Module 6: Summary

Module 6 offered tips for creating effective PowerPoint presentations. One tip that was mentioned that I would most likely not include or forget to include was a presentation outline on the first or second slide. This is a good way to let the audience know what to expect throughout the presentation, and I think it helps prepare them for the direction that the presentation will take. PowerPoints are intended to be short and to the point. They are helpful for providing visuals for the audience while providing the presenter with key points to help them remember what they want to say and stay on topic. The examples of good and bad slide structure could be very helpful in helping someone prepare effective slides. The amount of words and animation you use along with the size and style of font and colors you use all help make your slides effective. Graphs are a helpful way to display quantitative data in a PowerPoint. They make it easier for the audience to understand and remember the information. Just as an outline slide is a good way to start your PowerPoint a conclusion slide with a summary and/or a question with discussion opportunity is a good way to end your PowerPoint presentation.       

This module provided resources to help people create effective PowerPoints. The tutorial video could be helpful to someone who is unfamiliar with creating PowerPoint presentations. These resources are helpful to save and refer back to when needed, especially if you don’t create PowerPoints very often. I’m not familiar with KidPix Studio, so that is a resource I would like to refer back to later and try to incorporate into my classroom. I liked how the students’ pictures and work were used in the slides. I’ve been introduced to some Web 2.0 Tools, but I would definitely like to become familiar with more. I will be saving and using the list of Web 2.0 links to learn more about how to use these tools.     

Module 5: Summary

This module focused on literacy centers and how to effectively use them in your classroom. Literacy centers shouldn’t be busy work, but they should be an opportunity for children to collaborate with peers and have hands on learning opportunities. During literacy centers students are able to participate in the four components of literacy which are reading, writing, speaking, and listening. This time also allows teachers to work directly with small groups of students to reinforce previously taught skills, work on reading and writing strategies, or whatever the teacher deems beneficial to those students. Literacy centers are flexible and can change to meet the needs of the students.  

I am also interested in the book by Debbie Diller that was previewed within this module. I used a couple of her books in a previous class and found them very useful. She has many great ideas regarding literacy centers and how to effectively administer them. I would like to read more of her book Spaces and Places because organizing my classroom is an area I would like to improve in. There are endless options for how to arrange your classroom furniture and organize supplies, and I have found this task to be somewhat overwhelming at times. I am always interested in getting tips from others or seeing other classrooms to get new ideas and this book provides that opportunity.

Module 4: Summary

Integrating subjects while teaching is now common practice and even expected in the classroom. The Common Core Frameworks help provide opportunities for integrating subjects with our new standards. Incorporating literacy strategies throughout all subjects helps prepare students to be independent, successful readers. I found the list of 5 active reading strategies helpful. I would like to post these in my classroom and encourage students to refer to them while they read.

Much of this module was devoted to RTI information. I believe RTI has the potential to help students who struggle become more successful, but I also think it is hard for classroom teachers to make it as effective as it could be. Due to the large class numbers and the increased amount of RTI files it is challenging to keep up with the individual intervention, documentation, and meetings while managing the rest of your class as well. I enjoy doing interventions with my students and watching them make improvements, but ideally I would like to pull small groups to work with when I do not have the rest of my students in the classroom creating distractions and interruptions. I think RTI could use some improvements to offer the most effective and significant results. I personally think there should be RTI teachers like there are EIP teachers. RTI has the potential to offer interventions to help students make tremendous improvements academically and behaviorally, but I just don’t feel that it is implemented as effectively as it could be in my experience.    

I can remember watching Reading Rainbow in elementary school, and now in my own classroom we watch Brain Pop Junior. I always wonder if my students will remember watching Brain Pop videos the way I remember watching Reading Rainbow videos. I like to be reminded of fun experiences like that from my childhood, and I hope my students can have these same types of memories of school when they grow up. The other video provided a fun, interactive way to teach sentence structure and parts of speech. Learning all the rules for sentences and words can be overwhelming for students especially in the primary grades. They need several different ways to reinforce and practice these skills.   

Module 3 Summary

I have found that the best way to encourage students to read is through read alouds. I have recently started reading chapter books to my students this year, and they absolutely love every one of them. They beg me to keep reading each day when I read a few chapters. Many of them have recently become more interested in chapter books too, and I think it is partly because I exposed them to chapter books through read alouds. 

