Final Keystone

Final Keystone Unit: Digital Author Review

1. Subject: ELA teaching with highlight on using Microsoft Movie Maker or Globster to present an author review. 
2. Grade level: Self-Contained 9-10
3. Standards addressed:
1. Common Core ELA

                                               i.     W.9-10.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

                                              ii.     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.

                                            iii.     SL.9-10.2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.

                                            iv.     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.

2. ISTE technology standards

Teacher Standards:

1.     Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

2.     Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

3.     Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Student Standards:

1.     Creativity and Innovation

2.     Communication and Collaboration

3.     Research and Information Fluency

4.     Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

5.     Digital Citizenship

6.     Technology Operations and Concepts

4. Technology integration: The teachers will get to see students use their 21^st century technology skills as they incorporate technology into their learning in the ELA classroom.  The goal of this project is for student to make a digital author review by the use of Movie Maker of Globster.
5. Support and format of training needed for the effective implementation of the selected technology in their classrooms: The teachers will need to go through a tutorial on how to use Movie Maker and Globster in order to explain the programs to their students.   The students will be given a day to explore the two programs before they decide which one they will use for their project. 
6. Requirements (computer lab and/or classroom computers): This project will take approximately four, 46 minute class periods.  In this time, students will go to the computer lab as often as it is available or use the laptop carts in the classroom.
1. Choose one published author to research

                                               i.     Biography about the author (include childhood, schooling, family, writing experiences, books written etc.)

                                              ii.     Include a minimum of two interactive slides.

2. Select presentation format: Movie Maker or Globster

                                               i.     Movie Maker presentation must be at least 5 minutes long.

                                              ii.     Globster interactive poster must have a minimum of 10 slides.

c.      Upload project on to class blog.

d.     Present project to class.

                                               i.     Share digital project and reflect to the class your likes and dislikes about working with the digital tools.

7. Evaluation: The students will be given the below rubric that will evaluate them on all the objectives.  They will also evaluate their peer’s projects.  Once completed, the students will upload their projects onto the school website to show their talents to the rest of their peers and staff.

Digital Author Review Student Name:     ________________________________________ Author Review:__________________________________ Movie Maker or Globster

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Attractiveness	Makes excellent use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance the presentation.	Makes good use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance to presentation.	Makes use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. but occasionally these detract from the presentation content.	Use of font, color, graphics, effects etc. but these often distract from the presentaion content.
Requirements	All requirements are met and exceeded.	All requirements are met.	One requirement was not completely met.	More than one requirement was not completely met.
Mechanics	No misspellings or grammatical errors.	Three or fewer misspellings and/or mechanical errors.	Four misspellings and/or grammatical errors.	More than 4 errors in spelling or grammar.
Content	Covers topic in-depth with details and examples. Subject knowledge is excellent.	Includes essential knowledge about the topic. Subject knowledge appears to be good.	Includes essential information about the topic but there are 1-2 factual errors.	Content is minimal OR there are several factual errors.
Organization	Content is well organized using headings or bulleted lists to group related material.	Uses headings or bulleted lists to organize, but the overall organization of topics appears flawed.	Content is logically organized for the most part.	There was no clear or logical organizational structure, just lots of facts.
Sources	Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. All documented in desired format.	Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. Most documented in desired format.	Source information collected for graphics, facts and quotes, but not documented in desired format.	Very little or no source information was collected.

 Implementation Report

The students truly enjoyed creating their digital author reviews.  They liked the Movie Maker the best! The first day was just explaining the expectations of the project and introducing the two digital tools to the class.  The students were at first very hesitant when they heard about all the requirements.  That shortly died down when they began to play around with each of the tools.  I was very impressed with the outcomes of the projects.  The students were also impressed with themselves and their peers work.  The students watched quick tutorials on Movie Maker and Globster and became fairly confident with the programs after a class period of exploring.  

The class is a self-contained group of students with disabilities so accommodations were made prior to the lesson delivery such as teaching assistance to help students.  The classroom management was not an issue because all the students were glued to their computers and the extra help with the two teaching assistance really helped.  The class is made up of 12 students.

