3351 Review of Students Action Research Proposal

1.  What is the problem?
Kindergarten students where having trouble recognizing rhyme and word families in text.

2. What is the rational for the project?

Exposure to rhyme and word families enables students to decode new and difficult words in text.

3. What strategy will be use to address the problem?

They will be playing rhyme games.

4. What is the question?

How can I use a variety of rhyming games to help my students recognize rhyme and word families in text? They also had a supporting question of  "how can I use a variety of rhyming games to help students recognize rhyme and word families in text?"

5. What evidence is presented that the strategy will work?

The evidence used was that "Research shows that implementing a range of rhyming games can help students improve their recognition of rhyme and word families( Allen 1988.) Reinforcement of patterns of rhyme through rhyming games helps students build on the concept of rhyme and word families( Bradley & Bryant 1983).

6. How will data be collected?

Prior to the begeining of the project an assessment of decoding srategies will be administered to all students and then again at the end of the four week implementation. Also student performance checklist during games, and teaching journal monitoring individual student progress will be in place.

3351 Action Research Seconday

1. Encouraging, Thoughtful, and Helpful Responses to High Stakes Writing: How Do Writing Teachers Do It All?

2. That comments the teacher wrote in response to the students’ work assisted them in improving not only their writing but also their attitudes and confidence about writing as well.

3. The strategy being used is reinforcing effort.

4. The evidence is in the feedback from the students along with their parents.

5. Students work and student interviews along with surveys of the parents and students.

6. The teacher listened to what the students said during their interviews. Also the surveys had a numerical rating in which only twelve of the parents actually did them write. Also the teacher looked at how the students work had changed.

7. The results showed that the use of comments did help the students with their writing.

8. The teacher plans to create a method for response that allows for greater dialogue between the teacher and the students when discussing a student’s respective piece of writing. Also that teachers need to create a writing response system that will allow teachers to respond constructively, but in a more time efficient manner.

I used a Blackberry Playbook to do my app review with. The first app I reviewed was a app for the Weather Channel. This app allows you to view the weather forecast for any city around the country. To view the forecast for a city all you have to do is enter the cities zip code or the name of the city. This app is user friendly and can come in handy for anyone especially outdoors-men.

The second app I reviewed was McGraw Hill U.S. HIstory Quiz 1. This app is designed for people like myself who are into history. The app asks multiple questions on U.S. history. One thing I liked about this app is it has some unique questions. The only downfall is that there are only 80 questions on the app. This could be helpful to some students in brushing up on their history though.

2201 Political Cartoon Analysis

1. What is the event or issue that inspired the cartoon?  The 2012 election.


2. Are there any real people or places in the cartoon? If not what, what images are portrayed in the cartoon? The person in the cartoon is Barack Obama.


3. Identify the specific artistic techniques used in the cartoon (i.e., symbolism, analogy, exaggeration, labeling, and irony). What is the artist trying to show the reader by using these techniques? The cartoonist used symbolism, analogy, and exaggeration in this cartoon. The artist is trying to show the reader that Obama does not care about the Constitution.


4.  What is the cartoonist's point of view about the topic portrayed in the cartoon? Give examples to support your interpretation. The cartoonist's point of view is that Obama does not care about the Constitution. To show this they show Obama saying that he is sorry about the Koran being burnt then he says he is not concerned about this being burnt and he is holding the Constitution in his hands and it is on fire.


5.  Is this cartoon persuasive? Explain why or why not. Yes the cartoon is persuasive. The reason it is persuasive is it is trying to get the audience to think that Obama is more concerned about the Islamic Koran being burnt then he is about following the Constitution. They want people to believe that to him the Islamic faith is more important than peoples rights.


6. What other techniques could the artist have used to make this cartoon more persuasive? To be honest I think the artist did a good job with the techniques they used and don't see anything else they could have done.

2201 Storybook Project

To read my story click here.

