Race to the Top Starts on the Bottom

I sometimes forget Hawaii is part of our fifty-nifty United States. They're not exactly attached to us and they are so beautiful and resort like that one would only think they are in paradise. Unfortunately, for locals, paradise has its usual regime too, and schools are part of that regime. After reading "Race to Top Winners Under Gun to Keep Commitments" I learned that due to inadequate progress, Hawaii is in the risk of loosing government grant funding of $75 million. Hawaii has already used $3.8 million of this $75 which will put them in even more of a crisis. It was said in the article that, "Revoking a grant is a rare occurrence for the Education Department, but it's been done before" (23). So let me get this straight, now that Hawaii is having a hard time bringing up test scores, their grant will be revoked to teach them a lesson? Why would the government take money from a state that needs it the most? It would be like me giving all the students who received an A on the spelling quiz, a cheat sheet for next weeks quiz, while the ones who failed have to just study harder. Am I missing something? I think they should keep their grant because they obviously need the money to fund school that are failing. With the money, they can hire reformers or someone from the outside to help the schools in need rise to their penitential.

The "Flip Model"

The "Flip Model" is a teaching style that enables students to work at home on their math lessons, by watching lectures and using the interactive software at their own pace. This model was created by a Salmon A. Khan who founded Khan Academy, a non-profit online tutoring library. Khan's original goal was to help his relatives with their homework. The benefits of working on line is that the student can do it away from school, or even on sick days. With more time available for classroom instruction, teachers can use class time to involve students in more hands-on activities, like Susan Kramer's biology class in Gwinnett School of Math, Science, and Technology in Lawrenceville, Ga. (Photo Below)

Another benfit to having on line lessons is that teachers can monitor student's progress. Teachers can assess where a student needs more practice or where a student took the most time in learning. In this video, you can hear the teacher's perspective on the flip model, and how it has helped them to assess their student's learning.

The Gates Notes: Teachers in Los Altos

As an English teacher, I am curious to see how developments in the flip method will take to teaching language arts. In the past, I have implemented discussion boards and blogging to the classroom, which makes it easier to read and assess students discussions. I would also enjoy having the extra time in class to perform plays, create projects, go on field trips and simply read to my students.When I first started teaching, I thought having the students read to the class was an important part of developing their presenting skills, but I have learned that students become very engaged when I read because I do it with intonation. When I put different voices into the characters and different feelings, the story becomes alive.

Lectures Are Homework in Schools Following KhanAcademy Lead

The Marshmallow Test

I immediately liked this article because I read the word marshmallow. But in a closer reading I learned that the article wasn't in fact about making smores or incorporating treats into the classroom (I know it's bad but I can't help but make my famous brownies when there is an occasion). I digress, the article is really about concentration.

A group of four-year-olds were told if they waited fifteen minutes before they ate a presented marshmallow, they would get two marshmallows in return. Shockingly, "fewer then one in three children passed the so-called 'marshmallow test'" (Sparks 20). The follow up on this research proved that the children who were able to withhold on eating the treat "were more likely to do well in school, avoid substance abuse, maintain a healthy weight (probably because they can look at a marshmallow and not eat it), and even perform better on the SAT then peers who couldn't resist temptation" (20).

Interestingly, the same students were tested years later as an adult. Rather then testing the adults with treats, which may not hold as much gratification to an adult, the testers were tested with images of of happy, fearful and neutral faces. In response to a happy face, the tester is told to press a button. When the objective changes and the tester is asked not to press a button at all, the students who ate the marshmallow as a child were more frequently the one's who were pressing the gratifying button. What does this all mean? "Sensitivity to environmental cues influences individual's ability to suppress thoughts and actions, such that control systems may be 'hi-jacked' by primitive limbic system, rendering control systems unable to appropriately modulate behavior"(20). Now say that ten times, fast. What I gather from the quote is that students who have a low threshold for restraint tend to have less self control in the classroom, looking for the next pleasurable stimuli. A possible solution to this self control issue is giving students definite social cues. An example given would be to give children a picture of an ear when they need to be listening or a picture of a mouth when they are asked to speak.