 Most of the questions asked by the students had to do with the tools themselves.  Once they figured out what author they wanted to review and researched the information, they needed assistance putting the information together.  There were some problems with the implementation processes mainly because my teaching assistance did not do their homework as in depth as I had hoped and they were not as helpful with the actual specific questions about the programs.  I made a few decisions on the spot dealing with what types of interactive media was acceptable. 

The feedback from most of the students was positive.  Some would get frustrated when they could not figure out ow to do something the first time they tried it.  The students said that they prefer digital presentations over traditional presentations.  They mostly liked that when they had to present to the class they really just had to show their project rather then  do all the talking in front of the class.

I had planed originally that this project would take four 46 minute class periods.  It ended up taking six periods including the initial presentation of the assignment, the exploring day and the presentation day. 

After doing this project with the students, I learned that the talent that the students have is often hidden by traditional education.  I was continually impressed and amazed by what the students were creating and I think they also loved the challenge.  If I were to do the lesson again I would only have one tool to work with.  It was difficult to assist the students with two different programs. 

Final Keystone: Interview with an ELA Teacher

The teacher I interviewed does not implement any of the new literacies discussed in this course.  She said that is it difficult to integrate technology in the classroom due to lack of resources as well as lack of student motivation.  When the students were given an essay assignment that had to be type, 9 out of 28 students did not have access to a computer and refused to stay after school to use the schools.  This is an on going problem in her classroom.  

I made a few suggestions to her to help change her instructional practices to include the use of technology and the Internet in her English classroom.  These suggestions included approaching the use of technology in a more exciting way that will make the students feel as if they are getting a reward.  For example, if the teachers allow students to work in pairs and create a blog to discuss the current book they are reading in class.  The teacher can explain to the students that blogging is just like Facebook in the fact that they will just write down what they think about the book or a character.  I think that if we give the students the importunity to express their opinions and ideas in a setting such as the blog rather than a classroom discussion, they may be more willing to participate.

The idea of professional development came up during my interview and she voiced many concerns about the time and money that it would take to implement the new technology into her classroom.  I explained that some of the tools available are as easy to learn after a short tutorial video that is free.  We discussed that it takes a lot for a teacher to adapt to a new teaching style but she is will to look more into new literacies and welcomes any information that I can provide.

Final Keystone Paper: Foundational Literacy and New Literaciesu

Foundational literacy and new literacies are emerging rapidly as the world of technology advances constantly.  These new ways of teaching ELA allow students to explore reading, writing and communicating through digital and media technologies.  These technologies support innovative formats, new reader expectations and new activities that teachers can bring into any subject area classroom to engage students in effective learning. 

Foundational literacy refers to the small set of skills used to comprehend information that is necessary when reading any type of text, online or on paper.  These skills include activating prior knowledge, connecting, visualizing, inferring, questioning, synthesizing.  These strategies can be taught through explicit instruction.  Research proven instructional models for teaching these strategies include Reciprocal Teaching and Questioning the Author. 

New literacies combine foundational literacy skills to put a twist on traditional literacy by including comprehension of information on the Internet.  Students will develop skills that will be valuable in their future such as discovering the effective use of search engines to locate information, evaluation of Internet sources and communication using e-mail, text and chats.  Student will also become familiar with word processing programs

New literacies and other ICT's require new social practices, skills, and strategies to be effective used.  Teachers will need to be trained in order to insure students are gaining as much as they possibly can.  New literacies and foundational literacy skills are a step in the right direction in the new education system.

Prezi Presentation

View my Prezi Presentation here:
http://prezi.com/af4lpee4rk92/copy-of-edla615-language-arts-and-technology/

I really enjoyed learning how to use Prezi.  It was pretty simple once I watched the short tutorial.  I loved that I could add videos with the click of a button!  

