November 26, 2014

I just started my second class in my pursuit of a Masters degree in Education.  The very first assignment was to provide my personal history of thinking about reading and writing, and my impressions of children's and young adult literature.  As I am getting back into the "going to school" mode I decided that I want to continue using technology in every part of my education so that when I do become a teacher it will be embedded in everything I do.  So here it goes...

Assignment #1 - Patty's Personal Reading History for RDU531

Before I started this class and started reading the textbook I would say that my opinions of children’s literature were limited solely to whether I liked a book or not.  My impression of children’s literature was that books were written for the enjoyment and/or education of our children.  I never really thought about the things that might influence the writing of children’s literature.  I enjoy reading all types of children’s literature both for my own enjoyment as well as for entertaining my children.

I am number six of seven children and I grew up in what I would consider a lower middle class family.  My Dad was a blue collar worker and my Mom was a stay-at-home Mom.  Coming from a large family and being one of the youngest children I was very competitive and was always trying to keep up with my older siblings.  I don’t remember being read to as a child or visiting the library very often.  However, I was very eager to go to school so that I could learn to read and write.  The county school district that we lived in didn’t have kindergarten so my Mom enrolled me in the city school kindergarten program and drove me to and from school every day.  I was thrilled to be in school like my older brothers and sisters.  I learned very quickly and reading came very easy to me.  When I started first grade in the county school system I was so far ahead of the other students in my class that they ended up promoting me to second grade part way through the year.  We didn’t really discuss books in my family.  We talked about sports, music, church, family, and many other subjects, but rarely books.

I found my love of reading in the first grade.  Because I was so far ahead of the other students my teacher (Mrs. Underwood) would find “special” books for me to read in class during reading time.  She would also recommend many different books to me to read on my own.  I remember reading things like Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder), The Street of Flower Boxes (Peggy Mann), Ralph and the Motorcycle (Beverly Cleary), tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Judy Blume), Encyclopedia Brown (Donald Sobol), Nancy Drew Series (Carolyn Keene), Hardy Boys Series (Franklin Dixson), Charlotte’s Web (EB White), and Black Beauty (Anna Sewell).  I loved reading anything that I could get lost in. 

As I got older I became more focused on math and science in school.  I didn’t do as well in English and social studies classes, and my reading began to drop off.  I had to read some books for school but rarely enjoyed it.  Some of the books I remember disliking the most include The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne), Animal Farm (George Orwell), Romeo and Juliette (William Shakespeare), The Last of the Mohicans (James Fenimore Cooper), and A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens).  These books were very hard for me to read and it became much more like work and not much fun.  When I went to college I worked full time while majoring in Chemical Engineering.  There was very little time for reading for enjoyment.  I can remember reading Calvin and Hobbs (Bill Watterson) books and the comics in the Sunday newspaper.  

After I graduated and married my wonderful husband, Rick, I started to read for enjoyment again.  At this point I was reading books by authors such as Tom Clancy, John Grisham, and Dan Brown.  This is when I first remember my family actually talking about books.  My Dad would be reading the same books and we would often talk about them.  Being in the middle of four brothers I was very much a tomboy growing up and I tended to read more adventure books.  My Mom likes reading mysteries which I could never seem to get into.  She introduced me to The Mitford series (Jan Karon) and Ladies of Covington series (Joan Medlicott) which I enjoyed very much and we at last could talk about books together.

Then my oldest daughter was born.  Trying to be the perfect parents, we read to our daughter all the time.  She loved it and so did I.  I discovered the wonderful world of children’s literature, starting with some fun picture books like Good Night Moon and The Runaway Bunny (Margaret Wise Brown), Love you Forever (Robert N. Munsch), Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? (Bill Martin) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle).   (I had these memorized at one point.)  It was around this same time that I also discovered the Harry Potter series (JK Rowling) and immediately I was hooked.  This was right up my alley.  A story that was a combination fantasy, reality, and adventure and that I could get totally lost in.  As each new book in the series was released more and more of my family members were reading it.  We would go to the bookstore at midnight on the day the book was released (in costume, of course) and then spend the next few days reading it front to back.  Once everyone was done we would have many conversations about what had happened and what we thought might happen next.  When the release date for the next book was set I would re-read each of the previous books one right after the next so I would be ready for the next one.  At this point I think I’ve read the entire series at least eight times, and I will still pick them up and read them from time to time. 

