rating: 5 of 5 stars I loved this book. It relates the lives of high school age kids who are living a much different experience than I did at that time in my life. I was a public school/private school kid but not residential private school as these are. Very enlightening. They confront many of the same issues that I remember even though they are 30 years removed from my experience. Strangely enough, despite the difference in time and place, I found myself thinking, much too often, "there but for the grace of God...".
I also found myself thankful for growing up WITHOUT being wealthy...I got into enough without unlimited funds!
I wrote several days ago about using the Word Notebook layout in order to access the recording feature. I had then envisioned it as a way to provide students with text that was both written and oral, assuming that they have the technology to access it. Today I was doing my morning tech reading and I had another idea: How about using this feature for students to record their “writing”? Someone could then transcribe it for them.
As I began trying this, I discovered that I was speaking much too quickly to listen to myself and type as it played. Then I thought about how composing works. Maybe a student who is composing would be speaking more slowly and thoughtfully than I was when I was testing this feature. So I tested it that way. I think it would work.
Students could possibly transcribe their own recordings. That, to me, seems like a good idea because they could hear the ways that they were using language, as well as rethink their ideas as they type.
I have embedded an example here of what I’m thinking:
No, I didn’t add this. I realized that I don’t know how. I will work on that and add it in my next post!
I just read Paul Hamilton’s post about embedit.in and tried it here. Wow! It’s easy and will be great for creating documents for students to see things step-by-step.
I’m completely caught up in learning about all about new technology that is available to help ESL/ELL students and teachers. I’m going to my Delicious page to find a list of all the cool stuff I’ve been spending time exploring: Google Translate, Vocaroo, and Educational Origami.
I’m using two criteria for evaluating technology for teachers: 1) is it easy to use?, and 2) does it provide support for students? The first is obvious; teachers are too busy to use things that are time-consuming to install or use. The second SEEMS obvious but sometimes a closer look at a piece of technology makes me question the value I initially thought I saw. I’m also trying to be very broad-minded about “value” because I know we all find really different applications for the same thing. I suppose I say that as a disclaimer so that if I love it and you hate it, I’m covered!
I’m also discovering that I’m using a system as I investigate new tech. One part of that is to run trials using friends and family as to attempt to use “it”. For example, I created a Facebook page to serve as a place for our UT alumni to find me. I want to stay in their radar to continue to provide support for them in their classrooms. Simply keeping email addresses was too cumbersome. Facebook is there… I began my “friends” with my tech-savvy journalist daughter and some tech-savvy colleagues and a few of our alumni who are in the area. I’m rapidly expanding my contacts using this, and I’m seeing an increase in the posting of professional ideas and links. I think this will take time but I’m excited about the spread so far.
I’m also trying to clean up my Delicious page so that articles and sites are labeled more consistently. Learning to label has been more challenging than I realized; it forces me to rethink exactly how I was thinking about the materials as I save them to share.
This blog is providing me with a journal-type venue to share what I’m finding and to keep up with where I’ve been.
I spend Mondays reading and trying technology…what exciting days those are! I was so excited this week about a posting at the Free Resources from the Net for (Special) Education blog. Paul described a wonderful feature in Word where you can add a voice comment using an existing Word feature.
I immediately began trying to use that and, after an hour, called my Super Techie for help. After they researched it, we came to the conclusion that the “voice comment” feature in Word does not exist for Mac users…of whom I am one. The good news is that I’m not as technologically challenged as I thought; the bad news is that I can’t use that feature.
…but more good news is that my Super Techie showed me how to change a Word document into the “notebook” view, using the “View” menu on the toolbar, and that affords a similar feature. I am able to record in that view but the playback is all is one long stream. That wasn’t exactly what I was looking for but it IS a feature that I can use in other ways.
We all have students who need to hear things read aloud at times. I’m thinking that I can create my documents, then go back and record what the text says, and then the students can listen along.
I’m going to have to investigate how this will work between PCs and Macs, in case students have one thing at school and something else at home.
One absolutely critical part of reading is…writing! Yep, you just can’t separate the two, no matter how hard some folks try. Remember the elementary teachers who help the little ones by creating an experience and then taking dictation from the non-readers and non-writers about that experience so that the little ones can “read” their own words? (If you know this by the name, Language Experience Approach, cool; if not, don’t sweat it.)
While we can do that in a modified form with secondary students (and have success), I’d like to add a ramped-up version of language interaction created by Jeff House , a teacher, writer, and lecturer based in Santa Cruz, Ca. House suggests a novel approach to teaching grammar in his article “The Grammar Gallimaufry: Teaching Students to Challenge the Grammar Gods” (English Journal 98.3 (2009): 98-102). If students challenge the grammar that has had them flummoxed for lo, these many years, then would they not only learn it but possibly come to understand it and…dare I suggest…use it correctly? This would also be an approach that would support ELLs in our classrooms.
