Week13

Here is the link of my Prezi:
http://prezi.com/rqrjecs032o4/present/?auth_key=bev8wk6&follow=ds8wol_iix4c

Keystone Assignment:

Here is the link of my Keystone Assignment:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hew7iil2tyaj09g/Keystone.doc?m

Implementation Report:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bipcssguu474eai/Implementation%20Report.docx?m
Reflection of New Literacy:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tlxcu6nw1mezb58/Reflection%20of%20New%20Literacy.docx?m

Rubric for assessing student learning outcomes:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2r725t9x70urkux/MyRubric.xls?m

Week 12

Here is my analysis of Glogster, it is a helpful tool in teaching and learning process.

Week 11

Here is the link of my Voice Thread:
http://voicethread.com/share/4440399/
Hope you like my puppy :)

Reflection of the Article:

I strongly agree the idea to concentrate on activities to engage students in meaningful and challenging tasks, rather than on content or the transmission of information alone. A lot of us are just learning what is written on the book instead of extending the knowledge to our real life. Through online learning, students are able to absorb much more resources, post their own reflection and comment on peer’s work. There exists kind of interaction in the learning process which will more like increase students learning motivation because everyone can feel free take part in the discussion. Combination of image, voice and words is a new technology that provides a more meaningful learning method.

Week 10

Here is my presentation, but there seems to be some problems with the voice.
I will fix it out later.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/a9hqzxlctshr3ob/Issues%20of%20New%20Literacy.pptx?m

Week 9

My Reflection of the Research Paper

This research paper aims at investigating the influence of blogging tool on college students’ reading level and learning motivation. According to U.S. Department of Education, students’ reading scores are getting lower as well as their comprehension abilities. A bunch of studies show that this phenomenon results in students’ short attention span and reduced engagement due to their habitual multitasking behavior. Students are spending too much time on other media such as TV, music, computer, video games and social networking tools. The author pointed out that much research focused on the negative effect of dynamic media, but not exam whether readers prefer interacting with digital texts.

In the research, the author also mentioned an important concept----New Literacy. It is defined as literacy-related skills needed in an interactive multimedia environment, such as retrieving and evaluating information, comprehending information, and producing and publishing information through online technologies. Blog is one of the forms of new literacy. Blogging enhances social interaction, providing a channel to build a sense of community, to strengthen communication skills, and to write for real audiences. In addition, it allows students and teachers to have classes with computers which is more flexible. The research applied both quantitative and qualitative methods to prove that blogging can somewhat increase students’ ability of reading comprehension and learning motivation, but better combined with our traditional methods of teaching.

It is wise to integrate technology into our daily traditional learning. Training students with new literacy skills is becoming an urgent issue because we need technology almost everywhere in our life. Get students prepared will add their self-confidence and motivation.

Initial draft for Final Keystone Unit Implementation and Evaluation

 

1.     Subject:  Reflect on Your Favorite Fairytale with Blog

2.  Grade level: Grade 4

3.   Standards addressed:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.9 Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.

      4.  Intended results of the proposed technology integration:

      Students are required to choose one of their favorite fairytales and read it again deeply with their own understanding. In addition, students should learn to analyze both the plots and characters in the story and type it out on their blogs. Students will share their reflections with classmates and comment on each other’s work.

5. Support and format of training needed for the effective implementation of the selected technology in their classrooms.

     Students must be equipped with a computer connected to the Internet.
     They need to create their own blog and get familiar with the main function of the tool.

6.  Requirements (computer lab or classroom computers)

     Computer lab is better for all students to access to their blogs.
     Everyone is encouraged to take part in the writing and discussion.

7. Evaluation plan (what is your plan to make sure that your training meets the goals, needs, and objectives)

     Every student needs to create a blog for the course.

     They should finish reading at least one fairytale and reflect on it through both the main plots and analyze at least two characters.

     Reflections should be posted on students’ blog and shared with each other.

     Each student should make comments on at least three of their classmates.

Digital Storytelling Video

Here is the link of my storytelling video.

The Old Man and Tree



It is adapted from a Chinese fable.
The story is short but meaninful.
Hope you enjoy it ^^

Week 8

The Influence of Classroom Blogging on Elementary Student Writing

Blogs is a great tool in teaching writing in classrooms. We are able to experience the developing and changing for each day. The findings of this research article indicate that student bloggers became mindful and connected to the audiences. Both teachers and students can interact with each other through the internet. Everyone can take part in the class discussion. As we are using bloggers in our language arts course, I benefit a lot from it.

