Week 3 Cedu 533

HTML, CSS...I think I'm becoming multi-lingual. I have learned 2 new languages in the past few weeks and they might as well be Chinese and Portuguese. I'm starting to understand it and see how I can use it in my life. I've played around and made some changes to my pages on the school district site this past week. They discourage it of course. I think it will be helpful to use the Java sites for ideas.

I enjoyed having time last week in class to try some of the things on the computer so I could ask questions when I needed help. I look forward to learning more in the coming weeks.

Week 2 Cedu 533

After another week of class and assignments I am more confused than I was before. Now we have CSS code to add to the html I didn't, and still don't understand. The tutorial was very difficult to follow, so I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with it. I think it would be helpful if we were able to try these activities on computers, as we are talking about them in class. Put it into practice, rather than just hearing/talking about it.

I enjoyed evaluating websites. There are a lot of poorly designed sites out there, but I found some really helpful, well designed ones as well. Well, if I can't be a web designer, maybe I can be a web critic...

Week 1 Cedu 533

HTML--Yikes! I am feeling so out of the loop. I missed the first session because I had parent/teacher conferences and then I left on a mission trip to El Salvador the next day. 2 days after I got home I had the entire family over for Thanksgiving. Now it's time to get back to some sort of reality and routine. I just managed to watch/listen to the first evening class. It seems so overwhelming. Now my group has to work hard this week to get things done too. They are awesome and a great help. I'm very lucky to have them. Just hope I can figure out this HTML stuff...and I thought 11 days speaking Spanish was a challenge.

Stats 5

Stats class is winding down. I wish I could say I'm disappointed, but honestly I can't say that. That feeling is in no way a reflection on the teaching--the poor instructor didn't have much to work with in my case. Everything I thought I was beginning to understand is becoming a big muddled mess now that I'm trying to put it together for the last two projects. The more I look at it and try to make sense of it the more confused I get. Way too many charts and functions for me to grasp. Luckily, the world needs English and social studies teachers too:-) As for the statistical portion of my action research...I think I will be selling plasma so I can afford to pay someone else to figure that all out. Seriously, I have no idea how I will be able to apply this later, when I don't fully understand it now.

The stress of a new school year beginning, waiting for approval on action research was enough, but then the added bonus of benchmarks and final "activities" pretty much did me in. I've never been a good test taker and I'm not fooled by the terminology--they are tests! Thankfully I've kept my notes organized and they've been a great help (this is awesome). In the future maybe stats could be scheduled closer to the point when researchers have the actual data and farther from the start of a school year (I always enjoy a little time in my ideal little fantasy world). I know I'd have experienced less anxiety attacks, sleepless nights and bouts with the hives.

Stats 4

I finally have approval from the IRB and West Bend School District to proceed with my research project--Yippee! I sent home parent letters today, so I can begin next week. Unfortunately, getting those permission letters back will probably be the most difficult task of all. Of course, my school laptop is non-functional again and is an integral part of my research plan. I put the work order in two weeks ago and today the tech. guy finally came and took it for repairs. It's being sent back to Dell for the third time in 2 years. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will get lost in transit, so I can have a new one--nah, never happen...I'm NOT that lucky. I'm just hoping I can get a replacement to use by Monday. At this rate I won't have any data to use with all of the statistical functions, equations, charts and all that other wonderful stuff we've practiced over the past 5 weeks.

Stats cont...

It seems that I never blogged last week, so I'll have to do 2 this week. Shouldn't be a problem... Things continue to baffle and bewilder in stats class. Just when I think I understand it, something new is introduced. My mind just can't seem to wrap around letters in place of numbers. It's the same problem I had in High school. I guess I am too concrete, or maybe I just like things to be easy. I appreciate the extra time we have had the last 2 weeks to try some of it in class. Excel is truely a life saver!! I'm lucky too to have Bryan in my small group because he's patient with my ignorance, and understands it, so he can guide us through the group projects.

Stats 2

Today is the day my action research goes to the IRB. My school district is finally going to look at it as well (usually they wait for IRB approval first-don't I feel special). My fingers are crossed that I provided enough detail that it won't have to go to the full IRB and put my research dates further behind. As it is, I will be in El Salvador for one week during the time I had proposed doing the research, so I will have to make adjustments for that.