Globster Affordance

Technical Features of Globster and their Affordances

Features of Globster	Affordance
Digital posters featuring images, text, videos and attachments	Provides differentiated instructional activities that aid to all levels of learners.
Collaboration between teacher-student and student-student	Encourages learners to contribute ideas and input to peers work as well as receiving feedback from the teacher.
Ability to have a class log-in and password for each individual student	Safe and secure learning environment where the teacher can create a private Globster for the class.
Poster can be individualized to present book reports, author review, timelines, etc.	Allows students to be creative while using free online material that is available to them to present reports
Ability to post assignments, lessons and homework	Teachers can post classroom assignments that student can then attach work or answer questions

VoiceThread

Here is the link to my VoiceThread.

https://voicethread.com/share/2964434/

The thread consists of three word problems  involving percent problems that we all have needed to solve at one time or another.  I am looking for the different mathematical approaches that can be taken to solve the problems so please feel free to use the doodle tool to try out the problems.  Don't worry, I will not grade your work so don't be afraid to try the problems even if your not confident in your answer!!!  Enjoy!

Week 11: Article review

Evaluating pedagogical affordances of media sharing Web 2.0 technologies

I see the potential of implementing the technology of VoiceThread in the educational setting.  This article clearly stated the methodology used in the technical features of VoiceThread  and their affordable in the table.  I found that some of the most valuable features of the tool included the ability to "doodle" on the page as the speaker emphasis on key aspects of the topic.  This can be very useful in all types of settings, especially math.  I like that the tool allows for learners to receive feedback from a global audience.  This is a great way to fulfill technology standards for 21st century learners.  The most valuable feature to this program I believe is the ability to bring the classroom into the learners home by the interactions not only through text but voice as well. 

Dropbox book builder

file:///Users/jessicamcdonald/Dropbox/book_print.html

Book Builder Link Take two

Hope this works!

http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=view&book=57710&page=1

DRAFT: Keystone

Initial draft for Final Keystone Unit Implementation and Evaluation

1. Subject: ELA teaching with highlight on using Book Builder to create a book or Microsoft Movie Maker to make a
2. Grade level: Self-Contained 9-10
3. Standards addressed:
1. Common Core ELA

                                               i.     W.9-10.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

                                              ii.     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.

                                            iii.     SL.9-10.2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.

                                            iv.     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.

2. ISTE technology standards

Teacher Standards:

1.     Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

2.     Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

3.     Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Student Standards:

1.     Creativity and Innovation

2.     Communication and Collaboration

3.     Research and Information Fluency

4.     Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

5.     Digital Citizenship

6.     Technology Operations and Concepts

4. Intended results of the proposed technology integration: The teachers will get to see students use their 21^st century technology skills as they incorporate technology into their learning in the ELA classroom.  The goal of this project is for student to make a digital book report through either Book Builder or Movie Maker. 
5. Support and format of training needed for the effective implementation of the selected technology in their classrooms: The teachers will need to go through a tutorial on how to use Book Builder and Movie Maker in order to explain the programs to their students.   The students will be given a day to explore the two programs before they decide which one they will use for their project. 
6. Requirements (computer lab and/or classroom computers): This project will take approximately four, 46 minute class periods.  In this time, students will go to the computer lab as often as it is available or use the laptop carts in the classroom.
7. Evaluation plan: The students will be given a rubric that will evaluate them on all the objectives.  They will also evaluate their peer’s projects.  Once completed, the students will upload their projects onto the school website to show their talents to the rest of their peers and staff.

Digital Story Telling Project

Here is the video for my digital story telling project.  I did an author review on Eric Carle.  I remember reading his books as a young child.  When I worked in a daycare we had a library full of Eric Carle books and the children were drawn to the fun and colorful illustrations.  I really enjoyed creating this digital story through iMovie.  It took me a very long time to get use to all the functions but now that I am familiar with the program, I see myself using it for both personal and professional projects.  Enjoy!

Article Review

The Impact of Using Blogs on College Students' Reading Comprehension and Learning Motivation

I found this article to be very informative in the area of digital technology and college students.  With the implantation of "New Literacy, future college students will be better prepared for the digital learning atmosphere.  Although I have been exposed to technology as a young adult, I am not as familiar or efficient in the areas of digital technology that some of my students are.  This supports the articles view on the importance of digital education in the school setting.  We as educators need to prepare our students to the challenges that they will be facing in the future.  This includes the movement of digital media into the workforce and college settings.

