Monday, May 17, 2010
Appreciating an opportunity to enhance student's abilities!
Due to the Power to Learn grant in Spring Branch ISD this year...specifically at Spring Woods Middle, my ELL Newcomer students have excelled in their English language learning. They have needed to use and know many words in English just to navigate, search and report on various topics in Social Studies and Language Arts. The motivation of using an IPOD or a Net book is so great that they will research and learn whatever they have to as long as they can use the computers. Blogging has been a wonderful tool for them to comment on the various projects that students have done. By learning just how much English they ALREADY knew simply because of the cognates in English and Spanish, students have moved quickly up the scale of knowledge. The technology that we have been given through the grant has been a God Send! The students love to go to Brain Pop, StoryBird, Tumblebooks and more, as long as they are on their mini's. They will do any thing asked of them on the IPOD Touch and finding sites to practice English spelling, common words, pronunciation has been wonderful for the new language learners. Next year I plan to use the minis more for researching areas in American History and more for creating stories of their own. This was an experimental year and it has been very successful! Thanks to our wonderful leader, Laurie Pickup who wrote and encouraged the grant!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
NUMBER OF STUDENTS SERVED BY GRANT
Our Power To Learn grant served a total of 242 students all in Spanish 1 through 4.
GRANT IMPACT
The biggest impact of the grant in our classes was that it gave students the opportunity to access technology in a regaular basis. Students really enjoyed using the iTouches and were more engaged and thrilled about learning using technology. It was also a great tool for students who needed to "handle" something and made the learning more pleasant.
WHAT WENT WELL
The Flip Cameras were a hit, they worked on interviews and gave formal presentation. These were a great tool for them to evaluate them selves in how to improve the speaking skills. The I-Pod Touches were a great success with our Spanish learners. They liked using apps to learn Spanish vocabulary and grammar and also gave them the opportunity to practice listening and pronunciation "away" from everybody else. The net books were used with AUDACITY, they created a weather report and students were at all times engaged in practicing not only the vocabulary in the lesson but also their skills.
PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR
Next year, we would like to use a more project-base approach with technology. We also want to use all technology in centers more. We will have an advantage next year since we already know what we are doing :) and we can start earlier in the year. Mary Serrano and Maya Whitten.
Our Power To Learn grant served a total of 242 students all in Spanish 1 through 4.
GRANT IMPACT
The biggest impact of the grant in our classes was that it gave students the opportunity to access technology in a regaular basis. Students really enjoyed using the iTouches and were more engaged and thrilled about learning using technology. It was also a great tool for students who needed to "handle" something and made the learning more pleasant.
WHAT WENT WELL
The Flip Cameras were a hit, they worked on interviews and gave formal presentation. These were a great tool for them to evaluate them selves in how to improve the speaking skills. The I-Pod Touches were a great success with our Spanish learners. They liked using apps to learn Spanish vocabulary and grammar and also gave them the opportunity to practice listening and pronunciation "away" from everybody else. The net books were used with AUDACITY, they created a weather report and students were at all times engaged in practicing not only the vocabulary in the lesson but also their skills.
PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR
Next year, we would like to use a more project-base approach with technology. We also want to use all technology in centers more. We will have an advantage next year since we already know what we are doing :) and we can start earlier in the year. Mary Serrano and Maya Whitten.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Laurie's view of the impact of technology on ESL and Math Lab students.
GRANT IMPACT
I am proud to say that the person that was impacted most by our grant was me. I am of an age that sometimes has trouble accepting change. I was extremely frustrated at times with Word Press at first. It is a difficult program for me.Once everyone was settled it worked out okay. The technology that I was given access to this year changed my teaching methods. I worked hard to have a more green classroom and use less paper. I did that! I worked hard to use technology as a tool in my class and not as a reward. I wanted the students to think of the netbook mini's as they would a book or a pencil or a composition journal. My students do. One big difference. They love the computers and take really good care of them.Not so much with pencils and paper.I have found that even the wildest students can be brought around with a promise of "5 minutes of math choice time when you finish your work."
Student impact: All of my ESL students started and kept up their science blogs this year. They did lots of research about science and in interactive math games throughout the year. They learned and used network etiquette and the reasons for it. Wrote comments to each other in English most of the time and talked a lot about their blogs.
