Interactivity #3

I feel that the group was as authentic collaborative as it could have been with such a large group, that did not have an in-person class to discuss a meeting time. Myself, Girard and Giuliana were able to meet on person on Friday, February 24 to discuss how to make the spreadsheet look and discuss ideas and terms from the book. I had emailed the group about the creation of the spreadsheet, accomplished by Girard, to help share the document with the group members because I have been using Google+ and Google Docs for a few months. Overall, I appreciated the collection of data from each member and although we could not all meet in person for various reasons (work, class, commuting, etc) we were able to work to put the speadsheet together in a cohesive way.

I feel that the inventory lists will help me a great deal with READ411! I am tutoring my cousin, and as much as I appreciate the examples from When Kids Can’t Read: What Teachers Can Do by Kylene Beers, my cousin (who prefers movies to books) isn’t as thrilled. I feel that many of the websites that incorporate games - Spelling City, AAA Spelling, or Game Zone - within the lessons will help her a great deal with basic reading skills such as sight words and multisyllabic vocabulary. I really appreciated Girard's wordle example - I could use this with my cousin as fun way to teach her the pronunciation of multisyllabic words! Overall, creating the spreadhsheet has allowed me to see a variety of useful teaching tools that I would not have found myself, and although I may not be able to use them for the tutoring I am doing with my cousin, I could most certainly use examples for a classroom setting.

Stricter Standards in NJ: Will it be Effective?

 I found this article, using Google, about what Governor Chris Christie and Acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf plan to do in New Jersey's failing schools.

Stricter Standards, will it work?

It is obvious that the gap between well funded, affluent districts and underfunded, impoverished districts is becoming more and more extreme. When I did my observations for CURR210, we visited Arts High, which was considered a well funded school within Newark. They only had one smartboard for the whole school, and the computer lab was already outdated. Looking back to my high school experience, at a blue ribbon district, we had a smartboard in every classroom, even if the teachers never used them, and we had MacBooks in our computer labs. The gap between districts makes me feel uneasy, and as a future teacher, I struggle with how I will prepare all students - despite their economic background - for college, testing, and how to be educated in a democratic setting.

While I can understand why Christia and Cerf want to be increase the standards for target districts, extending the school day so students have to walk through their possible dangerous areas at night, may not be as effective as they're hoping. Also, putting pressure on teachers and firing entire boards or groups that they administration deems as problematic may create more issues. Instead of beating down teachers, Christie and Cerf should be focusing on how to get proper funding to impoverished districts and keep track of where the money is going. By blaming the teachers, we are still not focusing on students' home lives or funding for schools. Even in "successful" districts, where Christie and Cerf admit they will "take the pressure off" of, there can be ineffective teachers and misuse of technology. In my opinion, there needs to be a radical shift in the pedagogical views of the state.

Read the article, and let me know what you think!

Books versus Movies: What's an English Teacher to do?

I have been tutoring my cousin in reading for a few weeks now for my READ-411 class and everytime I go to visit her, we get into the same debate. She tells me that reading is boring, it takes too long and movies are easier to watch/understand. And while there are a variety of comprehension reasons that I can logically reason through and try to help her develop to enjoy reading a little more, I can't really argue against her position that watching movies is easier than reading. I also cannot argue that this opinion about movies is unpopular - infact, most people choose movies over books. My discussions with my cousin normally center around Harry Potter, and even when I tell her that the books are more interesting because the movies lose much of the detail and plot that the book can develop, she calmly explains to me that the movie is maximum 3 hours and reading the 500 page book may take her weeks when you add it into her school work, soccer practice and visiting friends. Again, I can't argue.

I also stumbled across this blog post when googling the issue of movies versus books:
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/85938

42% of college graduates never read another book! I wish I could argue with that ... but in talking to recent college grads, as well as watching my parents growing up, reading just isn't as easy or calming as watching TV/Movies.

I can give a million practical/academic reasons why reading is important. I can give even more reasons why reading is emotionally/psychologically important.

So I'm asking for some help - how do I get my cousin to enjoy reading? How do I get students to pick the book over the movie?

