We are all aware of how important it is for students to identify similarities and differences--what better way to teach these than through technology. Once again, we hear of Inspiration as a possible tool; I was recently in a classroom in which students were creating a concept map. There was discussion of students using Inspiration in the future for a similar assignment. Students were excited by this idea...one student saying, "It would be so much better than doing it on paper!" I believe this sums up the majority of how our students feel. Hopefully with the addition of our new computers in the library, more opportunities will arise for incorporating technology. In chapter 9 there is also discussion of using Microsoft Word Drawing tools. I think students would find this very engaging and the perfect way to teach a lesson on similarities and differences (and other concepts as well). I personally love the classification charts and analogy puzzles. Why not have students create their own analogy to share with classmates? They would not just be solving but using higher order thinking in order to create. One 5th grade teacher recently shared how she does an analogy a day with her students--Fantastic! How neat it would be for students to also create and share their own! Sometimes I think the hard part is obtaining the resources to do what we want. What I find encouraging about the ideas in this chapter is that we already have them at our fingertips.
Chapter 10-I think we could have multiple discussions regarding homework and practice. This could be a topic of its own. I like the various web resources available in this chapter to support both homework and practice. Teachers in our building are incorporating Google Docs into lessons. There is more and more technology being incorporated daily; it is very exciting!
Inspiration is a great tool to utilize for similarities and differences but an application that could also be used is smart notebook. There are lots of gallery items that can be used to classify items. I have used smart notebook to prepare presentations ahead of time but feel like I should have students create in it more rather than just use the ones I create.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited about the possibilities that technology has to offer for homework. Google Apps will help us clear most of the hurdles presented to us by technology because students and teachers who have access can compute on the same platform. No more worrying about which version of Word we are using! Also, Skype could offer some possibilities for students or teachers who are gone from the building but could otherwise participate in class. Many other possibilities, too numerous to detail here. But I am very excited about so many possibilities!
I would love to try a concept map on the computer, we do one for the American Revolution, usually on paper. If time, I may look into creating my own on the computer and letting the students try it. I, too, liked the mulitple ways of showing similarities and differences. We just did a venn diagram on paper a couple of weeks ago, next time we will take the technological route.
ReplyDeleteThere were some websites listed in Chapter 11 too that I would like to try, I believe the flashcards would be great in studying for the States test I have my students take. But seeing these websites, made me think how great it would be if on our school website we had a link to a page with ALL of the useful webpages for education bookmarked for us.
What really stood out to me after reading these chapters was the creation of venn diagrams. We were working on a Displaying Data Investigation in our math series. I assumed that my students would have mastered this tool already. I was oh so wrong. The majority of my students had no idea what those overlapping circles were all about. If I were able to model some of the programs mentioned in this section, the novelty would keep their interest. Then allowing the students to create their own would place that skill in their long term memory so that when a venn diagram came up again they would understand the parts to the whole.
ReplyDeleteI like the ideas presented in both chapters, and I especially liked using technology for helping students with identifying similarities and differences. I know I have used various templates off websites for graphic organizers, but Ch. 9 gave other means of using a computer to help students with these skills. I thought the use of the Drawing toolbar for use with metaphor and analogy was interesting, and I got some ideas of branching out past our old friend the Venn diagram.I also thought the information on page 170 would be neat to try with our group books sometime. I like the color coding and categories idea and that you can let the students select the categories, rather than selecting for them. I would also like to get back to using Kidspiration again, and I know that is definitely a site the students can benefit from for every subject.
ReplyDeleteFor Ch. 10, the part that really resonated for me was stated in the Generalizations. It stated that 'parental involvement in doing homework should be kept to a minimum'.Unfortunately, we know that is not happening in most homes if homework applies. The parents seem to be doing the work for the kids and then the kids don't have knowledge of certain skills because their parents have just given them the answers, rather than truly helping them figure it out. On a different note, I was surprised to learn about the research tool located in Word. I will definitely have to try that out to see what it's all about.
Again, I loved the multiple websites for us to reference.
