Originally my final project was to be a college and career exploration webquest. However, when the classmate that I was collaborating with had to drop out, I chose to create a website for my students and their parents/guardians instead. The administration at my school has emphasized in the last few years the need for improving communication between the classroom and home. It is my hope that the webpage will aide me in this endeavor.
After our final week-end of class, I spent quite a bit of time trying to decide whether to design my site with DreamWeaver or Weebly. I finally came to the conclusion that with my current level of knowledge and time limitations, I could create a more professional looking site using Weebly. My page can be accessed at tgermano.weebly.com
Initially I created separate pages for my students and their parents; however, as I worked through the process I modified the layout to incorporate different pages for my regular math class and for my honors class. Those pages include information about the current and upcoming units of study as well as a link to our school's "Homework Hotline" which all teachers use to post assignments. There are also links to an on-line help service from McDougal Littell, the publisher of our text. I also wanted to create a page for documents pertaining to the class including the syllabus and materials. Instead, I created a page that links to two other pages which are hidden from the viewer. This way the actual documents are already loaded and the look is more professional. The final page is one that provides students a variety of links which can be used to assist them as they plan for their future education and/or career.
Overall the process of using Weebly was relatively user-friendly. I encountered minor issues with the site being unavailabe and with moving items around on the pages. This was a particular issue when I wanted to center a picture and have text to one side. The end result is one that I am pleased to submit.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Jodi's Presentation
Jodi Bitler presented the National Geographic site.
This site includes a World Music area that she thought might be of use for Rebecca and Claudia.
The photography link was suggeted as useful for LA teachers to be used as writing prompts. (Use photo gallery & look by topic).
The map links are very good - some are interactive showing population density, etc.
The video section has four main categories: animals, environment, people and places and featured videos. Most are relatively short. They do have ads at the beginning.
The kids section has videos, activities, games and stories.
On the bottom right there is a link for educator resorces. Xpeditions is their name for lesson plans grades K-12.
Great site!
** She also showed us a site called Caring Bridge where you can create free, personalized websites that support and connect loved ones during critical illness, treatment and recovery. ***
This site includes a World Music area that she thought might be of use for Rebecca and Claudia.
The photography link was suggeted as useful for LA teachers to be used as writing prompts. (Use photo gallery & look by topic).
The map links are very good - some are interactive showing population density, etc.
The video section has four main categories: animals, environment, people and places and featured videos. Most are relatively short. They do have ads at the beginning.
The kids section has videos, activities, games and stories.
On the bottom right there is a link for educator resorces. Xpeditions is their name for lesson plans grades K-12.
Great site!
** She also showed us a site called Caring Bridge where you can create free, personalized websites that support and connect loved ones during critical illness, treatment and recovery. ***
Final Project Proposal
I am planning to create my own teacher web page for my students and parents to use. Currently I have started two different pages, one designed in Dreamweaver and the other in Weebly. I will update this entry when I decide which to use.
I have spent quite a bit of time this week-end trying to determine whether to complete my project with Dreamweaver or Weebly. Although there seem to be some limitations with Weebly, I have decided to use this web-based page creator for this project. I feel that with my current level of HTML knowledge (or lack thereof) as well as the time constraints for completing this project, beginning a new class, and trying to keep up with the demands of a full-time teaching schedule Weebly will allow me to complete a more professional looking site that I will be proud to have my students and their parents use. It is my plan to update the page I began with Dreamweaver during the advanced HTML elective course and eventually move to using it for my classroom web page.
I have spent quite a bit of time this week-end trying to determine whether to complete my project with Dreamweaver or Weebly. Although there seem to be some limitations with Weebly, I have decided to use this web-based page creator for this project. I feel that with my current level of HTML knowledge (or lack thereof) as well as the time constraints for completing this project, beginning a new class, and trying to keep up with the demands of a full-time teaching schedule Weebly will allow me to complete a more professional looking site that I will be proud to have my students and their parents use. It is my plan to update the page I began with Dreamweaver during the advanced HTML elective course and eventually move to using it for my classroom web page.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Tish & Caroline Web Site Presentation
Tish Craft & Caroline Dean presented the Scholastic website.
