New website!

After being inspired by Beckys website, I started to create a webnode. I found this site to be very user friendly. It only took me a few minutes to put it together. Now I need to add to it!

Session 5 post

(1)
I believe that online literacy activities can be integrated into the classroom as early as kindergarten. Most to all students have access to technology as early as birth with cell phones, laptops, and ipods. Therefore, they are already quite familiar with digital tools even before they enter school at the age of four or five. The biggest challenge would be teaching the students to use the digital literacy tools properly.
In the article “Extending Readers Theatre: A Powerful and Purposeful Match with Podcasting” by Vasinda and McLeod (2011) third grade students were using technology in a meaningful and productive way. The students who used podcasting were able to create a readers theatre were able to experience a powerful learning tool. They had scripts that they practiced reading for approximately 10-15 minutes daily, then they recorded the group on a Friday, and then uploaded the play by using a podcasting or blogging site online. It was an engaging activity that helped students develop fluency and their technology skills. Rather than using the typical practice using paper method then delivering the play to one audience, the students were able to have a multidimensional experience to transfer learning to an audio source to then share to many audiences. If third graders could do it in this study I don’t see why other schools that have the accessibility to technology couldn’t do it!
In the other text, “Using a Wiki to Scaffold Primary-School Students’ Collaborative Writing” there was a study done to determine the challenges that teachers face with the uprising pressure to incorporate technology in the classroom in primary through grade five. It was found that through collaborative learning, the students are active and learning in a constructive process where the knowledge is transmitted using higher order thinking skills (Woo, p. 44). Students are gaining so much from using these technological resources in the classroom.

(2)
A 21st learning community is one that is equipped with computers, software and online digital resources. It is a community that is geared towards using interactive learning tools, having students continuously engaged and are challenged through higher order thinking skills. SETDA, State educational technology directors association provides a very straight forward description of what a 21st century learning environment models (click on the first pdf file titled: 21st Century Models)

Here are the core components they outline:
• Teacher Laptop & Productivity Tools
• Presentation Device ‐ Collaborative Learning System (Interactive Whiteboard), LCD or Plasma TV
• Projector (if needed for the presentation device or collaborative learning system)
• Learner Response Devices for Formative Assessment & Individualized Instruction
• Document Camera
• Digital Camera
• Video Camera
• Robust Software & Digital Content
• Printer
• Company Lead Training (PD) on Technology Functionality

(3)
I could integrate a lot of these components in my fourth grade classroom. My students love the engagement of using online math and reading resources. Currently my school is piloting a program called i-Ready that gives students a reading assessment then delivers reading instruction based on the students needs. The way the students learn is through interactive games. It is very helpful for the teacher because it gives detailed reports on each student. It is a good source for data!
In my classroom it would be wonderful to have working computers so I could consider myself some what a 21st century learning community. Since this is not the case, I would love to have any technological tools that would help my students become stronger learners and be more prepared for the 21st century.


Resources:
Vasinda, S., McLeod, J. (2011). Extending Readers Theatre: A Powerful and Purposeful Match With Podcasting. The Reading Teacher (64), 486-497.

Woo, M., Chu, S., Ho, A., & Xuanxi, L. (2011). Using a Wiki to Scaffold Primary-School Students' Collaborative Writing. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 14(1), 43-54.


2st Century Learning Environment Models. SETDA. http://www.setda.org/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=281&name=DLFE-424.pdf (Retrieved on November 29, 2011)

My website!

Here is my website.. It's in progress, but I wanted to share what I have completed so far! It is so much fun adding to this. I will use this with my students and parents this year :)

Intergrating Technology and Literacy Post

Here are the two links that I found would be most beneficial in my classroom. Not only are they helpful and resourceful online tools, they are also very user friendly for teachers and students. Both of the sites help to generate ideas and are extremely creative.

The first site I chose was http://webquest.sdsu.edu/taskonomy.html. This would be a site I would love to use my fourth graders. Here is why: This site basically explains what webquest tasks are and how to get them started with your students. A WebQuest, according to WebQuest.org, is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web. These can be created using various programs, including a simple word processing document that includes links to websites.” (Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebQuest on November 14, 2011) Webquests can be used in both elementary and secondary education. Teachers can design their own webquests or they can search the web to find topics related to their study area.
The site WebQuest Taskonomy provides several examples of tasks to complete. Tasks are the most essential piece to a webquest because they provide a focus and a goal for the students to accomplish during their learning process.
One neat task I found was the “Creative Product Task”:
Creative Product Tasks



