Reflective Teaching and/or Learning in the Online Environment -Signe Larson

As I was searching for a topic on in Reflective Teaching and/or Learning in the Online Environment I found an interesting PowerPoint that was done by Robert S. Williams. Robert Williams talks about a class that was similar to this one in that it had to do with intergrading technologies into teaching. He states that reflection is “thinking about something in a powerful way.” He believed that teaching was in the same system as learning. He believed that a good teacher should actually be learning as they teach which i believe to be very true. Also reflection can basically happen anywhere, not just in the classroom. He believes that instead of teaching you should more guides the students learning. He did explain how ever that it really got deep into emotions therefore hurt peoples feelings.

www1.aucegypt.edu/faculty/rwilliams/reflective_teaching.ppt

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Reflective Learning by Stephen Hardy

"Research indicates that critically reflective learning provides students with an opportunity to evaluate concepts learned and apply them to their experiences, contemplating its affect on future learning." states Kelly Burning in an article on here online journal (http://www.itdl.org/Journal/May_05/article03.htm). In this article Kelly deals with how online teaching that is reflective can fuel learning. The elements that need to be involved are student interaction and feedback. Kelly teaches how to apply reflective teaching to a real online environment. Some of the key things to create and apply were to provide general knowledge, usability and functionality, developing a learning community, and to incorporate learning outcomes. One of the challenges she discussed in the article was that in an online environment students lack face to face communication. The solution she provided was, Since students in the online platform work independently through the computer technology medium, the instructor needed to create a way to promote interaction among students similar to group learning in the face-to face course. The instructor also needed to create critical thinking exercises in which course concepts were reinforced but that students could also relate to." This article seemed to be a great introduction to, and a tool for, creating reflective teaching and learning in an online environment.

This article can be found at http://www.itdl.org/Journal/May_05/article03.htm

Reflective Teaching in an Online Environment by Valerie Schulz

In a powerpoint presentation by Robert S. Williams, found at www1.aucegypt.edu/faculty/rwilliams/reflective_teaching.ppt, (which was also the first link on google.com once I typed in Reflective Teaching and/or Learning in the Online Environment) the author describes a course in which he taught, titled Learning and Teaching Online. He described his role as being "the guiding member of the learning community." He found himself being very emotionally involved with his class, and once the class expressed their frustration with him, he began to reflect upon his own course and teaching skills.
As a direct result, he started a reflective teaching journal so that he could reflect on the issues within the class and figure out a way to resolve the issue. The journal did help him to figure out how to resolve the issues within the class, and it enabled him to do so without taking any remarks personally. His powerpoint made his reflective teaching and keeping a journal seem very worthwhile.

Reflective Online Teaching: Erin Fountain

When I used Google to find my article on the Internet, I came across this website: http://www.springerlink.com/content/f235223203721861/fulltext.pdf [This is the PDF file because the original writing on the page was far too little to read!]

In reading this article, I learned that reflective teaching is basically a teachers own way of teaching. The author, Faridah Pawan, sums it up perfectly by saying "reflective teaching involves teachers' self-evaluation of their practical theory by means of which they subject their personal beliefs of teaching and learning as well as their teaching practice to critical analysis."

Pawan states that online distance education, such as the course we are all currently enrolled in, is a great example of reflective teaching. Dr. Simpson requires us to do weekly blog work, and reflective discussions. Through this example, we are learning a little bit more about ourselves and our beliefs about certain subjects. As future teachers, we can do a little reflective learning ourselves, along with reflective teaching. Since I want to be a first grade teacher, instead of having my students write a blog about what they have learned, I might have them do a project that helps pull all the key concepts of a lesson out, just as Dr. Simpson has us do weekly.
I believe that reflective teaching and learning are very beneficial.

Erin Fountain

Kelly Romero - Re-Submission of Video

Re-Submission of Video-Erin Fountain

Reflective Online Learning - Kelly Romero

Online Languages and Reflective Learning
Anne Irving and Cathy Pyle and Mike Thacker
http://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/paper/2282

This article is about “a program of university language courses, delivered as a combination of both online and face-to-face teaching. The authors believe that the approach taken can promote learner reflection.” The approach taken in these language courses is believed to promote reflective learning for several reasons. First, because so much writing is required in online courses, aside from just assignments, learners will have an opportunity to reflect on what they have learned throughout the course. By spending a lot of time writing during the course, the learner will have plenty of opportunities for reflection during the editing process.