2201 Double Journal Entry # 11

The first thing I learned is the amount of technology there is to use for teaching. Through my classes here at Fairmont I have learned about several different programs we can use to help with teaching but these guys rambled off all kinds of technology tools that I have never even heard of in one slide. This just goes to show you that technology is growing at a rapid pace so there is no excuse not to be using it in the classroom.
The second thing I learned is all the different roles that they expect teachers to play. I already new about most of them but when you put them into a list like they do on this video it is kind of overwhelming. The last thing I learned is that technology is messy itself.

2201 About Me Scratch Project

2201 Double Journal Entry # 10

Quote:


"Even students who perform well in school are often unprepared for the challenges that they encounter after graduation, in their work lives as well as their personal lives ( Resnick 2007)."

Response:


The reason I chose this quote is because I see this as a problem within our education system today. With the advancements in technology coming at such a quick pace it is hard to get students prepared for their future. The problem is that with technology advancing so fast how do you prepare a student for the future when you don't even know what the future will look like in five years. that is why we are trying to make our students creative thinkers so they can adjust to a unknown future.  

Here is a great video about creative thinking and technology.

References:


Resnick, M.  (2007). Sowing the seeds of a more creative society.Retrieved from http://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/papers/Learning-Leading-final.pdf


Dr Geary. (2008). Thinking creatively: Teachers as designers of content, technology and pedagogy part1. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNoijjIrPT8

3351 Double Journal Entry #11

What is formative assessment?
Formative assessment is the feedback from teachers, peers, and even the student themselves. This type of assessment is for learning because it helps the students understand their own work.

What is the CENTRAL purpose of formative assessment?
Student learning is the central point of formative assessment.

Connect a best practice in formative assessment to one in research-based strategy.
Providing feedback is the research-based strategy that I see connected most to formative assessment. I see this because is formative assessment not mainly about feedback?

Give an example of how a specific assessment can be used formatively and summatively.
An example of this is using a rubric to formatively show a student what needs to be done.Then the same rubric can be used to give them a grade summatively.

Give an example from your field placement related to formative assessment and timing.
The only thing that comes to mind as far as formative assessment that I have seen in my field placement is the use of rubrics. I also have seen were the host teacher will ask the students a question about something on channel one news before they view it and tell them to think about it while they view it. After they view the news then he will hold a classroom discussion about the topic getting their answers on how they felt about the subject.

What are some strategies to help formative assessment be more effective when providing students with feedback?
First of talk about their strengths in the work they have done. Also do not overwhelm them with information.

Name two advantages to high quality formative assessment.
It shows the teachers students who are struggling and what they are struggling with. Also it keeps the students motivated.

What are some challenges to implementing high quality formative assessment?
The first challenge is that teachers do not know how to implement formative assessment. The next challenge is getting the teachers the support they need.

2201 Scratch Tutorial

2201 Scratch Post

Garden of Times

The first thing schools could learn from playing this game is interaction. By going to your neighbors garden you gain points in this game. The next thing schools could learn is customization. Everybody gets to build their gardens the way they want to. They could also learn the cycle of expertise. In this game you have to gain a certain level to unlock more stuff. One huge thing that they could learn is context. As your playing this game pop ups appear instructing you what to do therefore giving you the context at the time you need it. The last thing they could learn is exploring. In this game you can search for stuff to buy, go look at your neighbors gardens, and of course find hidden objects.

2201 Double Journal Entry #9

Quote: 

"Therefore it can be argued that in video games, failure is good as it helps facilitate alternate solutions to problems."

Response:


This quote is fount under risk taking in our reading. I chose this quote because I find this not only interesting but also very true. I had not thought about video games in this way but I do see the connection. When my kids play games and can't get by a certain level they will not just give up but will try several different things to get by that level. By doing this they are learning to find alternate solutions to problems and this is a skill that they really do need to learn. They are learning skills just by playing games that previous research said was rotting their brains, kind of ironic isn't it.


Here is a great video I found on YouTube about video games being used to teach students.

