Monitor Your Reading Video

I really enjoyed this video. I thought that the teacher did a wonderful job of explaining the concept of monitoring your reading to the students and it seemed that the children really understood and came away with knowing more about the lesson, the book, and how to monitor their reading for future texts.

My Access

I think that this program is a great writing tool for students. Alot of students find writing frustrating but with this program they can get the help they need because all of the tools are there for them with a connection to the teacher. I love that the students can receive feedback from the system during the writing process. This system just has so many great tools that I think would be really helpful to students, even students whose first language is not english. The scoring system in this program seems well designed to give the students the correct feedback to assist them in their writing. I would definetly consider using this program in my classroom and I'm sure I could even gain something by using this program myself!

Crazy Professor

I don't think I really liked the crazy professor game. I didn't really get what the students were getting out of it and it didn't seem very structured. I dont think that this would be something I would use in my classroom.

Guided Reading

I thought that the article on guided reading provided alot of useful strategies to use in the classroom and it really is a good way to get the students to fully comprehend the stories is a way that is interesting and fun for them. I loved that the kids got involved in The Three BIlly Goats Gruff by putting on the play themselves and using props and masks. I also like the way that the students desighned their own communities when dealing with the book The Giver. I liked how the teacher reads aloud with the children while asking them questions about the story to make sure that everyone is understanding because sometimes when you read alone you miss certain key points in a story. This artricle was very informative and the teaching strategies really gave the children understanding of both stories. I personally love to read and think that reading is so important but some kids dont like it because they do not understand the stories or they get very lost in a book. I think that guided reading helps those kids and makes reading fun and not frustraing.

ipod article

I thought that the idea behind his article was very interesting. I think that using an ipod for learning has its upsides and downsides. I think that this is a positive learning tool in that it is a great way to get information to students in a way that may make them learn and retain information easier. The idea that you could listen to your class while in your car or at home on your ipod is great. I also think that teaching methods must keep up with the times and ipods are definetly a fixture in society today. I am always seeing people with their ipods on and I can't think of someone I know that doesnt have an ipod, even my mother has one ! The disadvantages I can see with this type of teaching is that in some areas people may not be able to afford ipods. If this was to become part of a class would schools be providing ipods for students to use during that class? Also, technology is great but sometimes it can turn on you. If something happens and you cant send a file or a site is not working it can cause alot of problems for students and teachers. I am also concerned with teachers having to take alot of time for students to understand how to use all of this technology. It make take students awhile to become confident enough with using these ippod features and learning how to send files and record themselves. Just reading the article all of the technological stuff was starting to make my head spin a little. But I do think that this is an innovative way of teaching for some and can benefit students who would prefer a more technological method of learning.

starfall

I love thia website. We use it almost every day in the kindergarten classroom that I work in and the kids love it. It keeps them completely engaged while they learn and they can't get enough of it. I think these types of educational websites are a great way to help the kids learn and they are a great resource for teachers.

Reading A-Z

I just finished the Reading a-z article and I found that I agreed with alot that the article talked about and I see how it is applied in class every day. I work in a kindergarten classroom where the students are now learning to identify letters and their sounds. The article very clearly showed the process of learning the letters and their sounds and now when I see the students learning them in class I understand the process a whole lot better. First they learn to identify the letter then we use pictures to help them sound out words with that letter and the begin to identify the letter with the sound. We also use the starfall wedsite alot. This is a great website that keeps the students very engaged and help them to leatn each letter sound. I also agreed with this article about using online websites for texts. It will save alot of money on books that might never be used and these websites provide great texts for the students to read. I definetly will be telling the teacher that I work with about Reading a-z.

Teacher's Virtual Lives

I think it is extremely important for teachers to set good examples for their students. Having inappropriate pictures on websites such as myspace that is easily accessible to students is not a very professional thing to do. Now I do understand that people want to have lives maybe use these types of sites to meet people and keep in touch with friends but there are precautions you can take to make sure that your pictures and comments are not seen by students. You could make your account private so that it is only seen by people who you know and you can also screen who asks to see your profile and also your comments. Teachers need to be responsible for their actions and know that what they are doing can have a major affect on their students. You do not want a child looking up to someone who is getting drunk with a pirate hat on!

Education Today and Tomorrow

I think that this video really showed that children today cannot expect to be taught like their parents were years ago. They were born into a new age of technology that they are going to be using for the rest of their lives. It is extremely important to use this technology in the classroom. I am an aid in a kindergarten classroom and it is amazing that most of these 5 and 6 year olds already know how to work a computer. They really enjoy being on the computers and learning because they get very excited and can't wait to do the next activity. One of the websites we use with the kids is www.starfall.com .

Introduction

Hello! My name is Amanda Laverty and I am currently working on getting my teaching certification and graduationg in May 2009. I have a BA in psychology from William Paterson University and I am currently working as a Special Ed. aid in a kindergarten classroom in Fair Lawn.