Another way that reflection is supported in the course is through the use of online discussion forums which provides for peer and teacher feedback, very similar to the discussion forums in the EME 2040 class. Reading this article has given me a better understanding of yet another purposeful piece of the EME 2040 class. The similarities between the language course discussed in the article and the EME 2040 course has helped me to realize the intent of some of the coursework that I have been doing all semester and how it is designed o promote reflective learning.

Reflective Teaching by Kristianna King

http://profpost.uc.edu/2009/03/reflective-teaching-not-for-the-faint-of-heart/

In this article, it is discussed how painstaking evluating and reflecting on your own personal teaching skills and abilities can be. She goes on to state "...reflecting on the practice of teaching is hard not necessarily pleasant work." which I feel could not be more true. She also goes on to state that in her annual reviews, instead of department heads focusing on areas of improvment (which there will always be), they discuss only the accomplishments for the year. To truly benefit from the process of reflective teaching, you must be open to potential of errors and your ways and be ready to make the necessary changes for improvement of instruction.

The article then goes on to state that in order for one to truly evaluate yourself, you must focus on the student outcomes. She also says that when asking her students to par-take in the reflective process through videotaping, she comes to the realization that how can you ask someone to reflect in such a way when you yourself have never done so.

Article by Ann M. Porter from the University of Cincinnati

Reflective Teaching- Kaitlyn Lara

http://www.suite101.com/blog/khayden5/reflective_teaching

I decided to research reflective teaching. I came across an article called "Reflective Teaching" by Kellie Hayden. The article was advising teachers to take time over the summer and reflect on their lessons. The article gave a great definition on reflection which said, "Reflection means thinking about what worked and what did not work. It is not really about what the students did. It is what you as a teacher did to make the lesson soar or maybe even flop." The article talks about reflecting on the lessons that did not work and figuring out why. Sometimes all it needs is a little change and it will become an awesome lesson, other times one should just get rid of it all together. The article also provide some questions that a teacher can use when reflecting and trying to fix a lesson that may have flopped.

Erin Fountain-ELL Video Re-Do with Audio!

new post-signe larson

Re-Post of Valerie Schulz's Module 12 PS3

The Internet as a Tool for Assisting Students who are English Language Learners- Signe Larson

Kristianna King's ELL site

The site includes many resourses for teachers as well as parents and students to assist in the education process. For teachers, it includes lesson plans, worksheets, and forums and articles. Also, they inlcude sites for teachers that can assist in the learning process.

The site was created in 2002 and specializes in ESL students but can be used in most any educational process. The sites encourages the use of materials that they have located including printouts.

http://www.usingenglish.com/

The Internet as a Tool for Assisting Students who are English Language Learners- Signe Larson

I found an article on how Internet can be a tool for assisting students who are English language learners it is titled The Word and the World: Technology Aids English-Language Learners and is by Maya Payne Smart. This article talks about how technologies are a useful aid for students who need help with English. Wegener-Taganashi states "technology mixes things up, captures students' attention, and engages them in a way traditional classroom instruction doesn't." This article explains that it is critical that we start learning how to use technologies to aid ELL students and start to apply the technologies in the class room. By the year 2015 supposedly 1 in 3 students will be a ELL.

This article also gives recommendations for good programs to aid students who need to learn a different language. Some of them being Read Naturally, MindPlay's My Reading Coach, Rosetta Stone language-learning software, Scientific Learning's Reading Assistant, and Kurzweil Educational Systems's Kurzweil 3000. Some of these programs like Kurzweil 3000 can actually scan a document in any text format and in multiple languages. Or Reading Assistant which is "a one-on-one guided oral-reading support program, has sophisticated speech-recognition software that helps children pronounce words correctly." Also most of the different type of software offer private, individual coaching. Which allows students to work in an environment where they don't have to be embarrassed reading in front of their peers and they can learn in a non-judgmental environment.


http://www.edutopia.org/technology-software-english-language-learners

Stephen Hardy's ELL Video

Erin Fountain: Video Project

Valerie Schulz's Photo Story

Valerie Schulz's Blog and Information on The Internet as a Tool for Assisting Students who are English Language Learners.

