School is the same everywhere

Animation: Educated Fish


Animation: Educated Fish

Schools is the same everywhere.

Virtual Field Trip

Have you ever considered going on a Virtual field trip? It's cost effective, saves time , you can do it in the privacy of your classroom, so much more manageable and of course your class will want to go again and again. In many of our schools students come to us disadvantaged wither because of family situations or income.Many of them have a little pre-knowledge beyond home and what they experience at school, an outing is like a vacation. The only way we can expose them to culture and the many experiences life has to offer is to take them on Virtual Field trips.This wealth of information that they can gain from visiting museums, or even virtual exhibits can create in them a desire to want to know more about the world and lead them to navigate going on these field trips on their own time. It lends to student motivation and can be transferred later when the formal lesson beings in class, they will now have information on which they can draw on for discussions and more important for writing assignments. My English teacher always tools us, to write what we knew, what we were familiar with. If we do not give them the experiences, what would they draw upon?
Check out this site.

http://www.theteachersguide.com/virtualtours.html#Museums

CellPhone Classroom

In all our discussions on using Technology in the classroom I must admit that I have not seen anyone Blog about using the Cellphone to conduct assignments and for during the class time. Yes I know that the MOE has regulations concerning having and use of the cellphone , but we know that as soon as miss/sir steps out of the classroom the hands start texting and for the students with a blackberry e-mails are on the go. It has even gotten to the stage where one Cellular service provided has included the ability to check facebook and twitter updates form their cellphones. We can use this to our advantage, I have successfully used the cellphone for vocabulary and spelling quizes, for creating sentences and in the instance where I have written a sentence using the text writing on the board and have students text the sentence in the Re-corrected Standard English format.It can be used in science to capture picture data of experiments for data to show progress and even the event in Social studies where the students used the camera to capture picture of cultural events, festivals and school activities for their coursework portfolio. In this case I may not need the use of the laptop to create short stories, the students can capture photos from which they can write.

http://www.cellphonesinlearning.com/
This site shows how the Cell Phone can be changed from Toy to Tool.

I have listed here from the site some ways students think that the cellphone can be useful.
* Look up information on Internet
* Record or take notes
* Work on projects with classmates
* Access digital textbooks
* Take videos of class presentations or experiments
* Play educational games
* Communicate with classmates
* Receive reminders and alerts
* Organize schoolwork
* Communicate with teacher
* Learn about school activities
* Access social networks
* Create and share documents/media
* Upload assignments and work to portals
* Coordinate calendars
* Share/edit bookmarks

The article by McKenna and Walpole from the International reading association, How well does assessment inform our reading instruction, 84-86, was very significant as I am faced in my institution with teachers who do not take time to ensure that their students are authentically assessed.

The article looks at assessment and the impact that it has on classroom instruction. They looked at teacher practice where there was a planned and structured form of assessment and one in which the teacher has no formal training to deal with assessment.

In the school where there was no formal plan of action the teacher who does not have school or district support is constrained by time and experience in the field of assessment. In the situations when assessment was administered, the teacher was also unable to adequately analyze the information. As such they were not able to identify specifically which students needed instruction and what format it should take. The teacher here operated on a trial by error basis, thus many students were not receiving the instruction needed. In contrast the teacher who was trained and followed a Reading First model supported by all the stakeholders involved was able to successfully use the diagnostic tests and gauge for the data collected whether instruction and intervention methods were working. Despite the success in gathering the data, there was no continuous support provided in the form of extensive professional development for the instructors involved.

It is important to note that schools which adopt a Reading First model are able to gather valuable data to determine instruction. It is not enough however to simply collect data. What is important in these schools and those without such a program is the fact that teachers who are experts in reading will be successful in meeting the needs of struggling reading if they are continually supported in the form of professional development. As such schools must have a formalized Reading program and the Intervention and Assessment methods to ensure the best for their students.

Illiteracy in the Content Area Classroom

L Alger the article Engaging student teachers’ hearts and minds in the struggle to address (ill) literacy in content area classrooms examines the use of the Literature Circle format as an avenue for creating awareness of the social issues with pre-service teachers. It takes into consideration that many content area teachers are not trained in the techniques of content area literacy. They see themselves as being specifically responsible for delivering content and that learning to read was a task that students would have mastered at the elementary school level. Alger notes that many content area teachers employed comprehension as a teaching/learning task but did not strategically teach comprehension skills. The article lists several obstacles to literacy instruction in the content area classes which include the view held by teachers that literacy is a method that is “apolitical”. Additionally the socio-economic characteristics on many teachers made them far removed from the situations faced by the struggling reader. As such these teachers held no priority for the necessity of integrating literacy into their content area.

The Literature circle format was thus developed for pre-service teachers to alter their perceptions with regards to literacy and it s importance in their classroom. They were thus sensitized into understanding the challenges. The activities led to teachers reading literature connect to the themes of literacy and social justice. They were exposed to literature circles and the methods which they would use to implement them into their classrooms later on. This experience led to the teachers reflecting on the need for literacy and the connections for life and the role it performs in their specific content area. The responses at the end of the program seemed sincere but it may be that the teachers gave the expected response within the experience of the Literature circle necessary to complete the course.

Seven Principles

In the article Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever, Chickering and Ehrman discuss Seven guiding principles when implementing the use of Technology into the classroom and Educational Process.

1. Encourages Contact Between Staff and Students

The frequent the interaction between students and the staff in and out of the classroom, the more motivated and involved some students become. They are more likely to share resources and ideas, especially those who are reluctant to ask questions. The time for response between assignment and questions answered is also dramatically reduced. According to the article, participation and contribution become more equitable and widespread.

2. Develops reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students.

Learning through technology now becomes a collaborative effort. This cooperative style increases learning and deepens understanding. It teaches skills such as problem solving and being able to synthesize large pieces of information.

3. Uses Active Learning Techniques.

The Web-2.0 technologies encourage active learning. The transfer of information and activity has shifted from teacher to student.

4. Gives Prompt Feedback.

It allows both the teacher and the student to identify what they know and don’t know. The technology can also be used to record students writing process/ journey for a budding writer or even help an athlete to look at video and criticize technique.

5. Emphasizes Time on Task.

The technology can save time with editing or have classes via pod casting or video conferencing. It can allow for easy data retrieval.

6. Communicates High Expectations.

When students are expected to deliver excellence, the technology allows the student to feel a level of creativity and accomplishment when their work is published.

7. Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning

Our students come with varied talents and pre-knowledge, the technology caters for their diverse learning styles and allows for dynamic forms of assessment.