Thinkquest

ThinkQuest Lesson

What students will learn from these lessons is basic knowledge about different battles of the Civil War. They will learn about key events and people that helped shape America in this dark time in our history. This lesson would come in the middle of a U.S. History class and we would use it study the history of slavery and the history of African Americans. Also we will study how society changed after the Civil War, and how the economy changed due to the Civil War.

ThinkQuest Project

http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01071/homeframe.htm


This is something I would use in a U.S. History class when we were talking about slavery. I would use it to make sure the students understood the severity of slavery and how it was so much more than just living on plantations in the South.

Best Practices Blog

From the beginning it seemed that this teacher had the right idea. She knew that she had to make learning science fun for her students. However, this can not be the sole purpose of the class because then the focus becomes more on the fun and less on science. However when she was put into an EL she found that there could be a balance of fun and learning the content. The EL class gave her the tools to be able to make the concepts fun and engaging while still getting the information out there. These strategies are not simple and they require a great deal of planning and monitoring but the allow for a much deeper understanding of the content. In order to do this the teacher is going to need a great knowledge of her content and is going to have to pose tasks that really engage the minds of her students while also being fun. This type of teacher has a lot of work but her results will more than likely be the best because the knowledge her students gain will be knowledge that will stick.

Where I am From

Jonathan Fansler

02-12-13

Inclusive Classroom Practices

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Being a Culturally Responsive Teacher takes a lot of work to achieve, and has many different angles to do so. As teachers we have to be aware of everything that can affect the classroom and its students, and one of these things is language. Language is a powerful tool and those who use it the most affective are the ones that succeed. Purcell-Gates points out that people from lower economic status, whether it is from impoverished countries or other places tend to have more trouble with literacy than those from higher economic status.

Many teachers today that have students who don’t succeed at the rate at which the teachers believe they should get frustrated with the child. The teacher then begins to stereotype the children and say that the reason they can’t succeed as well as they should is because of where they are from or because of their socioeconomic status. These stereotypes are known the Cultural Deficit Model where the teacher sells the child short. The way to remedy this is to try harder to find or create ways to better relate to the child and then to also get the parents or guardians of the child involved because it will be hard for the child to learn at a successful rate without the help of people at home.

It can be difficult to overcome Cultural deficit problems in a classroom, but there are some ways to do so. Perhaps and approach could be like Hilda’s approach from the Moll study and build units around what the students interest are because students learn better when they are interested in something. Therefore the key concept that jumps out at me is making the students interested. When they are interested they are more engaging.

The Where I am From project was a very meaningful and helpful project. It allowed each person to see where people come from and get a general idea of what the person is like and therefore provides a reference of how to relate to them. Therefore if we as teachers were to use this in the classroom it would provide a good resource for community building in the classroom. Perhaps divide into small groups and play the videos in that group and allow the activity to be an icebreaker so that students can learn about each other. Also as teachers we can use these videos as a way to know where the student is coming from and can learn enough about them to be able to better relate to them in the classroom and provide a more meaningful learning experience.

I believe that in the classroom Standard English should be the standard. However, I don’t believe we should dismiss students who don’t. We should work with them and bring them along until they can write Standard English proficiently. Students will not learn properly until they can write and speak the language proficiently and it is our job as educators to make sure they can do this.

The Story of Me

I am from a the base of the Sauratown mountains, the only chain in the U.S. to start and end in the same county, and from trees so beautiful in fall that you forget everything and just stare.

I am from the small white house in the back of a small development.

I am from the place of beautiful trees and good weather year round.

I am from competition and from the idea that hard work will always pay off.

I am from Fansler and from Amen, from the concept of always finishing and never accepting losing and from always putting God and family ahead of everything.

I am from the food lovers and sports fanatics.

From a family that will always be there for me and from friends whom I can trust my life with.

I am from belief in God and faith that His plan will always shine through no matter what the storm.

I'm from Foothills of the mountains and from 4 generations of North Carolinians, and from Mac and Cheese and big juicy steaks.

From a family where sports have traveled up the lineage for years, and from many afternoons and nights of working on Baseball with my dad.

I am from the South, from warmer weather, from people with warm hearts and from a family that spent their time on me!

Best and Worst WebQuests

The best to me was the Ice Cream Webquest because it had a great color scheme and it grabbed my attention very well; also it is a very fun topic that will make it intersting in itself. Also the oricess is mapped out well with the steps explained well. The next best one was "Where is My Hero." This one was interactive and had a fun topic. Also, the topic itself promotes good people skills. The worst were would have to be "Grow Schools Green" because it is bland and it isn't very appealing to make students interested in it. The next worst would be Underground Railroad because it isn’t interactive enough and the way it is written just seems like it was thrown together and not enough thought was put into it. The best and the worst just simply mean to me which ones have the most thouoght put inot them and which ones jump out at me and are appealing, are interactive and have good links to the necessary information, and the ones that are written well for the students to understand what their task is.

