Here is my final video for ETC (week4).
Sunday, October 17, 2010
W4_Reading
Virtual Worlds, like Second Life, are definitely the up and coming in technology. Many allow learner to grasp concept while playing a game which most people (especially young people) enjoy. The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is trying to bring federal agencies, comp., univ, and foundations together. Trying to develop common software, get everyone on same page so the online environment is consistent across the board. Multiple links available.
Study Island helps increase standardized test score performance—study released. http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/reviews/4636.aspx
individual studies done - connect SI to scientific researched lit
Research shows a 13.36% increase in student knowledge when web-based instruction is used in addition to normal classroom teaching.
Study suggests that a combination of web-based and teacher-led may be the best combination in order to help students succeed the most.
Study Island benefits: written from state standards, student practice to build mastery, multiple subjects offered, ownership in decision making (how many questions to answer), basic lessons available, immediate feedback, student and teacher can both see progress
Teachers use info to form their teaching
Magnolia Consulting reports in order for AYP to improve, results in student data must be used to formulate lessons.
Frequent assessments
This resource allows teachers, students, administrators, and parents to see: what is expected of students on the tests
Shows performance levels, what needs to be achieved at each level, topics covered, and actual standard
Questions can be viewed for each standard for each year test has been given.
These questions can be used in class to help prepare students and see what they know and what areas need to have increased knowledge. Exact questions can be printed.
All subjects can be reached.
Entire section denoted to Frequently Asked Questions
Resources are available for each grade level.
Survey can be taken and submitted
Practice tests are available with explanation of what student did wrong to help with improvement.
A blueprint for reform. http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/blueprint/blueprint.pdf
Obama said that "Every child in America deserves a world-class education."
10 countries have passed the US in number of students completing college, whereas 30 years ago we were the front runner.
NCLB came from that stat.
Blueprint involves: college and career ready students
teachers and administration need to be qualified - evaluations of them need to occur
Fair accountability for all levels.
"Race to the Top" - Raising the bar to push students and rewarding their excellence has to occur in order to give students the drive they need.
Continuous Improvement on the part of schools and teachers
Innovation on the part of teachers in how to get the information across so students learn as much as possible.
Grants for schools showing a "turn around".
PE6
My Study Island spreadsheet is going pretty well. I thought I'd include a few snapshots of Study Island since I'll need these as part of my ARP. I have also included the second spreadsheet to include the rest of the data.
Here is some information on Study Island (SI). Each student has their own account with a username and password to which only they, their parent and the teacher have access. Once they take a pretest, they pick the area they want to concentrate on and they even get to choose what their character looks like. I can then use this data to help formulate my lessons as far as how each student prefers to learn and how many questions they like to do at a time.
If the student chooses to play a game, there is a whole list from which to choose. Here is an example of basketball. The student reads the question, chooses an answer then gets to shoot if they are correct.
The student has the option to do the test mode which takes less time, but is not as entertaining. It is totally their choice how many questions they do and how they do them. There is a lot of ownership in to this tool.
Now for the additional spreadsheets since I wasn't able to get all of the student data on one spreadsheet, I had to make another one. I learned how to copy and paste cells so I didn't have to completely start over. his definitely saved me a lot of time. The amount I am learning is incredible!
Here is the screen shot of the second section of my students since I have too many to fit on one page.
The more my students take advantage of this tool the more information I will have to fill in my spreadsheets. I will continue to update these and use this data for my ARP and my personal use.
PE5
When I told the math teacher today what I was doing with the spreadsheet she thought it sounded great and then asked me if I was insane! I think the answer to that is yes, but I know this will help me to help my students pass the OAA. I now have complete access to the Study Island Administrator so I can see how each student is progressing, what areas they have tried so far, how much time they have spent, and where they need the most help.
Each main topic area is broken into subtopics. My main problem is that I can't figure out how to get all of my subtopics onto one spreadsheet. I am still working on that one. I am anxious to have my students have more time to access this tool so I will have more data to use. Unfortunately, although they have access to this program, if they have Internet at home, it is their choice if they get on this program. All of the parents have been notified as to their child's involvement in order to increase their OAA scores, but there are still many students' parents whom do not check to make sure they are taking advantage of this tool.
Each main topic area is broken into subtopics. My main problem is that I can't figure out how to get all of my subtopics onto one spreadsheet. I am still working on that one. I am anxious to have my students have more time to access this tool so I will have more data to use. Unfortunately, although they have access to this program, if they have Internet at home, it is their choice if they get on this program. All of the parents have been notified as to their child's involvement in order to increase their OAA scores, but there are still many students' parents whom do not check to make sure they are taking advantage of this tool.
