beachgirlnj

Final Reflection

2007-04-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

As I am sure many can agree, I feel like this experience was much different from what I expected. I was very scared coming into this. The thought of class on Saturday was very different and knowing that we would be doing a lot with technology made me a little nervous. I was/am pleasantly surprised. It was nice how the in class meetings were spaced out, so that we still got to see each other face to face; however, I really enjoyed taking the time to do the work whenever it fit into my schedule (which is not easy!). I really enjoyed reading other people's blogs to get insight into other people's minds on topics we discussed in class, as well as issues in their personal and work lives.

One thing that I am really happy that I learned about and experienced was the use of blogs. I don't think I ever would have tried one on my own, but now that I have one, I am going to continue. I have created a blog for my class and I can't wait to start using it in class! I find it so interesting how something like a blog, which seems so simple, be something that can reach so many and can open new doors of communication.

Another thing I really enjoyed was making the comic book. I really was never very interested in comics, but after reading Comic Life and creating the comic book in class, I think this is something that I would also consider doing in class.

I think the most important thing is that I am leaving this semester satisfied, enthusiastic, and inquisitive about/with technology and the way it can be used in literacy. I feel like this was a very positive experience. Thanks for a great semester! :)

2007-04-09T17:02:00.000-07:00

I just started freaking out because there are like 45 days left of school and even fewer days left in the semester. I keep telling myself that I need to take baby steps and just get one thing done at a time, but I feel as though things keep piling up! It helps when I make a list because I feel a huge sense of accomplishment when I cross something off. Alright....going to make my list right now....

Hopkin Green Frog

2007-03-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

When I read the assignment I had no idea what Hopkin Green Frog was. I was very surprised when I found out what it was. Hopkin Green Frog was a stuffed animal, lost by his owner. The autistic boy who owned it made a flier in hopes that this would help him locate his frog. It was found and posted to the Internet and since has become a very popular post. I googled Hopkin Green Frog and found so much! I went to www.lostfrog.org and was surprised to see people wearing lost frog t-shirts, a Jerry Springer episode about it, and some other photos surrounding this phenomenon. A lot of the ideas about what a social network can be seen in this situation. Everyone involved in creating or viewing this material is a node and the network that ties everyone is the fascination over this boy's lost frog.

YouTube

2007-03-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

You Tube, to me, is a perfect example of Web 2.0. It is very interesting and exciting to me that people everywhere can share videos through this website. I completely understand how this is a social network because everyone is connected. I have spent a lot of time looking at different videos on this site and I have been very fascinated by the things that you can find. A friend of mine sent me a link to the video of the bride cutting off all of her hair on her wedding day. I remember thinking, "That poor girl!" and feeling completely awful for her (while also laughing because it was pretty funny). Of course, then I find out that the girl was on the today show shortly after, and that it wasn't a real situation. I was a little upset but also a little relieved to find out that it wasn't real. I think that part of what makes You Tube so great is that people can use it for whatever they would like to. New directors can use it to get their art out there and expose people to it, or you can put a video on it just for fun. It truly is a great example of a social network because everyone is a node connected through this one relation. You are able to view material as well as post comments on it. This site is definitely changing how people can express themselves and how we can communicate about what we see.

Myself as a Reader

2007-03-06T16:57:00.000-08:00

I love to read. I always have and it's a wonderful hobby and life skill because once you know how to do it, you can enjoy it for the rest of your life. As bizarre as that may sound... It is a skill that is difficult to teach, hard for some to learn, but it is a skill that truly can make your life easier if you are able to do it. (And, as we know, it is a tool to obtain power for those who possess the skill.) It is necessary for almost everything you do in life. Now, I can't say that I love to read everything. There are definitely things that I can't read and things that I don't want to read. There is nothing I love more than sitting on the beach in the summer with a good book and lots of time to read (and bake in the sun).
As a teacher of reading, I emphasize my love for reading throughout the day. I know that this plays a role in my students' attitude toward literacy in my class, and I can only hope that my efforts carry over into their after school encounters with literacy. In school I read aloud often, hold guided reading group meetings, give students large blocks of time for independent reading, plus allow them time to buddy read. I teach students how to choose books that are right for them and I encourage them to respond to their literature in their journals. Currently, I use technology to supplement reading instruction. I have some of my struggling readers read living books on www.starfall.com. I wouldn't say that technology plays a large role in my daily teaching, as far as students having access to computers, but technology certainly plays a large role in informing my teaching. I get a lot of research and ideas online. Just recently, in doing research and getting ideas for my Underground Railroad unit, I found a great activity on the National Geographic website. I plan on having my students read an account of a slave's travels online, rather than having them read a book because I know they will really enjoy it. I think that including technology in reading instruction is important because it is new and innovative and students really enjoy using technology. I think that there are many ways that I could use it more often, I'm just trying to figure out more ways as I go.

