Okay, well I thought the most important thing I learned in this class was how to make a website. Yes, I should've probably known how to do it way before, but I didn't. Out of everything we learned, a website will be the #1 thing that I use to aid students in learning--especially students that are absent and parents who want to know what we're doing in class.
I'm still fixing it up, but here is my website: Mr Carroll's Classroom
Also, on the wiki I posted 2 things:
A lesson plan- Prezi
A blog link - It's called Inbox, by NCTE, and it's amazing
Monday, April 19, 2010
Internet Safety
I learned that it really is so easy to get your identity stolen. The problem is, there's a lot of things we can't do to prevent it, so with those things we can do (such as reducing the amount of information you make available online) we should be extra careful.
As a teacher and soon-to-be-parent, I understand better the implications of putting kids' information online. If I ever require my students to do things online, I will be very careful not to require any personal information other than their name.
As a teacher I will be facing internet safety issues anytime I require students to do research online or visit my class website. I will be sure that I only direct them to safe places and that I never as for personal information.
I think another problem that we see in social networking is that some people tend to let their guard down or create relationships over the internet that are too open. I will never "friend" a student on facebook or allow them to see my personal blog (I've talked to teachers and students will find them and stalk them--it's weird).
I talked to a girl who is 21 and has a facebook page and she has taken a few precautions as well, such as not giving the year of her birthday, not posting her address or phone number, etc. She was surprised to find out that with only your name, birthdate, and place of birth someone can steal your identity, so she seemed very interested to be careful when posting such information.
As a teacher and soon-to-be-parent, I understand better the implications of putting kids' information online. If I ever require my students to do things online, I will be very careful not to require any personal information other than their name.
As a teacher I will be facing internet safety issues anytime I require students to do research online or visit my class website. I will be sure that I only direct them to safe places and that I never as for personal information.
I think another problem that we see in social networking is that some people tend to let their guard down or create relationships over the internet that are too open. I will never "friend" a student on facebook or allow them to see my personal blog (I've talked to teachers and students will find them and stalk them--it's weird).
I talked to a girl who is 21 and has a facebook page and she has taken a few precautions as well, such as not giving the year of her birthday, not posting her address or phone number, etc. She was surprised to find out that with only your name, birthdate, and place of birth someone can steal your identity, so she seemed very interested to be careful when posting such information.
Monday, April 5, 2010
ICC Finalists
I liked the video that discussed diigo and mindmeister because I think those strategies are more realistic and applicable to me than the others. As an English teacher, I need ways to help students better their writing and learn through technology without taking away from the goals of the classroom.
Both technologies have pros and cons. The pros of diigo are that students will be aided in learning the 5 paragraph essay and the writing process will go faster. Cons of this technology are that the 5 paragraph essay is a curse on our nation and the continued teaching of it only reinforces the use of it in standardized tests.
Mindmeister is good because it helps students organize their thoughts and especially move and shift things around as they get new ideas, but it can be bad because other ways of writing down thoughts (such as illustrations and doodles) can't be typed.
All in all, if there were one technology I would use out of all that were presented, it would definitely be mindmeister, and I plan to do so.
Both technologies have pros and cons. The pros of diigo are that students will be aided in learning the 5 paragraph essay and the writing process will go faster. Cons of this technology are that the 5 paragraph essay is a curse on our nation and the continued teaching of it only reinforces the use of it in standardized tests.
Mindmeister is good because it helps students organize their thoughts and especially move and shift things around as they get new ideas, but it can be bad because other ways of writing down thoughts (such as illustrations and doodles) can't be typed.
All in all, if there were one technology I would use out of all that were presented, it would definitely be mindmeister, and I plan to do so.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Instructional Video - AAAWWUBBIS
I have always loved music and been somewhat musically inclined, so I thought it would be silly to use music from another source if I can write my own. Then I realized that writing a song could work as an instructional video and would be a great project if students likewise have that talent. So this is an example of what I would love to see a student turn in as a project--it would benefit the student and it would benefit the whole class.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Personal Tech Project - Prezi !!
Sorry it's late
Steve Carroll – What About You? Lesson Plan
Date: February 27, 2010 Class and Grade Level: Language Arts 8
Title/Subject of Lesson: Prezi presentations
Objective(s):
Students will be able to use Prezi to introduce themselves to the class. This works as a precursor to their writing about themselves in their autobiographies.
State (or District) Core Curriculum Standard(s):
[2.1.b] Focus written facts or events around a clearly stated, unifying idea.
[2.2] Identify and reflect on feelings to recreate experiences. (Emphasize short biographies, narratives, or memoirs.)
Concept(s) to Be Taught: Prezi
Materials Needed: The computer lab and pictures.
Strategies to be Used: Prezi as a way to allow them to brainstorm ideas they might want to touch upon in their books.
PERFORMING
Lesson Presentation:
A) Getting Started: [anticipatory set]
· Introduce the Who Are You? unit and explain to the students that they are going to use Prezi to create a basic overview of themselves.
B) Directing the Learning: [learning activities] / Assignment
· Have them all watch the Prezi tutorial and have them look at at least 3 different examples of Prezi presentations. Answer questions as they begin to work on their own. Finally, let them loose to play, experiment, and learn.
C) Bringing the Lesson to a Conclusion:
· Spend 15-20 minutes looking over the presentations as a class if there is time. If time is short, have the students show them to their pair-share groups.
Evaluation: Now the students know more about each other and about a great technology!
Steve Carroll – What About You? Lesson Plan
Date: February 27, 2010 Class and Grade Level: Language Arts 8
Title/Subject of Lesson: Prezi presentations
Objective(s):
Students will be able to use Prezi to introduce themselves to the class. This works as a precursor to their writing about themselves in their autobiographies.
