Week 4: Assignments 1-3

Assignment 1: Using Minecraft in the classroom.

 

• Text: Students must be able to use the text that comes up to communicate with fellow players when playing in shared mode. Students can and will be encouraged to write a plan of action outside of the actual game, however. Students will be able to describe what they are going to do as a project and they will have the opportunity to gather ideas in order to create a finalized version of what they build.
• Visual-graphic elements: Minecraft is very graphic. There are many options and the game is absolutely open to allow students to not only visualize what they do, but also create things that are absolutely viewable by the creators, but also to those who visit the site where the creating is located.
• Audio elements: There are audio elements to Minecraft, although they are not really that sophisticated. These include sounds made by various creatures and sounds that come with various actions. However, players can speak to each other and record sounds that can be added to the game features and to the way they communicate with each other.

2. Minecraft is almost like a virtual Lego world. There are infinite possibilities of things that students are capable of doing. Minecraft is what's known as a "sandbox" game, or one that lets players pretty much have their own run of the game's world, without specific objectives.

3. Minecraft's does not have a plot. Instead, the game lets users free-build whatever they want to with blocks of material they mine from the ground. The only thing that players must be aware is that at night, there are monsters (known as mobs) who are out to get the player, and occasionally, destroy the work they have done.

4. The scenario for the class must be completely fabricated and structured by the teacher who is assigning the work with this particular platform. The idea is to allow students to choose a historical monument or building which they are currently aware of from their current Social Studies Class. 

Assignment 2: ELA lesson plan

·      -Grade 6th

·      -Common core standards and learning outcomes: 

Speaking Listening

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1	Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade specific topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.4	Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences. Writing
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8	Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1.B	Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.

·               -Instructional activities: The game Minecraft is a virtual Lego world where pretty much anything can be done, built, incorporated and formulated. The game serves as a platform for students to perform a number of premeditated tasks. While there is some reading on and communication that must take place in order for a player to understand and master the game, an educator using this platform can benefit from the game by adding readings and research to prepare students for various tasks that they can perform in the game.

The idea that I have is to have students create a historical monument / building relative to their unit of Study in Social Studies class. Students will not only have prior knowledge but they will benefit in both areas by “playing a game” which is very attractive and fun to them, with the added benefit of doing research further into the subject. Students would also have to present their work, and would have to interact with other students to be able to complete their creation successfully. Students would be expected, as well, to create a written report of their project and their experience (as an assessment piece).

·               -Assessment: Students will be assessed through a number of questions that will help them reflect on the their game performance and the strategies used. Since students will have prior knowledge of material, they will be assessed by the written report and their accuracy with the work created and their description of it. Students will also be assessed by their oral presentation of the entire experience.

Debriefing

·      -What cognitive skills do this game help to cultivate? Students will have to do some research, and then they will have work on replicating a monument/building. Student will have to be able to learn to use various online tools to overcome challenges. Students will also have to be bale to collaborate with other students to be able to complete their work. Moreover, students will have to think about their steps, their mistakes, their successful strategies, and will have to write down this thoughts as part of their work. Students therefore will be expected to develop their metacognitive skills by learning to apply this process, not only in gaming but in real world situations.

·       -What new literacies skills do this game help to cultivate? Students will learn to use the Minecraft platform in order to create their project. They will have to research, an experience through trial and error in order to be able to manipulate content that is stored online. Students will learn to use various keys and controls, but they will also have to communicate through online tools. Most importantly, students will have learn to solve problems by applying various skills and strategies that they develop while playing.

Assignment 3

Watch my tutorial to learn how to post videos like this on your blog!
 

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The importance of "New Literacies"

 Assignment #1 New Literacies

We currently find ourselves in a world that connected through information that instantly travels throughout the world in a matter of minutes. Our technology capabilities have been explored and are currently being used like no other time in history, and as a consequence we must be able to use the necessary tools to use this technology, but most importantly, to teach our students to be able to navigate and make use of our tools. And thus we find ourselves in historical educational moment when we realize that using technology in the classroom in no longer a “cool or new” way to teach, but rather a necessity and a responsibility for the contemporary educator.

As software and hardware become cheaper and more readily available in homes and classrooms throughout the country, we find that our students using technology and relaying on it form an early age. Not only are students becoming better equipped to use technology but also their younger generations consistently show much interest in the use of technology.  Therefore, an effective teacher should be able and willing to incorporate these tools necessary to engage new generations of students in new literacies that rely on the use of technology. While indeed this effort should be supported and carried out by administrators to entice educators, it is educators who could have the most influence by taking action and finding ways to incorporate technology into their education plans. 