When the movies started coming out my family (brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews) would dress up and go to the midnight showing.  Then we would spend the next several weeks discussing how the movies differed from the books.  At first my girls were too young to enjoy Harry Potter, but as time went on and the movies came out on DVD they started watching them with me.  When my youngest was in kindergarten I started reading the first book to both of them at night and we all loved it.  It was our special time together at the end of the day.  By the time the last movie came out my youngest daughter begged us to let her go with us.  She made a fantastic Dobby!

As my girls have grown, I have continued to read what they read and have enjoyed many fabulous books.  Our latest favorites include The Fault In Our Stars (John Green), The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins), Twilight (Stephanie Meyers), and Divergent (Veronica Roth).  I have also continued to expand my own reading and almost always have a book at hand that I read at night or during down time. 

With this class I am excited to learn more about children’s literature and how I might teach children to learn to read and to love reading like my first grade teacher did for me.

Search for the Unknown Element - A WebQuest

Search for the Unknown Element WebQuest Worksheet

Worksheet - Student Outcome

Tagxedo - Student Outcome

Word Coud - Student Outcome

Week 12:  Final Blog Post for EDU533 - Learning Through Technology

June 11, 2014

Why is Technology Integration Important?

Why is it important for all teachers to integrate technology into the lessons they teach, regardless the age of the students?

Integrating technology into the classroom today is not important, it is imperative!  Technology continues to change at increasing speeds and the careers of tomorrow are going to be unlike anything we have seen before.  As educators we must teach our students the skills they will need for the jobs they will do in the future.  With the continuing advancement of technology, expanding access to the internet, and new applications, programs, and tools being developed every day I believe without a doubt that any job in the future is going to require not only the understanding of technology, but continuous use of various types of technology.  I agree with Mary Beth Hertz  talking about technology integration in the classroom and stating "the ultimate goal being seamless integration".  Imagine if every classroom looked like this:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/masseoe/8167752920/

Some rights reserved

Discuss what may be barriers to technology integration and how you as the teacher can overcome them.

I believe that the two biggest barriers to technology integration are first the availability of resources, meaning the actual devices, internet access, etc., and second the teachers and administrators who are currently teaching the students who continue to resist change.  In his article Shaping Tech for the Classroom, Marc Prensky identifies these two barriers at "The Big Tech Barrier" and "The Social Barrier".  I believe these two barriers go hand in hand because if the majority of our teachers and administrators are resisting the use of technology in education the less likely we are to get the resources we need to actually integrate technology into the classroom.  As a teacher the most important things I can do to overcome these barriers is to educate everyone I know about the importance of technology education in the classroom and to strive to use technology seamlessly in my classroom.    

http://www.lifesize.com/video-conferencing-blog/how-to-choose-the-right-display/

During this class I have learned about many different tools that I can use in the classroom to help engage the students and enhance their learning through the use of technology.  I have developed lesson plans which include the use of Google Docs, Animoto, Tagxedo, Google Blogger, Easly.ly, and much more.  The most important thing I have learned about technology integration in the classroom is the need for my own network of professional educators to collaborate with.  There is so much knowledge and information out there and I want to make sure I have access to as much of it as possible.

 

 

Week 9:  My Digital Story

Friday, May 23, 2014

I hope you can see the question that I am trying so hard to answer.


 

Week 8 Integrated Lesson Plan - Introduction to the Periodic Table

Week 8:  Integrated Lesson Plan - Introduction to the Periodic Table

May 21, 2014

I finally figured out how to embed documents within my Blog, so here is a redo of my last post:

This is the lesson plan that I created:



This is the PowerPoint that I created for lesson plan:



This is the Crossword Puzzle that I created for lesson plan:



This is the Rubric for the assessment that I created for lesson plan:



This is a link to the Sample Student Outcome that I created for lesson plan.

I must say that I learned a great deal while creating this lesson plan.

