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Assignment #7: Podcasts

 

1.  Science on the Wild Side Podcast #36 - Salute to Sea Turtles

        A) Audio podcast

        B) 15 minutes

        C) The Singing Science Teacher

        D) I chose this podcast because it would be a great addition to our study of sea animals.  The podcast includes interesting facts about sea turtles.

        E)  I especially liked the inclusion of a humorous song in the podcast.  First graders enjoy incorportating songs into daily lessons.

 

2.  Andersen's Podcast - Spiders

       A) Audio podcast

       B) 2 minutes 20 seconds

       C) Mrs. Ossenmacher's 2nd grade

       D) I chose this podcast because we spend time reading and studying about spiders.  I think that my students would get a kick out of hearing children their age report on spiders, and compare what we learned to their facts.

       E) The students in the podcast not only reported facts about spiders, but also slipped in a few jokes.

 

3.   Summer Safety Podcast

      A) Audio podcast 

         B)   11 minutes 44 seconds

         C)  Newfound Elemetary 3rd grade students

         D)  I ran across this podcast accidentally, but once I listened to it, decided to add it to my list.  Prior to summer, safety rules are reviewed in my classroom.  This podcast covers safety tips for summer, including biking, swimming, and camping.

         E)  The students had many other podcasts, ranging from a rocket launch to the American Revolution.

 

 

Assignment #6: Blogs

 

The following three blogs I found quite interesting: 

 

1.  Blogs About Reading/Sound It Out

     In this blog, Joanne Meier, posts comments on various topics, including reading fluency.  She is a researcher, writer, teacher, and mom, which gave her the advantage of taking different perspectives on topics.  She addresses both parents and teachers on topics such as reading aloud at home, magazines for kids, retention, and summer birthday kindergartners.  I was particularly interested, as a mom and teacher, in her comments about sending her own five year old summer birthday child to kindergarten.  Having two July birthday daughters myself, this topic caught my eye.  As a teacher for 20 years, I would agree that most often the children who struggle in first grade are those with summer birthdays.  This is not to say that all summer birthday children have difficulties.  Indeed, I have taught many younger children who have done very well in class.  I contemplated sending my oldest daughter when she was 5, for she had children in her class who were almost a whole year older, and the class size was large, of course.  I will need to make that decision again in three years whether to send my youngest July birthday child.  Since we will be consolidated by then, and class sizes will be smaller, and her education will be a fair one, she will most likely go at age 5. I just might post a comment on this blog...

 

Bobby: 16wpm

Madison: 26wpm

Ashlee: 77wpm

 

2. Homeschool Math

   Although I do not homeschool, I am happy that I checked out this blog.  I am certain that there are many parents who are homeschooling who have some creative ideas that might even work in the classroom.  Maria Miller discusses her idea of a "number rainbow" to add facts to 13.  Eye-catching and colorful, it is sure to be a hit in the classroom to help students learn facts of 13.

 

3.  Phonics Plus Five

   Dr. Marion Blank's blog not only advertises her reading program, but also addresses important education news and links to other sites.  On this particular blog, she discusses the disastrous consequences of "No Child Left Behind" for the high ability children.  Another topic that caught my eye, again as a mom and a teacher, is the danger to children from food and drink additives.  Adhering to our new wellness policy at school is vital in order to expect children to be able to concentrate and stay focused on learning.  Unfortunately, we have some students eating garbage for breakfast and lunch (I have cafeteria duty each day and I am well aware of what some students are eating), and then we see the consequences of the sugar and unhealthy additives.  Too bad we couldn't enforce a wellness policy in some homes...

 

 Assignment #5: Webquests

 

The following webquests align with the science standards and curriculum for first grade:

 

1.  Exploring the Oceans

     The students will be studying the oceans in groups of four. The students will be placed into groups, with each group exploring a different aspect of the ocean.  The webquest aligns with our science curriculum in that it covers ocean life, continents, and explorers.

 

2.  The Seasons 

     This webquest is for students in first grade to learn about the weather of the four seasons of the year and to learn about the appropriate clothing for each season. The students are placed in groups of four, with each student assigned a season.  The students use their time wisely to learn about each season, then report back to the group on appropriate dress for that season.  The webquest aligns with our studies of the seasons and appropriate attire for the weather conditions.

 

3.  An Apple a Day

     In this webquest students will learn about the life cycle of an apple tree, the many different kinds of apples, and some other fun information about apples.  The webquest aligns with our study of fall products, in particular, the apple. This webquest would be ideal to use prior to our trip to the apple orchard.

 

4.  Apple Varieties

     This WebQuest was designed to introduce students in the first grade to six different apple varieties and their uses through completion of a chart, tasting of apples, and creating their own apple book. This webquest aligns with our study of apples, and would be an excellent follow up to our field trip to the apple orchard. I especially love the part of the webquest that involves the children doing a taste test of their favorite apples.

 

5. The Life Cycle of a Butterfly 

    This website provides activities for students dealing with the life cycle of a butterfly. The students will identify and organize the different stages of the cycle.  This webquest aligns with our study of the different stages of the butterfly, from egg to adult.

 

 

 

Assignment #4:

 

 

 

 

Assignment #3: Del.ico.us

 

 

 

Assignment #2: Search Engines

 

1. The text entered was "math songs for teaching."
2. Google: 2,040,000,   Yahoo: 2,780,000,   Ask: 376,000
3. Using the first ten results that would be useful from each site, Google had 3, Yahoo had 3, and Ask had 1.
4. Some useful sights for math songs are link 1,  link 2 , link 3  
5. To refine the search, I used the exact phrase.
6. The results were significantly different in number and content.  I received 9 results, all specific to the content.
7. In comparing and contrasting the home pages of the search engines, I found the following:  Google is simple, yet effective.  It includes lots of search features, especially when I clicked on "more."  Google also has the advanced search option.  Yahoo seemed much too cluttered for a home page.  It had no advanced search feature that I could find.  I am searching for something that I want to see, not what Yahoo wants to show me.  It did have some search features, but not highlighted as well as Google and Ask.  When I clicked on "more," there was not much more.  Ask was simple like Google, however it also did not have as many search feature categories as Google.  In a nutshell, Google places its search features on the front end of the desired search.  Yahoo and Ask place more search features on the back end of its desired search. 
8. In comparing and contrasting the results pages for each of the search engines, I found the following:  Google seemed to throw back the most accurate sites, even before I did the advanced search.  Once again, Google is straight to the point, without a lot of other clutter.  I am surprised that Google does not have related searches at the top of the page, but rather at the bottom.  I never realized before this assignment why some Google links are indented, and why some of them are listed twice.  I now know that the second indented link is just more specific to the one previous to it, and that it seems based on how many visitors it has.  Google listed sponsored links on its results page.  Yahoo listed sponsored links as well, but listed related searches at the top ("also try...").  Ask certainly differed the most on the results page.  On the left of the page, I could narrow my search, and there were no sponsor results.  Ask took longer to load, but I realized that it must be because of the "binocular" icon in front of some of the links.  Upon moving the cursor to the binocular, a small picture would appear to give me a glimpse of what was to come.  I had some trouble when I clicked on a few of the links.  The results page listed sites for math songs, but when I clicked on some, they had nothing to do with math.  
9. It was so interesting to use these three search engines.  I have to admit that Google is usually the only one that I ever seem to use.  After this assignment, I think I will continue to lean toward Google.  Once again, Google is effective with its simplicity.  Straight to the point, with no excess clutter, is what appeals to me.  Google finds what I want to see, not what it thinks I should see.