Where to start...I did my Web Quest with Jessica Brown and Danielle Herring. We all created a Web Quest based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald book The Great Gatsby. We basically asked the students to create a map based on the locations mentioned in the book. As far as a title, we didn't really give it one. Our Web Quest is designed to push the students to open their books and look for the different locations and read the descriptions that go with those locations. This will hopefully help them to more fully grasp what is going on in the story. During this project, I have learned a great deal about Sea Monkey which is a program that I have never worked with before. I liked that you can get creative with it, but I didn't like that you can't manipulate the images the way I want and once you picked a page color, you're stuck with it. It was also impossible to copy and past without erasing all the words on the page. I think later on I will like it because I won't be getting graded on how well or not so well I do the Web Quest. I do like the idea of doing the Web Quest with students. However, I think it will be a little difficult if the class doesn't have daily access to computers.
Trudy Paul
#20
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Lesson Plan from Week 10
This is a copy of my lesson plan for class. It's not as interesting in this view, but hopefully you can follow it:
Trudy Paul
ETEC 424
C.K. Moore
April 4, 2008
Grammar Review Using “Jabberwocky”
Grade Level(s):
9, 10, 11, 12
Subject(s):
* Language Arts/Grammar
Duration:
50 minutes
Description: This lesson provides students with a grammar review exercise using "Jabberwocky," by Lewis Carroll.
Goals:
1. To provide an opportunity for students to review essential grammar conventions while gaining experience, confidence, and stimulating cognitive growth.
2. To provide the teacher with an opportunity to identify where the students are with their grammar at the beginning of the school year. From there, the teacher can choose to emphasize the various areas of grammar that need to be strengthened.
3. To reinforce learning through the use of technology.
Objectives: Students will be able to:
1. locate the nonsense words from the poem.
2. summarize the action of the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis
Carroll.
3. identify, label, and fill in the blanks with words representing the various parts
of speech including nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs,
prepositions, and article found in the lines of the poem.
4. effectively search for the definitions of the parts of speech.
Materials:
computers with Internet access
printed handouts of poem “Jabberwocky”
pencils
Procedure:
Reading of the Poem
The teacher will distribute copies of Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" to
each student. The teacher will read the poem out loud from the web site
http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html
while the students follow along on their computers. After the poem is read, the teacher will tell the students that "Jabberwocky," by Lewis Carroll, is generally considered to be the greatest of all nonsense poems in English. In the paragraph following the poem, Alice of Wonderland puts her finger on the secret of the poem's charm:
"It seems to fill my head with ideas -- only I don't know exactly what they are."
Although the strange words have no precise meaning, they seem to carry subtle overtones. In other words, Lewis Carroll used a lot of nonsense words, but you can still understand the story.
Interpretation of the Poem
The students will be asked to orally interpret the meaning of the poem by raising their hands. The interpretation should be something such as, "It is about a brave boy who slays the fierce Jabberwock." The teacher will ask, "How do you know that is what's happening?" The answer is that, although the words are nonsense, from taking the real words in the poem and associating the nonsense words with them, one can get the gist of the poem. The main actions are there, but the supplementary nouns, adjectives, and verbs are nonsense. The teacher and students will discuss several of the nonsense words, in context, as examples.
Labeling the Parts of Speech
The teacher will use a copy of the first stanza of the poem to give an example of what is to be done for homework (The teacher might want to show this on an overhead projector). The teacher will explain that, by using the words that they already know the meanings of and substituting new words for the nonsense ones, they should be able to figure out what part of speech each word is. They should refer back to the handout on the parts of speech for help.
Example: 'Twas brilling and the slithy toves
We know that "'twas" means "it was", "and" is a conjunction, and "the' is an article. We can tell that "brillig", which refers back to 'it" is a reflexive pronoun. We also know "toves" is a noun because it is plural and because if a noun is put behind "the" it makes sense. Also, "slithy" must be an adjective because it is describing the word "toves".
Summary
The teacher will summarize what has been done in class today, touching on the review of the parts of speech and the group work. The students may get into their previous groups and begin the homework assignment together. The teacher will continue to circulate the room, offering assistance, answering questions, and keeping the students on task.
Assignment:
Each student must choose one stanza of the poem and label each word with its correct part of speech.
