A Vision of Students today

I am actually thinking that maybe I should have been an anthropologist. I found "A Vision of Students Today," to be very enlightening. I have been thinking a lot about the purpose that technology has on education more than just how I want to use this in my current teaching position. There is a lot to be said about how we are effectively teaching our students and children, it is scary to think that some people/teachers do not have the insight that technology thinkers do. I'm not saying that I have special insight because I choose to get a Master's degree in IDT, but I do think that most teachers are not using technology the way that it should be used. So that is the problem and how is that fixed? Well another problem is that there is no one who can teach the teachers how to integrate this technology into their curriculum smoothly without "adding something extra" for the teacher to do. Hmmmmmm, this is a situation that undoubtedly needs to be addressed quickly.

Final Project #1

Awwwwwwwww!! My final lesson plan project #1 is finished. Most of the support material was posted two weeks ago. I wanted to include also a list of Judy Blume books, if you are interested in doing any of here books for upper elementary projects. She has an extensive list with a wide range of age appropriate material.


Author:
Judy Blume

Picture Books:
The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo
The Pain and the Great One
Freckly Juice

Chapter Books:
Soupy Saturdays with the Pain & the Great One

For Younger Readers, the “Fudge” books:
Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing
Superfudge
Fudge-a-Mania
Otherwise Known as Shelia The Great
Double Fudge

For Middle Grade Readers:

Iggie’s House
Blubber
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Then Again, Maybe I Won’t
It’s Not the End of the World
Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself
Here’s to You, Rachel Robinson

For Young Adults:

Tiger Eyes
Forever
Letters to Judy: What Kids Wish They Could Tell You
Places I Never Meant To Be (Edited by Judy Blume)

For Adult Readers:

Wifey
Smart Women
Summer Sisters

Information Sheet

Visual Information

Create a visual about your author. The information you collected on your worksheet is your research. Below is a suggested format but you may be creative if you’d like. Be sure to include:

• 2 books the author has written with pictures
• Biographical information about the author
• Interesting things about author; stories, awards, genre, etc.

Book 1 title, summary and picture Author information
Interesting things about the author Book 2 title, summary and picture

Presentation Information

• Create a 2-3 minute (NO MORE) commercial about your author.
• Do not read your visual!!
• Introduce the author, Judy Blume.
• Tell audience the genre in which the author writes.
• Introduce the audience to at least 2 of the author’s works.
• Make it interesting and informative.

Selected Database

I have narrowed down my selected database for my final project. I am specifically focusing on one author for fourth grade students. The author is Judy Blume. The Internet workshop is designed for two labs periods of 35 minutes each. Students will be given detailed information and instructions to follow on pursuit for their research on the author Judy Blume. The following sheet will be handed out prior to going to the library and will be spoken about during Language Arts class. Please refer to the website also: http://www.judyblume.com/menu-main.html Students will be fimiliar with navigation in the internet. Students have been working on internet workshops all year.

Author Information Worksheet

Student Name_____________

Complete the following information in your Language Arts notebook after navigating to this site http://www.judyblume.com/menu-main.html:

1. Author name: ____________________________

2. Personal Information such as:

• Date of birth
• Where they live
• Family information



3. List of at least 4 of the books the author has written with short summaries of each book.

4. Genre of the author’s writing (may be more than one):

5. Any awards won:

Final: Checklist Rubric

The follwing information is what I have decided to do for my rubric and grading for the Web 2.0 Intenet workshop. This was the most simple way to evaluate fourth grade students on such a complex assignment. I will use this like a checklist for evaluation and assessment. All students will get a copy of this before the project is due, so that they understand what and how they are being graded. I will also have them self-evaluate and we will conference together and compare our evaluations. The grade will actually come from both student and teacher.

Rubric and Grading

Content:

• I used a strong attention-getting device.
• I used words that the audience could understand.
• My vocabulary was strong and unambiguous.
• I used facts and logical appeals where appropriate.
• I used supportive details.
• The information I gave was valuable
• I stayed focused; I did not stray off my topic.
• I was well informed on my topic.
• I presented information that others didn’t know.
• I was able to answers question from audience

Resources:

• I used credible Internet resources.
• I used interviews with others as a resource. Additional links on Judy’s site.
• I gave credit to the resources in my speech.
• I put things into my own words.

