New technology rich classrooms at Irving, Whittier
This article discuss a Technology Rich Classroom (TRC) that has been created for 3rd and 4th grade science classrooms. Two separate elementary school prinicpals, their science teachers, and a technology specialist wrote a grant to provide for four TRC's including laptops for students, smartboards, Elmo document cameras, LCD projectors, student response systems or "clickers", and other new technologies. The goal is to engage students in science and increase their learning. They will measure the success of the program by evaluating student scores on the 4th grade state assessment test, using student, parent, and teacher surveys, measuring perfomance on classroom projects and assessments, and by looking at attendance and discipline records.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Reader Response
Reader Response Meets New Literacies: Empowering Readers in Online Learning Communities
This article was about a researcher collecting data on the use of an asynchronous message board with literature. It also discusses other forms of online communication, such as email, blogs, wikis, and social networking sites. This occurred in a 5th grade classroom. The curriculum for social studies is American history, so the teacher combined historical literature and language arts skills for their postings. The students read the books, The Watsons Go to Birmingham and Bud, Not Buddy. The students responded to the literature on the message board through the use of classroom laptop computers.
The possibilities of online learning through the use of message boards, blogs, and wikis are enormous. The students are engaging in thought provoking responses to the literature. They are getting opinions of others and broadening their own world by hearing others’ opinions. These statements from the article were profound to me.
“While working collaboratively in response to the literature, students established a community of inquiry in which their sundry literature prompts elicited divergent responses inspired by multiple opinions and diverse perspectives.”
“The new literacies are here to stay, and it is the responsibility of all teachers to orchestrate learning opportunities in which students can collaborate and communicate within a technology-rich environment.”
“In this study, the fifth graders clearly relied on each other for guidance, support, and construction of knowledge. So should educators. By helping one another, sharing ideas, and supporting future research, teachers can provide their students with the literacy futures they deserve.”
Larson, L. (2009). Reader Response Meets New Literacies: Empowering Readers in Online Learning Communities. Reading Teacher, 62(8), 638-648. http://search.ebscohost.com
This article was about a researcher collecting data on the use of an asynchronous message board with literature. It also discusses other forms of online communication, such as email, blogs, wikis, and social networking sites. This occurred in a 5th grade classroom. The curriculum for social studies is American history, so the teacher combined historical literature and language arts skills for their postings. The students read the books, The Watsons Go to Birmingham and Bud, Not Buddy. The students responded to the literature on the message board through the use of classroom laptop computers.
The possibilities of online learning through the use of message boards, blogs, and wikis are enormous. The students are engaging in thought provoking responses to the literature. They are getting opinions of others and broadening their own world by hearing others’ opinions. These statements from the article were profound to me.
“While working collaboratively in response to the literature, students established a community of inquiry in which their sundry literature prompts elicited divergent responses inspired by multiple opinions and diverse perspectives.”
“The new literacies are here to stay, and it is the responsibility of all teachers to orchestrate learning opportunities in which students can collaborate and communicate within a technology-rich environment.”
“In this study, the fifth graders clearly relied on each other for guidance, support, and construction of knowledge. So should educators. By helping one another, sharing ideas, and supporting future research, teachers can provide their students with the literacy futures they deserve.”
Larson, L. (2009). Reader Response Meets New Literacies: Empowering Readers in Online Learning Communities. Reading Teacher, 62(8), 638-648. http://search.ebscohost.com
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Jessica- Post #3
I found this very interesting article in Education Week called Technology Links Students to Fieldwork. The article talks about how scientists in remote parts of the world are maintaining blogs in order to communicate in real-time with students in science classes around the world. This piqued my interest from the beginning because science is not a topic I am strong in or especially interested. Within the first couple of paragraphs, the authors say that the whole purpose of this on-line communication is to change that attitude. Logically, scientists would have a more difficult time engaging school-aged students in their everyday work because it often involves specific lingo and unfamiliar terms. But the live blog approach allows students to interact with the scientists as questions arise. The scientists participating in this project are also posting video and picture clip to show the students what they are seeing and working on. This is a positive step toward incorporating more technology into our classroom and may even expand interest in the field of science.
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