Waterford is a software based curriculum that provides a three level system of full year instruction. It ranges from level one for emerging readers, to level three for advanced readers. Waterford Early Reading Program incorporates skills like letter mastery, reading and listening development, controlled and natural language stories, complex spelling, basic writing skills, and comprehension strategies for children in grades k-3. Waterford connects motivating software and take home materials to present instructions in reading’s first five components. It also helps administrators, principals, teachers and parents work together to keep each student’s progress on track.
November 3rd, 2007 by cianchettic in Uncategorized · No Comments
Brian Crosby gives a presentation on “The Why’s and Wherefores” of obstacles and opportunties of keynotes. In this presentaion, Brian describes the two major obstables of technology integration. He also provides reasons and rationale of the obstacles and opportunites of technology in the classroom. First off, the two major obstacles of technology integration are lack of acess to the technology, and the lack of comprehension of the tools that the classroom has. Students need to learn how to use these tools safely and a good way to teach them this is to blog. Why blogging? Blogging provides a unique way for students to express themselves and what they know. What’s important about blogging is the authentic audience that the students have when writing their blogs. Audiences make students want their work to be better and when they recieve comments from their audience, it makes them want to write even more which is a very good thing. Some topics that students could write about would be to write about their understanding of subjects or what they want to learn about a certain subject. Then, have them discuss and question these topics with others. Brian also states that another obstacle turned opportunity is that curriculum that has too often been stripped of creativity, fostering activities, the arts, and real world applications and connections provide different ways for students and teachers to incorporate technology in the classroom.
October 27th, 2007 by cianchettic in Uncategorized · No Comments
At the k12 Online Conference, James Folkstad, a professor at Colorado State University desribes the systematic change in our environment today. He states that this ‘avalanche of change’ in technology requires us to have the necessary survival skills. These survival skills are based on collaboration and collective action. We survive by decentralizing our actions, being bold, and taking risks. Not being afraid to produce things we learn.
At CSU, his students are required to create blogs or digital stories and share them on a network. When they’re creating agrigators, they’re producting powerful collaborations that are strong forces and should be shared with other networks to impact a larger space than just their own. On these networks, students can post blogs, create internal groups, post pictures, and show movies.
October 20th, 2007 by cianchettic in Uncategorized · No Comments
Alan Levine talked about cool tools used in education. He, as well as Clarence, talks about wikki, blogging, tagging, and sharing. By using technology collaboration tools, the kids using them benefit in many ways by sharing files, pictures, stories, and thoughts.
Technologies talked about that I didn’t know much of was Wikki. Wikki seems like the best way for anyone to share, blog and tag. It also looks to be the most used technology in education collaborations.
Technologies are changing all the time and Alan makes it clear that as time goes on, technology will only change and get better.
October 20th, 2007 by cianchettic in Uncategorized · No Comments
Classroom 2.0 is about meeting education head-on. It helps teachers figure out what needs to be done in order for students to be prepared for the world. Fisher states that we need to change the way we teach. Memorization does not work any more. Tools that promote colaboration and make it easy to connect to one another are an important factor to teaching. Also, the curriculum needs to be under constant change. Internet based tools are very important such has Wiki and edublogs. Society’s attitude towards education and classrooms is a major factor of change.
ITL or Instructional Technology Lab is a free technology created to help enhance teaching and learning for both traditional on-campus courses and distance education.
The ITL is designed for use by faculty and computer support staff to develop or evaluate the integration of computer technology in the curriculum. The ITL also serves as a test bed for new technology applications in computing and education. The information given is free and can be acessed via the internet.
Computer pens run on one 1.5 V AAA battery, have a remarkable ability to morph into a number of forms including a calculator, notepad, scheduler, keyboard with rhythm section and drums, journal, math and social studies teacher and Spanish dictionary. You tell it what to do by drawing or writing on a piece of special paper called “Fly Paper.” After you write on the paper, the pen does what it’s instructed. A great, fun way for kids to learn something without being bored.
Digital Storytelling is the idea of combining the longstanding art of telling stories with any of a variety of available multimedia tools, including graphics, audio, video animation, and Web publishing. Students are able to use digital imaging as a mode of communication and self reflection. You can include previously recorded information, video, and interviews.
With both micro and macro settings, this microscope lets students see everything that a real scientist could see. You can also hook this microscope up to a computer/monitor screen so the whole class can see what you’re seeing. It features include:
Kid-friendly microscope with power of a high end microscope
Both micro and macro settings
Textured handgrips
360-degree rotating eyepiece
See objects from 40 to 400 times their actual size
Smart board is an interactive whiteboard communicator. It’s used to enhance presentations and engage audiences with the touch sensitive screen that connects to your computer, projector, or any flat screen panel.
Brian Crosby gives a presentation on “The Why’s and Wherefores” of obstacles and opportunties of keynotes. In this presentaion, Brian describes the two major obstables of technology integration. He also provides reasons and rationale of the obstacles and opportunites of technology in the classroom. First off, the two major obstacles of technology integration are lack of acess to the technology, and the lack of comprehension of the tools that the classroom has. Students need to learn how to use these tools safely and a good way to teach them this is to blog. Why blogging? Blogging provides a unique way for students to express themselves and what they know. What’s important about blogging is the authentic audience that the students have when writing their blogs. Audiences make students want their work to be better and when they recieve comments from their audience, it makes them want to write even more which is a very good thing. Some topics that students could write about would be to write about their understanding of subjects or what they want to learn about a certain subject. Then, have them discuss and question these topics with others. Brian also states that another obstacle turned opportunity is that curriculum that has too often been stripped of creativity, fostering activities, the arts, and real world applications and connections provide different ways for students and teachers to incorporate technology in the classroom.
