Amundson, Linda. (2009). Five Steps to an Accessible Classroom Website .37(2), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3720092010/NovemberNo3/L_L_November_2009.htm
This article is very handy when you are making a website of your own. I think it is very important to communicate with both the parents and students once they leave the classroom. My goal as a teacher is to create some sort of website that will let me communicate back and forth, possibly a Wiki. This article helps you to create a great page step by step. There are five steps to follow that will help.
1.Organize for Easier Navigation
2. Navigation without a Mouse
3. Text Explanations for Images
4. Using Text that Makes Sense
5. Web Validators
Especially when you are working with younger students, you want to make sure that titles are easy to read and understand. You want them to be right to the point so they know what they need to do. I think it is also very important to use pictures with the younger students, because I find that it engages them more. Make sure that your page is very organized and easy to navigate, because you never know how computer savvy your students or parents may be.
I would definitely recommend current or incoming teachers take a look at this article. I know that I am not very computer savvy, but this could sure help you put something together. It helps you to think about the little ideas you might have forgot to add to your page.
Do you think teachers should use websites in their classroom to communicate?
I do. I think it is very important to keep in contact with your parents and students. A lot of times people forget to check their e-mail, and yes, they might forget this web page as well, but I think it is good for both the parent and student to be able to access.
Would you add any steps to this article?
No. I think these five steps are right to the point. They might be basic, but they are concepts you may have never thought about.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Journal #9- "S'Cool Tools: 5 Great Tools to Perk Up Your Classroom and Engage Your Students"
Brown Yoder , M. (2009, November). S'cool tools: 5 great tools to perk up your classroom and engage your students. 37(3), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org
This article was very interesting. It shows teachers different ways to engage their students. You obviously want your students to have a good time and want them to learn the material being taught. Maureen Brown Yoder says that it is important to ask these three questions when using learning tools:
1. Does this tool have the potential to enhance teaching in some powerful way?
2. Is this tool easy to learn and well supported?
3. Is this an innovative new tool or a substantial improvement on an earlier version? Based on this criteria, the following five tools have the potential to transform your lessons.
These are very good questions to ask ones self when creating a lesson plan.
Another Interesting portion of the article was when she was talking about how Google is making applications specifically for teachers. It is going to provide teachers with lesson plans, the option to share ideas with one another as well as giving advise and will also contain a list of educators around the world who are also use this Google site. The best part, ITS COST FREE! I think this is a great idea, especially with the budget cuts right now. Teachers already have to spend lots of their own money on classroom materials and on other school related things that the last thing teachers’ need is to pay for lesson plan ideas.
Do you think the three questions Yoder asks are really relevant?
Yes, I do think they are very important to answer when creating a lesson plan. Especially when working with younger students, it is important to use tools that all students are going to be able to work with and relate to.
Would you actually use the Google site as a teacher when it is offered?
Yes, I would definitely use it when it comes out. Free lesson plans! You would be crazy not to. I also think it is very helpful that you are connected with people all around the world. You are going to be able to get some great ideas form other teachers from so many other places.
This article was very interesting. It shows teachers different ways to engage their students. You obviously want your students to have a good time and want them to learn the material being taught. Maureen Brown Yoder says that it is important to ask these three questions when using learning tools:
1. Does this tool have the potential to enhance teaching in some powerful way?
2. Is this tool easy to learn and well supported?
3. Is this an innovative new tool or a substantial improvement on an earlier version? Based on this criteria, the following five tools have the potential to transform your lessons.
These are very good questions to ask ones self when creating a lesson plan.
Another Interesting portion of the article was when she was talking about how Google is making applications specifically for teachers. It is going to provide teachers with lesson plans, the option to share ideas with one another as well as giving advise and will also contain a list of educators around the world who are also use this Google site. The best part, ITS COST FREE! I think this is a great idea, especially with the budget cuts right now. Teachers already have to spend lots of their own money on classroom materials and on other school related things that the last thing teachers’ need is to pay for lesson plan ideas.
Do you think the three questions Yoder asks are really relevant?
Yes, I do think they are very important to answer when creating a lesson plan. Especially when working with younger students, it is important to use tools that all students are going to be able to work with and relate to.
Would you actually use the Google site as a teacher when it is offered?
Yes, I would definitely use it when it comes out. Free lesson plans! You would be crazy not to. I also think it is very helpful that you are connected with people all around the world. You are going to be able to get some great ideas form other teachers from so many other places.
