24
March
2008
Internet Resources for Conducting Readers Theatre
If you have been using, or are interested in using, Readers Theatre in your classroom, this is a great resource: http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=carrick/index.html . This on-line journal article, by Lila Carrick, provides wonderful links to internet resources for helping to find scripts. It also includes additional ideas for classroom applications, as well as assessment options. Readers Theatre activities can help to increase reading fluency, sight word vocabulary, and reading comprehension. It is also a great way to bring energy into your classroom. If you are interested, this site is very worth checking out.
Posted under Education
24
March
2008
One of my teaching mentors recently recommended a website to me… http://teacherweb.com/CA/MendozaElementary/MrsRios/. It is a wonderful resource for enhancing my Houghton Mifflin reading program. It is very user friendly and easy to navigate. You can find excellent on-line resources, games, worksheets and more all broken out by story title. I have used these resources many times and my students love them! It is definitely worth checking out. Thank you Mrs. Rios for sharing your wonderful website!
Posted under Education
24
March
2008
I recently read Will Richardson’s article entitled “Read/Write Web”, which discussed many of the free resources that students now have in the classroom. Websites like Wikipedia (with it’s user-populated database on all things under the sun) are great tools to get the students excited about topics they are interested in. This could no-doubt be a great way to teach, while also giving the student more experience with the computer.
As I thought more about the topic, it occurred to me that there is a need to ensure security for the student when using these online tools. We’re all aware of the threats to children online these days, but maybe there is a good opportunity to teach kids about online safety while in school. As the years go by, the internet will only become more a part of our student’s lives as the grow older, go on to continuing education, and find work. We’ve had anti-drug campaigns in schools for years; maybe now it’s time for internet safety instruction in the classroom. Any thoughts?
Edit this entry.
Posted under Education
23
March
2008
Letter To A Young Teacher – Practical Theory
by Chris Lehmann
The title of this article caught my attention immediately… I am a new teacher (second year) and I appreciate the words of wisdom and reminders Mr. Lehmann provided. I have loved my first two years of teaching, though they have definitely been even more challenging, and time-consuming, than I could have ever expected. I enjoyed his comparison of teaching to a marathon, not a sprint. I have found myself too often forgetting this very fact… and because I hope to enjoy this career for a long time, I found his reminder helpful. I also think it is important to remember that there is always something new to learn and that both the best and the worst things that happen in the classroom are not soley because of, or in spite of, you. Thank you for your letter!
Posted under Education
23
March
2008
Engage Me or Enrage Me By Marc Prensky
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0553.pdf
Mr. Prensky takes an interesting view on incorporation of new teaching techniques involving technology that don’t necessarily hit their mark. In this article he argues that children today are bombarded with computer-ized forms of entertainment, yet many of the tools offered to teachers can’t hold a candle to XBox or Ipod. He argues that the tool is not the problem, but rather the content presented to the student that causes the shortfall. It really falls on us (the teachers) to make sure our lessons at the computer work-station are challenging to the class. The more challenging, the more fun…the more fun, the more the lesson will engage the student. It’s hard to believe that we all made it with just the chalk board and flash cards!
Posted under Education
23
March
2008
Banning Student “Containers” by Alan November (www.techlearning.com)
I thought this was an interesting and relevant article for today’s classroom. Many of our students today are quite savvy and engaged when it comes to the five basic tools sited in this article: blogs, iPod, IM, YouTube, and video games. Those same students, however, are not always as engaged in the classroom. Would the introduction of these types of tools encourage our students to find the same level of interest in their classwork as they do in their video games, etc? Whether or not you agree with Mr. November’s position, the article inspires much thought.
Posted under Education