Resources:


10 things schools can learn from video games.(2012 January 20). Retrieved from http://www.learningingaming.com/10-things-schools-can-learn-from-video-games/

"Games and Education Scholar James Paul Gee on Video Games, Learning, and Literacy" Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNfPdaKYOPI

3351 Double Journal Entry #10

In every content area the type of writing is going to be different. The way a student writes in Social Studies is going to be different then the way they write in subjects such as math and science. If a teacher is not teaching how to write for their given subject then the student could easily get confused. By all teachers taking on the responsibility to teach writing skills this will greatly increase the students knowledge of the content being taught. I don't see why there should be a problem with this because as a teacher are you not being payed to teach?

4 Research Based Strategies


Low stakes writing assignments: In this strategy the teacher does not give the students long essays to do but instead assigns them to write short summaries on things such as the key concept of a reading or just having them do outlines. This method is basically short and to the point but it does help them with understanding the course content.

Provide multiple forms of feedback: This strategy involves not only teacher feedback but also peer reviews and even classroom discussion on the writing a student has done. By doing this you can take some of the pressure off of the teacher while still helping the student.

Sustained and intensive professional development: This is basically teaching the teachers how to teach these methods effectively.

Collaboration in professional development: This is teachers learning in a community or just by helping each other. By doing this they can learn the best ways to implement these practices.

3351 Focused Observation

There is a student in my class that has a hard time staying focused on the lessons being taught. The student has a hard time sitting on his chair and is constantly moving. The student is very smart but has problems with their grades because of their problem with paying attention to the lesson being taught. I have noticed that when we begin class by watching student news on channel one that this student sits still and is very focused on the news. i also noticed when we were watching a video about animals in Central America that other then fidgeting around in their seat they were totally focused on the video. I have worked with this student one on one and the student picks up on any lesson when you get them to stay focused on the task at hand. Also by talking to this student you can definitely tell they have above average intelligence. This student has been diagnosed with having ADHD and is now on medicine. I have noticed a big improvement from last semester when they were not on medicine to this semester were they have started their medicine. The student seems to start loosing focus when the lesson is more of a lecture then hands on. I also have noticed that when the lesson includes a video this student seems to be able to stay focused better. One thing that I have been able to do to help this student is when I am teaching the lesson I will call on them to answer questions pretty often this keeps their attention on the lesson and the student seems to thrive on getting to answer questions during the lesson. This student just needs a little reminder during class to pay attention.

3351 Student Interest Survey

When you think of History what do you think of?

2201 "How a Ragtag band created Wikipedia"

Response to Video:


The first thing I learned was that Wikipedia is managed by volunteers. I find this to be amazing that such a huge site is managed this way. The next thing that I learned was how quickly they fix vandalism on the site. He even points to were reporters have said they vandalized it and were amazed at how quickly it was fixed. The last thing I learned was that only about 18% of the edits done to the website are done by anonymous users. I thought that this number would be a lot higher. When he said that everyone on Earth should have access to all human knowledge I totally agreed with this statement. Another thing I agreed with was when he was talking about truth. Like he was saying your truth is not going to be my truth. With that being said I have to disagree with him when he is trying to say Wikipedia is neutral. No matter how hard you try when people are writing about something there will be biased opinions.

Response to "Wikipedia Pretty Accurate but Hard to Read":


I was surprised by the information in this article. The reason I was surprised is I have never found Wikipedia hard to read compared to scholastic Journals.

Response to "4 Ways to Use Wikipedia Never Cite It":


To be honest I have never used Wikipedia to as a source for any research paper. The only time I even look at it is for information like what is the most venomous snake in the world.

Wikipedia Worksheet:


The article I chose was on Ronceverte W.V.

Wikipedia Reliability Worksheet

Article title:

Answer the following questions to see how reliable a Wikipedia article is.

1. Start with the main page. Does it have any cleanup banners that have been placed there to indicate problems with the article? (A complete list is available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Template_messages/
   Cleanup.)

