Digital Storytelling Video - Who is Eric Carle?

Week 9

Assignment 1
The Impact of Using Blogs on College Students’

Reading Comprehension and Learning Motivation

In our world today it is essential that we utilize the technology that we have available to use. Our students are growing up in a digital world, where the knowledge about technology is significant. That is why educators must implement this knowledge of “new literacies”. Our students must be able to function, understand, and be knowledgeable about the “interactive multimedia environment” around them. Technology is a great tool to motivate students and to increase and improve their reading comprehension. Blogging allows students to learn outside of a traditional classroom. Blogs have similar features to Blackboard and Moodle, but it allows for more possibilities. Students are able to collaborate, reflect, and showcase their work with their peers and teachers. Blogs give students the opportunity to collaborate and share with not only students from their school but from other schools as well. Blogging gives students a broader platform for learning. Blogging is a great way for students to gain “new literacies” skills and prepare our students to be college and career ready in the 21^st century.

Assignment 2

Initial draft for Final Keystone Unit Implementation and Evaluation

Subject: ELA/Literacy and Art (Students will be using an interactive SMART Board program that will be designed as a game. It is inspired by Eric Carle’s 1974 book called My Very First Book of Numbers; My Very First Book of Colors; My Very First Book of Shapes; My Very First Book of Words. This game will focus on word identification. The students will be identifying color, shapes, and words. The students will see an image and must write the words correctly in the given spaces.)

Grade level: Elementary level (Kindergarten – 1^st grade)

Standards addressed:

The Arts: Visual Arts

ARTS1: Creating, Performing and Participating in the Arts

Students will: actively engage in the process that constitutes creation and performance in the arts and participate in the various roles in the arts.

ARTS2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources

Students will: be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and resources available for participation in the arts in various roles.

ARTS3: Responding to and analyzing works of Art

Students will: respond critically to a variety of works in the arts, connecting the individual work to other works and other aspects of human endeavor and thought.

ELA: English Language Arts: Listening / Speaking

ELA1.KN.LI3/ELA1.KN.SP4.01: Language for information and Understanding

Students will: read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding

ELA2.KN.LI3/ELA2.KN.SP4.01: Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will: read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression

ELA3.04.WR2/ELA3.KN.SP4.01: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will: read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation

ELA4.04.WR2/ELA4.KN.SPA: Language for Social Interaction

Students will: read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.

Literacy Competency Topic – Listening

·       Listen attentively to spoken language (e.g., books read aloud, rhyming words, songs, video-and audio cassettes)

·       Listen attentively for different purposes (e.g., to track individual words as they are spoken, to gain information)

·       Understanding and follow oral directions

·       Listen respectfully without interrupting others

Literacy Competency Topic – Speaking

·       Use kindergarten-level vocabulary and grammar in own speech

·       Speak for different purposes (e.g., share ideas or information, retell a story, dramatize an experience of even)

·       Speak audibly

·       Speak with speed and expression appropriate for the purpose

·       Take turns speaking in a group

ELA: English Language Arts (NYS P-12 Common Core): Speaking and Listening

K.SL.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

K.SL.2: Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.

K.SL.3: Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something is not understood.

K.SL.4: Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.

K.SL.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.

K.SL.6: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

Technology

Nets For Students

Creating and Innovation

·       Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:

a)     apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.

b)     create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

c)     use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.

d)     identify trends and forecast possibilities.

Communication and Collaboration

·       Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

a)     interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.

b)     communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

c)     develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.

d)     contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.

Research and Information Fluency

·       Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:

a)     plan strategies to guide inquiry.

b)     locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.

c)     evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.

d)     process data and report results.

 Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

·       Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:

a)     identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.

b)     plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.

c)     collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.

d)     use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions.

 Digital Citizenship

·       Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:

a)     advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.

b)     exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.

c)     demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning.

d)     exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.