Worksheet for Webquest

Social Networking for Sex-Offenders

This article talks about the law passed in Illinois that put an end to registered sex offenders from having social network pages such as Facebook and Twitter. Magid uses very good evidence to support his argument; he says that only very few cases where adults have sexual relations with a teen, and he also says that most of the kid online behavior is kid-to-kid. Magid, the writer, chose a very touchy subject to write on, and to most people it would seem absurd to even write about much less support, but he does both. I commend him for his resolve and he uses very good evidence to back up his argument. While he does present good evidence for his position, I have to disagree with his position. I think that the more access to minors you take away from a predator the better society and minors will be protected. In the past week we have seen through Penn State that sex offenders need to be stopped and limiting their social media access can aid this.

Wikipedia, Good or Bad?

When I began to read this, one thing that stuck out to me was that no one ever really praises the idea of a free encyclopedia so that people will be able to learn better. Almost all of the feedback is negative and talks about how uncredible the articles are because anyone can add things to Wikipedia. Another thing that I learned is that people actually post innacurate information just to prove that Wikipedia isn't a credible source, and they call this "Wikiality." Another thing I learned is that the one of the ways teachers might be able to use Wikipedia in the classroom is by using it as a starting point to jump into more intersting topics. A fact that really entrigued me is that Wikipedia is constantly changing and evolving and it also is a great tool to get to credible sources because of the Hyperlinks to credible sources when the Wiki article has its sources listed. Another intersting topic that I took form this is that there are some areas where a Wiki article is better than a is better than a regular encyclopedia because it is better research because of the hyperlinked footnotes and the debatable topics referenced right below it for essay access to learn about it. The one question I do have is How do you totally get rid of false information while still allowing open access to anyone?

This sight here What is Research? is a grea sight for to look at. It talks about the crediblity of Wikipedia from a guy who has wrote on Wikipedia a few times.

Citations

Crovitz, D. & Smoot, W. (2007, November 21). Wikipedia: friend, not foe. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/archival/EnglishJournalArticle2.pdf

http://whatisresearch.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/wikipedia-criticism-and-why-it-fails-to-matter/

Wikipedia Worksheet

I chose to do an American Revolution Wikipedia page and there weren't any cleanup banners on the page. The whole page seems to be well oraganized and it is written in a neutral position and no one is picking a side to try and build up' it is made up of mostly facts. It also provides all of its references and and the information seems to be there and actually in depth. Almost all of the sources are reliable sources from reliable places. One of the discussions did give light to the fact that one of the sources might be unreliable when he mentions the writer mentions about it in the Standing Army section. Overall I would to rate this article as a relaible source because a lot of the sources were from education sites.

What is Wikipedia

"Wikipedia is a multilingual, Web-based encyclopedia project, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit organization." If someone was to ask me how reliable could Wikipedia since anyone can edit it, I would answer it by having vey good editors and by having members and people who post things that are reliable. The creators of Wikipedia rely in the concept of having a lot of people view the pages will weed out the false information. Larry Sanger left Wikipedia because he thought more authority should be given to experts. On a Wikipedia page vandalism or abuse would be in the form of false information or something else degreading to that topic or page.Statistics listed in the 3rd paragraph reveal that at the time this written Wikipedia was making huge strides and getting a lot bigger. The reason is so successfl because it is always there when someone is doing research therefore it is a great place to start your research and therefore a lot of people use it. Because its a nonprofit organization and perhaps they don't want to change from that. The Wikiscanner helps witht he reliability of Wikipedia by identifying the IP addresses of anonymous writers who were editing for personal gain.

Assistive Technologies

     One thing I learned through the first reading was that children with disabilities in the mid 1900s were pushed to the side and negelected becasuwe they were seen as never going to be able to learn and read, and we as teachers need to be conscious of this and make every effort possible to make sure that everyone receives the same great education that they are entitled to. Also in the second article I learned that there actually was technology used to help special children learn. I always thought that the special classrooms were just the teachers trying to teach the kids one on one how to do basic stuff. I also learned that students with dissabilities can actually use computers. I knew that the just mentally slow could, but not other more severe cases like dyslexia.
     One way to help children with learning dissabilities is with Word Processors. With Word Processors students are able to express themselves easier because they know they will be able to make easy changes later and this allows them to be more creative. Tape recorders are another good tool to use to help children with learning dissablities learn. They can get audio version of books from the library to help with reading or they can use the recorders to record a lecture and play back so they can fully grasp the lesson.

In my classroom I could allow a student to use a tape recorder to tape a lesson, or I could perhaps allow the student to bring their computer to class so they use word prediction systems or other computer systems that will help them understand something better.

Citations

http://www.sc.edu/scatp/ld.htm

Schultz, P. (2011, September 3). Words failed, then saved me. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/opinion/sunday/with-dyslexia-words-failed-me-and-then-saved-me.html

        
    

Internet & Social Behavior Theory Unfounded

Despite early studies suggesting that internet use leads to anti-social behavior, later findings indicate positive aspects of engaging in online socializing.