Students with Disabilities:
The lesson plan may be adapted for a disabled student using the input of guidance counselors or the student's special education teacher according to his/her specific abilities and achievements. A student with a disability should do well in the group activities when paired with a non-disabled student. A copy of the handout on the parts of speech may be given to the student's parents or special education teacher previous to this lesson so that he/she will have already reviewed and will be familiar with the parts of speech. A copy of the lesson plan may also be included to better aid the student's parents or teacher.
Assessment:
A. Progress Toward Objectives:
The teacher will review the homework assignments checking the labeling of the parts of speech to evaluate student understanding and implementation. If students have effectively identified and labeled the parts of speech, the current objectives have been met. If they have not, the parts of speech must be explained and re-evaluated as soon as possible.
B. Self Evaluation:
The teacher will review the class period, asking:
Did I give clear directions?
How was my classroom management?
Useful Internet Resources:
• The Jabberwocky
http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html
• The Ultimate Jabberwocky Page
http://www.waxdog.com/jabberwocky/
Trudy Paul
ETEC 424
C.K. Moore
April 4, 2008
Grammar Review Using “Jabberwocky”
Grade Level(s):
9, 10, 11, 12
Subject(s):
* Language Arts/Grammar
Duration:
50 minutes
Description: This lesson provides students with a grammar review exercise using "Jabberwocky," by Lewis Carroll.
Goals:
1. To provide an opportunity for students to review essential grammar conventions while gaining experience, confidence, and stimulating cognitive growth.
2. To provide the teacher with an opportunity to identify where the students are with their grammar at the beginning of the school year. From there, the teacher can choose to emphasize the various areas of grammar that need to be strengthened.
3. To reinforce learning through the use of technology.
Objectives: Students will be able to:
1. locate the nonsense words from the poem.
2. summarize the action of the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis
Carroll.
3. identify, label, and fill in the blanks with words representing the various parts
of speech including nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs,
prepositions, and article found in the lines of the poem.
4. effectively search for the definitions of the parts of speech.
Materials:
computers with Internet access
printed handouts of poem “Jabberwocky”
pencils
Procedure:
Reading of the Poem
The teacher will distribute copies of Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" to
each student. The teacher will read the poem out loud from the web site
http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html
while the students follow along on their computers. After the poem is read, the teacher will tell the students that "Jabberwocky," by Lewis Carroll, is generally considered to be the greatest of all nonsense poems in English. In the paragraph following the poem, Alice of Wonderland puts her finger on the secret of the poem's charm:
"It seems to fill my head with ideas -- only I don't know exactly what they are."
Although the strange words have no precise meaning, they seem to carry subtle overtones. In other words, Lewis Carroll used a lot of nonsense words, but you can still understand the story.
Interpretation of the Poem
The students will be asked to orally interpret the meaning of the poem by raising their hands. The interpretation should be something such as, "It is about a brave boy who slays the fierce Jabberwock." The teacher will ask, "How do you know that is what's happening?" The answer is that, although the words are nonsense, from taking the real words in the poem and associating the nonsense words with them, one can get the gist of the poem. The main actions are there, but the supplementary nouns, adjectives, and verbs are nonsense. The teacher and students will discuss several of the nonsense words, in context, as examples.
Labeling the Parts of Speech
The teacher will use a copy of the first stanza of the poem to give an example of what is to be done for homework (The teacher might want to show this on an overhead projector). The teacher will explain that, by using the words that they already know the meanings of and substituting new words for the nonsense ones, they should be able to figure out what part of speech each word is. They should refer back to the handout on the parts of speech for help.
Example: 'Twas brilling and the slithy toves
We know that "'twas" means "it was", "and" is a conjunction, and "the' is an article. We can tell that "brillig", which refers back to 'it" is a reflexive pronoun. We also know "toves" is a noun because it is plural and because if a noun is put behind "the" it makes sense. Also, "slithy" must be an adjective because it is describing the word "toves".
Summary
The teacher will summarize what has been done in class today, touching on the review of the parts of speech and the group work. The students may get into their previous groups and begin the homework assignment together. The teacher will continue to circulate the room, offering assistance, answering questions, and keeping the students on task.
Assignment:
Each student must choose one stanza of the poem and label each word with its correct part of speech.
Students with Disabilities:
The lesson plan may be adapted for a disabled student using the input of guidance counselors or the student's special education teacher according to his/her specific abilities and achievements. A student with a disability should do well in the group activities when paired with a non-disabled student. A copy of the handout on the parts of speech may be given to the student's parents or special education teacher previous to this lesson so that he/she will have already reviewed and will be familiar with the parts of speech. A copy of the lesson plan may also be included to better aid the student's parents or teacher.
