My Future Website

Chapter 12-Web Authoring

I plan on developing a classroom website as an informational resource for teachers. In the future I would like to have the website for parents and students also. It will contain information such as: my bio, classroom rules, curriculum information, student publishing and a calendar of news, including upcoming events. The site will either be a Google site or Wiki that highlights “What Do Good Readers Do?” First and foremost would be a student’s interest level and the notion that Reading is fun, followed by the 5 components of reading: Phonemic Awareness; Phonics; Fluency; Vocabulary and Comprehension. For struggling readers the website Sign Smith is a good resource for looking up words in sign language for teaching them to become efficient, active readers through the use of sign language. Using this web site will promote that reading should be active, with movement and bodies in motion by using sign language models. I always try to have students learn reading skills or strategies by using multi-sensory methods. When using gross motor signs students are more apt to remember a reading strategy. An example is: reading is thinking (students put hand on head), remembering (sign remembering) and understanding (hands out stretched forward). I use sign or body actions to explain what a syllable is (A syllable is a word or part of a word with one vowel sound). This sign web site (although it is not free) can help model or visualize the body in motion to reinforce reading skills for students. Phonics will be highlighted the most out of the five components of reading on my website or wikispaces.

O, Blanche, and Kathleen Puckett. Preparing to Use Technology. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2009, (O and Puckett, ch.12, pg.248-272.) Print.

Websites

Google Site

http://www.google.com/sites/help/intl/en/overview.html

Wikispaces

http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers

Mr. Leahy’s Class

http://www.beavton.k12.or.us/jacob_wismer/leahy/leahy.htm

Top 10 Mistakes in Web Design (Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox)

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html

Sign Smith Studio

http://www.vcom3d.com/signsmith.php

http://www.vcom3d.com/index.php?id=illdictionary

Reflections on Multimedia Tools

Chapter 11-Multimedia Tools

After reading Blanche W. O’Bannon and Kathleen Puckett’s Chapter 11-Multimedia Tools from the book “Preparing to use Technology”, one verse that kept on resonating in my head was“ time to orient self with” learning the available features of the software. When we think about it this is what our students need to connect the old information with the new information and create a schematic folder for new learning. Time to orient themselves…Three new bits of information that was learned after reading about Multimedia tools was the fonts to use in text, the 10% rule of copyright, and the steps to make a digital story and podcasts.

The text or printed information should be clear for a typeface that has a good readability level. Some fonts that were suggested was San serif - Arial and Verdana. Safe and ethical use of digital information was discussed and the 10% rule was something that I never heard of. The following is the 10% rule for copyright information.

1. Text -10% or 1000 words

2. Illustrations and photographs- 10% or 15 images

3. Music – 10% or 30 seconds

4. Video – 10% or 3 minutes (whichever is less)

The Center of Digital Storytelling (DS) in Berkeley, California (www.storycenter.org/index1.html) has deemed there are seven elements for digital storytelling. Digital storytelling are narratives that are mixed with still images, video, music, or audio narration of the author’s voice. The seven elements of storytelling are:

1. 1.Point of view

2. 2. Dramatic question

3. 3. Emotional content

4. 4. Gift of your voice

5. 5. Power of the soundtrack or music

6. 6. Economy-enough information to tell story

7. 7. Pacing-rhythm of the story

Alan Levine offers “The Fifty Tools for Telling a Story” at http://cogdogroo.wikispaces.com/storytools

Steps to create a digital story

1. 1. Get ready-take some time to orientate self to learn about available tools-OK! Hee, hee.

2. 2. Locate the media-organize a folder for resources on the topic

3. 3. Select the media-select images, audio, and content for the creation of the story

4. 4. Write the script-determine the point of view and content that should guide narration

5. 5. Record the script

6. 6. Import the media-using the software I movie or Photo story

7. 7. Preview your movie and upload to the web

Podcasts were named by using a portmanteau - using the words IPod and broadcast. Using podcasts gives individuals the opportunity to create digital audio on a variety of subjects.

Steps to Create a Podcast:

1. 1. Plan the podcast

2. 2. Record and edit: Audio

3. 3. Create an MP3 File

4. 4. Upload to the Web

I II wish I had too much “time on my hands” that I could orientate myself to learn the available features on digital stories and podcast software programs. This weekend I did spent some time orienting myself to Google Site and Wikispaces for my final project on, “What Do Readers Do?” I hope time goes slow so I can become familiar with the terminology and navigation through making a web or a wiki.

O, Blanche, and Kathleen Puckett. Preparing to Use Technology. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2009.(O and Pucket, ch. 11,pg.225-247.) Print.

Digital Storytelling

Digital Storytelling: Time for Orientation to Learn the Available Features

http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/index.html

http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/intro/DS-Intro.mov

http://teachdigital.pbwiki.com/digitalstorytelling

Read-i-cide: A Conversation With Kelly Gallagher

http://voicethread.com/share/303482/

Reflective Technology Blog

Reflective Technology Blog

Chapter 7: Digital Images

Ways to Integrate Digital Images into Learning Activities:

Pictures or illustrations can be very effective when related to the text, so as to assist students in understanding text-based instruction materials. Some ways in which I would integrate digital images into Reading learning activities would be: use of digital images as prompts for writing activities such as sequencing books and digital stories; vocabulary words and pictures game (match word with picture); diagraph word recognition-sh, th,wh,ch, with pictures that contain those sounds; create a slideshow to illustrate compound words, rhyming words, word families, action words, synonyms, antonyms. The use of digital images is another resource of technology as a strategy for meeting the goals for student achievement in a fun and exciting way that creates a positive learning environment.

