SS IDP

SS - feels emotionally comfortable with much technology


For the next few weeks he will work on creating a Korean education movie with key expressions to introduce culture. He will work on clear organization in order to create the above

His one year plan, while earning his PhD., he will focus on children’s literacy development using technology with a focus on blogs. He has an interest in creating a Cyber English Diary.

He would possibly like to start using mac to challenge himself in a new area of technology.

After Ed

Paul, Reece and I will be presenting the ten tech tools you can use online when the dog ate your homework.

Basically, ten online apps such as zoho and splice the can replace desktop apps... and that you'll always have access to.

Tune in Friday to hear all ten!

4 minutes?

How does one shorten eight weeks worth of research and conclusions into four minutes?   

At first I wasn't sure if I could fill up four minutes, so I sat down and put together what I had collected.  I came up with 17 slides, which I then added notes to so I would know what to say.  I started timing myself after I had my notes written down.  At about halfway through, I was at seven minutes.  Ooops!  

Today I've been working at reducing this.  I started about five hours ago.  At this time, I am down to 4:11.  My question is:  How serious is David when he says, "four minutes - max?"  I think I can shave a few more seconds off, so I will make one more attempt.  

Hope everyone else is having good luck getting this together!  

Amy

Parent Surveys

The vote is in.  My parents love me and they think I've been doing fabulous things for their kids.  Of course, I'll put the official parent survey data into my presentation, but the general feeling is that both kids and parents thought the reading cds were a good idea, and that much was learned.  

And this week in reading groups I can tell that my middle group that they hasn't been practicing at home anymore.  My top group is of still super, and my low group - well all over the place, but the two that were working with readers during the project I let continue.  The motivation has finally kicked in for these guys and why stop now?

Many parents want the kids to continue to the end of the series, which won't be hard... just need to record three more readers worth (1 cd) and get their folders reorganized.  I do need to get their testing all done first though.  

oops...

I really didn't think that much time had gone by since my last post, but.... 

When we came back from vacation I sent home readers that my kids had not yet started (21-24). I didn't send home new ones this past week, so they have had two weeks to practice with the current disc. My highest group is now in reader 22 (they are just flying!) and I moved up J.L., a faithful reader at home, from the 18 group to 22.  I also had an email from a parent this week who is super impressed with her child's reading.  T.A. has learned about 50 new sight words in the past month.  I think it's pretty impressive, too, as another child has learned about twelve words all year.  It's time for me to start pulling together all the data now!!

On another note, I had an interview at a middle school this week..... PLEASE keep me in your prayers!!!

Valentine's Crafts or Reading?

This week I chose to focus my kindergarten teaching efforts on Valentine's Day crafts.  That said, it was a short week, right before vacation, and just way too busy!

So, here's what's new: 

Every week I sit diligently in front of my computer and read VERY BORING text in my most enthusiastic voice.  "Hi Readers!  It's Mrs. Pie-Trow-Ski.  Are you ready to read????!!!"  I send these discs home with them every week, which they seem to like for the most part.  Of course one child's mother (opinions withheld) uses it almost to the point of punishment, which I've had to correct her on. At the end of the week they bring their folders back with the tallies of what they've read.  Some families follow directions, others simply ignore the folder all-together, which leads me to believe that the folder and disc never leave the child's back pack.  

In the classroom I thought that I would be using this all the time.  This has also not turned out the way I imagined.  The  first week, I was really gung-ho and made sure everyone got a chance. Now I see that I really need to sit down and formulate a better plan.  As we're on vacation this week, I have some time to do that.  

For my lowest group, in addition to the discs with the readers, I've sent home a DVD with the letter sounds song, sight words with my voice reading them, sight words to music, and an animated wonder - beginning sounds floating across the screen to meet rimes like -at and -ag. Think Sesame Street here.  

But here's where I'm torn about all this reading in Kindergarten:  Some kids are so ready, love looking at print, and are having a fabulous time learning to write stories and put their thoughts down on paper.  Others are just not there, and this week I got a new student from Texas who had been in half day Kindergarten.  Here's what he does well that my other students do not: he knows all of his letters and sounds (which MOST of mine do), his penmanship is fabulous, he colors very neatly, and draws great pictures.  It is obvious that he has spent a lot of time this year developing his fine motor skills and getting ready for the academics to come. So... which is the right way?  Monique?  Charonda?  What is your Kindergarten wisdom here?  

Next week, when we're back in school, we'll be learning about dental health.  I don't think we'll be quite so crafty, so I guess we'll go back to reading lots!

Week 2

I was pretty impressed when I got the children's folders back on Friday.  Combined, they read about 5o hours at home last week between Tuesday and Friday.  They did a fair bit of reading at school, too! This week, I sent home new instructions, modified for my different reading levels. This included a new CD for my higher readers - closer to their level, and a DVD for my lower group with a sight word slide show, a phonics song that goes with our reading series, and an animated slide show putting different sounds with the the short a ( think letters being pushed together on Sesame Street). 

In response to how I will assess this project:  I am hoping to see a marked difference in the reading progress they made between September and December, and the progress they make during the time of this project.  Unfortunately, I don't know how much of this growth to attribute to maturity and readiness to learn.  This is my first year teaching kindergarten, but other teachers have told me that some children "blossom" at this time of year.  I guess I'm hoping for a little bit of both with my lower group!!!

Getting Started

I've spent the last two weeks getting my project organized.  As my students will do some work at home, with their parents supervising, I created folders for each one with directions and a log sheet.  Today, the folders went home with the students, but not before we got to try the CD live in the classroom.  

One of my paraprofessionals called in sick today, which left a group of four readers, with about twenty sight words between them, alone to fend for themselves for twenty minutes.  Reading with Mrs. Pietrowski to the rescue!  Kids - to the listening station!  Me - throw the CD in the player! Headphones on everyone, and crisis adverted.  Four seated children reading along with Virtual Mrs. Pietrowski for twenty minutes. 

Obviously, some were more engaged then others, but I think they were in to it.....