Monday, September 29, 2008
Kahlua
I do not even like to drink Kahlua but I have a dog by that name! My husband had wanted a Chesapeake Bay Retriever for quite some time, but we had no fenced yard for a dog that size. I finally convinced him that we would get a dog if he would fence the yard. During the summer of 2003 my husband and son fenced our back yard. Then the search for a dog began. Early in December I saw an advertisement for Chesapeakes and checked into it. They would be ready for adoption by December 15. Since the owners lived less than one mile from us, I convinced them to keep it until Christmas morning. I picked out a brown beanie puppy with a red collar and wrapped it for my husband. Then I picked out a red dog collar and wrapped that also. Christmas Eve on our way home from dinner, my husband (who does like Kahlua) decided that he would like to purchase a bottle of Kahlua. However, all of the liquor stores were already closed for the holiday. So, home with no Kahlua. Christmas morning, after unwrapping all of our gifts, we took the dog collar and went to pick up the newest edition to our family. My husband was more excited than the puppy, if you can picture a grown man being that excited. She was a dark curly brown with just a hint of white on her belly and a dot of white on her chest. What to name her? What to name her? We looked at the names of her ancestors and compared that to her color. It seemed that chocolate and brown were all over in her line but we needed a new name. That is when we decided that my husband could have his Kahlua for Christmas after all and called her Kahlua Honey Grizzly.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Software Resources
I work with third grade through ninth grade for reading and starting in October I will be teaching preschool. Since preschool is where I spend the majority of my time, those are the majority of my test subjects and where I put the biggest part of my time and effort.
Software Title: Starfall
Grade/Age level: Pre-Kindergarten through second grade
Subject Area(s): Reading & Writing
Platform: Both
Purpose: An inexpensive way to make the classroom more fun and inspire a love of reading and writing. Parents can use Starfall to prepare their children for school, and to support them once they are there. Starfall is an educational alternative to other entertainment choices for children. I have used it in my pre-kindergarten class to help with letter recognition and to learn letter sounds. In the classroom, the only problem I have is that I only have one computer so the students have to take turns on the computer. The other students tend to want to look that way instead of working on their current tasks. It is free online but does have some other items that can be purchased for use off of the computer (in case you are not one-to-one capable). There are some free downloads that you can get as long as you have Adobe Reader (free downloadable software for both PC and Mac). It is definitely appropriate for even pre-kindergarteners is you get them to the task that you want them to work with. It is pretty easy to follow and every one of my students could use it. So the required teacher time in the classroom is very little after the initial training. There is no registration required and no personal information asked for. Since the online software is in essence an advertisement for the items you can purchase, there are no distracting advertisements while the children are using the site. There is no special software or equipment required to use this site.
Software Title: US State Geography Test
Grade/Age level: Third grade
Subject Area(s): Geography
Platform: Both
Purpose: To see how well a student knows the location of the forty-eight contiguous states. You have to click the state name and drag it to its proper location on the map. If you do not get all of the names on the map in time, it lets you know that you failed third grade. If the students have been studying geography, it is appropriate for any grade level from third grade on up. An eight year old or older should be able to use it independently. I have passed it! The site does not require any registration or personal information. There are no advertisements and will run on any computer and does not require any special equipment. The home web site is Pasadena IBM Users Group and they also have a few other games through the 'files' link on their home page. Most are just for fun and some are not for kids.
Software Title: Sheppard Software
Grade/Age level: Kindergarten and up
Subject Area(s): All subjects
Platform: Both
Purpose: This site uses multimedia to enhance learning and to make learning fun and memorable. As you progress through the games, they get harder so they keep up with the abilities of the child. Some of the games for preschoolers require help from an adult (to read the instructions on each page) so this is a time intensive site for teachers. It would be great for parents of small children at home. As an extra learning game site for older students in their spare time at school, or to reinforce subject matter, it would be great. There is no registration or personal information required. Since the online software is in essence an advertisement for the items you can purchase, there are no distracting advertisements while the children are using the site. There is no special software or equipment required to use this site.