Any one of the following cleanup banners means the article is an unreliable source:

This article or section has multiple issues.	N
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.	N
The neutrality of this article is disputed.	N
The factual accuracy of this article is disputed.	N
This needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling.	N
This may contain material not appropriate for an encyclopedia.	N
This article only describes one highly specialized aspect of its associated subject.	N
This article requires authentication or verification by an expert.	N
This article or section needs to be updated.	N
This article may not provide balanced geographical coverage on a region.	N
This is missing citations or needs footnotes.	N
This article does not cite any references or sources.	N

2. Read through the article and see if it meets the following requirements:

Is it written in a clear and organized way?	Yes
Is the tone neutral (not taking sides)?	Yes
Are all important facts referenced (you're told where they come from)?	Yes
Does the information provided seem complete or does it look like there are gaps (or just one side of the story)?	complete

3. Scroll down to the article's References and open them in new windows or tabs. Do they seem like reliable sources? (For help in determining the general reliability of a source, check out the Knowing What's What and What's Note: The 5 Ws (and 1 "H") of Cyberspace handout.)
   
   Reliable references: Yes
   
   
   
   Possibly unreliable references:
   
   
   
   Definitely unreliable references:
   
   
   
    

4. Click on the Discussion tab. How is the article rated on the Rating Scale(Stub, Start, C, B, GA, A, FA)? What issues around the article are being discussed? Do any of them make you doubt the article's reliability?

This article has not received a rating on the rating scale.

---

---

---

5. Based on the above questions, give the article an overall ranking of Reliable, Partially Reliable or Unreliable.

• You may use a Reliable article as a source (but remember that even if a Wikipedia article is reliable, it should never be your only source on a topic!)
• You may use a Partially Reliable article as a starting point for your research, and may use some 
  of its references as sources, but do not us it as a source.
• You should not use an Unreliable article as a source or a starting point. Research the same topic in a different encyclopedia.

How did you rank this article (Reliable, Partially Reliable or Unreliable)? Give at least three reasons to support 
your answer.

I rank this article as being reliable. The first reason I ranked this article as being reliable is because of the references. The next reason is because when I looked at the editing history the only time anyone edited this article was to add more information about Ronceverte and not to fix any problems. The last reason I rated this article as being reliable is because I am from Ronceverte so I feel I know a good bit about this town and all the information in this article is what I have known to be true.

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2201 Double Entry Journal #8

1. What is Wikipedia?


Wikipedia is a online encyclopedia.

2. How would you answer the question posed in this piece "How reliable can a source be when anyone can edit it"?


Any sources reliability should be questioned so I see this source as being as reliable as any other.


3. Who do the creators of Wikipedia place their trust in when it comes to weeding out misinformation?


They depend on anyone using the site to weed out misinformation.


4. Why did founder Larry Sanger leave Wikipedia?


He believed it should give more authority to experts.


5. What would abuse or vandalism look like on a Wikipedia page?


It would be editing done by a government or business that would be for their own interest and could be very biased.


6. What do the statistics quoted in the third paragraph of this piece reveal?


That a lot of people use this site for their research and to post information on.


7. Why do you think Wikipedia is so successful?


I think Wikipedia is so successful because of how easy it is to use.


8. Why might Wikipedia's creators not want to accept advertising?


I think they don't want to accept advertising because if they did it might appear that they are biased for certain companies.


9. How does Wikiscanner help increase the reliability of Wikipedia entries?


It allowed them to check the IP address of anonymous editors exposing governments and companies that were editing for self interest. 

2201 Think Aloud

Thinkaloud

View more presentations from rodbourne.

2201 Website Evaluation

I chose to look at a site dealing with teaching students who have Dyslexia. The cite a chose is http://www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com/howtecanacdy.html

Who:


 Has someone take responsibility of the content of this Web site? Yes someone has taken responsibility of this site.

Is information about the author or organization clearly stated? Yes they even posted their phone number directly at the bottom of the article.

Can you contact the author or company through a real world postal address or phone number? Yes both are listed on the site.

What:


Is the information biased in any way? The only way I think the information may be biased is in the way they feel is best to teach students with Dyslexia because others may feel it is better to teach in a different way.

Does the site"s information seem thorough and well organized? Yes in my opinion it does.

Does the site clearly state the topics that it intends to address? Yes it does.