House delivers a concise explanation of this “Grammar Gallimaufry” idea and provides a link to some student examples that just made me howl (maybe it’s an English teacher thing…). His nod to June Casagrande’s work also led me to some other LOL’s as I sit here at a desk.
These ideas may be the very thing that our struggling grammarians need to finally master the use of language. After all, how many of the Conjunction Junction generation have forgotten that?!
As a former public school English and Reading teacher, I lead the charge to champion the use of correct grammar, but teachers have used the “drill and kill” worksheet approach since before I was born, with little lasting success. Why not attack this issue with some higher level thinking that just happens to be more fun, too!
So glad to be back for this Spring ‘09 semester! I have a new class of pre-service teachers and it’s such a joy to begin their journey into “reading.” The wonderful part of my job is that most of my students already ARE readers…makes sense as they are going to be teachers! The more difficult part of my job is to convince them that they will have students of multiple-infinity-squared reading levels!
For those of you who teach high school kids and have suspected that they might not be at grade level, let me reassure you that you are absolutely right! Most high school kids, outside the GT/AP group, will be at least 2 years below and often 4 or 5. So what do we do?
First of all, we have to move beyond the idea that we can teach all kids the same way. Most teachers get that but unfortunately not all have any training in HOW to differentiate. I also see too many teachers using one piece of text in isolation. Even if teachers use more that one piece of text, they often do so piece by piece. Think about how you investigate things that interest you…you probably begin with an internet search of some kind and immediately start moving in and out of multiple sources, often examining those with images and video.
Let me offer this post as an example. I’m already thinking that there is so much text here and NOTHING to supplement it!
Let’s try this. Look at the above section of this posting. Now let’s try something different…
“First of all, we have to move beyond the idea that we can teach all kids the same way. Most teachers get that but unfortunately not all have any training in HOW to differentiate. I also see too many teachers using one piece of text in isolation. Even if teachers use more that one piece of text, they often do so piece by piece. Think about how you investigate things that interest you…you probably begin with an internet search of some kind and immediately start moving in and out of multiple sources, often examining those with images and video.”
Can you see the difference in adding just that one link? Of course, some pieces of text, this one for example, may not need lots of stuff connected to it but our eyes and brains need some variety.
I so enjoy receiving daily email notice from Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day blog. My personal goal is to visit at least one of his recommendations. Today I explored (pun intended) his link to The Discovery Channel game Life or Death: In the Jungle.
I had a great time, and a respite from grading, as I explored the jungle. I do have to say that I died several times, much to my dismay, but as I did so I noticed how much the repetition of the text helped solidify the language. ELLs would definitely benefit from the experience with language and the repetition of text.
The only disadvantage I see is that these end so quickly. While these are much like the “Choose your Own Adventure” series that my children grew up loving, the length and number of options in these games limit the number of times that anyone would want to play. I still think that these are a very good option for ESL students!
I was intrigued by a reference to Glogster on Larry Ferlazzo’s site as I was reading it earlier this week. Wow! It was so cool…I could create a poster for myself. Naturally it was full of flamingos and words about reading. The flamingos even had rippling pools of water at their feet!
BUT…
what in the world would I do with Glogster in the classroom? I spent a little while thinking about it as I added even more rippling ‘mingos and just came up blank. Herein lies the problem with many touted ESL sites and activities: how to use them to improve language skills.
If any of you have ideas about using Glogster, please send ‘em on!
After a couple of weeks and 5 different high schools, I’ve found a couple of issues that seem to be fairly universal: 1) ESL strategies, and 2) strategies for getting students up and out of their seats. Fortunately, these go together!
First, the ESL issue…it seems like we have 2 different groups of ESL kids: those who have some English and those who are newly arrived and have no English. These are not the same ESL student! The first group, those with some English, can participate in class with support and scaffording. The second group, those with virtually no English, are much more difficult. For this post, I’ll be talking about the students who have some English.
ELLs are the very ones who need to be up out of their chairs the most. I firmly believe that we learn by thinking and talking to others and then thinking some more. I hope that a huge, expanding spiral is ascending, with great experiences and much learning happening.
One of my favorite “get ‘em up” strategies is the Tea Party. I like to bring in “tea” or some kind of a festive treat; if it connects to the content of the reading, even better! The students relax, which certainly helps learning. They also can choose their partners as they mix and mingle, trying to figure out the selection! I like the way that they support each other in explanations of unknown words, unfamiliar concepts, and the really weird stuff that we know to include!
Zap me a note with your favorite strategies to get the kids up and talking! It’s so much better than the ubiquitous “shhhh”s you hear.
