SAS Curriculum Pathways

The lesson I looked at was called "Unclear Pronoun Reference," launch number 893.

I think this lesson is really important for an English class because this proper pronoun reference is a problem in all grades levels, and is a very critical issue to address in order to improve student writing and help them communicate their ideas more effectively and professionally. I really like how the lesson was set up on the site and how clearly marked the steps were: first students would read about unclear pronoun references and look at how it causes confusion in sentences, then they would research examples of confusing sentences because of unclear pronoun references, and lastly they would respond by collecting examples of sentences with unclear pronoun references and explaining how to correct them to make more sense to readers.

I like this lesson because it has everything the teacher needs right there in one place. I like that there are two websites provided for students to get familiar with correct pronoun usage so that when students are doing their work they have a little bit of variety during the lesson (I know that's not much, but it might keep them more active then if they were just staring at the same site for the whole lesson). I also like that the worksheet needed for assessment is provided. I do think that this lesson doesn't leave too much room for creativity on the part of the teacher. If this lesson is used, it's all laid out for the teacher, which is a definite plus, but there isn't really anything that makes it particularly interesting or exciting for kids. I suppose this is something the teacher would have to do her/himself, which of course is great, but I'm sure there are a lot of teachers who won't bother trying to make the lesson more interesting and will just be glad to find a ready-made lesson that they don't have to do much prep-work for. However, if the teacher using the lesson is willing to put their own spin on it and make it even better, this is a great resource.

A Fancy Prezi

My New WikiSpace

I don't know if we need to post our Wiki page here, but just in case:

http://erin-comp-in-the-class-wiki.wikispaces.com/

Homework

Things that I like about Zoho Writer that makes it unique:

• 1. I really like how you can have multiple users editing the same document at the same time, and you can see at the bottom of the page the number of users you have using the document.

• 2. I like how everything is very neat looking, how all the tabs for your documents come up at the top and all your tools are organized in one place. I didn't like how in GoogleDocs, almost every new thing you would click on would open a new tab in your browser, which gets messy. Zoho keeps all your document tabs in the same browser-tab. Cool.
  

• 3. It's very similar to Microsoft Word, especially the older versions. I hate going into the computer labs at school and having to get used to the new Microsoft where I can't find anything, when I'm so used to the older (don't hate ) version that's on my laptop and that I'm used to.
  

Things that I think Zoho Writer lacks in comparison to other word processors:

• 1. I don't like the limited fonts...I love my fonts!

• 2. While I do like how neat all the tabs are at the top of the page, I can see how they would get start to seem constricted and a little to tightly-packed together.
  

• 3. I don't think I would use the offline mode - it sounded confusing in class, and I think that if I had to get something done I would make sure I could do it all in one sitting or have it sajvk   saved somewhere else just to make sure I wouldn't have to deal with any of that confusion.
  

I could integrate this program into my classroom by...

I would have my students use this in school or with a project if it involved a group project. I think that would be a really good way for students to collaborate - either on a paper or an outline or just some kind of organized write-up of their ideas - when they're not in school together, or if they absolutely cannot meet up in person. It's a little bit easier to edit than e-mailing a draft back and forth between multiple users, and this way the changes are virtually instantaneous and students can get their ideas across to others faster. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I think I would prefer a trusty word processor to write up my own documents and I would encourage students to do the same, just because it has been reliable in the past and I'm comfortable with it. However, this is a pretty convenient and ingenious tool, and I would definitely put it out there for students to use if they felt comfortable with it and if it suited their needs.  

P.S. - During that last big passage, my font totally just got changed mid-sentence, and I can't change it back. Sigh. Guess that's a strike against you, Zoho!

  

Grading the Book Review

I think our book review projects should be graded as a group, since there was so much emphasis put on collaboration and working with all the members in our group and whatnot. I think in extreme cases, if it is obvious that one person did all the work or there is a person who clearly did no work, or none compared to the work of the other group members, then that should be taken into account and the person (people) who did not contribute enough will be penalized - but again this is only in the case that the work was obviously not shouldered by the entire group. I think there are parts (if not the whole) of the project that could easily be done by one person, so the fact that such emphasis was put on group cooperation and participation should mean that the group as a whole will be graded for it's ability to incorporate these qualities into the project. I think grading this project as a group will also give more incentive for all the group members to participate, especially if it is known that if all do not participate there will be a penalty. While grading individually would also provide such an incentive, I think that if the point of the project is to cooperate together and share the work, then the grade should be shared as well, and the penalization of slackers will be kind of a look-over-the-shoulder to guide participants to do their share of the work.

Thinkfinity in the Classroom

I really liked the Thinkfinity site that we looked at in class last week. It had so many resources and choices of media and activities to use in the classroom, and I love all the variety that was available. This is an incredible resource for teachers who may need to add something extra to their lessons, something that may get students more involved in class or make their experience of the lesson more than just reading textbooks or taking notes. There are lesson plans and worksheets available on the site, but there are also videos and interactive activities, which I think will require students to do more than just repeat back information. In class we saw a little bit of a video presentation on the Japanese internment camps during World War II, and I think activities like that one will give students more than just facts and dates - they will learn about empathy and various moral dilemmas people face and the impact it has on those around them. I think it is our job as teachers to not only present the facts to our students, but to also present various ways of thinking about a problem or situation. This way we can allow them to think for themselves and find out what they think is right for themselves as individuals, after being shown the facts and events that have been deemed important by us, curriculum, or just society in general. With the resources provided by Thinkfinity, we will have more opportunities to present our students with a richer classroom experience where they will learn formulas, dates, and theories as well as more about the human experience, what it means to be a democratic citizen, and how they can influence the world with their thoughts and ideas.