I have never used a blog until this class and I see the benefits that are described in the article about  use of blogs to support college reading instruction.  I enjoy the opportunity to quickly and easily share my thoughts and projects with my classmates and instructors by a click of a mouse.  I have to admit, at first I was a little skeptical about the whole idea of blogs because I am not a fan of social networking but blogs are effective in the educational setting. I have talked to ELA teachers about the benefits of blogs in the classroom and some seem to be willing to try the new idea.  I enjoy the sense of community that the blogs offer for an online class like ours.  Now you can bring the classroom into your students homes with uses of blogs!

I find the results of the experiment in the article fascinating and surprisingly accurate when I think about it.  The fact that the data indicated that there was a significant difference between the two groups of students in the areas of reading performance, motivation, and retention rate is impressive.  I never would have thought that using blogs would be so beneficial to educational learning environments.  I am excited to begin using blogs in my own classroom to see if I experience the same positive results.

Book Builder Project

The book that I created was geared towards 3-8 grade students.  The book title is "Pi Day"  and takes you through a students perspective of what he thinks pi day is going to be about.  Being a math teacher, Pi Day is an excuse to party in the classroom while learning about circumference and area of circles.  I had a lot of fun creating this book and I will be presenting it to my Integrated Algebra class on Wednesday!  I think that they will like it and be supportive of my first web published book.  I will ask for their feedback and improve the story as needed.


http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=view&book=57710&page=1

In the ELA classroom, Book Builder can be used at all levels.  In elementary setting, students can work in teams to develop a story line and create the book through Book Builder.  In middle school and high school settings, teachers can instruct students to be creative and express their thoughts through story telling.  They can also present poetry and book report summaries with this tool.  Many of the essential ELA components can be incorporated in the Book Builder program with the different features that it offers. 

Incorporate Second Life in ELA Instruction

I discussed with an ELA teacher what Second Life is and how it can benifit ELA instruction.  We talked about possibly creating an online world with the entire 10th grade English classes to discuss current novels they are reading.  She was a little concerned about the students not being able to work from home since our school blocks the program.  We thought that maybe we could have permission from the tech department to allow access but then we (me and the ELA tearcher)  will be held responsible if there are any inappropriate uses of the site.  


She was very supportive of applying the concepts of mutimodality to the teaching of ELA but thinks it will work best in a secure, private environment.  The use of digital media and visual text has been used in her classroom before through power points and online gaming and she supports the idea of using these tools to create a culture friendly learning classroom.

Snap Shot of my avatar

I had a difficult time navigating through the virtual world of Second Life.  I was a little scared with the different people that I happen to run into.  I am looking forward to exploring the world some more and discovering the educational advantages of SL.

My avatar name is jmcdonald2285 and I wondering how we find our classmates! 

Week 7 Article Reviews

Theories and Practices of Multimodal Education

I found this article very informative and surprisingly interesting.  Not being an ELA teacher, I fell that I have not been able to explore the values of literacy in the educational development of young learners.  Simply ideas that the article discussed such as the font having meaning and the various computerized type design and photo mechanical printing technologies that enhance visual texts, I was not aware of prior to reading this article.  The article explained how there has been new shifts in literacy learning when teachers and students interact with the characters, plots and visual aids in children books.  When reading a book out load to a group of students, the students should be able to comment aloud during the reading to express feelings and thoughts as they hear the story.  I remember when I was in elementary school and it was "story time" the class was not aloud to make a sounds.  If you did talk, you were sent out of the reading circle and had to read silently at your desk.  Maybe this is why I never liked reading as a child.  Reading was a form of punishment in school.  This is where I think education in America has failed.  Many children don't have the desire to learn because we do not allow them to want to learn by making learning exciting and fun for them.  Allowing students to create their own stories and animations to go along with them allows students to be creative and independent thinkers.  Literacy education has been reconstructed now with the use of digital media and visual text.  Now there are various forms of social and cultural shaped resources that school can bring into their classroom to enhance learning. 

