Great Class - GE 555!

Time flies really fast as we are at the end of the semester! GE 555 has truly been a wonderful class. I learned a lot of valuable information, especially the creation of webquests and finding educational websites, that I can use when I start teaching in my own classroom. Despite the limited number of class meetings, I truly appreciate all the presentations and discussions we had in class.

The modules were very helpful to me as Dr. Luongo carefully organized those in a manner that students could have access to appropriate and relevant readings, videos, and other educational links. The blog entries of my classmates were all very informative and interesting and I find delight in knowing their thoughts and views about education, technology, and all other matters.

This is my first online class and I never voluntarily enrolled in one before because I consider myself as the traditional type of student. I believe I learn better when I am in a classroom setting together with the rest of my peers. I prefer to see and hear my professor give the lecture. However, Dr. Luongo never made me feel like she was a "distant professor"... like someone who is hard to look for considering that this is an online class. She was very supportive and very helpful and I thank her so much for all the help! I realized I could actually have fun and learn new concepts in an online class, as well as perform in the same manner as I could when I am in a regular classroom.

I learned couple of days ago that I could actually have access to the blog even after this semester or after I graduate from SPC. I am glad to learn that. I may not regularly blog but I know I will be checking it from time to time just to keep myself posted with the latest tips and updates that I could learn from.

Thanks Dr. Luongo for your great ideas, your kindness, and for your help. Congratulations for all your great work!

Have a great holiday everyone and kudos to all of us for our hard work this semester!

WebPages

Thank you Tania for posting the list of websites for the webpage rubric presentations! I especially copied the list as I know the sites will be useful in the future. I love the fact that we have these abundance of useful educational tools that teachers and students can readily refer too. I think learning has become more exciting and engaging! I cannot wait to see the next batch of webpage presentors!

Reading & Technology

I enjoyed watching the videos Introducing the Book and Why We Need To Teach Technology. In as much as I love reading, I could relate to the difficulties presented in the first video about books with technology. I, somehow, could not easily find my way to understand as well as manipulate these so-called technological innovations. But I certainly appreciate its value, especially when it comes to the roles it could play in the classroom.

As shown in the second video, we need to keep up to all these technological changes if we want to be on the game. Schools need to invest in technological tools and trainings. I agree with that. Sometimes I feel that technology changes too fast that I miss the opportunity to enjoy the experience of fully understanding it. But I think the only way to look now is forward -- and that is being able to understand and incorporate technology in classroom instruction and appreciate what it can do for our students' education.

"Virtual Friendship"

I came across the In the Classroom portion (p. 260) of Chapter 7 of our reference book and read about how a carefully structured chatting activity can be useful and beneficial for special education students. Accordingly, computer and the internet can help teach communication skills by e-miling and carry on meaningful virtual communications.

In most cases, students with special needs tend to have problems communicating, interacting, and socializing with other children in schools or in any other public places. But while person-to-person interaction is what we mostly encourage to take place, the internet could help improve not just the students' ability to express themselves but also give them the opportunity to learn about other people with different interests and cultures. In Tel Aviv, the article states, there is a program called Virtual Friendship where students with special needs are paired with non-handicapped students. I like the program's concept. I believe it is very helpful not just for the child with special needs but also for the other child. Both of them will not only acquire information from each other but will also learn to develop friendship and have appreciation for each other despite their differences.

KnowledgeBox

KnowlegeBox, according to the description on the webpage, is a site that intends to deliver dynamic, effective, and engaging media to the classrooms and computer labs all over the country. It aims to foster learners environment wherein the teachers enforce individualized instruction and use wide range of activities. The students, on the other hand, are encouraged to work together or independently.

I went over KB Kids and I like that it covers activities on subjects like Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. Compared to other sites, I find it to be less interactive. This is a site that offers more visual instructions, rather than interactive activities that allow students to be more engaged and participative. The sound, the videos, and graphics are really good. The science lessons are very good as well! As I went over the websites for this course, I am so pleased that there are a lot of available resources out there that students and teachers could make use of. The choices are too wide that allows them to decide for themselves which ones are appropriate for their needs.

Kids Less Likely to Graduate than Parents?

I read an article titled "Report: Kids Less Likely to Graduate Than Parents" which was published just today, October 23, 2008. It is an interesting read as it provides information about a study made by a children's advocacy group that says the dropout rate in US continues to increase (1 in 4 Americans) and how currently US is the only industrialized country where young people are less likely to earn diploma as compared to their parents. According to Anna Habash, United States continues to stagnate and the poor performance will affect the country's ability to compete with the rest of the world. Because of this, the federal government is poised to raise the bar on graduation rates and new rules is expected to be issued that will force states to use the common tracking system. If you want to check this article, just go to the DailyHerald.com website.

RocketReaderKids

I watched the video on RocketReaderKids and I think it is a great educational tool that could be used for teaching and learning how to read. Its interactive instructional method will really encourage children to work on their reading and develop the skills needed to be successful in reading. I like the part where the student's work is immediately assessed for immediate feedback. As I go over some of the listed websites, I realized that there are a lot of educational materials on the web that could really provide a wealth of information that educators and students can learn from. But I wonder who assesses all these websites to make sure that the content is accurate. I just feel that educators should be able to properly choose and assess the web instructional tools they will use to ensure that the content of the materials is accurate and reliable.