The article that I found was on Rethinking Schools Online (http://www.rethinkingschools.org/publication/newteacher/NTBilingual.shtml) and it shared a lot of feedback on ways to help English Language Learners. The main focus of the article is to help teachers find a way in which they can deliver information and be confident that their students that are ELL have absorbed the material. The ways in which the article does this is by listing strategies for improving instruction and strategies for becoming more culturally competent while also providing resources for working with students that are ELL.
What I really liked about the website is that it mainly focused on making the students that are ELL comfortable. One of the strategies that the website lists for improving instruction is to encourage students that are ELL to perform a play in their second language to boost confidence, to encourage them to use English inside of their home when they can, and to not assume that a student that is an ELL is also special needs. I know that if I ever have any students who are ELL, I can use this website to help me teach them and to find other resources on helping them learn.

Kaitlyn Lara's Photo Story: English Language Learners

English Language Learners - Kelly Romero

The Internet as a Tool for Assisting English Language Learners - Kelly Romero

Web Based Tools for ESL/ELL Students
http://www.dist113.org/hphs/departments/library/Web-based%20Tools%20for%20ESL-ELL%20Students.htm#Awareness-Understanding
In conjunction with my last post, this internet search has helped me to find web resources for teaching and supporting English Language Learners. In my previous post I discussed the importance and the usefulness of using the internet and other technology to support diverse learners. The same principles apply when teaching ELL students.
In this post I would like to bring attention to a website that I found that includes resources for ELL students, teachers, librarians and parents. The website http://www.dist113.org/ includes links that teachers can use to participate in forums about teaching ELL students as well different techniques, and activities to use in the classroom, including web resources. The site also includes links to websites that students can use to participate in activities on their own to improve literacy and language skills. This website would be a resource to any teacher who is looking to diversify their instruction for ELL students as well as any parent who would like to assist their child at home.

Erin Fountain: The Internet as a Tool for Assisting Students who are English Language Learners

This topic is very familiar to me. I am currently enrolled in a class called 'Teaching Diverse Populations' right now, and I am learning so much about ELL's or English Language Learners. I have actually observed in several elementary school classrooms that are using a style of teaching designed around helping ELL's in their classroom success.
I found a website: http://www.usingenglish.com/students.html that is extremely helpful in the assistance of English Language Learners. I personally found the website to be very thorough. The website itself offers quizzes, a list of the idioms that we use in our language (I found this to be quite humorous, since I do not know what half of them mean myself!) irregular verb lists, study skills, a guide to writing essays in English and even an open forum to ask questions about anything.
Overall, I think that this website is phenomenal in helping ELL's better understand our language. Speaking English comes easy to most of us, because it is our primary language. But looking at this website made me quickly realize that it's not as easy as it seems. I think that this website can help greatly and offers a wonderful program that is simple to use, and highly efficient and effective.

[Erin Fountain]

Kaitlyn Lara: The Internet as a Tool for Assisting Students who are English Language Learners

http://www.language-exchanges.org/

The website I found is called The Mixxer: A language exchange community for everyone. This website is completely free and for individuals learning or teaching a language. It is actually pretty interesting! You sign up and find a language partner who is native in the language you are learning and they are desiring to learn your native language. Once you are matched up you can use technologies such as Skype to communicate with one another and practice speaking. Skype is the most used, however, you can use whatever you both decide. You can also exchange written work and ask for help with the writing skills. Educators can use this to help their students who are English Language Learners build the skills they need. Foreign Language teachers can also use this technology within their classroom as they teach their students a language. I am currently learning sign language, and I can see how helpful this site can be. Who knows, maybe I will sign up?

The Internet as a Tool for Assisting English Language Learners

In pursuit of websites that teachers may use as a tool for assisting students who are English Language Learners, I came across www.englishroleplay.com. This website is a dynamic tool for teachers of ELL students. This is a free resource. The way English Role Play works is the student creates a user account, and profile. Then the student has access to the other members of the program, those of whom he/she can role play with. There are role play lessons the student can participate in. “Roleplay is a fast way to improve speaking and listening for real life situations. Roleplay uses scripts that you read with your partner, like actors in a movie.” (www.englishroleplay.com/page/whatisrolepaly) This program helps students learn how to speak full sentences, and to think about what they are saying. There are four types of role plays the student can participate in through the site; Situation role plays, Story role plays, Short discussions, and Long discussions. These lessons vary from 10 minutes to 1 hour. This website seems to of combined the concept of social networking and learning into one. The creators of the website state that the purpose of the website is “to provide effective speaking practice for language learners everywhere.” (www.englishroleplay.com/page/About)

http://www.englishroleplay.com/

-Stephen Hardy

Kristianna King's Podcast

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Signe Larson The Internet as a Tool for Assisting Students with Special and/or Diverse Needs