Journal #8- "Have You Tweeted Today?"
Fingal, D. (2009). Have you tweeted today? Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(2). Retrieved on October 20, 2009 from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=September_October_No_2_3&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4381&ContentID=24192&DirectListComboInd=D
I have never been a Twitter fan, but I will say I am a Facebook fan. It is nice to be able to connect with people you have not seen for years, or just talk to your close friends while you are working on a paper. Though Twitter is a little different, it has a lot of similarities. What I find is nice about Twitter is you can connect with a whole group at one time. In our classroom, all the students are connected with one another so we can ask each other questions, and find out information if needed.
When you think about it, people are complaining about what Twitter is being used for like “bashing” on famous people but in reality that is why a lot of people have a Twitter page. I don’t think it really matters what people use it for, but in this case I think Twittering can be really useful in the classroom. When Beth spoke about how many of her colleagues did not approve I did understand why. A lot of younger students would then be subjected to what is on Twitter because they have one. I think there are positives and negatives to twitter. If I were a teacher I think I would rather use a Wiki page instead because this way parents would be more willing to access a Wiki more then a Twitter I would think.
Why do you think there are so many negatives about Twitter?
I think there is a bad reputation for Twitter because before I had one the only reason I heard people use it was to talk about famous people and what they had done that weekend. I think a lot of people want to use this site for school related issues, but will their students really be on it for the right reasons?
Would you use Twitter in your classroom?
I don’t think I would use Twitter only because I do think all the other things advertised on Twitter would distract the students. Not only for this reason, but for my reasoning’s earlier in the paper. I think that younger children being subjected to something like Twitter so young could actually be a bad thing. I could be very wrong, but I think I would rather use a Wiki page to keep in contact with everyone.
I have never been a Twitter fan, but I will say I am a Facebook fan. It is nice to be able to connect with people you have not seen for years, or just talk to your close friends while you are working on a paper. Though Twitter is a little different, it has a lot of similarities. What I find is nice about Twitter is you can connect with a whole group at one time. In our classroom, all the students are connected with one another so we can ask each other questions, and find out information if needed.
When you think about it, people are complaining about what Twitter is being used for like “bashing” on famous people but in reality that is why a lot of people have a Twitter page. I don’t think it really matters what people use it for, but in this case I think Twittering can be really useful in the classroom. When Beth spoke about how many of her colleagues did not approve I did understand why. A lot of younger students would then be subjected to what is on Twitter because they have one. I think there are positives and negatives to twitter. If I were a teacher I think I would rather use a Wiki page instead because this way parents would be more willing to access a Wiki more then a Twitter I would think.
Why do you think there are so many negatives about Twitter?
I think there is a bad reputation for Twitter because before I had one the only reason I heard people use it was to talk about famous people and what they had done that weekend. I think a lot of people want to use this site for school related issues, but will their students really be on it for the right reasons?
Would you use Twitter in your classroom?
I don’t think I would use Twitter only because I do think all the other things advertised on Twitter would distract the students. Not only for this reason, but for my reasoning’s earlier in the paper. I think that younger children being subjected to something like Twitter so young could actually be a bad thing. I could be very wrong, but I think I would rather use a Wiki page to keep in contact with everyone.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Journal #7- Blogging
The tool I choose was Blogging. Blogging would be defined as “A type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or vide,” according to Wikepidia.com. Now that I have used blogging first hand, I see how teachers think it could be a great thing to start incorporating into schools. You are able to 1. Get in contact with the parents 2. Show the parents the progress their children are making in class and 3. Communicate with your own students through the comments back on their work posted through their blogs. I took a look at 2 other posts about blogging related to education and I thought they were great. They talked about how important it was to have blogs in the classroom especially to communicate with parents. Another teacher stated how she had her students make a blog so they could publish their writings on it, where people can comment and give thoughtful feedback. This is great! It is a way for students to hear ideas from their teacher as well as their own classmates. I liked this teachers blog as well because she was asking other teachers for new ideas to do more with their blogs. As a future teacher, I would love to incorporate blogs into my classroom. I think it could really be useful to the students to get feedback as well as talk back and forth to their fellow classmates.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Journal #6- The Trouble with Rubrics
Kohn, Alfie. (2006). The Trouble with rubrics. 95(4),
In this article we are given the argument about if a rubric is a good or bad system to use. The argument is that when a student is given a grade on a project, they only know that their paper or project was “B” material. Does anyone besides that teacher really know what “B” work is? This is a standard that the teacher has, that is different for every teacher. If you are given a rubric, you know the specific guidelines to follow. You know why you did either good or bad based on the information present on the handout. Alfie Kohn states this; “I’d been looking for an alternative to grades because research shows three reliable effects when students are graded: They tend to think less deeply, avoid taking risks, and lose interest in the learning itself.”
