Week 4 - Instructional Strategies for T&L with Technology

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Permalink Reply by Jenny Gridley on February 12, 2010 at 3:26pm

Share an idea or real world example of using ePals in the classroom-

One of my teachers at Clark wanted to connect her students with prior generations because many of the students don't have a tradition grandparent in their lives (most grandparents are the parents). So the teacher had the students created persuasive posters in Microsoft Publisher to hang all over a senior center near the school. The posters had comments persuading some of the senior residence to become pen pals via email with a student. I emailed the posters to the activities director who said she would hang them up and see what response she got from the residence and get back to me. The students are excited to get a pen pal but the director of activities hasn't gotten back to us yet to see if anyone is interesting in writing letters. Hopefully some of those kids will get to correspond with a senior resident and make a new friend.

Permalink Reply by Deborah Bantam on February 16, 2010 at 11:20pm

I think this is a great idea for connecting with the older generation. . . It seems it is a somewhat safe environment to create pen pals via the epals. I also think it is really a stimulating project for seniors as well. Maybe a motivator for both ends to communicate as well as creating a friendship link. You are so right- so many children are missing that grounding of a tradition grandparent involvement in their lives.

Permalink Reply by Tish Havel on February 12, 2010 at 10:19pm

I am interested in learning more about wiki textbooks and the application of these in classrooms. I was particularly intrigued by Clay Burell's use of this tool in his history class (p. 95). I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, but when I get a little time, I'll take a look at his wiki. My first thought was how overwhelming creating a wiki textbook could be, but I think it could be done on a smaller scale that might prove extremelly powerful for our students. I don't really have a clear vision yet, but definitely want to learn more!

Permalink Reply by Tammy Gilley on February 13, 2010 at 9:07pm

Teachers at Buhler have been using http://wikispaces.com as a tool to pull resources together in one space for teacher use for several years. Only a few are beginning to use them as a tool for teaching and learning though. Mary Frazier and I developed a wiki earlier in the year on the metric system for the TRC teachers. We developed it as a model to show teachers the power of a wiki in the classroom. You can see it for yourself at http://metricssixth.wikispaces.com/Flipcharts. We still have improvement to make before we have students start creating and editing wikis. We tried it once last year, but students kept getting kicked off when trying to edit. However, they can view wikis just fine. I like the idea of a wiki textbook.

I love ePals! What more can I say. I used it with my class last year. Students read the novel "Sign of the Beaver," and so did our ePals. Students then communicated about the novel through ePals. As a cumulative activity, the two classrooms Skyped. Students enjoyed seeing each other face to face through the Skype experience. ePals is one of the best ways to get your class connected to the rest of the world because it also allows you to get involved in other projects as well.

When I used ePals, I had the protection setting set at the highest level. Which means I viewed all incoming and outgoing email. Some teachers don't want to go to read each email that is written; however, I felt it was of paramount importance in order to protect students. Since I went to the trouble of reading each one; students were given an English grade on their work. Students were expected to send at least one email per week to their epal.

Permalink Reply by Jona Neufeld on February 14, 2010 at 10:18pm

I have not had the opportunity to work or explore wiki textbooks, however, I see the benefits for digital textbooks daily with my son. Our district has really cut down on the number of textbooks that they purchase since they are so expensive. My seventh grade son will come home and need a textbook but does not have one assigned to him. He has to go in at the end of the day to check one out. If he gets there and they are gone then he is out of luck and he even has one teacher that doesn't like to check them out because he is afraid that he will not have enough for class the next day. This is a big problem for us! If textbooks always came with the entire version online so that we could access this when needed it would be a very handy tool. The reading series that we purchased this year is on line, however, due to copy right issues they only put a summary of the story online and not the entire story. Having the children read just a summary of the story is not enough for me! If they are going to put a textbook online they need to put the ENTIRE textbook online not just parts and pieces.
As for the e pals, I have not had the chance to work with these either but see enormous benefits in the connection between students in different places.

Permalink Reply by Stacy Aschenbrenner on February 14, 2010 at 11:27pm

1. Explain your position regarding the use of digital textbooks and wiki textbooks.

I definitely think that digital textbooks will be the way of the future. However, will schools still purchase traditional bound textbooks? How do you reach your students that do not have Internet, or even computer access at home? I guess I see that being what holds us back from digital textbooks. I think the kids will thrive and flourish with digital textbooks and even make the transition better than adults. I still cannot bring myself to buy a Kindle. There is just something about having that book in your hand, something about going to a bookstore and/or library, something about putting that bookmark in the book and seeing how much more you have to read.

