Anticipatory Activities

http://youtu.be/_ra4I7rCg8s


Here is the link to my presentation.  Hope you enjoy and have a great rest of the summer!!!!

Text Set 3: Planets

Books:

Ages:  Preschool-3

This is a basic introductory book about the planets.  I like it because is it Nation Geographic.

Ages:  Grades 1-3

Time always does a great job of keeping information current.  This will gives young kids information about actual things going on today.

Ages:  Grades K-6

This is an e-book.  Kids can have access to this anywhere.  With great visual effects this book informs about our universe and its birth, galaxies, the milky way, our solar system and its inner and outer planets, as well as stars, the history of cosmic exploration and astronauts. 


Websites:

http://www.kids.nineplanets.org/moon.htm
Ages:  Grades 1-12

This is a good website to get information on the planets and other parts of the solar system.  There are  links to videos, pictures, and diagrams or models.

http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm
Ages:  Grades 1-12

This has lots of information as well but also includes games and gets into more details about the other planets and their moons.

http://www.planetsforkids.org
Ages:  Grades 1-12


This site has information about the planets and includes the stars and the moon.  It has pictures to print, quizzes to take, and articles to read.


Videos:

Space
http://www.sciencechannel.com/video-topics/space-videos/the-planets.htm

This is a link filled with videos that have to with space and planets.  It includes great visuals!


You Tube:  Science Music Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTKes7M7xns


This is put to music and talks about information about the planets.  Pretty funny but engaging.


Models:

Ages:  8 and up

This would be a great interactive resource.  It gives students an image and you could put the model up in the classroom.

Ages:  Any

This is a wall mural.. I think having images is important.

Memes

I chose this image because it parallels everything we have discussed about literature and the evolution of technology.  Our kids live this life and so do we, so why don't we take what kids are doing and use it to our advantage?  Literature has evolved and so should we.  Fan fiction, e-readers, blogging, and literacy in general define where we are going and where have been.  My husband and I had a conversation this evening about technology and how it has changed society.  The question is, is that for the good or the bad?  My husband thinks for the worse and I think it is just the way things have become.

We have read so many articles with varying statistics and opinions about literacy and what makes up literacy.  I believe literacy has become something that can encompass tool and resources  greater and bigger than what used to be available. I used to think about literacy from what my high school teachers taught.  What is the author trying to say?  What did he mean when he said this?  What is the symbolic in this?  Now it is so much broader than what we think the author intended.

Literacy includes the use of technology and its many facets.  In a classroom with access to technology, websites, and new software, we are able to incorporate so much more into the lesson.  Also, using technology in literacy expands our knowledge and understanding of the pop culture and authentic experiences our students live.  It is imperative as a teacher that we meet kids where they are, and where they are includes virtual worlds of fantasy and creativity.  Kids are writing and collaborating together online.  Students that are English Language Learners are able to operate and learn in a non-judgmental environment free from grammar and writing rules typically used in school.

Technology has expanded teacher resources and enables us to think outside of the box when creating lessons.  This is an advantage teachers have in all content areas and especially in promoting reading and writing.  I am excited to use these resources and I feel this class has given me information I was unaware of prior to taking the class.

Memes

I chose this image because I think it depicts the basic understanding of what a meme really is.  The chapter discusses the meme and its major characteristics.  The first discussed is Fidelity which refers to the idea the meme must have meaning shared between minds and be copyable.  If the idea is not sharable where most agree on its suitability, then it will stay.  The other quality is fecundity which is the rate at which the idea is shared.  Finally, you have longevity which requires the meme to be important enough that is will keep being copied by fresh minds and last long term.  Understanding the internet meme is important in our age of technology and the use of technology by of our students.

The study focuses on which online memes are successful and follow certain patterns and how this could be beneficial in the classroom.  The study did show that normal memes and online memes weren't really that different.  What was different was the make-up of the meme.  The idea of the meme remained the same but how it look changed.

The notion that we, as teachers, can use the online meme to help conceptualize texts is an awesome thing.  Any way that we can use something new and innovative and get into the minds of our students better our chances of concept mastery.  We can use the student's social environment to connect with the text.  It also gives us a framework to discuss what types of memes students may encounter online and verify its validity where it may affect their interactions, choices, and relationships.  This could be a good project and mode for discussion about social media and the influence of the pop culture and the online culture.

"Do You Like Your E-Reader"

The Chronical of Higher Education (2010, June 13). Do You Like Your E-Reader? - The Chronicle Review - The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from http://chronicle.com/article/Do-You-Like-Your-E-Reader-/65840/


I chose an article with a series of scholarly authors voicing opinions about the e-reader.  The article is taken from The chronicle of Higher Education.  The first review is by James O'Donnel, provost and professor of classics at Georgetown University.  He tries to understand why anyone would really want to choose a computer book over the actual paper book.  For the author, books function as resources and he explains how he needs to be able to remove parts of text as he thumbs through multiple books simultaneously.  

Another chronicle of e-readers is written by Alice E. Marwick, doctoral candidate in media, culture, and communication at New York University.  She discusses the Kindle.  Other than weighing little and the ability to easily read and turn pages while holding onto the subway handles, this author has little use for an e-reader.  She mentions the facts that e-books can't be shared with a friend, use functions to edit or create like you can on a computer, or print the text.  For Alice, the e-reader is only for those that read and discard books.  Not a good choice for Alice.

