In this assignment I researched and bookmarked important websites that are helpful and resourceful for educators. The websites I bookmarked, also known as tags, are listed on a Delicious account I created, http://delicious.com.rachelosborne. The websites I have tagged can be shared with family, friends, colleagues, parents and students.
http://delicious.com/racheosborne
1. National Archives: Under the National Archives website I found the Eyewitness: American Originals from the National Archives to be an informative website. It shares griping eyewitness accounts – in the form of letters, diaries, audio, and film recording of key moments in U.S. History. On the website you can browse through the contents section and find an account that fist a specific idea that was being dealt with in history. One example is the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. There is an information tab that gives a brief overview of the subject and different aspects of the assassination. It also has a scanned statement of Dr. Robert King Stone, the family physician. It includes three photos: Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Robert King Stone and President Lincoln’s death bed. It is important to use primary sources such as these in the classroom because it brings history to life for the students. It also confirms the authenticity of what is being studied.
2. National Education Association: “Achievement Gap” is commonly misunderstood to mean only the differences in test scores of minority and low income students than those of the privileged Whites and Asians. Achievement gaps between students are influenced by much more than race and income. They can be created by: racial and ethnic minorities, English language learners, students with disabilities, low income families, and gender. There are four groups that are a risk of achievement gaps. They are American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Blacks, and Hispanics. Indicators a student may experience an achievement gap are poor performances on statewide tests, access to key opportunities such as challenging classes and new technologies, and goals they hope to attain such as college degrees or specific employment.
Learning to be culturally competent may take time but there are steps that can be taken to ensure you are moving in the right direction. As teacher there are three steps I can take to ensure that I become a culturally competent educator. The first step is doing my research. There are many schools that deal with the growing issue of cultural diversity in the classroom. Networking can be done with them to collaborate, discuss and implement new strategies. Together we could share information/procedures and lessons that have either worked or backfired. We could implement only that which will help with my specific school’s needs and interests. The second step I could take is to have a clear mission statement that commits to cultural competence. The statement could be posted in the classroom as a constant reminder. It also helps to have the commitment to becoming culturally competent written out and available for others to see and hold me accountable to. The third step I could take is to network with the community through parents, family, minority community, and faith-based organizations concerned with the needs of diverse students. In order to understand my students I must first have a better understanding of their home life. This can be achieved by networking with parents and encouraging them to get involved with the class. Just like collaborating with other schools is important, so is working with other organizations that deal directly with specific minority groups or a large amount of diverse students.
3. Stop Cyber Bullying: Are you a cyberbully? A question most people used to not think twice about. Cyber space is still relatively new and we are only now beginning to understand the power it has to hurt people. I took the, Are you a cyberbully quiz under the 11- 14 Age Range, and was happy with the results. My score labeled me a cyber saint. I admit one reason for the low score is my dislike for the social networking through the internet. I am a face to face type of person and show a great deal of respect to those around me. I am more afraid of being found liable for my written word than I am of anything I say verbally. I was a little shocked reading through the questions, and a bit discouraged that students engage in this type of activity. Most of the activities would never cross my mind.
The old saying, “sticks and stones will break my bones, but words can never harm me”, is far from the truth. Anyone who has been slandered or the brunt of a joke knows how hurtful words, spoken or written, can be. As teachers you have to understand where to draw the line between school and home. You will not always have the authority or legal right to take action to punish a student for cyber bullying. Most schools have an acceptable use policy, explaining what is and isn’t acceptable technology and computer use, and by having parents sign it at the beginning of the year it hold the students and parents accountable. It was interesting to find that there have been several cases where a school has taken disciplinary action to protect the staff or school itself and the courts have ruled in favor of the student. As an educator, I would want to spend some time at the beginning of the year going over appropriate actions and correct usage of technology. Most students don’t think the consequences of their actions or words written from an extreme emotion.
4. Kathy Schrocks’s Guide for Educators: While looking through the “Subject Access” section on this website I chose the mathematics sections because I hope to teach math at the middle school level. Within the math section I found AAA Math, a website that features interactive lessons, multiple practice problems, and game ideas. All the lessons and activities are broken down from grade level to specific subject matter. I would be able to use this website to give the students new ways of exploring and practicing math. The lessons are written out and practice problems and games are on the website. If I have computers in my class I can have the students work on them during class once a week. Otherwise extra credit can be given to those who do it at home. I also found a website under the mathematics sections that could help me with algebra lessons called algebrahelp.com. It breaks up lesson by topic and further separates those that will need a calculator.
