In Week 2 I researched the use of audiobooks in the
classroom. I discovered the benefits of audiobooks with ELA students because it
minimizes the pressure of the reader and enables him to focus on the big
picture without being distracted by technicalities. In addition, audiobooks are
helpful in teaching pronunciation of words which enhances these students
communication skills. Furthermore, audiobooks are extremely helpful with
handicapped and blind students. After speaking to Mrs. .Muller about the
concept of audiobooks, she became very excited. She expressed how frustrated
her students got when they struggled over the words in the book and this
discomfort prevented further progress. She also related how audiobooks makes
reading more fun and teaches the children how to read with expression. It is important
however not only to rely on audiobooks and to have the students do some reading
on their own. The way that Mrs. Muller can implement the audiobooks is to
introduce a book through having the children listen to the story. While they
are listening for the first time they will be able to understand the storyline
as well as pick up on the underlying expression of the characters. Next Mrs.
Muller can read the story with the children. At that point the children will be
able to read more confidently since they already heard the story and their
comprehension will increase with the repeat of the words. This would be done
with first graders who are just beginning to learn how to read. The book should
be of something of interest, like a story about children going on a treasure
hunt for instance. The standard that is listed in the New York State P-12 Common
Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy addressed here
is: “11. Respond to literature by employing knowledge of literary language,
textual features, and forms to read and comprehend, reflect upon, and interpret
literary texts from a variety of genres and a wide spectrum of American and
world cultures.” The second time the students read the story after hearing the
audiobook the teacher will stop the students to ask them questions to ensure
that they really understand the story, the setting and the characters involved.
The learning outcome of the lesson would be that the students would have a
deeper understanding of the story after both hearing it, and reading it
themselves. In addition, students will be able to model the intended expression
in the story as well as properly pronounce the words. The
technologies needed for this class would just be the audiobook and speakers.
The timeline for this lesson would be just one class. The class would listen to
the audiobook in class then read the story aloud in class. The assessment for
this lesson would be the teacher pausing to ask her students questions on the content
of the story and the teacher checking that proper expression and pronunciation
is being used.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Q & A Week 3
The ideas from the video did not really reflect the ELA
teacher that I interviewed. Since Mrs. Muller (the ELA teacher) teaches in an
unique program dealing with children from sheltered and ultra-orthodox homes,
she does not have many opportunities to utilize the important benefits of technology.
Despite her limitations, Mrs. Muller does try her upmost to integrate technology
into her lessons to maintain her students’ attention and increase interest in
the subject matter. Although in the world at large technology does take up a
large portion of everyone’s day as mentioned in the video, with Mrs. Muller’s
student body technology use is at a minimum.
In order to change Mrs. Muller’s style one has to bear in
mind the sensitivities of the religious community that she is serving. One idea
could be to provide a special lab that is fully equipped with computers with
internet access. Each computer will be protected by a filter to ensure that
only information that the parent body would approve of would transpire. This lab
would be under the direction of Mrs. Muller who will guide her students in
maximizing the uses of the computer and the internet. Other forms of technology
that is not as offensive to the community can also be used. For instance voice
recording would be acceptable as well as photographing are all forms of technology
that is encouraged in this special group.
Being that Mrs. Muller herself is an esteemed member of this
community, it is very possible that she too lacks the familiarity with computer
and internet use. Therefore an extensive training in how to use a computer and
how to research using the internet as well as tutorials on other uses of the
internet would be necessary. In addition, raising the awareness of computer use
among the children would also be vital. In order for technology to be
effectively integrated into Mrs. Muller’s curriculum she would need a computer
for herself, and personal computers for each of her students. Smart boards,
digital cameras, and voice recorders would also be important for Mrs. Muller to
have to execute a technologically based lesson.