Week 8: Integrated Lesson Plan - Introduction to the Periodic Table of Elements

Week 8:  Integrated Lesson Plan - Introduction to the Periodic Table of Elements

Lesson Plan:  Chemistry - Introduction to the Periodic Table of Elements

Name/Age group/Subject area: High School/Grade 11/Chemistry

List the Web site you found your lesson on:  Share My Lesson (http://www.sharemylesson.com)

“Big Idea” this lesson plan supports: Learning about the Periodic Table

Lesson Plan Component	Criteria
Title	Chemistry - Introduction to the Periodic Table of Elements
GSE’s/GLE’s/Frameworks	NH Curriculum Frameworks: S:PS1:11:1.2  Recognize how elements are arranged in the periodic table; and explain how this arrangement illustrates the repeating patterns among elements with similar properties, such as the relationship between atomic number and atomic mass. National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) 1.  Creativity and innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. a.  Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
Objective(s)	LOTS Students will be able to: ·         read and interpret the Periodic Table ·         identify the two major types of elements ·         identify the atomic name, atomic symbol, atomic number, and atomic mass of any given element in the Period Table using a web-based tool such as https://www.ptable.com ·         identify at least five (5) key elements and a characteristic of each element HOTS Students will be able to: ·         apply information that they have learned about the Periodic Table to create a video which describes a minimum of five (5) elements and where they exist in the real world.
Materials	1.    Handout – Periodic Table Basics Crossword Puzzle 2.    Handout – Rubric for Video – Real World Elements 3.    Computer with Microsoft PowerPoint and internet access. 4.    PowerPoint Presentation: Introduction to the Periodic Table. 5.    YouTube Video: “History of Periodic Table” 6.    YouTube Video: “The NEW Periodic Table Song (In Order)” 7.    Projector. 8.    PC, laptops, etc. for students to use.
Anticipatory Set	Students will practice identifying elements and groups of elements in the Periodic Table. Ask the class who has seen the Periodic Table of Elements, who can give the class a fact they know about the Periodic Table of Elements, and who can identify an element on the Periodic Table of Elements. Tell them we are going to be learning a little bit about the history of the Periodic Table as well as how to read and interpret it.  Ask questions about why it is important to know about the Periodic Table when studying Chemistry.
Procedures	Block 1: Introductory Activity Play the “History of Periodic Table” video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kUg_KJhcLo Pause at 3:10 – the end of Section1 and beginning of Section 2. PowerPoint Presentation:  Introduction to the Periodic Table Slide 1:  During today’s class we will learn about the Periodic Table of Elements. Slide 2:  We will learn what the periodic table is, how it was created, and what information can be obtained from the table. Slide 3:  This is a modern version of the Periodic Table of the Elements. Slide 4:  Each box contains information about one Element and includes the Atomic Number, Atomic Symbol, Atomic Name, and Atomic Weight. Slide 5:  The Atomic Symbol is one or two letters that stand for the element.  The first letter is always CAPITALIZED and the second letter is always lower case.  The symbol often comes from an ancient name of the element.  The Element (or atomic) name is the name of the element in English.  It is how all scientists identify the element. Slide 6:  The atomic number shows the number of protons in the element.  The atomic mass number shows the number of protons plus the number of neutrons in the element.  The atomic mass is an average of all common isotopes. Slide 7:  As we saw in the video, Mendeleev arranged the elements by increasing atomic mass because the properties of the elements repeated at regular intervals, or periods – thus the name: Periodic Table.  The periodic table is based on the similarity of properties and reactivity’s exhibited by certain elements.  Forty years later Henri Moseley (England, 1887-1915) established that each element has a unique atomic number, which is how the current periodic table is organized. Slide 8:  The periodic table is based on a theory.  The periodic theory, like all theories, is constantly evolving.  The following slides give an overview of this evolution. Slide 9:  Note that the elements that are now at the tops of the columns were at the sides in Mendeleev’s table. Slide 10:  In 1902 a new column was added for the Noble Gases. Slide 11:  In 1914 the table was reorganized by atomic number. Slide 12:  Since 1923 more than 26 new elements have been added. Slide 13:  In the 1940s two new rows were added for the lanthanoids and the actinoids. Slide 14:  Some people ask about the placement of Helium and Hydrogen in the table. Slide 15:  The Periodic Table is a map of the building block of matter. Slide 16:  There are two basic groups of elements:  Metals and Non-Metals.  Metals have high electrical conductivity, metallic luster, higher melting points, and are ductile and malleable.  Non-metals have poor conductivity, a non-metallic luster, and are mostly solids which are brittle. Slide 17:  There are atomic families within each group of elements.  Metals include Alkali Metals, Alkaline Earth Metals, Transition Metals, and Semiconductors or Metalloids.  Non-Metals include Halogens and Noble Gases. Slide 18:  Alkali Metals are On the left side of the periodic table.  They are very reactive because they all have only one electron in their outer shell.  They form +1 ions, are shiny and light in weight, are good conductors of heat and electricity, and are very malleable and ductile. Slide 19:  This shows the location of the Alkali Metals. Slide 20:  Alkaline Earth Metals are the second most reactive family of elements.  They are also located on the left side of the periodic table.  They are not as reactive as the alkali metals because they have two electrons in their outer shells.  They form +2 ions, are good conductors of heat and electricity, and are also very malleable and ductile. Slide 21:  This shows the location of the Alkaline Earth Metals. Slide 22:  Transition Metals are found in the center of the periodic table.  They can bond with many elements in a variety of shapes.  They are good conductors of heat and electricity, have high melting points, and are very malleable and ductile.  Transition metals form compounds that are brightly colored. Slide 23:  This shows the location of the Transition Metals. Slide 24:  Semi-Conductor Metals, or Metalloids, are intermediate conductors of heat and electricity.  They can only conduct under certain conditions.  They have some properties of metals and some of non-metals. Slide 25:  This shows the location of the Semi-Conductor Metals. Slide 26:  Non-Metals have low melting points and boiling points.  They are poor conductors of heat and electricity, they form negative ions, and they are very plentiful on earth. Slide 27:  This shows the location of the Non- Metals. Slide 28:  Halogens also have low melting points and boiling points.  They are poor conductors of heat and electricity.  They form -1 ions and are very reactive because they are only missing one electron to have a full valence shell.  They often occur as diatomic molecules. Slide 29:  This shows the location of the Halogens. Slide 30:  The Noble Gases are located in the far right column of the periodic table.  They occur as single atoms.  Their outer electron shells are full.  They rarely combine with other elements; they are very non-reactive.  All are gases at room temperature. Slide 31:  This shows the location of the Noble Gases. Web Based Periodic Table Next we are going to look at an interactive Periodic Table of Elements on https://www.ptable.com. Please log on to your PC or laptop, start a web browser, and go to www.ptable.com. Block 2: Introductory Activity Play “The NEW Periodic Table Song (In Order)” video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUDDiWtFtEM
Closure	Ask the students to tell us one thing that they learned about the periodic table of elements as it relates to the real world.  Do they see the connection?
Assessment	Block 1: Using the Periodic Table on www.ptable.com complete the crossword puzzle – Periodic Table Basics. Block 2: Video – Real World Elements: Today we are going to use what we have learned about the Periodic Table to make a video. Using Animoto, or another Web 2.0 Tool, develop a video which describes a minimum of five (5) elements and where they exist in the real world.  The assessment will be the Rubric for The Periodic Table Real World Elements. Sample Student Outcome: http://animoto.com/play/eCmcxrK00c9RdF2JhWM17w
Modifications/ Accommodations