Software Title: Starfall
Grade/Age level: Pre-Kindergarten through second grade
Subject Area(s): Reading & Writing
Platform: Both
Purpose: An inexpensive way to make the classroom more fun and inspire a love of reading and writing. Parents can use Starfall to prepare their children for school, and to support them once they are there. Starfall is an educational alternative to other entertainment choices for children. I have used it in my pre-kindergarten class to help with letter recognition and to learn letter sounds. In the classroom, the only problem I have is that I only have one computer so the students have to take turns on the computer. The other students tend to want to look that way instead of working on their current tasks. It is free online but does have some other items that can be purchased for use off of the computer (in case you are not one-to-one capable). There are some free downloads that you can get as long as you have Adobe Reader (free downloadable software for both PC and Mac). It is definitely appropriate for even pre-kindergarteners is you get them to the task that you want them to work with. It is pretty easy to follow and every one of my students could use it. So the required teacher time in the classroom is very little after the initial training. There is no registration required and no personal information asked for. Since the online software is in essence an advertisement for the items you can purchase, there are no distracting advertisements while the children are using the site. There is no special software or equipment required to use this site.
Software Title: US State Geography Test
Grade/Age level: Third grade
Subject Area(s): Geography
Platform: Both
Purpose: To see how well a student knows the location of the forty-eight contiguous states. You have to click the state name and drag it to its proper location on the map. If you do not get all of the names on the map in time, it lets you know that you failed third grade. If the students have been studying geography, it is appropriate for any grade level from third grade on up. An eight year old or older should be able to use it independently. I have passed it! The site does not require any registration or personal information. There are no advertisements and will run on any computer and does not require any special equipment. The home web site is Pasadena IBM Users Group and they also have a few other games through the 'files' link on their home page. Most are just for fun and some are not for kids.
Software Title: Sheppard Software
Grade/Age level: Kindergarten and up
Subject Area(s): All subjects
Platform: Both
Purpose: This site uses multimedia to enhance learning and to make learning fun and memorable. As you progress through the games, they get harder so they keep up with the abilities of the child. Some of the games for preschoolers require help from an adult (to read the instructions on each page) so this is a time intensive site for teachers. It would be great for parents of small children at home. As an extra learning game site for older students in their spare time at school, or to reinforce subject matter, it would be great. There is no registration or personal information required. Since the online software is in essence an advertisement for the items you can purchase, there are no distracting advertisements while the children are using the site. There is no special software or equipment required to use this site.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
One-to-One Teaching and Learning
Before I start with my comments on the lesson itself, I just want to say that I am having my husband watch this video. Our school just received laptops for the highschool class, which he teaches, and this might give him some ideas. It was a good overview of what to expect if, or when, you encounter one-to-one computer teaching and learning. I am sure that not every school or school district will be set up the same way even as it seemed that not every class was using the laptops to the same extent at Denali.
Negative:
Who trains the trainer?
Many of the students like the speed of the responses they get when they submit their assignments electronically. The teachers must be willing to adapt if the program is going to be a success. The training did not seem to be addressed in the video from Denali (unless that is what the service learning person does) but I think this would need to be a cooperative item. Teachers need to help each other but they also need to be willing to learn from the experiences of their students. Age does not always translate to wisdom or ability. Even if you only use computers in a computer lab, you still need to know how to use them. You still need to have a tech department; it would just have to be bigger.
How can you use the computer for more than research?
Students use the computers with photography to learn how to take pictures and then submit them without having to process the film or print the pictures. Easy to share what each student has done. Computer technology is good for PowerPoint or movies. Computers give the students a chance to expand on what they learn is art. The students still have to learn how to keep their projects within the requirements of the assignments even though it is on the computer and not on paper. That has not changed.
How do we know if the information they are finding is accurate?
The instructors still need to monitor where the students are getting their information. That is part of the “teaching” that goes on in the classroom. Just as a teacher has to monitor whether or not the students are just cut and pasting others’ work into their assignments.
Do we have to change all lesson plans to include technology?
When the students move on to the real world, they will be using technology. Having a computer available all day helps them practice all of their skills so that they are fluent in those programs when they graduate. Many of the activities already in your lesson plans still need to be done but many of them can now be done on the computer using a variety of programs. The Internet should be seen as another resource to include in your lesson plan when it is appropriate.
What about broken equipment?