The website also had a “Teacher Helpers” section that had a variety of different sites that could help you in all areas; from continued educations presentations, slide shows, evaluation tools, to tips on how to set up your classroom. The one that interested me was the Assessment & Rubrics section. I enjoy making lessons, but have a hard time knowing how to grade. I’ve graded papers and assignments in the past and I always want to give everyone an “A”. I have a tough time knowing how to weigh different parts of a projects, paper, or assignment. These websites will help me create rubrics and assessments that will allow me to be fair and accurate.
5. Multiple Intelligences: Multiple Intelligence challenges the idea that aptitude consists solely on the ability to reason and understand complex ideas. Instead it relies on eight human capacities: musical, verbal, physical, interpersonal, visual, logical, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. I took a quiz to find out what my learning style is. My results were the following: 69% Intrapersonal, 50% Naturalistic, 42% Bodily-Kinesthetic. I scores 38% on both Logical-Mathematical and Interpersonal. Reading through the descriptions of each learning style, I believe that my results match and reflect my learning styles perfectly.
Watching the video, Multiple Intelligences Leave No Child Behind, I was reminded that all areas of multiple intelligence are equally important. One school taken this idea and created programs that allow their students to draw and focus on their strengths. The students take test to find what their learning style is. During the year they have electives, PODS, periods that the students can choose from that draws on their strengths. The teachers who teach each POD is equally as passionate about it. Many students feel strength and satisfaction from these classes, where they normally get discouraged in other classes. This school and these classes have helped give the students direction in life. During their time at the school they develop a digital portfolio show their strengths. The only thing holding them back from experimenting with new ways of growing and challenging the students are the No Child Left Behind law. It forces them to take more time testing instead of learning and helping develop the students core strengths.
6. Teaching Tolerance: I chose a 6th-8th grade lesson plan that focuses on social studies and math and technologies. This project will help the classroom critically investigate the causes and meaning of poverty in our nation. The three objectives are to learn how the federal government estimates the poverty line, calculate alternatives to the federal estimate, and discuss possible effects of understanding the poverty line. This project will be beneficial for the students because it allows them to work with real numbers and to gain a better understanding of what poverty is and the government defines it. There are many working people who struggle financially. Reviewing salary averages of different careers can help students start thinking about what type of profession they may want to take. It may also help them gain a better understanding that life isn’t free. They can further appreciate their parents and the work they do in order to pay and provide for food, shelter, toys, and entertainment.
7. Multicultural Education and Equity Awareness Quiz: After taking the quiz off of the website I am a little ashamed to report that I only got five out of 15 questions correct. Many of the answers to questions were shocking in the high numbers and percentages. One of the questions that stood out to me was, based on a 2007 report from the Economic Policy Institute, the annual earnings of the average full-time US worker is roughly equal to the daily earnings of the average CEO in the US. It is shocking that there can be such a drastic difference in earnings. There are so many needs in out country, I could not even begin to imagine what they CEOs are spending their earnings on. Another question stated that roughly 2,600,000 US citizens are millionaires. All of those citizens are taken into consideration for the average annual earnings of the average full-time workers. The second question that stood out to me was that African American women in the US are four times more likely to die during childbirth due to lack of prenatal care. Health care is a tough topic, but I believe that everyone should have the right and privilege to adequate health care. I know there will be students in my class who will have their studies hindered due to health reasons and not having the right things available to them.
8. Netiquette Guidelines: My score on the Netiquette was 80%. D:-o Netiquette is network etiquette. Cyberspace has created its own culture, as can be seen through cyber bullying. Networking and becoming the go-to form of communication. 8-l The hard thing with networks is there is usually no face to face contact and the humanity aspect can be easily forgotten or dropped. The students who will be in my class are growing up in this era and it is important to teach them proper etiquette. Just as I was taught how to act and speak correctly in public, these students will need to know how to do it over the net.
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