 

Assignment # 2  - Minds-on “New Literacies Definition and Components”

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

The teacher that I interviewed is definitely integrating technology in the classroom to get students engaged into technology. However, the teacher is not using it in differentiated ways, to get students searching, evaluating, and even synthesizing information. The teacher relies however, on a platform that evaluates students and engages them in activities that help students practice, test and develop their literacy skills.

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

By incorporating material into the existing curriculum that relies on activities that use technology and that encourages students to do research, to evaluate and use information. This would definitely be beneficial to learn new platforms, and to teach students valuable information on evaluating material online, but to engage them with an assignment that is of their own interest.

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

Teachers must be able to learn how to use/find resources and know how to work in the platform that is going to be used. I am very lucky since my district pays for a professional development site that has pretty much anything you need. It is called Atomic Learning. Here, we get very detailed information and step-by-step guidance on most Internet platforms. If that were not available (since it is a paid service) I would recommend Youtube tutorials (there are thousands there as well).

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

In my school we have plenty of resources, therefore we are fortunate enough to be able to have enough computer for every student when a project comes. However, we must plan ahead to reserve the computer carts and we often will pair students to get them engaged and to have them experience and collaborate with a peer.

Week 2 Assignments

Assignment # 2

The purpose of the Common core standards is to create standards around the country that are consistent and clear. The intention is to create a number of solid steps that clearly label where students should be at specific points. The common core standards for education are a way to finally get everyone in the country on board to an education that is properly aiming for college readiness.

While it is true that many educators were already doing “common core” work in their teaching, the common core finally puts all the appropriate steps in a clearly labeled manner and in way that addresses all the various skills in an organized way.

Assignment #3 

 

5 Key Components of the standards

Teachers of every subject are expected to incorporate subject and teach the skills that are found in the standards. While ELA teachers have a greater focus for using all the standards in a number of ways, the responsibility pretty much splits into two components: ELA teachers, and the other subjects combined.

The five key components of the standards are created to strengthen performance and skills in all the different ways possible. They all correlate with each other to make a solid guideline that is able to guide students and educators. Each component addresses the student’s needs to become college ready by the time they graduate from High school.

Reading: Growing the ability to discern more from and make fuller use of text.

Writing: learn writing skills such as plan, edit, revise and publish. Then, use various writing types to implement such skills.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Speaking and listening: the development of communication and interpersonal skills

Language: Know and use the rules of standard written language.

Assignment #4
 

Interview with an ELA teacher: Mr. R., teacher at Eastview Middle School in White Plains, New York.

Interview an ELA teacher to learn his/her challenge(s) in integrating technology in the teaching of ELA/Literacy and share your interview transcript with us.

Me: Do you find using technology in the ELA classroom as an effective tool? How?

ELA teacher: Using technology in the classroom allows students to be engaged with something that they are familiar with, since they are growing up in a society where technology is all around them. So, using it in the classroom is working with what they are used to, and what they enjoy.

Me: How do you use technology in the ELA classroom?

ELA teacher: I use technology to enhance lessons and to present information to the students through the use of PowerPoint presentations, Prezi, videos, and even images.

Me: Can you tell me how your students use technology?

ELA teacher: My students use technology in various ways. We use a program called achieve 3000 once a week, which helps them improve their reading and writing skills using non fiction articles. What is great about this tool is that is differentiates by lexile level, and provides age appropriate material. What is really helpful for me is that it creates spreadsheets with data that gives me a very clear vision of my students’ progress on a continuous basis.

Me: What challenges do you have with the use of technology?

ELA teacher: The only challenges that I can come with are two. The fist, is obtaining enough computers that are working well to have available for our students on a constant basis. The second challenge is to get enough professional development to keep up with the constant changes in software and programs that we are asked to use for our students. Aside from that, using technology has definitely made our job more effective at addressing student’s individual needs.

Introduction to the Class

Greetings!

My name is Jherlyn Lopez and I am currently in my first semester in NYIT. I am a Social Studies teacher, and I run our school's website (Subsite director), and I am  as well the the district's photographer.  Although history is what I graduated from, philosophy and fine arts have been my passion. When I am not traveling, I am enjoying life, gardening and spending time with my family.

My book's title: How are we to live? practical advice in an age of schizophrenic capitalism.
Language arts experience: I have read plenty on literacy. But I have have yet much to learn.
New Literacy experience: I use technology throughout my curriculum and encourage the use of digital arts to enhance learning: Check out some of my student's work samples below

Prezi on "Greek Mythology"            Video on Rosetta Stone       Gloggster on Egypt

Concerns: to be able to keep up with assignment in a timely manner!

This page has been created to keep an E-portfolio of some of the class work that we will create.
It will be please to be able to share with everyone.

                         <Click here to view my dual language 6th grade Social Studies site>