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I would have liked to have more time for the children to practice.  The problem is that we do not have enough computers for the classroom.  I would like to see how increased exposure to these programs would affect their reading performance.

§        What are the lessons learned that others might benefit from knowing about?

Kindergarteners are very comfortable with computers.  Let the students explore before giving them structured assignments.  This will help them feel successful with the technology. 

§        In what ways will you endeavor to do the same project again, and what will you change or not do?

I will work with the other teachers to assure that my students will have a scheduled computer lab time.  I am also going to search for some good deals on computers for my classroom.  I will use my computer to model how to enjoy these stories and games.  I think that it will help students get excited about stories and games get the most when using them.  I plan to find other programs and websites that will support learning in other subject areas.

games2train.com : Serious Training in a Game Environment This website allows people to use templates to create their own video game with content that is useful to their students or employees. This website is proof that gaming is a way to reach and engage people to learn something.  to brainbasedbloggers_Arin … saved by 22 other people … 1 day ago

Marc Prensky.com  He seems to be the educational gaming guru. This website talks about the advantages of using gaming with learning. He must believe that videogames are definately a way to reach a variety of different types of learners.  to brainbasedbloggers_Arin … saved by 387 other people … 1 day ago

EDUCAUSE REVIEW | March/April 2006, Volume 41, Number 2 This article is awesome! It explains why educational gaming is beneficial and how this new digital gaming generation thinks. This article also expresses the importance of finding games that are engaging to ensure a successful, learning experience for st  to brainbasedbloggers_Arin … saved by 5 other people … 1 day ago

GamesParentsTeachers :: Games Parents Teachers This website has many great reccomendations on high quality, engaging educational video and computer games out there. It also gives a description on popular games that are out there so parents and teachers can research the games their children are playing.  brainbasedbloggers_Arin … saved by 112 other people … 1 day ago

BrainPOP - Animated Educational Site for Kids - Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, Health, and Technology This is my favorite gamebased learning program to use with students. Not only does it have games for many subjects, but it also has animated videos to watch, a writing section that allows the student to write about the subject, a comic that goes with the brainbasedbloggers_Arin

Read, Click and Win with BookAdventure! … saved by 287 other people … on may 17

MysteryNet’s Kids Mysteries: mysteries to solve, scary stories, and magic tricks

Writing Fun by Jenny Eather- helping kids write using text organizers. Great writing graphic organizers

Tiered Curriculum Project  tiered lessons for elementary grades

Sites that help classroom teachers adjust their teaching process to their learners needs links to di sites Brain-Based Bloggers-Jen

RTEC Exchange tips for technology and differentiated instruction   Brain-Based Bloggers-Jen … saved by 23 other people … on may 17

Free Online Graph Paper / Grid Paper PDFs… saved by 4975 other people … on may 17

Creative writing activities for kids, teachers and parents by Bruce Van Patter  ideas for creative writing   Brain-Based Bloggers-Jen … saved by 17 other people … on may 17

Kids on the Net  creative writing, how-to, etc.  to Brain-Based Bloggers-Jen … saved by 22 other people … on may 17

Story Maker - Get Writing - LearnEnglish Kids - British Council   kids create stories with help   Brain-Based Bloggers-Jen … saved by 37 other people … on may 17

Amazing Handwriting Worksheet Maker  free cursive printables … saved by 251 other people … on may 17

Wacky Web Tales  online madlibs for kids … saved by 473 other people … on may 17

Poetry for Kids - Funny Poems for Children by Poet Kenn Nesbitt  poetry for kids  Brain-Based Bloggers-Jen … saved by 296 other people … on may 17

http://docs.google.com/

YouTube - Differentiated Instruction This is a quick two minute video that presents a definition of differentiated instruction by Tomlinson and in a creative way tells us why it is important.

CAST: Center for Applied Special TechnologyCast.org provides research and development, professional development, policy and practice, publications, and products dealing with Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This is a great resource for those new to UDL, but also for those who have been working

Bookshare.org - Digital Books for People with Visual or Physical Impairments and Dyslexia This site provides information on Webinars for BookShare.org. There are two Webinars available Bookshare.org 101 and Bookshare.org: Ready, Set, Read! The first introduces Bookshare.org and the second teaches you the how-to’s. There is no cost to students

Bookshare.org - Legal Information “A recently enacted exception in the U.S. copyright law makes Bookshare.org possible under the law in the United States, as long as the copyrighted digital books are only available to people with bona fide disabilities.” This site deals with the legal asp Brain-BasedBloggers-Pam, … 4 days ago

Reading Rockets : Benefits of Audiobooks for All Readers   Denise Johnson discusses the benefits of audiobooks with all students, not just the disabled reader. Audiobooks allow for the participation of disabled students at their grade level.

http://www.ibe.unesco.org/publications/EducationalPracticesSeriesPdf/prac01e.pdf    J. Brophy, professor at MSU, discusses twelve effective strategies that teachers can use in the classroom to make learning more meaningful. The strategy that is the most meaningful to my TechQuest is scaffolding learning to meet the students of all studen

LEARNING DISABILITIES I was able to gain insight from Dr. Saul Greenberg on the intelligence of students identified with a learning disability. Dr. Greenberg supported what I have learned as a teacher consultant, that most students with learning disabilities are of normal inte

High School Graduation Rates in the United States | Table 1 This site provided high school graduation rates for all states. I used this site to make the point about what could happen if we do not meet the needs of all students in the classrooms. To learn students must have access to the general education curriculu

No Child Left Behind “NCLB greatly extends the power of the federal Department of Education (DOE) by creating an education framework that must be implemented by state DOEs so that all American children are proficient in math and reading by 2014.” This site gives a very brief

to Brain-BasedBloggers-Pam … 4 days ago

Reading Rockets - articles about reading and resources to brain based bloggers … saved by 667 other people … 22 hours ago