When:


Is it important that the information you are looking for be absolutely current? Yes to a degree, it needs to be recent studies not anything from further back then two years.

Is a reference date provided to show when the material was put online, or when it was last updated? Yes at the bottom of the page.

Do the links work? Yes.

Why:

Can I get the information faster offline? No I can not.

Does the online material I'm finding suit my needs? Yes they do.

Am I able to verify this information? Yes.

Sources:


NA. (2011). How teachers can accommodate the dyslexic student. Retrieved from http://www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com/howtecanacdy.html 

2201 Double Entry Journal #7

How might technology be used to support students in your future classroom who have learning differences like Dyslexia?


You should use technology in a way that it is geared toward whatever learning differences the student has. After reading the article "Words Failed Me Then Saved Me" I did a search on how to help students with Dyslexia so I could understand Dyslexia better. I fount a wonderful cite that I will link you to at the end of my blog. This cite explains Dyslexia and how it affects the student. They suggest using technology in the form of letting a student with Dyslexia use laptops in the classroom because printing or writing is hard on them. They also encouraged having them use programs such as Dragon Naturally Speaking. I feel by using any technology that would take a abstract concept and make it concrete would help a student with Dyslexia.

I recommend taking a look at this cite because it explains Dyslexia a little bit better and gives teachers good advice they can use in the classroom to help students learn that has Dyslexia. You can find this cite here.

Sources:


Schultz, P. (2011, September 3). Words failed me, then saved me. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/opinion/sunday/with-dyslexia-words-failed-me-and-then-saved-me.html?_r=2


NA. (2011). How teachers can accommodate the dyslexic student. Retrieved from http://www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com/howtecanacdy.html 

3351 Double Journal Entry #9

Quotes:


"Create is at the root of  creative thinking. If we want
children to develop as creative thinkers, we need to provide
them with more opportunities to create (Resnick)."


"How can we use new technologies to integrate play, design,
and learning? One way is to provide children with the
opportunity to design their own games (Resnick)."


"In recent years, schools have adopted more “hands-on”
design activities, but the focus is usually on the creation of
an artifact rather than critical reflection on the ideas that
guided the design, or strategies for refining and improving the
design, or connections to underlying scientific concepts and
related real-world phenomena (Resnick)."

Response:

I chose the first quote because I strongly agree with what it says. To get students to become creative thinkers they have to be given a chance to create and sadly once a student reaches the secondary schools most of the opportunities to create something for themselves have been taken away or the guidelines are so strict that there is seldom room for their own creativity. The next quote I chose because I thought this was a great idea. Just think about what students would learn by creating their own games. They would learn how to use technology in a very creative fun way along with several other things including design and even problem solving. I see this last quote as still being a major problem in our schools today. Teachers are having students create projects but that spend little time on why they did this project and how it relates to the real world instead once the project is done then the students get a grade and they move on.

Here is a YouTube video with Mitchel Resnick talking about the kindergarten approach to learning.

Sources:


All i really need to know (about creative thinking) i learned (by studying how children learn) in kindergarten. Retrieved from http://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/papers/kindergarten-learning-approach.pdf

3351 WebQuest Link

The WebQuest I will be working on with Donnie Harrison is here.

3351 Double Journal Entry 8

What are some challenges to inquiry approaches to learning?


One of the biggest challenges to this approach is teachers simply lacking the skills and knowledge to implement these approaches. If a teacher does not fully understand how to do something then they get frustrated and see it as a waste of time. Through most of my blog postings I have touched on this problem especially when dealing with technology. The first step in creating a better education system is to first teach the teachers.

Project-based learning and research-based strategies:


Setting objectives can be seen in project-based learning through the fact of there is a common goal that the students are working towards.

Simulations and Games can be connected to project-based learning because they both are using different means to teach students knowledge in a way that is grabbing the students attention.

Cues, Questions, and Advanced Organizers is connected to project-based learning through the fact that it is using students prior knowledge to build upon.

