EDED 4310/ Chapter 5

Compare the features and instructional applications of GIS and GPS tools. How can educators use GIS and GPS tools to enhance student learning?

Well first of all a GIS or Geographic Information System is a computer system that is able to store different information about geographic locations in a database and can display the stored information on a map. An example of this would be a famous internet tool by the name of "Google Earth". We can use Google earth many different ways in the classroom to enhance student learning. It would be a great tool to use in Geography. The students could examen far off parts of the earth without stepping out of their classroom and with a few clicks of the mouse. Google Earth can also be used in a History class. For example if we were to be learning about the pyramids in Egypt we could actually visit the pyramid site through Google Earth. This would give the students a realistic experience, increase their interest, therefore they would learn more.

GPS or Global Positioning System is a worldwide radio navigation system made possible by a bank of 24 sattelites and their ground stations. I found it interesting that a GPS can calculate positions of anything on earth accurate to a matter of feet or inches by using sattelites as reference points. GPS can enhance student learning when doing science projects. The GLOBE Project is an environmental science project that utilizes remote sensing and ground-based observation to study the local environment. Through this virtual program students can investigate such things as land soil and weather.

EDED 4310/ CHAPTER 3 Teaching With Instructional Software

"Some people say drill and practice is really 'drill and kill.' What can teachers do to make
sure this kind of use doesn't happen and drill and practice can serve a useful function?"

Their are many drill and practice software programs that can be beneficial to students but to ensure that they are indeed beneficial the programs should have certain characteristics. First of all the students should have control over the presentation rate. The book states that students should have all the time they need or wish to answer the questions and also be able to review the feedback provided before coninuing to the next question. If the software program has open ended questions rather then multiple choice then the program should be able to judge whether or not the answer is correct or incorrect. The software drill and practice program should also provide appropriate feedback. Some programs display feedback that is much to elaborate and can bore the students. The books suggest that feedback should be simple and display quickly. In other occasions the program may be providing feedback that encourages the student to answer incorrectly by displaying feedback when a question is answered incorrectly that is more entertaining or animated than the feedback provided when the correct answer is given. If teachers assign drill and practice software activities that follow the described criteria then there is a greater chance that students will benefit from it instead of having a 'drill and kill" experience.

EDRG 3321 Literature for Public Schools/ Chapter 11

This chapter is about shared and guided reading. This is a joyous, collaborative activity in which students and teachers read carefully selected texts, usually in enlarged format. Their are a few critical elements of shared reading. First of all we should establish a comfortable environment. We should select a variety of enlarged, predictable texts. We should also ensure that all children have the opportunity to actively participate. Lastly we need to provide opportunities to reread favorite books and also focus on text features and reading strategies. Guided reading is a good opportunity for the teacher to observe and learn what students are able to do.



AUTHOR PROFILE


Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing was written in 1972 with interior illustrations by Roy Doty. It is for the higher elementary grade levels such as third grade and up. It is the first of the "Fudge books". It was followed by Superfudge, Fudge-A-Mania and, most recently, Double Fudge. Though Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great features many of the same characters as Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, it does not fit exactly in the continuity of the Fudge books because it only focuses on Peter's classmate, Sheila.

The story focuses on a fourth-grader named Peter Warren Hatcher and his annoying brother Farley Drexel, and Peter's pet turtle. Farley hates the sound of his legal name, and prefers Fudge for any and all occasions. Chapters 4 and 7 also focus on Jimmy Fargo and Sheila Tubman, Peter's classmates.



Double Fudge by Judy Blume






This is also a book by the same author as the book above. It is just as fun to read as her other books and will be a interesting, funny literature experience.

EDRG 3321 Literature for Public School/ Chapter 10

This is one of my favorite chapters. It is called Reading Aloud which is one of my favorite things to do, so much that my whole family gets annoyed and tell me to be quiet. While growing up my mother always read aloud to me and I was frequently read aloud to in the classroom as well. The books stresses the importance of reading aloud to children when they are very young or in their primary years because it is when the seed is planted for developing a love for reading. The book talks about the misconception many of us have about reading aloud to older students or higher grade levels. No matter the age reading aloud should be done for students throughout all school levels and one of the benefits listed is increased listening comprehension. It is important to animate the read aloud and engage your students by drawing them into the book. Another tip given in this chapter is to always maintain eye contact. It is also good to create a setting for your read aloud. The best setting is when you sit on the floor at the same level as your students while they sit around you.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Maniac Magee is a Newbery medal-winning young adult fiction novel written by American author Jerry Spinelli and published in 1990. Exploring themes of racism and homelessness, it follows the story of an orphaned boy looking for a home in the fictional Pennsylvania town of Two Mills. He becomes a local legend for feats of athleticism and fearlessness, and his ignorance of sharp racial boundaries in the town. The book is popular in elementary school curricula, and has been used in scholarly studies on the relationship of children to racial identity and reading. A film adaptation of Maniac Magee was released in 2003.