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The Internet as a Tool for Assisting Students with Special and/or Diverse Needs

Empowering Rural Students with Disabilities Through Assistive Technology
http://www.sedl.org/rural/seeds/assistivetech/

In this article it discusses the group SEEDS which focus on "the implications of technological innovations for rural schools, addressing such topics as distance learning, statewide and state specific networks, along with policy issues." They want to make it possible for people with disabilities to have a bigger chance of being able to interact with their environment and to "function independently."
SEEDS believes that the technology that can assist people with disabilies is growing that that it can make things that use to seem impossible, possible. Such as students who have disabilties will be able to participate and be a part of the classroom instead of having to have a special needs cirrculum. SEEDS believes that technological advances that assist students with special needs will help students become more of an individual and independent. However, one of the problems is that teachers will have to be sure to be up-to-date on all of the new technologies. But I believe that this is a small hurdle to jump over for something that is not only good but necessary.

-Signe Larson

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Kristianna King's Post

In the website I found, it states "An increasing array of technologies can help personalize instruction for students with special needs...". In doing this, you can meet the curriculum requirements and fulfill the NCLB as well as the Individuals with Disabilities Act but creating an environment that includes both special needs and diverse students as well as "normal" students and making it all more inclusive for everyone.

Some of the things that are listed as technological tools for assistance are digital textbooks that have audio and visual representations of what you would typically find in a standard textbook. Also, a school in Maine provided special needs students with personal laptops and later found that they improved the students ability to work independently and improved their class participation, interaction, and preparation. The final interesting tool that it discusses is a newer technology called soundfield amplification; "wireless infrared technology enhances and distributes the teacher’s voice above background noise in the classroom, making the sound more audible to students". It is said that this allows all the students to understand the discussion and lesson that is being taught.

http://www.edtechactionnetwork.org/schools_special_needs.html

The Internet as a Tool for Assisting Students with Special and/or Diverse Needs

“Internet communications can transport students beyond their physical environments, allowing them to interact with people far away and engage in interactive learning experiences. This is particularly appropriate for individuals who are easily distracted when going to new and busy environments such as the library, who are poorly motivated, or who have difficulty with reading or writing.” states the author on page 3 of Assistive Technology for Students with Mild Disabilities . In this article the author addresses some of the challenges that teachers face with student who have a mild learning disorder. The Internet and other assistive software programs help to keep students who are easily distracted on task. For example some students may have a hard time finding interest in reading but when presented with an e-book their interest is often sparked. The power of multimedia can really inspire a student with disabilities. One of the benefits the e-book, that is accessed through the Internet. The article describes the capabilities of an e-book like this, “They include high-interest stories: the computer reads each page of the story aloud, highlighting the words as they are read. Fonts and colors can be changed to reduce distraction. Additional clicks of the mouse result in pronunciation of syllables and a definition of the word. When the student clicks on a picture, a label appears.” The Internet can also be used to give students, with disabilities, task oriented problems that can be accessed online. For the teacher the Internet offers many resources and ideas to help facilitate the needs of these diverse learners.

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Assistive_Technology/

-Stephen Hardy

Kaitlyn Lara: The Internet as a Tool for Assisting Students with Special/Diverse Needs

While researching this topic I came across www2.edc.org/NCIP/Default.htm. This is the National Center to Improve Practice. The mission states that their goal is to "improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities by promoting the effective use of assistive and instructional technologies among educators and related personal serving these students." The website does this through the use of technology, media and materials. They provide numerous technologies one can use to teach diverse students, whatever their learning challenges may be. They provide a library, video profiles, guided tours, online workshops and links to other sites for special education resources. The website includes many videos that show "students using assistive and instructional technologies." One visiting their site can see that the NCIP views the internet, along with other new technologies, as a helpful tool in teaching students with special/diverse needs.