Technology Operations and Concepts

·       Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:

a)     understand and use technology systems.

b)     select and use applications effectively and productively.

c)     troubleshoot systems and applications.

d)     transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.

Intended results of the proposed technology integration: At this grade level students are beginning to learn how to identify and spell words. With the use of the SMART Board and this activity the students will learn to read, write, and draw the word. The students will be able to visually see the image of the word and there will be a given space to write out the word. The students will also be asked to draw out the word if it is a shape.

Support and format of training needed for the effective implementation of the selected technology in their classrooms: The teacher must have know how to use a SMART Board and navigate through the program properly.

Requirements (computer lab or classroom computers): The requirements needed to implement this activity are a computer and a SMART Board, which is all located in the classroom.

Evaluation plan (what is your plan to make sure that your training meets the goals, needs, and objectives): The game will be an immediate assessment of the students learning.

• Did the students correctly spell the word?
• Could the students read and identify the word?
• Did the students draw the shape correctly?

Digital Storytelling Video

Who is Eric Carle?

I’ve created a Digital Storytelling Video that combines literacy and art together. Being an elementary art teacher, if find that it is very important to incorporate literacy with art. I like to create multiple art lessons that integrate different books and authors to teach to my students. I chose to create my video on Eric Carle. I thought that Eric Carle was a perfect fit for this project because he is both an artist as well as a author. This video is targeted towards the elementary level. It is a great introduction to Eric Carle, his books, and his illustrations. My video also includes a read-aloud of the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which is read by the author Eric Carle.


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/44186744/Eric%20Carle.m4v

Week 8

Technology and the Gifted Adolescent: Higher Order Thinking, 21^st Century Literacy, and the Digital Native by Caroline C. Sheffield

“Technology and the Gifted Adolescent: Higher Order Thinking, 21^st Century Literacy, and the Digital Native” written by Caroline C. Sheffield discusses the world our students are living in. Our students are living in an environment that is constantly changing and creating new technologies. As educators it is up to us to prepare our students for these new technologies. It is our responsibility to have our student “college ready” and “career ready”. However, it is often found that teens can be more technologically incline than their instructors. Once educators learn the latest technology there is some new making it out dated. Educators are struggling to keep up with this “digital world”. Although, if educators try their best to learn these new technologies and incorporate them in their curriculum it can only benefits our students in so many ways. This technology allows our students to continue to develop their critical learning skills and prepares them for the future.

Adolescent Literacy: What’s Technology Got to Do With It?

By National Center of Technology Innovation and Center for Implementing Technology in Education

The article “Adolescent Literacy: What’s Technology Got to Do With It?” discusses the struggles students have with their literacy skills. However, with the help of technology it allows for differentiated instruction and reaches our to diverse learners. Not all students learn the same way, students can be: visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. With the use of technology, it provides many different paths for learning and developing students’ literacy skills. When educators are focusing on different aspects of literacy such as: background knowledge and vocabulary, comprehension strategies, synergy of reading and writing, interest and motivation, and resources and technical assistance centers; there are an array of different technological tools that facilitate these skills. Electronic dictionaries or thesaurus can help students with their vocabulary. This is just one example of a technology tool that can help assist in literary for students. There is so many different tools and approaches that technology can bring to the classroom to help student improve their literary skills.

Does Collaboration Occur When Children Are Learning With The Support Of A Wiki?

By Yasemin Allsop

The article “Does Collaboration Occur When Children Are Learning With The Support Of A Wiki?” discusses the benefits a Wiki can have on students and their classrooms. It is a great online based website that can allow students to collaborate with one another. The article discusses the benefits of collaboration through technology. Wikis are effective tools that can be used in the ELA classroom to help student build on their critical thinking skills as well as group learning. This article made me think of Wikis in a different way. I think that Wikis are a great way for students to work together and teach one another; it is a great tool to use for collaborative assignments.

Week 7

UDL Book Builder
The book I created is called Lillie Can Draw. It is a book that I hope to encourage and inspire students to create their own artworks. It is a book targeted towards students in kindergarten through the 3rd grade level.