Sources:


Barron Brigid. (n.d.). Teaching for meaningful learning. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf


Research-based strategies. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/

2201 Magazine Cover

2201 Double Journal Entry #6

Relationship between media literacy skills and traditional literacy skills:

   Media literacy skills and traditional literacy skills are related because they both share the same skill sets such as using prior knowledge and making predictions.

Quote:

"Even though students are spending more and more time on the Internet and teachers increasingly expect their students to do assignments online, digital media literacy skills are vastly underrepresented in the curriculum for all but the most advanced students (as, indeed, are offline critical-thinking and reading-comprehension skills).(David, 2009)".

Response:

This quote sums up yet another huge problem in today's education field. We are requiring students to use technology yet we are not teaching them how to use it. In a lot of cases some of the teachers do not even know how to use the technology either as they pointed this out also. Our education system is stuck in a traditional state of mind. As I have said in previous posts the old way worked during the time it was useful but that time passed with the coming of the Internet. In this article it also pointed out that other countries educational field are surpassing ours because we have not yet started using technology to its fullest potential. I understand that our culture is rich in traditions and in a lot of situations we bulk at change but when it comes to educating our children we should do whats best for them even if it means reteaching teachers that are already teaching.

Here is a great site that you can use to learn more about media literacy.

Sources:

David , J. (2009). Teaching media literacy . Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Teaching-Media-Literacy.aspx

Double Journal Entry #7

1. What "dominant paradigm" is showing signs of wear?


The "dominant paradigm" they are referring to as showing signs of wear is the traditional way we have been educating our students. This method was based on the teachers and the textbooks being the mane source of knowledge. In this method the knowledge was taught through lecturing and reading.

2. According to the research, how does Project-Based Learning support learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.


In the traditional approaches the focus was on content knowledge. With Project-Based Learning not only are the students learning the content they are also learning how to transfer the knowledge they have to handle new problems they encounter. They learn how to use their prior knowledge more proficiently in performance situations that they will face in the real world and in future jobs. The first benefit form Project-Based Learning is an increase on test scores dealing with critical thinking as we can see in the study done by Shepherd (1998). The second benefit is seen in Boaler (1997, 1998) study. In this study students in Project-Based Learning school were taught mathematical knowledge that engaged them in exploration and thought. These students did better on conceptual problems then those taught in traditional schools and within three years more of these students passed the National Exam. A third benefit is a increase in students ability to define problems from Gallagher, Stepien, & Rosenthal (1992) study.


3. According to the research, how does Problem-Based Learning support learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.


Problem-Based Learning is better than traditional approaches because unlike traditional approaches that use a single approach to solving problems Problem-Based has several approaches that can lead to solving the problem. They have the students break into small groups to identify a problem then come up with a approach to solve it. Most of the research on this method has been done with students in medical education. According to the study done by (Vernon & Blake, 1993; Abanese and Mitchell,1993) medical students who were taught by Problem-Based Learning scored higher on clinical problem solving measures then those who were not. In teacher education this method better prepares teacher candidates to think through and resolve classroom dilemmas more productively (Darling-Hammond & Hammerness, 2002). Also students who are taught under this method are able to come up with accurate hypotheses and coherent explanations (Hmelo, 1998b; Schmidt et al., 1996).


4. According to the research, how does Learning by Design support learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.


Learning by design supports learning better by giving students a better understanding and application of knowledge. A benefit of this method can be seen in developing technical and subject matter knowledge (Newstetter, 2000). Another benefit with this method is better learning outcomes as fount in Hmelo, Holton and Kolodner (2000) study. In a study done by Fortus and colleagues (2004) showed that this method help students learn the targeted science concept better.


5. What are the differences between the three approaches.


 The major difference I see between the three approaches is determining which approach better benefits the content you are trying to teach. A example of this would be I would use the problem-based approach over the learn by design to teach math.


6. In your opinion, what is the most important benefit to learning that is common across the three types of inquiry-based learning approaches?


The fact that they are teaching students skills that will help them in the real world.