Assessment:
A. Progress Toward Objectives:
The teacher will review the homework assignments checking the labeling of the parts of speech to evaluate student understanding and implementation. If students have effectively identified and labeled the parts of speech, the current objectives have been met. If they have not, the parts of speech must be explained and re-evaluated as soon as possible.
B. Self Evaluation:
The teacher will review the class period, asking:
Did I give clear directions?
How was my classroom management?
Useful Internet Resources:
• The Jabberwocky
http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html
• The Ultimate Jabberwocky Page
http://www.waxdog.com/jabberwocky/
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Week 10 Posting
I believe that in order to have engaging and effective design challenges you have to first not make it so hard that the students are confused. But as long as the students are able to approach the subject without feeling like they have to answer a certain “correct” way, then I believe that teachers will be amazed at the results. But here are a few examples of engaging and effective design challenges: drawing designs with CAD programs, building designs with simulation software, developing programming skills using commands to make pictures students design on screen to move, and creating music software such as Garage Band or Musical Sketch Pad. All of these are creative ways to teach students how to make better use of computers.
Students can be motivated to continue exploring by the instant feedback they receive from the programs I mentioned in the previous paragraph. The way to keep them coming back to these programs is by sharing with the class projects that other students have done and to encourage them to use the programs over again. Teachers should also contact the distributor about finding reduced rates where parents can buy the software to use at home.
Teachers act as designers when they themselves delve into the programs and create examples for the students. And yes, they should go back and tweak what didn’t work and anything that can be done differently to help students understand the programs more easily.
Trudy Paul
Picture #20
Students can be motivated to continue exploring by the instant feedback they receive from the programs I mentioned in the previous paragraph. The way to keep them coming back to these programs is by sharing with the class projects that other students have done and to encourage them to use the programs over again. Teachers should also contact the distributor about finding reduced rates where parents can buy the software to use at home.
Teachers act as designers when they themselves delve into the programs and create examples for the students. And yes, they should go back and tweak what didn’t work and anything that can be done differently to help students understand the programs more easily.
Trudy Paul
Picture #20
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Week 8 Discussion About Midterm
I don't believe the midterm was too easy. There was a lot to study and take in. It was not possible to know and remember everything we were supposed to study for the test. I struggled because I was having a hard time remember little details about the chapters. I knew the basic overviews of each, but like I said, I am not an expert. So the midterm was about as challenging as a college student should expect it to be.
And on another note....I found the links about good presentations to be very useful. After reading the links, I have decided to not be too wordy and to make the slides enjoyable for the class so hopefully no one gets bored. Sometimes the topics themselves can be hard to keep from being boring, especially since everyone has the same five topics to choose from. So hopefully me and my partner can make our presentation fresh and not sound like everyone else's presentation.
Trudy Paul
Picture # 20
And on another note....I found the links about good presentations to be very useful. After reading the links, I have decided to not be too wordy and to make the slides enjoyable for the class so hopefully no one gets bored. Sometimes the topics themselves can be hard to keep from being boring, especially since everyone has the same five topics to choose from. So hopefully me and my partner can make our presentation fresh and not sound like everyone else's presentation.
Trudy Paul
Picture # 20
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Week 7 Assignment
Educators should aid the student at whatever their level and interests are. If students today react positively to video games, then that is what the instructor should use. However, in a lot of school districts the money isn't there to make sure every student has access to a computer. This is a shame, but true. But if the technology is available and it benefits the students academically then why not use it?
The only way online chats or instant messaging are valuable in the class room is if there is a way to turn it off during instruction time and if the students know the teacher has total access to everything they type. Because I can see students talking about pointless stuff while the teacher is talking and when they are supposed to be working. However, online chats and instant messaging are great at home for them to talk with fellow students about the homework especially if they don't understand it or even contact the teacher to seek help.
Asynchronus communication is what we do when we respond to the postings of other students in ecollege. This is great especially if you lead a busy life which we all do and take time at different parts of the day to sit down and type. This is mainly useful for information that does not need to be responded to immediately. If you need a response immediately then face to face communication is always better because you know you have their undivided attention.
Using podcasts with students can be useful especially if the teacher wants students from different backgrounds to get to know each other. They can be assigned to interview each other. I know the question has to do with whether or not it enhances their learning, but sometimes learning about a student from a different culture because you have to do an assignment together enhances how that student views the world around them.