Organization:

• I organized ideas in a meaningful way
• I stated my topic clearly in the introduction.
• I included necessary background information.
• The audience could predict the presentation’s basic structure from the introduction alone.
• I used helpful transitions between main points (e.g. first of all, or similarly, etc.)
• Ideas flowed logically from one point to the next.
• A strong conclusion was present.
• The conclusion was a creative summary of my topic.
• The audience could distinguish the introduction, body, and conclusion.

Presentation Aids:

• Presentation aids were used during the speech.
• Presentation aids were relevant.
• Presentation aids enhanced the speech or reinforced main points.
• Presentation aids did not distract the audience.
• Presentation aids were creative.
• Visual aids were easy to read and hear.
• Audio aids were easy to hear.
• Presentation aids contained no spelling or grammar errors.

Delivery:

• I maintained eye-contact most of the time.
• I spoke to the entire audience, not just one or two people.
• My pronunciation was clear and easy to understand.
• My rate of speech was not too fast or too slow.
• My volume was not too loud or too soft.
• My body language was not too relaxed or too tense.
• My voice varied in pitch; it was not monotone.
• I used meaningful gestures.
• I used notes sparingly; I did not read from them.
• I didn’t use filler words (uhm, uh, ah, mm, like).
• I didn’t call attention to errors by apologizing.
• I didn’t fidget, rock back and forth, or pace.
• I maintained good posture.

Final: Checklist Rubric

Internet Workshop: Author's

I have found these websites to be very helpful in finding author websites that are appropriate for elementary age students. I am doing Project #1: Lesson plan on internet workshop for fourth grade students. Orginally I was going to have my students teach the kindergarten students the lesson and upon further invesitigation I have figured out that it would be more beneficial for my students to learn this long process on their own to get as much out of this as possible. I believe that literacy and the internet are a great combination and essential in learning effectively. Please look at the follwing websites that were available in Learning Module #1 provided by Dr. West.

Reading #1
Internet Workshop: Making Time for Literacy at
http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/RT/2-02_Column/index.html

Reading #2
The Internet in the Classroom at
http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/educational_technology/internet_in_class/

The first website on Reading #1 is where I found the link to the author websites. In the fourth grade curriculum we cover five of the Judy Blume books and I will be having students research and write a report on this author. They can also use this site to explore other author's and other fourth grade books.

Technology Standards

The following are some standards that my Internet workshop will address for my final project. Please help yourself to using some of these standards for your own lesson if you need help with standards.

1. Basic operations and concepts.
• Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
• Students are proficient in the use of technology.
2. Social, ethical, and human issues.
• Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology.
• Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
• Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
3. Technology productivity tools.
• Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
• Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
4. Technology communications tools.
• Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
• Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
5. Technology research tools
• Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
• Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
• Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
6. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools
• Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
• Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.

?Netvibes?

Netvibes probably is not my favorite when it comes to creating a webpage. I have had difficulties trying to email my webpage to Dr. West. People are not assigned a web link to send??? So many questions with this program. I do understand how to work the Universe, but it is not yet available. Anyone else feel confused?

Tek Words From a Mother

The following website is an informational website that contains buzzwords that a mother came up with for students all on technology. This has been useful with my classroom training/teaching to my fourth grade students. You can click on a "tek buzzword" and learn all about it. This site also allows you to explore the additional links found on each buzzword page to extend your learning....heck this was great for my own learning! I think everyone will benefit from this buzzword website. You can also print out materials like puzzles to see what you know after previewing the information. There are also credits and references to this page, which allows for the proper credibility. There are additional Internet resources available and printed books for further understanding of the words and related concepts. Check it it, you won't regret it.

http://www.tekmom.com/buzzwords/

Distance learning Today

You might want to check out the two links that are posted above my head on this blog. They are both Youtube videos that I have enjoyed. I enjoy traveling and found the London Heathrow video pretty "not so amazing."

Colbert Report

Sometimes I enjoy making up words just like Stephen Colbert. Thinger?- is usually the mouse, that's what fourth-grade students call it. Headphones- are usually called sponge foam ear covers, again, what fourth-grade students come up with. I think that it is important for the users/students of technology to use the proper and correct name for the gadget being used.....with that said, we do have fun making up our own words for the items used in our computer class.

The Colbert's Report

For my final project in IDT 516, I plan to do Project #1. I will be incorporating an Internet Workshop for fourth-grade students. The fourth-grade students will become the teacher of the workshop, once they have mastered the skill. They will then teach kindergarten students.