O, Blanche, and Kathleen Puckett. Preparing to Use Technology. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2009. 154-80. Print.

Chapter 8: Diagrams, Maps, and Webs... Oh My!-Diagrams, Maps, and Webs...Oh My!

Ways to use Diagrams, Maps, and Webs in the classroom:

Diagrams, maps, and webs are visual learning tools that help students clarify thoughts, organize and analyze information, integrate new knowledge, and to think critically. Some ways in which I would use diagrams, maps, and webs in the classroom are:

Diagrams – science information (nonfiction); story book text

Maps – idea map; KWL; brainstorming (story map, setting, characters, events, problem solution).

Webs – literacy; Kidspiration to strengthen word recognition, vocabulary, comprehension and written expression. Use of pictures and words to retell stories or compare literature.

These visual tools enhance thinking and learning skills by improving student performance in the areas of literacy development, critical thinking, retention and recall of information, problem solving, and organization.

O, Blanche, and Kathleen Puckett. Preparing to Use Technology. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2009. 181-96. Print.

TTCR(Technology: Teaching Children to Read)1-2-3

http://teacher.scholastic.com

This Scholastic website is so important for my preparation of teaching students
to find their "just right level" in reading! Using leveled readers on this webpage is a great
resource to have students find a book of interest. Readers read about what they know and what they are good at. This Scholastic website is teacher, student and parent friendly to use.


http://starfall.com/

Starfall.com is my lifesaver when I need a quick workstation for a pair of students that need practice and review on a certain skill. The videos are so useful for a set induction for the introduction of a new skill. Another great feature of this website is each skill is on the phoneme level, word level, sentence level and culminating a story that the students can apply in text.

http://www.readwritethink.org/
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/picturematch/

Wow! Thanks so much Ms. Cindy for the time to explore with this reading website on the powerpoint! I have used the "Readwritethink" teachers resources yet have not had the inquiry or constructivism time to find that this site also has games for beginning readers to use. This week I will be using picture matches of short vowels with my first graders in Response to Intervention.

Word Solvers!

These two websites are helpful

with word work.

http://www.visuwords.com

http://www.wordle.com

Reading is a Fun Puzzle!

Phonics Video -Digraph "Wh"-Questions that start with "wh"!

Snapshots of Spreadsheet Web Sites

Integration Ideas with Spreadsheets

Creating Charts
The website I chose under the category of “Integration Ideas With Spreadsheets” was Creating Charts. The site provides a “how to” section for web units graphs and charts. I would incorporate in the classroom the section on “How To Make A Bar Graph”. The students will graph their weekly encoding and decoding scores for a month and track the scores from week to week by learning to change the fonts and colors. In this way the students will be able to visually track their numeric scores and differentiate by colors.

http://mathforum.org/alejandre/spreadsheet.html

http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/


Spreadsheet Software Options

Excel 2007
With the category of “Spreadsheet Software Options” I chose Microsoft Office Online under Proprietary spreadsheet solutions. The reason I picked this software option is the availability of clip art images and templates that the students can readily make use of in their reading and writing. Their writing could be easily supplemented with images by browsing the clip art and media categories that are available in the Clip Art section. The students could also make use of the list template by listing their Spelling and Vocabulary words each week and track the books they read with the reading log template.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/default.aspx


Spreadsheet Tutorials

School Spreadsheet Safari
Under spreadsheet tutorials I picked School Spreadsheet Safari because from the student’s perspective it is very user friendly in that the site takes you through a natural progression of “What is a Spreadsheet?”; “Spreadsheet Vocabulary”; “Spreadsheet Tips and How-tos”; and “A Timeline of Spreadsheet History”. Under classroom activities there is a section titled “Reading & Language Arts Spreadsheets” which would enable me as the Reading teacher to become more organized and efficient through the use of spreadsheets for vocabulary words, spelling tests and even a reading book check-out spreadsheet. This reading book check-out spreadsheet would enable me to see what books I have and who has them out. The Spelling test spreadsheet would provide not only a way for the students to practice their spelling words but to also take the test and have it scored automatically by the computer. Talk about a teacher time saver.

http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110054/

O, Blanche, and Kathleen Puckett. Preparing to Use Technology. Second Edition.

Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2009. 210-24. Print.

Future Webmaster!

Future WebmasterWebsite Wanna-Be: Avoidance, Procrastination, Excuses …

It’s been a long time coming…For many years I have wanted to make a Reading Corner Website. I started to make a blog about 4 years ago yet never posted anything. I just kept posts in the save file.

Extra, extra read all about it! I’ve always wanted to create a reading corner website for many reasons. I wanted to have a place for a resource of all my favorite websites for resources for won purpose. I wanted the students to go to practice reading skills in a fun, motivating, engaging way. A place that students couldn’t resist to go to independently at home, as if they were going to play video games, Playstation, Wii, or DSI. What a dream. An area for parents as a helpful resource to support their children would be included. Enough of my avoidance, procrastination, and excuses. The following is some brainstorming or braindrizzles of a future reading website.

Google Search

The FIVE Components of Reading

Each component of reading will have a spotlight author to

strengthen that certain skill through literature.

Phonemic Awareness

Eric Carle

Phonics

Dr. Seuss

Fluency

Shel Silverstein

Vocabulary

James Preller

Du, du, duaaaa! That’s what reading is all about-comprehension! Reading is… thinking, remembering and understanding. Oh yea, I didn’t remember the most important part of reading---Reading is fun!!!

Comprehension

Mary Pope Osborne