This reminds me of the first time I tried to teach debate in my classroom. Can you imagine a group of eight graders learning to debate for the first time? It was quiet a debacle. What I learned was that the students needed tangible guild lines as well as something tangible to display who was speaking. When the students understood that each debate group had to take turns in making their argument, it was easy to incorporate a spokesperson with a 'microphone' to speak. If another member from the other party spoke without the microphone, a point will be taken off from the whole team. Another go at the debate and the class learned to speak in turn and listen respectfully in order to articulate their next debate move.

Work Cited

The Art of Listening

Listening is a part of communication that needs to be practiced and developed just as much as speaking. We spend countless lessons focusing on students ability to speak, read, and present in front of a classroom. However, we should not overlook communications ugly step sister, listening. To become excellent learners we must become excellent listeners. In the article, "Several Ways to Help Students Become Better Listeners" Larry Ferlazzo touches on the idea of creating lessons based on students listening skills. Ferlazzo suggests having the students react to research results about listening skill, but any teacher can personalize a lesson to benefit the task at hand. For example, if you are creating a fun activity for the students around Christmas time, something you can do is have them listen to your verbal instructions while they create something (they don't know what it is) out of paper and other tools. The object of this activity is to listen to the teacher's verbal instructions while they make the project. At the end of the activity, they will be please to find they created a Christmas tree (or something of that nature).

Other simpler activities can include a lesson on manners. You can teach your students table manners after reading, Alice in Wonderland, or Mansfield Park. They must listen to their fellow classmates with polite commentary while they sip tea. They will be graded on politeness, pose, creativity (some students may want to dress up) and knowledge of the other speakers as well as knowledge of the book.

The fun part comes in when the students get to test each other on what they discussed. They become the teachers and they must see if their peer were listening.

First Year Teacher

Despite the premise of the article, which is to say that the inevitable reality of your first year of teaching will include a roller coaster of emotions, I still wish I was entering a new school as a teacher. I am happy to hear that my friend Mia has gotten a position in Virginia, although I hope she doesn't read the attached article so as to not implant this idea in her brain.

In Ellen Moir's Article, Phases of First-Year Teaching, she notes that the anticipation phase begins in students teaching. The student teacher tends to "romanticize" the role of teacher; "New teachers enter with a tremendous commitment to making a difference and a somewhat idealistic view of how to accomplish their goals." I must agree that there is a certain safety net to student teaching. As I wrote about in a past blog, a student stole my cell phone, which thankfully was recovered due to my savvy cooperating teacher. It was thankful to have her support me and I will always remember the experience as a lesson learned. Student teaching also made it possible for me to check every assignment, every test, and lesson plan with my co-op. Although, some schools provide a mentor to pair a first year teacher with (someone obviously in the same field), other schools do not provide such services, which is something you might want to ask in your interview. This brings us to the survival stage where the new teacher may "spend up to seventy hours a week on schoolwork." Teachers in this stage often feel overwhelmed because they lack the tailored lesson plans veteran teachers collect over the years. This brings us to the disillusionment phase of the year. In this phase, "new teachers begin questioning both their commitment and their competence." The article talks about how the added stress of meeting the parents on back to school night gives new teachers more anxiety on their already vulnerable esteem. This coupled with the stress of maintaining classroom management and upholding a challenging and interesting curriculum begins to challenge the new teacher's dedication.

Thankfully, in January, the new teacher begins to feel rejuvenated, after a winter break, he/she can prepare for the next curriculum with a better understanding of the students needs and a more stable routine. Finally, the reflection stage allows a teacher to look back at the year and make plans for the next year, knowing what worked well, what needs changing and what could be thrown away. This in turn allows a teacher to go back to the anticipation stage, feeling confident for next year's curriculum.

If you'd like to read more about the stages of a first-year teacher, the articles are attached below.

Phases of First-Year Teaching

First Year-Teaching Roller Coaster

Anne Frank Play

I pride myself on my stress free attitude toward most daily activities, but for some reason I was panicking this week. After reading "The Diary of Anne Frank," my final project with the students was to perform a scene of their choosing. This was no easy feet. I had to play director because I quicly found out that this wasn't the kind of activity I could just assign and let them run the show while I sat pretty and drank a latte. No, I spent a week working on this. We put our blood, sweat, and tears into the scene. The kids had fun dressing up and taking on different roles. They really understood the psyche of the characters in the play, which is exactly what I wanted out of the play. The only problem was, our classes kept canceling due to chorus rehearsal. I had to push back the play date several times. This was a terrible inconvenience for the history class that was going to come down to watch the performance. Then I had to reschedule with both my mentors. Prof. C ended up seeing the play but my other professor came on a FRIDAY before a BREAK during THE LAST PERIOD OF THE DAY. I was a little stressed for all those reasons.

