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/).