Unit Plan Canvas Remix

When remixing “Storytelling Through Photography” the first thing I thought of was picture prompts. However, I felt picture prompts are somewhat overdone. I thought it would be more fun to use picture prompts to prompt a prediction. Instead of writing the story based on the picture, the students will write the story based on what happens AFTER the picture. The goal is to get the students excited about writing and I believe giving them more freedom could help. While we tell our students the picture prompt does not have to be a large part of their story, often times I find students describing the picture instead of creating a story. Creating the assignment based on predictions could help the students stray away from this issue they may be struggling with.

Remixed Canvas

Audio Books

As a future English teacher it will be my job to motivate students to read. Of course, what I wish is that all of my students have the skills to read the books assigned and that all of my students will read what I assign as well. However, in reality, many of my students will not be able to read the books assigned at grade level. Usually, because of the structure of class, those students go unnoticed and do not get the help they need. Teachers assume that all their students have read and those who have not read are just neglectful. Instead of ignoring this we need to address it and realize that we can make things easier for our students. I believe audio books are a great way to help the students who have trouble reading. Because audio books read to our students it allows the students to think and comprehend. Usually, a student who struggles with reading will focus most of their time and effort on defining the words they are unfamiliar with and sounding out the words that do not come easy to them. An audio book allows these students to focus all of their attention on the content. What I hear often is “If a student can not read, how have they graduated to the next grade” and while I do understand that thought, the fact is, they have graduated and they do still need to learn the new content. If we can make things easier for our students occasionally, I say, why not? Yes, maybe audio books are not the way to go for every text and every assignment, but I certainly believe they can be very useful in moderation. 

Unit Plan Canvas

For this unit the goal is to be able to understand and analyze a character's thoughts and the decisions he or she makes. To demonstrate this students will be required to create a character blog at the end of the unit. The assessment will be based on whether or not the student's blog posts align with the thoughts and actions of one of the characters in the novel The Help which we will be reading throughout the unit. For the canvas I have created I decided to incorporate the movie along with the novel. Pictures and video from the movie help the students get more excited, in my opinion. Along with pictures and movies, I have provided 2 outside readings that may help the students understand the novel. One is a type of book review while the other helps the students understand the historical time period the novel is set in. Because the unit relies heavily on the character blog the students will create, I have provided a widget that will allow students to connect their blogs to the canvas, this way all students will be able to access and comment on the blogs easily. All in all, I believe that the PLAYground canvas is a great way to introduce a unit while getting the students excited and involved with learning.

The Help: Introduction Canvas

Technology and Pedagogy

Including technology in lesson plans is something that is definitely important for the learning process. Many of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards are based around them. It is important to remember that technology not only makes a lesson fun for the students but often times relatable which is useful. I chose a lesson plan that centralized around the technology "Blogger" because I felt it used new technology in an innovative and exciting way. Most students use blogging as a social aspect of life and being able to put it into a lesson plan makes the lesson interesting for the students. While the idea of having each student create a character blog in the point of view of a character of their choice is a great idea, the lesson lacked a very important part of learning: discussion. Although the students get to vote for their favorite blog at the end of the unit, the voting is anonymous and does not allow for students to receive constructive feedback on their work. It also does not force students to be responsible for their thoughts and ideas. As you can see in this spread sheet I have added a component that I believe fits well with the standard involving discussion. Discussing ideas and being able to defend them is an essential part of the learning process. Without it students do not fully engage and take responsibility for their own work. Using technology to facilitate this type of discussion not only makes the discussion easier for the students but also aligns with the content standards as well. 

Too Much of Something Good

When one thinks of technology it is likely that the extravagant technology our culture is provided with is the first thing that comes to mind. Immediately visions of “smart phones” and laptops appear. But what about the technology that comes without the bells and whistles our flat screen 3D television provides? I had previously talked about SmartBoards and how wonderful they are for the learning process and I still stand by that statement but I also believe that effective learning does not ALWAYS need some type of computer. What ever happened to a sharp pencil, a blank sheet of paper, and an open mind?

As teacher, I think, we forget that paper and pencil are great sources of technology. We are so focused on using the latest SmartBoard or using the laptops our district provides us with that or students rarely have the opportunity to go back to basics. It has come to the point that using extravagant technology in the classroom is expected. It has become a mundane part of the learning experience instead of the exciting, interactive lesson it used to be. Some students may even tell you that is makes the learning experience more difficult with all the distractions it provides. What we need to remember is that technology is only affective when used appropriately and not every lesson lends its self to the use of it. Sometimes the most effective lesson is one where the student uses minimal technology and truly allow themselves to think and express. Not every assignment needs to be typed on a fancy laptop and not every lesson needs to be given over PowerPoint. Lessons like this should be reserved for times when they are appropriate and not just used because the technology is available.

Smart Boards May Be the New Smart Teaching

      English is often considered a boring subject that gives many uninterested students trouble. This is understandable considering English can be both confusing and difficult to understand. The main technology used in English would probably be books and written materials such as novels,journals and essays. However, recently new technology has been created that could change the outlook of students in relation to English. More and more schools are now adopting what is known as a “Smart Board” and its capabilities seem to be endless. Because the “Smart Board” is so large it is accessible to all students at all times. The classroom becomes an interactive playground for the students and the teacher. It really allows for the students to get involved and be excited about it. 

There are so many things the “Smart Board” can make exciting. For example, the mundane task of reading and editing a paper becomes a group task that is pleasurable instead of dreadful. The “Smart Board” includes different colored pens to make teaching editing easy and effective. Each type of correction can be highlighted in a separate color  to make clarifying mistakes easier for the students. It would also be a great way to get students involved with active reading. The teacher could demonstrate active reading on a short story in class making comments in the margins as the class reads as a group. The class would see the process while it is happening instead of receiving an explanation and example after the fact. It also makes showing movie clips and demonstrations much easier as well.

For most schools the “Smart Board” has become an addition they can utilize daily. Most students look forward to the use of the “Smart Board” when being used effectively. When students look forward to an activity it is much more likely that they will learn and retain the information.

History of Technology in English

Overhead Projectors: Bringing the big picture to a classroom near you since the 1950's.