"Uncountable Nouns" Lesson Matrix

Final Technology Matrix

                This technology matrix summarizes the standards, strategies, and technologies used in the lesson on "Uncountable Nouns". The following description will outline my lesson and provide you with insight on how these technologies will enhance learning for my students.

             First and foremost, I begin my lesson with a verbal Question and Answer (Q&A) assessment to gather information and assess my students' knowledge on uncountable nouns (Assess). The students will be able to practice different communication forms and collaborate in their opinions and answers. I will provide the accurate answers on the Chalkboard and my own definitions. Then, I will provide images of uncountable nouns on the overhead projector and appear on the Smartboard. The images will be in a Powerpoint presentation on a computer. Through this, students will be able to apply different reading strategies and comprehend information via graphic features. This set of activities will allow the students to make decisions on what images to  label as "uncountable nouns".

            Then we move on to the standard Analyze. In small groups, students will discuss the previous activity. I will provide students with graphic images/clips on the overhead projector and Smartboard. I would need internet access to do research. I will also provide examples of 3-D objects. In their small groups, students will collaboratively analyze these images and objects, label them as uncountable nouns or countable nouns, and provide explanations for their choices. Through this, students are learning how a group meets their decision, selecting and using appropriate digital tools, and engaging in technology problem solving and decision-making. These activities encourage students to analyze information and go through the step by step process of decision-making, in a small group environment. 

         To transition into the standards of Evaluate and Produce, students will be given their homework assignments. They will have to individually complete this assignment: using the internet, students must access and download the homework document onto their computer or laptop. They may open this assignment with Microsoft Word and print to out. The students must match the images with the corresponding noun type: uncountable or countable. They must research and provide the teacher with five uncountable noun images to bring to class the next day. Students will be able to produce a first, second, and third draft of this assignment. Each draft will be submitted to the teacher and the teacher will provide feedback. By giving this as a homework assignment, students are able to review and edit their work before submission. They are also required to use technology on their own account and create documents, navigate the internet, and use decision making tools such as Google or Bing. By the final draft, the teacher will have the opportunity to evaluate the students' progress.  The students will be knowledgeable in decoding and defining words and images. They will practice responsibility and ethical behavior by engaging in individual work. 

           Lastly, the closing portion of this lesson will focus on the standard Communicate. We will engage in an open discussion on the learning material. This will serve as a review for students and also as a way for them to share their opinions on the lesson. Students will be able to paraphrase some of their classmates ideas from the previous small-group activity. Then, the students will break up into pairs and have access to a computer, voice recorder, internet, and a microphone. Students will record their understandings, comments, and concerns on uncountable nouns. Students will practice ethical behavior, applying information they learned, and accessing recording materials. Ultimately, they will create a multimedia presentation on their overall understandings and misconceptions of uncountable nouns. They will learn how to access information effectively and contribute to their learning community through their original and personal ideas. Then students will log onto their email accounts via the internet and email their recordings and presentation to their teacher. This portion of the lesson will serve as a way to communicate and assess students' learning via technology. 

  

           

         

Textbooks on Nooks

Nook Tablet, Textbook Business

           The Education Week article above focuses on Microsofts $300 million investment in the Nook Tablet. The original goal was wipe out competition such as Apple and Amazon, and so the two companies, Microsoft and Barnes and Noble, collaborated in this plan. Their hopes are to make textbooks available via the Nook, primarily for college students. However, this article states that there is a possibility that these companies will include K-12 textbooks as well. How cool is that?

            As a future English teacher, I think this idea is brilliant. I am a Nook owner and download all of the novels for my courses on my Nook. It is such a convenience because I don't have to carry around a load of books. On this lightweight tablet, I have all the books I need for class. I also find it much easier and faster to read off of the Nook because the page lengths are much shorter. Now, imagine not having to carry around large textbooks?

