.
Again looking at all the above sites would be very helpful in teaching cultural awareness of others. Lots of information is available for the teachers to use.
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