Making a Web Page - A Sense of Accomplishment!

I will be the first to admit that making a useful web page was quite a challenge, but I am inspired by the fact that I was able to establish one that I can use in September with our whole school -
Let's Have Fun on Constitution Day!
As part of a school-wide committee to plan activities for children ages 5-9, I feel blessed to have something unique to offer as part of our celebration! There will be ways to collaborate with the committee and add sites and activities to the menu on this page, so there is plenty of room for improvement and elaboration!

Podcasts - From Simple to WOW!

I was amazed by some of the podcast sites we visited in class on Thursday. As an example, Eric Langhorst, with his “steady-casts,” made history and geography jump with life! His dedication to making projects, museums and other locations “real” for his students, along with the ability to Influence his administrators by mentoring them into producing their own podcasts was impressive. Differentiated Instruction was so evident in the description of his instructional practices in the classroom. He was able to make the podcasts available to the students in three forms – MP3 format, Internet connections, and CD – often used as guided practice or review for tests.

Madeline Hunter’s Elements of Direct Instruction were apparent in a very creative classroom, using innovative technology. Podcasts were an excellent vehicle for sharing objectives (standards-based), communicating the anticipatory set, teaching (input, modeling, and checking for understanding), guided practice and monitoring, closure, and independent practice.

Then I ask myself – “Why aren’t we doing more of this in the classroom?” I am reminded of Everett Rogers explanation of the ‘rate of adoption.’ In his book Diffusion of Innovations, he discusses the rate of adoption that is affected by four very pertinent variables: (2003, p. 221)
1. The type of innovation-decision
2. The nature of communication channels
3. The nature of the social system
4. The extent of the change agents’ promotion efforts
These four variables all apply directly to the diffusing of the innovation. Often, stakeholders in an organization do not hold the same vision for the future of technology in education, and strong leadership may be lacking.

What stands out for me is...one dedicated person can make a difference and help get the ball rolling for others to follow...all for the benefit of our students! Today we finished planning and produced a podcast about the importance of vocabulary. It was great to have a product, even though we all agreed that it could always be improved upon through additional planning and technological fine-tuning!

The Technology Mix: A Healthy Tossed Salad

The recipe for a delicious and healthy tossed salad – select the right lettuce, fresh fruits and vegetables, cut them up just right, and toss them together in a bowl for both healthy eating and visual appeal! It sounds wonderful for a balance of taste and healthful eating. Isn’t that what we do when we try to match the right technological tools with our existing educational goals when it comes to curriculum and instruction? “One of our key responsibilities as a teacher is to plan lessons that are taught with effective methods of teaching using the best resources you have available” (2007, Web-Enhanced Learning Environment Strategies Handbook and Reflection Tool). As responsible educators we are constantly scrutinizing our methods of teaching, available resources, internet access, and learning strategies to come up with the ‘right mix.’

Often used as a staff development presenter in my district, I find reflection tools - such as the ones in WELES – to be very useful in working toward improving student instruction. They provide a baseline of what skills, strategies, and resources are being utilized well so that staff development can better meet the needs of teachers and students. Using strengths to overcome weaknesses is a common strategy for both students and teachers. On the same page, we often desire to inform parents of innovations in instruction so that both communication and cooperation between home and school can enhance the educational environment for families. Public relations and local school district politics (with our recent need to hold referendum votes for tax increases above 3.4%) also demand open and positive communication about new technologies in our schools. The community wants more than just plain lettuce in their salad – just the right mix of colorful vegetables, and of course, the right dressing, make it much more palatable!

From a staff-development point of view, the chances of getting the right mix of technology and content can be greatly improved through the use of “Real Simple Syndication” (RSS). Will Richardson, in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, describes RSS as the “new killer application for educators” that allows one to “subscribe” to specific content that is created on a certain Weblog. By signing up with various aggregators, an individual can create their own collection of current information directly to their online mailbox as it emerges. Setting up an RSS feed reader is as simple as logging onto Bloglines and following the prompts to set up your subscriptions (2006, pp. 75-79). Receiving current information, both fact and opinion, based on topics that are valuable to educators and students, holds tremendous value. Providing the best technological mix for providing enriching and engaging student instruction can become almost as easy as tossing a salad, and it’s healthy for all! Student achievement improves and a community of learners enoys more than just plain lettuce!

Some Global Thoughts on Using Educational Internet Tools

As a literacy coach and team teacher in our district, I am struck by how closely my aspirations for our district match Will Richardson’s goals for his book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms ( 2006, pp. vii-viii):

• to give educators some context in terms of what these technologies mean for our society as well as for education
• to challenge and motivate teachers to think differently about their classrooms and the potentials of the technologies...in terms of pedagogy and curriculum
• to share enough of the “how-to” needed to get teachers started using these tools right away

Some of the challenges in my position include lack of time for students to access the computers in the lab and classrooms, pre-determined administrative directives for the use of team planning / staff development, and responsibility with no power. Recognizing that these challenges may be similar for fellow educators, I have adopted the philosophy that a worthwhile journey begins with a single step or two.
Some of the ideas that I have tried or hope to initiate include:

1. Sharing sites that may assist teachers in providing effective and engaging instructional opportunities that match current curricular needs (for example, one of our teachers used the shared WebQuest, Cinderella Around the World, found at http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/king/fairytales/ to motivate her students to write their own version of familiar fairy tales)
2. Writing a Web page or Wiki to actively engage colleagues in future staff development opportunities, either district-mandated or voluntary (for example, this Wiki was written to be used for an anticipated district writing initiative: http://recipesforwriting.wikispaces.com/
3. Recording a podcast with the intent of using it as a model and motivation for collaboration on curricular projects, school news, teacher and student-generated web-based tools (for example, many podcasts are available at http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshow

Realizing that everyone’s background of experiences and priorities are different, I look forward to reading your ideas on how I can influence my fellow colleagues to try more web-based tools in the classroom. Bring them on!

