Unit Ideas

Here is a list of the websites I’ve found so far that relate to our unit:

Simile lesson plan: http://www.education-world.com/a_tsl/archives/07-1/lesson001.shtml

Descriptive Writing/Art lesson plan:http://www.education-world.com/a_tsl/archives/07-1/lesson004.shtml

Some symbolism ideas: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070530142157AAXJVrv

Color symbolism: http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/color2.htm

Cultural Symbols: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/06/g68/symbols.html

Reflection for 11/1

Trick or Treat!

When we attend class, I will probably be coming down from a week-long sugar high. And, to top it off, I was at a workshop all day today – and have another day long workshop stint planned for Thursday. Maybe I should make some good points in this reflection, since I may be useless by the time Thursday afternoon rolls around.

To start, I am feeling a little more positive than last week. I suspect bloggin’ my feelings out may have helped. (I also suspect that the ten pounds of Halloween candy lurking on every counter has significantly helped my mood while have having the opposite effect on my waistline.) I think I am at the point now where I just have to do what I can, and always be willing to improve my teaching practices.

Cynthia – Your comments on last week’s reflection entry made me feel much better, too. It’s nice to know I’m not alone in my frustration. It’s also nice to hear that UD is one of those teaching components that gets easier to implement over time and practice.

In other news… I was really glad to work with my group last week and start to hammer out our objectives. We have tried several times to meet outside of Thursday’s class, but we are all so busy that we only find a few minutes at lunch to really collaborate. So, having a uninterrupted block of time to work together was priceless. I think we now have an idea of what we want the kids to be able to do – it is just wording the objectives (and making them measurable) that we need to focus on. That is sometimes a challenge.

Issue: We are a planning to do a reading/writing unit. Determining quantifiable objectives that makes sense and are not arbitrary has proved to be easier-said-than-done. For example, one of our desired outcomes is for the kids to be able to “create an introduction that catches a reader’s attention”. I am stuck on how to quantify the idea of “interest-catching”. I suppose this could be quite subjective. However, determining exactly how to define “interest-catching” is beyond me. I suppose if I were hard-pressed to encapsulate that idea – I would say it uses descriptive language, one of our five story-starting methods (opening with a questions, phrase explosion, etc.), and relates to the topic at hand. Will we limit the students if we specify the terminology so rigidly? I don’t want to have the kids become writing-robots, but rather, I want them to use the tools we’ll be giving them and enhance their own writing styles. Any advice?

Issue: Is there a master list of all UD technologies for teaching available? There seems to be so many powerful tools – but fitting the right ones into the right lessons is a tall order. This may be more of a problem for us now than it will be down the line. I think the more we learn about UD, the more ideas we amass. But in the meantime, is there a site I could visit to inspire our group?

Otherwise, I think we are working our way into the right direction. I look forward to sharing out work with the other groups in the class. I hope that they, and our Fearless Professor, will be able to help us sort through our confusion. It was very helpful to listen to the process and outcomes of the 5th grade group last week.

Another quick note… (Sorry about the jumbled information discussed in this blog entry.)… I am feeling better about RTI. I have done some research lately and looked into the successes some western states (Colorado & Oregon among them) are having after the implementation of RTI. I am also glad that our district will not have to reinvent the wheel and can adopt and adapt a working model from another district that has already done the footwork. Here are a couple of interesting sites I found with a wealth of information on RTI:

http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdesped/RTI.asp

http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=315

I also found this site, which seems to offer a technological information collection method to help school districts track RTI data:

http://www.autoskill.com/intervention/access_rti_wp.php

I’m sure there are many other CBM-like programs out there. I think technology may be our best friend in the implementation of RTI – and in the interventions we propose for kids in need of assistance.

See you Thursday night!

Article: What is a Wiki?

Article 4: What is the role of emerging technologies (think Facebook, iPhones, videogaming, and online learning) in K-12 education?

