Thing #6 3 educational posts

I subscribed to 3 educational posts:
1) The first one is "web-blogged" by Will Richardson. I picked it because it was highly recommended and I really liked the post he made about being a problem solver instead of an excuse maker. http://weblogg-ed.com/2010/yeah-youve-got-problems-so-solve-them/
2) The second one was Anne Davis's blog. She seems to be on the "bleeding edge" of blogging in the classroom. There were several like that to choose from, but what made my mind was how she had her dog blog to students. I could so do this! My critters, 3 horses and 2 dogs, could have a blog! http://anne.teachesme.com/2010/03/19/a-tribute-to-harley/
3) The third blog I chose was a reading specialist blog. I chose this because it gives detailed information, based on research, about how to help struggling readers, complete with lesson ideas and websites to use with every aspect of reading instruction. This blog link is: http://www.readingspecialistblog.com/phonemic-awareness/how-should-phonemic-awareness-be-taught-to-beginning-readers/.
Within this site were three links to online books that I'd like to use in the classroom next year. Those links are:
http://www.mightybook.com/story_books.html These books although read aloud are also animated. Children will have fun with them but may lose focus on the manner in which they are read.http://www.storylineonline.net/ This is a site sponsored by the Screen Actor’s Guild and offers books read by actors such as James Earl Jones and Melissa Gilbert, and Tia & Tamera Mowry.http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet/bookzone/read_aloud_stories.htm This site offers both the traditional reading of stories and story songs and raps.

Thing #5, Hatching our own ducks at Gray!

There is a catch & release pond with ducks, and at least 2 sets of baby ducks, next door to the Balch Springs Public Library - walking distance from Gray. I just found a Texas A&M resource for hatching baby ducks in the classroom. http://www.backyardchickens.com/media/b-5084.pdf This gives information on how to get started from "scratch". I am going to look into this. I think the students, and me too, would love this! Plus I could share portions of the duck blog that exists with my students as an example for them, and me, to follow as we set up our own duck diaries. Here is another useful website from another 3rd grade classroom that hatched chicken and goose eggs: http://www.plrd.ab.ca/sites/hps/classrooms/gordon/egg.htm.

I think the reader is pretty cool. It will save a lot of search time because I can go to one place to get lots of information that I routinely look up.

Thing #4

I read five blogs. Two of my favorites that I will subscribe / follow are http://http://duckdiaries.edublogs.org/ (Duck with a Blog) and http://http://blog.woodward.edu/ps_edmison/ (Mrs. Edmison's Class / Eagle's Nest Radio News). I played around with the Gliffy website and made a graphic organizer to set out my thoughts more fully. Please click on this link, http://www.gliffy.com/publish/2150725/ , for the graphic organizer. Does MISD have an account with Gliffy.com for the teachers/students to use?

Thing #2

Thing 2 Response

My mind is spinning when I think of all the ways I could use technology with my students. The only obstacle I see would be lack of computer availability. If I could have only 4 laptops in my room at all times, I could make this work in a station format. Just going to the lab once a week for 45 minutes will not be enough.

Here are my thoughts:

Reading

*Use a blog to record literature circle conversations. I could post higher level questions that cause the students to defend their answers from text evidence as needed.
*Students could choose/I could assign books to read per reading level and students could discuss the story and/or characters in a blog.
*Link websites to provide background / integrated information to both fiction and nonfiction texts.*Use a format to gather, sort, store and share information for research projects (in lieu of huge butcher paper charts)
*Reader’s Theater, audio and video, in a posted podcast that could be viewed by parents
*We could set up a blog centered on a novel study, and I could integrate my varied literature circle activities into the blog.

Writing

*Students could work collaboratively to compose (and peer tutor) literary pieces such as:
-letters to other students outside of Gray (e.g., college students, foreign students, students from various regions of Texas)
-research reports-narratives
*treasure hunts: I like to use “sparkling text” to illustrate similes, metaphors, quotation marks, well-written sentences to copy change, and “million dollar words”; a class list could be made as a reference tool with links to offer help with specific grammar issues that 4th graders face.

*have the students take part in composing the weekly newsletter that goes home to parents; students could work in groups and be in charge of a variety of sections. This would probably boost attention to the weekly newsletter by parents as well.

Social Studies / Science / Math

*Research as noted above
*Provide a place for a variety of leveled links that teach related concepts (we called these “hot links” as Beasley) that students can refer to for background information, extensions, differentiation, tutoring assistance
*Math - provide a place for students to illustrate and caption math concepts to help others

Another concern is that it seems a small percentage of our Gray families have computers at home. But, that is all the more reason in my mind to use technology heavily in the classroom. I have seen how the use of Comic Life and podcasts added excitement and engagement to learning. I believe that technology, when a student knows he/she can create something on the computer to share with others, is a huge learning motivator. I have also learned that students pick up on new technology incredibily fast. I don't have to be an expert before I teach my students. When I let them "play" with, for example, Comic Life, they helped each other, and me, learn it faster.

Thing#1

The most challenging habit will be not getting frustrated with computer glitches. I know there will be some . . . so far so good though.

The easiest habit, as a lifelong learner, is making time to attend to this class. I get all my outside stuff done (jogging, taking care of horses, giving riding lessons, yard work) done in the morning so that leaves the hottest time of day, the afternoon, to focus on 2.0 stuff. Plus, this is when my house is the quietest.

The most important habit as I work through this course is to journal what I am learning so that I will remember how to do this with my students. I also want to keep a list of ideas of ways to use this technology in my classroom. Creative technology is a great motivator for learning.