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

I really enjoyed reading this article and I had no idea that a technology such as Second Life online learning existed.  I am amazed at the findings discussed in the article about "social presence" and the comparison between face-to-face learning and the SL learning.  I personally do not enjoy the online learner experience because of the lack of social presence.  I am a face-to-face learner and I have always strive in the classroom setting.  This is currently my first online class and I feel that I am not creating relationships with my instructor or my peers.  Through the use of SL, I am anxious to see if this will change.  I think that the interactions of the avatars will be different and I find it hard to believe that they avatar's personality will reflect mine but I am eager to discover the use of SL to enhance my performance as an online student.  As the article discussed, the three relationship categorize of multi-level interaction are very important for a strong learning community.  I am interested to test out the verbal and non-verbal forms of my avatar to help promote these interactions.  I think that SL sounds like a effective tool to help bring together the online learning community but I do worry about the different challenges that were mentioned in the article.  My main concern is the possible need to upgrade computer equipment.  Not all students are in a position to upgrade their computer which may cause a huge bump in the online learning unit.  Overall, I thought that the article was informative and I am eager to create my avatar!

Game Scenario/Script

My Dream Wedding
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/64277307/My%20Dream%20Wedding.pptx

Edmodo: Enhancing Teaching and Learning

• Students interact with each other and the teacher in an environment that allows multiple responses and opinions through a computer screen all at once.
• Students can communicate with each other with out getting up out of their seats and walking around.
• Students can choose to have their Edmodo notifications sent via SMS text messaging for instant feed back and interactions.
• Students can upload files quickly and easily.
• Students are able to interact with students form around the world in such things as the National Book Club where classes can discuss the book that they are currently reading in English class.
• Students can have their reading critiqued by uploading fluency files (audio clips of themselves reading) and having other students comment on what they noticed the child doing well.

My Philosophy of Gaming in the Classroom

As and educator, I have the ability to help improve the lives of my students.  I feel that it is my duty to give them all that I can to make them successful in our society, in their future.  Introducing and implementing gaming into the classroom is a new concept for me but I believe that it is an important part in developing 21st century learners.  The students will learn how to create and manipulate programs and tools that will give them the key problem solving and critical thinking skills that will be need in the future.  Gaming can be used in all core subject areas to enhance performance across the curriculum.  

Schools have the opportunity to give teachers the key to opening a whole new world of learning to their students.  Everyone must jump on board if we as educators are going to allow our students to strive in a new and every changing job market. 

Gamestar Mechanic in Education

Gamestar Mechanic is a way that teachers are bring the familiar world of gaming into the academic classroom for students to discover and implement critical 21st century skills.  Through programs such as Gamestar and Scratch, students use critical thinking skills, problem solving, creativity, collaboration and digital media literacy.  The focus of Gamestar is to design games rather than computer programming.  When students have the tools to create a game on their own, they are motivated to learn ways to improve their game.  Gaming can be used across the the curriculum.  ELA teachers can have students create game scenarios based on character creation and formulating a plot.  The possibilities are endless when students create scripts for games and stories that help express their imaginations.  

Edmodo

Ms. McDonald's Page

Edmodo Webpage: http://www.edmodo.com/msmcdonaldspage
Access code: f7d0l3

Edmodo was very easy to set up as a teacher and a student.  I have seen teacher web pages before and Edmodo seems very similar.  Having a class web page is a great way to keep the necessary triangle of communication between the student, students family and teacher.  I like that the program allows for student involvement and interactions between the students as well as the teacher.  Edmodo can be used in any classroom grade level and content but in the ELA classroom I think that a tool such as Edmodo has endless possibilities.  For example, the teacher can post videos and tutorials on different writing skills or novel reviews.  Students can reflect on readings or share poetry with there peers at the click of a button. The program identifies with 21st century learners due to the fact that it is very similar to social networking sites that most students are familiar with.  Edmodo allows learning to venture out of the school setting and into students the hands of students in an endless amount of settings. 