Cell Phones in the Classroom: Are we Dialing up Disaster?

The use of cell phone enabled the students to become active participants in their learning by using the internet to search for background information. The integration of cell phones into the classroom need not be perilous. It is true that schools will need to overcome challenges associated with using these devices. But I think students need to be self-conscious when having the opportunity of using cell phones in the classroom.

New Media, New Literacies and the Adolescent Learner

This article is a research study about the relationship between new digital media and adolescents’ writing while using new media. This article examines eight themes that emerged during the study. Immersing students in a digital environment that serves as a model for their own digital performances which fully engages the student multimodally across the language arts.

Week 7

Assignemnt #1

The first article talks about the multimodal education. In the 21^st century, the definition of literacy has expanded to refer to a flexible, sustainable use and production of traditional texts and new communication technologies using language, print and multimedia. In today’s classroom, the format of text books are beyond print, it is more likely to include multiple modes of print, visual image, audio, gesture and so on. It’s very important for teachers and students to interact with the characters and plots in the books. In addition, books are no longer the only way of learning, we also apply iPads, laptops and smart boards into the process of studying.

        The second article discusses about the Second Life in which educators hope to activate learners’ motivation by satisfying themselves. It has been pointed out that there are several problems existed in online learning nowadays such as using the Blackboard. Both low completion rate and low satisfaction of students are problems unsolved by present online study. Exploring the possibilities of engaging and improving online learners’ motivation is the reason of Second Life. Instructors will create another authentic world in which learners can explore and solve problems in. Students can also negotiate and collaborate with each other to accomplish tasks. Instructor aim to build a strong sense of community to connect online learners

        But there are also hidden problems of the Second Life. First, learners should upgrade their equipment to ensure the fluency of class. Second, there isn’t any privacy of class if teachers don’t have the authority to lock the campus. Third, the text message feature in SL might be difficult for people to follow. Last but not least, and it is my concern about the SL. Students might behave very well in Second Life and achieving a lot in it. But he is actually not that good in the real life, he would probably choose to escape the reality deliberately. So teachers should be careful guiding students when they are using the Second Life.

Assignment #2

I create a role of vampire in the Second Life.

In learning language, Second Life is a great tool for both teachers and students. We can change different contexts in it and create various topics in the process of study. In class, students are able to join different activities organized by instructors. Teachers should prepare images, videos and audios to students to assist learning before class. After class, students are given tasks to accomplish in their free time. They can arrange their own time when using the Second Life, and they can explore more about things interest them most.





My Book

        I created the book called “I and Snow White” is for children whose first language is not English, and it is done with UDL Book Builder. I talked about my idea with a teacher who teaches English as a second language in China. He suggested that there must be something interests the kids. So I came up with the idea of bringing Snow white to the contemporary world because almost every child is interested in fairy tale and they must be glad to be with characters from it. Then I just insert new words into the story and children will learn when reading the story. I chose a couple of words related to vehicles, of course you can replace with other words in teaching. Children would be glad to see the happy ending!

The link of my book is:
http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=view&book=73291&page=1

How you enjoy it.

Week 6

Assignment #1:

Here is the article I would like to share with you:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tsc0ucnctvdmm1w/Technology.pdf?m

It is state in the article that adolesent literacy in the US is in crisis nowadays. And this problem is what we are probably going to meet in the future when we become a teacher. To increase the efficiency of ELA learning, we are suggest to integrate technology into the classroom. Technology can increase students' interest of learning and also improve their learning motivation. The national Council of Teachers of English and the international Reading Association's Standards for the ELA states that secondary students should be able to conduct research using a variety of technological and information resources. So teachers should be equipped with the knowledge of applying technology into daily teaching.



Assignment #2:

With the rapid development of the information and communication technologies, our teaching method becomes various. Teachers should be prepared to integrate ICTs into the classroom which can help students to improve their new literacy skills. The first research paper argues that new literacy depends on the technological skills, cognitive skills, and literacy skills. Increase teacher and student access to technology is just the first step toward the ideal learning environment. In addition, schools should provide professional development opportunities to enhance teachers’ ICTs integration skills.

The second article refers to the social networking site which is now popular among young people, for example: Facebook, Twitter, Path and etc….Users can share docs, images, videos with each other through these websites. Education can also be applied within this kind of form, just like Edmodo we used a few days ago. Teachers are able to create classroom online to reach all the students. Edmodo makes it easier for teachers to make plans, give assignments, set quiz, and share resources.

