CDLP

Visual Article

Some of what I read in this article seemed like it would go over the heads of an elementary student. However, I feel that some of these things could be altered and used in an elementary classroom. One of my favorite things in the article was when it said that teachers and students should act as “co-learners”. I think that is very important. I think it is also important to remember that sometimes our students will know more than us. When working like technology, it is very likely that some students will know more than me. I also liked the evaluation that students would complete for their classmates. I think this helps build the idea of a community of learners. I also liked that the article suggested using a reflection sheet for composer/designer. This requires students to really think about what they have done. I do think it is very important for students to be exposed to these visual literacies. A lot of what we do is technological and students will just fall behind if they do not learn these things.

Chapter 11

As I read this chapter, all I could think of was my tutoring student at South Forrest. It seems that she has been taught that writing can only be boring. Whenever we begin to write anything after we have read our story, she almost seems to cringe. This child has never been shown that we use writing everyday.
I never thought that even these blogs could be considered "writing". According to Conley anything that is typed (IM, web addresses, or even doing online research) is considered writing. I think it is very important for teachers to take this in to consideration. If we do let students know that even things like this are considered writing, we may could entice more students to want to type.
I believe it is very important for students to learn how and why to write. If students are never taught how to write, they are crippled after they are out of high school. If a student continues his/her education with college he/she will be very busy writing. If a student chooses not to go to college and simply pursue a career, he/she will still be writing. Because they will be writing in any occupation they choose, it is very important for students to be taught how to plan their writing.
I believe it is very important for teachers to use some of the strategies that Conley suggests for teaching students how to write and review and revise their writing. Doing so will ultimately fill the world with students who not only love to write but are great writers. In my opinion you can never have too many great writers in the world.

SMART BOARD and Promethean

Sadly, I have had very little experience with either of these technologies. When I was a sophomore in high school, my zoology/marine biology teacher had written a grant for a SMART Board for his room. He used this tool almost every day. Although he did use PowerPoint with this he made them more interesting by drawing quick sketches to clarify. However, students were never allowed to use this board. Last semester I took the online tutorials for the Promethean software. I then attended a very brief training session of this technology. Because it was so brief I had no opportunity to use this technology.
I think both these technologies could be very valuable tools in the classroom. Unfortunately, most teachers who have this capability in their classroom do not use for anything more than a way to show a PowerPoint presentation. I think it would be great if teachers could allow students the opportunity to use these technologies.

Chapter 7

I read this chapter and immediately thought about what I had seen in lab. This semester we are at a school way out in the country. Most of the kids talk about hunting and fishing and wear camouflage all the time. One day the math teacher was teaching about the quadrants of a coordinate plane. To introduce quadrants, he asked each child if they had ever heard of some four-wheeler called the king quad. Most of the students of course had heard of this. Introducing something the students knew using the word quad, gained their interest about quadrants.
Unfortunately, not all students are lucky enough to have a teacher that cares about what their int rests are. I find it very sad that there are teachers out there that do not take the time to get to know their students and therefore the student does not succeed. I think it should be the goal of every teacher to have every student in the class succeed. It should not matter the color of the child's skin, their SES, their cultural background, or even what they are interested in. A teacher should get to know his/her students and what helps them to learn the best.
The tools that Conley mentions are great ways to get to know your students. If used correctly anticipation guides are a great way to see what students know about a topic or idea that is to be taught. I think it is very important for teachers to remember to not hold students accountable for information on an anticipation guide until after the information has been taught. It is also important to go over the anticipation guide before the information is taught and after the information is taught. The Pre Reading Plan is a great way to activate a students prior knowledge. It helps teachers make decisions about how to increase that knowledge. A KWL is a simple tool that can be very easily incorporated into any lesson. With all these tools it is important to remember to revisit what the students predicted/already knew.

Lesson Plan

Curriculum Standard: Investigate the history and cultures of the regions of the Western Hemisphere (e.g., Canada, North America, Middle America, South America, and Antarctica).



Big Idea: Examine the characteristics of societies in the Western Hemisphere and trace their developments.