WHAT WENT WELL
The whole year. Our trainings by Karen Justl were phenomonal. She is an inspiring, helpful and can do person. Any time that we had any questions found Karen not on line with us but, at our school, jumping in and helping us get up and started. She was awesome.
The team I worked with was excellent. Everyone tried really hard to take a part in implementing the grant and boosting each other persons morale as we made misteps or mistakes or simply became FRUSTRATED! with something new that we had trouble grasping. Estelle is the queen of aps., Christa and Mary the goddessess of Flip Cameras and Maya and I are the Dames of the Dell Minis. We all found equipment that became our favorite tools. I love those mini's-- Just try and get me to give them up.
PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR
Next year I would like to seamlessly integrate technology into my classroom so that I do not feel so awkward about it. I plan to become more versatile with the ipods and minis this summer. I want to use them so that I can fully appreciate and understand their capabilities. Academically, I want to set up a program for ESL kids much like Library2Play that our district has. I have a few more things that I would like to put into it. I want to have a student directed wiki or website that will walk the students through netiquette. I want to be that teacher that knows and runs a 2.0 classroom.
STUDENT COMMENTS
The following are comments that I have recieved from my students regarding the use of our new technology this year. Remember they are learning English.
M.Noyola "I like the computers because I learned how to make a blog of science. I learned how to use a Flip camera to film things."
A.Escobeda "I like everything computer, camara, I pod touch and I like all of them. I learned more words in English, I learned to type faster, I learned how to google information, and I learned how to use the blog and Jiji."
H.Rodriguez "I like everything; the computer, ipod touch, and the camera. It is good for learning English. I write and speak many words and use the computer more. I go to google, Jiji, blogs and I comment to my friends."
J.Castro "I lke the computer programs, the blog of the science, the ipod touches don't have the other programs. It is very ugly. I like the mini computer better. I learned to write and speak English on camara and on blog."
C.Edwards "What I like most about the computers are the wonderful math games I play so far. I like everything about the computers."
K.Mejia "I like the blog the best on the computer.The ipod touch helps me to learn English. The animal names ap is my favorite. I like the Flip camera because I take it to my house and I have an interview of my family."
S.Guzman "I like that I can use the computers in all of my classes. I like that the netbook mini does not have a mouse.I don't like the mouse. the Ipod touch I can't see very good and I need to move the screen and I don't like it. I really like the Jiji math program."
J.Sarmiento "I love the ecology unit on the computer. I wish all the school has ecology. I love to have the small computers to blog about the ecology. I love the ipod to play games and I can do the aps. I like the flash cards. In the Ipod I learn Spanish to write in Spanish class. I like my blog because I put the things that I learn."
Here is my blog and it will link to my student blogs. thank you.
I do not think you will be able to comment but, you can try.
I am proud to say that the person that was impacted most by our grant was me. I am of an age that sometimes has trouble accepting change. I was extremely frustrated at times with Word Press at first. It is a difficult program for me.Once everyone was settled it worked out okay. The technology that I was given access to this year changed my teaching methods. I worked hard to have a more green classroom and use less paper. I did that! I worked hard to use technology as a tool in my class and not as a reward. I wanted the students to think of the netbook mini's as they would a book or a pencil or a composition journal. My students do. One big difference. They love the computers and take really good care of them.Not so much with pencils and paper.I have found that even the wildest students can be brought around with a promise of "5 minutes of math choice time when you finish your work."
Student impact: All of my ESL students started and kept up their science blogs this year. They did lots of research about science and in interactive math games throughout the year. They learned and used network etiquette and the reasons for it. Wrote comments to each other in English most of the time and talked a lot about their blogs.
WHAT WENT WELL
The whole year. Our trainings by Karen Justl were phenomonal. She is an inspiring, helpful and can do person. Any time that we had any questions found Karen not on line with us but, at our school, jumping in and helping us get up and started. She was awesome.
The team I worked with was excellent. Everyone tried really hard to take a part in implementing the grant and boosting each other persons morale as we made misteps or mistakes or simply became FRUSTRATED! with something new that we had trouble grasping. Estelle is the queen of aps., Christa and Mary the goddessess of Flip Cameras and Maya and I are the Dames of the Dell Minis. We all found equipment that became our favorite tools. I love those mini's-- Just try and get me to give them up.
PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR
Next year I would like to seamlessly integrate technology into my classroom so that I do not feel so awkward about it. I plan to become more versatile with the ipods and minis this summer. I want to use them so that I can fully appreciate and understand their capabilities. Academically, I want to set up a program for ESL kids much like Library2Play that our district has. I have a few more things that I would like to put into it. I want to have a student directed wiki or website that will walk the students through netiquette. I want to be that teacher that knows and runs a 2.0 classroom.
STUDENT COMMENTS
The following are comments that I have recieved from my students regarding the use of our new technology this year. Remember they are learning English.
M.Noyola "I like the computers because I learned how to make a blog of science. I learned how to use a Flip camera to film things."
A.Escobeda "I like everything computer, camara, I pod touch and I like all of them. I learned more words in English, I learned to type faster, I learned how to google information, and I learned how to use the blog and Jiji."
H.Rodriguez "I like everything; the computer, ipod touch, and the camera. It is good for learning English. I write and speak many words and use the computer more. I go to google, Jiji, blogs and I comment to my friends."
J.Castro "I lke the computer programs, the blog of the science, the ipod touches don't have the other programs. It is very ugly. I like the mini computer better. I learned to write and speak English on camara and on blog."
C.Edwards "What I like most about the computers are the wonderful math games I play so far. I like everything about the computers."
K.Mejia "I like the blog the best on the computer.The ipod touch helps me to learn English. The animal names ap is my favorite. I like the Flip camera because I take it to my house and I have an interview of my family."
S.Guzman "I like that I can use the computers in all of my classes. I like that the netbook mini does not have a mouse.I don't like the mouse. the Ipod touch I can't see very good and I need to move the screen and I don't like it. I really like the Jiji math program."
J.Sarmiento "I love the ecology unit on the computer. I wish all the school has ecology. I love to have the small computers to blog about the ecology. I love the ipod to play games and I can do the aps. I like the flash cards. In the Ipod I learn Spanish to write in Spanish class. I like my blog because I put the things that I learn."
Here is my blog and it will link to my student blogs. thank you.
I do not think you will be able to comment but, you can try.
Reflections on a year of technology from a French Point of View....
NUMBER OF STUDENTS SERVED BY GRANT
Our Power To Learn grant served a total of 393 students (125 of which were in French 7, French 8 & in ESL Support classes)
GRANT IMPACT
One of the biggest impact of the grant in my classes is that it familiarized students with technology that many otherwise would not have access to. Students really enjoyed learning using the iTouches and were more engaged and thrilled about learning using technology. It was also a great tool for students who were more kinetic and needed a tactile environment to flourish.
This technology grant also was a great opportunity to teach students how to find answers on their own by surfing the Internet and becoming savvy in determining the importance and validity of information found online. It helped them learn to become learners for life.
WHAT WENT WELL
The iPod Touches were a great success with my ELL Support and French students. They liked using apps to learn English & French, particularly creating their own flashcards and then challenging themselves to get higher scores each time. For French class, I mostly used the iTouchwa as a listening and recording tools so that students could hear proper pronunciation and then record themselves for self-evaluation of their pronunciation.
PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR
Next year, I would like to use a more project-base approach with technology. I am also looking forward to using the iPod touches and computers in centers versus whole class. The additional hardware that the Board so kindly approved will make it really more feasible. I plan on using this summer to experiment and play with the plethora of apps that Karen Justl so kindly researched and posted on the technology website for us. In 2010-2011, I would like to create the ning that I didn’t get to do this year and maybe dabble with Skype or e-pals for French class and thus pursue our grant’s vision of using technology to enhance communication. [efm]
Our Power To Learn grant served a total of 393 students (125 of which were in French 7, French 8 & in ESL Support classes)
GRANT IMPACT
One of the biggest impact of the grant in my classes is that it familiarized students with technology that many otherwise would not have access to. Students really enjoyed learning using the iTouches and were more engaged and thrilled about learning using technology. It was also a great tool for students who were more kinetic and needed a tactile environment to flourish.
This technology grant also was a great opportunity to teach students how to find answers on their own by surfing the Internet and becoming savvy in determining the importance and validity of information found online. It helped them learn to become learners for life.
WHAT WENT WELL
The iPod Touches were a great success with my ELL Support and French students. They liked using apps to learn English & French, particularly creating their own flashcards and then challenging themselves to get higher scores each time. For French class, I mostly used the iTouchwa as a listening and recording tools so that students could hear proper pronunciation and then record themselves for self-evaluation of their pronunciation.
PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR
Next year, I would like to use a more project-base approach with technology. I am also looking forward to using the iPod touches and computers in centers versus whole class. The additional hardware that the Board so kindly approved will make it really more feasible. I plan on using this summer to experiment and play with the plethora of apps that Karen Justl so kindly researched and posted on the technology website for us. In 2010-2011, I would like to create the ning that I didn’t get to do this year and maybe dabble with Skype or e-pals for French class and thus pursue our grant’s vision of using technology to enhance communication. [efm]
Friday, April 23, 2010
Hurried Comics are Never Outstanding...
In order to have my french students internalize the verb "etre" and apply noun and adjective agreements in a fun new and more authentic way, I've decided to experiment with the online educational comic strip maker, "Make Beliefs Comix." Students were given the parameters of what needed to be included in the script via email and then they went ahead and used them to create their own dialogue in Google Mail. They also used online resources to look up vocabulary that they didn't know yet in French. Although the intent was that they would all send in their dialogues via email for a brief check-over by me, it didn't work out this way due to a time crunch. Somehow, I keep on having a hard time gauging how long it will take my students to complete a project when technology is used. I always seem to be short on my timing! At any rate, after 2 whole periods on this assignment, I needed for my students to go ahead and create their comic strip online whether they were done with their dialogue or not. In spite of my students' hard work and the example that I provided them with, the results were not as good as I expected and unfortunately, due to sporadic Internet connections and a glitch, I didn't receive most of the comics that I know my students had worked on and clicked on "Email Comix." A bit disappointing but a well-learned lesson: plan for more time!! I will definitely use it again next year, maybe more at the beginning of the school year though, as suggested in the 21 WAYS TO USE MAKEBELIEFSCOMIX.COM IN THE CLASSROOM. [efm]
Friday, April 16, 2010
Blogging Slowly but Surely...
To my disappointment, each time I have tried to have students blog using the iPod Touches, it hasn't been very successful. It seems each time we tried, there was a problem with the wifi. Our blog entries have not been as numerous as we would like, but my ELL Support students are slowly understanding the format I am asking of them to use when sharing and explaining the academic and non-academic vocabulary they are gleaning from their classes. They finally are starting to have a feel for the dashboard and no longer constantly ask for help to navigate WordPress. At this time, they are able to successfully write an entry and include a picture and a caption. The most advanced students have actually even taken on adding hyperlinks to the definitions they found in Wordcentral and the English-Spanish online dictionary they use. Things are shaping up at last! Please visit my blog and browse through my blogroll to see some of my English Language Learners use of the Internet and its available resources to "play" with vocabulary.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
TCEA- Austin 2010
I was so excited to attend TCEA. Sabrina Villegas and Ana Feliciano were so helpful in getting our "stuff" together. They are two amazing women.
I drove in late on the 9th to Austin with Tim and my husband. He was our driver since we could only find rooms near the North side of town. He drove us in each day around 7:30 and came back Wednesday afternoon to attend the vendor show with us.
We went to some awesome presentations and a couple of not so awesome. I was excited to see that most of the equipment that they talked about is present in Spring Woods. I chose to go to anything that I could find that was either project based, web based, 2.0 or center/stations based.
We found out about something called Moodle which is super cool and I will be playing with it this summer. It is easy for kids to access, user friendly, and allows teachers to easily post cool stuff for the kids.
Here are my ah hahs or my, "I am so excited that I could jump for joy. I have found something I can use next week."
All year I have felt bound and held back by what I know. I was looking for something to help me with my grant because I am not from the computer generation. Everything that I do and learn is hard learning when it comes to the computer. Even Tim, who is about 15 years younger than I, has a totally different understanding of the workshops that we attended. Where I see the Oh that is a neat idea for the kids. He sees beyond that to the computer language of the ideas presented. He actually "gets it."
Enough whining.. here is what I discovered that will help me get my kick start next year. I discovered Weaving Web 2.0 tools into the Classroom and The Web 2.0 Toolbox by Patsy Lanclos from Tools for Teachers are two fabulous resources for teachers like me that are a little nervous about stepping foot with students into the ether net. The books have student based lessons about everything that I tried to do this year from digital citizenship, Introduction to 2.0, Social bookmarks, Google productivity tools, ZOHO productivity tools, citation builders, graphic tools, maps, content sharing, organizers, Social networks, wikis, Zamzar, Firefox, Jing, Flickr, Picnik, Animoto and conversations.