Assignment #3:
   

    Edmodo is a social web similar to facebook, but it is more education-oriented. Edmodo can be well applied to ELA teaching. Teachers are able to set plans, enhance library, create groups, give out reading assignments, collect students’ reflection and create quiz for students for assessment. Everyone has the opportunity to take part in class. Teachers are also able to create badges to awars students who make progress and motivate them. It is really a good tool for both teacher and students to share their thoughts and discuss together online. However, it is a great tool for ELA teaching.

    Planner: Teachers can create any task or event in their schedule and send it to students, groups or teachers if they would like to.
    Badge: Teachers can create badges to award students who make progress. All you need to do is to set a title and description for the badge and upload an image for it.
    Assignment: Type in the title and description of the given assignments and choose a due date. Before you post it, you can also attach a file with it and choose a group to send to.
    Quiz: To create a quiz, you have five options to select: multiple choice, True/Flase, Short Answer, Fill in the blank and Matching. Add any questions you would like to give in the test. You are also required to set the time limit of the quiz.
    Library: Library is something more likely to be a resouce pool that is enriched by yourself. Upload documents from your computer or link something from google are both good choices.



Week 5

Assignment #1:

Gamestar Mechanic is a website for students to design their own video game. Students learn the basic rules and principles of designing a game, and then games can be published to an online community within the platform called Game Alley where the game can be shared and rated by the others. Players can play, repair and build games using the in-game design tools. As they advance in the Quest, players also earn "sprites" (characters, avatars, enemies, etc...) for use in their own games. At any time, players can switch to their Workshops and make an original game using the assets they have earned. It is a very useful tool for ELA teaching because the work is being improved by players all the time after suggestions.

Assignment #2:

As we all know, games take a big part of children’s life. They play games throughout the day and children absorb new knowledge during the process of playing. Although some teachers use game in class, most teachers still don’t recognize the huge benefit of it. If I were a teacher, I would like to insert games into my lessons to promote student’s learning motivation. Actually the best way of learning is that you didn’t even realize you are learning. But there are still problems when using games. I found those who always achieve high grades did better and those who are less enthusiastic would be ignored sometime. Especially nowadays, technology brings in more interesting and awesome games that may attract students' attention. Teachrs may lose their control in the classroom when students are addicted to it.


Assignmet #3:

Here is the link of my game script.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/sto75j4cyl9nxmj/Welcome%20to%20the%20DarkCastle.pptx


Assignment #4

Edmodo is a social web similar to facebook, but it is more education-oriented. As a teacher, you should make a brief introduction on your own page and let the other know better before following you. There are badges for teachers to earn which can show their vitality. You may also connected with the other teachers on Edmodo.

Edmodo can be applied to ELA teaching as well. Teachers are able to create groups, give out reading assignments, collect students’ reflection and create quiz for them for assessment. Everyone can take part in the class. It is really a good tool for both teacher and students to share their thoughts and discuss together online.

Week 4:

Assignment #1

 

1.      What gaming elements provide users the learning content and how?

The game is called “What pics?” is something like a word puzzle game. I played it on iPad with my little niece. It is shown as a 5*5 square and you can uncover at most 7 pieces to see a part of the whole picture and to guess the right word. The less you uncover the picture, the higher score you will achieve. Spelling is required as well and there are a bunch of letters given below which learners can choose from.

2. What is the goal of the game?

The goal of the game is to develop learners’ ability of spelling and logic. Through this game, students can learn words visually which  helps them better in memorizing new words. Actually,  a lot of us are visual learners.

3.      What are rules of playing this game?

There aren’t any complicated rules in this game. Learners just need to come up with the word matches the required blanks.

4. Does this game have any scenario design? (Refer to the journal article page 5.) If yes, is this a fabricated or embedded in curriculum-related content?

    There isn’t any scenario design in this game but a very simple puzzle game.

Assignment#2

Grade level: Grade 2

Common Core standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.4d Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly; bookshelf, notebook, bookmark).

Learning Outcomes: By connecting two seperated words, students are able to increase their ability of absorbing compound words built on simple individual words.

Instructional activities: Teachers will present two individual words in the form of pictures and then present the compound word related these two words (also with a picture) as an example. After that, other pairs of individual words are given for students to guess. Finally, the process can be reversed for students to seperate the compound words into individual.

Assessment: Students will be asked to find out this kind of compound words themselves (at least five) and in addition, create a small quiz for other classmates to filling the blanks.

What cognitive skills do this game help to cultivate?  Students learn to predict the meaning of complicated words. They can use their existed knowledge to absorb new information. This also improves students ability of logical inference.

