In Class Portfolio

Bio Poem
Web Site Evaluations
Graphic Organizer
Lesson Plan Cover Page
Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan Activity 1
Lesson Plan Activity 2
Video Book Trailer

Dialogue Poem

My Dialogue Poem 

Question 3: Are we too Dumb for Complex Text?

Question 3: " The last paragraph of this article summarizes the thesis and makes a strong statement. Do you agree or disagree and why?

I disagree with the last paragraph of this article. I believe the idea of one hour of slow reading a day is unrealistic. In today’s world unfortunately, children are not going home for one hour of slow reading. They are off to clubs, sports, work, or doing other homework. Most colleges today actually place high importance on how involved students are in their communities and schools so I do place value on these activities.I agree when the author says that, “slow practices that slow down and intensify the reading of complex texts will help,” however I believe this practice needs to take place in school. In school, teachers can provide students with strategies to use and help guide their thinking. The reality is this valued practice won’t happen in the same way at home as it will in school.

I also don’t agree with the author when he says these slow reading practices, “do more to boost college readiness than 300 shiny laptops down the hall- and for a fraction of the price.” I believe in technology, in addition to slow-reading,is a crucial way to prepare students for future college experiences as well as their future careers. I see the potential for technology to make learning more engaging and provide tools for students to succeed in their learning. We talked today about how students can actually enhance their learning online by using the resources to answer outstanding questions they may have while reading a complex text.  And the author claims slow reading is a fraction of a cost of technology. But what does a well balanced education cost? I believe it is priceless. I don’t think you can put a price on something that will aid our students learning and get them more invested. Yes, it may be costly but there are different ways of integrating technology besides buying “300 shiny new laptops” as the author states.

In Class Portfolio: Graphic Organizer For Kindergarten

This graphic organizer is for Kindergarten math involving shape recognition and sorting.

My Ideal Bookshelf

Wordle

Question 6: Our Brains Extended

Question 6: “How could we rethink our K-12 curriculum for the 21^st century, symbolically combining human strengths with the post powerful technology strengths?”

            Today we really delved deeply into the ideas of Mark Pensky. The article, along with the ideas and points of others, really caused me to rethink some of my own ideas about what an ideal curriculum is and what it looks like.

            I believe one way we can rethink our K-12 curriculum is to not separate our subjects as much as we do now. I think Pensky has great insight when he suggests the overlap of curricula across the different content areas. I think the integration of multiple subjects makes lessons more meaningful and substantial.

            Another way to improve the K-12 curriculum is to not negate the importance of teaching the basic skills necessary to build future content. I believe it is important as teachers to lay this framework so that all children have a “tool box” of tools from which to pull when trying to understand new material.  Sonya shared in our discussion the wonderful example of how she learned how to do the formulas without the calculator. Because she was equipped with the fundamental skills she was able to apply it to the math she was learning . Others who had depended whole-heartedly on the technology (calculator) were not able to complete the problems without the presence of the calculator since they didn’t have those basic underlying skills.  

            I think technology should be used to aid or enhance curriculum not replace it. I think there are unbelievable technological resources that can make learning engaging and often more accessible for students.  During the course of this week I have been learning all different ways to incorporate technology into my lessons.  Technology continues to evolve as does education. Combining our human strengths with this technology component can ultimately provide a successful curriculum for students. I think this is a daunting task. We even talked about what it would be like to have to create the curriculum based on Pensky’s ideas. While his ideas are great in theory I can see why teachers would burn out. Therefore, I believe in adopting the pieces of his ideas that can be successful and integrating them in the K-12 curriculum.  Such ideas include the idea of effective thinking. I believe we need to teach children how to think critically. I think as teachers we need to realize that if we want them to think on a higher level then we need to explicitly teach them how to do so The idea of effective relationships is also important.  Providing opportunities in our classrooms to foster relationships, use teamwork, and work cooperatively can help children work together towards common goals. The last idea I believe is worth integrating is the idea of effective accomplishment, of showing the children what to do with what they learned, so they see a purpose in what they are learning.  If children see a connection to their own lives it becomes more meaningful and they become more invested in their learning.