Resources:

YouTube Video:  “History of Periodic Table”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kUg_KJhcLo

YouTube Video: “The NEW Periodic Table Song (In Order)”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUDDiWtFtEM

Elements_and_the_Periodic_Table.ppt

http://www.sharemylesson.com/Download.aspx?storycode=50008591&type=X&id=50268456

Week 7: Field Interview with Mr. T

May 11, 2014

     I had the great pleasure of visiting DJ Bakie Elementary School in Kingston, NH and observing a class with Mr. T.  Mr. T is a 4th grade teacher and has been teaching for 4 years.

     When I arrived the students were just returning to the classroom from NWEA testing. As the children came in they were pretty wound up. It took a few rounds of having the students sit down together on the carpet and "turn off their voices" to get the class settled. Once everyone was settled down Mr. T introduced me and told the students why I was there.  He then went on with instructions for the lesson.

     Science is a wonderful thing

      My observation took place during a science lesson.  The students were in groups based on their seating arrangement in class.  There were four or five students in each group.  Mr. T gave instructions while everyone was seated on the carpet in the middle of the room.  One person from each group needed to get a laptop, another person needed to get a temperature probe, and then all students were to return to their desks to read the instructions to figure out what else they were going to need. One by one each group sent a representative student up to Mr. T to get three cups graduated cylinder. Mr. T reminded the students about the setup of their laptop and temperature probe - laptop on one side of the desks and temperature probe way on the other side of the desks, as far away as possible.  They were going to be using the temperature probes to measure the temperature of water.