Valerie Schulz's Podcast

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Valerie Schulz: The Internet as a Tool for Assisting Students with Special and/or Diverse Needs

The internet is a tool that enables individuals to access any information that will help them. On a website titled parentpals.com, there is a plethora of information on children that have learning disabilities. The website includes links for children with autism, ADHD, the learning disabled, and much more. Each disability's link takes parents to websites with articles, message boards, support groups, and more.
I decided to explore the website to see how helpful it would be, and I did this by looking under the links for Autism. Once clicking the link, there were many options for me to choose from, including books, research, and treatment. I also found similr results when I clicked on the link for Learning Disabilities. Overall, the website seemed to be very helpful for a parent or teacher who wants to use the internet in order to facilitate the needs of their child with disabilities.

Podcast by Erin Fountain

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ERIN FOUNTAIN

Erin Fountain: The Internet as a Tool for Assisting Students with Special and/or Diverse Needs

When I researched this topic, I came across a website that has links to various websites where teachers or parents can buy programs to help their students or children who have problems with learning. There is even a portion of the website that has links to software that can aid in helping adults with special needs.
The website: http://www.iser.com/special-needs-software.html which stands for Internet Special Education Resources, offers quite a variety.
As I scrolled down and read through the software descriptions, Smart Tutor caught my eye. I clicked on the link, and it brought me to another website. Smart Tutor is a program designed to help children who suffer from various learning disabilities, including ADD, ADHD, Aspergers' Syndrome and even Autism. The tutoring program is designed to help children aged kindergarten through fifth grade. The website: http://www.smarttutor.com/home/special-needs.asp states that the techniques they have designed for reading and mathematics are all researched-based and award winning. They have various features listed such as individualized learning paths, learning at the child's pace, each lesson provided offers a complete tutorial, a review, and a quiz at the end of the lesson, fun online learning, immediate, motivating and positive feedback from the website and reports that are easy to read for the parents and teachers. The program itself is $17.99 per month, but I personally think that the price is right on key. It's not too expensive, and the details about the program make it all the more appealing. I think parents would be spending more money on tutors per session and therapists to find out why their child isn't learning the way they should be. I think this solution is smart, for the child, the parents and the household budget!

Kelly Romero - Podcast

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Kelly Romero - Using the Internet and Technology to Support Diverse Learners

Using Technology to Support Diverse Learners
http://www.wested.org/cs/tdl/view/tdl_tip/52
This website presents text on the benefits of using technology and the internet to support diverse learners, and English language learners in particular. The website gives several examples of how these tools can be used to enhance the learning experiences of ELL students. One suggestion is to use different websites to give background to students about the topic or lesson that is being presented. By allowing students the opportunity to explore these websites either as a group or an individual, they will be fortified with background knowledge and information of the subject.
The website also suggests that the internet can “create a positive learning environment” for English Language Learners because of the “non-judgmental nature of the computer”. The use of spell check or tutorials can give confidence to ELL students whether they are doing assignments or even participating in e-mail or chat rooms with native English Speakers. The suggestions that the website gives for using the internet with ELL students can be used with other diverse learners and also typical learners as well.

-Kelly Romero

Test Data Slideshow for Kristianna King

Web page URL

Sorry to all, I forgot to include the URL so here it is...

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2009/02/new_program_helps_teachers_use.html

Kristianna King

Test Data and Teachers by Kristianna King

The test data from different standardized tests is put together in programs on the Internet. When they are put together, the separate the students by things such as race and ethnic background to create categories that may be easier to interpret the data.

This particular site was developed in Jackson County and it talks about a new program that is used to interpret the test data that they receive. The teachers use the test data to find strengths and weaknesses in their curricula and their different teaching methods. The article states "data is useful when it is accompanied by research, observations, analysis and perspective...". By doing this the teachers are able to pinpoint areas in their teaching that may need work and are able to further their students understanding of material. Although test data should not be solely relied on to improve teachers and schools, it is a helpful insight to where there may need to be work done.