What new literacy skills do this game help to cultivate?  A couple of games of predicting related new words can be found on the Internet. This also helps improve students’ ability of connecting and operating. They are able to predict the meaning of strange word when reading.

 

Week 3

Assignment #1: 

      The three articles are all talking about the new literacies. Actually it is combining technology into our study process. The new literacies include innovative text formats, and new activities. They extend traditional literacy experiences with comprehension of information on the Internet; effective use of search engines to locate information; evaluation of Internet sources; communication using e-mail, texts, and chats; and the use of word processing programs. Though it takes time to adjust to the new stuff, both teachers and students should be able to make use of this resource.

Assignment #2:

1.      Which ideas from the video reflect what the ELA teachers you interviewed are currently doing to integrate technology with their literacy instruction?

      Among those ideas given in the video, the high-end hardware requirements and the difficulty to guide text chat meet the ones mentioned by the teacher I interviewed. He spent a lot of time getting used to it. But he still feels somewhat losing his control when using technology in class.

2.      How can you help change their instructional practices to include the use of technology and the Internet in their literacy and content-area curriculum?

      The best way is to combine both advanced and traditional teaching methods. To keep both the most efficiency way of learning and face-to-face interaction in class is my suggestion of learning. Students should have their own blogger to show their learning results, thought and they can also discuss with classmates both online or in reality

3.      What professional development and/or resources will they need in order to make these changes?

      Each of the students should be able to access to the Internet in class. They can be equipped with a laptop or an iPad in class. That is more convenient for learners to do researches.

4.      What ideas do you have for grouping students so they will have equal access to technology in the classroom?

      Each of the students has to get an account for themselves in order to achieve goals given by teachers. Teachers can easily assess students’ performance by reviewing their work by the Internet.

  Assignment #3

Grade Level: Grade 2

Topic: Hangman

o        Standards addressed:

o        CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1b Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g., feet, children, teeth, mice, fish).

      CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.2a Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names.

Learning outcomes:

This lesson helps students to increase their vocabulary and assist them to know how words are spelled exactly.

Technologies needed: Computer with Internet and Projector

Timeline for implementation: Just one class

How can it be integrated and implemented in the lessons?

Teacher will separate students into two groups. And each group has chances to set a representative to guess the letters given by the computer. Once they came up with the right word, they got one point. Groups compete with word learnt in class.

Assessment:

After the game, students can be given a quiz of those words appeared in the game. They can pass if they did 80% correct.

Week 1: Self Introduction

My name is Jingyi Yuan. I am an international student from China and this is my second semester in the program of Early Childhood Education. I am not a teacher yet, but I plan to teach languages in the future. I mean bilingual teaching so this course interested me a lot. If I were to write a book about myself, I would name it “Daisy” because this kind of flower is my favorite which remains its own style, not trying to attract any attention. For the “new literacies”, I haven’t heard it before and hope to learn more with you.

Here is the joke I heard recently: A man was at the airport for a business trip, he settled down to wait for the boarding announcement at Gate 35. Then he heard the voice on the public address system saying, "We apologize for the inconvenience, but Delta Flight 570 will board from Gate 41." So he picked up his luggage and carried it over to Gate 41. Not ten minutes later the public address voice told that Flight 570 would in fact be boarding from Gate 35. So, again, he gathered his luggage and returned to the original gate. Just as he was settling down, the public address voice spoke again: “Thank you for participating in Delta's physical fitness program.” Hope you enjoy it :)

Week 2: Reflection of ELA

In ELA learning process, reading, writing, speaking, listening and language are five essential components. I believe all of these are basic elements in learning any language.

Trading children to read can help them learn to make connections among different ideas and create their own ideas. By reading, children can gradually build up their ability to discern and logicality. Writing is always related to reading which requires learner’s ability to plan, revise, edit and so on. Writing makes people thoughtful and having a better comprehension of what they learn. Speaking and listening are the most basic skills during our daily communication because people live and work together, and they need to express, share and integrate information by what they see or hear. Any of the above skills are built on the language which specifically means vocabulary and grammar.

I believe iPad is the best technology tool in assisting language learning. It provides multiple methods for learners to learn a new language and even other subjects. It provides applications for people to receive information visibly and audibly. Games in it will attract learner's attention and increase their learning motivation as well.

A friend of mine is an English teacher (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). He said that there is the issue of resources, course fit, skills, context, culture and usefulness, and also the issue of control. Teachers do feel that they are losing control through technology use.