Sunday, October 24, 2010

BP14_ARPitch


Here's link to a book I made in Toondoo

BP13_PL3_GoogleSpreadsheet_#3



One of my critical friends was able to work out a formula in Excel that would enable me to calculate the quality of writing homework students hand in. The data was put in manually for each student and there are quite a few kinks that have to be worked out. There was a general formula put in, but the calculations are off, so we are thinking we'll either have to put in individual formulas or find the correct formulas on the Spreadsheet itself. The above image is a what I've been able to upload to my Google Spreadsheet.

I was able to insert a chart based on the data I have for October 18, 2010, but it does not clearly state the information that I would like. There is a lot of work that has to be done and a few formulas that may have to be created.

If we can get this done, it would be a great help in calculating the data to show whether the introduction of music improved the quality and quantity of homework turned in.


BP13_PL3_GoogleSpreadsheet_#2


The Woopid Google Docs tutorial was helpful in creating formulas, but I was not able to find the formula I needed to ceate a chart that would display the quality of homework turned in.

For now, I wasn't able to find a formula to calculate the quality of homework turned in but I found a formula to calculate the amount of homework turned in. The only thing is this has to be done on a daily basis. There are a few glitches in figuring out the calculations on a daily basis and I will have to work on that, so that inputing and calculating will be a breeze when I am doing my ARP.


To calculate the amount of homework turned in per day, I highlighted the cell with the information in it and put the values in numerical order. I clicked on the icon for formula and chose the formula that would give me a count for the number of homework turned in. I used the student's name and numerical information to create a chart. Then the chart was saved in the original spreadsheet that was created.




I spoke with one of my critical friends who will be able to help me in either choosing the correct formula from the choices Google Docs has or creating one that I can use in Google Docs.

BP12_PLE_3_GoogleSpreadsheet_#1



Although I have used Google Docs forms before, I never used the Google Docs spreadsheet. using Google Docs forms was quite interesting, not only could team mates work on the form at the same time, but sometimes the professor was also on, commenting on our work. I was amazed.

While watching the tutorial on Woopid about how to create a spreadsheet, it hit me that I could use this tool to keep separate records of my ARP. I was planning to use my grade book to keep records (which I will do), but in using Google Spreadsheet, I can keep my records separate.

After watching the tutorial, I decided to create a spreadsheet, the process was quite simple. I went onto Google Docs, opened a new spread sheet and input the necessary data. I decided to use this past week in my newly created spreadsheet. I only have seven students on my roster, so inputting the data wasn't tedious.





So, here is a list of my students and some actual data of homework I have received (before implementing ARP). I will be going through the tutorial now so that I can get an analysis of this data. I want to create a chart that shows me at a glance how many students have turned in homework for the week and how many have averaged over 65% for the week.

I even added my critical friends so that they can be a part of this process and offer any advice and/or criticism as needed. I will eventually post this information to my Diigo group.



Sunday, October 17, 2010

BP11_Kristi's_Blogpost

Follow this link to my comments on Kristi's toondooblog post.




BP10_Joanne's_SchoolTube_Blog


Follow this link to Joanne's School tube blog where you'll find tutorials on Digital Storytelling Lesson Plans

BP9_Xtranormal_Web2.0

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7383701

The above is a link to a mini-movie I created using xtranormal.com. This a simple tool that I decided I want to use when my class is finished with their personal narratives. This tool will be used to create a movie based on what their narrative is about.

I signed up for the site, it was free, though if you become a paying subscriber you are entitled to use a lot more icons. I think eventually I may purchase a subscription, but for now, I will use the free membership with my class.

The number of scenes, characters and icons are limited and originally when I made the movie, there was a message saying I had 0 points and I needed a certain amount of points in order to publish the movie, so I had to go back and redo the movie. As I play around with what I can and cannot do, I find that a paid subscription would offer much more choices and eventually I may do that.

There are a number of sites where I am allowed to share my movie, but for purposes of our lessons, I will not share my students movies, but they some of them would probably be excited about sharing their movies on MySpace and FaceBook.