PE4
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
W3_Reading
Ohio Schools After No Child Left Behind http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/14202/education/ohio_schools_after_no_child_left_behind.html
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was set standards in 4 areas:
Study Island isn't exactly a vacation, but it is a program to help increase student knowledge of standards.
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was set standards in 4 areas:
- assessment - testing of standards in academic areas of reading, math, and science for 8th grade
- planning - instructional planning on the part of the teacher in order to teach the standards
- implementation - teaching the standards in a manner that students can understand and remember
- evaluation - evaluating progress of each individual student in order to make sure they are getting the standards Schools that need help in help in these areas receive aid from the state.
- NCLB started 7 years ago
- scores increased 20 pints
- schools continue to have success
- no more schools in academic emergency
- grad rates rising
- Literacy Specialist Program
My second resource for this week is Pros and cons of NCLB: What the research says http://www.ernweb.com/public/892.cfm
Only a handful of scholars and practitioners have argued in defense of standardized tests," write Wang and fellow researchers Gulbahar H. Beckette and Lionel Brown.
evidence-based research
According to Wang, Beckette, and Brown - "Only a handful of scholars and practitioners have argued in defense of standardized tests."
According to Wang, Beckette, and Brown - "Only a handful of scholars and practitioners have argued in defense of standardized tests."
Assessment-driven reform
Pros: assessment driven, reform needed to change decline in standardized tests, big influence on school curriculum and improvement
Cons: lower scores have been caused by poor home quality, lack of communication and help from parents, lack of qualified teachers, Standardized tests lose teacher - student relationship
Standards-based assessment
Pros: common core of knowledge, common standards, statewide poll supports testing of standards
Cons: these tests simplify the knowledge and don't test the higher-order thinking skills
Assessment-centered accountability
Pros: best alternative, accountability
cons: no differentiation of instruction evaluation
High-stakes consequences
Pros: high stakes makes students and teachers want to perform better
Cons: "Some of the negative consequences of high-stakes accountability systems include higher dropout and retention rates, lower motivation, teaching to the test, unethical test preparation, etc." " Some reports of gains have been discredited as test-polluting practices such as excluding students or higher dropout rates.", research shows rewards, such as high stakes, are not productive
My 3rd resource for this week is Study Island Case Study.
Study Island isn't exactly a vacation, but it is a program to help increase student knowledge of standards. Unique to each state's standards.
Questions set up to instructor's desires.
Pretest and posttest questions
Each lesson is separate
70% must be achieved to receive blue ribbon
Teacher can reset each student's progress as needed
games or lessons at student's choice for each topic
Teacher can design own worksheets or use preset ones.
They can also be reorganized.
The 4th resource I am taking notes on for this week is Study Island and No Child Left Behind.
All pictures courtesy of http://www.sxc.hu/
The 4th resource I am taking notes on for this week is Study Island and No Child Left Behind.
Study Island is set for each state's standards
Offers instruction, assessment and diagnostics
Specific practice for areas needed
Diagnostic reports to teacher about each individual student on strengths and weaknesses
Helps teacher design lessons based on the reports
Teacher knows which topics to focus on
Helps schools meet Average Yearly Progress (AYP)
Parental involvement
All pictures courtesy of http://www.sxc.hu/
BP11_ Comment to Classmate Jessica Coffelt's Blog
Follow this link to Jessica Coffelt's blog on the Web 2.0 tool - Dance Mat Typing.
BP9_Virtual Field Trip
Science is the area on which I am focusing. Our first stop is the Chemistry Lab. Here you can stop at the classroom welcome page, study safety rules, learn equipment, or take a quiz.
The quizzes are all 6 questions long and multiple choice. The questions can all be corrected and reset so the learn can continue to make progress and learn concepts. 
Another one of the sixty areas in Science to stop at is Plate Tectonics. Here the student will find descriptions, plates, boundaries, earth quakes, volcanoes and much more. Each are then includes assignments, demonstrations, and quizzes. 
Each of the boundary demonstrations shows the plates moving in the direction in order to give the student a visual to actually show the boundary occurring.
The final area we will check out covers the water cycle. 
This section is extremely thorough and descriptive. It begins with a visual of the different parts of the water cycle as it takes the student thorough each part and shows how each part relates to the entire cycle. 
The student then has the opportunity to make their own water cycle wheel and label each of the parts accordingly. The teacher could easily adapt this lesson for more advanced students or for students who are struggling. It may be used for additional practice and reinforcement.