Finding the Right Reading Program for your class… to Brain Based Bloggers … 22 hours ago

No Child Left Behind - technology to Brain Based Bloggers … 1 day ago

Explains the difference between reading a book online and offline Brain Based Bloggers … saved by 4 other people … 1 day ago

Organization to promote new ways to teach reading Brain Based Bloggers … saved by 4 other people … 1 day ago

Interactive reading games and online story books for emergent readers

Brain Pop Jr  Brain Based Bloggers … saved by 4 other people … on may 17

Brain-based learning, ideas, and materials to Brain Based Bloggers … saved by 45 other people … on may 17

Differentiated Education

http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/aboutus.htm

This website has video games that are educational.  Below is a quote from the site:

“These engaging educational games provide focused repetition practice that enables fluency to be achieved more quickly. With what we now know about automaticity and fluency in academic performance, we can help students achieve masterful levels performance faster than ever before!

Our total approach is based on a philosophy that includes these principle points:

• Students respond to challenge

• and errors can be viewed as opportunities to improve rather than as indication of failure. An unlimited ceiling on performance will help the student reach his/her maximum level of proficient performance
  
• Repetitious drill can be fun, as fun as methods typically associated with the higher order aspects of learning.
  
• Immediate feedback facilitates improvement in performance.
  

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mediainfusion/2007/03/meeting_the_needs_of_emergent.html - This author captured my feelings almost exactly.  Author and teacher, Elizabeth Hubbell stated,  “I knew the practice that each child needed, but getting an adult or other helper to each child for daily help with reading was nearly impossible. Eventually, I started to look to technology to help students get the practice and feedback that they needed”  - WOW!  I knew that there must be others who feel the same way and are looking to technology to support their readers.  Hubbell commented on how her classroom was “a buzz with activity” after integrating technology into her room, but she still felt like a part of her students’ learning.  She also suggested that teachers can use a variety of technology to supplement and support their students’ learning.  She suggested taping shows like “Between the Lions” and “Sesame Street” for students to watch.  Hubbell also mentions that when you visit the computer lab with your children to have them visit your classroom del.icio.us page.  She also mentioned the site starfall, which is a great interactive website that I use during literacy with my class.  The author also extended an invitation for other teachers to share experiences with her.  I will email her my own experiences.  What a great networking opportunity!

http://www.techlearning.com/ - I used a quote from an article I found on this website in my previous blog.  The article stated that: “research has shown that video games can foster critical thinking and trial/error opportunities.”  I am seeking a solution to help my students improve literacy skills through online resources.  I am going to further research the links on this website.

The New Literacy- Authors: Sara Armstrong and David Warlick - This article discussed how the 3 R’s in education needs to be updated to include technology.  Students need to understand how technology is important for a well rounded education and the background knowledge for a future career.  I reflected and thought that using technology to teaching subjects in school can reinforce curriculum and increase our students’ technology skills.  This is 2 lessons in one! 

www.techlearning.com - this website helped me find other articles that related to my topic.  At the bottom of each article, the site listed 3 other websites that I might be interested in.  I really liked that feature.

http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2003/06/readingsoftware.php  - This article, featured on techlearning.com,  suggested several kinds of tools and software that can be used to support early readers.  The article mentioned the well known “LeapFrogs.”  I hadn’t thought about using them in the classroom, but I am definitely going to think about that option.  The site also mentions Compass Learning. Our school district is planning to use the Compass Learning Program next year.  This program uses games, quizzes and more to let students practice various skills in a variety of subjects.  The teacher monitors their progress.  It is nice because you can put the students at different levels for different subjects.  You can also see what skills students are having difficulty with and set up students for review for skills that they struggle with.  There were many other software options listed on the site too.  I am glad that I found this article!

Group’s SIG Focus: Differentiated Instruction- meeting the needs of all students in the classroom 

Group Members: 

• Beth- Differentiate Reading using internet resources and computer programs
• Arin- Meeting the Needs of Tech Savvy Students: Game Based Learning
• Jen- Fostering Enthusiasm for Writing
• Pam- Alternative Format Text 

Major Categories of Resources: Professional Organizations, such as: IRA, MITS, CAST, MRA, NAEYC, 

On-line sources: brains.org

Tech Help Forums: techlearning.com, edtechtalk.com, podcastingforteachers.com, techandyoungchildren.org, rtecexchange.edgateway.net

Websites: bookshare.org, rescue.wikispaces.com 
 

Currently we do not have enough books to accomodate all needs of the learners in my class.  The school budget is so tight that we need to find an option that is both educational and economical.  In a class of 28 unique kindergarteners, I would like a resource that allows differentiation and stimulation for the “video game” generation. 

Items such as Online books and interactive games to support phonemic awareness will provide these extra opportunties for stimulation and differentiation in my classroom.  The online educational resources are current and benefit the needs of my highest and lowest readers.

Research has provided preliminary information on the implications of the computer’s effects on young children’s social, psychological, cognitive development, and academic learning. Din and Calao completed a literature review of current research and concluded “computer-related technology use plays a positive role in young children’s social, psychological, cognitive and academic development” (Din and Calao, 2001, p.98). In their search for understanding they decided to investigate whether kindergarten children who played Sony PlayStation educational video games learned better than peers who were not members of the experimental group. Din and Calao stated that playing Lightspan educational video games may play a facilitative role in their learning of verbal skills Source: http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196604793

Online Reading Resource: coming soon!

 Teacher: Guide on the side

Learner: Kindergarten Students

Subject Matter: Literacy,

Setting: Kindergarten Classroom