Harriet the Spy by by Louise Fitzhugh

It was published in 1964. It won the Sequoyah Book Award.

Harriet M. Welsch is an outgoing 11-year-old girl aspiring to be a spy, who lives on the Upper East Side of New York City. As practice for her future career, she observes others carefully and writes everything she thinks in a notebook. Her nurse, Catherine Golly (known to Harriet as Ole Golly), has encouraged this. It is shown later in the book that Harriet has become so used to writing things down that she cannot think properly without a notebook. She is very rude to grownups and is a disapproving child.
Harriet has an afternoon "spy route" which covers her classmates, friends and neighborhood. Neighbors whom she observes include Harrison Withers, a bachelor with twenty-six cats; the Robinsons, a very wealthy but boring couple; Mrs. Agatha K. Plumber, an indolent divorcee; the Dei Santis, an Italian immigrant family which runs a grocery store; and the Dei Santis' deliveryman, Little Joe Curry, who has a habit of stealing food from the grocery for snacks and to give to a gang of hungry children who visit him regularly.
Harriet's classmates include rich, popular, class bully and perpetual teacher's pet Marion Hawthorne (described by Harriet in her notebook as a potential "lady Hitler"); Marion's second-in-command, Rachel Hennessey; the repulsive Pinky Whitehead; Laura Peters, who has a habit of smiling at everyone all the time; the somewhat pudgy Carrie Andrews, whose father is the Welsch's doctor; and a new student, the Boy With Purple Socks, who is so dull no one can remember his real name, which is Peter Matthews.

EDRG 3321 Literature for Public Schools/ Chapter 9

I expanded my knowledge the genre Nonfiction in this chapter. First of all, nonfiction means that only factual, and actual, things that really happen, are informed in the book. The key to nonfiction books is that it is interesting and not boring. The book pointed out something very important to verify in nonfiction books. We need to assure that all information is accurate. The reader is relying on the information to be true. One way to check for accuracy is by checking the author's credentials, usually found on the jacket flap, in the introduction, or on the "About the Author" page at the back of the book. If the author is not a recognized expert then we should check the cited resources. There are several types of nonfiction books such as concept books, which usually focus on a specific topic (colors, opposites, shapes, animals).


AUTHOR PROFILE:

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Boyd Henshaw, a writer, never actually appears in the book. The story is actually about Leigh Botts, a young boy who lives with his divorced mother but misses his father terribly. The beginning of the book is a collection of letters written from Leigh to Mr. Henshaw, his favorite author. The letters show increasing emotional and literary complexity as Leigh grows. They also show his desire to become a writer.The story begins with the main character in the second grade but he progresses to sixth grade in less than 10 pages. Although we never see Mr. Henshaw's reply, Mr. Henshaw apparently answers at least two of Leigh's letters and suggests that a would-be writer should write in a diary every day. At first, Leigh's diary entries take the form of unsent additional letters to Mr. Henshaw, even beginning with the salutation, "Dear Mr. Pretend Henshaw." But as he matures, Leigh eventually decides that he does not need to do this and begins keeping his diary only for himself.
The diary reveals Leigh's loneliness at school, details his troubles with an unknown schoolmate who secretly steals his lunch in the mornings, and most of all shows his sadness about his parents' divorce and his father`s and dog`s (Bandit) elongated absence. The book appears in Houghton Mifflin reading grade 5, theme 4, story 4.

This book was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1984.

EDRG 3321 Literature for Public Schools/ Chapter 12

This chapter is about independent reading. This is an activity that I am very familiar with. I love to read and whenever I have spare time I love to read on my own. This is because I grew up surrounded with books and this is what we want for all of our students. There are several critical elements of independent reading. We as teachers need to organize a classroom library, help students select books, and also help students keep track of what they read. We should always provide time for reading in the classroom and opportunities for book sharing. It is crucial that we ensure one-on-one time with each student and focus on reading strategies.


