Please Click to Chapter 4

Listen up students! The days of being able to complain about heavy backpacks or conveniently forgetting books in lockers are numbered. In the next 2 to 3 years educators can expect to see some form of electronic book in the classroom. E-Books have already made a lasting impression on readers who enjoy the portability and convenience. Electronic Books or e-books make sense for schools. For a fraction of the cost, students are provided with all text books and support material in a single location. High-lighting relevant information and identifying key concepts becomes as easy as a click of a button as students individualize learning in a hand held device. Advanced readers allow students to take notes and connect to the internet for further related learning. Schools in California ,Texas and Ohio are considering implementing e-books to help reduce budget deficits and increase student learning.
As an English teacher, I look forward to e-books in the classroom. Providing students with a variety of literary titles and encouraging exploration and connection enables students to drive their education. I believe e-books will streamline education and revolutionize a generation of readers who will grow up to ponder the term page turner.

Role of Technology Wordle

PodCast

Understanding rules associated with language can be overwhelming and confusing. The following PodCast "Fun with Conan the Grammarian" discusses common grammatical errors in an humorous understandable format. While the music is playing between dialogue, students are encouraged to write thoughts and observations which we will discuss at the end of the PodCast. Students will then write a letter to Conan the Grammarian with a grammar question they have.

There is a series of "Fun with Conan the Grammarian" PodCast that could be integrated into the classroom.



http://education.podcast.com/show/34078/Fun-with-Conan-the-Grammarian/

Playing Around

Student learn, process and complete assignments at different speeds. In my experience, student who complete the project or assignment before their classmates are often given busy work to keep them occupied and see excelling as punishment. I believe in rewarding positive behavior if a student has shows quality work throughout the year and participates in class. I have found and embedded three games which will help build vocabulary and spelling skills and encourage students to work diligently to earn the privilege to play.


Embeddable Flash Games - Get Games For Your Site


Embeddable Flash Games - Get Games For Your Site

Annotated Playlist.

Struggling with Writers Block?

For many students facing a blank page is one of the most daunting challenges in high school. Writers find inspiration from a number sources. Review the PhotoStory video list to see what inspires you.

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology is technology specifically designed to help individuals with disabilities perform functions or tasks that would otherwise be difficult if not impossible for them. We see examples of assistive technology everyday from motorized wheelchairs to chirping crosswalks but how can that technology be used in the English classroom?

For many students grammar and readability is the most daunting challenge in writing. When proof reading a document, many writers overlook grammatical errors and misused words because they know what the correct sentence should look like. “Talking Grammar Check” assistive technology by Perkins is designed to be used with Microsoft word to help writers identify and understand grammatical errors. When the “Talking Grammar Check” discovers what appears to be an error, it actually reads you the grammatical rule along with suggestions. The idea is, most writers will identify their errors when they hear them and when the writers hears the correct suggestion a simple click of the button implements the change.

“Talking Grammar Check” could be extremely useful to a variety of students. Timid, shy writers would benefit by ensuring grammatical correctness and readability before offering their work for peer review. Speed writers, notorious for brain dumps, would have an automatic double check as they completed their thoughts. Students of all levels that struggle to understand grammar would have the grammatical rules reinforced as they see, hear, and modify their documents to accommodate them. “Talking Grammar Check” allows students to use their own writing as a learning platform as they see how to use the rules of grammar effectively in their writing.

Want to know more about Assistive Technology? Check out Idaho Center for Assistive Technology and the Idaho Assistive Technology Project to learn more about “Helping people with disabilities live regular lives through the use of modern technology”.

Sources:

• Perkins School for the Blind - http://support.perkins.org/site/PageServer?pagename=store_homepage
• Idaho Center for Assistive Technology - http://www.idahocat.org/
• Idaho Assistive Technology Project - http://www.idahoat.org/dnn/