The student then has the opportunity to make their own water cycle wheel and label each of the parts accordingly. The teacher could easily adapt this lesson for more advanced students or for students who are struggling. It may be used for additional practice and reinforcement. This web 2.0 tool allows the teacher many possibilities in which to use this site and to make it match the needs of the classroom and the student. With so many areas being covered with this tool, teachers in multiple grade levels and subject areas would find it useful.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
PE3
Ok, I think I finally am getting the hang of Spreadsheet. I have finally decided upon all of the sections and the organization should work. It took awhile to get the initial data all loaded in and I am still trying to figure out exactly how to keep track of everything. On Study Island (SI), for administrators there is an area where you can check on each students' accomplishments and progress. I am wondering if that is where I should get all my data or if I should have students report their data to me in order to give them more ownership. The only problem with that is they are to be working on this at home and I'm not sure they will remember to tell me everything. Also, I am in the computer room for only one period per week with my SI kids. This is going to be a bit confusing, but I think I'll get it all from the SI administrators page and just work with it from there.
Here is a screen shot of part of what I have so far. It is definitely a work in process until I see what works the best. There are still a lot of things for me to learn; for instance, why the orange box is around some of my data, how to add in a students alphabetically without having to retype everything or cut/pasting one at a time. I am excited to see what this tool can help me to accomplish!
PE2
Wow, spreadsheet is a very handy device. The main problem and I having is deciding what would be the best way to organize the data for my students using Study Island. I have been experimenting with different ideas in order to get the most out of my data. It needs to be organized in a manner which will allow me to keep track of the pretest score, each session score and final session score. I also need a way to show if they choose to have me wipe out a score. For my third posting I will take a screen shot of my final draft (unless I think of another way that works better), but for now they are all pretty rough. I keep finding myself wanting to go back and write it on paper, but I know this will be much better when it is all finished.
PE1
The tool I am going to be using which will go right along with my ARP is spreadsheet. I have never used this tool before and I think I am missing out on a lot and doing things the hard way. Just in looking at this tool and not doing a whole lot with it yet, I think I am going to be very surprised by how easy it makes data collection and organization for me. My goal is to use spreadsheet in order to keep track of my 8th graders' progress through Study Island, a computer program to increase student Ohio Achievement Assessment, OAA, knowledge and success. The program allows me, as an administrator, to see their individual success and failures, so spreadsheet will allow me to put all of this data together to see which areas I need to focus on in the classroom.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
W2_Reading
WR2
Raising Test Scores for All Students: An Administrator's Guide to Improving Standardized Test Performance/Using Data to Make Better Educational Decisions
Picture courtesy of Word Clip Art
Using data to improve instruction
· Set up a school-wide plan
A Everyone needs to be on the same page - teachers, parents, administrators
A Everyone needs to be on the same page - teachers, parents, administrators
· Find data to help design plans for instruction
Us Using spreadsheets to show all data and compare
Us Using spreadsheets to show all data and compare
Back to school with the class of Web 2.0: Part 1.
http://www.solutionwatch.com/512/back-to-school-with-the-class-of-web-20-part-1/
3 parts to document· Entire list of Web 2.0 tools to help teachers
o All researched and testes
o Dealing with all subjects
o Proven help to assist kids in learning
o Entertainment while learning
· Office applications
· Actual classroom cases of Web 2.0 tools
Wide Open Doors. Net
Facts about gaming in education
· “Games, if done right, can become a powerful tool to get groups to work together
o An 8th grader plays 5 hours of games per week
77% of all high schoolers have played games
50% of all kids who play games admit that gaming keeps them from studying
In order to be a good, educational game the student should not feel as though they are playing a game not studying
The quality of the graphics needs to be enticing
Are there multiple levels to offer a challenge?
Does a student want to continue to the next level?
77% of all high schoolers have played games
50% of all kids who play games admit that gaming keeps them from studying
In order to be a good, educational game the student should not feel as though they are playing a game not studying
The quality of the graphics needs to be enticing
Are there multiple levels to offer a challenge?
Does a student want to continue to the next level?
o See article for complete list of facts and statistics
· List of questions to help teachers evaluate gaming sites
The Impact of 1:1 Laptop Use on Middle School Math and Science Standardized Test Scores.
· Longitudinal data comparing pretest and posttest scores using computer group and control group
· Multiple studies done
· Used preexisting test scores as a base for info
· “The results suggest that 1:1 laptop instruction can increase student achievement under certain conditions.”
· Entire study deals with science and math results when a 1:1 student to computer ratio is met
All pictures courtesy of http://www.sxc.hu/
All pictures courtesy of http://www.sxc.hu/
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
BP7_Comment to Classmate Ashley Nottis' Blog
Please follow this link to Ashley Nottis' Blog on the Web 2.0 Tool - Quizlet.
Try to match the term with the definition. When you do, they will disappear so you know they are correct!