These two wonderful resources JAZZ me UP!
I attended another wonderful workshop at the very end to win i pod touches, didn't, but, got a ton of ideas from two fabulous women, my age or older, Janet Corder and Joan Gore who have co-written several books under the heading Successful Solutions for Technology Integration. I am so excited by the projects that these women shared with us that I bought that book too. I am going to try one activity pretty quickly on earthquakes. You can look for those postings on my student's science blog in the future.
My next favorite ideas came from Jim Holland and Gaby Krumm. They have put together some wonderful activities that teach kids how to use technology to create projects. Alana Morris has taught us that students remember best when they are invested in a project she connects this as the "episodic memory system." These are the events in classrooms that students remember. Well this collection of Print, Cut, and Fold Creative Technology Projects for for Math, Science and Language Arts are phenomonal. They have written up little lessons that teach the kids how to do the cool stuff like align objects, insert clip art, make projects that look cool and then connected them to some awesome lessons to go with skills that we teach every year.
Attending this conference got me so excited again about getting technology into my classroom and into the hands of the kids.
I just can't thank the district and its patrons enough for sending me to Austin and allowing me to have this fabulous opportunity to see how other teachers are doing it across the country.
Thank you .
Ohhhh I have a whole bunch of email connections and addresses and will try to get to update them soon.
I drove in late on the 9th to Austin with Tim and my husband. He was our driver since we could only find rooms near the North side of town. He drove us in each day around 7:30 and came back Wednesday afternoon to attend the vendor show with us.
We went to some awesome presentations and a couple of not so awesome. I was excited to see that most of the equipment that they talked about is present in Spring Woods. I chose to go to anything that I could find that was either project based, web based, 2.0 or center/stations based.
We found out about something called Moodle which is super cool and I will be playing with it this summer. It is easy for kids to access, user friendly, and allows teachers to easily post cool stuff for the kids.
Here are my ah hahs or my, "I am so excited that I could jump for joy. I have found something I can use next week."
All year I have felt bound and held back by what I know. I was looking for something to help me with my grant because I am not from the computer generation. Everything that I do and learn is hard learning when it comes to the computer. Even Tim, who is about 15 years younger than I, has a totally different understanding of the workshops that we attended. Where I see the Oh that is a neat idea for the kids. He sees beyond that to the computer language of the ideas presented. He actually "gets it."
Enough whining.. here is what I discovered that will help me get my kick start next year. I discovered Weaving Web 2.0 tools into the Classroom and The Web 2.0 Toolbox by Patsy Lanclos from Tools for Teachers are two fabulous resources for teachers like me that are a little nervous about stepping foot with students into the ether net. The books have student based lessons about everything that I tried to do this year from digital citizenship, Introduction to 2.0, Social bookmarks, Google productivity tools, ZOHO productivity tools, citation builders, graphic tools, maps, content sharing, organizers, Social networks, wikis, Zamzar, Firefox, Jing, Flickr, Picnik, Animoto and conversations.
These two wonderful resources JAZZ me UP!
I attended another wonderful workshop at the very end to win i pod touches, didn't, but, got a ton of ideas from two fabulous women, my age or older, Janet Corder and Joan Gore who have co-written several books under the heading Successful Solutions for Technology Integration. I am so excited by the projects that these women shared with us that I bought that book too. I am going to try one activity pretty quickly on earthquakes. You can look for those postings on my student's science blog in the future.
My next favorite ideas came from Jim Holland and Gaby Krumm. They have put together some wonderful activities that teach kids how to use technology to create projects. Alana Morris has taught us that students remember best when they are invested in a project she connects this as the "episodic memory system." These are the events in classrooms that students remember. Well this collection of Print, Cut, and Fold Creative Technology Projects for for Math, Science and Language Arts are phenomonal. They have written up little lessons that teach the kids how to do the cool stuff like align objects, insert clip art, make projects that look cool and then connected them to some awesome lessons to go with skills that we teach every year.
Attending this conference got me so excited again about getting technology into my classroom and into the hands of the kids.
I just can't thank the district and its patrons enough for sending me to Austin and allowing me to have this fabulous opportunity to see how other teachers are doing it across the country.
Thank you .
Ohhhh I have a whole bunch of email connections and addresses and will try to get to update them soon.
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