In my lesson plan this week, I incorporated the use of tape players/CD players with headphones and paired them with books on tape/CD. I also used the three available computers I had in my room and combined it with online stories to create part of my Reading Centers. Because I feel that you can reach more students using small groups rather than whole group, I use a lot of centers or stations during reading time. Well, in one of my stations, called the "Listening Center", I have books on tape, Cd's on tape, and online stories available. Right now in my classroom, I only have 5 handheld tape players and 3 computers. That lets me only have at the most 8 kids in a reading group at a time. That is usually not a problem. The problem I have is when it comes time to either share the headphones or the tape players breaking because too many students are passing them incorrectly. Ideally, if I could, I would love to have a class set of either tape players with headphones, CD player with headphones, or if I am really wishing, iPODS with headphones! :)
After doing some research, I found that a classroom set (around 25) of tape players with headphones would run me about $250 ($10 apiece). CD Players with headphones would cost me around $875 ($35 a piece), and iPODS would cost around $2,500 ($100 apiece). Without a grant from PTA or school board, the only one I could afford on a teacher's salary would be the tape players. However, I would like to have a mixture because I can get Cd's and tapes for free at the local library! This would also solve the guessing game of "Who broke it?" I could assign each kid his or her own discman or tape player and they would be responsible for it. Also, with each student having his or her own headphone, it could help with the lice problem that hits elementary classrooms each year!
Books on tape/CD are great to have in the classroom, because it gives readers of all ages a chance to read a book they might not normally get to read. My high readers have a chance to read a chapter book that they might not yet be ready for, but still have that desire. It also gives my lower readers a chance to have their sight words repeated and read over and over again! I also found that because they don't have to feel the pressure of knowing all the words, their attention span will last longer. Now I just have to find a way to raise that money..... any suggestions??
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Data Projection
If you think about it, data projection has been around for a long time in teaching. In years past (and I mean years), data was simply projected on a blackboard. Teachers could spend hours writing word after word with the white chalk (colored if you had a "cool" teacher), just for it to be smeared or erased one second later. Never the less, data was still be projected.
Slowly, technology came into play where we had the power of.....OVERHEADS! Dim the lights and watch as you see all the dust particles floating in the air, while you are trying to shield your eyes from accidentally looking directly at the bulb. This new way of data projection allowed teachers to actually prepare their notes before hand~and adjust them as they went (with just a little bit of spit of course). This advance yet still had its draw backs. Overhead papers were easily lost or ruined if water droplets from the teachers cup came into contact with it. Also, they were harder to share among teachers because if they were lost, they had to re-write the notes over again. Not to mention trying to get that thing into focus was like trying to tell some parents there child really isn't an angle- it just wasn't going to happen.
But now, the world of data projection is slowly but surely becoming magnificant! Teachers can now share notes, games, activities, and lessons with the simple click of a button! Yesterdays amazing thinking and ideas could be saved and re-opened the next day for continual use! Smartboards, airliners, Powerpoints, and much more are being used in classrooms to reach all students! The words are being easier to read. Think back to your school days when you squinted and strained to make out the size 12 font on the board. Now, we can make words and activities as big as we need to so that all students can see.
Seeing the amazing progress we have made with data projection and technology leaves me wondering what other exciting things will be ours to use in the future!
Slowly, technology came into play where we had the power of.....OVERHEADS! Dim the lights and watch as you see all the dust particles floating in the air, while you are trying to shield your eyes from accidentally looking directly at the bulb. This new way of data projection allowed teachers to actually prepare their notes before hand~and adjust them as they went (with just a little bit of spit of course). This advance yet still had its draw backs. Overhead papers were easily lost or ruined if water droplets from the teachers cup came into contact with it. Also, they were harder to share among teachers because if they were lost, they had to re-write the notes over again. Not to mention trying to get that thing into focus was like trying to tell some parents there child really isn't an angle- it just wasn't going to happen.
But now, the world of data projection is slowly but surely becoming magnificant! Teachers can now share notes, games, activities, and lessons with the simple click of a button! Yesterdays amazing thinking and ideas could be saved and re-opened the next day for continual use! Smartboards, airliners, Powerpoints, and much more are being used in classrooms to reach all students! The words are being easier to read. Think back to your school days when you squinted and strained to make out the size 12 font on the board. Now, we can make words and activities as big as we need to so that all students can see.
Seeing the amazing progress we have made with data projection and technology leaves me wondering what other exciting things will be ours to use in the future!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Handheld Technologies
For this weeks lesson plan, I decided to use a common handheld technology, but yet one that I am so excited to start seriously using in my classroom: clickers! I know most of us were pretty interested in using clickers in their lesson plans and it is easy to see why. The interactive technology that focuses on immediate feedback and can be used with groups or individuals, are definitely a hot commodity!