BP5_Solar Storm Watch
I am really enjoying having to make time in order to search Web 2.0 tools that go along with my curriculum. I showed this website to my students and they thought it was extremely interesting and fun. What more can I ask for; if my kids can learn and enjoy it at the same time, what a bonus! Solar Storm Watch is an amazing site which deals with three different areas of solar storm watching. The first area deals with what goes on in space between the sun and the earth. It allows the viewer to get information on these bodies and find out which star is the closet to earth.
The next area of this site is all about Stereo. What, were we talking about music? No, we are talking about Stereo Ahead and Stereo Behind, the two spacecraft gathering information on the Sun and space weather.
If students need information on scientists, this is a great place to get lots of it. There are six scientists to choose from all dealing with the spacecraft.
Finally, there are screencasts available on storm spotting and tracking. These are great to show students closer information on these storms.Wow, what a wonderful site to bring space into the classroom and allow students to experience it much closer. Lots of differentiation possible with this site especially with students at different levels and it also hits multiple intelligence really well.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
W1_Reading
My first four AR resources are all related to standardized test taking. My project is dealing with using technology, specifically Study Island, to raise standardized test scores, Ohio Achievement Assessment, OAA. Therefore, I am starting my research with standardized test research. Here is my summary of these sources.
Daytime Nap May Boost Memory
Photo from copyright free www.google.com http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/01/health/webmd/main3780856.shtml
Daytime Nap May Boost Memory
Photo from copyright free www.google.com http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/01/health/webmd/main3780856.shtml
Napping May Give The Brain A Chance To Reinforce New Memories, Sleep Experts Say
WebMD and CBS News report
· Matthew Tucker, PhD, and William Fishbein, PhD
· Work done in psychology department of the City College of the City University of New York.
· “In one test, they had to learn and remember pairs of unrelated words, such as "alligator" and "cigar." In another test, they had to navigate and remember a maze shown on a computer screen. And in the last test, the students had to copy a complex drawing onto a sheet of paper, and then
sketch the drawing from memory.”
· 45 minute nap
· control group and variable group
· 3 tests of short-term memory
· larger gains on tests after naps
· Nap makes memory sharper
· More alert
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Test_Problems_Seven/?page=3
Research conducted by McGraw and Hill
· tests are not fair to all students
more money = better opportunity for ed
· learning styles not taken into consideration
· lower grad rates = more dropouts
· more teaching time spent on test taking skills not on learning
· sacrificing for higher test scores
· flaws in tests
· teacher stress
· some subjects stress more than others
Improve Test Scores
http://www.learningbooks.net/xtest.html
· missing figures – comparing low, challenged, average and advanced children
· need to have a more equal way of comparing kids
· need to increase long-term memory
· test taking skills on how to take tests need to be taught
o how to read questions
o find main concepts
o double-check answers
o think through all answers
· reduce test anxiety
Tougher Test Requirements Hurt Ohio Students Performance Scores
http://diverseeducation.com/article/9080/
· Ohio Department of Education report
· Social Studies and Science portions much tougher
· Lowered overall ratings
· Students not passing need to be the focus
· Large gap between races and abilities
· “The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires achievement goals to be met in the aggregate and also within specific subsets of students based on race, ethnicity, income, disability and English proficiency.”
Saturday, October 2, 2010
BP4_Teacher Tube and Stopwatch
My Favorite Web 2.0 Tools
Wow, in searching for Web2.0 tools that would work in my 7th & 8th grade Science classroom, I came across the perfect tool I wish I would have found years ago. I have tried to use YouTube at school before, but it is always blocked even for teachers. I have tried to get it unblocked but have been told that it will always be blocked. I finally found the answer - Teacher Tube! I think I could spend an awful lot of time on this site due to the fact that it was so useful. There is a Science Lab Safety Rules Rap which covers the rules I focus on and at the same time is very entertaining. It also repeats the rules that are used the most. I'm sure my students will not only enjoy this video immensely, but it will also reiterate what I teach. Teacher Tube has so many options available that I definitely recommend it for everyone as there is something for everyone. 
http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?title=Science_Lab_Safety_Video_Rap&video_id=194405
As I searched through YouTube I found so many different sites that went right along with my curriculum and will reinforce what I teach and will allow me to teach to Multiple Intelligences.
Once I got started searching, I just couldn't stop and I also found Stopwatch. This is a tool which allows me to have a giant stop watch on my classroom screen via our document camera so that all students are able to see the time click down. We use stop watches very frequently for our labs. We just finished a lab dealing with soaking vinegar eggs in corn syrup and having to time them for thirty minutes, taking data every ten minutes. I had a small stopwatch on my desk and the large one visible for everyone to see would have been so wonderful. http://www.online-stopwatch.chronme.com/ For most people, this tool would not be very useful; however, for a science teacher, it definitely could be very useful for a classroom or laboratory.
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