WebQuests

A WebQuest is a way to engage students in critical thinking about a particular topic. Today, I reviewed five WebQuests. As I reviewed them, I made notes of what I thought were the positives and negatives of each. In the end, I realized that in my opinion a good webquest is one that: engages students, creates believable roles for the students to play, presents information (tasks, support information, projects, evaluations, etc.) clearly, and requires students to work collaboratively.

After reviewing the five WebQuests mentioned on this page, I think my favorite was the Ancient Egypt WebQuest. I liked this one, because it: created believable roles for the students to assume, clearly explained the tasks and evaluations, included a variety of activities and information sources, and was easy to navigate. I think this WebQuest could be adapted and used by many teachers as is, without a lot of updates or changes. As a teacher (not even a teacher of who teaches about ancient Egypt), I was engaged.

My least favorite WebQuest was the one titled the North Carolina Zoo Breakout. I think the goals and intentions of this WebQuest are good, but the presentation and organization of these goals needs improvement. There was a lot of information crowded onto the page, it included a lot of directions, it was reading intensive, and many presentation forms were given. To me, I interpreted this as a lack of focus. There were too many things going on at once, and the overall objective was up in the air because students will get to choose. In addition, I think it would be hard to grade because each type of activity would need a different rubric and how would one determine if each project is or should be of equal value. I think choice is good, but in this case it might create a grading & management nightmare for the teacher.

Materials Grant

I think the idea for a materials grant sounds like a good one. We could all benefit from having time to work cooperatively to create materials that we could use in our classrooms and share with other teachers.

Who would be involved? First, I think we would need the support of the teachers at our site or in our district that the materials would be intended for. In addition, we will need the backing of the administration (locally, and district). The other stakeholders would be parents and students. We will want to guarantee that the materials we are developing could be used and are beneficial.

What would we need to make this possible? I think we would need time to work cooperatively in groups to brainstorm and develop our ideas. This could be done during the summer months or through meetings throughout the year (face to face and online). Either of these options would result in expenses such as living expenses.

In addition, some of the technology we have available in our district might be slightly outdated and may need updating (old laptops) in order to develop the most "cutting-edge" materials and to share those materials with others.

A two or three year approach might be the best option. The first year could be spent brainstorming ideas and learning about materials that have been effective in other places. Towards the end of that year and the beginning of the next could be spent developing these ideas and sharing them with select teachers/classrooms. Then, the revision and finalization (distribution) could take place the final year.

In general, I think this plan sounds too simplified. I'm looking forward to reading about other peoples' suggestions. I think the materials grant is a good idea. Now, if we can only make it happen.

Digital Terms

Last week, I missed most of the discussion about the terms digital divide, digital native, and digital immigrant. After class had officially ended, Sabine and I briefly discussed these terms. Tonight, I spent about 20 minutes researching these terms and their meanings. To do this, I "googled" them. The first link that came up was the wikipedia site. The addresses are below:
digital divide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide
and
digital native & digital immigrant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_native
Although there were other links, I thought these links did a great job explaining these terms, and they also provided links to other sites.

One thing in particular that I found interesting was the discussion about Marc Prensky. (Supposedly, he coined the term). I understand the comparison/parallels between natives/immigrants of a country and natives/immigrants to technology, but I didn't expect to read about accents. The paragraph refers to an accent as something a digital immigrant might do such as to send an e-mail and then call to see if it was received. It was interesting to me to see how far this comparison between natives/immigrants of a a country and natives/immigrants to technology goes. Who knew I might have a digital accent?

I encourage you to do your own search on these terms. I think you will be surprised by the amount of information out there.

Some of the Pros and Cons of Technology

Last week, we discussed several of the pros and cons of incorporating technology into our classrooms. Jill and I listed several pros and cons and I would like to share some of them with you.

Pros:
-Highly motivating (For example, students who used to skip school numerous times a year had better attendance records after the 1 to 1 laptop program was introduced. They had to be in school, on time, in order to get their computer for the day).

-Highly engaging (For example, games can be created to review classroom material before a test, or pictures can accompany songs/chants the students are learning).

-Faster/better communication (E-mail, skype, blogs, etc.)

-Needed skill for many professions

-Students can be teachers (Students are likely to be risk-takers in regards to technology and try "cool" things. Then, they are able to show others).


Cons:
-The time commitment to learn how to use the technology and incorporate it into the lessons. (However, Jill shared the comment, "It takes time to save time." We both agreed that eventually the hard work would pay off, because the things created could be used year after year with only minor changes (if needed).

-The cost (The technology and software tends to be expensive. How/who decides who gets what, when).

-Social development (A balance needs to be reached in technology use so that students are still able to develop socially by interacting face-to-face with one another).