AUTHOR PROFILE


Why the Whales Came by Michael Morpurgo

This is a children's story written by Michael Morpurgo and first published by William Heinemann in 1985. It is set on the island of Bryher, one of the Isles of Scilly, in the year 1914. "You keep away from the Birdman", warned Gracie's father. But Gracie and her friend Daniel discover that the Birdman isn't mad or dangerous like everyone says. It's the Birdman who warns them to stay away from Samson Island – he says it's cursed. Gracie's father then joins the navy and goes to war. Gracie's mother falls ill and can't earn enough money to support the family. Gracie and Daniel decide to go fishing to earn money against Gracie's mother's wishes. Daniel and Gracie get stranded on Samson by fog they have to unravel the island's haunting secrets and help the birdman to keep the curse from crossing to Bryher. Soon after, Gracie comes home to learn of a tragic loss. Is it true? Is Samson really cursed then?

EDRG 3321 Literature for Public Schools/ Chapter 8

The Fiction Family is what I learned about in Chapter 8. The fiction family is divided into realistic, historical, fantasy, and science fiction. My favorite type is hisorical fiction. Historical fiction books are about events that could actually happen that take place in the past up to and including the Vietnam Era in the 1960's. My second favorite type of fiction books is fantasy. I love to get lost in these books that take you to a far off place and make you forget your troubles. This type of work is categorized when it contains elements that are considered impossible in our world. A great example of this is the famous series of Harry Potter which is also one of my favorite books.

AUTHOR PROFILE:

Again, I add another of my favorite books to my author profile. When I read a book I usually leave planet earth and create my own imaginary place and this is the case of many other avid readers. If the book is a quality piece of literature and of interest to the student then we will accomplish our goal of engaging the student with literature.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

This is a work of children's literature about two lonely children who create a magical forest kingdom. In 1978, it won the Newbery Medal. Bridge to Terabithia is the story of fifth grader

Jess Aarons, who becomes friends with his new neighbor Leslie Burke after he loses a footrace to her at school. Leslie is a smart, talented, outgoing tomboy, and Jess thinks highly of her. He himself is an artistic boy who, in the beginning of the novel, is fearful, angry, and depressed. After meeting, and then ultimately losing Leslie, Jess is transformed. He becomes courageous and lets go of his anger and frustration. This book also has a film version.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

This is a children's book series of thirteen novels (or "tridecalogy") written by Daniel Handler under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket, and illustrated by Brett Helquist. It is about the adventures of three children, Violet Baudelaire, an inventor, Klaus Baudelaire, a researcher, and Sunny Baudelaire, a chef (consequently), after the death of their parents in a fire. The setting of the series is anachronistic, presumably set in the 1960s sometime after the invention of skyscrapers, and throughout the series there are many literary and cultural allusions.
A film adaptation of the first three books in the series was released on December 17, 2004, as Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.

EDED 4310/ CHAPTER 7 Distance Learning Tools and the Role of the Internet in Education

Some educators feel that distance technologies will greatly improve education; some feel
education will suffer if they are overused. What are factors you can cite in support of each of these positions?

EDED 4310/ CHAPTER 15 Technology in Special Education

Describe issues related to training special education teachers to use technology.

Give examples of no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech solutions for special students.

EDRG 3321 Literature for Public Schools/ Chapter 7

I enjoyed this chapter because we covered the subject of Picture Books. Who doesn't like picture books? Most of us enjoy picture books and it was a good experience to learn all about them. According to Living Literature picture books are the marriage of literature and fine arts into a unique literary form. In this form, the art extends and animates the story in ways that "vivify, quicken, and vitalize" (Sendak, 1988, p. 3). I really liked the comparison the book makes about a picture book and a novel which is like comparing television to radio. This comparison gave me a clearer picture of the distinction between the novel and the picture book. Something important that I learned was that picture books are a form and NOT a genre.

AUTHOR PROFILE:

Many children growing up have a pet and many times this pet is a dog. There are many books in the literary world that involve a dog. I found to great, traditional books about the relationship between a child and his dog.

Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight

A Yorkshire, England, family is forced to sell their beloved collie, Lassie, to pay their bills during a time of economic crisis and unemployment. The son is especially devastated to lose his companion who devotedly met him each afternoon when he came home from school. Lassie's new owner, a wealthy duke, takes her to Scotland. However, she escapes and travels approximately one thousand miles south to return home. Her journey requires her to traverse challenging natural obstacles such as rivers and snow drifts.