As an educator I would have to learn more about video games myself. I do have two boys and they play video games, but frankly I have too many other things to do. I do find the idea of the student creating a video game based on teaching other students a new concept a good idea. I have a son who was not going to sit down and do the traditional flashcards to learn the alphabet. Well, a friend of mine told me of a website that made the alphabet fun and included educational games. So I took him to that website and helped him to figure out the games and he loves that website and he had fun learning the alphabet. So as far as video games in the classroom, I find it would work if it was linked to helping the student learn a concept.
I have two sons and they do have video games, but they don't want to play them everyday. They would rather play on the trampoline or with their friends. But if they wanted to play video games everyday, I would limit the amount of time they spent playing because I want them to be engaged with what the rest of the family is doing and not off in some other world.
The only way online chats or instant messaging are valuable in the class room is if there is a way to turn it off during instruction time and if the students know the teacher has total access to everything they type. Because I can see students talking about pointless stuff while the teacher is talking and when they are supposed to be working. However, online chats and instant messaging are great at home for them to talk with fellow students about the homework especially if they don't understand it or even contact the teacher to seek help.
Asynchronus communication is what we do when we respond to the postings of other students in ecollege. This is great especially if you lead a busy life which we all do and take time at different parts of the day to sit down and type. This is mainly useful for information that does not need to be responded to immediately. If you need a response immediately then face to face communication is always better because you know you have their undivided attention.
Using podcasts with students can be useful especially if the teacher wants students from different backgrounds to get to know each other. They can be assigned to interview each other. I know the question has to do with whether or not it enhances their learning, but sometimes learning about a student from a different culture because you have to do an assignment together enhances how that student views the world around them.
As an educator I would have to learn more about video games myself. I do have two boys and they play video games, but frankly I have too many other things to do. I do find the idea of the student creating a video game based on teaching other students a new concept a good idea. I have a son who was not going to sit down and do the traditional flashcards to learn the alphabet. Well, a friend of mine told me of a website that made the alphabet fun and included educational games. So I took him to that website and helped him to figure out the games and he loves that website and he had fun learning the alphabet. So as far as video games in the classroom, I find it would work if it was linked to helping the student learn a concept.
I have two sons and they do have video games, but they don't want to play them everyday. They would rather play on the trampoline or with their friends. But if they wanted to play video games everyday, I would limit the amount of time they spent playing because I want them to be engaged with what the rest of the family is doing and not off in some other world.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Week 6 Assignment
I found the activities this week to be challenging yet not so hard that I couldn't figure them out. The brochure was very different, but Publisher made it so easy to figure out. As far as last weeks assignment, I have used Excel a lot at work and there really wasn't anything new that I learned. I'm sure there is more to the program than we did last week so hopefully I can learn something new from Excel in the future. At this point I don't think there is anything I need to review, but I don't want to be arrogant and assume that I know everything.
I felt that Desktop Publishing is great. My husband is a graphic designer and can do brochures with his eyes closed and he doesn't need Publisher to help him, but for people like me who aren't creative this program is so helpful. I would like to work with this program again in the future and see if I can create a brochure that is purely my own idea. I think if I had to create something for my classroom, I would create a brochure about the author's and their books we will be reading. They might actually read the information if it is present creatively.
Trudy Paul
I felt that Desktop Publishing is great. My husband is a graphic designer and can do brochures with his eyes closed and he doesn't need Publisher to help him, but for people like me who aren't creative this program is so helpful. I would like to work with this program again in the future and see if I can create a brochure that is purely my own idea. I think if I had to create something for my classroom, I would create a brochure about the author's and their books we will be reading. They might actually read the information if it is present creatively.
Trudy Paul
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Week 5 Assignment
After using Excel to create a grade book and material aid, I think it is so easy. I didn't realize how much I already knew about Excel until we did this assignment. I definitely feel more confident in my ability to create documents that will aid me in the classroom.
As a teacher I can use Excel to post my students' grades which makes averaging the grades so much easier. I can also use Excel to create puzzles and games to help my students grasp the subject we are learning in class.
The book talks about the three primary functions of Spreadsheets which are storing, calculating and presenting information. I think all three are valuable. The storing and calculating can be very similar, but I think they are useful as in our assignment with storing students names, grades, and calculating averages. Also, when you want to present information to the class in an exciting way as with animated time lines, the student is more likely to pay attention to the information.
