Kurzweil
More info
This is a software that IU offers to it students for free. The basic purpose I use this resource is to have the computer read my textbooks and PDF’s for me. I can get my textbooks put online at adaptive technology services and then when I have to read, all I need to do is press play. If I don’t want to take forever reading, I can increase the speed of the computer generated reader to get my work done faster. Even if I check my facebook for a few seconds, the reader will continue so I am not wasting my time. Other features are the annotation tools. I can ‘highlight’ the text throughout and then later extract everything I highlighted into a new document. This is more efficient then having to write down notes as you go because you will have all the direct quotes. If you didn’t want to sit at a computer to hear a text being played, you can convert the audio into a mp3 file and play it on your Zune or other mp3 device. Also, for those of you who take your laptop everywhere, instead of taking all your text books to class, you can have them stored on the computer. This is a great free tool to take advantage of while in school.
Now that you know about this tool, how could this help you with your students? I know as a child, I didn’t like reading. I have difficulty understanding the stories while I read. Having someone other than my parents read to me helps me comprehend the things I read much better. This is especially valuable for students who are mentally challenged. For students who might have trouble following along, the software highlights the current sentence in yellow and the current word in green. This could be a great tool for any time a student is giving online articles to read because if they put Kurzweil in their web browser all they need to do is press play. Each student can get their reading done in their own pace in their own format and giving students this extra option helps out students who might have difficulty in reading.
Stop Watch
I know I have used this tool when timing speeches for class. I would press go and start talking to see if my speech was long enough. Math teacher would also put on the timer during tests to show us how much time we have left. This could sometimes be intimidating but it gets a point across about when we will be done. A few weeks ago I was in another w200 course and the teacher would constantly lie to the students about how much time they had to work. She will say that students have an hour to work and then 20 minutes later would say to stop what you are doing.
This tool could help the teacher be more credible by setting the time allotted initially. This tool could be used to help students manage time. A student can set a time for themselves to get a task done and when time runs out, the student can more on to a different assignment.
Smart Audio
When I was in summer school, this one girl always carried this box thing around her neck. Every day before class, she would hand a microphone to her teacher. The teacher would put it on and speak. This wireless microphone was used to help the girl hear better by amplifying the noise from the microphone.
When we were in a group discussion time, all my peers and I had a fun time using the microphone for her to hear better. This tool can help students hear the teacher better. This would help to make sure the student was on task because if the teacher talks quietly enough, the student can receive a secret message.
This tool seemed like a fun way to be supportive of one another as a whole class.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Phonics vs. Whole Words
The debate drags on and on!
Flashback!
As a child, I could never read books like my peers could. I tried a bunch of different programs like Hooked on Phonics and Leap Frog systems and even had private tutors from 1st grade till 8th grade. I would have done anything to be able to read like my friends could.
Recently I heard of My Baby Can Read! This The company showed videos of children reading at young ages. I was blown away like any other human being would. They said that because a child soaks in all their verbal skills and words as an infant, that this would be a crucial time for children to learn. The show that this program will put your child on a jump start to success!
So one parent had a whole lot to say about this program. "Yes children who use whole word may read sooner than kids who learn with phonics, but in the long run they pay a very big price. They do not know how to decode words and spell - they can only half read - easily skimming over words they think they have memorized and never gaining full comprehension of what they are reading. Yes whole word will give your child confidence in reading, but it will be bad confidence and hard to correct later on."
http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-F50-5791DC-38C97B3A-prod4
She is saying that memorizing the words now will hurt students in the future. The way they know how to 'read' is by memorizing patterns of words as apposed to learning how to read the words (phonics). She is saying though it seems great now, students in the future will know more site words then none site words and miss out on the reading as a whole.
On my side of the story, youth is something that we don't have enough time to enjoy. Let kids be kids! I know I wish I could go back to having no responsibility and playing all day. This is why I want to be a teacher, I want to feel like a kid again that has a good head on their shoulders.
Flashback!
As a child, I could never read books like my peers could. I tried a bunch of different programs like Hooked on Phonics and Leap Frog systems and even had private tutors from 1st grade till 8th grade. I would have done anything to be able to read like my friends could.
Recently I heard of My Baby Can Read! This The company showed videos of children reading at young ages. I was blown away like any other human being would. They said that because a child soaks in all their verbal skills and words as an infant, that this would be a crucial time for children to learn. The show that this program will put your child on a jump start to success!