Finally I have spring break! The only problem I have now is my fixed sleeping habits. I am extremely tired when everyone else is out and about. Lets suppose I do manage to stay up until 1am. I sleepily drive home and lay on top of my bed for a moment. I not long after I sit down, I fall asleep with my clothes on and possibly even my shoes. If my boyfriend tired to help me with any of my garments, I become agitated and even start to cry (So he says). The sad thing is, every morning when I wake up for school I bargain with the alarm to let me sleep a little while longer and yet the menacing alarm heckles and taunts me until I do finally wake up. On my days off however, I wake up at 6am (right on time!) and then realize I can sleep in. Now that I have NOTHING to wake up for I can not go back to sleep for the life of me. Then I become angry at the fact I cannot go back to sleep and bustle out of bed in a fury. That concludes my weekend. I hope you all do not have the same problems as I do although they are quiet comical now that I look back at it all.

Hunky Chunk the Pink Elephant

I needed a short story to model to my students. I wrote this to show them how to grab the reader's attention with the use of dialogue. I liked the story so much I think I will add to it whenever I need to show them an example of a style of writing.

Andree's Illustrations

Hunky Chunk the Pink Elephant

Chapter One: The Fatal Bus Ride

I have a pink elephant named, Hunky Chunk. He goes with me everywhere. He sits with me at breakfast and eats apple slices. He drinks warm tea by dipping his long snout into the saucer. Hunky also comes to school with me, hopping on the bus and buckling his seatbelt. We sat together and admired the scenery when one day, a boy began to bother us.

“Why are you bringing that stupid doll to school?” Joey asked me.

“He’s not stupid!” I protested. “He’s my friend.”

“Hey everyone, look! Mary has a stuffed animal!” All the kids turned their head to see the spectacle. Hunky Chunk and I sat in our seat with our arms crossed; no one was going to bully us!

“Hey guys let’s play keep away,” said Joey, snatching up my pink stuffed animal. I could see the fear in Hunky’s glass eyes. He went sailing from one side of the bus to the other as the mean boys were throwing him left and right.

“Give him back to me!” I wailed. “He has very sensitive limbs,” I pleaded. I could see Hunky’s floppy limps flailing like birds wings.

“Oh, did you hear that everyone? Her dolly has sensitive limbs,” Joey repeated mockingly.

“I mean it!” I yelled again.

I ran from one end of the bus to the other, trying desperately to catch my poor Hunky Chunk. He was so scared. Hunky was very old and couldn’t withstand too many acrobatics.

After a few minutes of playing monkey in the middle, Joey began to get tired.

“Ok, guys, let’s give Mary her doll back,” he finally said. He whispered something in one of the boy’s ears and began wrestling him for the elephant.

“Don’t worry Mary, I’ll give him back to you, I promise,” Joey yelled in between labored breaths.

“Oh, please! You’re going to rip him!” I was almost crying at this point.

I heard a rip, then a click.

Everything fell silent.

“Hunky?” I called, my voice a mere whisper.

“Um, here you go. I promised I’d give him back.” Joey handed me the remains of my beloved animal. What was left was a ripped arm and a missing eyeball. That must have been the click sound.

The bus stopped and everyone ran off and marched into school, everybody besides Hunky Chunk and I.

“Look what they did to you Hunky Chunk,” I cried.

“Cough, cough, it’s getting dark,” Hunky said with a frail voice.

“Does it hurt?” I asked.

“Pain? Pain is the crutch of the weak,” Hunky said bravely.

“You are so strong Hunky. Is their anything I can do for you?”

“Cough, cough, find my eyeball, then we will get vengeance.”

“Vengeance? What do you mean Hunky Chunk? You have a crazy look in your eye,” I was beginning to feel scared of Hunky Chunk. He wasn’t himself right now.

“That’s right, vengeance. I know people. Stuffed animal people. Just so happens that Joey’s leopard Jasper lives down the street. We’re going to kidnap him.”