John Palfrey, professor of law and vice dean for library and information resources at Harvard Law School looks at the e-reader from a different perspective.  As a reader, the author basically feels he could take it or leave it.  But as an author and writer, he looks at the possibility of the reader being able to research, communicate, and be directed to more resources about the topic. Its function can create a method for the reader to expand their understanding of the content which may even cause the reader to ask more questions.

Several other authors voice their opinions about e-readers throughout the article.  My take away from all of these reviews is that some like e-readers, some don't, and one is waiting for the e-reader to become more innovative.  The innovative e-reader requestor wants the digital text to include links to videos, maps, songs, and may even change story lines based on your actual location as you read the book.  I have been using an e-reader to read for my Literacy class and it has been my first time doing so.  I like it, but I am not very picky about having the actual paper in my hands.  I just want the story and I want to read and use it for pleasure.  It may be different if I was trying to read an academic text using an e-reader.

Blogging and Literacy

This chapter discusses blogging in all its many forms and purposes.  The beginning of the chapter explains the "depth" that blogging offers to the creator and the reader.  The depth referred to in this chapter includes things like podcasts and videos on top of the normal writing and the ability to comment on these posts.  These online journals serve the needs of various individuals and groups.  Blogging is a way for the writer to take an authentic topic and personalize it and blend or discuss with their now opinions and experiences.

Personally, I have not been much of a blogger unless required for academic courses.  I do think that it is a good way to communicate to the masses and creates an opportunity to comment and open up discussion with those of varying views.  The article does mention the fact that blogging for academic uses is a way of the future.  Therefore, I need to get on board and find a way to maybe use this in my class to promote writing and literacy.  Literacy as a social practice is created in the blogging space.  The articles describes the idea that a blog entry becomes an "event," but this event isn't temporary or ending because it is constantly adding posts and comments.  A blog becomes more than just the words on the page, it becomes a literacy piece of art.  The visual attributes of a blog need to draw readers in and keep readers coming back.  I have seen some blogs that I would love to read, but I have seen others that don't capture my attention because of the colors or layout.

There are several themes outlined in the article.  The first refers to the idea that the blog is a personal journal.  In an educational setting, the blog allows the blogger to write in a less formal manner than most academic journals.  Another theme is the fact that a blogger shares their personal space publicly.  I think that this allows the reader to understand the blogger which ultimately contributes to the reader's understanding of the post.  Bloggers have a potential to be exposed in a manner that might be good or bad.  It becomes a space where the blogger must monitor this social space and readers must understand that the writer doesn't always contribute to the negative events on their page.

Overall, the blog becomes another avenue to use to create, inform, practice reading and writing skills, and make social connections about a variety of topics.  This provides another resource teachers can use to provide information to their students, parents, and the community about the happenings in the classroom.  It is also a resource teachers can use to help students practice reading and writing skills and connect with their classmates through posts and comments.

Text Set

Geology

Websites:

The Geological Society of America
http://community.geosociety.org/tap/resources
Ages:  Teacher

This is actually an awesome website and I plan on using it this year.  I gave a geology module and there are lesson plans, awesome activities, tons of resources.  There are free pictures that you can use, such as the one above.  There is a geological timescale that show rock formation from the precambrian period.  There are posters you can order for a fee.  I would definitely use this in my class.




http://webs.cmich.edu/resgi/
Ages:  Teacher

This site is incredible because it has links to animation that shows things like Gondwana and the separation of the continents.  You have access to journal articles, lesson plans, movies, images, and more.  I am really excited I found this to use.

   Earth Science Lessons   

http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/agesubject/earthsciences.html#midsch

Ages:  Teacher

This is another great resource for lessons.  They elementary, middle, and high school lessons on geology and other topics.

http://geology.teacherfriendlyguide.org

Ages:  Teacher

This site allows you to choose a section of the country and gives you information about the history and formation of the geological terrain of that area. There is a section that tells you how to use the guide and it seems pretty easy to use.

Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum

http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/

Ages:  Grades 4-8

I actually have professors that use this site.  This is a great way for kids to see animation and videos of what they are learning.

Books:

Ages:  All Ages

This is a great resource to use when doing a lab

Ages:  Grades 6-8

The Focus On Middle School Geology Student Textbook introduces young students to the scientific discipline of geology. Students will learn about the many branches of geology; the steps in the scientific method; tools and equipment used by geologists; rocks, minerals, and soils—how they are formed and what they are made of; the various layers inside Earth and how they function.  This was the description of the book and I thought this would be a neat book for the students to use.

Ages:  Grades 2 and up

This book has 50 hands on activities you can use in the class.

Videos:

You Tube:  The Earth's layers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTJc2v7q-3Y
Ages:  Grades 4-8

I thought this was an informative and short video on the earth's core.
Would be a good introduction to a lesson.

Kids.gov
Ages:  Grades 6-8
http://kids.usa.gov/teens/science/geology/index.shtml

This has several videos on geological topics.  This would be a good resource.
The site is easy to use and has lots of great information.