I have a Smart board in my room, but I haven’t ever seen the Smart Table. I know my students would absolutely love working on a Smart Table, because it makes learning more interactive, fun, and engaging. I especially like that the Smart Table has a multi-touch feature, unlike the Smart Board. It would be great for any subject I think, but I could see it really helping bring life into science and social studies. We study several people in social studies and the reasons they are important, so the Smart Table could have an activity where students match pictures of these people to their inventions or other things significant to their life and role in history. I also think it would be good when studying landforms and maps. The visuals it provides could help students understand the difference between different maps and landforms.

Literacy was discussed as not only reading and writing but as listening, speaking, and thinking as well. The lady in the video also discussed assessing as more than just testing. She defined “good assessors” as teachers and parents who monitor the behaviors of children so that they know what the child can do and what the child needs to do. In order to be a good assessor you must be a good observer. I have used an observational notebook during science lessons before and allowed time for students to read their notes to the class. I have found this to be a good way to incorporate those 5 areas of literacy into science instruction. Singing was mentioned as a way to pull language into its two parts of sound and meaning. In my experience, most students view singing as fun, and I find that it helps them retain information better.      

     

The slideshow explained information literacy as, “Knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use, and communicate it in an ethical manner.” The internet provides easy access to information, but students must be taught how to use the internet appropriately and find reliable information.  

The signal words and graphic organizers on the expository text structures chart would be useful with helping students understand each type of pattern listed. Each graphic organizer would help students visually see and understand what type of information they needed to know or look for within the text.  

I found the action research study on how the teacher influences student book selection very interesting. I completely believe that what a teacher exposes his/her students to affects the students’ interest and book selection. I have seen this happen several times in my own class. Once I expose my students to Magic Tree House books several of them want to read them all the time. I have also seen them take interest in specific topics after I have exposed them to a non-fiction book such as a biography.

Module 2: Summary

The videos in module 2 focused on differentiating instruction. The video listed several goals of differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction helps all students become successful. Tomlinson referred to differentiated instruction as just a way to teach to make sure the students learn. Tomlinson suggested looking at the whole class first, and then focusing on the varied needs within the group. I use a strategy like this during my reading centers blocks. Students have work that they should be able to independently work on while I work with small groups or individuals on specifics skills.  

The PowerPoint in module 2 discussed how traditional learning techniques weren’t effective for all learners. We all learn different and tend to respond better to certain learning styles/techniques. I liked how the PowerPoint acknowledged how we use previous experiences to construct meaning during current learning. I have actually noticed myself using my previous teaching experiences frequently while learning during my mater’s courses. The PowerPoint also mentioned the role of technology in this learning process. I feel like technology is an important factor in today’s classrooms, and the use of technology will only continue to increase. Classroom instruction/learning today is more focused on creating students who can problem solve and apply concepts learned rather than just memorize information.   

The strategic reading PowerPoint emphasized the importance of establishing a purpose for reading. Students should know and understand the purpose of reading before any activities or assignments begin. Then, they need to be reminded of the purpose during reading. The PowerPoint also suggested tying motivation to the reading purpose. Motivating students and getting them eager to read helps set the stage for success. The importance of previewing the text was also mentioned which is something I have learned to do more as I have gained experience in teaching. I have also seen the benefit of rereading with my students, which was also mentioned. I encouraging my students to reread text, and I provide fluency passages to reread at home, and I stress the importance of rereading to my parents. I especially encourage those who struggle with reading to reread text.    

EDRD 7718

Module 1: Summary

Module 1 discussed how expository texts are harder for students to understand than narrative texts due to their structure. Expository text structures that should be taught are compare and contrast, problem and solution, descriptive, cause and effect, and sequence. The graphic organizers provided for each of these texts structures could be useful in the classroom. The completed example of each graphic organizer was a good source of information to see what could be expected once a graphic organizer was finished. Incorporating these sources into classroom instruction helps students learn to become successful, independent readers.

   

The video in module 1 provided example activities to do with struggling readers. These activities could be used at home with parents as well as in the classroom. I liked how the teacher in the video related the main idea of a story to an ice cream sundae. I think that comparison will help students understand what main idea really means. Just like you can’t have an ice cream sundae without ice cream, you can’t have a story without a main idea. 

In my experience with first and second graders I have found that they enjoy textbooks. They don’t have to do a lot of independent reading with them though. We read them in small groups or out loud in the whole group and discuss topics and words as we read. In my first grade science textbook I found that the average length of the sentences was 7 or 8 words. This textbook provides many photographs to support the text and keep students interested. The Vacca text offered some insight for things to consider when using textbooks in the classroom. For example, textbooks tend to skim the surface of major historical events; therefore it is beneficial to supplement lessons with trade books and other sources. Using a variety of text and supporting/guiding students throughout their reading in the primary grades will help them develop the reading skills necessary to be effective, independent readers later in school and life.