I listened to Hunky’s plan while I fixed his eye and readjusted his torn arm. Hunky changed on the bus that day, I could see that. We began to devise a plan to get back at Joey while we walked inside for school.

The iPhone Thief

That Monday I told all the students that I "lost my iPhone" and that if anyone finds it, there is a reward. I implied a money reward by rubbing my fingers together but I had no intention of paying them.

After an entire day, no one turned in the phone. I was packing up to leave when a student came up to me...

"Miss Hajjar?"

"Yes, Mike?" I asked.

"Some people were talking during lunch and they said Jimmy stole your phone."

"Thank you, Mike." He seemed like he wanted to say more or now that I think about it, he might have been waiting for the reward. Mike, being a reliable source, gave me the confidence to immediately addressed the class the next day with a different prerogative.

"Okay everyone, being that I don't have my phone yet, we are going to do this. I am going to give you each a white envelope. Everyone has to put something in this envelope. It can be paper, cardboard, a note, whatever. The one condition is, the person who has the phone needs to put the phone in the envelope. Get it?" After about five more explanations they understood, although some began filling it in class. "No, no, no, this must be done at home and returned to me as your entrance slip. Understand?" I got some weary nods and we went back to our work.

Later that day, I approached Jimmy. I told him he MUST bring the iPhone in the next day.

The next morning when he didn't show up, my cooperating teacher, who is awesome, called his father, explained the whole situation and Jimmy was forced to bring it in after lunch. That is the story of the iPhone thief. I'm glad to have my phone back. I really learned a lesson with this situation and it's to not set students up for disaster. I should have never had the phone exposed in the fist place.

Another lesson I learned is to change my facebook name. One of my students sent me a friend request, which I immediately rejected. However, I wasn't completely unscathed by this encounter. I was forced to see the photo under his name, which had this particular student, lets call him Olly, with his shirt off, looking into the camera seductively. I will never look at him the same and I can not undo the damage that appalling picture did to me.

(The students names have been changed for privacy)

The iPhone Thief

My iPhone was stolen during class one afternoon. I know it was stolen during class because I had just used it before the class started and I put it in my briefcase. Unfortunately, my briefcase was open, exposing the shiny new iPhone.

You don't know the turmoil one goes though when they loose a devise they are so accustomed to having on their side. It feels like an appendage someone just lost; they keep reaching to itch it, but its not there.

I kept reaching for my iPhone, but every time I found a vast emptiness in the spot where it used to be, safely tucked in my purse. I went though the stages of grief.

Denial: I searched far and wide for my phone. I looked in every crevice in that classroom. Then I looked in the bathroom stall , the office mailbox, the teachers lounge fridge and everywhere else I went that day. I thought, for a brief moment, that it couldn't have been stolen, not by my students.

Anger: The janitor happened to walk in at this point. I realized it was stolen after all my tracks had been retraced. I feel bad for the guy, because after I shouted at him that my phone was stolen, I skipped bargaining and went straight to depression.

Depression: I couldn't make it to the Principals office because my eyes were filled with soggy tears. I went to the phone store and began the last stage of grief.

Acceptance: I told the helpful people at AT&T that it had been stolen. They made me laugh and asked me questions about teaching, which made me feel better. I ended up turning on my old blackberry.

The key to rescuing my iPhone was that I had all weekend to think about how I was going to handle it when I went back to school. I have to admit, anyone else would have handled it wrong. I was the perfect person to have my phone stolen. To be continued...

Using Jing

Jing makes it possible to explain technical lessons that students may have trouble navigating through without the teacher. With Jing, the teacher is able to show the students anything from creating a power-point presentation to locating information on the school web site. Jing also makes it possible for students to work together on projects that involve collaboration on line or through the net. This way students can have better feedback without confusing written instruction.

Jing is also very easy to use. You can download the application for free on Jing's website then watch the tutorial to understand how to use Jing. It is very simple. Jing makes it possible to to share information immediately, by sending it to an online chat buddy. You can also snap a picture of an image and save it to your computer. My favorite aspect is that you can narrate the clip to have the receiver better understand the concepts they are watching. All of these presentations can be saved on your Jing history, on to your computer. This way, you have a backup, if you want to refer to you Jing presentation again in the future.