This also allows for teachers to give students a certain amount of points for the topic they feel deserves those particular points. That teacher may not think spelling and grammar matters as much as the content of the paper, so they make the grammar and spelling worth a maximum of 5 points and the content worth 10. This gives the students the chance to see that the content of the paper is the most important. Linda Mabry published an article citing “compliance with the rubric tended to yield higher scores but produced ‘vacuous’ writing.”[3]
I never really thought about what Kohn had researched on rubrics. I never really thought how much better a student might actually do if they were given specific guidelines to follow. When I look at how we were given a rubric to follow for our PowerPoint presentation, we were able to know exactly what we needed in order to receive the grade we desired. When you are given a letter grade, a lot of the time the teacher will not write why you received the grade you were given. I agree with rubrics, and that they should really be considered when grading your students.
Why do you think a majority of teachers do not use rubrics?
Sometimes I think it is the easy way out for teachers. It takes a lot more time and energy for a teacher to make a rubric then it does to slap down a letter grade.
Why do you think students react to letter grades the way that Kohn described?
I think much like teachers students want to get the assignment done so they will do as little as possible to do so. When you are given a rubric you have guidelines to follow in order to receive the grade you want. Letter grades are based off of what the teacher thinks is the best paper, project, ect. and goes from there where a rubric has a criteria you have to meet.
In this article we are given the argument about if a rubric is a good or bad system to use. The argument is that when a student is given a grade on a project, they only know that their paper or project was “B” material. Does anyone besides that teacher really know what “B” work is? This is a standard that the teacher has, that is different for every teacher. If you are given a rubric, you know the specific guidelines to follow. You know why you did either good or bad based on the information present on the handout. Alfie Kohn states this; “I’d been looking for an alternative to grades because research shows three reliable effects when students are graded: They tend to think less deeply, avoid taking risks, and lose interest in the learning itself.”
This also allows for teachers to give students a certain amount of points for the topic they feel deserves those particular points. That teacher may not think spelling and grammar matters as much as the content of the paper, so they make the grammar and spelling worth a maximum of 5 points and the content worth 10. This gives the students the chance to see that the content of the paper is the most important. Linda Mabry published an article citing “compliance with the rubric tended to yield higher scores but produced ‘vacuous’ writing.”[3]
I never really thought about what Kohn had researched on rubrics. I never really thought how much better a student might actually do if they were given specific guidelines to follow. When I look at how we were given a rubric to follow for our PowerPoint presentation, we were able to know exactly what we needed in order to receive the grade we desired. When you are given a letter grade, a lot of the time the teacher will not write why you received the grade you were given. I agree with rubrics, and that they should really be considered when grading your students.
Why do you think a majority of teachers do not use rubrics?
Sometimes I think it is the easy way out for teachers. It takes a lot more time and energy for a teacher to make a rubric then it does to slap down a letter grade.
Why do you think students react to letter grades the way that Kohn described?
I think much like teachers students want to get the assignment done so they will do as little as possible to do so. When you are given a rubric you have guidelines to follow in order to receive the grade you want. Letter grades are based off of what the teacher thinks is the best paper, project, ect. and goes from there where a rubric has a criteria you have to meet.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Copyright-"Fair Use Harbor" (NETS IV)
Fair Use Harbor
This document was created collaboratively using Google Docs to discussing copyright laws in regards to teachers and students to follow. Fair Use Harbor is a tool that takes us through copyright laws and regulations. This follows NETS 4.
This document was created collaboratively using Google Docs to discussing copyright laws in regards to teachers and students to follow. Fair Use Harbor is a tool that takes us through copyright laws and regulations. This follows NETS 4.
Inspiration- (NETS I,III,IV,V,VI)
This flow chart was created using Inspiration.For each of the 5 NETS, there are 2 corresponding artifacts we accomplished in class that meets NETS 1,3,4,5 and 6.
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