Tish began by showing us some of the teacher resources and how to navigate the site to find specific lesson plans for a given grade level and topic. She then showed us a section that included teaching strategies to implement more technology use in the classroom. Other strategies include information & tools for classroom management, graphic organizers, rubrics, etc. There is also a nice section for new teachers which Tish mentioned would be good for the new teacher and their mentor.
From the home page click on teaching resources, browse by grade, browse by subject to find units, etc.
The Student Activity tab has many online activities which can be selected by subject. One problem seemed to be that the print for selecting the subject was in white which made it difficult to read.
Gypsy noted that much of the information seemed to be what is contained in the scholastic magazines, yet this site is free. Caroline did point out that the site is not loaded with ads so the students can concentrate on their task. Claudia commented on the quiz challenges as being a positive feature. Caroline & Tish pointed out that books and authors not published by Scholastic are not included in lesson plans, etc. There is also a nice area for students to create flash cards for their own review.
For LA teachers there is a good section for book reviews to help students find books that they would enjoy. The reviews are done by students.
Good site! Tons of resources.
Tish began by showing us some of the teacher resources and how to navigate the site to find specific lesson plans for a given grade level and topic. She then showed us a section that included teaching strategies to implement more technology use in the classroom. Other strategies include information & tools for classroom management, graphic organizers, rubrics, etc. There is also a nice section for new teachers which Tish mentioned would be good for the new teacher and their mentor.
From the home page click on teaching resources, browse by grade, browse by subject to find units, etc.
The Student Activity tab has many online activities which can be selected by subject. One problem seemed to be that the print for selecting the subject was in white which made it difficult to read.
Gypsy noted that much of the information seemed to be what is contained in the scholastic magazines, yet this site is free. Caroline did point out that the site is not loaded with ads so the students can concentrate on their task. Claudia commented on the quiz challenges as being a positive feature. Caroline & Tish pointed out that books and authors not published by Scholastic are not included in lesson plans, etc. There is also a nice area for students to create flash cards for their own review.
For LA teachers there is a good section for book reviews to help students find books that they would enjoy. The reviews are done by students.
Good site! Tons of resources.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Assessment & NCLB
During the last five weeks or so since I began receiving a variety of RSS feeds for class, I have read many blogs discussing issues with the renewal of the No Child Left Behind legislation. As educators we are all acutely aware of the impact, both positive and negative, that NCLB has had in our classrooms and schools. I have spent many hours debating with myself, my colleagues, and my family about the fine line we walk when balancing the need for accountability and our educational system.
Many of us have witnessed students who are poor test takers that find themselves in summer school retaking one section of our state's CRCT in order to be promoted to the next grade level. This type of high-stakes testing has been a point of controversy since the law was first proposed. In fact, as new legislation is being prepared many, including the chair of the house education committee, are suggesting that other measures should be included when evaluating school districts.
Others are continuing to discuss compensating schools and teachers for their students' performance on these gateway tests. My sister and I have often spoken of this as she teaches in the poorest elementary school in our home district in Tennessee. She is quick to raise the question: who would want to teach in her school whose students have not had the advantages and life exposure that others have experienced if any sort of compensation is linked to testing success. An interesting entry from ABC News explores this very issue and how many districts and states are dealing with merit pay linked to student performance.
During August the PBS NewsHour Online has presented a series on NCLB. Some interesting reads can be found there regarding how some states are finding loopholes, simplifying tests, etc. to meet AYP. All of this led me to question how we in education could be potentially compromising our true purpose when we become so absorbed in our attempts to ensure that everyone passes all highstakes testing. Interestingly in Texas where much of this began, the legislators have decided to end high school exit exams. Be sure to listen to the NPR story on this.
