Claire

 toc


  This is a podcast of a presentation discussing the work of [|Greg Mortenson], author of __Three Cups of Tea,__ which promotes peace through literacy.

This is a student-written and narrated [|podcast] on the topic of girls' self image and asks the question, "What does it mean to be pretty?"

This podcast shows teachers working with a poetry class acting out [|iambic pentameter].

Assignment 4
The easiest way to draw out a shy or anxious student is to ask them about their favorite music. It’s almost a guarantee that he or she will have lots to share about their favorite groups or style. A teacher’s understanding of students’ involvement and engagement with music can be a tool to deeper understanding of content and Mr. Dunbar outlines a variety of effective approaches. As a Language Arts teacher, one of the most difficult concepts to teach students is tone, and music is especially helpful here. In the past, I’ve had students write (or read) in genres of their choosing: poems, stories, memoirs and then decide what songs or music would go best with the piece, asking themselves how they want the reader to feel, matching sound to text. A companion activity is to design a jewel case cover so that the artwork matches the tone of the music and the words. It’s possible to do something similar with informational text reading also. Students could create an author study on Nancy Farmer, for instance, in I-movie and find African music as background music because many of her books have Africa as a setting. (I’ve used freemusic.com for this). Also, I’ve found that historical fiction can be supported with the use of period music. In the book, Out of the Dust, music is a motif and it’s helpful for students to immerse themselves in Black Mesa Boys-style music as a way of stepping into the main character’s skin. Additionally, the music of Woody Guthrie would add social commentary, storytelling, and history to a novel study. Mr. Dunbar gives us lots of ways to use students' prior knowledge in order to enrich the learning experience.

** Double check Assignment 5 Please

Assignment 5
Reflection on video

I would say that relevance and integration foster student engagement for me. The most successful learning occurs when I partner with another teacher or teachers. While the science teacher is doing a 'dynamic Earth' unit, I may have them write poetry, maybe with a rhyme scheme that reflects the earth's structure, for instance, around a dynamic Earth topic. Paul Fleischman's J__oyful Noise__ is a mentor text for a unit like this. Students seem to like carrying information between classes. (Years ago I heard someone say, " Imagine that you go to one job with one boss and then at the end of the hour, you go to another job with another boss and that routine is repeated five times a day, how would that work for you?" I think this is why kids like it if teachers seam learning.) Also, integration gives other teachers a chance to say that writing matters across the curriculum and not ghettoize it in the LA classroom.

From my middle school parents, I learn that their kids spend a lot of time in cyperspace! Texting and talking online are major activities. I see them with MP3 players, I-pods, and cell phones immediately as soon as the last bell rings. In school, we research, write and publish, but haven't used them much as communication tools. I've had a Tech Team each year who do things like replace missing keys on the keyboards and other maintainence issues.

I thought the video reinforced the 'big picture' challenges that we've talked about in class: technology is a t the heart of making learning relevant. I was struck by his comment about making home and school seamless. One thing I cannot do with my students is take for granted that there is a 'home' experience. Many of my re-settled families have no Internet availability. It's an ongoing concern and debate within our school as we try to move away from paper with school bulletins, etc. Additionally, each year, sadly I have several students who are either in transition or are actually homeless. So, when the narrator talks about moving from rail to cars, I have kids who are still on foot and I don't want them to get left by the side of the road. I hope and believe that community centers may help fill this need. The Root Cellar on Munjoy Hill and the Public Library are two groups that offer assistance, but other centers in town, like the Front Street neighborhood have no resources. So, as much as I work towards making home & school seamless, I also know that for some children, school is the sole provider for now.

media type="file" key="Test2MP3.mp3"

 Assignment 6
interview with Pam

media type="file" key="interviewMP3.mp3"

Assignment 7
http://delicious.com/rossc2 Yea! I can embed a video from YouTube! media type="youtube" key="0uGojuhJN9I" height="344" width="425"

Assignment 8
Reflections from web conference with Wes This is the first web conference I've participated in, and I'm so pleased to have the first-hand experience! I thought he offered great energy and a sense of urgency to the conversation about moving to 21st century literacy. I also especially liked his thoughts about Citizen Journalism. As a teacher a writing, I've always thought I can get reluctant readers to be better readers by getting them first to observe and write about their experiences - engage the writing piece first. I made a note to check out YouStream when he mentioned it - glad to have that example! I thought Stacy's question about the best way to assemble digital portfolios was a good one and wanted more information on that.

Assignment 9
Reflection on Ken Ellis video:

Assignment 10
media type="custom" key="4078685"

<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">
media type="custom" key="4080053"

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">Assignment 11
Not quite sure about final project yet, although I know it will be done with VooiceThread because I want to practice that tool. In the beginning, I planned to do a "Welcome to 6th Grade" vodcast/podcast hat I could put on my blog for incoming students and families. Then.....I have some student audio from a year ago & I might put visual with it as an example of student reading enhanced by pictures. media type="custom" key="4081931"

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">Final Project
http://voicethread.com/share/557388/ Welcome to Cadillac 6 at Lyman Moore Middle School