Ideas from Peers

I have to laugh as I am writing this blog post because I was talking to several people about how it is almost impossible to use technology in a Guided Reading lesson, and then low and behold, one of the girls in my group used technology in her Guided Reading lesson. I couldn't believe it! I learned that it could actually be done! :-) She used a Power Point Presentation to teach the students about quotation marks and how to read/say the words in between the quotation marks.

The second thing that I was very impressed by was a digital story board. One of the girls in my group used technology over the course of several weeks to have the students create a digital story board. The interesting thing that I learned from this was the fact that the students would read their part and record it and then she would play it back to them. When the students heard themselves they said, "Is that what I really sound like, Do I really slur my words together like that?" Once they were aware of how they sounded when they read they wanted to record it again. Every time after that the students were very concerned about reading with fluency and accuracy. So, such a project can help improve fluency!

Doing

Internet Safety Interview

I decided to talk with my husband, who is 24, because we will be parents soon and I wanted to make sure that we were on the same page when it comes to internet safety and our children. My husband is very computer savvy, so he totally agreed with my idea of teaching our children the tools necessary to make good choices when it comes to the internet instead of just telling them to avoid the internet entirely. He gave the analogy of a hammer. A hammer can be used to build several good things, but yet it can also be used to hurt others. Just because it can be used for bad doesn't mean that hammers are bad, people just need to be educated on how to use a hammer positively. It's the same way with the internet. People need to learn how to use it appropriately. I'm excited to learn more about things on the internet and keep my children informed so they can make positive choices.