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson

The Coates family consists of father Jim (Fess Parker), mother Katie (Dorothy McGuire), older son Travis (Tommy Kirk) and a younger son Arliss (Kevin Corcoran). The family is so poor the children have never seen a dollar bill, other than worthless Confederate dollars.
While Jim is away on a cattle drive, a scruffy "yeller" Blackmouth Cur mix visits the family uninvited and scares their mule, causing it to knock down a fence. Travis unsuccessfully tries to shoo him off, while his younger brother Arliss takes a liking to him. Travis eventually accepts the dog and a profound bond grows between the two.

EDRG 3321 Literature for Public Schools/ Chapter 5 & 6

Chapter 5 is about Poetry. I feel that peotry is such a great way to express our varying emotions. Unfortunately, this literary form is not explored as thoroughly as other genres in the classroom. I learned a lot in this chapter but what stood out to me was the fact that Fisher (1994) reported that children in second through fifth grade typically do not understand what poetry is or how it differs from narrative. In contrast, children who have been exposed to many examples of good poetry and have written poetry on their own possess a remarkable understanding of the genre.

I learned all about Traditional Literature in chapter 6. I did not know that this type of literature had a specific title. Under this category of books we will find traditional tales and books about different cultures. I also learned about the different motifs in Traditional Literature which are Magic, Transformations, Journeys and Quests, Trickery, Flying, Numbers, Repetitive Phrasing. I also learned guidelines for selecting high quality traditional literature. Each tale is situated in the culture from which it is derived, thus expectations for plot structure, charactarization, and style are culturally bound.



AUTHOR PROFILE:

James and the Giant Peach, an awesome fun book that narrates the adventures of a young orphan. The young orphan with terrible aunts for guardians befriends human like bugs who live inside a giant peach, who take the boy on a journey to New York City.

This book was written in 1961 by British author Roald Dahl. Dahl served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent. He rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults, and became one of the world's bestselling authors. Among other books By Roald Dahl are famous novels such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda

EDED 4310/ CHAPTER 11 Technology in Mathematics and Science Instruction

Clements (1998) advises teachers to "use computer software and applications that can be extended, for long periods of time, across topics, to engage students in meaningful problems and projects, rather than providing a variety of applications with no internal coherence."

What technology tools seem likely to meet these criteria?

Describe how teachers can use technology tools to support the new emphasis on hands-on learning in science.

Technology is a great supporting tool to use while teaching mathematics. We have to be careful that we use it as a mathematical tool rather than a pedagogical tool. There are many ways we can integrate technology while teaching mathematics. Among the many technology integration tools are the computer software problem solving programs that the students can use such as the examples given in the book (Thinkin' Things and Zoombinis). There are also applications that can be used to assist the student in comprehending the subject. Powerpoint is an example of an application that will help the student understand math because many times visuals help the student have a better understanding of the many abstract math concepts. The teacher can also use virtual manipulatives which support hands-on activities for learning mathematics such as Manipula Math with Java that can be accessed at http://www.ies.co.jp/math/java/index.html, along with many other virtual manipulatives that can be found in the text book on page 320. Another technology tool that supports mathematics are calculators. Calcualtors are somewhat of a controversial topic but my opinion is that as long as they are used moderately and only when absolutely necessary then it is okay. What I don't agree with is that the teacher let the students depend on this tool. The study of mathematics has existed for centuries and if our ancestors were able to solve problems without a calculator, since they didn't exist in their time, then we can also do the same.

EDRG 3321 Literature for Public Schools/ Chapter 4 Responding To Literature

Something new that I learned was the term "experiential background". Basically this term explains how big of an impact past experiences in a child's life can have in his or her experience with the book they are reading. Past experiences explain to a great degree whether a student responds enthusiastically to a wide range of books and related activities or avoids the task. For example if a child that grew up in a traditional hispanic household he or she will have a different understanding or perception of the book "To Many Tamales" than a caucasian child with no hispanic culture experiences.

My current way of thinking changed when the book explained that children will be more interested in books or literature if they are reading something that they like or spikes their attention. Before reading this chapter I would have probably expected a child to read a book I viewed as beneficial to them but have learned that their is a different approach when assigning boooks and literature. The book informs us that one of the easiest ways to discover a students preferences or interests in literature is to ask them. We do not want students to have unenjoyable literature experiences and should instead enhance their experience and promote their love for books.

