Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Inspiration

Journal 5: Gaming in the Classroom

Gaming in the classrooms is about incorporating creative and challenging educational games into lesson plans. The teachers’ goals are clearly to teach the standards but also to engage students more fully than traditional curriculum. Teachers have caught on to the popularity of gaming and are eager to tap into the fascination it holds for kids. They seek to incorporate gaming with learning in the classroom to take full advantage of the motivation level kids have shown toward games. They are networking for advice from fellow teachers for what kinds of games, in both computer and board form that have proven successful in their classrooms. They are also eager to share feedback as to what kinds of games they have found successful. Through experimentation, they are learning which games are best at maximizing learning engagement with minimum intimidation. Overall, the teachers have had success getting kids to learn enthusiastically without making it feel so much like a lesson. Fellow educators are so willing to share their experiences, both positive and negative, about why they feel something either works or doesn’t. They are sharing links to resource sites and to people on the cutting edge in the field of educational gaming. Also encouraging is the openness with which those with their own educational sites willingly respond to teachers asking for ideas. I also saw many links for games being sent from literally all over the world. It’s gratifying to know that we’re not alone out there in our quest to maximize the teaching experience.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Journal 3: “Restructuring for caring and effective education: The possible futures of education” by Dr. Rich Villa

Dr. Villa was an enthusiastic and engaging speaker who kept the audience interested. Not only did he have many thought-provoking ideas, but involved the audience in stage activities to illustrate his points (musical chairs). He talked about how there must be balance in the “Circle of Courage” model which includes generosity, mastery, belonging and independence. He also illustrated the consequences of any of these areas being out of balance. He also advocated having the special ed kids be in the regular classroom, both for their sake and their fellow mainstream students. For the mainstream students, it’s a chance for them to see that giving feels better than receiving. For the special ed kids, they would get the chance to belong. But to succeed, we must all first view diversity as “normal and valued”. Studies show that special ed kids in general classes to better academically and socially than in non-inclusive settings. Dr. Villa’s vision of “equalence” (equity and excellence) includes the goal of all children getting the chance to participate and feel successful. The culture that will support equalence must include artistry, care, character and collaboration and foster a true team spirit. He acknowledges that even the best laid plan can take 5 – 7 years to become institutionalized. And while he recognizes the barriers of insufficient and poor use of time in implementing a plan, he encourages us to be diligent and to persevere.

Question: How can we realistically have special ed kids in the mainstream classroom, when there is less budget than ever for classroom aides? While there is an educational budget shortage in California, there’s been an encouraging shift with aides for special ed kids. In the middle school in Ramona, the aide (or aides) are present in the mainstream class to help the special ed kids. The special ed kids change classes like the general kids, but there is always at least one aide in the class for support. When I sub for a the special ed classes at the elementary schools, the kids are mostly in the general classes and only briefly came to special ed for one subject. For example, 3 – 5 kids per hour are present in the resource center and are mainstreamed the rest of the day. It appears to be a shift heading in the right direction.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

JOURNAL 1

Shifflett, R., Toledo, C. (2008) Extreme Makeover: Updating Class Activities for the 21st Century. (Electronic version). Learning and Leading, 34-35.

Web-based applications are more social and group-oriented than ever. Including the whole class in a project is now possible with free tools accessible on-line. Students now have access to these tools to work on the same project, at different times and from different computers. These social applications are more appealing and help to keep the students actively involved and to promote creativity. Allowing students to share their work in blogs helps them become more personally responsible, knowing it’s read by peers and can allow feedback. Social bookmarking can be in invaluable tool in organizing and sharing the infinite resources assembled. Collaborative writing sites such as Zoho, has built-in safeguards to prevent loss of work, a once common occurrence in group work. While there will always be those who will try to abuse or misuse these applications, this is a perfect opportunity to teach kids personal ownership and internet etiquette.

Question 1: Knowing not all students have home internet access, how will I give those students the equal opportunity and time to on-line projects? In addition, some students may have access but no parent or sibling support – how will I provide a similar learning opportunity to everyone? Two or three days a week, I will have an “After Class Workshop” for students who need project computer time as well help with homework. For days when my students outnumber my class computers, I will arrange for us to use the library or learning lab computers together.

Question 2: How will I continually come up with fresh ideas to keep the kids interested? It’s unrealistic to think the ideas will always come from me – that’s why we have “social networking”! There are so many websites now available where teachers (and students) can find inspiration. It’s impressive, and a little overwhelming, to see how many generous teachers have shared their lesson plans and ideas. The sky is the limit!

Mader, J., Smith, B., (2008) Blogging Right Along. (Electronic version)
Learning and Leading, 36-37.

Class blogging is an effective way for students to exhibit their grasp of lesson concepts and network with staff and fellow students. An ongoing class blog or journal can serve several functions for both teachers and students. It’s an effective way for teachers to lay out a timeline for assignments and detailed expectations for each. Photos of significant events and sample document images can also be posted and shared. Some of the many opportunities blogs offer for students are to request and provide feedback on assignments, ask for help, and share their ideas. Having access to a class blog from home helps keep students on track and up-to-date. Student comments are also a way for teachers to measure how well concepts were understood.

Question 1: What will be the most effective ways to use image posting in my class blog? I look forward to posting samples of how I expect assignments to look upon completion. Where there is room for creativity, this will be the perfect way to inspire ideas in students. I am visual and find it helpful to see samples of what is expected to get my creative thoughts going. I believe students will also appreciate seeing, not just hearing or reading what is expected. This will also be a chance for students to showcase their work.
Question 2: How can a blog be useful in math assignments? When students don’t understand the assignment, they can both put out a “help me out” message to fellow students, detailing where they’re hung up. Students can then respond with an explanation or with uploading a sample page showing how a problem is done.
Read this document on Scribd: newsletter pdf

Monday, July 21, 2008

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Introletter.BethCraig


Hi, my name is Beth Craig. Originally, I'm from a small town outside of Pittsburgh, PA, but I moved here to California when I was four, so I guess that almost qualifies me as a native! I moved a lot as a kid, but mainly went to elementary school in the South Bay area, then graduated from Mt. Miguel High in Spring Valley. I attended Grossmont College, and later graduated from San Diego State University. I currently work as a substitute teacher in the Ramona Unified School District but will have to quit once I begin the credential program. Before I decided to teach, I worked for years in Mortgage Banking. Unfortunately, the real estate market crashed last fall, which prompted my career change.

I am a PC person, but vaguely remember using MAC at SDSU. It was just a matter of getting familiar and comfortable with the MAC, then it was pretty easy to use. My experience with technology began during my years at SDSU and grew from there. Now I use technology on a daily basis, as when I email friends as my main mode of keeping in touch. I also use the internet daily; surfing to find interesting information, watching Youtube, looking up references for school work and just plain having fun. There's a whole universe of information out there and it's so much more interesting than watching television. I believe I'm using Microsoft Office 07, but will check when I get home later.

I have to admit that I honestly applied here to this school because it is the closest school to where I live in Ramona. I admire that the school Mission Statement says it is committed to "diversity , educational equity and social justice." I truly hope that this pledge is backed up by commitment and action. I just had the 364 class and was immediately impressed with how thought-provoking and inward-looking it caused me to be. One of the main lessons I took from that class is that I have so much more to learn. Teaching someone's children will be both a huge honor and responsibility.