Software Aids for Reading Comprehension and Language Learning

Before reading this article in conjunction with this week's chapter, I never realized what a great help technology could be for those with problems in reading comprehension. This article speaks about how certain software programs can enable those who are either learning the English language, or mastering its mechanics to visualize what they're reading, dictate words they don't understand, or are unable to spell, and to learn how a word's sound is related to its "word-shape" as mentioned in the article. I think tools mentioned like Kurtzweil 3000 and Microsoft Reader could be really beneficial for use by special education teachers as well as ESL teachers. This is because when students can actively make connections when learning language, they can acquire it and commit it to memory more successfully than by pure memorization.
  Also, a few of the programs are able to save test results or data on the curriculum the students learn so as to track the development of their vocabulary. In this way, teachers can track their students' progress over time with little to no effort on their part when recording the students' grades. This article also highlights the idea that books in print are slowly fading in popularity due to technology like the Nook and Kindle, in which you can read electronically. It makes programs like the ones in the focus of the article seem as if they'll soon be implemented into many classrooms in the near future.
   I think aids like this are a terrific idea, because I feel that it's really difficult, especially for teachers of early elementary grades, to really give each of their students struggling with reading comprehension, the individual attention that they need. Even in the school I work in, there is a teacher on staff who's sole purpose is to aid those with reading difficulties daily by reinforcing their reading skills. Because this is such an ever increasing issue with students, many have to be taken out of the regular classroom for a significant amount of time. With software aids, however, I feel that students could learning in a more engaging and successful way and it would take up less time if used effectively.

http://www.ldaofmichigan.org/articles/early_intervention.pdf

Use of Clickers for Assessment

Last semester when I took Assessment, we were able to observe a third grade classroom that used clickers as an assessment tool for tests and quizzes. At the time, the students were taking a twenty question pretest on the new spelling unit they were beginning that week. I can still remember how excited they all were to use this new method. They could see who had answered the questions during the alloted time based on the numbers that corresponded with each clicker, which would turn red from green once each student submitted their answer. To some of them, it was like a race to see who could answer the question most quickly and accurately. I liked the fact that the teacher could also directly view the statistics concerning how many of her students came upon the correct answer. Also, since the data was electronically saved, the teacher could look it up later on in an organized gradebook format rather than grading tests given out and written by hand. The teacher said that this method was one that the students found very engaging and enjoyable, and it saved her alot of time on grading so often. I believe that the more frequently we see systems like this used in the classroom, the more commonplace they'll become, and it wouldn't surprise me if eventually every school system used this as the most popular method of assessment, even for the youngest of students.

I liked this video link concerning smart clickers: http://youtu.be/xnVN3OxWBQE

Interactive Projectors in the Classroom

I was looking up different videos on youtube today related to teaching and technology and came across a promotional video for a Boxlight ProjectoWrite Interactive projector. Basically, it works exactly like a regular projector, except you can write directly on the screen, like you would using your mouse with Microsoft Paint. I think this would be a great idea for elementary school students, because unlike a simple overhead projector, they don't have to manipulate the object being projected, but they can write directly where the image is projected, just like on a whiteboard. For instance, if you were teaching a lesson on corrective writing, the teacher and the students could take turns correcting mistakes on an example using this tool. If they were learning new math concepts, they could write directly on the worksheet or website page they were viewing without even having one on hand. If they make a mistake in the corrections or when writing answers, they can simply erase and start over. Also this could be a great tool to help students to collaborate with one another through discussion, and it helps with their visual and kinesthetic skill building. I would love to be able to have a tool like this in my classroom for nearly every subject.

