Webquests

I actually enjoyed looking through these webquests. I'm glad this is one of our class topics, because I'm wanting to investigate further what these entail. I found one that I thought could be useful for my jrhi science class, so they'll be trying it out later on this week. I get so hung up on using their laptop for "educational purposes", so hopefully this will help my students understand what is meant by "it's a tool, not a toy". Anyway, I picked the middle school webquest, because I was curious what reading level they'd be in. Of the five I webquests I checked, I picked two that I liked and disliked. I liked the one on "Bowhead Whale Hunting". Number 1-it's relevancy to my students' lives is right on-at least to boys-hunting! I liked the two perspectives used also-to show that there are two sides to everything. I liked the life science aspect of the webquest also. I'm teaching JrHi science so this relates to me too. The directions are short and to the point-not so convoluted with too many words. Art is included too-and the research side of the webquest I like too because the JrHi and High School writing classes have a research papers to do so this could integrate with other classes as well. The weakness I noted was the high vocabulary-my kids would have difficulty understanding the text, and it would require lots and lots and LOTS of reading! The other webquest, "North Carolina Zoo Breakout", I did not like. Not so related to us! Immediately, I was turned off by too many links and too much information. Too long and too much to do-I think this would require a logistical work and lots of recordkeeping. Other than that, I thought it was well organized, and could be used for kids that are advance academically. Overall, pouring through these would require lots of personal time...

"Words As Big As The Screen: Native American..."

Wow. I'm flabbergasted. This reading is so unique, so... so... relevant! The coolest of all? I knew the authors mentioned! I thought it was well-balanced piece-"language death" vs. "language revitilization"; language and culture vs language without culture; traditional vs. modern. What do Native Americans want? That is the ultimate question. In terms of using technology to advance/save our language? The possibilities are endless. Imagine the jobs our students could have-designing web pages for us, creating CDs/DVDs. After having taken Language Policy and Planning class, I cleary understood how the dominant society can "encourage" yet have a "leash" on what indigenous people can and cannot do. Ironically, this can happen within the community too. It's like the phrase-"damned if we do, and damned if we don't". Sometimes you just can't please everybody-especially in regards to preserving language and culture. I feel like I'm taking baby steps in learning to implement technology in my classroom and teaching-I want to take advantage of it, but I don't know enough yet. The world is so huge and accessible via internet that it's a litte intimidating. This is something that needs careful exploring because I tend to be cautious about new things-Wow. How to make a difference in saving/keeping Yup'ik strong in the 21st century? Wow.

PowerPoints

Moses and Samson's papers on PowerPoint made me realize that this "new" tool isn't really new-it's just a modern version of overhead projectors (which I still one in my classroom!). I still use transparencies every now and then... The overarching "problem" I noticed that both brought out was this: how does one use the powerpoint? I have seen many presentations-not each one isn't done the same way! The ones I dislike have so many words that the presenter just reads off of it. Yes, exactly what is the purpose? I have made a few powerpoint myself-but I find it more fun when students use it for their presentations. In fact, for my Junior High Reading class, I let them have a "taste" of using powerpoints. They were making "presentation" on a story we had just finished reading and were making a story map using the elements of characters, setting, plot, theme. While they were experimenting with it, they were using "major characters", minor characters" in their language. That's using repetition. In the high reading classes, one indicator n the reading phases is "oral presentation". Most have used powerpoint to do presentation as part of their book project too. We have used powerpoint during our graduation-and have been for several years. Although I don't see myself using it too much... I don't have the patience nor time to sit down to make presentations using powerpoint for two reading classes, a writing class, Junior High science class and a fine arts class. Maybe I just need to keep practicing until I learn how.

Laptops are here/Blogging

McFarlane's "Laptops Are Coming!" article reinforces what the high school is going through. It's
not fun having to deal with "discipline" issues in regards to students' usage of their laptops. The idea was wonderful at the time, but in reality, we are faced with "new" problems that we have no answers for. McFarlane's article made me realize that we had no definite plan as to how we would implement the laptop project. The irony is that our students are "learning" but not the stuff we "teach" them. Our situation is a management issue-moreso because teachers tend to have their own expectations as to how the laptops should be used. Another is that our ELL students are learning to write in English- but not necessarily to speak it "correctly". I'm continually harping to students that their laptops are "tools, not toys!". But what do I mean? MaFarlane made me realize that. I think I need to document what the expectations should be like curriculum's do. Blogging? If our kids write the way they do when using First Class, I'm not too thrilled in implementing blogging to them. Again-if I were to implement it, then I would have to have a set of standards or expectations if students are to use it to learn the English language "properly, appropriately'. In addition, the blogs I've glimpsed at (ie, ADN.com) have been opinions that are somewhat out of line. Laptops and blogging-great ideas, but now I'm cautious. My experience hasn't been that positive. I think I just need to remove myself from the this situation and reevaluate what needs to be improved so the benefits can be aplenty!

Technology

Using technology as part of teaching is becoming more and more encouraged in our school. We have internet access, powerpoint, keynotes, iPhoto, garageband, iWeb, iMovie... but the problem is that majority of us are not tech-savvy-or that we are lagging behind what's been updated or modified. Junior High and High School have their own laptops-as part of the CDL project. The intention of the project is our kids to use technology to help them with "passing" classes, to motivate them to stay in school, blah, blah, blah. Unfortunately, majority of them use the laptop as a toy (vs. using it as a tool) and some teachers use it as a "reward" to allow them to use the internet. My point? As teachers, we have our own ideas as to how our kids use their laptops, and not necessarily for the better of their "education". The readings provide the usual "advantages" but there is no mention of how to guard students' safety when they use the internet. If there are professionals that inform our kids to tell an adult that someone is hurting them, what do they do when someone they don't and can't see is hurting them? As much as there are numerous how-to's in using technology, there should be as many ways to keep our kids protected. In addition, I'm finding myself wanting to use technology to maintain, preserve, save, reinvigorate my Yup'ik language rather than focusing on the "target language"(which is English, of course!). But my question is how?

Chp 9

Even if the chapter was on curriculum evaluation, the information was very much like assessing programs. The questions and issues were very familiar to me too, because I do deal with them on a daily basis but on a smaller scale. In any classes I teach, I am constantly aware as to how I should make better or change the way I do things. Interestingly though, my focus tends to be more on students' learning-are they comprehending the information? are they getting anything out of the lesson? is it relevant, irrelevant? I'd like to know more about "illuminative evaluation". That's a new one for me. The methodology implemented for evaluating curriculum was great! I needed a quick review as I am doing my research-I liked the "advantages" and "disadvantages" included in the explanations. Curriculum evaluation- some of our carnegie curriculum need some serious revision like Personal Life Skills-it should be more relevant to our context rather than outside's ideaology. As I've been involved in the SLATE program, I am finding myself being aware of what I teach, topic-wise. Relevancy, relevancy, relevancy.

Chp 6

While I reading chapter 6, I began to wonder how long/old this system of developing curriculum is. It's like the system keeps recyling itself-same-old, same-old info but with "new" learners. Then these "new" learners still the problems of the previous students. I'm sure I can write beautifully organized syllabus or such, but doesn't mean my kids will be more intelligent because of it. The syllabus types primarily focus on specific skills/tasks which supposedly the students learn, but what about the application aspect of what was learned? They don't seem to make the lessons real (ie authentic). In our previous discussions, we've talked about "engaging, meaningful" lessons that are "relevant" to students' lives. When does that happen in these types? I am amazed at how the
"new" way can be a revision of the "old" way. In education, the pendulum is used metaphorically-so is it swinging back or is it going the other way?

Anna