This tool allows you to take text that you have and turn it into a movie. You can use images that you have on your desk top and computer and make movies with those images as well.

Looking at all these Web 2.0 tools makes me feel as if my Action Research topic is too simplistic and that my students may benefit from the use of one or two of these tools as opposed to my topic.



Wednesday, October 13, 2010

BP9_Action Research


What is your official problem statement?

From state tests scores, and other formal and informal assessments given, most, if not all of my past and present students are at least two grade levels behind their general education peers. I would like to change that trend and I am hoping to do so through music. I would like to do so, one subject at a time.
I currently am an 8th grade, self-contained, Special Education teacher. I have noticed with my past and current students that they do not like to do their homework. Students come up with a variety of reasons why this is so, including, 'I just don't do homework', 'it's boring', 'I don't have the time', etc. I would like to change that attitude they have towards homework, and so, I have decided to focus my project on English Language Arts (ELA) and specifically the writing component of ELA as it relates to their homework.
When students do turn in homework, usually the quality and quantity of that homework is generally poor. I propose that giving students the opportunity to put their writing homework assignment to music, will make it more enjoyable and will give students an opportunity to be more creative and take ownership of their learning. Instead of turning in writing homework assignments in written format (though they are welcomed to do that too), they will be singing, rapping, using any genre of music to present their homework. I believe that using music to present their writing homework will increase the quantity and quality of their homework.

How did your research end up shaping this?

I have not seen any research so far that has to deal with my specific topic. Therefore, the research has not helped to shape my topic at all. Based on what I have read and conversations I've been having with my students, I am skeptical about my topic and how it will turn out.
I had originally wanted to play music in the classroom during ELA periods, but decided to narrow the topic and have students use the music of their choice and present their homework that way. As there is research that supports and disputes the use of music and how it affects academic outcomes, I may go back to that original research proposal and use R&B and Reggae instrumentals in the classroom during the ELA writing periods.

What outcomes are you expecting?

I would like to receive more ELA writing homework that is of better quantity from my students, but, at this time I am not sure that that is what will happen.
I had started out with four students and now I have seven. One of the new student attends sporadically and is late whenever he does come. All my students are English Language Learners (ELL). We sometimes have students from other classes following my students' schedules whenever their teacher is absent and I know my students are already skeptical about presenting in front of their classmates, so, definitely they will not present if other students are in the room.
At this point, I am not sure exactly what outcomes to expect with everything that is happening. I would like to change my proposal, but I am not exactly sure.

How are your critical friends helping in this process?

At this point I only have two critical friends but we do not meet often. I have phone conversations with each of them and they give me insights on questions that I may have.
We spend time discussing my project and I am to discuss ideas that I may have and therefore rely on their experience to help guide my thought process. For example one of them is a college professor who has experience with designing and implementing action research projects. The other critical friend has recently earned her Masters in Education Media and Design Technology (EMDT). Thus, she is useful in buoying my spirits and she is most valuable as her recent experience with this course is proving immensely helpful.

How is this month’s course helped in shaping your ARP?

Some of the Web 2.0 tools that I have discovered will become useful in developing the skills of my students and as a way of helping me keep track of their grades.
For example, Twiducate, I have already signed up our class. I will use this for our classroom blog spot, where students are able to talk with each other and/or myself about assignments (especially as it relates to writing homework assignments). Reminders and important dates will be posted there as well as students can share their thoughts on just about anything as it relates to project.
Using the English Vocabulary section of FreeRice.com will help to build students' vocabulary which in turn will help them with their writing homework. This is such a great tool in that my students will not only be building academic skills, but donating grains of rice in order to help to end world hunger. I am hoping that using this tool will help to boost their self-esteem and self-confidence which will translate into more quality and quantity of work.
Digital Storytelling is a Web 2.0 tool that can be used to record students' performances. These performances can then be copied onto DVDs to be used by the school, classroom and/or copies can be given to the students.
These are just three of the tools that I have discovered while in ETC that I am definitely going to use during the the implementation of my research project.
The RSS feeds are also helpful in providing up to date information on what is out there concerning my research topic.

https://cacoo.com/diagrams/JOyeff9OTaGj7G5v

Sunday, October 10, 2010

BP8_FreeRice.com_OneMinuteVideo


FreeRice.com

This is a link to the video I made about the Web 2.0 site Freerice.com. I can see myself becoming addicted to this site. It is such a wonderful way to learn while attempting to end world hunger. For every correct answer you get, 10 grains of rice are being donated.

