Migrant ESL

What: I chose to read the article, Migrant ESL: High School Students Succeed Using Networked Laptops, by Carolyn Knox and Lynne Anderson-Inman. Both of the authors have interests in technology and have researched classroom diversity or ESL students. This article discusses how ESL students can use technology as extra help in the classroom. ESL students may need to use extra tools to understand content they are learning in the classroom.

So What: This article is very important because there are so many ESL students that may need this extra help to learn in the classroom. These students are able to have other students be note takers for them, and help their learning abilities. I learned that there is a significant increase in learning and understand when an ESL student has a note taker. I feel that this is great for ESL students because everyone deserves equal opportunities in learning.

Now What: This article definitely applies to me because I want to be a teacher in Southern California. This area in particular has a lot of ESL students, and I will need to know how to approach teaching them. It is important that all of my future students receive the same opportunities to learn. I like the idea of having a note taker present to help these ESL students and to be a positive role model in their lives. I will definitely take this article into account when I am a teacher someday.

Knox, C., & Anderson-Inman, L. (2001). Migrant esl: High school students succeed using networked laptops. Learning & Leading with Technology, 28(5), 18-53.

Digital Video Goes to School

What:  This article, Digital Video Goes to School,  was written by Helen Hoffenberg and Marianne Handler. The main purpose of this article is to explain the many ways video can be used in a classroom setting. The authors want to show readers how helpful using video can be. Both of the authors have an interest in technology. Handler is a professor of Technology in Education and Hoffenberg is an Education Development Executive for Apple Computer, Inc. 

So What: This article is very important because technology is expanding so much in today's society. Students are surrounded by technology, and it is best to try and incorporate technology into some classroom lessons. From reading this article, I learned more about the different ways students can use technology to bring out their own creativity in assignments. I like how they listed some sample projects, such as the one about Monarch butterflies. This project shows exactly how teachers could use technology for an assignment.

Now What: After reading this article, I have gained insight on exactly how to incorporate technology in the classroom. I think that creating a video project for students is a great way to expand their knowledge of technology and to let them be creative. It is best to teach students about technology because technology will continue to expand in the future.

Hoffenberg, H., & Handler, M. (2001). Digital video goes to school. Learning & Leading with Technology, 29(2), 10-15.

Digital Storytelling

The article I read was Digital Storytelling in Language Arts, by Glen Bull and Sara Kajder. This article explains what digital storytelling is and helps readers understand each step of digital storytelling. There is also a list of classroom strategies that can be used for students to follow and be able to stay on task. 

I feel that this article is very important because it fully explains digital storytelling, which is good for someone who has no previous knowledge of this subject. As a teacher, this article would be good to read because it gives guidelines of how to approach lessons. I had very little knowledge about digital storytelling before I read this article, and I learned many new things about digital storytelling that I did not know about before. I would like to see how this digital storytelling is applied to an actual lesson that is being taught. 

This article taught me some strategies of digital storytelling that I can use in my future classroom someday. It seems to make for great lesson plans, and I like how the steps for the lessons are thoroughly explained. Technology is something that students should be introduced to in today's society. Using digital storytelling is a good lesson that could get students involved in using technology.



Bull, G., & Kajder, S. (n.d.). Digital storyteller. Retrieved from http://www.digitalstoryteller.org/docs/languagearts.htm

Video Project

Hello! This is my video project for teaching the American Sign Language Alphabet. I hope you like it!

Technology Tools

I chose to read the article,  Build an Assistive Technology Toolkit from Learning & Leading with Technology. This was written by Kelly Ahrens. She is a technology director for the East Providence School District in Providence, Rhode Island. She discusses different personalized and customized technology tools for people who have learning challenges or physical challenges. These tools are called assistive technology, which are free helpful tools people can use. They consist of tools that are helpful for people with challenges such as, visual impairments, finger challenges, reading challenges, and many other special needs.

This article is very important because people who have specific needs are able to still use technology because these tools accommodate to their own needs. This article taught me different functions of these customized technology tools that I did not know about. I think it is amazing that we have such customized tools, such as filter keys. Filter keys help the computer ignore repeated keystrokes so that students who tremble and hold down keys too long do not have issues with typing. After reading this article, I would like to know how teachers determine if their students need to use any of these personalized technology tools and how they figure out which one their students might need.

This article definitely educated me on what we can do with technology to help our students. As a future teacher, I think it is great that these technology tools can help students who are struggling or falling behind because of specific reasons. When I teach someday, I will definitely look into my students with specific needs being able to use these tools for help.

Ahrens, K. (2011). Build an assistive technology toolkit from learning & leading with technology. 22-24.

Internet Safety

The article I chose to read is, Learning Connections: Students Dig Up Dirt to Learn about Internet Safety. This was written by Jesse Morehouse, a teacher of computer science. This article mainly discusses internet safety and how easily people can find information about others on the internet. Morehouse teaches a lesson to his class every year about personal information being available to anyone on the internet. He has the students look up information on the internet about him, and they all discuss as a class what they have found. Then he gives the students guidelines to follow and look up information about a complete stranger. They share with the class everything they have found about this person they have never met.

I think this article is very important. Morehouse's assignment that he discusses in the article teaches students to be more careful and aware of what they post on the internet about themselves. I learned that people's privacy can be invaded at any time on the internet, so it is best not to post very personal information on social media websites. I would like to know how the internet has gotten so out of control and why people are not able to protect information about themselves anymore.

