Low Tech Writing Tools

Whiteboards with Expo Markers

Stamps with numbers on them








Colored Pencils

I made a collection of these three things as low tech writing tools with math in mind. For students who have trouble showing their work in small spaces, a whiteboard with dry erase markers is perfect. Students who struggle with writing can also use number stamps to stamp their numerical answers into a provided space rather than than having to write it in with a pencil. Colored pencils can be used to help students distinguish what operations are being used. For example, if a problem is written in red, then subtraction must be used or if green is being used, then the student knows to use addition.

Animoto Book Talk

Here is a link to a book talk video I made about the book, Me and Uncle Romie. Animoto Book Talk Video

Book Talk using Cartoons

I created a cartoon book talk using the program, Comic Life. I talked about the book, Me and Uncle Romie, by Claire Hatfield.

Text-to-speech

Prior to this assignment, I had never used this feature before. I used this feature on a document I created that had a student's IEP goals in them. I have done a numerous amount of IEPs because all of my students' meetings are now expiring at the end of the year, so they were all starting to run together in my mind. With the text-to-speech feature, hearing what I typed actually allowed me to catch some grammatical mistakes that were in my document. For example, I typed his instead of her for a female student. I also forgot to enter a piece of criteria for a goal, and noticed it when I did not hear it played back.

Students who have learning disabilities can also benefit from this feature. In an article from ldonline.org by Dianne DeMott Painter, she explpained how she had a student who had difficulty with decoding. She had the student use a program called Talking Text, which used a speech synthesizer to talk as the student typed each word. If the word was not the one that the student wanted, he had to sound out the word until he heard the correct one or he had to use other references such as a dictionary or an outside spellcheck device.

Using text-to-speech features in word process tools can greatly benefit students of many different populations.

Reference
http://www.ldonline.org/article/5762/

Concordance

Below is a concordance of words for a chapter about characteristics of life. I made this concordance  using lextutor. (I could not find one on Amazon.)

ANIMALS   BACTERIA   BALANCE   BLOOD  BODY   BRACKET   BUDS   CELLS   CHARACTERISTICS  CHEMICAL   DNA  ENERGY ENVIRONMENT EVOLVED FUNGI  GENERATION GENETIC GROW HOMEOSTASIS INFORMATION INTERNAL LIFE LIVING MAIN MAINTAIN MAKE NORMAL NOT  NUCLEI NUCLEUS  OCEAN  OFFSPRING  ORDER  ORGANISMS PLANTS PROCESS PROCESSES PROTEINS REPRODUCE SPECIES WARM   

Concept Map as Part of the Writing Process (Revised)

Here is a concept map I made about the writing process (a revised one). It displays the steps of the writing process. I made this map using Smart Art in Microsoft Word.

Noun Project

Below is my collection of symbols for use of literacy symbols in math. The concept behind my selection is that these are all symbols that I teach my fourth graders. Because most of my students are reading below grade level, word problems and even directions are hard for my students to understand. With these symbols, I could display them and then put words with them so that the students understand what information is being given to them in word problems or what is being asked of them in directions.

etextbooks collection

Here is a link to a textbook for fourth grade reading curriculum (Journeys)
https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/content/hsp/reading/journeys2014/fl/gr4/ese_9780547894461_/launch.html

Here is a link to a textbook for fourth grade math curriculum  (Go Math)-
https://www-https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/content/hsp/math/gomath2013/fl/gr4/ese_9780547945392_/launch.html

Here is a link to a textbook for fourth grade reading curriculum for the end of the year. This magazine prepares students for fifth grade. (Journeys)
https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/content/hsp/reading/journeys2014/na/gr4/ese_9780547953014_/launch.html

This is a link for textbook that helps below-grade level readers in 4th grade. Students are able to write in this textbook (Journeys)
https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/content/hsp/reading/journeys2014/na/gr4/ancillary_9780547896137_/launch.html

This a link to an e-newspaper about Florida History for fourth grade.
https://www.studiesweekly.com/online/resource/flexpaper/16589

Concept Map as Part of the Writing Process

Below is a screenshot of a concept map used to brainstorm ideas for the topic "What did you do on the weekend?'

I used word's Smart Art option to create this map.

Audio book reflection

The book I "read" was The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. This is the book we are using for my PLC at my school. The process to obtain the book was simple. Audible.com offers a 30-day free trial membership, so I downloaded the book using this site. It used my Amazon account information since Audible is an Amazon company. I downloaded the book to my account. From there, I downloaded the book to my computer and onto my iPod.

It was hard for my rely solely on the audio book because for me to best understand information, I need both audio and visual input. When I held the book in my hand and listened, I would start reading ahead of the narrator. I prefer to se the content than hear it.

Tech-Enhanced Literature Circle

A technology literature circle with my population would consist of the whole class because the class sizes at my school are very small (3-8 students). Each student is provided a laptop, but the process would require a lot of guidance. All of my students read significantly below grade level, so I do feel would have a hard time letting the students conduct the circle. I feel like it would not be as student led as it should be. One way I could allow it to be more student-based is to record myself signing the story and storing it on student computers, so that they can review the story as many times as they need to.

What Literacy Means to Me

(Also can be found in the discussion board) 

To me, literacy means the ability to read, write, and comprehend the words of a language in print. 

Using Post-Its During Reading

Post-its are an easy way to have students engage in their work and become aware of what they are reading. By using Post-it notes, students can monitor their reading. In an article I read http://www.examiner.com/article/teaching-students-to-become-active-readers, a teacher had students put symbols on Post-Its. An LOL means that a part of a story is funny. A '*" labels an important part of a story. A heart symbol indicates a favorite part. The use of the Post-Its does require modeling, but helps students with metacognition.