State (or District) Core Curriculum Standard(s):
[2.1.b] Focus written facts or events around a clearly stated, unifying idea.
[2.2] Identify and reflect on feelings to recreate experiences. (Emphasize short biographies, narratives, or memoirs.)
Concept(s) to Be Taught: Prezi
Materials Needed: The computer lab and pictures.
Strategies to be Used: Prezi as a way to allow them to brainstorm ideas they might want to touch upon in their books.
PERFORMING
Lesson Presentation:
A) Getting Started: [anticipatory set]
· Introduce the Who Are You? unit and explain to the students that they are going to use Prezi to create a basic overview of themselves.
B) Directing the Learning: [learning activities] / Assignment
· Have them all watch the Prezi tutorial and have them look at at least 3 different examples of Prezi presentations. Answer questions as they begin to work on their own. Finally, let them loose to play, experiment, and learn.
C) Bringing the Lesson to a Conclusion:
· Spend 15-20 minutes looking over the presentations as a class if there is time. If time is short, have the students show them to their pair-share groups.
Evaluation: Now the students know more about each other and about a great technology!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Copyright
Well, I've always heard about the fair use law with copyright, and I've heard that it generally favors on the teacher's side of things. But I realized that feature-length films (like I watched so many times in school) are not keeping with the fair use agreement unless the teacher has permission to show it or the owners of the film have publicly stated that the film can be used for educational purposes (like showing it in a classroom).
This could be used in the classroom by the fair use law because of its length (under 3 minutes), but the teacher didn't site the source--which you would definitely want to do. I would definitely do it, anyway, because I love the animaniacs.
Anyone who has heard "Who's on first?" can appreciate Abbot and Costello and this fun video to show in a math class. If I were a math teacher I would take this 3-minute clip (that's fair) and show it in a class, citing Abbot and Costello.
This could be used in the classroom by the fair use law because of its length (under 3 minutes), but the teacher didn't site the source--which you would definitely want to do. I would definitely do it, anyway, because I love the animaniacs.
Anyone who has heard "Who's on first?" can appreciate Abbot and Costello and this fun video to show in a math class. If I were a math teacher I would take this 3-minute clip (that's fair) and show it in a class, citing Abbot and Costello.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Personal Tech Project
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish my Personal Tech Project, so check again next week. Thanks
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
My Class website
I'm starting to get the hang of this! My website took me hours and hours to figure out, but now it's ready. You can click here to view it!
I'm honestly disappointed with how slowly I'm learning, but still happy that I'm generally able to complete the instruction. My main problem is that, since this is an online course and I have so many other classes, I push it back until the weekend to worry about it. This week I made time on Tuesday and spent the evening figuring things out. There are a few minor changes I need to make, but for the most part my website is ready and waiting to be used (next year hopefully).
Earlier I was still struggling with the reason we had to create both a blog and a website, because I think the website is much more useful. But now I can see it. In the blog, students are more than just spectators, they can let their voices be heard as well. Sounds fun, doesn't it.
I'm honestly disappointed with how slowly I'm learning, but still happy that I'm generally able to complete the instruction. My main problem is that, since this is an online course and I have so many other classes, I push it back until the weekend to worry about it. This week I made time on Tuesday and spent the evening figuring things out. There are a few minor changes I need to make, but for the most part my website is ready and waiting to be used (next year hopefully).
Earlier I was still struggling with the reason we had to create both a blog and a website, because I think the website is much more useful. But now I can see it. In the blog, students are more than just spectators, they can let their voices be heard as well. Sounds fun, doesn't it.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Google Reader
Google Reader took me a long time to figure out, but here it is.
1) K-12 Learning -
I really like this subscription. It is merely a tangle of many ideas from many different subjects over many different grades. Only a few things are applicable to me as an English Teacher, but I like to know what other teachers are doing as well. I think it's fun to be involved in the whole learning process, not just my responsibility of teaching reading and writing. Really, it's all part of our stewardship to know as much about the education of our students as possible, both inside and outside of our own classrooms. This post contains everything from lessons on Dental Health to Oral Presentations.
2) Middle School English Language Teacher: Career Info
I thought this would help in looking for a job, but it's actually quite useless, so I'm glad I have six posts.
3) Middle School English: Resources for Middle School English Teachers -
This is great. It contains many different ideas for units or lessons on various different topics good for Middle School students to learn. Some of the ideas are very old and mixed with the same topics they would be studying in a history class (but that's okay, because you can teach pretty much anything in English as long as you're meeting the core curriculum needs) and some are much newer with talking about solar and hydro power.
4) Middle School Grammar Basics: The Parts of Speech -
Tips and tricks for improving spelling skills, writing a thesis statement or a college admission essay, and other ideas for learning.
5) National Council of Teachers of English -
This is a well-known council and a big name that we're repeatedly encouraged to join. The benefits of being associated with the NCTE is the enormous web of aid and support you get from thousands of other English Teachers. This post talks about all the news they have and new ways of getting connected with other English Teachers.
6) The Reading Zone -
Posts of great books, new and old, that would be good for middle school kids to get their hands on. I love to read, and I hope to help my students gain that same love. Knowing what's out there and what is good is the first step to helping them.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
It has begun
Well, well, to get started, this blog is more or less a scratch piece of paper where I can futilely try my hand at something bigger and better than facebook. As I move beyond my previous capacities of clicking like or add as friend, I will be learning, posting, and sharing those improvements here. I feel like I'm trying to tame a wild animal, so bear with me and we'll see what happens.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
