Sunday, November 27, 2011
Trade with China
After reading the article "Senate approves trade bill with China.
Please make a 300 word post to the following question.
1. What are the terms of the China trade bill? What groups oppose the passage of this bill? What has China agreed to do in exchange for the benefits of the bill? How does U.S. President Bill Clinton feel about the bill? What other groups are in favor of this legislation? What is PNTR? Define the provisions that PNTR status would place on China.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Refined Lesson plan
1) Subject, grade level, and lesson topic.
I am thinking about doing a lesson on the Executive Branch of the United State Government. The goal for students will be to understand the structure and functions of the government created by the U.S. Constitution. This activity falls within the Government and Civics section of social studies and it is a ninth grade lesson. Students will also implement technology by creating an audio recording using audacity that will focus on the students reading English words and translating them into Chinese using the newly found website.
2) Learning goals for the lesson
The learner will be able to describe the president's role in a foreign policy decision concerning China. The learner will be able to sequence the steps leading to normal diplomatic relations between the United States and China. The learner will be able to describe some of the economic effects of our relationship with China.
§ Students will select some Chinese words and will create an audio recording of their voices using Audacity and a USD microphone.
§ Students will edit their audio using Audacity.
§ Students will post their audio books into a collaboration-type site, such as a blog or wiki.
§ Students will learn how to post to a blogs and wiki.
3) Technology that you are going to use and rationale.
Students will visit the PBS online feature entitled "Nixon's China Game." They will review events on a time line, and read about the role of Ping-Pong diplomacy and Richard Nixon. After answering several questions about the material, they will be asked to think about the effects of our relationship with China on our economy. They will construct a chart showing American businesses in China and Chinese products in America. To further reinforce the classroom instruction students will participate in online activities before, during, and after class. Students will visit web pages, see videos, take online quizzes, complete e-puzzles and games, use e- flashcards, use interactive graphic organizers, post blogs, and wikis.
Students might not understand the diplomatic role of the president.
Students might understand that China and the U.S. were not always friends.
5) A scenario of how students use the technology in the lesson
After the lesson students will visit the PBS online feature about Nixon’s China Game and will complete a web activity that will consist of them answering comprehension questions from the readings and video. There will be a total of 10 comprehension question that students will need to answer and provide written responses to them. Students will be able to revisit the article and the websites as many times as they need to in order to find the answers. After completing the assignment students will copy answers and questions from the website and post them into a classroom blog that I will create and maintain. Students will also have to response to each other’s posts. I will also create a wiki were students can post Chinese products that are used in this country, and products that American export to China. The wiki will be simple in nature but students can develop it as the class progresses and their skills increase. My goal will be to have videos, photos, and games integrated into the wiki. Students will also have to use audacity and make an audio recording of themselves.
6) A. Students read the unit chapter. In this chapter students studied the seven roles of the president. One of these roles is that of Chief Diplomat. For thirty years the United States maintained no diplomatic ties with the most heavily populated country in the world—China. When Communists led by Mao Zedong successfully ousted the nationalist government, the United States broke off all diplomatic relations. President Richard Nixon was determined to visit China and resume normal diplomatic ties. Consider the effects of Nixon's foreign policy decision. What American companies trade with China today? How many Americans buy products that were made in China? What is our relationship with China today?
B. Students see a video on Nixon visit to China and write their personal reflection on the video
C. Students will visit the PBS online feature entitled "Nixon's China Game." They will review events on a time line, and read about the role of Ping-Pong diplomacy and Richard Nixon.
D. Students will be asked to think about the effects of our relationship with China on our economy. They will construct a chart showing American businesses in China and Chinese products in America via a wiki. Students can get information on the webpage with the Chinese and American products.
E. Students will learn some Chines words and will create an audio recording using audacity.
F. Assessment using multiple choice quizzes and test as well as comprehension questions.
7) How student learning will be assessed
The assessment will be done in class through class discussions, web writing, editing, and saving of work. Student will take in class tests and quizzes. Students will also be required to take in class notes in their notebooks or laptops. Information from this lesson will be on a Mid Term so students will have to save their test and quizzes for the mid-term or they can visit the class wiki and blogs to get information. I am still thinking about using a wiki to create a Venn diagram or a T-chart where students can record their response on Chinese and American products. The assignment will also have self-monitoring assessments. These assessments are provided on-line and its intention is to provide students with a way to assess their knowledge as the class progresses through the lesson. There will be web writing through the blog and wiki sections. Students must be able to post, edit, and save their work. A student must successfully response to the activities or lesson via internet. These will ensure that students comprehend the lessons and activities. The point of the comprehension questions is to have students find their answer to the questions requiring them to read the text and see the videos. After each blog or wiki students must successfully post and keep communication with their classmate via the web.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Podcasts in the Classroom
Audio Books
http://coolpodcasts.wordpress.com/category/children-podcast/
Podcasts are an important part of technology integration. Podcasts provide technological resources to teachers and students. Some of the applications that podcasts offer teachers is the ability to create lectures and lessons that can be put on-line for students use. Students that are absent can have the opportunity to listen to the lectures that they missed in class. Another benefit of podcasts is that they can be forwarded or rewind to a certain point in the lecture that the students found interesting or needed to listen to clarify a question that they needed an answer to. Podcasts are a great way to reinforce difficult concepts by providing that extra class instruction in a private setting where the students has the ability to control the pace of the lesson. My favorite part of podcast is the ability to create audio books and using them during reading time.
As a 3rd grade teacher I love using audio books as a part of my class activities and in the past I used listening centers to build language, fluency, reading intonation as well as comprehension. Students love to hear others read and students learn through listening. One big part of mastering the English language is passing a listening portion of an English language assessment that schools provide second language learners. While visiting the podcast websites I came across hundreds of podcast that featured well known stories. I love hearing the stories and I am sure that my students will enjoy listening to them too. Podcasts provide students the opportunities to become active listeners and readers. I am sure that I am going to use the podcasts to get the 6 grade students to record stories that the younger students can listen to. I am going to use the Podcast to teach students how to record, edited and import and export music into stories. I am going to take what I learned in class and use it to develop on-line audio books. If I can get the principals permission I might get them put on the schools website and have them as educational resources.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Podcast Reflection
The benefits of having podcast in school outweigh the disadvantages of not having them at all. Podcast can be a great benefit to all students but especially to second language learners because podcasts can assist them in the language acquisition. When student are learning a new language reading and writing is most difficult skill to master for a second language learner podcast can provide that one on one instruction because student can use the podcast to listen to a class lecture that they did not understand, or they can use the podcast to record themselves reading or listen to others read. Listening comes naturally to everyone and podcast are a listening tool.
Student are always listening to some type of media such as internet audio streaming, audio and compact discs (CDs). Podcast is the least know media tool and probably the most beneficial to learning. I had never heard of a podcast until I took this class. I am at an elementary school and podcasts are none existent at my school. I tried logging into the website that contained the podcasts from class but the website was blocked by the school’s internet filters. It is a waste of money to have such a great tool blocked from education. The thing that I like about podcast is that they are online and available from anywhere. I can download them as they are needed.
The benefit of working with podcast is that they can be created by anyone. Teacher created podcast usually contain lessons, lectures, or assignments. Teachers use podcast as a way to deliver instruction. There is concern that students will not show up to class if a podcast is available on line for them but there is no research to support this theory. College students as me might need that extra clarification on a lecture and podcast provides it without having to contact the instructor. Students can also create podcast for class assignments. They can create projects on class activities such as reading, summarizing, and tips on improve their performance in class. Overall, podcasts a great technology tool for teacher, and students to use in the classroom.
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