Sally's Powerpoint Paper

I enjoyed reading Sally's paper about powerpoint. I think Sally thought of some very exciting and innovative ways to incorporate powerpoint into her kindergarten classroom. The activity she created to teach her students the Yup'ik words for family members is a great way to get the students and their parents involved in the learning process. In addition, the powerpoint can be shared with families who have a computer at home and the students can work on it at home as well.

In her paper, Sally referred to several different drawbacks about powerpoint. One of the drawbacks she mentioned is the misconception many people have that powerpoint is a only a presentation tool. I agree that many people have this misconception, but I do not know why. I am wondering if the original intention of powerpoint (when it was first created) was to serve as a presentation tool? As new features were added to the powerpoint software were they simply incorporated into the already well-defined purpose of presentations, even though the features were added to increase its uses? Maybe, most people have not realized the full potential of the powerpoint software and the fact that it can be used to do many things in addition to helping give presentations.

After reading Sally's paper, I am thinking about creating a powerpoint to reinforce the vocabulary that my students must learn in social studies. Although I am not sure of the exact format, I would like it to be interactive and something that students want to do.

Laptops

Our school is one of the many schools that provide a laptop to all students in grades 8-12. This was made possible through Quality Schools program three years ago. Like the author of this article, most of the teachers looked forward to having laptops available to all the students. One major benefit was updated technology for the school. The new laptops would replace or add to the old materials being used.

However, like the author of this article, the laptops soon became a huge management issue. Although, some issues had been planned for, others went unseen until they arose. This resulted in the laptops becoming more of a nuisance than a bonus. Eventually, consequences were established and it resulted in students losing certain privileges/programs such as e-mail, itunes, etc. This action lead to several other questions about fairness, privacy, and whether or not the computers were meeting their intended purpose.

Unlike the school mentioned in this article, very little training was provided to the teachers on how to use the new technology and/or implement it into their classrooms. Thus, one began to wonder if the computers were just a glorified typewriter for writer papers and a way to communicate with friends, instead of a tool to broaden students’ educational opportunities.

Although some of these issues have been resolved, others remain. We are still aiming to incorporate the technology in an effective manner that allows our students to develop into successful members of society.

Chapter 8

This chapter prompted me to stop and think critically about the materials I use in my own classroom, and to identify the factors that influence decisions regarding classroom materials.

As a new 5th grade teacher, most of the materials I use in my classroom are commercially produced, and they are recommended by the school district. Although, I do not believe that commercially produced materials are the way to go all of the time, this is the best I can do with the time I have right now. Currently, the majority of my non-instructional time is spent familiarizing myself with the 5th grade curriculum and getting to know what my students are expected to learn. The thought of developing authentic materials to teach a curriculum I am not familiar with is more than I can handle, because there is only so much time in a day. However, I am confident that the more time I spend teaching 5th grade, the more likely I will be to develop and implement authentic teaching materials. I view this year as a starting point, and my goal will be to make each successive year better than the year before.

This whole discussion about authentic materials and commercially produced materials raises a debate in my head. Here, I am a first year 5th grade teacher using commercially produced materials that are recommended by our district. I know that these materials are designed to meet the academic needs of various populations (“one size fits all”). I am pretty confident that by using these materials I am preparing students for “success.” (They will be exposed to and taught the subject matter necessary to pass the spring testing). However, I also know that authentic materials are generally more specific to a particular cultural group. Authentic materials are generally more meaningful and appropriate, because they take the students specific backgrounds into consideration. To me, this results in a better education because the learning is more likely to be defined by the members of that specific group. The learning that must occur is not coming as an order from somewhere outside. These statements lead me to question my decisions about which classroom materials I use. Right now, it appears that my classroom materials are closely related to the standardized tests my students will take in the spring. That’s scary!

I realize that my teaching materials will become more integrated (a mixture of commercially produced and authentic materials) as I become a more experienced teacher, and spend more time getting to know the individuals who live in this community

Assessment

I believe assessment is an important part of learning, but that the purposes for assessment (the why) and the processes in which assessments are carried out (the how) are open to discussion. Often, the term “assessment” is associated with the high-stakes tests that our students must take: SBA’s, HSGQUE, Terra Nova, ACT, and SATs. These assessments are only part of the assessment process, and they only provide a partial picture of our students as learners.

As teachers, we are assessing our students’ learning on a continuous basis whether we realize it or not. We employ a wide variety of assessments to help us determine if our students are “getting it.” These strategies include: observations, anecdotal notes, chapter tests, quizzes, facial expressions/body language, etc. We use these strategies to increase the effectiveness of our teaching the overall success rate of our students as learners. Our assessments help us determine if our students are “getting it,” and to make modifications as needed.

Likewise, assessing a language curriculum is an essential part of the language program. We need to know if the goals of our language program are being achieved. If our goals are being achieved, we continue to make or program stronger, and if our goals are not being achieved we work to make our program better. The success of our students is at stake.