So one parent had a whole lot to say about this program. "Yes children who use whole word may read sooner than kids who learn with phonics, but in the long run they pay a very big price. They do not know how to decode words and spell - they can only half read - easily skimming over words they think they have memorized and never gaining full comprehension of what they are reading. Yes whole word will give your child confidence in reading, but it will be bad confidence and hard to correct later on."
http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-F50-5791DC-38C97B3A-prod4
She is saying that memorizing the words now will hurt students in the future. The way they know how to 'read' is by memorizing patterns of words as apposed to learning how to read the words (phonics). She is saying though it seems great now, students in the future will know more site words then none site words and miss out on the reading as a whole.
On my side of the story, youth is something that we don't have enough time to enjoy. Let kids be kids! I know I wish I could go back to having no responsibility and playing all day. This is why I want to be a teacher, I want to feel like a kid again that has a good head on their shoulders.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Computer Games for Kids!
We have all seen the Leap Frog system and the video games that companies market to kids. The parents get pushed into buying what ever the kids want.
Flashback!
I remember as a child that I wanted this cool leapfrog toy, but, once I got past the whole educational aspect of it, I got bored. The whole marketing was the fact that this toy could be twisted to spell world. But it was really just a scene to get the kids to badger their parent to getting it.
I went to this website to help find a cure!
http://funschool.kaboose.com/formula-fusion/number-fun/games/game_cannon_math.html
This site has beautifully made games that kids can play at home. The children have a huge variety of things they can play. The game I played (cannon math) was math related and basically the child has to figure out how much force it needs to shoot the girl out of the cannon to land on the best answer. Though I think shooting the child out of a conon is inhumane, the game helps keep the kids busy without any of the gory stuff that the child might have in a video game. The best part about this site is that parents dont have to pay money to buy their kids new toys they wont use. If they dont like the game, they can move on!
Flashback!
I remember as a child that I wanted this cool leapfrog toy, but, once I got past the whole educational aspect of it, I got bored. The whole marketing was the fact that this toy could be twisted to spell world. But it was really just a scene to get the kids to badger their parent to getting it.
I went to this website to help find a cure!
http://funschool.kaboose.com/formula-fusion/number-fun/games/game_cannon_math.html
This site has beautifully made games that kids can play at home. The children have a huge variety of things they can play. The game I played (cannon math) was math related and basically the child has to figure out how much force it needs to shoot the girl out of the cannon to land on the best answer. Though I think shooting the child out of a conon is inhumane, the game helps keep the kids busy without any of the gory stuff that the child might have in a video game. The best part about this site is that parents dont have to pay money to buy their kids new toys they wont use. If they dont like the game, they can move on!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Computers in education?
Take Back the Afternoon:
Preserving the Landscape of Childhood In Spite of Computers
by David Sobel
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/technology/sobel.htm
This article is making visible the negative side of technology. The author wants you to limit your children from using computers at such a young age. Sobel mentions how some companies are trying to get computers into the hands of 4 year old's so they can pick out their consumer trends for the next sixty years. Now that is way to young.
Flash back!
Going through my youth, I remember that spelling was never my strong suit and spell check wasn't on my computer. Teachers would always have me lose points because I had so many spelling errors. Thinking to today's elementary students, if they are raised to go and use spell check on everything as apposed to purely hand written, then won't their spelling skills be drastically poorer then the generation that didn't have technology?
-
Back to the first day of w200 I thought 'why do children need to be preoccupied by technology when they take advantage of the world around them?' Though I think many of the tools I have learned about have been quiet useful and efficient, I don't think super young children should be distracted from the natural exploration of the world. They have plenty of years ahead of them to use computers so why ruin that time of purity they have as youngster?
Preserving the Landscape of Childhood In Spite of Computers
by David Sobel
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/technology/sobel.htm
This article is making visible the negative side of technology. The author wants you to limit your children from using computers at such a young age. Sobel mentions how some companies are trying to get computers into the hands of 4 year old's so they can pick out their consumer trends for the next sixty years. Now that is way to young.
Flash back!
Going through my youth, I remember that spelling was never my strong suit and spell check wasn't on my computer. Teachers would always have me lose points because I had so many spelling errors. Thinking to today's elementary students, if they are raised to go and use spell check on everything as apposed to purely hand written, then won't their spelling skills be drastically poorer then the generation that didn't have technology?
-
Back to the first day of w200 I thought 'why do children need to be preoccupied by technology when they take advantage of the world around them?' Though I think many of the tools I have learned about have been quiet useful and efficient, I don't think super young children should be distracted from the natural exploration of the world. They have plenty of years ahead of them to use computers so why ruin that time of purity they have as youngster?
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