Test Data Slideshow (Stephen Hardy)

Module 7 The Various Uses to Educators of Sites that Display Test Data

Instructional Data Management System (IDMS) is a web-based application that allows teachers to create and administer test. The test builder can create test that are paced to the teachers curriculum and the standards-based assessment of the state or school district. Once the test is finished this application allows the teacher to then manage and use the data results of the test. These results may help the teacher to see how they may be able to improve on certain areas of instructional practice and in return improve student learning and success. The IDMS website describes one of the many benefits of online test data. Their website states, "Online test management and scoring options give educators the flexibility to administer and score tests online, or using plain paper. They can then drill down into the data to produce meaningful, actionable reports." The number one benefit is that all this information is directly on the teachers desktop, making this tool very convenient to use.

http://www.idmsweb.com/

-Stephen Hardy

Kaitlyn Lara's Test Data Slideshow

Valerie Schulz's Test Data Slideshow

Signe Larson-Test Data Slideshow

Kaitlyn Lara Module 7: Various Uses to Educators of Sites that Display Test Data

A program that is used by California and other states is called "Electronic Learning Assessments" (ELAR). The site I visited gives a description of their Measure of Academic Progress (MAP). The website also discusses how educators can use their program to enhance their instruction. This program can be used for a district, school, grade, and/or classroom. With it, educators can test their students up to four times a year. Through data, MAP gives teachers information regarding their students progress. The site stated that having this data allows teachers/administrators to make the changes they need to make and focus on what needs improvement. It also states that data improves student performance through the decisions made based on the data.

The MAP data is available to teachers within 24 hours. This is really good because a lot of standardized test results do not come out until it's too late in the year. With the results being accessible so quickly teachers can use the data to make necessary changes and improvements for their student's needs.

http://www.clrn.org/elar/details.cfm?section=description&elarid=61

Signe Larson-The Various Uses to Educators of Sites that Display Test Data.

I looked up "how educators use Sites that Display Test Data" on Google and found an interesting article that talks all about how educators use sites that display test data. In the article Using Test-Score Data in the Classroom by Brian M. Stecher and Laura S. Hamilton (http://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WR375/). They believe that the the policy No Child Left Behind (NCLB)is a great excuse to try out a site that displays test data. They believe that educators can you the test-score data to guide school policy and classroom practice.
Stecher and Hamilton say that teachers find site that display test data is not only easy and clear but it is more useful for curriculum planning. Stecher and Hamilton state, "Over one-half of teachers surveyed reported that they used test results to identify topics for review and students who need attention." From what i have read in this article i believe that if more educators used Sites that display test data they could focus more on what the students needed help in instead of wasting time reviewing things that they may already have learned. I think that it is a great way to really know what the students are learning or not learning.

Erin Fountain-Test Data Slideshow

Erin Fountain's Post: The Various Uses to Educators of Sites that Display Test Data

Using Google.com, I searched the topic: "The Various Uses to Educators of Sites that Display Test Data", and found a website that first looked to me like Angel. The website,http://www.d3a2.org/home/datatool/, stands for Data Driven Decision (D3) for Academic Acheivement (A2). There are several bar graphs displayed, and through reading the text on the page, I discovered that this system is being used by teachers for the Ohio Achievement and Graduation Tests. This system is designed to help teachers view their students performances and make grading simpler.

The reason it reminded me so much of Angel is because there are two seperate sections: current students and current teachers. The students can easily read their results by the use of colorful bar graphs. It is almost the same idea behind Angel, as well. Some of the tabs under the student section are: current students results, current students' performance standards, current class-data all standards, etc. So basically, the students can see how they performed compared to how the other students did. In a direct quote from the site, D3A2 "helps educators analyze data, and then points them to resources such as lesson plans and assessments, all designed to address the specific academic needs identified by the data." The three tabs, Current Students Tab, Data-Analysis Lite tab, and the Item-Analysis Advanced tab, teachers can view easily how their students are peforming.

Valerie Schulz's Blog Post on The Various Uses to Educators of Sites that Display Test Data

After looking up "online test data for educators" on Google.com, I came across a website that described a new program teachers were using to incorporate test data into their lessons. The article that I found on this website (http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2009/02/new_program_helps_teachers_use.html), gave information about Jackson County schools, in Michigan, will be utilizing test score data in order to help improve future test scores and "commonize" classrooms. By "commonizing" the classroom, teachers can still use their same teaching strategies, but there are days when they all teach the same lesson on the same day.
The article said that, "'data-driven instruction' is quickly becoming the latest fad in education," but it is something that I believe will help the students in the long run. By incorporating test data with observations and research, the students can be taught more effectively and to higher standards.