Might students learn about your topic by recasting it in the form of a story or poem or painting? Like engineers and designers, creative artists work within the constraints of their particular genre. Creative WebQuest tasks lead to the production of something within a given format (e.g. painting, play, skit, poster, game, simulated diary or song) but they are much more open-ended and unpredictable than design tasks. The evaluation criteria for these tasks would emphasize creativity and self-expression, as well as criteria specific to the chosen genre.
Radio Days, for example, requires the scripting and performance of a radio play, complete with sound effects and ads. Sworn to Serve requires the creation of a historically plausible portfolio for a fictional feudal family. As with design tasks, the constraints are the key, and they will differ depending on the creative product and topic being worked on. Such constraints might include such things as requiring:
• historical accuracy;
• adherence to a particular artistic style;
• use of the conventions of a particular format;
• internal consistency;
• limitations on length, size, or scope.
Balanced against the constraints, a task of this type should invite creativity by being somewhat open-ended. There should be enough wiggle room in the assignment that a student or group of students will be able to leave a unique stamp on what you're asking them to do.



Another neat task is the “Design Task”. This task has the students to design a plan for accomplishing something, for example a plan to design a home or a trip.
I found this webquest that shows a good example of a designing task: http://www.st.cr.k12.ia.us/webquest/Dream%20House/My%20House%20WebQuest.htm
I would use this in my classroom if I were using webquests as a learning tool. This would be my way of providing a clear and fun activity for the students to develop. They also give the students a lot of creativity. Many webquests can be completed independently or in groups of two or more, which these tasks on this website work perfectly for.


The other site that I found very helpful and would love to use is the Readwritethink.org site that is created and used for teachers. This site has many resources for teachers, professional development links and parent and afterschool resources. They also have student interactive pages to help students with reading and writing. For example there is a writing and publishing press to help students in grades K-12 to write in prose. There is a breakdown of the lessons from all grades, so it is friendly to every level. http://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=110&title= This is the link to the printing press that helps to make brochures, newspapers, booklets and flyers. Once the student is done, they can print off their work. It is simple, very user friendly, and fun!
Another great tool from the readwritethink website is the lessons are aligned to all state standards. They are revised on a regular basis so they are staying current.

Another great resource for upper grades (6-12) is the reading online strategy guide. This guide provides many exploring activities for students online. There are lesson plans for the teachers to follow, as well as student interactive activities. What is better than having a prepared lesson, FREE, at your finger tips?!! For the lesson about propaganda techniques in literature and online political ads, there are printouts, websites to visit, and step by step preparation in order to get ready for the activity.
http://www.readwritethink.org/ is a great site full of resources and lessons for teachers in grades k-12.

Resources:

Webquest Taxonomy: A Taxonomy of Tasks. (Retrieved on November 14, 2011).
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/taskonomy.html
Read Write Think. International Reading Association. (Retrieved on November 14, 2011). http://www.readwritethink.org/

4th grade class 2010-2011

my life

New literacies response

To me, new literacies is a problem-based approach of reading and writing on the internet. It is difficult to define new literacies since everyone’s ideas are constructed in different ways. According to Leu, O'Byrne, Zawilinski, McVerry, Everett-Cacopardo (2009) “new literacies means many different things to many people.” Several other researchers agree that new literacies are important strategies for online reading and help people learn as well as communicate. I feel that after reading about what new literacies are, the most important piece that stuck out in my mind were the five processes that practice new literacies:

(a) Reading to identify important questions, (b) reading to locate information, (c) reading to evaluate information critically (d) reading to synthesize information, and (e) reading and writing to communicate information. 

I think that being able to practice the five processes above, people are showing how they can use a problem-based approach to read and write on the Internet. These are all of the strategies I would want my students to learn if we had access to the internet in school!

            I would define NETS as the way we use the Internet and all of its resources in a set of standards. The way NETS is set up is very similar to the objectives and common core standards that we use in the classroom.  I like the way it is organized to show how many ways we use the Internet to read, write, and process information. This is a very helpful outline of all the strategies that should be incorporated in lessons and activities on the internet.

In my classroom, the first thing that I would have to do with my fourth graders would be to understand the Internet and its purpose. I think the students would have to feel more comfortable and confident with websites, search engines, and reading valid information before having them complete a project or research.

If my students already were addressed on the use of the Internet, I would want to develop new literacies by blogging. This is following NETS (2) Communication and collaboration. I would write a blog about something we learned in class, and my students could respond to the blog. This would be a great activity if I knew that my students had access to the Internet and their own computers at home. Another way that I could integrate new literacies in my classroom is by webquest activities. In my undergrad I was able to create a webquest on a social studies topic. Webquests are a great tool for reasearching information (NETS #3- Research and information fluency). Although it takes a while for the teacher to set up, it is a worthwhile tool. Here is an example of a webquest: http://web.viu.ca/webquests3/2001/china/webquest%20good/homepagesetup.htm