I really enjoyed this article because I love the assignment Morehouse teaches his students. As a future teacher, I would like to copy and teach Morehouse's assignment because I think it is important to educate students about internet safety. This assignment is also fun and interactive for the students. 

Morehouse, J. (2012, August 07). learning connections: Students dig up dirt to learn about internet safety . Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-leading/issues/september-october-2011/learning-connections-students-dig-up-dirt-to-learn-about-internet-safety

Blog On!

The article "Blog On: Building Communication and Collaboration among Staff and Students" is by Catherine Poling, an assistant principal in Maryland who was an elementary school teacher for eight years. The main point of the article is how blogging is a very beneficial tool used between students and teachers. It is used to keep communication and collaboration between the students and the teachers. Students use these blogs to submit journal entry assignments and discuss it with their other classmates. They question each others thinking to create more responses and classroom interaction. The article also discusses blogs being used between the staff so that they can keep in communication with each other as well.

I think this article is very significant because blogging is a new form of communication that has started in recent years. When I was a child we did not have blogging available to us. I think it would have been a good way do assignments in school, and I would have enjoyed it. I learned of the different forms of communication a blog can be used for in education. If I had to ask for further explanation on something I would like to know if it is required for all students at this school in Maryland to make a personal blog. I could see a problem occurring with some parents not feeling comfortable having their child create a blog.

After reading this article I would like to use this blogging system in my classroom someday. After creating my very first blog yesterday, I realized what a great tool they are in the classroom. It is a great way of communication. Students are also able to personalize their blog. This is important because students need to have some type of choice of their own that shows their personality and individuality.



Catherine, P. (2005). Blog on. Building Communication and Collaboration among Staff and Students, 32(6), 12-15.

First Graders with iPads?

I read an article I found through the ISTE website called "First Graders with iPads?" by Sara Getting and Karin Swainey. This article is about an iPad test being done on a classroom of first graders. The authors are two teachers who decided to test out iPads as a new way of learning in their first grade classrooms. These iPads were brought into the classroom hoping to see learning improvements in the children. The iPads were used at a particular elementary school in Minnesota that had low reading levels. After using these iPads with the first graders they saw significant reading improvements.

I feel this article is very significant because using iPads in an elementary school classroom is something that has only happened in very recent time. In the past we did not have this kind of technology tool to test out at schools.  It is amazing all of the educational apps that can be downloaded for free that will help children learn. I enjoyed this article because I learned about all the benefits of using iPads in schools, and I also learned of some of the frustrations that come with it. Using iPads in schools can be a major distraction to some children who might see it as a toy. Also when the sound is on an iPad it will cause a major disruption in learning a lesson. I would like to know more about using iPads in classrooms from the points of view of the children in the first grade class. I would have liked the article better if it had direct quotes from the children and what their opinions are about having an iPad in class.

It will be interesting to see if eventually all schools will adapt to teaching children with iPads. If this tool is working so far then it is definitely something we should try to pursue further. When I am a teacher someday I would be willing to try out using iPads in class. I definitely do not want them to be used all the time in class, so maybe just a short lesson of the day could be taught using them. More than anything I would want my students to succeed, and if using an iPad in class helps them to do that then I would be all for it.

Getting, S., & Swainey, K. (2012). First graders with ipads?. LEarning & Leading with Technology, 24-27. doi: ISTE

NETS-T Standards

I have recently read the NETS-T Standards and I am beginning to learn how to use them and relate them to the classroom. The second standard is to design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments. Standard 2c states, "Customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources." I feel strongly about this standard because I have realized that every student learns differently, and it is important that teachers embrace different learning styles.

This standard can be used through an assignment that gives students individual choices of how they would like to complete it. For example, students would all be assigned a general project but decide which way they want to do it. The project could be something where the student is given a choice to either write a story, make a video, make a power point, create a website or blog, or use photography.
 
The article Grow Creativity  discusses creativity and originality in schools. After reading this article I can see how it relates to the standard I chose because the project I would have students do completely brings out originality in each of the students. They are able to express themselves through originality. 

Another article I found that discusses the standard I chose is What Works in K-12 Online Learning . This article talks about how students learn differently. It stresses that there should be multiple ways in which content is presented, multiple ways for student expression, and multiple ways to gain student interest.

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Hello everyone!

My name is Valerie Babek. I am currently a junior at Cal State University San Marcos. This is my first semester here at this University. I am majoring in liberal studies, and I am in an integrated credential program so that I can get my teaching credentials at the same time.

I have always wanted to teach elementary school. I would ideally love to teach third grade someday. I want to become a role model to my students and make a difference in their lives. I want to develop a relationship of trust with each of my students and really be able to connect with them. I will be an extremely happy individual once I get a teaching job someday.

I use technology daily, whether it be my phone or my computer, but I am definitely not someone who needs to depend on technology to get by. Technology has gotten so advanced today, and there is so much we can do on computers. It really is great to use computers to help with homework, writing essays, or looking up information. I enjoy using technology to keep in contact with people through emails and through websites like Facebook.

Overtime I have done many observing and volunteering experiences in elementary schools. Over the last few years I have helped out at two different elementary schools and in three different grades levels. I have volunteered in kindergarten, third grade, and fifth grade. These experiences have been very exciting for me because I have been able to be hands on in the profession I want someday. 

I am very excited to be taking this class and to learn new technology skills that I can use when I become a teacher. 

Valerie Babek