Below is a screenshot of a Maze reading that I created using Interventioncentral.org

Fluency Probe

Below is a screen shot of a fluency probe I created through Inverventioncentral.org

Visual Perception

Below I completed a checklist on a student's vision. Any score that is 15 or higher should be referred for vision problem. The student does wear glasses (but not consistently). He displays a lot of these symptoms. He scored a 16. 

Child Symptom Checklist

(To determine whether a vision evaluation should be administered)

Has your child ever reported or have you or anyone else noticed any of the following?

1. ___×___Skips lines while reading or copying

2. ___×_Loses place while reading or copying

3. __×___Skips words while reading or copying

4. _×__Substitutes words while reading or copying

5. ______Rereads words or lines

6. ______Reverses letters, numbers, or words

7. ______Uses a finger or marker to keep place while reading or writing

8. _×_____Reads very slowly

9. ___×__Poor reading comprehension

10. __×_Difficulty remembering what has been read

11. ___×___Holds head too close to paper when reading or writing (within 7-8 inches)

12. ______Squints, closes, or covers one eye while reading

13. ___×___Unusual posture or head tilt when reading or writing

14. ______Headaches following intense visual activities such as reading

15. ______Eyes hurt or feel tired after close work

16. ______Feels unusually tired after completing a visual task

17. ______Double vision

18. ______Vision blurs at distance when looks up from near work

19. ______Letters or lines “run together or words “jump” when reading

20. ______Print seems to move or go in and out of focus when reading

21. ___×___Poor spelling skills

22. __×____Writing is crooked or poorly spaced

23. ______Misaligns letters or numbers

24. __×__Makes errors copying

25. ______Difficulty tracking moving objects

26. ______Unusual clumsiness, poor coordination

27. ______Difficulty with sports involving good eye-hand coordination

28. ______Eye turns in or out

29. ______Sees more clearly with one eye than the other

30. ______Feels sleepy while reading

31. ______Dislikes tasks requiring sustained concentration

32. ______Avoids near tasks such as reading

33. ______Confuses right and left directions

34. _×_____Becomes restless when working at his/her desk

35. ______Tends to lose awareness of surroundings when concentrating

36. ______Must “feel” things to “see” them

37. ______Carsickness

38. ___×___Unusual blinking

39. ____×__Unusual eye rubbing

40. __×___Dry eyes

41. ______Watery eyes

eBook experience

Social Studies, Literacy, and Social Justice in the Common Core Classroom: A Guide for Teachers by Ruichi Agarwal-Rangnath.

This book is about using Language Arts Common Core state standards in Social Studies. It was written to help teachers teach students social studies for social justice. With the Language Arts state standards, this will promote critical thinking and have students question the world around us.

http://www.amazon.com/Social-Studies-Literacy-Justice-Classroom/dp/0807754080/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460331291&sr=8-1&keywords=Social+Studies%2C+Literacy%2C+and+Social+Justice+in+the+Common+Core+Classroom

I read this book on my Kindle App. I had to read the device on either my phone (which is smaller than I would like for reading purposes) or on my laptop, which made me less mobile. The book was informational, but my overall experience was not too pleasant because I was not comfortable while reading the book.

The book was very valuable for education. With this book, I have learned how to have students to not be afraid to ask questions about the world around them. It is important to teach students the different sides of history because in Social Studies, we normally only teach the perspective of America as opposed to the marginalized groups (slaves, Native Americans, etc.)

Text Set

Here is a text set of eBooks that I have collected about Florida.

1)   It Happened in Florida by E. Lynne Wright  History- Non-Fiction https://www.overdrive.com/media/1324178/it-happened-in-florida From Ponce de Leon's discovery of the "Land of Flowers" in 1513 to the suspense of the 2000 presidential election, It Happened in Florida takes readers on a behind-the-scenes tour of thirty of the most compelling episodes from the Sunshine State's vibrant past. This revised edition includes brand new glimpses into Florida history, a map, and a thorough index.

2)   Florida: This Land is Your Land by Ann R. Heinrichs History-Non Fiction https://www.overdrive.com/media/130067/florida Describes the history, geography, government, economics, and people of Florida.

3)   The Sunshine Champs by Karen Latchana Kenney History- Non-Fiction https://www.overdrive.com/media/646251/sunshine-champs Introduces readers to the state of Florida through symbols, history, and geography.

4)   The Kids from Cassadaga: The History Channelers by Tim Black Historical Fiction, Fantasyhttps://www.overdrive.com/media/632727/the-kids-from-cassadaga You probably never learned that Benedict Arnold was the second president of the United States or that his visage adorned the ten dollar bill, or that Thomas Jefferson’s son Shippen Jefferson was the sixth president in lieu of John Quincy Adams. No, the reason you probably never learned these facts in high school was because The Young Historians of Cassadaga Area High School in Florida went back to 1776 and captured the ‘butterflies’ they had inadvertently let loose in Philadelphia, changing the history back to what we know today. Or did they? Join the students as they try to correct their mistake in The Kids from Cassadaga.

5)   Florida by Mark Kesselring https://www.overdrive.com/media/1307105/florida Explore the colorful customs, people, and places of Florida. With straightforward text and captivating photos, this book is a great introduction to the state. Maps and symbols are included to enrich the student's understanding of geography and state identity.