           I really believe that having the Nook tablet readily available to students is a great way to motivate students to read and ultimately carry their books to class. I remember when I was in high school I used to dread carrying my textbooks around, especially when I had to carry two or three at a time because I did not have time to stop at my locker. I believe the Nook is a tool that can be used in any classroom and will really encourage students to do their reading assignments.

           However, there are some setbacks in using this device. First, it is very costly and for a school district that has a low budget, it might be extremely difficult to purchase Nooks for everyone. If there is not enough of them for each student, students cannot complete homework assignments. If this is the case, Nooks can only be used inside of the classroom. The second reason why this might be a challenge is because you make the student responsible for the damages and misplacement of the Nook. Because it would be considered school property, the student might have to pay for the damages or harm done to their assigned Nook. Do we really want to burden the students with this? 

        So again, I believe this is a great tool to have in the classroom. It can really enhance the willingness of the students to read. The Nook should be implemented in schools' curricula. However, I believe the safest way to go about this is to only use this device during school hours. What do you think?

Thoughtful Lesson Planning: Integrating Technology

Education Reform: Language and Technology

            The Huffington Post article above emphasizes the importance of carefully thinking out lesson plans when integrating technology. It mentions of disaster lessons because teachers just throw technology into the lesson without thinking about how it will enhance or hinder learning. The author of this article, Mirla Gonzalez, makes a valid point that technology should be used to enhance the students' learning experience and not draw away from it. Therefore, as 21st century teachers, I believe it is very important to carefully plan out a lesson, especially when using technology, and think of technology as an aid to facilitate and enrich learning the material.

         

         Gonzalez also expresses that the demand for STEM: Science, Technology, Enginneering, and Math, has taken away the importance of language in schools. A good program is one that can successfully integrate and balance all of these. Technology should not replace language; it should assist in making the learning of a language more exciting and worthwhile for students. 

           As future teachers with hopes to integrate technology into our lessons, I would advise everyone to really think about the technologies you plan to use. Do not use a specific technological device just because it is the most common and popular among adolescents at the moment, which is what we saw in this article with that grade school teacher. Think about how this device can facilitate and enhance the learning experience for that group of students. Remember that all students and classes will be different, so think about what works best with a particular group of students. Lesson planning, in general, is something that requires much thought and planning. When integrating technology in your lesson plans, you want students to see it much more than an easy way out; you want them to be challenged even if they are in their comfort zone because they are working with technology. Through each other's blogs we have learned of different programs, devices, and methods of integrating technology in our lessons that can be beneficial to us and our students. However, let's make sure that we are not getting so caught up in the uniqueness of the technology and forgetting about our original goal in using it.

     

Stop Cyberbullying

Stop Cyberbullying website

           I will touch upon my previous blog post titled "Cyberbullying via Social Networking". The previous article about cyberbullying really affected me and I continued to do some research on the matter. There are various sites provided that stand against this, however, Stop Cyberbullying was the one that I found to be the most user-friendly and beneficial.

            How many of you were bullied in school? Outside of school? Both? Even if you weren't, as teachers, we are responsible for stopping these hateful and hurtful acts. This website provides students with information on the meaning of bullying, prevention, and online forums. It also allows parents to share their stories, and give each other advice on how to solve their child's bullying issues. Stop Cyberbullying makes itself more credible by providing the written law on bullying for its viewers to read. This website's target audience is teens who are struggling with being bullied or are the bully. They can participate in an online survey to test their etiquette. The end results let them know where they stand on the bully to victim scale and provide them with information on how to improve and be a better person.

              I believe this technological device can be very beneficial to our students. Even if we do not witness bullying in our classrooms, this piece of material can help stop bullying before it begins. Although the focus is cyberbullying, it teaches students about bullying in general. It also teaches a students how to to be a good person overall. Students have greater access to this organization because it has its own website. It will be helpful to mention this website in class and ask students to visit it. It would even be nice to ask students to come in with a couple facts and questions they have about cyberbullying or bullying in general. It is important to make students aware of the consequences of bullying. Through use of this website, we can help advocate against bullying much faster.