My book allows the students to have the option of  the characters read along with them. I believe Book Builder is a good tool to use in the classroom. Teachers can create their own passages and stories or even existing stories on Book Builder and make it interactive and interesting for the students, rather than using traditional textbooks or handouts. Book Builder reaches out to diverse students, touching upon all of the different learning styles (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic).

*Here is a link to my book.*

http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=share&book=adaa486c5383980333eee94a11052ee7&sid=7570

Here is a link to the printable version of my book.
http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=view&book=57737&page=1

Assignment #1

Theories and Practices of Multimodal Education: The Instructional Dynamics of Picture Books and Primary Classrooms

Multimodal Education is using different forms of teaching such as: using print, visual images, and designs. There is a shift in literacy learning, it has become more interactive, with the use of the SMART board and interactive books. Students are still learning to read the traditional way and through this idea of multimodal education. Students are becoming more of a critical thinker, analyzing a decoding visual text. When students are reading picture book, they’re using their multimodal education to code and decode images and text. This allows students to be able to analyze images and understand the meaning behind it. The use of different fonts in text is also another way to communicate or represent something. The text can be a different color, size, or shape, which could impact the word differently in meaning. The students’ environment and background influences their way of understanding a subject. With those differences it allows students to interpret and recognize images, signs, or designs in a different way.

Using the ADDIE Model to Design Second Life Activities for Online Learners

Second Life is a program that simulates a real life environment. SL can be used to create online learning environments’. Unlike the use of Blackboard or messaging tools it allows the user to feel like he/she is having a “face-to-face meeting”. It allows users to explore their different environments and gives them the feeling that they are truly in that moment, “social presence” which is missing when using tools like Blackboard or messaging tools. The users are able to interact with one another in a more meaningful way. This interaction falls into 3 categories:

1. Relationships between student and content
2. Relationships between instructors and students
3. Relationships among students

However, there are some challenges when using Second Life. Since SL is an advance program it may have difficulties running on many computers, running into issues such as: needing to upgrade the computer or system, having glitches on the computer and not running smoothly, and it may also be block from schools or organizations. Another issue is that other users that are not included in the class may drop in because SL is an open environment this may occur and disrupt the class session.

Assignment #2

I created an account on Second Life and selected my avatar, however I had difficulties using the program on my computer. I came across the challenges stated above. I was unable to explore the different environments due to my computer not recognizing the program and addresses. I found it a bit difficult and confusing to try to navigate the website.

However, I do see the benefits that this program can provide to students. By reading the information and watching the videos provided on the website. I believe it can be a great tool to use for online meetings other then traditional methods such as Blackboard.

As I discussed this idea with the ELA teacher we talked about the pros and cons of this program. Though our students are in the elementary level, it may be a program that is better use with high level students. We talked about taking books and creating scenarios or environments related to the story and placing our students in that scenario. The students will feel like they are coming alive in the story and being apart of the scene.

Week 6

Assignment #1
Gamestar Mechanic is a great tool to use in the classroom. It helps to engage the students and capture their interest in the subject matter. This program can be a great tool especially for ELA. It helps to foster students' critical thinking, problem solving, collaborating with others, and their creativity. ELA teachers can create and use games where students are able to work on spelling, grammar, reading skills, and so much more. I believe the creation of games for literacy can be endless.


Assignment #2
I believe that with the use of games in the classroom it can be a positive asset to students. It is a very helpful tool to both teachers and students. With tools like Gamestar Mechanic, teachers are able to design a variety of game to fit their classroom and their students needs. Teachers can create fun and exciting games yet very educational that can allow students to develop and expand their critical thinking skills.


Assignment #3
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/44186744/Game.pptx


Assignment #4
Edmodo is another great tool for ELA. Teachers can use Edmodo to post critical think questions about a passage or a book for students to answers and comment on. The students will be able to interact with one another by commenting on each others posts.