Technology Overload!

The more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to learn! Technology information that I can use in my teaching is both engaging and overwhelming. I have some ideas that I want to research right away - one example being internet safety (specifically cyber bullying). I am also excited about doing a podcast related to an upcoming project on "Constitution Day," which will be coming up in the fall. The web page will also be a great way to integrate what I am learning in this class with this curriculum project at school. Many ideas....time will tell!!!

"Recipes For Writing" Wiki

Let's cook up some great writing with "Recipes For Writing!" The primary purpose of this Wiki is to collect and share resources that link computer and information technology with genres of writing at the primary elementary level ( K-3 ). The Wiki currently includes "Recipes" for the following: 1) Informative Writing, 2) Personal Narrative, and 3) Persuasive Writing. The Wiki also includes external links to assessment checklists and rubrics, publishing, Lucy Calkins' research, and Language Arts related podcasts and blogs. You are invited to visit my Wiki at:
https://receipesforwriting.wikispaces.com. I would love to hear your comments and suggestions on how to elaborate and expand this site.

Lesson Title: Exploring the Planets Teacher: Deb Bridgewater
Grade Level: 2
Subject(s): Science/ Language Arts Date: 4/17/07 Time: 2 weeks
Objective(s):
1. In small groups, investigate interesting information about the planets in our solar system by accessing the internet and resources in the school library.
2. Complete a concept map to communicate key information about each planet.
3. Demonstrate or illustrate the placement of the planets in the solar system as they relate to the sun.
4. Demonstrate and explain the movement of the planets around the sun.
5. Write a poem/song about the planets.
6. Discuss how we can protect our planet EARTH for our generation and everyone in the future (To be investigated in the next unit of study).

Intelligences:
(as introduced)
Verbal/
Linguistic
Interpersonal
Visual/Spatial
Naturalist
Logical/
Mathematical


Bodily/
Kinesthetic

Musical/
Rhythmic
Intrapersonal
Existential
Technologies:
1.Internet Search/Wikis
1. Webquests
1. Library Computer Search
2. Kidspiration







5. Microsoft Word
6. Podcast
NETS for Students:

_____
Materials:

Computer Lab, Books, Magazines, Posters, Art supplies (markers, paint, paper, scissors, paste, Lamp (sun), paper mache, rubber balls, tape recorder (song)

Intelligences:

ALL
Procedure:

Take the class to the computer lab to access the internet and investigate wikis/webquests to find out interesting information about the planets.
Write and discuss the objectives on the white board at the front of the lab, and guide student investigations (done in pairs).
Visit the library, visit the computer system there, and gather materials to bring back to the room for continued investigations throughout the week.
On another day, visit the computer lab to use Kidspiration with a partner and develop a concept may to share information about the planets.
Make a poster or 3-D model to show the planets in our solar system.
Using people and/or objects, demonstrate how the planets revolve around the sun (lamp).
Write a poem/song about the planets (Choice of working individually, in pairs, or in small groups).
Extension and introduction to next unit: Discuss as a class ideas for saving our planet EARTH.
Post a podcast of these discussion points to the school webpage. Podcast can be scripted based on important discussion points of #8 above.

Intelligences:
(as added)
Verbal/
Linguistic

Interpersonal





Visual/
Spatial
Naturalist

Kinesthetic

Intrapersonal

Musical/
Rhythmic

Existential
Assessment:

Assessment is built into the activities and will be done through teacher observation each day.

Intelligences:

ALL
Reflection:
How did the technologies used accommodate the intelligences you identified?
Varying the presentation and the activities
If the technologies used were not effective, what can you recommend as an alternate application to use with this lesson the next time it is taught?

Specific software or film clips could be added
How did the intelligences identified improve student mastery of the objective(s)?
Assessment was observed throughout the activities and there are many opportunities for the students to show what they know and understand.
Did you observe other intelligences come into play during the lesson? What were they and how did they aid in student learning?

All intelligences were represented to a certain extent, and other activities could be added to match those intelligences that best reflect the skills of the learners.
What other intelligences could be included in this lesson? (more of the same could be added as noted above
_____

The Power of Modeling Software

What a way to discover relationships in dynamic systems and integrate subject areas!
We, as educators, are constantly searching for ways to make learning real for our students, and modeling software certainly provides many opportunities to explore topics and use problem-solving strategies in creative ways. Exploration and documentation of "what if..." scenarios leads to the use of critical thinking skills, collaboration and communication in small groups and large group settings. Mapping and graphing skills can be developed and many of the situations I visited could also be expanded to include language arts through the use of additonal research/reading and conversations, both oral and written. As always, the modeling software chosen should enhance the instructional delivery of a standards-based curriculum, where the performance assessment matches the method of instruction.

First Entry

This is my first attempt at blogging, and I am excited about using this tool in the future. I have a lot to learn, and look forward to spending some time on this new adventure!