It is hard pressed to find somebody today that doesn't have some sort of online identity or page about them. People today are so engulfed by the computer and the Internet. The Internet, in my experience, has very few negative effects on relationships. If it had any, the one might be that it aids the decline of personal interaction skills, but where it negatively affects that, it positively affects other areas. There are so many Web chats between families, spouses, and even businesses now, and the Internet is the tool that enables this. Web relationships are like an Ice-Breaker because you don't have to meet that person for the first time face to face, or if a business merger or decision goes bad, you don't have to tell them face to face. Also online dating has become huge in recent years. People are letting the computer find a compatible match for them. Now whether this is a good or bad thing can be debated, but the fact remains the same that so many people are looking for the spouse or just date for a night online and they do this because it saves time and they don't have to go out and waste time with somebody that they have nothing in common with. 




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seiZVLMdpBg     


This is a link to a video that gives proof that more and more people are turning to online relationships.


Citations


Owens, L. (2009, April 23). Internet & anti-social behavior theory unfounded [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://laura-owens.suite101.com/internet--anti-social-behavior-theory-unfounded-a111897

Double Entry Journal 8

The way we are educating is based on nineteenth-century ideas and methods. Here we are, entering the twenty-first century, and you look at our schools and ask, 'Why are we doing things in this ancient way?' Our system of education is locked in a time capsule. You want to say to the people in charge, 'You're not using today's tools! Wake up!'


Education today just isn't where it needs to be. I agree with George Lucas when he says that our education is like living in the past. I remember when I was a Junior and Senior in high school that we hardly ever used any technology in the classroom unless I was actually in a technology or computer class. Schools just aren't using the technologies that are available to them, this is probably in part to the lack of money in the budget for new technologies, but maybe then some money from other parts should be diverted to technologies because if students do not know how to use the materials that they will be using in the workforce then how will they survive. Therefore education needs to shift out of ancient ways and join the modern era, and give students the proper education they need.





Works Cited


Daly, J. (2004, September 14). Life on the screen: visual literacy in education . Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/lucas-visual-literacy


https://hamiltonrentals.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/technology-in-the-classroom-from-ipad-to-laptop-rentals/

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove . . . . but the world maybe different because I was important in the life of a child." - Kathy Davis

Teaching Media Literacy

"Although some countries (notably Canada, England, and Australia) have made progress in integrating media literacy into the school curriculum, schools in the United States generally have lagged behind (Hobbs & Frost, 2003)."


Students today just don't get the proper media literacy training that is necessary to keep up in this digital world that we live in today. I know when I was in high school that I took computer classes and yet I still only learned the very minimal in media literacy. I didn't learn how to blog, do magazines, how to use media and implement certain media techniques. Students are spending so much time on the Internet yet do not truly know how to use digital media correctly. Teachers need to really focus on making students more media literate.





This picture shows a collaborative class probably learning what they need to be learning about media literacy, but sadly enough there aren't many classes like this!!


Citations


David , J. (2009, March). Teaching media literacy. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Teaching-Media-Literacy.aspx


http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/06/cisco_network_academies_once_p.html

Media Literacy in Civics

"However we define it, we must agree that today's students, our future citizens, should be able to marshal thinking skills to spot 'eye-witless news... a twinkle of the airwaves' (Bennett, 2001) or 'manufactured news' (Postman, 1992) if they are to reason intelligently about societal issues and draw meaningful conclusions about political candidates."

What this is saying is that students today need to be able to think critically and to be able to analyze things so that they can become good citizens when they become adults. So many students even at the college level, if they were asked to take the citizenship exam, they would fail and fail miserably, yet immigrants can pass it to become citizens. Students today just do not care about the country that is provided for them and they need to start becoming more educated so that they can contribute to society and be informed voters. Teaching media literacy will allow students to be able to break down different pieces of media and interpret them and be informed from them.



This shows just how the majority of the upcoming generation are; they really don't care who gets the presidency so they don't pay attention to anything about them.

Citations

Abilock, D. (2003, November/December). A seven-power lens on 21st century literacy .


http://standupforamerica.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/is-voting-a-right-should-it-be-regulated/

Media Literacy Photo Analysis

In the first photo we see Obama meeting with a group of people and it can be assumed that they are talking about matters of the coast cause otherwise they wouldn't be there. It also represents that this meeting is not formal but semi-casual and we know this through what the men are wearing, and then Obama is trying to make a statement that he is there to help and he doesn't want the people thinking he his a coward which is why he lowers the number of Secret Service. The caption and title raise questions, though, like what does it mean when the President is taking claims, and who is he taking them from. It also raises the question of is he really ready to let the government take care of the oil spill.

In the second picture Obama looks puzzled, and the logical explanation is that he is in deep thought. It also says to me that he is trying to think of ways to aid in the oil spill or stop it all together. However it could mean that he is disgusted with BP for not cleaning up the spill faster. The title and caption raise the question that maybe he is thinking about ways to get out of this tarnishing his legacy as a President but while still helping out the gulf. It also raises the question of is he mad that this is happening in his presidency.

Photo Analysis 2