Preparing Students for Financial Success

TechCrunch Article

 Attention all high school teachers and parents: 

        This article focuses on the financial management company Tykoon and its development of an app for the iPhone. This app teaches kids to manage their finances and think about the ways in which they use their money. It controls kids' expenses by tracking their spendings in a child-friendly Amazon store. This apps moralizes children by having them perform chores to receive money and rewards. This also shows parents how to push children to reach their goals based on merit.

     
         In an educational setting, this app should be presented to high school students, particularly Juniors and Seniors. It can help them learn how to save money for college and life after high school. It teaches them appropriate work ethic by suggesting that one must work to gain money or any other satisfaction and reward. This app can be used as early as Freshmen year in math, business, or finance class to assist students in learning about money. Also, this application should be implemented in a Freshmen college course to prepare incoming students for monetary management.

         There are many benefits in using this application from the early childhood ages and beyond. This is an educational app that can enhance financial security in students' lives. However, everyone may not have access to this app, and therefore, it would be more difficult to make it a requirement in schools. However, the teacher should make students aware that an app like this one does exist. Personally, if I was given this option during high school, it would help me a great deal in the future years. I have always struggled with saving, and I could have really benefited from this app if it were made available to me. Therefore, I know other students and parents will find the positives in downloading and using this app. 

Can You Be My Friend, Ms. Marti?

Education Week Article

      Do you think teachers and students should be friends on Facebook? To go on from the previous blog post I wrote on Social Networking: Facebook has become a huge part of today's communication. As mentioned in this article, emails and letters are no longer ways that youngsters communicate. Still, teachers must learn to draw boundaries in the social networking world. Yes, Facebook has many benefits and builds on students' social skills, however, it can also damage the relationship between teacher and student and be the cause of career loss. Therefore, as teachers, we must be extremely careful about what we post on Facebook pages, even if we are not friends with any of our students. Employers are investigating inappropriate activity on teacher and substitute pages. But let's say your Facebook page is PG, would you still friend your students? 

      As a current teacher in three dance studios in NJ, I refuse to accept any of my students' requests on Facebook. My page does not contain anything inappropriate, however, in my opinion, it is not professional for students to have access to your Facebook page and you to theirs. I think there are other more appropriate ways to reach students: email, phone, mail, and so on. It is true that less and less youngsters are using email as a  means of communication but as teachers, we can make this more common. At the start of the marking period or semester, we can inform students that they need to have an email account. You should give them an estimate on how many times during a week they should check their email. This information should be verbalized and written down for students. This is a good way of letting students know your expectations as a teacher and their expectations as students. Granted, I would love to form connections with my students that go beyond the classroom. I want them to be able to rely on me, however, Facebook is not a way to enhance that relationship.

Cyber-bullying via Social Networks

Education Week Article

        Bullying is a major problem in today's schools. With technology becoming such a big part of our youth's lives, bullying is moving outside of the classroom, onto the streets, and into social networks. As mentioned in this article, students are creating fake facebook pages, twitter accounts, and so on to make their peers look bad. One case stated in this article also shows that students have impersonated school faculty members and posted offensive messages via social networks. As teachers, we have a responsibility to minimize bullying and encourage students to respect each other and ourselves by modeling how they should behave. But how do we monitor their behavior outside of the classroom? When is it OK to limit the use of technology? This is a concern I have as a future teacher.

        It is not true to say that technology causes these behaviors; people are responsible for bullying. However, it is true that bullying has become a larger problem throughout the years and the availability of technology and social networking has added onto that. The internet is very high speed and many youngsters have access to it. Messages, whether good or bad, circulate much faster. Social Networking applications are readily available on smartphones and students can have access to them in a matter of seconds. As teachers, I believe it is important to be aware of these conditions and restrict the use of cellular devices and computers for social purposes. These devices should only be used to complete assignments and engage in educational games. It is up to you how to handle it but by making students aware of the cruelty of bullying is a start. We would hope they would instill your anti-bullying values outside of the classroom as well. How would you encourage your students to use technology as a way of doing something positive for their community?