I would like to thank the University of the West Indies for having Dr. Conrad lecture on it takes a village to raise a reader and a writer. Many at times when children do not succeed in reading and writing, no one wants to take the blame for their failures.
But, aren’t we all responsible for kids success or failure? Therefore we all need to be responsible, and fulfil our duties to our nation kids. Because when they fail the blame will not be one person’s shoulder. We all will have to shoulder the responsibility. So in the words of Dr. Conrad it takes a village to raise “A reader and a writer.” We are all villagers in that village and we need to fulfil our role as villagers in that village. We all have to collaborate to ensure all kids become capable reader and writer.
Friday, July 30, 2010
The Way Forward
Many have been debating whether it was a good move by the Government that all the children who sat the Secondary examination and pass should be given a laptop. I am happy that our students will be joining student in other countries who have been using their lap tops at school to support instruction for a number years.
But, I have a couple questions that I would like to get your views on concerning the use of laptops in the classroom. Will there be training for teachers who lack the technological and pedagogical knowledge in implementing programmes that infuse technology in teaching and learning? Will there be technical support staffs attach to schools to guide the teachers along the way? What role the leadership of the school will play in planning and implementing such programme? Will assessments match new literacies expectations so as to motivate our teachers in the frequent use of the technology?
I would like to get your views.
But, I have a couple questions that I would like to get your views on concerning the use of laptops in the classroom. Will there be training for teachers who lack the technological and pedagogical knowledge in implementing programmes that infuse technology in teaching and learning? Will there be technical support staffs attach to schools to guide the teachers along the way? What role the leadership of the school will play in planning and implementing such programme? Will assessments match new literacies expectations so as to motivate our teachers in the frequent use of the technology?
I would like to get your views.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Ebooks and the Struggling Reader
Ms. John is trying so hard to help Jaston with his reading. All that she tried seem to be in vain as Jaston still struggle with his reading. She was about to have tea when she heard a knock on the door.
Ms. John: Who it is?
Betsy: It’s Betsy.
Ms. John: Oh gosh! She muttered to herself as she open the door.
Betsy: Girl, let me tell you this. I was reading this article on eBooks and I said to myself that this can help Jaston with his reading. The article said that e book is great for students to create their own story which will definitely motivate them to want to read. It will help the child in learning skills such as main ideas and sequencing. They will be able to have a greater connection to the text as the text is prepared by them. Ebooks also utilise animation in the story and sound effects which makes the story more interesting and thus motivate the struggling reader to read. The child can better tract the print and get visual representation of the story.
The fabulous thing about it you can make use of PowerPoint. I know that just using power point will peak your interest as your school do not have internet. I know by the way your eyes are open that you are definitely interested but you will have to read up on it to get more information. I recommend that you read the article in the reading teacher2007 –Created electronics books: Integrated technology to support readers with disabilities. Also you need to check the web for other information on eBooks. Remember to bookmark any useful information that you get on the web.
Bye.
Ms. John: Thanks Betsy and see you later.
Ms. John: Who it is?
Betsy: It’s Betsy.
Ms. John: Oh gosh! She muttered to herself as she open the door.
Betsy: Girl, let me tell you this. I was reading this article on eBooks and I said to myself that this can help Jaston with his reading. The article said that e book is great for students to create their own story which will definitely motivate them to want to read. It will help the child in learning skills such as main ideas and sequencing. They will be able to have a greater connection to the text as the text is prepared by them. Ebooks also utilise animation in the story and sound effects which makes the story more interesting and thus motivate the struggling reader to read. The child can better tract the print and get visual representation of the story.
The fabulous thing about it you can make use of PowerPoint. I know that just using power point will peak your interest as your school do not have internet. I know by the way your eyes are open that you are definitely interested but you will have to read up on it to get more information. I recommend that you read the article in the reading teacher2007 –Created electronics books: Integrated technology to support readers with disabilities. Also you need to check the web for other information on eBooks. Remember to bookmark any useful information that you get on the web.
Bye.
Ms. John: Thanks Betsy and see you later.
The Benefits of Using Social Bookmarking
Social Bookmarking as an educational tool in the classroom will help teachers in the planning of instructions as less time will be spent navigating the web to teach a particular lesson. Also Forbes (2004) has noted that web based book marking as a component of instruction allows teachers to provide and present students with high interest meaningful reading material from the internet.
Social Bookmarking also help in internet safety because the teacher will preview the link before students are given access to the given links. Because of the quick save access to site, teachers can design lessons that meet multiple standards and multiple students using one activity. The students have more time to work on given projects and homework as sites are book mark so they will not have to spend time searching for sites to help them get their work done. Pupils and teachers can even switch computers and still gain access to their bookmarks.
Social Bookmarking helps pupils to collaborate with each other as they share bookmarks. Social Bookmarking sites can also help students get updated information on site.
Reference: Forbes, L. S.(2004) Using web -based bookmarks in k-8 settings: linking the internet to instruction.The ReadingTeacher58(3)p148-153. doi:10.1598/RT.58.2.3
Social Bookmarking also help in internet safety because the teacher will preview the link before students are given access to the given links. Because of the quick save access to site, teachers can design lessons that meet multiple standards and multiple students using one activity. The students have more time to work on given projects and homework as sites are book mark so they will not have to spend time searching for sites to help them get their work done. Pupils and teachers can even switch computers and still gain access to their bookmarks.
Social Bookmarking helps pupils to collaborate with each other as they share bookmarks. Social Bookmarking sites can also help students get updated information on site.