Freerice.com is a free site that you can immediately sign up for and start using. There are 6 subject areas, Art, Language, English, Chemistry, Geography and Math. There are sub sections within these subject areas. As you click on the subsections, you are directed to multiple choice questions.

For each question that you get correct, 10 grains of rice are donated as an effort to help end world hunger. This is a great way to tie these subjects into a lesson and have students go on the site and play. As they become proficient, they begin to feel good about themselves for getting the answers correct and becoming proactive world citizens as they help to end world hunger.




BP7_FreeRiceBlog_byJim


I had to sign up, I had to play. This is an absolutely wonderful site. It teaches vocabulary, social studies, math, chemistry. I will definitely be using this with my students. Even my own daughter as this is a wonderful way to be proactive.

Follow this link to my comments on Jim's Blog.





BP6_AnimotoBlog_by Scot


Follow this link to my comments on Scot's blog.





BP5_Twiducate_Web2.0


I signed up myself and my class for twiducate. I really liked it.

It was quite easy to do and it is a free Web 2.0 tool. First, I signed up and had to create a class name and class code. That was pretty easy to do. I next created a class list using my students' first names. The next thing to do is have my students sign in giving them the class code and the password the system assigned them for signing in.

While on the site, they can view necessary bookmarks, important dates to keep in mind. I will be posting homework and classwork assignments and students can respond via posts as well. This is a great tool for allowing parents access to see what is going on academically in the classroom. Also, there are issues with students who are absent from time to time. They and their parents can always log on to see the assignments and what they are missing.

This is an easy site for teachers to navigate and will be quite easy for students to use as well. I hope to be able to provide a link to this site and my grade book as I plan to post grades on line so that students and parents can have updated information on how they are performing. I am hoping to start using in within the upcoming week. Maybe I should use it for my Action Research Project first, so that I can have grade information for ELA homework in one place. I am not certain how I will do that just yet.

Since all my students don't have access to the Internet at home, I'll speak with the technology teacher and hopefully he will allow them access during his period.


Monday, October 4, 2010

BP4_Cacoo_Web_2.0




This is a view of my lesson plan as I explain to the class what Cacoo is and how they can use this web 2.0 tool to complete their assignment.

Loved Cacoo, I signed up for the free membership immediately. Yesterday, I wanted to be able to draw some cool organizers and I didn't want to use the tool in Word. I find this tool and I'm in love with it. I know there may be more sophisticated tools, but this one is simple and easy and I believe my students will appreciate using it.
This site has what a non artisan like myself need, it can bring what I have in my head on the board and I know they won't be wondering what it is I am trying to represent to them.
Whenever I give drawing assignments, there are students who complain that they cannot draw. Cacoo will make things so much easier for them and me.
My lesson plan would be centered around students visiting the site and playing around with the images, stencils, drawing tools, etc. They would be allowed to create their own masterpiece. On their next visit to Cacoo, I would have them use the tools to recreate a scene or a place, for example, an office, a classroom, or a chart... Doing this would familiarize them with the tools and being comfortable with the site.
We are in the process of reading Who Stole the Wizard of Oz?, at the end, I would like them to be able to draw a scene from the story. This is a great site to help them in completing this assignment. They would already be comfortable with using the site and would choose any scene from the reading and draw it.
One of the good things about this site is that they can access it from any computer as they can save their work and come back to it later. For the students who don't have a computer at home, they can go to the public library or else go to the computer room and complete their assignments.
There would also be a group project involved. Usually I would have one person in the group do the artistic renditions, but with Cacoo, everyone can showcase their artistic side. Their work could be edited by anyone from anywhere at anytime.