Jing can be used for so many purposes. I would like to become so accustomed to Jing so that my friends and peers all know and use it as well. If everyone I collaborate with uses Jing, I feel as though a lot more work can be accomplished efficiently. For example, I have benefited from Jing in the past as I have watched many of Prof. Bigsby's tutorial. I don't think I would have been able to get through all of the web related assignments if it hadn't been for Jing and Prof. Bigsby's help.

Some things I would use Jing for as a teacher is explaining specific technology to my students. I know the first time using a web site, technical source or media can be challenging. It's hard to self teach technology too. This is why Jing should be an important part of a teacher's lesson. If something was explained in class, but a student still is not understanding the technology aspect of the lesson, they can refer back to the teacher's Jing presentation for extra support.

Other uses, like cooperative teaching, can be made easy with Jing. Teacher's can see what other teachers are working on, in their field or apart from their field. This can support integrated teaching which gives students a sense of connectivity between all the subjects they are learning.

Integrated Lesson

Integrated Lesson

Description of the proposed learning activity: The class is learning about three different literary works and how they all collectively connect. The first is a short story by Kate Chopin, called “The Story of an Hour,” which the student will have read for class already. The class will summarize the story as a warm up. This will be done on their individual laptops. They will also be asked to find any photographs that they find helpful for the readings. For example, picture of the author often helps readers remember some of the background information. Next, in groups will go through guided reading questions. This can be done in groups or as a class. Then, we will be reading a poem by Langston Hues, entitled Dream Deferred. For this, we will be showing a Nike Commercial that dubs the poem in the background. Next, we will be listening to a song by Tracy Chapman, entitled, Fast Car. Students will have time for open discussion and questions. Last we will be creating our own Diamante poem as a class. A program on the Internet enables us to go through each individual step of the poem with the class. That will complete our lesson on expression and the many forms it comes in.

learning objectives: The purpose of this lesson is to introduce a small variety of literatures that show different forms of expression, while showing the connectivity between the works as a whole. The learning activities are geared to support individuality as well as the arts. The class also supports a cross connection of other subjects. For example, learning about Langston Hues involves history, while Tracy Chapman’s song touches on music, arts, and poetry. The activities in this class will involve students in collaborative learning. They must work in groups to complete the guided reading questions, then work all together for the diamante poem exercise. The use of technology is evident throughout the period, integrating technology as a main asset of learning in this lesson.

Specific curriculum objectives:

English Standard:

B. Writing as a Product (resulting in a formal product or publication)

3.2.12.B.1 Analyzing characteristics, structures, tone, and features of language of selected genres and apply this knowledge to own writing.

This standard is important to this lesson plan as the lesson applies complex concepts that go beyond literal meaning of work. This lesson also applies to different types of works that the students will need to recognize and conceptualize.

3.2.12.B.3 Draft a thesis statement and support/defend it through highly developed ideas and content, organization, and paragraph development.

This standard is also important for the lesson. The students will be asked to write in order to show what they have learned and that they can apply the concept of literature as a means of expression.

Technology Standard:

8.1 Educational Technology: All students will use digital tools to access, manage, evaluate, and synthesize information in order to solve problems individually and collaboratively and to create and communicate knowledge.

8.1.4.A.2 Create a document with text formatting and graphics using a word processing program.

This will be used when the students are free writing as well as a project for their final assessment.

8.1.8.A.4 Generate a spreadsheet to calculate, graph, and present information.

Students will use graphing skills on the computer to better understand the differences and similarities between each reading.

Technology to be used in this activity: In this lesson, we will be using technology in many forms. The students in this particular school have access to laptops in each classroom and for each individual. We will be using the laptop to free write about the homework reading. This free write will become a starting point to their essay at the end of the section. Next, we will be viewing a video that I will have posted on my blog. This video will show a commercial from Nike, that uses the Dreams Deferred poem as a narrative. We will consider the effect of technology as a commercially based media function as well of the connectivity with poetry. Lastly, we will be using an internet based function to create our own poem. Students will navigate through the web site to create this diamante poem step-by-step. Through these uses of technology, the students will be reestablishing their knowledge of computer and technology skills that they can use in college or work.