Reference: Forbes, L. S.(2004) Using web -based bookmarks in k-8 settings: linking the internet to instruction.The ReadingTeacher58(3)p148-153. doi:10.1598/RT.58.2.3
Friday, July 23, 2010
Leading Our Kids
Our kids are living in a world of online interaction for which they currently have few learning context or models. It is up to us as educators to prepare them for the challenges of using new technologies. In order for us to prepare students to use technologies effectively, we first need to embrace these new technologies in our practices.
We can do so by preparing our students to read, write and edit their way through online networks by making these literacy’s part of the way teaching and learning take place in the classroom.
We can do so by preparing our students to read, write and edit their way through online networks by making these literacy’s part of the way teaching and learning take place in the classroom.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Good Teaching Practice
It is great to have lecturers who are willing to have students evaluate the course to see what improvement that they can make in order to better the course in the future and also how best they can deal with problems face by us as students. I congratulate you all on being model teachers for us as classroom teachers. Such evaluation help in making you better teachers because you are better able to meet the need of the set of diverse learners in the Information Communication Technology course.
I also ask myself how many of us as classroom teachers ask our students for feedback on how we can better deliver the curriculum to meet the diverse needs of learners in the classroom. If we do the percentage may be relatively small. I see the use of some of the Web2.0 technology as helping us to get our students evaluates us as teachers. It gives them the opportunity to share things that they will not feel free to do so in front of us as their classroom teachers.
It could definitely work to our advantage in the way we prepare to meet the needs of some of our students. How many of us consider that the problem that some of our students may be having is due to our teaching styles? How many of us evaluate ourselves as teachers, ask our colleagues to evaluate us or even our students so that we can improve as teachers. I will really like to get your views on this topic.
I also ask myself how many of us as classroom teachers ask our students for feedback on how we can better deliver the curriculum to meet the diverse needs of learners in the classroom. If we do the percentage may be relatively small. I see the use of some of the Web2.0 technology as helping us to get our students evaluates us as teachers. It gives them the opportunity to share things that they will not feel free to do so in front of us as their classroom teachers.
It could definitely work to our advantage in the way we prepare to meet the needs of some of our students. How many of us consider that the problem that some of our students may be having is due to our teaching styles? How many of us evaluate ourselves as teachers, ask our colleagues to evaluate us or even our students so that we can improve as teachers. I will really like to get your views on this topic.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Using Concept Mapping To Teach Literacy
I am happy to say from the group presentations I was able to see how concept Mapping can be used to teach various aspects of reading. Thanks to the group which did Concept Mapping in Literacy in Mrs. Mahabir-Cletus class which did a remarkable job in presenting the use of Concept Mapping in the teaching of Literacy.
They were able to cover many areas in which teachers can use Concept Mapping to teach Literacy such as Vocabulary, Comprehension, Phonics, Writing etc. I like how they were able to give suggestion in the use of Information Communication Technology in teaching the various stages of reading. The presentation thus gives me a better understanding of the use of Information Communication Technology in the teaching of reading.
I just want to thank the group on literacy and all other groups because all presentations were meaningful and I did learn a lot from all the group presentations.
They were able to cover many areas in which teachers can use Concept Mapping to teach Literacy such as Vocabulary, Comprehension, Phonics, Writing etc. I like how they were able to give suggestion in the use of Information Communication Technology in teaching the various stages of reading. The presentation thus gives me a better understanding of the use of Information Communication Technology in the teaching of reading.
I just want to thank the group on literacy and all other groups because all presentations were meaningful and I did learn a lot from all the group presentations.
Parental Involvement
As a teacher I find that parents seldom visit the school to find out how their children are doing academically or otherwise. I will find them visiting the school at the end of the term to collect students’ report books. Fifty percent of the time they are busy on these occasions because they have to go to work, visit the grocery or some other errant that they have to do.
As a school we need our parents to be fully involved in their kids’ performance and therefore we need to create avenues to encourage parental involvement. In the article strategies for engaging parents in home support of reading acquisition by Sharon Darling from International Reading Association (2005) she dealt with research that shows where parents and teachers partner together to support their children reading and academic performance and in such partnership students who performed below standard did exhibit demonstrable gains.
As teachers we want our students to strive to be their best. We always need to seek out ways to get our parents involve in students academic performance at school. I see the use of blogs and Wikis as tools which can be use by teachers in helping parents to be active in their children school life without having to make frequent visit to the school. Such web2.0 tools open avenues for parents to receive correspondences from school, projects that students have to do, know when students have home work and other related activities that will help them better understand what is taken place in the classroom.
The only problem with this is that all parties must have internet access and be willing to use it for such purpose.
As a school we need our parents to be fully involved in their kids’ performance and therefore we need to create avenues to encourage parental involvement. In the article strategies for engaging parents in home support of reading acquisition by Sharon Darling from International Reading Association (2005) she dealt with research that shows where parents and teachers partner together to support their children reading and academic performance and in such partnership students who performed below standard did exhibit demonstrable gains.
As teachers we want our students to strive to be their best. We always need to seek out ways to get our parents involve in students academic performance at school. I see the use of blogs and Wikis as tools which can be use by teachers in helping parents to be active in their children school life without having to make frequent visit to the school. Such web2.0 tools open avenues for parents to receive correspondences from school, projects that students have to do, know when students have home work and other related activities that will help them better understand what is taken place in the classroom.
The only problem with this is that all parties must have internet access and be willing to use it for such purpose.
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