E-Rater: Dumbing Down Writing

New York Times article

        After reading this article, I am pretty sure that I won't be using this computerized grading system although it works significantly faster. There are more problems to e-Rater than there is advantages. Truth is, if we as teachers begin to use it, we will shift our focus from facts and substantial arguments to sentence structure and use of vocabulary. This is not necessarily a bad thing when balanced with other writing skills such as the clarity, purpose, and so on. However, e-Rater pays no attention to the facts and only focuses on students' ability to create a complete sentence with big words. Is this more important than proposing a valid argument and information?

       As a future English teacher, I refuse to use e-Rater because studies prove it to be unreliable although more convenient. I feel that it will completely dumb down students writing skills by having them write to e-Rater's expectations. Students would feel obligated to use a lot of vocabulary and words that they are unfamiliar with. They will probably only use them because they know if they do, e-Rater will give them a higher score. Students will not be motivated to establish meaning behind their writing once they discover that e-Rater doesn't really care if they do. If I were to completely depend on e-Rater, my students will soon begin understand the pattern and requirements it has when grading. Students would not be interested in developing their writing skills. Students would not understand what they are writing because it won't make much sense. Truth is, although I am an advocate for integrating technology in this classroom, I choose not to use this is my classroom. The only way I would consider using this is if it was completely revised and focuses on a wider range of writing skills. After reading this article, what are your takes on this robo-reader?

Scholastics' Read 180: Helps Teachers and Students

Teaching Software Flooding Into New Jersey Classrooms

                The news article/ recording above focuses on the Scholastics Software, Read 180.  This is a computer based software that assists in improving students' reading skills and informing the teacher of the skill gaps in the classroom. Asbury Park School District has begun implementing this software in their schools to improve test scores of ELL students and those who are struggling in reading. In the article, opposing views are presented about this program and its use in New Jersey schools.

           The Asbury Park school district qualifies for state funding because it houses many immigrants from Haiti and Mexico and are in need of these tools to tend to their needs. At first sight of the program, the teachers were against it because they feared their ELL students would not be able to understand the technology. However, when they began to recognize improvement in students' reading skills, they continued on with it. This software is beneficial to teachers as well because it informs them on what they need to pay more attention to and teach more in detail. Other opposing views include the lack of visuals such as: seeing the teacher's mouth move as she/he reads, and lack of facials and body language to distinguish emotions. There is also the issue of typing v. writing, and how writing is a better and faster way for students to grasp knowledge. 

   

               Regardless of the views, this article points out that Read 180 has really benefited students in improving test scores and their reading skills. I believe this can be an amazing tool to use as an English teacher. This tool could be used not only with ELL students, but also with students with disabilities and the overall student body. I think any child or young adult could really benefit from this program because it targets specific needs and classifies students depending on their skills and/or lack of. It also can assist me as a teacher to know what I need to teach more of and what the students are struggling with. Both students and teachers learn to be more efficient in their work through this program. Although it is a bit costly, I truly hope this is an investment that many schools will eventually look into because it could raise test scores in NJ and build on students' knowledge in general. 

Would you use this in your classroom? Why or why not?

Interactivity #5

Spreadsheet

         The teacher interviewed is a 9-12 grade Spanish and ESL teacher in the West New York School District . Based on the answers provided on the survey, this teacher was familiar with the NETS-S and NETS-T. When she first read the question, she asked me if those were the national standards in Technology and Engineering and I reassured her that they were. After a reminder, she was able to recall what they were. The following is what I discovered through her completion  of my interview based on the NETS survey: 

        The West New York school district has begun to implement the NETS for students and the NETS for teachers. The teacher stated that the NETS are used at her school along with  the NJCSS. Teachers are encouraged to use them whenever they are working with technology in or outside of the classroom. In any classroom that integrates technology, the use of these standards is optional. The teacher mentioned that these standards and the resources needed to satisfy these objectives are provided at professional development workshops and the teachers are strongly advised to use them. The school is making the transition as more and more technology is becoming an essential part of the classroom. With promethean boards, computers, and so on, the teachers are encouraged to include these standards in their lesson plans.