Moving on to stats...I made it through benchmark 1 without having to do a retake--thanks to the use of notes, which I had very well organized. I just have to say, that I am a firm believer in, "it's not what you know, but whether or not you know where to look it up that counts." In class I found myself groaning inwardly (or maybe not so inwardly) when things were being presented with letters to represent the numbers. That makes my brain hurt just thinking about it. I was soooo much more comfortable when we had time to go on the computer and work through the processes with real numbers and then to find out how simple it is to do it with excel. I use excel for many tasks in my teaching, but this was new to me. I am so very excited for this additional opportunity to avoid the Greek that others refer to as math!

Stats

Heart racing, head pounding, and a cold sweat dripping down my back. Onset of H1N1? Not at all...That's what happens when I think of anything that has to do with math. To say I suffer from math related anxiety, would be the understatement of the century. I use standard deviations, mean, mode, etc... all the time when I do diagnostic testing on my students. I get that--at least as far as it applies to me and my responsibilities. When you take statistics beyond that, the little voice inside my head starts yelling,"why, why, why, would you want to know that," and I begin to experience all of the aforementioned physical reactions. In addition to math(as though that weren't bad enough) this course includes quizzes/tests, cleverly disguised as benchmarks. Maybe they aren't so cleverly disguised, since I realized it immediately and broke out into hives. Needless to say this course will be the most challenging for me, but in the end I hope to have gained the skills I will need to use my data from classroom research and complete my research project.

Action Research 2

Well, the long process of drafting my action research proposal is completed (I hope). Now I'm waiting for school district and IRB approval. After spending so much time preparing the unit I will use for the research and determining what data I want to collect, I am anxious and excited to move forward with the research. The preparations were frustrating and overwhelming at times, but thanks to a lot of patience and assistance on the part of my intructor, I have finished and am enjoying the sense of accomplishment. Stay tuned for future updates on the progress of my research....

Cedu 520

Article Reviews...my least favorite collegiate responsibility of all time! Not only are they difficult for me to attend to during the reading process, but then I tend to be far too wordy in my writing. I like my adjectives. The very idea of writing 8 of them has established a major motivational block for me. Even if the writing process weren't a hang up for me, the locating of relevant research articles is a tedious process. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I don't handle tedious well-perhaps that's why the unpredictability of special education is a good fit for me-and then add to it, the fact that it's summer and I can think of a million other things I would rather be doing. Well, enough whining. As I tell my students, "It isn't going away, so the sooner I get to it, the sooner it will be over with."

Describe what the course as a whole has done for you. What have you learned? What would you have liked to have learned but was not covered?

This course was a reminder of the planning and structure involved in lesson planning, that I learned in college, many years ago, but have fallen to the wayside as the realities of day to day teaching have hit me. It is nice to have an entire lesson planned out in advance for once! Thinking more about my assessments and the types of assessments that I use has been informative and useful. This class has also been incredibly humbling as I've received more criticisms on my work than I have in many years. I guess I have more to work on than I expected.

The Intel tools were interesting to work with, and I found some that I would like to incorporate into several of my classes/units. Hopefully, I will have spare time in the summer to play around with them more.

The only thing I would have liked to see in the course was more time in class to get feedback on EQs and progress on the units, as we were working on them.

Professional Development/Professional Growth

An effective teacher should be continually involved in professional development. What that looks like is very different from teacher to teacher, the varying grade levels and the content areas that are being taught. In my school district professional development opportunities are offered in the evenings, on the weekend and during the summer. Many teachers are unwilling or unable to participate in those. Even when they are willing, the topics are not always relevant. For me personally, the topics offered over the past couple of years were topics I am already proficient in, such as, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Modifying instruction, Introduction to Microsoft Word...

My district has 8 days a year set aside for teacher inservice. A few of them have district wide agendas, but for the most part, the inservice is left to the building administrator to plan. As a result our "professional development" has taken the form of whatever book has been read and what the latest buzz in education is. We have spent 3 years on Professional Learning Communities. I think that everyone agrees that Professional Development is a good thing, but the best way to deliver it has remained in the jury's out stages. With the cookie cutter, "everyone in this building will attend one training" model, many teachers leave frustrated and feeling that their time could have been spent more productively.