Activity timeline/procedures: In a school with block scheduling, the lesson should take no longer then one to two full class periods. I am setting up the lesson plan for one class but I am leaving room for two, as it is important to be flexible as a teacher. Students will be asked to free write about the reading on word processor. In these free writes, students are encouraged to write about any aspect of the story that intrigued them. This free write will be used as a building block for an essay we will create later in the section. Next, an overhead will show a guided reading question as we go through each question as a class. Some of the more in depth questions will be discussed with a partner.

We will then move on to the poem, Dreams Deferred. For this, students will be asked to make a Venn diagram on their computers to illustrate the differences between the two pieces as well as the similarities. This will also be an additional tool for them to hold on to for their essay.

The students will use an Internet website to guild them through a diamante poem. Here they will be exploring different English vocabulary while using an Internet based tool.

We will also be listening to a song by Tracy Chapman, called Fast Car. This song will be posted on my blog by use of an MP3 for students to listen to at home if need be. The song will wrap up our discussion by openly talking about how this song can be related to the poem and story. It will also provide an example for their homework, as they will have to bring in a song for next class that either related to them on a personal level or related to the story or poem from class.

Assessment Criteria: I will be assessing students on the amount of participation they contribute during class. Participation is expected to be intelligent and articulate. As I mentioned earlier, at the end of the session, we will be writing an essay on a work that the students have read. This will give me feedback as to their understanding of the literatures as a whole. I will also leave room for the students to make a rough draft so I have time to give feedback for then to correct errors.

Sexting Report

I found the article and videos shocking. The first video about Hope Witsell, a middle school student who sent a half nude photo to a boy she liked, ending in the girls demise. From the article and the video, the schools could have done a lot more to prevent her suicide, or at least prevent the occurrence the sexting photograph from even happening.
First, the schools should bring up the dangerous repercussions of sending sexual texts and possibly show the students the videos we were assigned to watch.
Other precautions could be taken such as taking zero tolerance measures with the students that were doing the bullying and harassment. Hope walked down the halls every day of school receiving verbal threats, calling her, "whore" and "slut".
Hope consequently began hurting herself as a member of the school faculty noticed cuts on her legs. She was asked to sign a document stating that she will no longer hurt herself, but the parents were not informed. The next day, hope committed suicide by brutally hanging herself by her bed post.
This tragedy could have also been absolved if the parents had more involvement in the school. Niel Howe talks about Generation X parents who are incorporating themselves into the school system, so much so that they are very involved in the child's life and school obligations. A generation X parent, would not have sat back while this tragedy took place. They would have taken the situation into their own hands, as generation X parents are natural skeptical towards school and other bodies of authority (Howe).
This is why it was not only the school's obligation to inform the students, but it was also their obligation to inform the parents of the seriousness of the situation with sexting.

Fair Use and Education

After taking the test, I realized I knew less then I thought when it came to copyright and fair usage. The articles we read describes that the reason some people tend to misuse works is due to "ignorance and misperception" (Johnson 2). This is where the misunderstnading of fair use come into action. As Johnson states, "Educators too often interpret fair use as 'any use so long as it is done in school' or 'if it benefits the kids, it must be okay' or 'we aren’t making any money on it' (2). All of which I thought where legitimate enough, but it turns out that there are four factors to be considered when crossing a situation that you are unsure of the fair law. One, the nature of the use, (is it commercial or educational), two, the nature of the work itself. For example, while we were taking the quiz, it asked us a question about our old friend, Bill Nye the Science guy. Because of the educational purpose of the show, specific rights are granted to educational uses. The third factor is the amount that is being used which carries on to the forth factor regarding the effect the use or misuse of the work has on the general market.
With all of this to remember, as a teacher, it may become tricky to use certain works rightfully. Nonetheless, it is still important to refer back to the Cornell Copyright Center, if you are unsure of the copyright law in a certain situation. This is because the Cornell Copyright Center "provides a useful chart that outlines the current copyright terms for various types of work" (Langran 3).

NETS for Teachers

Goal Directed Transformation Level

This example from the Technology Integration Matrix touches on specific standards from the NETS for Teachers. The above Matrix talks about blogging, something we all have become very familiar with, breaking blogging into specific instructions that a teacher, who is interested in incorporating more technology in his or her classroom, can find fairly easily.

The specific standard I would connect with this particular Matrix would be under 1 Facilitate and Inspire Students Learning and Creativity, which is letter D (Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face to face and virtual environments).