Preparation:

1. Introduce the regions of the Western Hemisphere.


2. Ask students if they know anything about any of these areas.


3. Go to www.brainpop.com/socialstudies.


4. Show students how to navigate around the site.


5. Break students up into groups.


6. Assign each group a topic

Guidance:

1. Groups use http://www.brainpop.com/ to investigate given topic.


2. The teacher walks around providing help with information and the website.

Application:

1. Groups work information into a lesson.


2. Groups teach the lesson to other classmates.

Assessment:

1. Each group will create an assessment that goes along with thier lesson for other students to take.
2. Teacher and class will work together to create a rubric assessing presentation skills (information, presentation, assessment, etc.)
3. Students will help assess each groups presentation according to the rubric.

Teacher Blog

coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/feeds/114140911226993274/comments/default

Chapter 5

As I read chapter 5, I thought about the many different texts that could be used in a classroom. Because of new technology, the possibilities are truly endless. I thought back to my years as an elementary student. I can remember reading my textbook in all subjects, including reading. It wasn't until fourth grade that I had a reading teacher who had us read books, not just stories out of a reader. But, it wasn't until fifth grade that I had a social studies teacher who incorporated more than just a textbook into her class. We were constantly reading or being read narratives in her class. It really brought the subject area to life for us. But, today there are so many more texts that can be used in any subject area classroom.
There are several things to keep in mind about texts. I believe it is very important to know what reading level children are on. Therefore you must know what reading level the texts are on. But, I also believe that sometimes a simple text can prove to be difficult for a student if that student is not interested in the text. It is extremely important to know what each child likes to read. Allowing the child the opportunity to deal with these texts will increase a child's want to read.
There are so many new digital texts out there for teachers to use in a classroom. It is very important for a teacher to realize that not all students are proficient on the computer. Therefore the teacher must be sure to give very thorough instructions on how to complete the assignment. Even though we are in a technological world, I agree with Conley, in that we should still use many different texts in the classroom.

Assessment

As I began reading this chapter, the idea of standardized tests was all I could think about. Standardized testing seems to be a pretty big deal right now. But, this chapter has a few different ideas about assessment. The idea of this chapter is that of ongoing assessment. These assessments do not have to take away from classroom instruction. In fact, Conley includes ways to incorporate some of these assessments. These low stakes assessments can not only help the teacher see where the instruction needs to go, but they can help teachers get to know their students. Teachers must know what motivates their students, what they like to read, and how they learn. Conley discussed finding out what kind of reading material engages students. This made me think of my high school library. I do not think I ever checked out a single book from the library. I was there from 7th grade to 12th grade. In six years, I was never able to find a book that looked interesting to me. I believe that had my high school done some sort of reading interest survey, many more students would have taken advantage of the library.
I was very intrigued by the section on classroom tests. Most of my school years were spent taking tests that had been created by the publishing company. They either required no thought, or were worded so terribly that no one could answer the questions. I think it is very important for a classroom test to be well thought out and very authentic. Having a student apply what they have learned to their everyday life makes it so much more real to them.
I have been required to turn in several portfolios over the years. I truly think that they are a good idea if they are implemented correctly. Conley suggests that what is included should be selected by the teacher and the student. I have always been told exactly what needed to be included. If something was not included, points were deducted. I feel that this is the wrong way to create a portfolio. Conley states that " A primary goal of portfolios is to involve students in evaluating their own work." In the way I was required to make a portfolio, I had no involvement of my portfolio.

13 Principles/Practices

Principle six says that teachers should use diverse texts. To me the idea of diversity moves past the idea of different cultures. Although reading texts that include different cultures is very important for children, it is also very important for the teacher to use texts of many different levels. We have been taught in every class that all of our students will be on different levels and will learn in a different way. Therefore, it is very important for children to hear many different texts that are on different levels. I think it is also important for children to have access to the different texts. They need to be able to read these texts on their own. Conley also suggests that that texts used in the classroom have a variety of topics. Just because I like one type of books, doesn't mean all my students will enjoy that same type. Having many topics and types of books in the classroom will not only engage students, but make them eager to read.

Chapter 3

Teachers are expected to produce achievement for all students. I think achievement is different for all students. Are all students expected to be on the same level?
Why don't textbooks align with the National standards for a subject?
Teachers must consider what kinds of thinking students will be required to do.
One important reason for assessment is to build on what students know.
"The more students know about the goals for learning, the better the students will be in achieving them."
Build on students interests and needs