Ultimately, teachers are professionals and should be expected to participate in Professional Development that will benefit them and enhance their teaching. Most people would be more enthusiastic about professional development if it was based on their needs and interests, rather than by budgets, time constraints and contractual limitations. I would prefer to be responsible for attending 8 days of professional development, of my own choosing, throughout the year and providing the documentation of of my attendance at relevant Professional Development offerings.

Unit Considerations for a Variety of Learners

As a special education teacher, modifying units/lessons and general classroom activities is second nature to me. At any given time I will have students in the same class, whose reading levels vary from pre-primer through 8th grade level. All of my lessons need to be structured so that all students can participate and be successful. Sometimes all it requires is reading directions verbally and providing more feedback. Other times it requires several different versions of the same task. Any test I give has at least three modified versions. For me the more difficult task is making sure that higher level learners are being challenged to work at the top of their performance ability. Often it is easy to let them slide by while I am working to involve the other lower level functioning students.

Week 3

As a follow up to last week's topic...I have had personal experience with the "Digital Divide." Due to an issue with my wireless Internet at home, the only Internet access I have had is at my school. To widen the "divide" my district's filter is so tight that I can't access the class WIKI, Moodle, or Blog. This glitch in my normally connected life has made it difficult for me to upload/post assignments, and complete even the most basic assignment. Tonight, I am joining my fellow "disconnecteds" at the local Starbuck's for coffee at 8pm (guess I won't be sleeping tonight).

Now, on to the topic of the week....Assessment. This module reminds me of how much I diversify all of my student assessments on a routine basis. The nature of Special Education, mandates that assessment be student centered. Any time I plan an assessment, be it formal or informal, I have to plan a variety of designs to meet the needs and ability levels of all of my students. It is rare that I would give a straight forward, pencil/paper assessment. In many situations, the informal, day to day assessments provide me with the most reliable indication of my student's mastery of skills and/or content.

Week 2- The Digital Divide

Due to the middle class, suburban nature of my school district, I would guess that more of my students have computer/internet access in their homes, than in many other districts. From talking with the students in my classes, the only students who don't currently have computer access, are kids whose computers are in need of repairs. That being said, there are still many issues to be considered when planning lessons.

Many kids have to share one computer with multiple siblings, who also have homework assignments to complete on them. Also, students have older operating systems that won't allow them to access certain web tools, or even parts of the school's website. Lately, I have been hearing that students do not have Microsoft Office, because the package no longer comes with most new computers and their parents didn't spend the extra couple of hundred dollars to purchase it. The thing that really surprises me is the occasional kid who says they still have dial-up internet access, which causes problems with downloading/uploading work. Along with that issue is the situation when Internet service is disrupted, due to a parent being out of work and the bills not being paid.

LoTi

More acronyms to remember. Before last week I had never heard of LoTi. Throughout ths past week I tried to find someone, anyone at my school who was familiar with them. I didn't find anyone. From the activities assigned to our groups, I found that as a teacher, my instruction is at the 4a level. I would like it to be higher. I also realized that in order for that to happen I will need to convince my district that updated technology in my classroom is neccessary, and that the restrictions on web access, etc... need to be relaxed.

Week 4

This week has been a busy week with all the loose ends to tie up for the conclusion of the class. I never realized how many pieces of software and types of hardware/equipment were out there. It's mind boggling, that there could be so many different products to help achieve one task.

Planning a Digital Story

I have been researching storyboard formats and ways to introduce the idea of digital storytelling to my English 9 students. The sheer volume of information out there is mind boggling. I'm really looking forward to doing this project with my class of very reluctant writers. However, the fact that they are reluctant writers makes it even more imperitive that I have "all my ducks in a row," before I begin this project with them. If anyone has found any really user friendly planning sheets, I'd love to see them.

So Much to Process

While trying to process what we've learned over the past week and how I can use it in my classroom, I find that I am overwhelmed with all of the new ideas I am being bombarded with. I'm sure part of it comes from the fact that I was not able to attend class last week, because of my contractual obligation to be at parent/teacher conferences at my school, despite the fact that I made ZERO parent contacts during that time. I feel as though I am really out of the loop in terms of the class and what was covered last week, along with what I should be doing for this week. That being said, I have taken some interesting things from the course work and actually implemented a couple of them in my classes already. One idea I got while looking over the standards for my level. I came up with idea for my students to use a graphic organizer to put together information on the state I assigned to them to research. It was perfect timing because I was looking for a structured way to have students work on this assignment with a substitute teacher, rather than with me. Historically, assignments done with a substitute teacher have usually ended up to be a wash because the directions weren't followed or implemented by the substitute teacher. I am anxious to see if this extra bit of structure with the assignment will help.