2. Share an idea or real world example of using ePals in the classroom.

I have not used ePals in the classroom yet. I would really like us to use it next year in the grant. Since Manhattan has had other schools participate in the TRC grant, I think it would be neat to hook up with those teachers and students and do some sort of project, or even just be good old fashion pen pals. I can see it being beneficial to the students that are 6th graders. They can make connections with other students from other elementary buildings before they meet up at the middle school for 7th grade.

Permalink Reply by Jill R. Pfannenstiel on February 15, 2010 at 9:10am

I have not had the chance to explore a digital textbook opportunity, but I can see how this is going to be the way of the future. I'm not sure how long it will be due to the fact that not everyone has internet access at their fingertips. I know in my classroom, I'm still working on parents getting e-mail addresses so I can have contact with them that way. I think it would be a great way to do things since the students are so comfortable on the computers anyway. It may even get them more interested in the content if they have it on a computer rather than a traditional textbook.
I would love to have Kindles in my classroom to see how the students would respond to reading this way. I personally like to have the book in my hand, but students may be more excited to read if it was digital. It would be interesting to see if students would do more reading if these were readily available to them in the classroom.

Permalink Reply by Mary Lawrenz on February 15, 2010 at 4:40pm

Without a doubt, I believe that we are heading to a digital textbook world; although, I think it will take longer than some expect. We adopted a new math curriculum for grades K-8 this year and our middle school math teacher opted to purchase the CD and use the online resources for grades 6-8. She really likes it and, of course, her students think it's great to have one less book to lug around :) The one problem that we have is that we do have some technology issues in our 1920's building and there are days that it is frustrating if their are glitches in the network, hardware, or software. Interestingly enough, there are some digital natives who have not had the access at home -- we are in a low SES school -- and Cathy has mentioned that she wishes she would have ordered just a few books for her students who really prefer print media. We have a few students who battle migraines etc., and looking at the computer screen for extended periods of time is difficult for them. I think the most important thing is to find the delivery system that best meets the student's needs and learning styles, whether it be print or digital.

I'm anxious to have the opportunity to explore the resources in this chapter and to share them with our staff. Our elementary and middle school staffs are doing such a fantastic job of integrating technology because of the grants we have received. We're hoping to spur the secondary staff on with some of these wonderful tools and resources.

Permalink Reply by Deborah Bantam on February 16, 2010 at 11:37pm

2) Share an idea or real world example of using ePals in the classroom.

I have not used ePals in the classroom yet but we are in the midst of setting up ePal accounts for our students in the TRC grant classrooms this month. Our intent is similar to that mentioned by Tammy Gilley. We are going to pair up students and use the tool for book discussion questions. We hope to improve student writing skills through having an actual "audience" to respond with. The skyping would be a fun celebratory activity at the end. I am anxious to get started. I think the students will really enjoy the reading and writing activities.

As for wikis, I have used wikis with my class for a couple of years. The wiki is ideally updated weekly and we review the week on the wiki together on Monday. The idea is more like a weekly agenda for them. I post specials during the week. I really like using it and the kids like to have a "home" spot on the web to check in and reveiw what is happening.

Permalink Reply by Casey Wise on February 22, 2010 at 11:49am

1) Explain your position regarding the sue of digital textbooks and wiki textbooks.

With the new Kindle and Sony readers, I think that digital textbooks might be an option in the near future. Our district already uses the online version of our textbooks to supplement instruction, but we are yet to ditch the book altogether. There is something to be said for having that hard copy in your hands.

I could see moving to a classroom set of books and a few for chekout and then having students use digital or online media at home. You will still have to provide a hard copy for students who do not have internet access at home. That will continue to be an issue even though there is a steady increase in new connections.

Permalink Reply by Pam Collinge on February 24, 2010 at 9:03pm

I can see textbooks being replaced with online programs like WISE,(Web-based inquiry science environment). The content of this online program is developed around the AAAS science literacy maps. Students are guided through projects where they have to apply science concepts to current issues being debated in societies throughout the world today. Students are expected to interact with the content in the site by writing thoughtful responses to the questions brought up in the media. I think this is one of the better sites I have seen that integrates the higher order 21st century skills with science content. It is easy to use and free. My sixth graders love it!
http://wise.berkeley.edu/
Introduction slide show:
http://wise.berkeley.edu/pages/intro/wiseFlashIntro.php

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