Thing 19

With each new Thing, I think, okay this is the best. I know many of these have been around for a while and that I am technologically delayed BUT, the more I see the more I question why teachers and students are so bored in school in 2009. As part of the Reading Team, I am trying to keep a list of all these cool tools to try and implement into the curriculum. At the same time, I could spend an entire day searching and completely miss things that someone else found. So, we really need teachers and the tech facilitators to help us. I am hoping the future Reading wiki will help enable this.

About Voice Threads,pretty cool. I have been giving all of this a lot of thought and I hear teachers comment on how their gifted or higher kids would love these (and other tools.)Without a doubt, but the gifted and higher kids have already found these on their computers at home and/or are the ones creating half the stuff! What a way to excite the struggling child! Think if they could do a voicethread for an alphabet book for a younger child. The struggling child is the one who needs a lot of motivation. I am not saying, don't use it with gt kids, but let's not leave our sturggers out.

Coming and Going I think would be a wonderful way for teachers to track oral language development in primary children. They could have them talk about a picture at the beginning of the year and then revisit it each six weeks. What a way to see growth in language. Back in the day we used tape recorders. How it would have been nice to have this.

If one is going to do "Morning Work" I think What is Bellwork is good. Personally I like it when the kids come in and just read. I love his idea but think it would work better during writing or at least not every morning.

Library A-Z was actually what got me thinking more about the struggling reader, especially those learning the letters and sounds. In addition, you could take digital pictures, create a very basic book and have the child read it. OR you could read it and the child could read along for fluency OR....the list goes on.

The best example so far of incorporating all the technology we have looked at so far is K-12 art, poetry, and music from Erin Berg. WOW! 2nd graders in Utah created the art with digital cameras and then explained itheir art. Ninth graders in Colorado used a wiki, wrote poetry for the art and then fifth and sixth graders in Texas wrote music using Garage Band. Incredible! Check it out.