Graduated Cylinders

Some rights reserved

     As the students booted up their laptops I began walking around the room and talked to a few of them.  I asked one student what login information they were using and they explained to me that they were given a login (which was their first initial last name) in kindergarten and that it is the login they always use.  The password changes each year.  After logging in they started a program called "Logger Lite".  They plugged a temperature probe into one of the USB ports on their laptop and they were ready to go. 

     The students each had a packet which they had been working on for a few days.  Today the students were running three experiments with cold and hot water.  First they had to go to the sink and get a predetermined amount of hot water in one cup, and a predetermined amount of cold water in a second cup.  As a group they would measure the temperature of the hot water and record the highest temperature they saw.  Next they would measure the temperature of the cold water and record the lowest temperature they saw.  Finally they would mix the hot and cold water together and measure the temperature of the mixture.  They did this three different times with different volumes of hot and cold water.  Based on their results they needed to come up with a hypothesis about the temperature as it related to the amount of hot and cold water.

Sample Temperature Graph

Some rights reserved

     As I watched the students it was obvious to me that they were very comfortable using the computers and the temperature probes. I saw one student remind another that the laptop and the probe had to stay on opposite sides of the desks so that the water didn't get near the laptop. I saw another student reprimand one of his classmates for swinging the temperature probe to try and cool it down, telling him that it would break the wire if he kept swinging it like that. This class has definitely seen its share of technology in the classroom.

     Once the science lesson was complete and everything had been cleaned up, Mr. T brought the students back to the carpet in the center of the room.  Mr. T read aloud to the students while one group at a time went and cleaned up their desk, packed up their backpack, and stacked their chair to be ready to go when school was over.  It was an easy transition from technology to tradition and the students seemed to enjoy it as well.

Interview with Mr. T

     I was fortunate to be able to ask Mr. T several questions regarding the use of technology in his classroom. My interview went something like this:

Patty:  How often to do you use technology in the classroom?

Mr. T:  Every day, multiple times per day.

Patty:  What types of technology do you use?

Mr. T:  Laptops, Educreations (on the iPad), Mimio (like Smartboard), Kidblog (online blog for students), Senteo clickers, Khan Academy, Reflex math, Loggerlite temperature graphing software and more.

Patty:  How do you obtain devices for use in your classroom?

Mr. T:  We have a technology committee which works to get devices for use in our school.

Patty:  Do all of the teachers in your school use technology at the same level as you?

Mr. T:  No.  We have 25-ish teachers, and only 5-6 of them are tech savvy.

Patty:  What do you do if the technology doesn't work as you expect it to?

Mr. T:  You always have to have a Plan B.  It doesn't happen often, but it does happen.

Patty:  What do you do gain by using the technology?

Mr. T:  Engagement of the student, speed and efficiency, help for the environment, and the opportunity to go deeper with the student.

Kodu Game Lab with Mr. T

     After school was over I was extremely fortunate to be able to observe Mr. T during his after school "Video Programming Club".  This was the first session for a new group, so I got to see Mr. T introduce the program to the students.  In the span of one hour Mr. T introduced the program to 15 students, got them each setup on their own computer, and had them creating their own world in Kodu.  The club goes for four weeks and Mr. T said that at the end of the four weeks every student has a working video game. Mr. T said that the purpose of the club is to teach students about how programming works.  

 

     As I watched the students start to create their worlds in Kodu I was struck by how quiet it was for the first five to ten minutes.  Every student was deep into finding their way around Kodu. Then all at once the room exploded with questions and conversations:

"Mr. T can you show me how to make this guy fly?"

"Hey, how did you do that?  Show me how you did that!"

"Mr. T check out my world!"

"Wow that's a really cool lava pool!"

There was major collaboration between the students and their neighbors.  One student was working and the program crashed.  He restarted the computer and program and recovered his work without asking any questions.  Mr. T didn't know anything had happened!  By the end of the one hour session one student actually had a partially working game!

 

Final thought from Mr. T: 

"The technology isn't the teacher.  I am the teacher who uses the technology as a tool to educate."

     I learned a great deal from this assignment. I was able to observe a teacher who has embraced the use of technology in their classroom. Mr. T has his own website which includes a page of links for the students to use.  This is similar to the portaportal and diigo sites that we learned about in class. I was able to see students using technology in the classroom and creating their own video games in a club after school.  This field experience was fantastic for me.  Not only did I learn a great deal, but more importantly I got to see the reality of a classroom.