School Website

http://www.wghs.nsw.edu.au/

This school is just down the street from my grandparents house in Sydney, Australia. My grandfather used to always talk about it and how he wanted me and my sister to attend there. Since I plan to move to Australia and teach there, the Willoughby Girl's School is something that strikes my interest.

I was surprised to find that their website is not very advanced or eye-catching, especially since this school has an excellent and widespread reputation. I like the simple layout of the website though, and it is very organized making it easy to navigate. What is missing from this website is the information about the teachers, classes, and extra-curricular activities. There is a lot of information about testing standards, enrollment, and other concerns parents may look into. But there is nothing that really shows off the school, especially if I was a student looking at the website, there is nothing that would make me want to go here.

Overall the website is helpful, but could use improvement.

Week #6 - After class response to SMART board presentations

In watching other people present on the SMART board, I made many observations. I feel as though I learn something new about the SMART board every time I come in contact with it. I am feeling more and more comfortable with the general ability to touch words and move things around, I am noticing the same patterns from activity to activity. But there is still so much to learn! The SMART board always seems to have new surprises it throws at you. Whether its a cool new trick or application, or a completely confusing circumstance you seem to all the sudden be in the middle, the SMART board reminds us as teachers that although it is fun and can seem like a toy, it is a powerful learning device, only to be used by those who know how.

I suppose the big question that I am left with is "how long?" .... How long will it take until I can confidently say that I have mastered the SMART board? Because I would love to be able to continue to use it in the future, but so far I do not have enough practice for it to add to learning, I am afraid that it may hinder and distract my students and I from what we are trying to achieve. So how much practice do I need before I am able to successfully manage the technology in my classroom?

Assignment 2 SMART board Presentation

SMART Board Features in Presentation:

-pictures matched to vocabulary words

-"eyeglass" tool(when eyeglass is dragged over image, the text appears)

-Matching diagram (dragging vocabulary words into appropriate spaces to label the diagram)

-word scramble game (clues given to hint at vocabulary words that need to be unscrambled)

NETS For Students

Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

This presentation engaged students, allowing them to participate in activities in which they had to think individually as well as thinking together as a group. Because the presentation wholly involved the SMART board, it meets the standard of the students using digital media in the learning environment. Some of the activities required the students to individually hold themselves accountable to learning the vocabulary words, where other activities involved two or more students at once communicating and collaborating together to properly label a diagram or to unscramble a mystery vocabulary word.

NETS For Teachers

Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS Teachers.

This presentation required that I, as the teacher, provide the students with a digital learning experience. The SMART board activity engaged the students with presenting vocabulary words digitally as well as participating in digital games. Because there were games and diagrams to be labeled, the activity was programmed to correct the students if they mismatched vocabulary words. I also as the teacher was available to help the students along with the activities. This provided the assessment portion of the NETS.

I believe that when the teacher is able to efficiently use the SMART board, and intentionally involve all the students in its activities, the SMART board can become a very positive asset to the classroom. It is fun and engaging, it provides a new way for students to learn. I think that many students will be more open to learning this way because it breaks the mold of traditional teaching and may catch their attention better.

Week #5 Assignment - Blogs for Educators

http://asalaamualiakum.wikispaces.com/

I enjoyed this class' blog very much. It was extremely educational and enjoyable to read through and explore. The class that has created this blog is a group of 10 and 11 year olds at a school in Scotland that correspond with a sister school in Pakistan. They have pages on a variety of subjects and issues including everything from a day in the life of a student to the movie stars and rock stars of Pakistan. This site is very well put together because in everything that they discuss and teach about there is the opportunity to click on another link that will explain further details or explain other aspects of whatever is being discussed. They also provide a comparison for everything in Pakistan to how life is in Scotland. I believe this is a very good learning experience for these students. It allows them to be very culturally aware of other parts of the world. I believe all classrooms should learn about other kids in other cultures and if possible be able to contact them. It is important for young people to grow up with the understanding that there is a big world out there and many people who live very different lives as they themselves do. Being culturally aware of all the differences and uniqueness this world has, is one of the best lessons a person, especially a young student, can ever learn.

"Generation IM"

Kids use technology as a main form of socializing, so it becomes very beneficial for their learning when we as teachers take advantage of that opportunity to reach them in such a way.

I really like Imbee and how Mrs. Tenkely uses it in her classroom. It involves students into good discussion and interaction in a way that makes them feel comfortable. It is fun for them and very safe as well. And it also allows the teacher to receive insight into her students' thoughts. I believe it would serve a good purpose as after school/ homework type of work.
Moodle is something that I would definitely use. Described as a "living syllabus" it is a fool proof organization system that keeps the teacher, parents, and students all on the same page.

Assignment #1

Making English Lessons Engaging Through Video Materials Supported With Advance Organizers And Prediction Activities
By Winnie Lee
http://firma.northwestu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=47111440&site=ehost-live

This article was very interesting and surprisingly extremely informational about the significance of the use of videos in the classroom, primarily for ESL students.
For ESL students, videos give them the opportunity to see and hear the language in a cultural context. Videos have shown to stimulate the students' sensory impact, enhance affective attitude, stronger engagement, a higher motivation for learning, and increased self-confidence.
Videos open up the opportunity for students to not only see language in action, but to mimic what they have seen in a role playing situation. Videos set the example for what the students strive for.
In learning of the different functions and effects that videos have on language learners, I feel a little creatively challenged to really put thought and effort in to choosing which videos I would show to my students. I would like to show interesting dialogue scenes from movies that attract the students' attention, I believe that would be most effective in my classroom as an ESL teacher.


NETS For Teachers
The standard that is especially important to me is to Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity. As a person, a leader, and as a teacher I have always felt that my main gifting is in the ability to relate and inspire the young adolescents that I work with. My goal as a teacher is for students to experience learning in a fun way and that they would discover what their passions are. For the best academic success and enjoyable engagement, students must be intrinsically motivated. I will do this by facilitating an inspiring environment to my students that encourages their individual creativity.
Three ways that I plan to advance myself in this area this semester is by discovering new activities and lessons involving internet games and SMARTboard lessons, discover how to get in touch with other classrooms overseas (this is very helpful and fun in ESL or foreign language classes), and by researching successful teachings that have already been done by others.


NETS For Students
In my classroom I would really love for my students to have the standard of Communication And Collaboration. Communication and collaboration is important for ESL students because, well obviously they need to learn to communicate with all sorts of people, but also I believe collaboration in a helpful skill that will teach them to work with others and give them the opportunity to learn from each other. When learning any language, communicating and collaborating with others is always beneficial. Students need to interact!
One specific assignment I believe the students would really enjoy as well as benefit from is creating a blog/website/podcast for a class in another country. Being able to communicate with students in another culture and be able to teach them what they are learning would definitely improve their own learning. Another lesson that would be beneficial would be a research report/presentation on the culture and lifestyle of a country that speaks the language they are learning. So in an ESL class I would split students into groups and they could study England, the U.S. Canada, etc. Or in a Spanish class they could study Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, etc.