Graphic Organizers and Nonfiction

At times students tend to gravitate towards fiction. They have the illustration and it tells a story. Nonfiction is a little harder to read for some. it has so many facts and if students are taking AR test they may not do as well due to the amount of info. The boys i have noticed love the science books. The books which are about frogs and bugs. These books have pictures usually taken by a camera. They can be illustrated but usually have more of a factual feel with a photograph. I recently purchased three books for my son and they are nonfiction with a fiction feel to it. The pictures are illustrated and they are about cowboys, castles and pirates. They have fun facts and cartoon pictures children love to see.

http://www.theusbornebookstore.com/

These are books boys may be interested in but there are also nonfiction books for girls. Reading them out loud is a great way to get them involved. These books are also great for early readers to use for research. They can use graphic organizers to present the facts they have learned instead of doing a book report. In class we used pictures and colored; it was a fun way to get information out of what we have read. The children will love this hands on approach to reading and writing which should be used together to make better readers.

My Favorite Fiction

Karen Kingsbury

Fiction is described as experience in narrative. That is exactly what an individual feels when they read a great book. Pickett asked for us to blog about our favorite fiction book. I must say I was never a reader growing up until the past few years. Karen Kingsbury opened the door for me to start reading. She has the Redemption series which is fabulous. There are about five in the Redemption series and is followed by the Firstborn Series and then Sunrise series. Recently she has added Above The line series. All these books are about the Baxter family and the people in their lives. They are heartwarming stories and faith based. Karen Kingsbury is a christian author which puts life in her books. She is terrific. The redemption series started me reading but I loved her 911 series. I love the love story she includes in each book and even though they are fiction you end up connecting with them. Try reading them and you will get hooked.

My Favorite and I couldn't put it down

She also has children books-

http://www.karenkingsbury.com/

Author Profile- Eric Carle

Eric Carle

Born in New York in 1929

Lived most of his in Germany but eventually moved back to the US.

He returned in 1952 with only 40 dollars and was hired by The New York Times. He was approached by a writer and was asked to illustrate a book he had written. Eric Carle agreed and the results were

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

This is one of my favorite books. I love the pictures and bright colors. His illustrations have a 3D feel to them almost as if pieces were layered to create a picture.

Eric Carle is known for Hungry Caterpillar

This lovely book has reached the hearts and the tiny hands of many young children.

It is a cherished book and is celebrating its 40 year anniversary.

http://www.eric-carle.com/home.html

EDED 4310 WK 11

Some educators feel that distance technologies will greatly improve education; some feel education will suffer if they are overused. What are factors you can cite in support of these positions?

I personally am in support of distance technologies used in education for college students. I absolutely love my online classes. I thought I was going to struggle and I never wanted to try but I am glad I did. It has made taking classes much easier due to the convenience; it is ideal for the non-traditional student. CMS (course management system) is a tool used to make distance courses. A perfect example is the WEBCT. I must say A&M should do a better job in offering online classes and really work on the blackboard system. This is my first year using this; previously at Palo Alto their system was user friendly and they are only a junior college.

Internet has been a major use in distance technologies. The classroom is no longer trapped in four walls. It has the freedom to go beyond and teach. Virtual tours, on-line science labs, and communication with other students open up for students to expand their way of learning. White boards are used in classrooms to bring the Internet and technology in a classroom. It is like a huge screen which allows every child to see and experience what normally would have been described or read about in a classroom.

With every positive not far behind is a negative. Distance technologies can be problematic. Sometimes blackboard or WEBCT can be down and the students come across difficulties. At times the systems may be slow due to high use.

With anything there is positive and negative sides it just depends if you are willing to work with it or not.

Chapter 7 Picture Books

I thought it was interesting to find out Picture Books are a form not a genre. What is great about picture books is the illustrations and they are great extension of the words. This can be hard to do. Picture books are hard to write. To get a a whole story in about 32 pages can be tough.
In class Pickett mentioned when she read to her daughter some of her of her favorite books as a child. She said she can think back of the time she read them. I find myself feeling and thinking back to when I was a kid when I read to my children too. That is one of the great parts of any story; it takes you back to a time you can remember and it opens up good times or bad times. The cycle continues and one day my daughter or son will feel the same way when they read to children.

EDED 4310- Chapter 15

Describe issues related to training Special Education teachers to use technology.

Teachers tend to have problems in technology due to minimal experience. Teachers who have been teaching for years have little technology experience maybe because they didn't grow during the technology stage we are in now. Soon to be teachers are required minimal amount of technology hours. Since the requirements are low and usually entry level technology, future teachers struggle with being prepared for their future teaching. Time is another major issue. Even if the desire is there, time isn't. Time to learn and put the hands on to learning the equipment is difficult to fit in.

Give examples of no-tech, low tech, and high tech solutions for special students.

No tech are ways to use the body in a different way to make the best of their abilities. The textbook gave the example of using one hand to type. The use of one hand may be slow but the student is still able to type.

low tech is non-electrical. Keeping the student organized by using highlighters or maybe word lists can be a way to keep the student on task.

High tech - are complex electrical devices. The items can be electrical wheelchairs or voice activated controls.

Being aware of these different tools or strategies can be beneficial to the student. Staying up to date will be important in being an effective instructor.

April

History Wars-EDED 4310

History Wars are whether to teach civics or take broader approach in this subject. Technology has so much information in any subject. History already has a load of information which is one of the problems. Teachers complain there is too much information to cover in a short period of time. Teachers are also concerned such information will cause less need of teacher. If the information is in their fingertips then why need a teacher? The problem with contradiction of textbooks is an issue as well. I personally feel history should include the basics but include cultural history from the area you teach in. Also I would hope teachers are creative enough to think about combining lessons. Teach writing but write about a history topic. If art is a subject covered learn and create a artifact from the past. We must combine lessons in order to cover things they don't have time to cover.