In reference to grouping the students, many of Mrs. Muller’s
students are siblings. Perhaps instead of purchasing a computer for each individual
student, one computer can be bought per family for each of the siblings to
share. In addition the families in this community live in apartment buildings. Therefore,
it would be helpful if one family in a building had access to the proper
equipment to be paired up with a family that does not. That way travel time is
at a minimum for those who do not have access to the necessary equipment.
Summary of articles
After reading the articles it became clear that new
literacies is an important piece of education. Since technology has become a
major focal point in everyday life, it is vital for students to maximize all of
the benefits that new literacies have to offer. The revolution of technology is
rapidly growing and becoming more and more essential. Although these
advancements did not exist a short time ago, it is the responsibility of
educators to update their skills to give over the best possible tools to their
students.
Interview with ESL teacher
After interviewing Mrs. Leah Muller, an ESL teacher in
Israel, I discovered a new set of challenges that didn’t occur to me before.
Mrs. Muller expressed the difficulties of incorporating technology into her
lessons since her students not only verbally speak a different language, but
technologically as well. For instance, Mrs. Muller’s students don’t have
televisions in their homes and some do not even have computers. This presents a
unique set of circumstances for this ESL teacher working with kids who have
less than the standard technological devices in their homes than in the United
States. Mrs. Muller has to really pull at her creative juices when forming her
lesson plans to incorporate technology. She ventures to use tape recorders and
digital cameras to enhance her lessons, quite different than the technology we
are discussing in this semester!
Research of technological tool
One technology tool that is helpful with ESL students is
audio books. Audiobooks are beneficial in assisting these students with reading
comprehension and word pronunciation. Often, ESL students can feel overwhelmed
by the complexities of the English language as well as the high expectation that
exists in the schools. This overpowering feeling can distract these students on
focusing on the minute details of reading and ignoring the bigger picture. Therefore
the use of audiobooks enables students to only concentrate on the meaning of
the story without getting caught up in technicalities. In addition, when ESL
students are reading on their own, it is almost impossible for them to know the
proper pronunciation for many words. Audiobooks clearly indicate the way each
word is supposed to sound enabling these students to communicate effectively
later on.
Reflection on Common Core Reading Standards for ELA/Literacy
After reading the Common Core Reading
Standards for ELA/Literacy and the reasons behind them, I can only agree on the
importance of these rules. As with all areas of education, it is important for
teachers to instruct their students based on evidence supported material. Additionally,
creating a uniform standard for literacy skills throughout the nation is invariably
important to ensure the success of the next generation. These
standards address all areas of literature and writing providing each student
with a well-rounded education. If teachers implement these standards they will
produce students who are competent readers, writers, and communicators. In
today’s day in age especially where there are a lot students whose first
language is not English, these standards are imperative. When teachers incorporate
effective teaching tools and technology while teaching English as a second language,
they are sure to be successful.
 |
| Airplane |
 |
| Israel |
2.
If I were to write a book about myself  |
| chicken |
I would name it "Spring" since my name is the Hebrew word for the season spring. In addition to being born in the spring, I feel that the season has a deeper meaning to my personality. In the spring the trees blossom with new flowers and there is life and growth everywhere. As a person I love life and search for better ways to improve myself.
3. My favorite jokes are the chicken jokes crossing the road because one time when my friend was on vacation she actually saw a chicken crossing the road!
4.
I taught in a formal classroom for two years. I taught first grade, sixth,
seventh and eighth grade, and tenth grade. Now I am tutoring Israeli children
in my home how to read and write in English. I am in my third semester in the
Teacher Education Program. 5. In addition to teaching, I also assisted a language arts teacher for about two months. We were teaching middle school girls and managed to read the book “The Call of the Wild” and cover some grammar rules. This was my only experience teaching language arts and I am looking forward to enhancing my future “language arts teaching” skills.
6. I am unfamiliar with new literacies.
7. My concern about this course is that I have a preconceived notion that language arts and literature is evaluated in a very biased fashion. The quality of a piece of writing in my opinion is bases on the reader’s taste. I hope that this mindset will change and not interfere with my performance.
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