ELA Article

Preparing Tomorrow's English Language Arts Teachers Today: Principles and Practices for Infusing Technology

Dropbox Article Link:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/64277307/Preparing%20Tomorrow%27s%20ELA%20Teachers%20Today.pdf


The title of the article first caught my eye and then I began to read the content and I found it to be very interesting, relevant and inspirational to new teachers of all levels and subjects.  The authors first discuss the evolving educational world and how technology has become a required tool that needs to be incorporated into everyday lessons to enhance learning in schools.  The article gave three creative examples on how ELA teachers have implemented the use of technology in their curriculum to create a learning environment where students were interacting and discussing the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, with students in Russia.  This is amazing!  The authors explain that that there are seven principles of technology infusion that grow from and correlate with the National Council of Teachers of English Guidelines for the Preparation of Teachers of English Language Arts (1996) and the International Society for Technology in Education National Educational Technology Standards for Students: Connecting Curriculum and Technology (2000). 
These principles include:

1. introduce and infuse technology in context;
2. focus on the importance of technology as a literacy tool;
3. model English language arts learning and teaching while infusing technology;
4. evaluate critically when and how to use technology in English language arts classroom;
5. provide a wide range of opportunities to use technology;
6. examine and determine ways of analyzing, evaluating, and grading English language arts technology projects; and
7. emphasize issues of equity and diversity.
   
   
   I recommend reading this article because it has a clear description of the positive effects that technology can have in an ELA classroom when implemented correctly.  The descriptive guidelines or principles allow new teachers and veteran teachers to learn how to properly incorporate technology effectively in their classroom while maintaining the core curriculum.  

Gaming Literacies Simple Lesson

Grade Level: 2
Common Core Standards and Learning Outcomes:
      English LAnguage Arts: Reading: Foundation Skills
      Phonics and Word Recognition

• RF.2.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
• Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words.
• Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.
• Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.
• Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.
• Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
• Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

Instructional Activities:
The students will work with a partner on a computer with the interactive Super Text Twist to find as many words as possible with in a given time frame. The students will be motivated to find the most words in order to win the game for their group.  Students will have to apply prior spelling and decoding skills to be successful in the activity.  The students must take note of any words that the game accepted that they did not know was a word prior to playing the game.  They will then be asked to find the definition of the word and use it in a sentence.   Each group is encouraged to find 3-5 words.
Debriefing:
After the first round of Super Text Twist, the class will come together to discuss strategies that help them find words.  The students will potentially discuss the use of prefixes and suffixes to find more words as they play the game.  They will also discuss how they discovered new words and what strategies they used to make sure that they did not miss a word.  After the class discussion, the groups will try the game again and see if their score improved now hearing new strategies from their peers.
What cognitive skills do this game help to cultivate?
This game encourages the students to use critical thinking skills to find strategies to help them create words that maybe they were not aware of.  The also need to understand the rules and goal of the game to be successful.
What new literacies skills do this game help to cultivate?
Students need to define questions such as what is the goal of the game  and how will they approach the game they face.  Students will have to evaluate the usefulness of their word making strategies and apply them to improve their score.  They will also collaborate with their partner to be as successful as possible in finding words.

Super Text Twist

1. What gaming elements provide users the learning content and how?

• Text: In Super Text Twist, players need to be able to understand the instructions for the game in order to be successful.  Prior gaming knowledge also needs to be applied and prior vocabulary knowledge is helpful.
• Visual-graphic elements: The game is visually appealing and the player has control over the objects in the game.  In order to formulate words, the player must place the round letter into the square box.  Once a word has been made the word is placed in the list to the left of the screen.  Each word that has been found has a dictionary icon next to it to look up the definition.
• Audio elements: When a correct word is created by the player, a distinct bell goes off.  When a text does not spell a word or the word has already been used, then a distinct buzzer goes off.

2. What is the goal of the game?

The object of the game is to form as many words as possible from the letters provided.  Find at least one word that uses all of the letters to continue playing.  Find all the words for bonus points.