The World of the Matrix

2007-03-06T16:45:00.000-08:00

I usually am not usually really interested in Sci-Fi types of movies, so I have to admit that I wasn't really excited with the prospect of watching The Matrix. I really didn't know very much about it. I found it to be pretty interesting, being that the idea is that machines take over. I find that there are several parallels to be seen with our daily lives. There are many ways in which we rely on machines to do so much, and there are always ways in which we can become "enslaved" (ex. people and their blackberries). I think there are some aspects of the movie that are difficult for me to wrap my head around. I find it hard to imagine that what we believe, dream, and do, is not actually controlled by us, as in the movie, but rather by a machine.

Read Across America

2007-03-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

I am a little late in doing my posts for last week....eek! I have to say that last week was a very crazy week at work and I think I may have signed on for a few too many things lately. I had all the parents in on Tuesday for a Reader's Theater, which was wonderful. The kids did so well and I think everyone really enjoyed the day. Friday was Read Across America Day, aka Dr. Seuss' birthday. I had our former Governor Richard Codey come to read to my class which was great. The kids were really excited to have a special guest. Of course I spent a lot of time preparing for that, making sure my room was clean, the kids were prepared, etc. So it was kind of a hectic week. I am looking forward to getting back into a normal routine next week.

MySpace Experience

2007-02-24T09:26:00.000-08:00

I just recently created a MySpace page. I was apprehensive at first because I didn't really know what to expect. I was surprised to see how much it "sucked me in" and started becoming a part of my life. I am also surprised how many people I have found, whom I wouldn't communicate with under any other circumstances, but now I am able to have communication with them. It really is quite a network. I can go on to a friend's page and find other people that I didn't know were on it. I have spent quite a lot of time just looking through other people's friends. I am fascinated by what we are able to do on MySpace, but I am not sure if it is something I will have for very long, just because I waste a lot of time on it.

2007-02-17T14:20:00.001-08:00

2007-02-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

I am really excited because I became a licensed boater today! I went to take a safe boating course with my mom, dad, sister-in-law, and boyfriend because we weren't officially licensed boaters. (A lot of rules have changed over the years and although my father has been a boater all his life they are having everyone take this course to get an official license.) So I am enjoying my President's Weekend beach vacation--Ha! 20 degrees and a frozen bay! I am feeling a large sense of accomplishment after a full day of learning boating safety and taking the test and passing!

This Week's Readings

2007-02-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

I found the readings for this week very interesting. I found the Pew Internet STudy interesting because the number of adolescents that contribute to the web is a very large number. Of course, all of us taking this class are contributing, and I guess I hadn't really thought of that until reading this study, either. I think this study says a lot about our world and what we as teachers really need to realize. I am sure there are many teachers who should probably be given a copy of this so that they understand that it is time to start making the move toward accepting technology and begin to try to incorporate it or allow their students to express themselves through multiliteracies. Which brings me to the other article, Adolescents' anime-inspired "fanfictions": An exploration of Multiliteracies. The part in the article that seemed very important to me was the point that they mentioned about teachers using students fan-fictions as a means for pre-assessing students writing so that they are equipped with the knowledge of what students need to learn in writing. I understand that they mention in the article that the fanfics are perhaps not suited to use in the classroom setting; however, I feel that for a more technologically progressive teacher, fanfics could be a wonderful way to encourage even the most reluctant writer. I am sure the teachers of adolescents probably have a difficult time encouraging reluctant readers and I would think that providing students with every means possible for engaging them in the writing process would be great.

Yeah Technology!

2007-02-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

So...I feel like I am constantly wondering how to incorporate technology. Prior to doing it, I start to get a little anxious. I wonder if the kids will catch on to what they are doing and figure out the game they will be playing, will they have enough time while sharing only 4 computers amongst 19 students, and will the activity correlate to what the rest of the class is doing? Well, I was observed on Wednesday during math and I decided that my lesson would be on attributes. So I had my students do various button sortings and naming of attributes and I found (through a colleague) a fantastic website game! The kids loved it, shared the computers as they worked through centers, and it was so easy to use! The educational benefits of the game were wonderful and my students were so excited to use the computers.