Digital Storytelling Video

Another one of the projects that we created that I enjoyed making was our digital storytelling project. What I liked about this project is that we were able to display any topic in the video that we found could be of educational value to the students or one that could be applicable in the classroom. And I thought this was one of the best ideas for teaching curriculum just because almost every child I know would rather watch a video or television program as a source for learning than the traditional lecture formatting the classroom provides. In this way the students are learning without knowing they're learning, because they're being entertained while also being fed viable information.
  I decided to do my project on the peoples and culture of the Dominican Republic to expose students to what daily life is like for people in a third world country. I think as young students, it's hard for elementary school students to understand what life is like outside their own personal "bubble" of experience. I also think that it is key for all students to learn about ways of life different from their own, as classrooms are becoming more and more culturally diverse as time progresses. Therefore, students need to be continually aware and accepting of those who have different practices, beliefs, and customs as they do.
   Also, too often in the U.S., I find that students don't realize how fortunate they are to live the way that they do and have an education readily available to them to give them more opportunities in the future. By seeing my video, my students would understand that an education is not something to take for granted, because in impoverished countries like the D.R., education at any level is a privilege and many students take great enthusiasm in going to school everyday.
  Overall, however I wanted the premise of the video to be that, although I have shown many cultural, geographic, and economic differences, many of the people there are not unlike us. This is to encourage them to embrace all types of people, instead of bullying those they don't understand or don't get along with. Bullying and disrespect I think is something much too prevalent in today's school system, and the more we teach our students tolerance and the ability to harness and be confident in their individuality, the better the learning experience will be for all students.
  When creating my video, I found the slideshow portion very easy to make...I simply put the photos in the order I wanted them to appear with the appropriate caption. However, I accidently deleted the photo album from Picasa somehow because I transferred my pictures to my documents, and I had to upload the photos a second time. Then when the time came for me to add the music file, I did so with little effort, but i was unable to figure out how to loop the music or make the timing sync with the photos, which I found frustrating, because the song ends and the rest of the video continues playing for a little less than half the viewing time.
  Although it had its pitfalls, I liked making this project because I turned a collection of photos from a mission trip into something I could legitimately use in the classroom that touches on many different subject areas (however brief) like geology, history, and language. It's also something that I can predict many culturally diverse, ELL, and ESL students would appreciate because it's purpose is to help students embrace and respect those of other cultures.
 

Glogster Poster

When making our Glogster poster, I found it one of the most enjoyable projects to create in this class, as well as one that could be most beneficial to students as a learning tool. It reminded me of what visual aids on teachers' corkboards look like, except an interactive form that students can use to learn or study about a specific topic they've learned in class. I think students would find it easier to retain the information if it was presented in this way, because it requires the student to participate in the learning experience in a variety of ways and they can go back and reference it as much as they would like. It's also a great tool for auditory and visual learners, because they can use a video, song, or sound clip to understand a concept rather than just reading or writing about it. If students were able to learn how to use Glogster and create their own as a project, I think it would be a great way for students to learn from one another, like a collaboration. It's also a tool to boost peer interaction as well, which is always something we strive for in teaching. The more a class feels like a community or family, the better and more welcoming the classroom environment.
   I found this project quite enjoyable to make because you could add any type of media that you wanted, and it was interesting how many different things I found that all related to my topic. I wished the poster were larger so that I could have been able to fit more information onto it! It was surprising how simple it was to download things right to the poster, from anywhere whether it be a website, your personal files, or databases that they already had available. You can go in and alter what you've posted at any time in case something doesn't work or you don't like what you've done as much as you anticipated. I liked that you also had alot of different options in choosing backgrounds, clip art, and fonts too because you could add your own artistic creativity and not one poster was alike or even covered the same concept. Also, you could literally post about anything you wanted your students to learn, there was no limit to what type of information you posted or to what it pertained.
   I can definitely see myself using this as a tool in my classroom, as well as something that I want my students to create in order to learn in a unique way. I'm the type of person that likes to think "outside of the box" so projects like this one are ideal for me. I want to make another!

Using MS Excel

I have never used Microsoft Excel and have dreaded using it since I found out we were going to learn how with our latest assignment. I've tried using it before to organize information, but could never understand how to change the width and length of the rows and columns, how to select the data, and especially not how to organize numerical data into different types of charts. Until I had to try, I surprised myself with how easy it was once I started experimenting. I pressed a few buttons here and there and found short cuts I didn't know about previously. However, I ran into a huge speedbump when I accidently deleted my gradebook chart. Because it was the data that all the other charts were based off of, I had to start over again from the very beginning. Talk about stressful! I was almost done and everything was gone. I redid the assignment much more quickly, but I'm unsure as to whether I followed the directions as carefully as the first time.
     I find it just as easy to completely undo your progress as it is to make it, which I feel is a unique attribute to technology. Although it's meant to alleviate human error, it sometimes leaves us no room to make mistakes. This has taught me to be extremely careful and pay close attention when working with multiple tabs.

My Learning Experiences with Technology

Before taking this course, I really only used my computer to post on Facebook, surf the net shopping, or use Microsoft Word to write an essay or two. Throughout this course I have learned how both effortless and frustrating the use of technology can become. Much to my surprise, I've enjoyed using it, and somehow wish there was a similar course to take in the future of my college career. I've found that, with a little guidance, I've been able to utilize aspects of technology to harness my creativity and make projects that I can use as an educator, but also have students use as a tool for learning. I've learned through viewing others projects that the way one individual perceives making a video, interactive poster, or website can be different from others but that they're all unique to their creator. In my opinion, this relates creative expression through technology to that of art. Initially, I never anticipated making such a connection, because I've always had such a negative view of technology; however, I've realized that with more mastery comes greater successes and greater opportunity to share your ideas and talents with others. I've enjoyed being exposed to all types of uses and I'm glad to know I'm becoming more tech-literate with the passing days. I'm excited to see what other techniques I can learn in the coming weeks!