Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants (9-22)

I have heard many people talking about how students have changed over the pass 20 years.  Today's students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach but teach we must.  Today's students are the first generation to grow up with this new technology.  For the most part, they have spent their entire lives surrounded by computers, video games, digital music players, video cams, cell phones and, of course, the Internet.  They are indeed, digital natives, whose thinking patterns have changed.  The scary part for me, is the looming question of is it helpful or hurtful for students to be so plugged in.  I am one of those digital immigrant who speak a different language but am acutely aware that I must learn to speak their language.  I do believe that it will require teachers to walk and talk the student;s language in order to keep their attention and interest in learning.

Preparing Tomorrow's Language Arts Teachers Today (9-22)

Today teachers and students are learning together and from one another.  The classroom has become a shared teaching/learning environment.  Interestingly enough, teachers have been a part of the digital world yet we are for the most part not as comfortable with technology as most students.  Teachers that are using technology in the English language arts classroom are not only improving their instruction for their students; they are changing the very nature of that instruction.  Teaching and learning English language arts is our goal; technology is a means by which we can reach that goal.  The students of today are "native speakers" of the digital language of computers, video games, and the Internet.

Semiotic representations, building comples literacy practices through the arts (9-15)

Integrating visual arts, drama, and movement into English language arts instruction can enhance learning and increase interest in learning.  Semiotic representations give students opportunities to have experiences in which they construct and translate meaning across sign systems.  When students represent meaning semiotically, they demonstrate knowledge of and facility with communication systems including art, language, math, drama, and dance.  Amazingly, these are all the things students are interested in and can build a well-rounded student.  It is important to note that teaching from a semiotic experience requires a genuine belief that sign systems are essential to student's development as readers and writers.

The Arts, New Literacies (9-8)

Today more than at any other time,  teachers are trying to define literacy in the 21st century.  There is a sense of urgency about the arts and technology and the English language arts classroom.  Classrooms must be prepared to work with how messages are sent, received, and interpreted and how media and technology position us as viewers and users of multimedia texts in the world. Today's students are learning about literacy through electronic and digital devices.  The teacher must be prepared to link student learning to such devices.  In today's literacies we as teacher must be prepared to use the technology which today's students bring to the classroom.  Classroom spaces that encourage multimodality allow students across ages to learn as well as play in a world where technology is commonplace.  We must build on a wide range of media and our class has given us new opportunities to engage students in the new age literacy. 

The Writer's Notebook (9-1)

I love the idea of the writer's notebook.  I am a person of quotes and having them in one location will give me many opportunities to to refer to them often especially after a hard day.  There are a few quotes that I try to live by as a teacher.  I will share them later.  What a great opportunity for me personally to be in graduate school!

Everyday Literacies (9-1)

Well, well, well I finally got own this_____blog!!!!!!!
Literacy means different things to different groups.  Even here in the United States we frame literacy in unique yet different lights.  Literacy is communication, a social meaning-making process if you will.  In the 21st-century classroom students will have lots of opportunities to read and writing as well as the form of visual-text literacies.  When I was in undergraduate school, I use to hear one of my classmates say all the time that "anything you say can be written down".  In the article Harste, has expressed in difference words the very same ideas.  "If you can get students to write what is on their minds, the rest may not take care of itself, but you will have come a long way toward creating a potentially great literacy program!"  That should have profound implications for all classroom teachers.

Could our two professors have chosen any better books for us to be reading at the present!!!!!!!
Reading is a sequential process and I happen to be the lucky teacher that gets to see that process begin.  I just love the author of Engaging the Eye Generation.  She is much like I am.  I think we have all known, especially those of us who have gone through Reading First that the writing conponent being left out was a critial piece to enhancing reading.  This year the writing it back in workstation and Johanna has valided that beuauifully.

Final Remarks about the summer session

I have learned so much that will transfer into my classroom this fall.  Teaching Best Practice Way is undoubtable the best practical guide for teachers that I have ever read.  After the discussion in our class about assessments, I read the material again.  While  we will have to deal with standardized testing, I believe that we can make them easier for our students.  Change is not easy!  I learned that by doing the integrated unit but we can't continue to do what is not working. I am looking for way to manage these new assessmenst more effectively.  If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them.  We have student portfolios but we put into them what first grade wants to see.  I would like to give my students an opportunity to choose what they would like to put in their portfolios.   I know if we make learning authentic, students will achieve.  I am convinced that if the classroom is set up the best practice way, all children will have the opportunity to develop a love of learning.  I have enjoyed the discourse in this class.  Thanks everyone!

Developing Master Teachers

Wow, I have learned so much in the last few months.  Everyday I think about the changes I want to make in my class this fall.  Thanks Docs!!!!!!!!!!!

The Integrated Unit

The journey this summer has been very interesting once I got the hang of it.  I just know our teaching will really improve if we can get the other teachers to join us. 

