WebQuest Topic

The WebQuest will be designed for grade levels 9 & 10 in an English Language Arts class reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlett Letter."  Students will gain a better understanding of the author, historical background and themes presented in the novel.  Students will use many resources and gather information they find to create a comprehensive presentation of Puritan ideals, beliefs and society's standards in connection to the text.

Common Core Standards for students applied are as follows:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.6 Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.9 Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

Chapters 2 & 3 Reflection

There are many theories in the field of education.  As a teacher, different theories need to be applied to the classroom for teaching, learning and assessment.  Every child should be treated as a "unique" individual because not every student learns the same way.  From my experience of teaching and observing classes, general education students can be in a class with IEPs and ELLs.  Teachers have to be able to accommodate all students.  It is a challenge for both students and teachers.  Technology is one tool in aiding and accommodating different students in one classroom.  When I think back to my own learning, most of it comes from other people (teachers, parents, friends, etc.), active learning environments and personal experience.  "Behaviorism, Cognitive Science and Constructivism" can be incorporated into a classroom.  I tend to lean more towards "Cognitive Science" and "Constructivism." In an English class, memorizing Vocabulary words are important for Vocabulary Tests and SATs.  How many of those words do students truly remember in the future?  It's the active learning, thinking and collaborative projects that students remember.  The "metacognitive awareness" is the most valuable lesson because a student can think about his or her own thinking.  Reading circles are good ways for students to interpret literature amongst themselves.  If one student does not understand the reading, then another student may be able to help the other.  This type of learning environment is "student-centered." Students assess their own learning.  Another example for students to assess their own learning is by creating a portfolio of written work.  The portfolio shows how the student develops his or her own thought process through writing.  Is a "teacher-centered" learning environment necessary?  Absolutely, students need structure and guidance to reach the goal.  Old and new ways of teaching methods can be integrated into lesson planning.

Questions:

1.  According to Chapter 3, "Standards-based assessments" are important in measuring what is expected of a student for a certain grade level.  Do standardized tests truly measure how much a student will succeed in life?  And if the answer is no, then why is there so much pressure on students and teachers?

2.  Students and teachers are able to express their creativity by using Technology.  How much technology should be utilized in lesson planning for a 40 minute class?

3.  How do we as teachers or educators assist those students who do not have access to technology 24/7  as oppose to those who do?

Class Reflection

I was nervous about the concept of the "E-Teacher," but after today's class I am a little more at ease.  I now have some great websites, such as Educreations and Glogster to utilize in the classroom.  As an English teacher, I will do some research on "The Infinite Thinking Machine."  It is a great concept for students to write and share short photo essays.  I learned that technology is not just about computers.  Technology is our everyday world.  I love the concept of blogging about class and our personal reflections from reading because I gained new knowledge from my peers.  This new knowledge would've never existed without the innovation of technology.  I am not quite sure how to use "Twitter," but it seems like a fun way for students and teachers to interact.  It also enables students to collaborate amongst each other.  Thanks to researching "Twitter in Education," I can create a class newspaper for a Journalism elective class.  Twitter also allows different subject classes to interact.  This is a great way to relate lessons in different subject areas.  Students and teachers become one large community for support.

Chapter 1 Reflection

After reading Chapter 1, I started to question my own teaching methods and experiences of technology in and outside of the classroom.  I was not fortunate to have an "electronic childhood."  My household did not have a desktop computer until I graduated undergraduate studies in 2005.  I completed my middle school and high school papers on a typewriter.  In college, I used the school library or computer laboratory to research, print, or save my work on a floppy disk.  As a student-teacher in 2005, I taught my lessons by writing on the blackboard.  There was no technology in the classroom.  After entering the legal profession from 2005 through 2013, my computer skills were basic, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, work-related databases, email, or searching the web.  From September of 2013 through December of 2013, I covered a maternity leave position for an all boys private high school.  I taught tenth and twelfth grade English.  I remember walking into the classroom two days before classes started and only seeing a Smart Board.  This was my first time officially teaching on my own in the classroom and I had no idea how to use the Smart Board.  I felt like a "digital immigrant."  I had to create engaging lessons and learn an entire new piece of technology.  Luckily, I had students who were part of "Generation M" who taught me technology skills in the classroom.  I must admit that I felt a sense of "digital disconnect" between myself and the students.  My lessons that utilized technology created an "active learning environment."  Students were more focused and interactive.  I know I don't have years of teaching experience, but my teaching philosophy includes both teacher-centered and student centered teaching.  A teacher is necessary to provide certain skills or information and at other times students can learn from one another.  The "Rogers Innovation Curve" is intriguing because an individual cannot solely be judged on technology if he or she gradually changes.  When I first stepped into my official classroom, I was a "cautious" and "skeptical observer."  As time progressed, I became an "innovator" or "early adopter."  The Smart board was a necessary tool to teach my students.  Today, I continue to be cautious and skeptical to new technology because I am not technologically savvy.  I do hope after completing this course that I am a little more advanced in the field of technology.

Questions:

1.  The National Endowment for the Arts concludes that reading habits and reading skills are decreasing among U.S. teenagers and young adults due to electronic media.  How can we as teachers increase students abilities to read books on his or her own rather than implementing assigned readings from class?

2.  How do teachers who are not technologically savvy learn new technology to utilize in the classroom environment?

3.  What are some ways to manage "Instructional Practices" in a large classroom (30-35 students) setting?

First Day of EDU 7266

I am having issues with technology already.