Then today, I ran across this great blog on Rethinking Assessment. The discussion centers on the issue of "assessment for learning" versus "assessment of learning". I know this has been a huge emphasis in my school district and it seems to complete the circle back to NCLB and how we measure success and learning. While I don't believe that the current legislation is perfect, I am encouraged that the level of discussion and debate about education continues to grow. Complicated issues never have quick fixes, but perhaps we are at least on the right road again.
Many of us have witnessed students who are poor test takers that find themselves in summer school retaking one section of our state's CRCT in order to be promoted to the next grade level. This type of high-stakes testing has been a point of controversy since the law was first proposed. In fact, as new legislation is being prepared many, including the chair of the house education committee, are suggesting that other measures should be included when evaluating school districts.
Others are continuing to discuss compensating schools and teachers for their students' performance on these gateway tests. My sister and I have often spoken of this as she teaches in the poorest elementary school in our home district in Tennessee. She is quick to raise the question: who would want to teach in her school whose students have not had the advantages and life exposure that others have experienced if any sort of compensation is linked to testing success. An interesting entry from ABC News explores this very issue and how many districts and states are dealing with merit pay linked to student performance.
During August the PBS NewsHour Online has presented a series on NCLB. Some interesting reads can be found there regarding how some states are finding loopholes, simplifying tests, etc. to meet AYP. All of this led me to question how we in education could be potentially compromising our true purpose when we become so absorbed in our attempts to ensure that everyone passes all highstakes testing. Interestingly in Texas where much of this began, the legislators have decided to end high school exit exams. Be sure to listen to the NPR story on this.
Then today, I ran across this great blog on Rethinking Assessment. The discussion centers on the issue of "assessment for learning" versus "assessment of learning". I know this has been a huge emphasis in my school district and it seems to complete the circle back to NCLB and how we measure success and learning. While I don't believe that the current legislation is perfect, I am encouraged that the level of discussion and debate about education continues to grow. Complicated issues never have quick fixes, but perhaps we are at least on the right road again.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Fourth Article Reflection
Kelly Driscoll discusses how many of the new Web 2.0 technologies are having positive impacts on today's classrooms in the article Collaboration in Today's Classrooms: New Web Tools Change the Game. She suggests that many of the new technologies are popular in education circles because (1) they are free or very inexpensive (2) they are easy to use (3) many are fully hosted. Technologies mentioned include blogs and RSS; wikis; online learning communities using Elgg or Digication; online office applications like Google for Educators and Zoho Office Suite; podcasting; and video conferencing with Skype and MSN messenger. This was a very good article which I would highly recommend. One statement in particular related to the effects of these type of technologies really struck a cord with me. In reference to the use of blogs or wikis for students to post work for editing and comments the following was stated "there is a huge difference between writing a paper for the teacher and writing one for your peers." Perhaps the old adage about positive peer pressure might be seen in very real ways using Web 2.0.
Kelly Driscoll (2007, May). Collaboration in Today's Classrooms: New Web Tools Change the Game. MultiMedia & Internet@Schools, 14(3), 9-12. Retrieved July 28, 2007, from ProQuest Education Journals database. (Document ID: 1272562851).
Kelly Driscoll (2007, May). Collaboration in Today's Classrooms: New Web Tools Change the Game. MultiMedia & Internet@Schools, 14(3), 9-12. Retrieved July 28, 2007, from ProQuest Education Journals database. (Document ID: 1272562851).
Third Article Reflection
In her article about webquests, Maureen Yoder guides the reader through the history of webquests and discusses the main elements which should be included in a well-designed quest. Since I am planning to create a webquest for my final project, this information was helpful for me. In particular I was excited about having the examples of existing webquests within the article and the table of other webquests and information about them in one location. However, upon further exploration, I discovered that the vast majority of the links included in the table were no longer active. So, while the article provided some good overall information it will not be as good a resource as I had hoped.
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