3. What are rules of playing this game?

The player must click the balls with letters on them to form a word and press the enter button.  If the letter is in the text twist dictionary, it will appear as a dictionary icon on the left hand side of the game.  

4. Does this game have any scenario design? If yes, is this a fabricated or embedded in curriculum-related content?

I believe that the game does have a scenario design even though it is a type of puzzle game.  The game is designed around vocabulary and spelling of words which I interrupt to be embedded in the curriculum related content. 

Kurzweil 3000 in the ELA classroom

Kurzweil 3000 is a software program that is currently in the process of being brought to the Beacon City School district to support students with disabilities in the areas of reading and writing.  The hope is to be able to implement the system in conjunction with E-text obtained with Bookshare to enhance individual students needs.  The ELA teacher that I interviewed is eager to have the Kurzweil training this Spring.  We discussed possible lessons that could be created using the system and she suggested the novel her class is currently reading, Raisin in the Sun. 

Grade Level: 10

Topic: Raisin in the Sun

Standards Addressed:

            Reading: Text complexity and the growth of comprehension

Learning Outcomes:

            Reading

·      Vocabulary: instant access to word meanings

·      Fluency: customize rate, voice and presentation

·      Comprehension: tools to embed questions

·       

Technology Needed:

·      Kurzweil 3000 Software

·      One (1) computer per student

·      Head phones

·      E-text

·      Bookshare

Timeline for Implementation: About 6-8, 46 minute class periods

How can it be integrated into the lesson: The students will individually be set up with a computer and the text read to them at there pace and voice that they prefer. The students will use the E-text obtained with Bookshare with Kurzweil 3000. The e-text version allows highlighting and extraction of key passages or terminology to make an outline or vocabulary list. When completing homework, the e-text versions allow the students to easily look up words and have the definition read. This helps increase vocabulary. With e-text books and Kurzweil 3000, the students can add additional electronic sticky notes or recorded voice notes regarding assignment’s due dates – which helps the students stay organized.

The teacher or students can make mp3 audio files out of e-text files obtained from Bookshare using Kurzweil 3000 -- which converts only selected text to an mp3 audio file using synthesized text-to-speech. This mp3 file can then be easily downloaded into a portable mp3 player or cell phone memory card.

Assessment: Kurzweil 3000 offers a test that can be given to the students to evaluate there understanding of the novel.  This will evaluate the students vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.

New Literacies Definitions & Components

1. Which ideas from the video reflect what the ELA teachers you interviewed are currently doing to integrate technology with their literacy instruction?

The teacher I interviewed does not implement any of the new literacies discussed in the video.  She said that is it difficult to integrate technology in the classroom due to lack of resources as well as lack of student motivation.  When the students were given an essay assignment that had to be type, 9 out of 28 students did not have access to a computer and refused to stay after school to use the schools.  This is an on going problem in her classroom. 

2. How can you help change their instructional practices to include the use of technology and the Internet in their literacy and content-area curriculum?

I am going to suggest approaching the use of technology in a more exciting way that will make the students feel as if they are getting a reward.  For example, if the teachers allow students to work in pairs and create a blog to discuss the current book they are reading in class.  The teacher can explain to the students that blogging is just like Facebook in the fact that they will just write down what they think about the book or a character.  I think that if we give the students the importunity to express their opinions and ideas in a setting such as the blog rather than a classroom discussion, they may be more willing to participate.  

3. What professional development and/or resources will they need in order to make these changes?

 The teachers will just need to watch a quick video like we did for this course explaining what a blog is and how to set it up so they they can explain it to the students.  I had the idea for partners to create the blog so that if one student did not have a computer at home, they could communicate in school so talk about what should go on the blog and hopefully this will eliminate the fact that some students don't have internet access at home. I would suggest that the teacher book the computer lab for the class period to demonstrate how the blog works and for the students to create their individual blogs. 

4. What ideas do you have for grouping students so they will have equal access to technology in the classroom?

The students will be in pairs or small groups that will be arranged by the teacher to sort the students by their strengths and weaknesses. The laptop cart typically has 14-18 working computers so they will have at least one computer per group. 