As a teacher I can use Excel to post my students' grades which makes averaging the grades so much easier. I can also use Excel to create puzzles and games to help my students grasp the subject we are learning in class.
The book talks about the three primary functions of Spreadsheets which are storing, calculating and presenting information. I think all three are valuable. The storing and calculating can be very similar, but I think they are useful as in our assignment with storing students names, grades, and calculating averages. Also, when you want to present information to the class in an exciting way as with animated time lines, the student is more likely to pay attention to the information.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Week 4 Assignment
For this week I went on the quick tour of the Inspiration website. I found that the Inspiration software can make organizing thoughts for a paper easier. I found it interesting in that it will automatically create an outline for you just by the click of a button. I would only be able to use the Inspiration software if the school district had it and if my students are able to use the computers at school. But if those two criteria are met, then I would love to use this software. I think for the student, it can be fun and they are actually learning at the same time.
Writing assignments where the student is able to organize they thoughts would be best. Because the hardest part of writing a paper is the organizing of thoughts in a way that makes sense. so with that in mind, I would utilize the concept maps because in effect the student is brainstorming and seeing how theirs ideas relate to one another. Then they can use what's in the model to put their paper together. The students can help each other by bouncing ideas off each other. They can also use the databases to find additional information or contribute to each others work.
Trudy Paul
Writing assignments where the student is able to organize they thoughts would be best. Because the hardest part of writing a paper is the organizing of thoughts in a way that makes sense. so with that in mind, I would utilize the concept maps because in effect the student is brainstorming and seeing how theirs ideas relate to one another. Then they can use what's in the model to put their paper together. The students can help each other by bouncing ideas off each other. They can also use the databases to find additional information or contribute to each others work.
Trudy Paul
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Week 3 Reflection
This week I have learned various ways to make sure the website I am on for research is an authority on the subject or a nut job.
I don't think I have learned anything I didn't already know because I am naturally very cautious, but I do feel that what I read has made me more confident in how I research papers.
I like the lessons. I wouldn't change a thing about them. Even though this week I didn't learn anything new, I did last week. And I know that the majority of what we learn in this class will be new to me. I look forward to what comes next.
I don't think I have learned anything I didn't already know because I am naturally very cautious, but I do feel that what I read has made me more confident in how I research papers.
I like the lessons. I wouldn't change a thing about them. Even though this week I didn't learn anything new, I did last week. And I know that the majority of what we learn in this class will be new to me. I look forward to what comes next.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Week 2 Assignment
I think blogging is kind of scary especially when your picture is attached to it. I would feel more comfortable putting what I really think in a blog where no one knew who I was or what I looked like. I am taking an online class right now and I enjoy bantering back and forth with people on the text we have read back and forth and they have no idea who I am or what I look like. However, that is how I feel in relation to personal blogs. When I begin teaching, I will have a blog with my picture and everything else a student or their parents would need to be as successful as possible in my class. Here at TAMU-Commerce I enjoy it when my professor has a page I can link to through the school website. I can print off any handouts that I might have lost or I can reprint their syllabus if there is any question about what's expected. Furthermore, I do not feel that blogs are a waste of the students time because there is no question as to the teacher's expectations when they have a blog. I listened to the Tim Tyson podcast and I was real interested in the jump in the parent perception that they had a better understanding of what their child was doing in school. I, as the parent of a high school student, would appreciate it if the teachers would have blogs that I could go to and see what my child worked on and what her homework was. I can then talk with her about whether or not she did the work and double check with the teacher to make sure the work was done. I didn't see it mentioned in Chapter 6, but one way in which technology would help the teacher and the parents is through the emailing of the students grades to the parent. I do receive an email from a couple of my childs teacher that outlines exactly what they have done up to that point and the grade right next to it. I love that because there isn't a question as to why my child has a bad report card because it's all laid out in the email including test grades. One thing I did see in Chapter 6 that interested me was the Global Schoolhouse. This could be real useful and giving the student a better idea of what it's like to live in another country as a child. It might even teach them to be more grateful for what they have and appreciate the differences in others.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Who Am I?
I am Trudy Paul and I am a student at Texas A&M-Commerce. I am an English Lit major in my junior year. I am also a mother of three working real hard to make this work. I know I will get this degree because my family is a great encouragement to me. I would not be able to accomplish this goal without them. My life basically consists of work, school, spend time with family and sleep. I know, I know I am very boring, but that's my life right now.
--Trudy
--Trudy
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