Lesson Plan Overview

1. Focus: This assignment is meant to familiarize my students with Microsoft Word. As an English Teaching major I have used this program substantially and there were many things I didn’t know about the program until I figured it out for myself in college. This lesson plan will include a thorough introduction and overview of Word and the most common things you need to know for the years to come and the papers that will come with those years. The actual assignment will consist of a reflective journal that will be written throughout the course of our reading of J.D. Salinger’s novel Catcher in the Rye. Some days I will provide the class with a prompt for something to write about for that specific day, but other days will just be free write responses to the section of text we read and studied for that day. These journal entries will be written and correctly noted in Word, saved as an attachment to each student’s e-mail address and e-mailed to me by 8:00 pm on the due date. Not only will this assignment help the students familiarize themselves with Word, but it will also allow me to make sure they are keeping up on their reading.

2. Subject Matter and Grade Level:
10th grade Language Arts
Responding to Salinger's Catcher in the Rye through the use of Microsoft Word and e-mail

3. Language Arts - 10th Grade -Standard 1
Students use comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading.

4. Technologies being used:
Microsoft Word
School provided e-mail system
Internet access

5. I will show my students examples of good journal entries that will give them an idea exactly what I am looking for. I am also going to go through step by step with them the attachment/e-mail process.

6. Ethical Issues Addressed:
The reason I have selected this activity for this particular response is because I want to know how my students are responding to a book which brings up and addresses some very controversial issues. This book has been banned in some states; however, I think it is a valuable piece of literature and one that influenced me significantly during my high school years. I will have my students sign a form at the beginning of the year which makes them aware of the literature we will be studying in class. They will have the opportunity to bypass a piece of literature for a similar assignment if they choose not to study what we are studying in class. I will also be prepared to explain my reasoning to any questioning parents who ask why I am requiring this particular book for my classroom

response to the assignment

I thought the ethics assignment was very helpful. I was in the copyright group and I was amazed as I researched how many things you need permission for before you download. Music, articles (if more than one), etc. It is important to document sources and let the webmaster know if you are using something from the internet. This assignment was very helpful especially preparing to be an English teacher. You need to be aware and keep yourself current on the copyright laws to make sure you don't end up in a ton of trouble!!

response to assignment

In response to the ethics teaching assignment done in class I can honestly say I learned a lot. It was very helpful to know what to look out for as a teacher. There are so many copyright laws to be aware of- especially as an English teacher. There are limits on downloading articles, music, etc. I also found the information concerning keeping yourself in today's technological world very beneficial. There are so many things you need to look out for and be aware of. Hackers can break into almost anything and find out so much about a person with the internet as a resource. The things that I learned in class on Monday will not only help in my professional life, but in my personal life as well. These lessons were informative and necessary.

response to assignment

movie assignment

Here are the technological tools used in the multimedia presentation:
video cameras
editing software
animation software
laptop computers

The multimedia project utilized technology effectively because the technology,
for the most part, did not interfere but enhanced the students' learning. Here
are the reasons:

1. The students were able to create movies about ideas important to them; this
greatly enhanced their self expression.

2. They were able to share and present their knowledge to others, and in the most
extreme case, to government agencies.

3. The students came out more educated about creativity and presenting a
message. They were mostly upbeat and excited, and looked forward to doing it
again.

There are some concerns, though.

Unless the students know the editing technology already, they would spend a
significant amount of time learning it.

Some of the animation looked like it would take a long time to teach and do, and
in the process the student might lose scope of the bigger project.

Often times the more skilled or knowledgeable students will take over the project and exclude certain group members from participating, or else will get stuck with the majority of the project themselves. It is a concern that work will not be shared or equally distributed when working in groups.

To overcome these, I suggest:

There needs to be a class where students are specifically instructed on how to
use technology throughout their high school career.

Projects should be simplified so that technology does not become a distraction,
but an enhancement.

Each student should be assigned a specific task in the project to make sure the work is equally distributed.

movie assignment

Here are the technological tools used in the multimedia presentation:
video cameras
editing software
animation software
laptop computers

The multimedia project utilized technology effectively because the technology,
for the most part, did not interfere but enhanced the students' learning. Here
are the reasons:

1. The students were able to create movies about ideas important to them; this
greatly enhanced their self expression.

2. They were able to share and present their knowledge to others, and in the most
extreme case, to government agencies.

3. The students came out more educated about creativity and presenting a
message. They were mostly upbeat and excited, and looked forward to doing it
again.

There are some concerns, though.

Unless the students know the editing technology already, they would spend a
significant amount of time learning it.

Some of the animation looked like it would take a long time to teach and do, and
in the process the student might lose scope of the bigger project.

Often times the more skilled or knowledgeable students will take over the project and exclude certain group members from participating, or else will get stuck with the majority of the project themselves. It is a concern that work will not be shared or equally distributed when working in groups.

To overcome these, I suggest:

There needs to be a class where students are specifically instructed on how to
use technology throughout their high school career.

Projects should be simplified so that technology does not become a distraction,
but an enhancement.

Each student should be assigned a specific task in the project to make sure the work is equally distributed.