Sunday, October 3, 2010

BP3_Diigo Screen Shot


Music and the Learning Environment Diigo Group











BP2_iGoogle Screen Shots


WELCOME




ETC







AR





FSO





Week 1 Reading Assignment

"Wherever there are schools, there will be homework"



The Effects of a Learning Station on the Completion and Accuracy of Math Homework for Middle School Students by Arlene M. Hall and Sydney S. Zentall


This article dealt with a research that was done to find out how an intervention would aid in the accuracy of math homework completion. It asserted that there is increased benefits in academic achievement for middle and high schoolers when there is academic work completed outside of the classroom setting.


One of the reasons students do not attempt their homework and/or turn in incomplete homework is due to boredom and so this research attempted to increase students' 'optimal levels of stimulation' by using a Learning Station. "The Learning Station was a three sided free-standing panel with theoretically and empirically-based components involving (a) stimulation (color, music, activity breaks, and choice) and (b) self-attention (mirror and self-monitoring),"(Hall, Zentall).


The researchers looked at three students who were reported by their teachers as 'inattentive and highly active'. All of the students showed some improvement at the conclusion of the research.




Practical Recommendations for using Homework with Students with Learning Disabilities by James Patton


What is homework and how is it handled? "Homework is defined as tasks assigned to students by school teachers that are meant to be carried out during non-school hours"

This article looked at critical areas and how it affected students completing their homework.

Homework can best serve students if certain components are taken into consideration: 1) the way the assignment is introduced and the types of materials that are provided to accomplish the task, 2) how the homework is related to community factors and 3) what the teacher does with the homework when it is completed

Previous research was looked at, and in some areas a comparison was made of the affects of homework on students with learning disabilities and general education students.

It looked at how different components affected the benefits of homework and how it helped in making homework successful. Teachers were surveyed about practices and training was important for teachers. Parental involvement was taken into consideration and the article concluded that students with learning disabilities would greatly benefit from parent involvement.

There were findings to suggest that homework for students with disabilities should be short and focused on reinforcement and even that there were certain students who would not benefit from being given homework.

Homework, the article concluded, was of great benefit for students with learning disabilities if it is appropriate for the skill, attention and motivation levels, if teacher planning and preparation is improved and if parents are involved with aiding their children.


An Examination of the Homework Practices of Teachers of Students with Learning Disabilities by Spencer J. Salend and Janet Schliff


The article looked at homework practices on the part of a group of 88 special education teachers in four New York State district schools. They were given a questionnaire to fill out about their homework practices.

There are a number of components necessary for homework to be successful for students: 1) teacher grading homework and providing feedback, 2) parent involvement, 3) homework should have specific objectives, 4) a reasonable amount of homework should be given and 5) homework assignments should be individualized.

The results of the questionnaires found that teachers were using acceptable homework practices but not adhering to all the components for making homework successful for their students. Special educators were not always correcting homework, were not always providing students with feedback, homework was not always being graded and parents were not always being involved in their child's homework. In addition, students were not always being motivated.

There were limitations to the study however, because of the small sample size and all the teachers taught in schools in similar geographic areas.


The Cognitive and Academic Benefits of Music to Children: Facts and Fiction by Rudi Crncec, Sarh J. Wilson and Margot Prior


Although there has been many articles written about the effects of calming music on students and the improvement on academics, this article claims that more research still needs to be done before we can say definitively how music affects academics.

The benefits of music cannot be discounted though as music has an intrinsic value as a great cultural invention, it has the ability to function as a vehicle for emotional expression and communication. Music also has the ability to improve students' self-esteem and make them more attentive to academic instructions and is likely to influence positively a child’s developing orientation to tasks requiring persistence.

Further research has to be done as the types of music being played also can affect how students perform and especially with students who have disabilities. Also further research has to operationalize how certain variables (calm, soothing) are defined in order for future research to be successful. Also, needing to be addressed is how individuals respond to music as there are some students who would benefit from background music and others who would clearly be disadvantaged by it. Further systematic research is strongly indicated in this area, including an examination of whether the beneficial effects of soothing music persist over time.