Digital Storytelling in My Classroom

I could use digital storytelling in my classes in a variety of ways. In Social Studies I could use it as a new way for students to interact with the information we are studying. In special ed. My students are all visual learners, who require repetition and concrete examples to learn new content. It would be nice to have a new “trick” to use, other than having them create PowerPoint or Google Presentations. They do well retaining information when they are responsible for creating a presentation/project and then teaching about a subject. Digital Storytelling would work well for this.

I would also use digital storytelling in my English classes. This is a great way to have them do the organization, prewriting and planning that they typically get hung up on. All of my students, low level and reluctant writers alike will be able to create something they are proud of and feel okay about sharing with their classmates.

WebQuests

During our final in class session, and again as part of our small group work, we had the chance to check out several sites dedicated to educational webquests. Some of them were good, but many of them were nothing more than worksheets with a couple of links on them. I found that to be frustrating. I have found some really fun, interactive webquests to use with my students. I use them to reinforce topics and to get them engaged in their learning. An online worksheet just isn't going to cut it with my students. I have been wanting to create my own webquests, but as with most great ideas, I haven't had time to follow through. I did find a couple of templates and webquest builder sites, so that may just be the motivation I need to actually create one.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying! It has been a very timely subject. This week I had a student come to me because she is being harrassed. The harrassment comes in the form of text messages, phone calls and comments in the hallways between classes. Of course some teen, "love triangle" drama is at the center of it. After hearing more about the story, I found out that the whole thing started because one of the girls had a "boyfriend" that she chatted with in a chat room. He lives in NY. Apparently, another freshman girl from our school also started chatting with him and claims him as her boyfriend. It gets better... The boy is actually 19. The whole thing just keeps getting crazier and more people are getting involved. I can't help thinking that this wouldn't have been an issue 10 years ago. One thing is certain. Chat rooms and cell phones aren't going anywhere, so parents and schools need to come up with ways to educate kids to prevent these situations.

Social Networking in Education

While looking for an article to read on the topic of social networking in education, I was struck by the lack of current materials on this topic. Most of them were from 2006. This seems incredible to me. At a time when kids are becoming more technologically savvy at increasingly younger ages, one would think the topic would be discussed much more frequently. I notice as a teacher and as a parent, that children as young as 3rd grade are getting involved with social networking sites and are dependent on them for much of their social communication. On the up side, kids are able to develop relationships with other kids from all around the world and broaden their knowledge of different cultures. On the other hand, they are exposed to opportunist, who aren't what they seem. I won't continue down that road since that side of the topic is covered on every network news program and media source out there.

From the stand point of education, I find my students interested in reading and writing because of their social networking connections. Kids who would never dream of reading a book, or writing a multiple paragraph essay are happily reading each other's profiles, updates and the like, while creating them for their own pages. Without knowing it, they are practicing their reading and writing. One may argue that the writing on these venues is not good writing, but I would counter, that if they are making their thoughts and opinions understood, then there is value in the form of expression.

Cedu 525 Week 1

This week I have been looking at various search engines and comparing them. I have tried a variety of different search engines over the years, but always end up going back to Google and Yahoo. From evaluating and making specific comparisons of other search engines, I found that there are circumstances where some of the less popular search engines would be beneficial for my students to use.

As an end of semester project in my computer access class, I had the students research an assigned celebrity and develop a PowerPoint on their celebrity. It turned out to be extremely tedious and laborious for them and me(they're all special needs). After comparing the search engines this week, I have found that I could have saved all of us a lot of frustration if I would have directed them to use a subject specific search engine, such as beaucoup.com. These types of search engines have search engines within them that search specific tasks, so my students would have gotten a tighter search for their celebrities and eliminated all of the unrelated hits they were sifting through. I will definitely remember this in the future when students I work with have to research specific categories of information like that.