Theory in Practice

New literacies are emerging rapidly as the world of technology advances constantly.  New literacies allow students to explore reading, writing and communicating through digital and media technologies.  These technologies support innovative formats, new reader expectations and new activities that teachers can bring into any subject area classroom to engage students in effective learning.  New literacics combine put a twist on traditional literacy by including comprehension of information on the internet.  Students will develop skills that will be valuable in their future such as discovering the effective use of search engines to locate information, evaluation of internet sources and communication using e-mail, text and chats.  Student will also become familiar with word processing programs.  In Todd's classroom, each student received a personal laptop and the class was centered around communicating through a class web page.  I think that this is an amazing way to bring students together but it most districts it is unrealistic.  One huge plus to this teaching program is that the differentiated instruction.  The fact that each student is able to read material that it is their current reading level is such an advantage to each individual student.  New literacies and other ICT's require new social practices, skills, and strategies to be effective used.  Teachers will need to be trained in order to insure students are gaining as much as they possibly can.  New literacies is a step in the right direction in the new education system.

Interview with ELA teacher

I interviewed a Special Education English teacher at Beacon High School.  The challenges that she faces as she and her co teacher try to incorporate technology into their lessons mainly resolve around the lack of resources available.  The school only has one computer lab and scheduling time for the classes to use the room is difficult.  Laptop carts are available but more often that not half of the computers are not working.  Another problem is that some students never completed and turned in there permission technology form which means that they do not have the ability to log on to a computer.  For those students that do have the permission to use the equipment, many students forget their passwords which delays the instructional time. 
When all these kinks are worked out, the sensitive filter on the computer often dose not allow for the needed resources to access the needed websites. When students are able to access the appropriate website, it also becomes a challenge to make sure all the students are remaining focused on the activity and not trying to play games are look up other information not regarding the assignment. 
One tool that the ELA teacher really enjoys using in her English classroom is Video Streaming on Demand or YouTube to show movies and listen to poetry.  The English department is looking forward to being trained in the Kurzweil 3000 Educational System to help bring technology into the ELA curriculum and individualize learning for each student.

ELA Technology Tool: Kurzweil 3000

 Kurzweil 3000 is an educational assistive technology tool designed to support each individual student throughout a school system to attain academic success. For struggling readers, English Language Learners, as well as students with physical challenges, Kurzweil 3000 provides critical features for active and independent learning, participation in the integrated classroom, and more importantly, for keeping up with peers.

Features

• Support for fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, study skills, and test taking.
• A single user interface containing all the tools necessary for academic success.
• Access to all major digital file formats and printed materials.
• Allows for individualized instruction as learners can move at their own pace with materials that serve their individual needs.
• Easy-to-use tools for teachers to customize and implement instructional supports.
• Support for all Response to Intervention (RtI) tiers of instruction, special education and multi-tiered classrooms.
• A program anchored upon the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

In my school district, the ELA teachers will be going through Kurzweil training in the Spring.


Resource: http://www.kurzweiledu.com/k12.html

ELA Instruction

There are five components of Language Arts.  These components include reading, writing, speaking, listening and language.  The ELA curriculum is divided into two categories; k-5 and 6-12.  There are two content areas in the 6-12 grade levels.  ELA standards are to be taught in the ELA curriculum as well as in history/social studies, science and technical subjects. 
With each of the five learning standards there is a main skill that is to be the focus of that particular component.  These include:
     Reading: Text complexity and Growth of comprehension-focus on growing abilities and increasing the number of components between text.
    Writing: Text types, responding to reading in research- this area focuses on writing skills such as the ability to plan, revise, edit and publish.  It also emphasizes on reading connections.
    Speaking and Listening: Flexible communications and collaboration- this area focuses on formal presentations and students working together to express ideas and be active listeners.
    Lanugauage: Conventions, effective use and vocabulary- focuses on using tools to enhance vocabulary in the classroom.
By integrating these five components into both the ELA curriculum and across other subject areas, students will be exposed to the appropriate skills that will allow them to be proficient in Language Arts.