The reason this standard applies to blogging is that blogging uses the concept of collaborative knowledge when students are assigned to read each others blogs and comment. This way, they are getting other perspectives on books or other worldly topics while creating their own base of knowledge. In other words, the students get a chance to act as colleagues in a virtual environment.

I feel that after many weeks of this class my level of technology integration would be classified as infusion. I feel much more comfortable tackling the tech labs and less intimidated by the hands on technology we have learned. These skills will enable me be soon progress to the transformation level where "the teacher creates a rich learning environment in which students regularly engage in activities that would have been impossible to achieve without technology." I feel that by the end of the semester I will be comfortably in this level of technology integration.

Podcast

This Tech Lab went a lot faster then the previous ones. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this (knock on wood).
I would use podcast for many different assignments. I think it's easy enough for students to use so that they can recite a poem of their choosing, or I can simple have my poems for class recorded. This way those who need the poem reread to them can easily do so. Also, I can use podcast if I'm absent and I want the class to listen to my verbal instruction. There are many uses to this easy to use technology.
The only part I did have trouble with is embedding the mp3 onto this blog. For now I'm just going to put the link in until I figure out how to embed the mp3.

http://michellehajjar.mypodcast.com/

Schools Kill Creativity

I thought Ken Robinson gave an interesting and entertaining speech. Can we apply what he said to our curriculum? He told us what we should be changing, navigating away from "stigmatizing mistakes" while we should implicate the notion that, "creativity is as important as literacy." I would have to agree with him on that. I think as a society, we focus way too much on being correct. I remember when I was in Kindergarten, the teacher told us all to write the words "ON" and "OFF" on a piece of paper. That was the assignment. So I drew a light switch with the words "ON" and "OFF" because that is where I saw those words and recognized the meaning of the words. What do you think she did when I handed a drawing in? I had to write the words all over again because I did not do the assignment the way I was supposed to and I did not listen to directions. I think I will always remember that story when I become a teacher because what should have happened in this scenario is that I should have been praised for my creative outlook and for stepping outside of the box.
Can we apply creativity to our curriculum with the recent state of our economy? Well, I'm not quite sure how creativity would jeopardize our economy. After watching the video, it sounds like more of a ideology then a cost issue to re-inspire creativity as an important asset for schools. I can see how some schools with low funds have a hard time keeping subjects like music or art when they have to choose between those subjects or English. Ken Robinson thinks, "creativity is as important as literacy." With that said, it makes it hard to take a childs creative outlets away because of fund. Although they may not have an art class, English teachers can still incorporate art into the classroom. My example in Kindergarten shows that something as simple as drawing words to help kids connect to the curriculum on the creative level they need, to find an outlet that is comfortable, while assists their learning experience rather then entrenching it in strict assessment.

21st Century Skills: Fad or Key?

To be truthful, after reading all of the articles, I was on the fence. Both positions made good points, but if I had to take a side, I suppose learning the 21st century skills is something that is important to me, as a future teacher. A lot of the points that were made in the articles revolved around that fact that the students need to adapt to a changing environment.
Susan McLesters notes, "Now that the United States is facing an increasingly competitive world market driven by digital globalization, how is our education system stepping up to the demand for graduates skilled enough to keep our country on the cutting edge?" (The Workforce Readiness Crisis). Our country needs a change with the economy at a struggling point. While we still can, I think it is important to set high but achievable 21st century goals for our schools. Without teachers incorporating 21st century skills into every day classroom, the students will be at a loss when they leave for college. For those who can not afford college, the 21st century plan may be the only help they will get for preparing them for a contemporary job.
Maura Banta recognizes that, "Our role now as policy makers, educators, business leaders, and parents is to provide students with the best of both worlds: a strong and challenging academic curriculum, and a full infusion of the 21st-century skills students will need to succeed outside of high school. Denying students the right to learn what we recognize is required by today's employers goes against our goal of providing all students with all the tools they will need to succeed after high school, regardless of race, ethnicity or ZIP code"(The Value of Teaching 21 Century Skills).
I thought it was interesting that she lumped zip code in with race and ethnicity. I think it will be harder for districts with lower funds to meet these goal because they simply do not have enough money for the pricey technology, the training of teachers, and the time it takes to give students a chance to incorporate the technology to what they are learning. The argument the other side was making is, "How are millions of students still struggling to acuire 19th century skills in reading, writing, and math supposed to learn this stuff?" (Jay Mathews, The Latest Doomed Pedagogical Fad: 21st-Century Skills). To argue with this statement, I would have to know a little more about how a classroom with the 21st century skills will be running. I do not imagine that all other aspects of the curriculum will be dropped in order to face these skills. I think it will be a challenge for teachers and students, but simple measures can be taken in order to infuse the two aspects of this goal: keeping the students knowledge on the curriculum and doing so with a less antiquated, more 21 century induced regime.