         I was surprised with the responses of the teacher. I did not expect for her to utilize technology in her classroom and in her lesson plans. I have written a lot of lesson plans throughout my college experience and have not come across these standards. I expected the teacher to have the same unawareness. After discovering that she did know them, I was even more surprised because I had not yet been informed until this activity. I did not know what the standards were and at first mention, I had to do some research on them. I was impressed in discovering that urban areas, such as West New York, are slowly transitioning into using these standards and integrating more technology in their curricula. Through her responses, I realized that the NETS are starting to be taken seriously. 
        As a future teacher, I would promote the use of NET-S and NETS-T. I will include these standards in my lesson plans and write them on the board whenever necessary. I will spread the word of the new and revised NETS and encourage teachers to use them whenever they are working with technology in their classrooms. With technology becoming an enormous part of our society, it is beneficial if all teachers are familiar with and/ or implement these standards in their lessons. As I previously mentioned in my most recent blog, education will become solely digital by 2017. If this is true, the NETS-S and NETS-T should be recognized by all schools as the focus to an innovative way of approaching our lessons. The NETS target a the learning objectives of our technology-based education setting.

Education Online?

Teach your classes online?

"That’s why a New York-based startup called Powhow is launching its public beta today, which aims to allow anyone and everyone (with a webcam) to find and take classes in subjects like fitness, cooking, music, arts, DIY, and crafting from curated rosters of professional, credentialed instructors all over the world. During its private beta, over 600 students and instructors have been using Powhow to bake souffles, learn to play heavy metal guitar, sew bikinis, and sculpt abs."


           This article focuses on the development of education and the changes that are occurring because of the busy lifestyle of our generation. More and more people are relying on online videos to learn a subject. They are depending on online software to communicate and hold conferences with others over long distances. Solely in my college experience, I have seen more online classes being integrated in the semesters. Not only has the webcam taken over the business and work force, but also, it is beginning to have a huge impact on education.
           This article led me to think about the way education will be in a couple of years. Another article from Education Magazine stated that education in the United States will become completely digital by 2017. This same article showed that Florida's education will become fully digital by the end of 2012. This concerns me. I feel that in a classroom it very important to form personal relationships with your students and be available whenever they need help. I feel that instruction becomes less personal through webcam and online videos. Although it has its benefits and is at the tip of everyone's fingertips, it lacks many of the advantages of physically being in a classroom setting.
        Another aspect of this Powhow that concerned me was that students need to have access to internet connection, a webcam, and a credit card. In urban areas, such as where I went to high school, the students do not have these luxuries. I remember many of the students in my high school had to go to a library to complete homework that required internet connectivity. Also, when some students discovered they needed to make a trip to the library to complete their homework, they chose to not go through that trouble and refused to do it. Also, our libraries did not have computers with webcams and many of the students did not own a credit card. They came from families with bad credit that could not sign up for another credit card or were simply in debt. Also, I remember students that enjoyed going to school and having class in the school because it was an escape from their lives at home. I believe instruction via this software would only complicate things in an urban setting. Maybe, it will work in a more affluent community. Still, I do not agree with education becoming completely digital because it deprives the students of many of the in-class benefits.

Factual: Just the Facts. Yes, All of Them.

Article

          This New York Times' article focuses on a site that provides information that is proved to be factual. The site, Factual, was founded by an investor and inventor, Gil Elbaz. Gil Elbaz was particularly interested on creating a site that provides solely facts, even "unusual facts". I found this article to be interesting because it is a site that can be trusted by schools, teachers, and students for gathering all kinds of data.