Our group watched “Weaving a Multimedia Approach to Literature in Middle School Education and “Students Find Their Voices Through Multimedia”. We found both of these on-line media sources to be helpful in different ways.
“Weaving a Multimedia Approach” was a video of a teacher teaching other teachers in a classroom setting. She had created a power point presentation which she used to prompt her lecture. We found this a beneficial resource for teachers for several different reasons. First being it allows a teacher trying to prepare a lesson similar to this a reference to look at before delivering her own lesson. It is always helpful to see someone else in action before you have to do it yourself. Secondly, it showed student-teacher interaction. Although these were fellow teachers, it is helpful to see the questions and answers that accompany a lecture.

There was an interesting process that took place that could be of value to students: first, students were instructed verbally, and a few questions were answered; second, they went to work in groups on the computers, applying what they learned; finally, they assessed among themselves the benefits and then more questions were asked. Technology in this aspect was very well utilized and helpful.

The teacher’s use of a power point presentation helped her in teaching a difficult lesson. It is difficult to get students interested in topics such as literary theory and critic. She introduced ideas that would apply to all ages and interests. The images on the power point presentation were fun ones that students would recognize (i.e. Disney pictures).

This presentation was a good use of the principle of scaffolding. The teacher is able to add new information to what students already know and recognize through the use of media and pictures. Also, power point presentations in general are a good resource because they often accommodate to several different learning styles. Adding pictures, sounds, video, etc. to a normal lecture helps students of many learning styles to connect to the lecture, and better understand the material being taught. When students (or other teachers!) have something visual to look at during a lesson, they are more apt to pay attention and to stay with the lesson.

Barriers that might exist in imitating this teacher’s style would occur in your access to technology. This teacher had a laptop and a projector. This sort of technology may not always be available in secondary education.

Overall this media presentation was helpful and would be considered a reliable source by those entering the teaching field. Our group watched “Weaving a Multimedia Approach to Literature in Middle School Education and “Students Find Their Voices Through Multimedia”. We found both of these on-line media sources to be helpful in different ways.
“Weaving a Multimedia Approach” was a video of a teacher teaching other teachers in a classroom setting. She had created a power point presentation which she used to prompt her lecture. We found this a beneficial resource for teachers for several different reasons. First being it allows a teacher trying to prepare a lesson similar to this a reference to look at before delivering her own lesson. It is always helpful to see someone else in action before you have to do it yourself. Secondly, it showed student-teacher interaction. Although these were fellow teachers, it is helpful to see the questions and answers that accompany a lecture.

There was an interesting process that took place that could be of value to students: first, students were instructed verbally, and a few questions were answered; second, they went to work in groups on the computers, applying what they learned; finally, they assessed among themselves the benefits and then more questions were asked. Technology in this aspect was very well utilized and helpful.

The teacher’s use of a power point presentation helped her in teaching a difficult lesson. It is difficult to get students interested in topics such as literary theory and critic. She introduced ideas that would apply to all ages and interests. The images on the power point presentation were fun ones that students would recognize (i.e. Disney pictures).

This presentation was a good use of the principle of scaffolding. The teacher is able to add new information to what students already know and recognize through the use of media and pictures. Also, power point presentations in general are a good resource because they often accommodate to several different learning styles. Adding pictures, sounds, video, etc. to a normal lecture helps students of many learning styles to connect to the lecture, and better understand the material being taught. When students (or other teachers!) have something visual to look at during a lesson, they are more apt to pay attention and to stay with the lesson.

Barriers that might exist in imitating this teacher’s style would occur in your access to technology. This teacher had a laptop and a projector. This sort of technology may not always be available in secondary education.

Overall this media presentation was helpful and would be considered a reliable source by those entering the teaching field.

My 2 "Rules of Thumb"

1. If technology continues to advance even half as much as it has in the last ten years, consider what your students will be facing when they are your age.

2. Technology applies to your field of study in one way or another-- no matter what it is.

*I read the article and scanned the Jonassen article.

The Lack of Technology in My K-12 Experience

Technology was not a huge part of my k-12 learning experience. I think this was due to the fact that technology usually costs money and that my teachers were unfamiliar with the latest technological advancements. I remember when my elementary school finally got a computer lab that was available for student use (in the classroom setting). I was in fourth grade and computers back then were so basic. They were used for simple math concepts, spelling and keyboarding. Because there was only twenty-five or so computers for an entire elementary we only went to the computer lab about once a month. This experience did not teach me anything significant. Everything I learned concerning computers at a young age I learned on my family computer at home.
In Jr. High I learned how to type on a typewriter. I rarely used school computers during Jr. High; it was always easier to go home and use my own computer. I had a science teacher in seventh grade who used laser discs that projected images on a television of pictures of various things. This was interesting to be able to see different pictures about the certain animal cell or DNA strand we were talking about. However, it was not essential. It was usually only one picture and very similar to the ones found in our text books.
In High School I would say I used the computer lab as a personal resource more so than ever before, but that's not saying much. Various teachers would sign up to reserve the lab during class time and we would go there for an hour or so. And, for one reason or another, teachers looked at going to the computer lab as some type of a field trip so it happened very rarely.
If I were to go back and speak with my former teachers about there making use of available technology while I was under their instruction I would tell them all to somehow integrate it more into their course. For example, in my English classes we were always instructed to type our papers. However, the only further instruction we were given was 12 pt. font, double spaced. There is so much more to typing a paper I have learned since then that would have been useful in High School. Computers and the internet are vast resources that teachers in k-12 do not utilize to the student's benefit.

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