Slidecast

Slidecast

I don't know about the rest of you, but that was very enduring. I didn't have a hard time with the slideshow but all the downloading and various links made me want to cry. I truly needed all week to complete this task. I kept wishing I was in an actual class so that I can see what to do. Even the tutorials didn't help and I watched them so many time. The most embarrassing thing I tried to do was record while my computer does not have a mic!

Well, I got through it, somehow. I think it will be beneficial when I teach. It looks professional and shows the teachers that you are technologically inclined, so that some of that knowledge can rub off on the students. Like I said in the previous blog, it also gives the parents who didn't make it to back to school night a chance to see what is going on in their child classroom.

The benefit of doing the slideshow with audio not only makes it more personal, but it gives the parents a chance to take an active interest in the students. I also liked seeing what everyone else was doing in their class. As a teacher, I can look at these slides and use ideas that I like and incorporate them to my classroom. The slidecast is easy to download as I accidentally did it twice, so it would be easy to download slides from fellow teachers.

Back to School Presentation

My Presentation

Google.docs is easy to use. I think it will be beneficial to use as a teacher because it will give the parents the ability to stay in touch with their children's education. More importantly, the parents can be involved in order to help the students in any way, even if it just means pushing them to get off the couch. Ether way, the parents at least know what is expected of the students.

I also like the slide show because some parents have a hard time making it to parent-teacher meeting. The parents can watch the video at the convenience of their own home.

I did however, spend a lot of time on constructing the slideshow but it will be beneficial to refer back to when we are progressing through the course. In a way, the slide can act as a check list for the items we have accomplished in the class.

The Effect of Technology Standards

As technology standards begin to change, school districts have to keep up with the growing technology by educating the students while incorporating these standards in the classroom. The districts will have to change by adjusting spending and funds. Without adequate funds, a school will have a hard time achieving these technology standards.
A school as a whole will have to support technology by having a up to date technology lab where students can practice things that were stated in the standards, such as learning power point, functioning on word processor, and even operating the internet for constructive and applicable use. There will also be the possibility that the teachers will need a lesson on the new technology a school has to offer. It may effect what schools look for when hiring a prospective teacher.
The teachers will also have to adapt to the continually changing technological advances. For example, referring to the necessity of learning technology as a teacher will make it hard for those who have already been teaching for a while, who have used the same old principals of teaching, which may not include the use of many technologies that will assist child learning.
My personal development as a teacher will also be effected by the standard. I will have to keep up with the times to be able to relay necessary technology skills to my students. I don't want to be the teacher who can barely operate a VCR. It will also be important for me to keep in touch with other faculty through the use of e-mail or other discussion friendly cites. This kind of contemporary socialization is something I will look for in a school when I job search.

8.1 Educational Technology
Grade 12 (8.1.12.F.2)

This strand describes the standard that says students should be able to use a computer and the internet to access informative databases. They should also be able to use these databases to obtain the information they need in correspondence to the class or world issue.

In high school classroom, I will have students use the internet to assist them with writing a paper and creating a thesis. Finding information on the internet is a learned skill as they will have to learn to siphon though the irrelevant or inaccurate information that can be found. I will show them how to obtain the proper information by going through the scholarly journal cites that are appropriate for the class. When doing this, tricks, such as how to enter the subject into the search engine can be helpful and efficient. Other skills are in the use of understanding the scholarly articles and applying them to the thesis of the paper. They will have to learn how to use their own ideas while incorporating them with the ideas of those who have published articles. When using other works to support your thesis, students must learn the rules of citation in order to avoid plagiarizing which is a very serious offense.
For example, students reading the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, can read the novel, research different aspects of the Ibo culture in Africa, and comprise a essay, including a thesis, that is typed up in a formal paper.