Sources:


Barron Brigid. (n.d.). Teaching for meaningful learning. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf

Voki 2

Voki 1

Unnecessary Words

Really (1)    Removed (1)
Just     (3)    Removed (1)

Passive Voice:


I feel by using technology we can make learning history fun and make a lasting impression on the students so my digital story was geared towards this concept.

Active Voice:
I feel by using technology we can make learning history fun and make a lasting impression on the students so my digital story is geared towards this concept.

Research Based Strategies

Thematic Instruction


   After reading about thematic instruction I can definitely say the PowerPoint quiz did not support this research based strategy. There are several way in which this is apparent from the fact that the quiz did not have a theme that related to students lives to it not having a theme that was formed as a question. The one that really stuck out to me was were we were only aloud to ask the teacher for help. According to thematic instruction you should have the students form small groups so as to help with problem solving.
   To make this activity fall under thematic instruction I would first come up with a theme something like "How does learning to use PowerPoint help future teachers in the classroom?" Then I would have the students work in a small group to come up with a PowerPoint slide show to explain this. By doing this I have came up with a theme that is appropriate for the students involved because we are studying to be teachers. This would also help because by having the students work in small groups they can help each other. Not only will they learn how to use PowerPoint but they will also learn something of value they can use in the real world or as you called it "Meaningful Learning".

Resources:


Focus on effectiveness. Retrieved from http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/them.php

2201 Double Journal Entry #5

Question

Does the digital story you created and uploaded to YouTube fall under Fair Use Guidelines? Explain.


Response

   The answer to this is simple, yes it does. My digital story falls under this and can best be explained by the fact that it was designed for educational purposes. Also at the end of my Digital Story you will notice a slide giving credit to the cites at which I took and used the photos from. Along with this the music in my digital story fell under open sources. This reading was very lengthy and at the same time all the material is important. Instead of just saving the cite I printed off the 22 pages as a resource for future use.

3351 Double Journal Entry #6

Speaker #1


1. Why is this video helpful for teaching in West Virginia? I found this video helpful for teaching in West Virginia because our students also have to overcome a dialect that they speak and write in that is not considered standard English.

2. What evidence is presented that supports the credibility of the speaker? When they first introduce her they talk about the many degrees she has earned from different Colleges. To have obtained these degrees it shows she has a background in what she is talking about especially the PHD in Linguistics.

3. Describe the traditional approach to responding to student writing? The traditional approach is to find error and then respond with correction.

4. Why does the traditional approach not work in improving student writing? This approach is not working because they are not looking at what  the student is doing only what they are doing wrong.

5. Name the three strategies associated with the linguistic approach to writing instruction? The first strategy is the scientific method followed by contrastive analysis and the last one is code switching.

6. How do you know the cat and Taylor go together? Because Taylor is the owner and the cat is what he owns.

7. What is different between the two patterns of possessives for informal and formal English? The informal is the owner followed by what they own where the formal is the owner followed by a apostrophe s then what they own.

8. What strategy is being used for teaching the second grade students the different patterns between informal and formal English? By having the students look at each way and then find out what is different in the formal way she is using code switching, scientific method, and contrastive analysis.

9. Describe how the scientific method is used to teach students to code switch. First you have to collect data then have the students observe the data searching for a pattern. They then describe this forming a hypothesis which they will then check their hypothesis and if a example comes t does not hold true to their hypothesis then have them modify it.

10. What question is being asked to engage students in the comparison and contrast strategy? She asked the students what changed?

11. How does code switching support meta cognition? It has the students choose the language to fit the setting.

12. What evidence is presented that the code switching approach works? Describe one of the studies? A teacher in Chicago had one freshman classroom were she used the traditional approach of teaching and then in another classroom she used the contrastive analysis method. After one semester in the traditional classroom she had a 8% more vernacular features in their writing. In the contrastive analysis classroom her student produced 59% less vernacular features in their writing.

Second Speaker


1. How did the students respond when asked how they felt about being corrected when they talked? They said that this made them feel stupid, angry, and even confused.