I really liked the ideas of classifying to find similarities and differences.Using the technology helps keep the ideas clean and an in a organized manner which may be beneficial to some students. Chapter 9 really had some great ideas and some neat tools.
ReplyDeleteChapter 10 had great resources to check out.I would really like to try and figure out a homework assignment that the students track the types of foods they eat for a week and we put that into a chart or graph to have a visual aid for them to see what type they eat more of or less of. I like the idea of a simple powerpoint presentation on a sport, body systems, or nutrition. That is something I would like to try sometime.
From Chapter 9 I have decided to try the analogy puzzle of the day with the microsoft word. we usually use pencil and paper to do this, but I could incorporate this as an activity during team time that the kids take turns adding their puzzle to the smartboard. I have also used tchart made with tables in microsoft word. My students have surprised me lately with the tchart during map review with compare/contrast questions. how cool would it be for them to create these while doing our learning centers.
ReplyDeleteFor chapter 10 using some of the technology sites such as brain pop or i know that would be fun for them to have practice with basic skills. Then as an accountability activity, they could give a review of the game or skill that they played. They could even kick it up a notch and send it via google docs, which is my new fave tool. I love that I can create assignments at home, as my microsoft works disappeared from my laptop. I need to play around with the spreadsheet and the presentation tool, but would like to have the kids do some things with this after the map test.
I have been using graphic organizers for a few years now as a method of teaching the kids how to organize chapter information. What I would like to do is to develop something to where the students would use their own methods or organization given some specific matherial that would be given by me. They could use any of the methods addressed in chapter 9.
ReplyDeleteWhat immediately came to mind in digesting the material in chapter 10 was the googledocs idea for sharing information. Presently, I am using this in conjunction with the student email in completing assignments and such. I really do need to take a class or two in how to use spreadsheet software and the like. In reading the chapter, I could truly see application across my curriculum.
I think the Venn diagram or the Book Comparison Templates in Inspiration would be feasible to incorporate into the music classroom. Instead of Book comparison, we could compare pieces of music or styles of music. In fifth grade, we have been working on the "William Tell Overture," and talking about the story behind it, the style of the music, and the form of the music. We are going to move on to Swing Music now and discuss the same aspects of this style. It would be easy to compare and contrast these styles in the Comparison Template. I also think we could use the classification charts in excel when we are categorizing words on the word wall. Also, I noticed that some of the big concepts in music would be easy to turn into analogies. Fast is to slow (tempo) as high is to low (pitch). Loud is to soft (dynamics) as staccato is to legato (articulations).
ReplyDeleteAs for Chapter 10, I like the idea of having students create their own powerpoint or smart notebook game to review and practice information we have learned in class. I would also like to try using Google Docs for students who do makeup reports for missing a concert. Finally, I have also seen some neat music games on the website “Brain Pop” that would be fun for classroom use if we are in the lab.
I enjoy having students identify similarities and differences between various concepts. I often will have them compare and contrast stories we've recently read for their bellwork entry. They usually gripe at first because the answers may not be obvious, but eventually they figure it out when they realize I won't just tell them the answers.
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea of having an analogy per day. The short amount of time it would take to incorporate this would really deepen their thinking.
I was interested in the Research feature of Microsoft Word and finally found it under the Review tab. It's pretty neat; users can select the type of reference they want to have searched, or it can search all reference types at once. I'm definitely going to introduce this feature to my students when we do our research paper in the next few weeks!
I love the ideas in Chapters 9 & 10. In my class, I work often using classifying and finding similarities and differences. I look forward to using these new ideas in my daily lessons. I especially loved the analogy of the day puzzles and using graphics in charts. The graphics will really help with my students.
ReplyDeleteI have used the websites - BrainPOP and IKnowthat before with students. Good resources. Another source recommended in a SPED meeting is spellingcity.com. It is excellent to use with spelling words (even from home). I just finished a reading unit on hurricanes. I used the Howstuffworks.com to show information about hurricanes, but now will have to check out the Hurrican Strike! website in the book too.