Assessment serves a purpose, but that purpose should not be to communicate to the stakeholders (students, teachers, parents, etc.) that they are failures. Assessment should be used to lead to changes that will result in the increased effectiveness of whatever is being assessed. Assessment should not be the end result, but a gateway to more effective teaching and learning.

Chapter 6

This chapter discussed different syllabus types. After reading about each syllabus type, I immediately thought that an integrated syllabus would be the best approach to syllabus design. However, as I started to construct my reasons for choosing an integrated syllabus, I realized that an integrated syllabus might not be the best choice for all language classes.

The majority of my language teaching experience has been with young learners (6th grade and under) at beginning to intermediate language proficiency levels. Thus, my experience has helped me construct the belief that all domains of language are important in language instruction. In my mind, the best way to incorporate all of these things would be through an integrated syllabus design, one that stresses the importance of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. I believe this would be best achieved through incorporating: context, grammar, and opportunities to use the language, etc., because all these things are interconnected.

However, as I started to think about how proficiency levels and purposes for learning the language differ among students, I realized that it was too simplistic to say that an integrated syllabus would be the best choice for all language classes, and that it would be better to say that the type of syllabus used in language teaching should reflect the purpose of the language class and the proficiency levels of its learners. For example, if the focus of the language class is to improve the writing skills of businessmen with advanced language abilities, then perhaps grammar would be a key area of focus. Maybe, a focus on grammar would be just what the learners would need to become even more proficient in their language abilities.

Chapter 5

Although, I feel confident in being able to identify aims and objectives, I had a difficult time giving an example of an aim and an objective. I found this somewhat ironic because I am a teacher and I deal with standards and objectives constantly. In my own mind, I equate aims to what I know or identify as standards and I equate objectives with what I know as objectives. Once I had cleared up the definition of an aim and an objective in my own mind, I found myself questioning whether or not my aims were to broad (not specific) and whether or not my objectives were centered enough on learning outcomes. My question is how does one know when they have written good aims and/or objectives? Does practice help?

I believe in order to write aims and objectives proficiently, I would need to practice. In addition, I think it would be helpful to work in a group and have the input of several experts. I think these two things would help me write reliable aims and objectives.

Situational Analysis

Situational analysis can be described as a process that tries to identify how changes might positively or negatively affect a curriculum plan. The text identifies several factors that must be considered including: societal factors, project factors, institutional factors, teacher factors, learner factors, and adoption factors. Each of these factors helps decide whether or not a proposed change is successful or not.

In my own teaching experience, I have witnessed the effect of teacher factors on the effectiveness or success of a curriculum. Our district identifies a common curriculum for each of the sites in LKSD. Unfortunately, the amount of teacher preparedness, training, and implementation expertise plays a big role in determining whether or not the curriculum is successful.

Our district can pinpoint sites that have implemented a successful language program and sites that have not. Why do these differences exist? After all, aren’t all the districts following the same curriculum ? Yes, but it must be realized that other factors come in to play (resources, institutional, etc.). Fortunately, some of these factors can be overcome by the effort the teacher(s) is willing to exert to ensure that their students receive a quality education.

Chapter 3

The topic of this chapter, needs analysis, reminded me of the process our district is in regarding the current language programs at each site. Although I am unfamiliar with all of the details of this process, I know that its goal is to determine the type of language program each community desires and to identify the goals of the language program they choose. Once these two things are established, then the district will define a plan that identifies what must occur in order for the goals to be met. For example, the district will identify what teachers must do, what parents/community members must do, and what students must do. Eventually, an “agreement” will be reached and the language program will be modified or changed to meet the goals of the community.

This reminded me of needs analysis because the need is a language program that is appropriate for each site. (In other words, the current language programs may not be meeting the goals of all the stakeholders). In order to meet each site's needs, various ways of collecting information are being used: surveys, meetings, questionnaires, etc. This process takes time but eventually the information obtained will be used to make a decision that aligns the language program with the goals of all its stakeholders.

Chapter 7

“Quality teaching is achieved not only as a consequence of how well teachers teach but through creating contexts and work environments that can facilitate good teaching” (Richards, 2001). This quote stood out to me as I began reading this chapter, because I believe that quality teaching is dependent on a variety of factors, not just “good teaching” alone. An individual can be identified as the best teacher around, but it is how they are supported by their administrative staff, other teachers, and their students that makes all the difference. In order for quality education to occur, all parts of the whole must work together. If one part weakens or completely fails, the other parts suffer and as a result the “quality of teaching” goes down.
Reflecting on my teaching experience over the past three years, I can identify times when my teaching was not “quality teaching.” One year, the communication in our school between staff and administration was very weak. This resulted in many misunderstandings, which created an environment of mistrust and confusion. Over time, the lack of communication affected the morale of the staff. It plummeted. As a result, the quality of the teaching decreased.