YouTube: pb wiki-What is a Wiki? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmByB0sIPog

Pre-viewing note: Yippee! I am finally going to learn what a Wiki is!

Post viewing notes: Ok. Now I know a little about Wikis. I guess I knew they were an online collaboration tool designed more for groups than for individuals, unlike blogs which seems to be geared more toward one person’s thought-sharing. I like the idea of a class being able to build and discover an idea together electronically. I also heard one of the contributors say a Wiki is “quick-y”, meaning that you can put all of your content – including hyperlinks, definitions, etc. – onto the page so that the entire idea is located in one place – rather then on various sheets of paper or across many computer screens. It was also great to hear that Wikis are pretty easy to build and use – I imagine they are similar to blogs in that they require some set-up originally, but are easy to maintain once they are operational.

Issues…

Are posts “approve-able” before they are public? Can teachers moderate the posts and check relevance and appropriateness before the entire class views the post?

Are Wikis private or open to any web lurker?

Does the technology run smoothly? Will the websites get bogged down if 22 kids in one classroom are online simultaneously?

Overall, this seems more appropriate for my classroom use than a blog would be – but I haven’t really investigated the Wiki-phenomenon enough yet to be sure of that answer. More to learn…

Article: CNN – What is Podcasting?

Article 3: What is the role of emerging technologies (think Facebook, iPhones, videogaming, and online learning) in K-12 education?

YouTube: CNN Video: What is Podcasting? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM5lXOFD4Zg&mode=related&search=

The video talked briefly about how you Podcast, which was helpful. My impression is that you record yourself (audio or video or both), then use a program (the clip mentions something called “i-podder”) to upload your program to the internet. Then, listeners visit the designated website and download the clip. Finally, listeners can view/hear the podcast at their leisure. It seems to work just like i-tunes or other mp3 sites. I also assume that you can download podcasts onto your computer and listen to them with that device – instead of an mp3 player (although, I’m not completely sure of this).

I like the way the clip wrapped up with this quote: “Podcasting is something like ham radios were… talking to the void to see if anyone can hear you”. It is true that blogs and podcasts seems to allow anyone with a computer and an Internet connection a voice in the world. Whether each individual has something worth listening to is up for debate. I wonder what the far-reaching implications will be for our society when this technology becomes as second-nature to us as television and microwaves. I hope the masses use these technology-driven public forums for good, not evil.

Article: Podcast PSA

Article 2: What is the role of emerging technologies (think Facebook, iPhones, videogaming, and online learning) in K-12 education?

YouTube: Podcast PSA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP5jltqfZSE

That was a cool PSA. Very snappy tune playing in the background! It was also interesting to read about the possibilities for education when you Podcast. I was really amazed at the applications – from watching comedy to leadership training. I have seen a few Podcasts in my time, but am now interested to check out some of the sites mentioned on the video – and learn more. I would also like to try to make Podcast… My hope is to be able to attach a Podcast to one of these blog entries before the end of the course. (In the meantime, I’ve got a lot to learn!

Article: The Future of Web Conferencing in Education

Article 1: What is the role of emerging technologies (think Facebook, iPhones, videogaming, and online learning) in K-12 education?

YouTube: The Future of Web Conferencing in Education http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGFdRjrakc4  

I agree with  Mr. Martellacci about the need to bring digital information presentation into the classroom for the “digital natives”. I also think that these sort of technologies will be commonplace in school in the not-so-distant future.

One interesting application that Mr. Martellacci mentioned was “polling”. All I can think of is the polling systems used on today’s game shows to “ask the audience”, etc. I think it would be so incredible to have the kids become equipped with these hand-held devices. Imagine the usefulness of this technology! You could instantly check for understanding in any lesson. In seconds, all kids could have a voice in the classroom – and each teacher could have a quick snapshot of student information attainment. I wonder if this technology is available to schools at all – or how expensive it would be to have it available. (I’m sure it would be quite pricey!)  This is something I would definitely add to “The Classroom of the Future”.