Response to Readings—New Literacies

2007-02-09T17:13:00.000-08:00

Chapter 1-From Reading to New Literacies and
Chapter 2-New Literacies and the Challenge of Mindsets

Lankshear & Knobel discuss the change that has occurred over time in the field that was once called reading, which we now refer to as literacy. They mention that several factors led up to this point, one factor being the work by Paulo Freire. Freire helped people to realize that literacy is what helped them to voice their emotions and thus giving them the power that they desperately needed. What I learned about the move from reading to calling it new literacies is that the term encompasses so much more. I have learned that literacy and the way we use it really depends upon our social settings. There are several discourses in which we use literacy. The discourse that we use in a formal setting varies greatly from the discourse we use with friends. This is important to keep in mind with students. Many students’ literacy practices are shaped by their social settings.

The inclusion of new literacies and understanding the state of literacy currently, means that my students will understand that I am of the “insider mindset” and that I am making the choice to allow new literacies to be incorporated into instruction. Being of an insider mindset, I will be understanding of the type of discourse that my students use and I will try to incorporate the new literacies that they have grown accustomed to using in everyday life outside the classroom walls. I will make every effort to include new literacies, without completely doing away with some of the more traditional measures.

Prior to reading I never really thought about how literacy really equals power, but thinking about this makes me realize just how much they work hand in hand. Yet, I also see how it is really difficult to be illiterate in these times where literacy is everywhere. Having the literacy skills needed to communicate your feelings is what gives you the power that you need to be a functioning citizen in society. As I read on, I was thinking that we are lucky to live in a time and society where literacy is so prevalent. Print is everywhere, all sorts of media is very accessible, and people use literacy without even realizing that it is literacy!

Car Trouble

2007-02-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

It always seems that car trouble comes when you really need it the least. The coldest day of the year, when you have a late meeting at school, and no time to squeeze sitting around a mechanic at all. Augh....I know things could be worse...which is why I was really proud of myself when rather than whining to my dad about it I simply called and matter-of-factly told him about it. I can handle this one.

2007-02-01T23:00:00.000-08:00

My grandma turns 80 on Feb. 7th. This weekend is a big deal because my family is having a party for her. I have really been looking forward to this because I am so close to my grandma. She is one of the closest people in my life and she means the world to me. I used to live with my grandma after college. When it came down to it after college, during that indecisive time, I wondered...where should I go? California? D.C.? Somewhere I hadn't even considered? I was so confused. I wanted to know an answer. I started thinking that I have always liked where my grandma lived, because it felt "homey" and maybe I should consider that. It was where she was, but when I was ready for my "real life" I was close to Hoboken and the city. I chose to move in with her and take a great job near where she lives and I couldn't have made a better choice. chances are, had I not taken that job, had I not moved in with her, I would not be as close to her as I am today. I am so fortunate that I had that opportunity and I wouldn't trade that chance for anything in the entire world. She is honestly someone who I am proud to say is my grandmother, and someone who I call an incredible friend. I look forward to honoring her this weekend.

There's Always Something to do...

2007-02-01T19:43:00.000-08:00

The idea that a teacher's job is never done seems to apply to me a lot more than it ever did. I feel like I go to sleep with a to-do list in my head, and most of that doesn't get completed in the following day, due to the daily events in a teacher's day. I wish I could add an extra hour to my day where I could contact more parents, grade more papers, and develop more individualized instruction.

First Day

2007-01-20T14:58:00.000-08:00

I am feeling really empowered to incorporate technology into my classroom and even into my own life. Now that I have seen the wiki I am thinking about how I can use that in my classroom with my students. I left class today thinking that I am really excited for the rest of the semester. I signed up for the class because I genuinely would like to figure out how I can use technology. My district doesn't have many resources for me to use, but I do have four computers in my classroom that I would like to give my students an opportunity to use more often. I have already thought about how my students could put their poetry on a class wiki page! I am looking forward to hearing the positions of others on technology as well as the upcoming readings and I think that blogging is an interesting way of doing that. I am hoping that by the end of this class, I have incorporated more technology to my daily life and classroom. I am really looking forward to what seems like it will be a stimulating semester.