As I had mentioned before, our school has a set of these clickers. We are required to check them out. Last year, after hearing some pretty amazing stuff about these things, I decided to experiment towards the end of the year to see what all the fuss was about. At first, it was time consuming to set up. This was mainly I believe because of my lack of knowledge about the equipment. After I had set of my "test" and passed out clickers, went over rules, it was a little draining. I would definitely think that I would request professional development time for training purposes. Not because it takes rocket science to use, but because I would want to use them effectively. The kids on the other hand seemed SO engaged and loved the new approach I was taking! It definitely and captured their interested!
After exploring several links, I was amazed to see how expensive these things could cost! Anywhere from $3,000 to $1,200 for a set. I believe that if I were going to convince the PTA or school board to shell out this much money, especially during this economy, I would need to already have several pre-made lesson plans, along with classroom work to show support for the need of more clickers. Overall, I think if I had to time to prepare for this, the money would be well spent!
As I had mentioned before, our school has a set of these clickers. We are required to check them out. Last year, after hearing some pretty amazing stuff about these things, I decided to experiment towards the end of the year to see what all the fuss was about. At first, it was time consuming to set up. This was mainly I believe because of my lack of knowledge about the equipment. After I had set of my "test" and passed out clickers, went over rules, it was a little draining. I would definitely think that I would request professional development time for training purposes. Not because it takes rocket science to use, but because I would want to use them effectively. The kids on the other hand seemed SO engaged and loved the new approach I was taking! It definitely and captured their interested!
After exploring several links, I was amazed to see how expensive these things could cost! Anywhere from $3,000 to $1,200 for a set. I believe that if I were going to convince the PTA or school board to shell out this much money, especially during this economy, I would need to already have several pre-made lesson plans, along with classroom work to show support for the need of more clickers. Overall, I think if I had to time to prepare for this, the money would be well spent!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Students With Diverse Needs Lesson Plan
In today's education field, teachers are expected to play many roles. No longer do we just "teach" academics, but we are to nurture hurt feelings and boo boos, teach children manners and wrong from right, be a protector and yet a disciplinarian at the same time. You might as well through a cape around our neck and call us superman (or woman). When creating a lesson plan, that is who we must act like. We have to literally "save" all our students from falling behind. Now a days, a teacher cannot simply teach one way. With Gardners Multiple Intelligences being implemented at a rapid pace, and cross cat kids beginning to be placed in the regular education room, teachers must accommadate to all students.
When I sit down to think about creating a lesson plan that takes care of all the diverse needs, I must think of all my students, not just the special ed, or high kids, or behavior kids. I first ask myself, "what do they need?". Once I have my goal or objective in mind, I then ask myself, "how is the best way for them to understand this." Whether it is groups, centers, individual work, or what not, the "how" is always changing. For one assignment, I might have them create a PowerPoint. For the next, I might have them create a rap or song. For the same assignment, I might make another student create a journal entry.
For this lesson plan over assistive technology, I wanted to use a piece of technology that would reach all my students, and not just one group in particular. That is why I chose the buy a CD and CD workbook to help my 2nd graders how to skip count by certain numbers. The CD and workbook use audio, visual, small motor, and tactile learning styles, which covers the majority of my students. The CD called So Skip Counting cost $9.99 and the workbook cost $19.99. If I were to buy a complete set for my classroom of let's say, 24, that would be around $500. From that point, you would have to contemplate if $500 was worth students mastering one objective. How much are you willing to spend. In my instance, I know I would not have the money to spend that, but yet could possibly afford the $30.00 for one CD and one Workbook. At that point, I could make copies from the one workbook as reproducibles. That is a decision that each teacher would have to make.
When I sit down to think about creating a lesson plan that takes care of all the diverse needs, I must think of all my students, not just the special ed, or high kids, or behavior kids. I first ask myself, "what do they need?". Once I have my goal or objective in mind, I then ask myself, "how is the best way for them to understand this." Whether it is groups, centers, individual work, or what not, the "how" is always changing. For one assignment, I might have them create a PowerPoint. For the next, I might have them create a rap or song. For the same assignment, I might make another student create a journal entry.
For this lesson plan over assistive technology, I wanted to use a piece of technology that would reach all my students, and not just one group in particular. That is why I chose the buy a CD and CD workbook to help my 2nd graders how to skip count by certain numbers. The CD and workbook use audio, visual, small motor, and tactile learning styles, which covers the majority of my students. The CD called So Skip Counting cost $9.99 and the workbook cost $19.99. If I were to buy a complete set for my classroom of let's say, 24, that would be around $500. From that point, you would have to contemplate if $500 was worth students mastering one objective. How much are you willing to spend. In my instance, I know I would not have the money to spend that, but yet could possibly afford the $30.00 for one CD and one Workbook. At that point, I could make copies from the one workbook as reproducibles. That is a decision that each teacher would have to make.
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