AUTHOR PROFILE:

Can you imagine waking up hundreds of years past your time; where every thing and every one is taller than a mountain. This is what happened to a small Indian named Little Bear when Omri placed him in his cupboard .It all started on his birthday when he received the small plastic Indian from his best friend Patrick, an old cupboard from his brother, and a mysterious key from his mom that was passed down to her by her great grandmother. Omri placed the Indian into the cupboard locked it with the key and soon after the Indian was alive. It could talk, move and had a history. This wasn't the beginning of the Indians life just another chapter.

The Indian in the Cupboard series by Lynne Reid Banks are a fun set of books for appropriate for ages 8-12. These books will garner particular interest from our male students that can relate to Omri the young boy in the book who recieves a birthday gift that changes his whole life.

This series was also made into several movies that the child can watch after reading the book and compare the similarities and differences of the book and the movie.

EDRG 3321 Literature for Public Schools/ Chapter 3

I learned many things in this chapter (Understanding What We Read). One of the most important things this chapter talks about is how every reader interprets the text in a different way. This process is called reading transaction and is composed of three parts: the reader, the text, and the poem or message. Each reader brings their own experiences, knowledge, and background to reading. This means that teachers cannot expect the readers to have the same interpretations from the reading and they shouldn't force them to gather the same meaning from a reading either. The text is the second part of the transaction and once it has been written by the author then they have no more control over it. The last part of the transaction is the message and this refers to the author's intended meaning. The reader will not always interpret the text as the author intends them to. The chapter also talked about readability, which refers to the level of difficulty of a particular passage. It has been concluded that there is no specific way to assess the readibility of a text and the best way to address this is listening to the reader as well as helping them learn to select their own reading material. Another topic talked about in the chapter is the vocabulary or lexicon of the students. The best way for students to expand their vocabulary is in context rather than in isolation. Students need multiple encounters with words to have a lasting understanding of their meanings (pag. 51). This means that the student can broaden their vocabulary with good literature and the more they read the more their vocabulary will grow. Literature is definately a very important part of building a students knowledge. As teachers we need to encourage the students to embrace literature where they will be able to expand their experiences, vocabulary, and with time learn to select their own reading materials.

AUTHOR PROFILE:

I would like to share a great author with you. I am sure that this author will bring back memories to some of you since she has written many classic books that are read in many classrooms. Lois Lowry among other books is the author of The Giver, one of my personal favorites. This book is about a young 12 year old boy that lives in a perfect community. He soon finds out the truth about his community. There is no turning back. How will he handle the truth?

This book is great for the classroom to discuss governments, communities, etc. This is a great book that many students will be able to relate to.









Another book I absolutely love by Lois Lowry is Number the Stars that takes place in 1943 and narrates a 10 year old, young girl's point of view. She lives in Denmark and is confused about the changes the German occupation has brought about in her life. This book is appropriate for third grade and up.



To find out more about the author you can visit her website (http://www.loislowry.com/).

EDED 4310/ CHAPTER 9

Many educators believe that with the growth of media and information technology, media literacy is just as important as – or even more important than – print literacy (that is, learning to read and write).
What is your position on the relative importance of the two “literacies”?
What information from this chapter helps support your position?

I believe that the growth of the media and information technology is very important especially in an era where technology advances on a daily basis. The text book emphasizes on the importance of "expanding the definition of literacy" (pp. 279). This means that the definition has changed over time since when it first only meant being able to sign your name to being proficient in the 21st century skills that are context specific (Kaestel et. al., 1989; Myers, 1996; National Adolescent Literacy Coalition, 2007). It is important that we integrate technology in education because it enhances language arts instruction. Many of our students don't care about the class curriculum, instead they are more interested in updating their myspace, texting their friends, etc. so we need to find ways to motivate our students so that their interest in learning whithin the classroom increases. According to the English Language Arts Standards (NCT/IRA, 1996), technology not only enhances students' motivation to write but also encourages them to assume greater responsability for their learning.
Print literacy is definately more important because they are fundamental to succeed in most other disciplines such as social studies, sciences, and mathematics. In order to become media literate we need to first be print literate. We will need to read guides, manuals, etc to become media literate, so how can media literate be more important than print literacy? The answer is that it cannot be more important than print literacy. For example, how can we use word and power point if we do not know how to read and write? If we did not know how to read and write these programs would be useless because we would not be able to type information in these programs. Juat imagine that you did not know how to read and you needed to research a topic for a writing assignment. How would you type the topic in the designated spot of a search engine such as google? If you were to find the information on your topic how would you read the information google gathered for you? I think we can use media literacy as a tool in education but it will never be able to replace print literacy because it is the base and a prerequisite to becoming media literate.