I've had many teachers ask the students to read the book first, and then show the movie after the book has been read, or show sections of the movie while completing sections of the book. Is this helpful/useful, or does it demonstrate even more how easy it is to watch instead of read?

Interactivity #2

Images Found Using Google Image Search:
Student using computer
EasyBib Logo
Wikipedia Logo
No Fear Shakespeare Logo
Spark Notes Logo

How I made this image:
I used Google Image search to find the picture of the student on the computer, then searched for the logos of each "study aid" found on the internet. The use of computers and its impact on, specifically, English classrooms, is what I am show casing here. I used the computer editing program on my MacBook to copy the various logos onto the computer screen, and then made a collage out of the images using picnik.com. I added the caption at the bottom also using picnik.com.

Interactivity #1

My three most influential technologies are:

My cell phone

Facebook, Twitter, Google+

Microsoft Word

All three of these technologies have shaped how I learn – in and out of school – from elementary school. I remember when my mother got her first cell phone, a gray flip-phone, and not being able to have my own until High School. My first grasps of how to “social network” began with AIM and MySpace, now Facebook, Twitter and Google+ have replaced those tools. Microsoft Word, as an English major, has completely shaped the way I understand how to write and edit my papers, beginning in the computer lab of my elementary school in fourth grade.

My cell phone has legitimately become an extension of myself. I have a Droid, which I bought myself, and I always have it on me. I bring my charger around with me. I play games like Angry Birds when I’m bored; I text my friends non-stop; I call my mother when I’m missing home. There are normally a few hours a day when I don’t use my phone, either in my sleep, in class or when my phone dies and I’ve forgotten my charger. My smart phone has become so important in my life because of the apps. I have all my social networking apps, my game apps, my internet browser, email apps, weather apps, map/GPS apps, sports and news apps – I feel that the list goes on and on, but I have them all, and they keep me up to date on the world, the weather, my friends and my sports. I love the convenience my Droid provides for me.

Facebook, Twitter and now, Google+ are my social networking sites. I tend to lose a little self control when on a computer – I feel the need to constantly be checking these sites. I don’t know what the need stems from, to be honest, because normally, once I’m on the sites and procrastinating on my homework, there isn’t very much going on. I have my Facebook to keep connected with my family and my twitter to tell the world what’s going on – in 140 characters or less. Google+ has better privacy and is easier to use than Facebook, so I’m hoping more of my friends and family join Google+ so I can leave Facebook alone.

Microsoft Word has had an extensive impact on the way that we write and read. The grammar rules of Word are becoming standard, and the spell check is a beautiful thing. I adore the convenience that Word provides me when writing papers. I could not imagine what it was like to write on a typewriter, where every letter and word was completely permanent. Now, I can write entire paragraphs, flip everything around, change spelling and check grammar, edit my thesis statement, and print. It’s amazing. Even though I can acknowledge the benefits of Word, there are drawbacks. Many times, I remember my English teachers in High School lamenting, “This generation doesn’t know how to spell.” I feel that they’re right. I cannot spell well – even my phone has spell check – and I always capitalize on the tools provided. Further, many students do not know the difference between “there and their” or “where and wear” or “you’re and your” because there is no grammar tool sensitive enough to edit those improper uses in Word. As wonderful as the technology is, the drawback can already be seen.

I feel that my three technologies, as well as my usage of them are very similar to the students in the videos. Olivia used her MySpace, I have Facebook, Twitter and Google+. As acknowledged by the first student in the second video, “Technology has taken over writing and reading” and I can see that in my own dependence on Microsoft Word. The second girl in that same video describes her cell phone as her “third hand” and I can absolutely relate to that sentiment. Overall, my use of technology is very similar to those students, and as I continue to learn from technology and my future students, I’m sure I’ll stay close with their needs and uses. I’m looking forward to integrating different technologies into the classroom as a way to teach material, and then, as a way to create various homework assignments. I would never want to become stagnant as a teacher, and with the speed that technology is changing, I will have the tools I need to keep updating my lesson plans and never grind to a halt.