Outside of class Tech tool

Our district just added a new piece of technology designed to help students who struggle with reading and writing skills. It is called Read Write Gold and has a reader which can be used with any word or pdf or internet document. When you highlight the text it will say it for you. The pronunciation can be off at times but it has helped some of our lowest readers and our ELL students. We have found it comes with a Spanish voice option so I look forward to usin that with my students. It also has English writing prompts and several other tools. I don't have a link to an internet example or resource but I think Library Media or Reading Specialists would be able to help you find it if you are interested. I will be looking at how I can make it available to my students, especially when I am not at school because my kids are sick.
Check it out and tell me what you think!

Tech Tool-Collaborative drawing

I think this is an interesting tool. I have some concerns about my middle school students and what they would draw without rigid guidelines but I like the idea of them sharing their drawing with others. I think for my class this would be a great tool for vocabulary practice and proficiency. It could be a partner exercise where one person speaks in Spanish describing a scene or a story and the other partner would then draw based on their understanding. The teacher could check vocab comprehension. this could even be done with a podcast and the drawing tool. I look forward to experimenting with thismore.

Tech tool - Mindmapping

I have used Inspiration before and have seen it on a shared network like my district has. I have seen it used to brainstorm ideas in class on a Smartboard or even whiteboard /chalkboard. I like the idea of it being web accessable so students can all contribute to it as they continue their independent work once the class brainstorming session is over. I also like the idea of students being able to enter the words and the mindmap being drawn for them. i see this as effective with some of our special education students who know the key words for a lesson or project but can't see the connection themselves. As a related Arts teacher I have the students while their core teachers and learning strategists have team meeting or prep so my in-class support is limited. This is a tool the students could access for themselves to organize their thoughts. (See upcoming post on Read Write Gold for another great tool to help with writing skills.)
I see this working for my students to organize grammar concepts visually, collaborate on research ideas and focus their energies when reading or writing. I will add this to my list of integrated technology.

New tool - Google Earth

One of the tools I explored was GoogleEarth. Nicely presented information helped me see this as a potentially useful Web 2.0 tool for my Spanish classes. The privacy issue does concernc me but I think knowing it has this concern will help me prepare my students in advance and set boundaries before we use GoogleEarth. I thought of several possible uses in my classroom, assuming we have addressed the privacy and appropriate issues concern. It would be a great tool for a cultural fantasy trip. Helena Curtain taught me how to use a few simple props and decorations to create an imaginary trip in a world Language classrroom and I think she would love this tool. I could take students on a prepared tour of Mexico City and show them where key sites are, we could analyze the unbeleivable growth of this city over time, and see the street view of places I am not able to physically take my middle schol students. I could see using it to have students plan a virtual vacation to a Spanish speaking country. I even thought about using its images with voicethread (if that is possible (help me tech-gurus)to discuss places or use vocabulary to describe locations and have them be authentic rather than the sketches in our text-only but what they might actually see if they traveled. I will definitely keep exploring this tool for implementation with my students.

Twitter in the classroom

I have been looking at curriculum revision and technology integration for next year, using this class, this year and this summer to get my skills somewhere close to what my students can do. I have really been thinking about how microblogging could be used in the classroom. I am concentrating more on the internet version of rather than the cell-phone because of district policy with cell phones in school. I am leaning towards a more secure site such as Edomo because students could do quick posts and share thoughts while working on projects. It would also be a great reminder and quick communication device from me the teacher should we need it. Though initially I balked at twitter in the classroom (having discussed in staff meetings the overdramatized microdisasters of the lives of my middle schoolers communicated via twitter), I admit I have changed my mind. The difference to me is the parameters set by the teacher. I see how it can be beneficial with the proper guidance. Perhaps I am learning to embrace the technology that is so ingrained in my students and will be able to meet them where they are at in 21st Century skills.

Benefits of Twitter

Twitter is one technology tool I am undecided about. For me personally I can see this as a great way to share events with friends and family who are out of town and out of state. The snapshot of daily life is an intriguing concept. I would like to see that my tweets would only go to the people I choose rather than visible to just anyone. Otherwise I think it could be a good personal tool.
In terms of twitter as a teaching tool, I have several concerns. One of them is the conundrum of using twitter as a communicator on cell phone format when our building and district policies restrict presence of cell phones in the classroom. As a natural rule follower, I am an enforcer of this rule though I know it is harder and harder every year to detach the cell phones from our students. I also worry about the public and private communications as a matter of safety since I teach middle schoolers who lack the maturity and skills to determine cyberdangers effectively. I would prefer private twitter systems if I were to use this in class and with studentsI think it would be a great tool to tweet a class over the weekend and remind them of a project due Monday or adjust directions on an assignment due to student concerns. I think it would be a great way to share current events news or practice chatting in Spanish. I think using it over the internet would be a better comfort level for me because of the cell phone restrictions... but I teach not for me but for the students. If I am meeting their needs I can't decide what I do only about what I enjoy and what makes me comfortable.

Suggested Reading List

One of my esteemed colleagues just shared with us in my district a PDF from the 21st Century Learning Project entitled "Teaching for Tomorrow: Teaching Content AND Problem Solving Skills". I have the link for this PDF here and will be starting a book on the same lines from the same author in a couple of weeks. The ideas expressed are so clear and appropriate and so very connected to the standards we are examining for this class. If you get a chance, check this out! I;ll keep you informed about the book as I delve in.
Right now I am working on Fair Isn't Always Equal by Rick Wormeli. I enjoy much of what he has to say regarding more appropriate grading and curriculum design to meet the educational needs of our students. The item that struck me on my last bit of reading is the idea of giving students the chapter tests at the start of the chapter with the condition that they cannot write on it. At the time of the assessment, they have it checked for no marks then complete it. He really emphasizes a movement from "gotcha" teaching and assessment towards guiding students to success and I enjoy his way with words as he explains this point of view. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to change grading and curriculum practices.