I like the idea of using a spreadsheet to organize your data from chapter 9. I could use that concept for a couple of GLE's from SS and Science. I do a lot of compare and contrast of different civilizations that I could have the students put into a spreadsheet. In chapter ten, having students complete homework using technology i started, thanks to Janis, in my classroom. I had the students use google apps to create a power point. They could all work on this project at home if they had the internet. That is the only probelm with having students complete homework at home.
ReplyDeleteI have used the venn diagram on the Smart Board to do comparison and contrast. The students seem to understand better with the colored pieces. I have also created a simple table using the line tool on the Smart Board. I loved the analogy of the day puzzle. I definitely want to try that one. I have never had much luck with Microsoft Excel. I need more training to be able to use that effectively.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 10, I liked the idea of using Word to do research. My students would benefit from the narrowed focus. I want to try out several of these websites listed. I am especially interested in games that practice multiplication facts.
As I read chapter 9 I thought about how fortunate we as educators are to have access to the many tools that technology offers and how they can enhance our curriculum. There are so many ways to present lessons that will not only make it engaging for the students but also provide them with the ability to grasp a better understanding of skills that are being taught.
ReplyDeleteUsing graphs, charts and spreadsheets to present similarities and differences are ideal tools because it helps those students that are visual learners. I really enjoyed chapter 10 and it reminded me of a survey I conducted last fall regarding homework and as you can guess an overwhelming number indicated that homework was boring. Are we surprised? The reality is that they would rather not have any but if they were given the opportunity to incorporate more technology to help them review what they have learned then I would venture to say that we would have a better response towards homework. I do have to comment on of the generalizations made by the author in regards to homework. He stated that “if homework is assigned, it should be commented upon”. I whole hardily agreed. Having been in the classroom for many years and having graded many papers I always felt the need to make comments on my student’s work and sometimes that one little positive comment was all a student needed to make him/her feel that they had been successful.
I found it very interesting to find all the tools available in the word processing applications. The Venn diagram in AutoShapes was new to me. Using an electronic version of a Venn diagram, I think, would increase student participation.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of using analogies. It would be interesting to see how students do with analogies electronically in comparison to using hard copies like we did last year during team time.
I didn't realize that there was a research tool available in Microsoft word. When the students ask what a word means, I will refer to the dictionary in Word. I also like the online resources again. I viewed the online game Battlegraph. We are currently working on graphing x and y coordinates (ordered pairs). I will attempt to pull this online activity up in class for students to try.
I like that we have so many tools at our fingertips these days. Reading through here, I have thought about the ways I can use these things in my class. I have always like using graphic organizers as the paper copy, but as we are going through the paperless age, I see where all the graphic organizers on the computer become beneficial. I also like to make sure that they are not just saying one has this and the other doesn't. I make sure that they have with the regards too and Inspiration you can put that on the lines. I haven't thought about using the comparisons in my rooster reading classes, but now I will be looking for books that are ones that can be compared with similarities and differences.
ReplyDeleteI also will be checking out the Battlegraph game to use in my class as well, we are getting ready to do graphing as well.
I also liked what Erica said about the homework help from parents. I like to have the parents "HELP" but not do the homework for them. I had a student pass all of their homework sheets, but when it came to the test they were not able to pass it. When I conferenced with them, they asked me why that was and I questioned this, but they said my mom only helps me with my homework. This is very frustrating to me.
I also like what Jane had to comment about homework being boring from the survey she had given. I worry about putting homework on the web or doing activities because there are still those few that don't have a computer and you don't want to penalize them for not. I would like to do more of this type of thing than just using the paper pencil style homework. I guess if we had open lab time for these students who didn't or alternate assignments that would be okay to do. Something to work on this summer!
I really liked ch. 9 on similarities and differences. I do a modified graphic organizer that breaks the differences into attributes. This makes it a lot easier for them to come up with the differences and helps them focus on what should be considered. This is a lot easier for them than the venn diagram. I have also done this with the Smart Notebook by dragging and dropping them into the right spot. I use this as a way to model this skill at the first of the year.