In Denali the hardware is taken care of by two seniors that repair the computers as needed. Cheaper for the school district and gives the students important training that can readily be used in the real world after graduation. This repair work gives extra training for students that have fulfilled the requirements for education instead of just filling their days.
Positive:
A new world of technology!
The students are interested in their work even if only for the excitement of spending so much time on a computer and even better since it is their individual laptop. Gets the students ready for the real world where many things are done on computers. Gives the students a chance to use a large variety of programs. They open up an opportunity to participate in distance education. The students can then take classes that are not available in their school. Computers are a great way for teachers to stay in contact with their students through a medium that the students are into. Working with the computers at school gives the students a chance to learn the hardware technology to use at home immediately.
Less paperwork!
The students do not need to print out their work. They can electronically send it to the instructor in final form or over and over again as rough drafts. Online quizzes from the internet provided resources can be submitted directly to the teacher.
Assignments available from anywhere!
Students like that fact that they can take their computers home and access the assignments over the weekend or at night when they may have forgotten what they need completed for the next day’s class.
Availability of computers for all students when needed!
No more waiting for an opportunity for your class to get into the computer lab. You may want to do an extensive assignment that needs many hours of computer time which you may not get if the entire school shares a limited number of computers.
Fewer out-of-date books!
Resources on line are more up-to-date than the textbooks that are out of date before you get them in your classroom. More resources available than you would have if you only used textbooks in paper form. There are good programs available for school districts that use “internet text books” such as Beyond Books. These programs are cheaper than continually buying textbooks that can be forgotten at home. It is easier to carry around one laptop rather than six textbooks.
Negative:
Who trains the trainer?
Many of the students like the speed of the responses they get when they submit their assignments electronically. The teachers must be willing to adapt if the program is going to be a success. The training did not seem to be addressed in the video from Denali (unless that is what the service learning person does) but I think this would need to be a cooperative item. Teachers need to help each other but they also need to be willing to learn from the experiences of their students. Age does not always translate to wisdom or ability. Even if you only use computers in a computer lab, you still need to know how to use them. You still need to have a tech department; it would just have to be bigger.
How can you use the computer for more than research?
Students use the computers with photography to learn how to take pictures and then submit them without having to process the film or print the pictures. Easy to share what each student has done. Computer technology is good for PowerPoint or movies. Computers give the students a chance to expand on what they learn is art. The students still have to learn how to keep their projects within the requirements of the assignments even though it is on the computer and not on paper. That has not changed.
How do we know if the information they are finding is accurate?
The instructors still need to monitor where the students are getting their information. That is part of the “teaching” that goes on in the classroom. Just as a teacher has to monitor whether or not the students are just cut and pasting others’ work into their assignments.
Do we have to change all lesson plans to include technology?
When the students move on to the real world, they will be using technology. Having a computer available all day helps them practice all of their skills so that they are fluent in those programs when they graduate. Many of the activities already in your lesson plans still need to be done but many of them can now be done on the computer using a variety of programs. The Internet should be seen as another resource to include in your lesson plan when it is appropriate.
What about broken equipment?
In Denali the hardware is taken care of by two seniors that repair the computers as needed. Cheaper for the school district and gives the students important training that can readily be used in the real world after graduation. This repair work gives extra training for students that have fulfilled the requirements for education instead of just filling their days.
Positive:
A new world of technology!
The students are interested in their work even if only for the excitement of spending so much time on a computer and even better since it is their individual laptop. Gets the students ready for the real world where many things are done on computers. Gives the students a chance to use a large variety of programs. They open up an opportunity to participate in distance education. The students can then take classes that are not available in their school. Computers are a great way for teachers to stay in contact with their students through a medium that the students are into. Working with the computers at school gives the students a chance to learn the hardware technology to use at home immediately.
Less paperwork!
The students do not need to print out their work. They can electronically send it to the instructor in final form or over and over again as rough drafts. Online quizzes from the internet provided resources can be submitted directly to the teacher.
Assignments available from anywhere!
Students like that fact that they can take their computers home and access the assignments over the weekend or at night when they may have forgotten what they need completed for the next day’s class.
Availability of computers for all students when needed!
No more waiting for an opportunity for your class to get into the computer lab. You may want to do an extensive assignment that needs many hours of computer time which you may not get if the entire school shares a limited number of computers.