Investigating ArtNC Site

In our Social Studies curriculum. we teach regions, which can be hard for kindergarten students.  There was a lesson on the three regions of North Carolina which could be connected to our integrated unit. I like using our state to show the different regions so that students can have some understanding of where in North Carolina they live.  I would use the art work from the three regions to guide children's knowledge about our state and our community.  I would like for the student  to make a rubbing of the state of North Carolina and its regions.  After the rubbings are made, we could put the crops grown in our region.  This could be used in our integrated unit to show what we grow today in eastern North Carolina.  There was another picture about tobacco farming that could spark a discussion about health issues.


http://ncmoa.org/artnc/lesson.php?lessonPlanid=35y. 

Exploring Community History

Integrating Language Arts and Social Studies by Melber and Hunter has given me some awesome ideas for the integrated unit we are planning. Today more than at any other time, I believe that children need a since of community both in and out of the classroom.  Connecting to the community can help build citizenship and give children a sense of  belonging.  So often children do not have a personal knowledge about the community in which they live.  I have chosen strategy 6, exploring community history as one of the aspect I would like to investigate with kindergarten children.  Learning about the history of our community ties us to the past as well as the present and the future.  Just looking through the resources about farming in Murfreesboro years ago, can give us some insight as to why we are still a farming community.  It will give us the opportunity to examine how farming was a part of the community in years past and how farming has changed yet, still is apart of our community today.  The resources at our backdoor can offer so much to the children of Hertford County.  One of the activities that I would like to include in our unit is farming photo from the past so that our children can connect to the rich heritage of eastern North Carolina. Another idea is taking pictures around the community and around our school.  There is a large corn field across from our school.  What a wonderful place to see corn harvested this fall.  In fact, I am going tomorrow to make a picture of the corn at its early growth stage.  I will continue to follow the corn all summer so our students can see the stages of growth.  I will plan a trip to the agricultural museum and make some pictures for the children to see before we make the field trip to see all the equipment.  There is a unit in our Social Studes curriculum that will allow me to connect this unit to our current core. 

Task 1-Chapter 4-Teaching Social Studies-A Literacy-Based Approach by Schell and Fisher

This chapter will be helpful with the integreated unit because it helps us organize how the unit will fit together and how we will plan an effective instructional opportunities for our students.  Topics help students understand what they are learning.  Theme serve to expand topical teaching and provide opporuntiites to include multiple examples under a theme.  Thematic teaching allow teachers to integrate subjects across the curriuclum such as reading and writing, math and science.  This is not an easy process, however.  It will take thorough planning in every subject and across all subjects.  This process will allow the planning to be done in large chunks that allows the teacher to create and develop individual connected units.  This chapter will help organize how our team will plan and set-up our unit on farming.  Building the topics, themes, concepts and the big ideas will give the students an authentic experience.

Uncertainty for the Children of North Carolina

As our school year ends, we are in uncertain times in North Carolina.  If we do not secure the future for young children and the elderly in our state NOTHING ELSE WILL MATTER.  New roads, new building, new program will have no impact if we have not taken care of the people of North Carolina.  I absolutely love teaching.  The children in our county are amazing and to leave their future to uncertainty is unconscionable.  The budget has to be dealt with but doing it on the backs of our children and the elderly is outrageous.  As teachers, what can we do? How can we help those in Raleigh to see the faces of our children? I AM SURE if the powers that BE could see how far my friends have come this year, they would rethink changing how Pre-k is structured and the need for assistants in the classrooms.  Most children today do not come with the support system that I had at home, however, in the school setting they can find the support they need.  Race to the top!!!!! What top! Why?  What we need is to help children get in the race to finish high school with all the skills they will need to be good citizens of this  state. Childhood is a journey; not a race!! 

Thank you for our freedom

As we honor those who have fought and served paying the ultimate price for our freedom, I am so proud to be an American.  My father fought in WW II and was a member of the "greatest generaton".  His generation was called to defend our country in very difficult times.  I know he would have supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He would have hated to loose one life but he would understood the necessarity for it. I took a flag to his grave this morning.  Looking across the cemetry, there were flags flying in the warm breeze placed there by the town of Ahoskie for all who have served their country..  It was a calming and peaceful sight to behold.  This cemetry was flanked by two schools where for a few minutes history stood still.   As a teacher in North Carolina, I want my students to know what a great country we live in. I want them to be strong citizens for North Carolina and the United States.   As citziens,  we need to be acutely aware of the price of freedom.  We must honor and respect those who serve and protect our freedom.   This year my class sent the troops in Afghanistan snacks for their super bowl party.  We received a letter from the commander of the unit thanking us for thinking of them.  In April,. one of the officers of that unit came to visit our class.  He brought a flag flown at the base on February 6,  It helped my students to put a face on the freedom we often take for granted. Citizenship begins the first day you enter school and last a lifetime. As teachers, we must teach freedom in order to preserve it!

Teaching Best Practices

I have known for years what best practices is not.......not whole-class-directed instruction, student passivity, prizing for silence in the classroom, worksheets, dittos, seatwork, time covering large amount of material in every subject area, rote memorization, stress on competition and grades, use of and reliance on standardized test.  Obviously, we are during way to much of this type of teaching.  Could that be why we are struggling on EOG's?  We can and must use best practices in every aspect of our teaching.