2. Give an example of a "fund of knowledge" the teacher drew on to help students learn to code switch? She asked the kids what they wore when they dressed up and explained this was formal. She then asked them what they wore when they did not dress up and explained this was informal. This gave them a clear understanding of what formal and informal is. She then had them explain were they would wear certain clothes hence that some places they wore formal clothes and other places they wore informal clothes. This then lead to language and when they used formal language and informal language.

3. What are some added benefits aside from raising test scores that stem from using contrastive analysis?  They learn that all people don't speak the same therefore they are more accepting of other peoples dialects. This  know to use formal English when trying to get a job and sounding more professional.


On your own


  Explain how contrastive analysis for writing instruction is an example of each of these researched-based strategies:

Generating and Testing Hypothesis
   Contrastive analysis is an example of this with the scientific method. First the students gather the data then look at it to find patterns with which they then from a hypothesis that they test.

Identifying Difference and Similarities
   This goes along with contrastive analysis by comparing and contrasting. Here the students compare the data sources looking for a difference.

2201 Digital Story On Teaching

Here is my Digital Story for Teaching!!

2201 Double Journal Entry #4

Quote

"Although the nature and structure of stories very for personal, artistic and cultural reasons (Ohler 2006)"


Response


  I chose this quote because I feel in touched on a way to overcome a issue that teachers find in their classes today. The issue is learning about your students culture and having them embrace it along with sharing it with their classmates. Sure you can ask a student about where they come from or even write about it and then have them talk about it but isn't the old saying " a pictures worth a thousand words". I feel that digital stories would be a great way for teachers to learn things about their students that they never would have otherwise. i also feel that by seeing each others stories that classmates learn more about their other classmate and might find out they are more alike then they thought they were and this might even help them make more friends. This might be the way to get someone who feels socially awkward to break out of their shells.
   Even when you have students do digital stories on other things then themselves you will still get a glimpse of what is important or interesting to them. you can then build upon this base of knowledge. I feel digital stories are a great tool to use in the classroom because it makes teaching more personal and the more you get to know your students the better prepared you are to help them learn.


   Here is a site I fount interesting giving a slide show about digital stories and why you should use them in the classroom. Slide show


Sources


Ohler, J. (2006, January). Retrieved February 8, 2012 from. http://www.jasonohler.com/pdfs/digitalStorytellingArticle1-2006.pdf

Bayuk, R. (2010, August 2). Digital storytelling in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/robbayuk/digital-storytelling-e-book

3351 Digital Story

Double Journal Entry #5

   The research points to the way a teacher with a negative attitude towards students ethnicity and language variation set these students up to fail. By a teacher having this negative attitude towards the student the student is less likely to try because they figure they are going to fail anyway so whats the point. What these teachers are doing is making these students hate school because they see school as a place were they are made to feel inferior. Once they have this mindset then they don't want to learn because again they don't see the point. Teachers like this are setting these students up for failure and sadly there are a lot of these type of teachers still out there and I'm sure we have all had one.

   A assessment pit fall would be when a teacher first hears a student talk they instantly judge that student as being average, bright , or below average. they then categorize these students and put them into a group based on what they think is their ability just from hearing them talk. They then teach students based on this. Also they teach in one way and this may not address certain culture of certain students therefore basically ignoring them. the biggest thing that is a assessment pitfall is the teachers judging their students based on a limited amount of information.

   The first approach used to transform student's dialectal diversity into a asset is the awareness approach. Basically in this approach you encourage students to use their dialect in some projects. Plus they also learn the history of certain dialects. The next approach is the critical pedagogy in which they have the students study critically analyze the ideology of the current language of power and it also gives the students a chance to flip flop which the social order. The final is called the critical awareness approach. this is basically using both of the first two.

   As far as how prepared I feel to teach a culturally diverse classroom goes I fell like I am prepared to a certain degree. I feel by living not just in West Virginia but by living out West that I have been exposed to different cultures other than my own to a certain degree. I also feel that i am not very judgemental because of the way I was raised. I also feel that I do need more practice in this field because when you think you know everything there is to know you face things with a closed mind and this is some of the problems with teachers today. They might be willing to teach but are they still willing to learn?