ReplyDeleteOK, I might be showing my inabilities, but I did not know about the Tools>Research in Word. Did not know about the autosummarize in Word, too. So this chapter taught me a lot that I probably should have known. I have not visited the sites that they suggest, but plan to because a couple sounded good (pg 193-198). I have been on the BBC site and it is a great resource, but they blocked some of it this year and have not been able to get it working. I suggest that if you check these out from home that you make sure it works here.
I really like the idea of creating a chart to display the similarities and differences of novels. Students taking the time to compare themes and different genres written by an author would give them a better understanding of the author's purpose. I do like to check out analogies and educational games on factmonster.com. This is a site I've used in the past. Graphic organizers are a great way for students to organize their thoughts on paper.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that students need to have a clear understanding of what we expect from them concerning their homework. I also like the idea of doing a practice assignment before taking a grade. I hope students will utilize the great resources found in Microsoft Word when working on a project or assignment. We have a broad range of parental involvement concerning homework. It is important for parents to support their child in completing their homework but make sure the child does the work for themself.
Kristy Faitz
Well, this is the second time I'm am doing this because I couldn't remember my password. I am not happy. I will get into the library soon to use Inspitation with them on a concept map. I'm just looking for the right material. I liked the classification activities with Word, particularily when the other students had to figure out the criteria used. I also liked the analogy or the day for Rooster Reading. I thought it was a great idea to have them come up with their own analogy. I thought a lot of the Inspiration templates would be useful. Wish I knew how to combine them with Smartboard. I thought the use of AutoSummarize to see if your writing made sense and the word spelling and grammar tool to check the grade level of your writing would be great tools for a research paper. The part on communication software was exactly what we are doing with Google Docs. It makes grading really easy.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 9, I like the use of the word processor to create the charts for catagorizing. I was thinking that with my particular group students creating this organizational tool would be helpful for learning. However, I have noticed when trying to teach them how to use SMART they become extremely frustrated with the new technology and wanted to quit. I think it partially due to the fact my student's want to play games not 'work' and learning a new skill requires time and practice something they do not like to do. Ah ha that's why they are in my class.
ReplyDeleteChapter 10 was reaffirming for me. I have use several of the web sites for quite a while. I use the virtual manipulatives frequently. I've did the free trial of brain pop and loved it. I know the use jr. brain pop at the elementary. The BBC site has some real cool stuff. I had use their Following Direction site during summer school. Students had to choose a scenario and then follow written direction on a virtual map. V. Love
I liked this chapter because a big part of my curriculum is comparing and contrasting different style periods and cultures around the world. In fact, in both 5th and 6th grade it is a repeating GLE for students to be able to identify similarities and difference in art around the world. I have worked with inspiration in the past, but have spent a lot of time with it. My kids are doing a kindergarten research paper on animals. They needed to do a web to discuss different ideas about their animals so I pulled up kidinspiration and loved it, because even a kindergartener can do it! My son got so excited about his paper, he didn't even want to stop when it was bed time! I was sold. It boosted his computer skill confidence as well as got him more involved in his project. And from a teacher stand point, it makes the web concept organized and readable. I passed the info on to their teacher and now she is checking into it.
ReplyDeleteThough this is not direct use of the application in my classroom, I am sold on the concept after seeing their enthusiasm with kidspiration. I'm sure I will get back to using it, with comparing art work.
Chapter 9: I thought that creating a chart in word would be more time consuming than writing one. However, using cut and paste would make it easier! I also use the Smart Board for Sims & Diffs. Students enjoy dragging the words/pictures into the right category. Don't forget there are also apps in the gallery for sorting. Venn diagrams can also be minipulated using the Smart Board tools.
ReplyDeleteChapter 10: The recommendations given regarding homework can be posted on a team's website or blog for parents to refer to through out the year. I liked the idea of Tools>Research to help the students focus their searches. I have used web based "bookmarks" such as ikeepbookmarks for students using the web for research.
I like the similarities and differences and will do the Venn Diagram to compare Associative and Commutative Properties of Math. I will also be doing a famous mathematician after map testing and we will do research, poster, or movie for their report using technology.
ReplyDeleteIn reading, we summarized Winter of Red Snow on Word instead of doing a WS.