EDED 4310/ CHAPTER 8: Integrating Internet into Curriculum

There were a few sites that stood out for me. I liked the writing with writers site (http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit). It's an excellent guide for students when they are learning about writing. I loved the way the writer gives an example of their work, then there is a step by step guide, and there's also tips and ideas provided.
I also liked the dolly site (http://www.pusd.info/projects/dolly/main.htm). I feel that this is a site for a higher grade but it's a great opportunity for the students to do some critical thinking, to ask questions about cloning, to view different perspectives, etc.
The weather site is also a very good (http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/weatherproj2/en) . It's a great way for the children to learn about weather. The site provides multiple activities and they even get to consult with experts. The site inculdes a teacher's guide with lesson plans and other great resources.

I found a site that has many great activities as well. It has activities for almost every subject we can think of and for all levels (K-12).
http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/weatherproj2/en

EDRG 3321 Literature for Public Schools/ Chapters 1&2

I like how chapter 1 explains the whole concept of "living literature". It will be our job as teachers to make sure that the student "lives literature" by surrounding and submersing them into literature. In doing this the children will gain many advantages. The student can learn so many things from literature but the book points out that it is very important that the student enjoys literature and doesn't just see it as a pesky school task. Literature will make them effective readers and writers which is so important in school no matter the grade level and also useful in the outside world like at work, at the store, the dentist's office, etc. We have to believe that the every child will learn in order to be effective teachers. Every child has a different method of learning so if we combine them all in the classroom then every child will learn. It is also important for us to give the child the oppurtunity to pick their own literature. This way they will actually be interested in reading because it will be on a subject of their interest. They will therefore want to read and not to it out of obigation. Exposure to all genres is another good thing for the students. This will make it fun for them instead of boring.

Chapter 2 is about culture, something that is personally very important to me. Every child that enters your classroom has their own culture. Culture can effect the child's learning in many ways. For example children that have parents that do not speak English will most likely not recieve help with their homework. We as teachers have to be aware of this. I think it's a good idea for the students to share their different cultures in the classroom with their peers. They will learn a lot with activities of this type and learn to respect each other.


AUTHOR PROFILE:


I am planning to teach the higher levels of elementary so I found an excellent author that wrote the book A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck. This book is about a young girl spending her summers with her grandmother and it takes place during the Great Depression which can be useful for a history lesson. It's also an award winning Newberry Honor Book. This book has a sequel to it which will give the student the oportunity follow up on the story. I think many students will be able to relate to the characters and enjoy it as well as learn from it. I have listed another two books from this author below and you can find out all about Richard Peck and other interesting books he wrote at http://www.carolhurst.com/authors/rpeck.html.com/authors/rpeck.html

A Long Way from Chicago

The River Between Us

EDED 4310/ TIP Model Phase 4-Preparing the Instructional Environment

Esmerelda is having her students do a social studies project in which they do "virtual interviews" of experts on various periods in U.S. history. She schedules time in the computer lab and has them locate experts by searching Internet sites. She gives them an initial list of sites, but encourages them to branch out from there, looking for additional sites on their own. There is no lab manager and she has to go back to the classroom for periods of time as they work, but she knows they are competent Internet users and can be trusted not to leave the lab without permission. For their contacts with experts, she has them prepare a standard email with the school name; their names, ages, addresses, and personal email addresses, if they have one; and a description of what they would like to know.
1. Assuming she is correct that students will not leave the lab with permission, is Esmeralda's plan for having students use the Internet a good one? Why or why not?
2. Do you see any problems with the email she is having them send?
3. How would you change her plan to improve it?


It is a good thing that Esmeralda is having her class use the internet. The internet is a rich resource where the students can discover a lot of useful information. It's also good that she is giving them a list of sites as a guide and even though the students are encouraged to look for additional sites they should be warned that not all sites are reliable sources (e.g. wikipedia). I do see some problems with the email she is having her students send. I don't think they should put out to much personal information on such a public, vulnerable place like the internet where your information can be esaily accessed by strangers. Maybe it would be a better idea if Esmeralda limits the personal information in the email to the school name, school address, their name, and their grade. In order to improve her plan I would have them do the activity in small groups so that they can share opinions, give suggestions, and ideas and turn in a better project.