Ch 5/Class Review

Hopefully I cleared up any confusion with my Lesson Plan assignment. It would have been different had I realized the assignment was for class time and not a take home one. That would be too hard to do in every classroom, ha.

I'm glad we were able to change the date for our research projects. I like the range of my topic, and definitely was relieved that we have more time to extend our search. Assistive learning programs are very interesting to me in the political, social, and moral aspect. I also agree with what we decided for our final exam. Our own website is a complex assingnment and would be a good culmination of the semester.

I particularly got a lot out of our discussion of power point. I had mentioned that we were doing a section of power point presentations and Microsoft Office is a fresh new look versus the tired old layouts I see every week. It will definitely bring a breath of fresh air. I'll try and see if I can use Brainy Betty for sound bites during the presentations, so the class can learn through sight and sound. As for our discussion about work cited, I for one sometimes am confused about the right format ( I just didn't want to say it in class). But I think this website is very vital to students, whether it's a high school or college student. Easybio.com gave the most user-friendly instructions, so I'll try that one next time instead of wasting more time than I have to.

Chapter 5 provided insightful advice for moving beyond the basic software programs. This applies to the average high school teacher who is dealing with media savvy teenagers who are bored with the same tired programs. This challenges them and makes the lessons enjoyable. In class we did discuss "the basic 3" of software support tools. This is a bit out of my element since I had only really worked with these 3 programs. Now having been introduced to more programs, I find myself more open and excited about these ideas. I would like to get the sotware suite Publisher and be able to use that for my more creative assignments instead of just using Clipart. You have the opportunity to create newsletters, magazines or booklets, which every teacher has a use for. These software suites are appealing to schools becuase they include several software tools in one location. It's a package deal. Picnik has been an exciting alternative and the fact that you can pull pictures from any website is a great tool. I've already worked with electronic encyclopedias and now having GradeConnect, I like the easy access of having assignments and grades right there.

I've used worksheet and puzzle generators for my internship which requires hands on activities for middle schoolers. It allows them practice and is a fun way to get students involved. There are plenty of sources online that allow you to input the data and they will generate a crossword puzzle, worksheets and other games. All you have to do is type it into a search engine and the possibilities are endless.

I agree that having each student own their own PDA would not be effective in the classroom. It's pretty expensive and the students might not have a great use for them like teachers might do. Since I'm an English major, I would be working closely with reading tools if anybody has trouble with reading or writing skills. Students can work on it themselves and I would facilitate to give them hands on experience.

I am particulary interested in working with IEP programs. I want to work with high schoolers but am on the fence about working with an urban school. The class agreed that it might burn you out if you start off in inner city in the beginning, but it could be rewarding. IEP Generators would definitely be widely used in inner cities and would help teachers cut down a lot of that paperwork.