          Factual, if proved to contain only accurate data, can be a very helpful tool for people in the educational field to use. As a current student and former teacher, I always question the accuracy of information found on online websites when I am doing research for an assignment. I have heard repeatedly from some teachers to not use Wikipedia or sources that end with .com or .org. For so many of my research papers, I have had to rely on databases such as Jstor or EbscoHost. However, I can not always find what I am looking for, especially if it is information that is not given much attention to. After reading this article, I realized that Factual could be the perfect site for students to use when completing assignments that require research. As Gil Elbaz stated, Factual would not only include popular information but also very unusual information that is not given much thought. It can act as another reliable source of information alongside the other most commonly used databases when students are required to do some research. This would be a nice tool for student's in my English class to use when they are brainstorming for and constructing research papers.

         Also, Factual can also be used for other curiosities. As stated in the article, it provides information on schools. This would be an excellent tool for parents to use when trying to learn more about their children's school district and community. If Elbaz's goals are achieved, Factual can serve as a useful technological tool for students, parents, and teachers.

Interactivity #4

Click here: Dance Lesson Plan Spreadsheet

          The lesson plan I chose, Bob Fosse and Dance in America: From Broadway, "Fosse", caught my attention because it incorporated multiple forms of technology. I had not yet found a lesson plan with this much incorporation of media until this one. It is interesting because it relies on past media such as clips of Fosse's choreography from 1973 and music videos from present day television.

        Although this lesson plan idea was brilliant, it lacked organization of the standards and materials/ technologies. For instance, only two of the dance standards were listed on the lesson plan when the activities covered several more of them. The only materials listed at the beginning of the lesson plan were the movies that were to be viewed in class. There was no mention of the technologies that the students needed to have access to in order to complete the assignments. 

       In order to reach the goals of the lesson, all the technologies listed on the spreadsheet are needed. However, because student's might not have access to these outside of school, it is important for the teacher to be sure these technologies are accessible in school to proceed with the lesson's activities. If students are unable to complete the homework assignment because they do not have video recorders, the teacher can modify the lesson. However, the technologies must be available somewhere to successfully perform the activities and for the students to view and analyze these dances. These technologies are necessary for the students to fully understand Fosse and distinguish between choreographic structures, artistic influences and styles, and the meanings behind dances. 

          

Interactivity #3: Reflection

            This interactivity was interesting in so many ways. Our group worked very well together. Initially, Greg tried to get us to be time efficient with this group project and sent out the first email to remind us of the assignment. Shelby set up a meeting for the group, which we later decided not to go through with because it was much easier to accomplish this task online. We all contributed our ideas to the spreadsheet that Katie created. We kept the communication strong between all of us. It was a very pleasant experience. I believe we all had something to learn from one another.

           

           I believe the inventory list will benefit me in so many ways present day and in my future years of teaching. There are so many technological tools that I learned about while working on this Interactivity. I found it even more interesting that a lot of these devices are free or have free trials. I believe that as future teachers, and with technology growing, these tools will soon become essential in our classrooms.

            

          Although as a group our main goal was to look for technological aids that can assist us in the English classroom, a lot of these devices can be transferred to other content areas. As an English and Dance Education major, I realized that a lot of the tools can be used in Dance classes as well. Some of the technologies we included were, online blogging, Purdue education writing lab, video and sound recordings, Easy Bib, and so on. A lot of these websites can assist students in achieving there goals cross curricular. These devices benefit students by enhancing their vocabulary, structuring their essays, building on conversation skills, and practicing different methods of studying. All of these can help them improve in other subject areas.

           Therefore, I believe this Interactivity spreadsheet assignment can not only be useful to teachers but also to students. It informs students of what technological tools are accessible to them. It helps teachers be creative in constituting their lessons and making sure that they cover all areas of language and literacy. It can also help teachers make sure they tend to the needs of different learner types: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and so on. The google spreadsheet device is also a convenient way of communicating ideas to others without having to meet in person. This device can be used outside of the classroom since distance is not an issue with Google spreadsheet.