Fewer out-of-date books!
Resources on line are more up-to-date than the textbooks that are out of date before you get them in your classroom. More resources available than you would have if you only used textbooks in paper form. There are good programs available for school districts that use “internet text books” such as Beyond Books. These programs are cheaper than continually buying textbooks that can be forgotten at home. It is easier to carry around one laptop rather than six textbooks.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Week 1
I like to travel and see other countries and cultures but when I am home, I am a homebody. I have been to all 50 of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, China, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria, Liechtenstein, Greece, Crete, Germany, Berlin (when the wall was still up), and Morocco. I have and am willing to go by car, bus, train, motorcycle, plane, hot air balloon, ship, sail boat, kayak, inner tube, ferry, bike, horse, snow machine, sled, wagon, trike, or four wheeler. I'll even hike if I have to!
I started my military career in the Air Force and now am in the Navy Reserve and have only 1 1/2 years left until I can retire. My husband of 25 years is retired from the Air Force where he was a cop and now he is a teacher. My son transferred to the Navy after 6 years in the Air National Guard (where he did one tour in Iraq). My daughter is in the Montana Air National Guard and is on her way to Iraq on September 16. My dad was in the Army during WWII and 7 of my 9 siblings have been in one branch or the other of the military. I come from a family that believes in our country and what it stands for and we are willing to fight for the freedoms we enjoy.
I am a Christian and a conservative and believe in what our founding fathers built this country on but not necessarily what it has become. I try to keep up with the news and take my responsibilities of being informed, voting and being involved very seriously. I am hard headed, opinionated, I cry at movies and I am afraid of heights. I like to celebrate every one's birthday and call all of my friends and sing to them even though I can not carry a tune. I laugh a lot and read all of the funny stuff in Reader's Digest before reading any of the articles. I enjoy Sudoku and logic problems but can never think of the words for a crossword puzzle and word searches bore me. I usually read for enjoyment only and like action thrillers, espionage, adventure and good comedies. I am a vegetarian when the salad is fresh and crisp and a carnivor when the steak is rare and tender. I don't think of myself as creative but I appreciate what others are able to do.
I probably have about 2 years left before I will have my teaching degree and hope we stay in one place long enough for me to finish my classes. I am the student government advisor, teach preschool, am an aide in the elementary class, and also in the high school class. I really enjoy working with all of the students and having the opportunity to see what students are like at all levels. Although our school only has 24 students, K-12, they are at every level developmentally and socially. So far, I think that I would like to work with 3rd graders if I am ever in a traditional school setting.
I started my military career in the Air Force and now am in the Navy Reserve and have only 1 1/2 years left until I can retire. My husband of 25 years is retired from the Air Force where he was a cop and now he is a teacher. My son transferred to the Navy after 6 years in the Air National Guard (where he did one tour in Iraq). My daughter is in the Montana Air National Guard and is on her way to Iraq on September 16. My dad was in the Army during WWII and 7 of my 9 siblings have been in one branch or the other of the military. I come from a family that believes in our country and what it stands for and we are willing to fight for the freedoms we enjoy.
I am a Christian and a conservative and believe in what our founding fathers built this country on but not necessarily what it has become. I try to keep up with the news and take my responsibilities of being informed, voting and being involved very seriously. I am hard headed, opinionated, I cry at movies and I am afraid of heights. I like to celebrate every one's birthday and call all of my friends and sing to them even though I can not carry a tune. I laugh a lot and read all of the funny stuff in Reader's Digest before reading any of the articles. I enjoy Sudoku and logic problems but can never think of the words for a crossword puzzle and word searches bore me. I usually read for enjoyment only and like action thrillers, espionage, adventure and good comedies. I am a vegetarian when the salad is fresh and crisp and a carnivor when the steak is rare and tender. I don't think of myself as creative but I appreciate what others are able to do.
I probably have about 2 years left before I will have my teaching degree and hope we stay in one place long enough for me to finish my classes. I am the student government advisor, teach preschool, am an aide in the elementary class, and also in the high school class. I really enjoy working with all of the students and having the opportunity to see what students are like at all levels. Although our school only has 24 students, K-12, they are at every level developmentally and socially. So far, I think that I would like to work with 3rd graders if I am ever in a traditional school setting.
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