Test Data Slideshow - Kelly Romero

Kelly Romero - Test Data Article

http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-4/standardized-test.html
Using Standardized Test Data To Guide Instruction and Intervention. ERIC Digest.
By Mertler, Craig A.
The purpose of this article to is to inform the reader of the positive uses of standardized tests and their corresponding test data. The article discusses how school districts and teacher can improve their curriculum by using the information that is obtained through the test data. “Using test scores to revise group instruction “and “using test scores to design individual intervention” are two key points mentioned in the article. In the first point, the article suggests that data from standardized tests across the curriculum can be useful when designing curriculum. For example, data can help explain in what subject areas improvements need to be made throughout the school and the district.
The second key point illustrates that data obtained through testing can help educators determine the individual needs of students. For example, a teacher can use information gathered from test data to help organize and individualized education plan for an individual student who is struggling in a particular subject area. Finally the article suggests that while interpreting data takes some getting used to, the benefits of the information obtained through the data make it worth the effort.

Online Site Review

Online
Review Sites for Educational Tools

Kristianna
King

1. http://www.childrenssoftware.com/

   
   

This sites main
point is to create an environment where teachers can find technology
that is interactive for their students. It includes reviews for each
product as well as “keeping up with the times” for
interactive technology. Every month they come out with a new review
of the latest products, reviews for each product, and previews of
different products.

2. http://www.educationplanet.com/directory/Education/Educational_Technology

   
   

This site offers
not just reviews, but reviews done by educators for educators. This
is a curriculum focused site. It also not only allows for educators
to read reviews, but also allows them to post them.

3. http://www.superkids.com/

   
   

SuperKids
provides services to review products for teachers and parents based
on specific criteria. The reviews are written by teams that include
educators, parents, and children. The reviews include anywhere from
music products to math products.

http://www.helium.com/items/1065460-how-to-write-a-good-product-review

It came to my attention that I forgot to include the site for the previous post so here it is!
Kristianna King

Reviewing Online Proucts by: Kristianna King

This site maps out tips that can help you review products online properly and can apply to anything that you need to review online whether it be educational or not. I have mapped out the several. tips as specified by the author. The first tip is that you need to enjoy what you are doing to ensure that your review will be respected by others. If the review is not informative and interesting, then it becomes pointless. The next tip is to write down things that "sparked" you about the product; pros and cons. Make sure the information is correct and relevant and try not to use the same words repetitively throughout your review. It is key to remember that a review is your opinion, and the reader values that. If you use these tips when you review instructional software, you can be sure that your review is an accurate description of your point of view.

It is important to read reviews and to write them in an educational aspect to continue to be informed about products as well as to inform others. Your best source for learning about new software for your students is through other teachers and students.

valerie's module 5 word document

A Review of Online Evaluation
Sites

Valerie Schulz

• www.epinions.com
  
  This website reviews all kinds of products, and this is
  done by giving the product a star rating and by listing the pros and
  cons of the product. If you are looking for a quick opinion, then
  it is an okay reference. However, the reviews are not in depth.

  
  

• http://www.reviewcorner.com/software/index.html
  The
  review corner has its own category to review educational software
  and divides the category up by age, subject, or rating. The rating
  of each product includes a rating (out of five stars), age group,
  subject, product overview, and its “bottom line,” one
  sentence review. This website seems to be very descriptive and
  helpful if you are looking for a complete review of any kind of
  educational software.

  
  

• www.dmoz.org
  
  Although the layout of this website is very bland, it seems to
  be moderately helpful. It has many links to different kinds of
  websites that have reviews on a specific product. However, it does
  not seem that easy to use, so I would not recommend this site.

  
  

Valerie Schulz's Module 5 Blog

After searching on google.com for an article that corresponded with the assignment, I finally found an article titled “Checklists for the Evaluation of Educational Software: Critical Review and Prospects” at http://pdfserve.informaworld.com/345070_751316920_746772901.pdf. This article discussed the strengths and weaknesses of using checklists to evaluate educational software. It first informed about why the use of the checklists is so popular, and that is because there are easy to work with and they provide “a structured list of relevant criteria for evaluation.” These forms of review include answers that need only yes or no response, or even ones in which a person rates the product on a one to five star scale.
Although those forms of evaluation seem to be a simple way to review a product, it does create issues. If there are open ended questions, you could easily specify the problems or things that you like about a product, but with this close-ended evaluation, there is little validity for the evaluations; they are unreliable. If the criteria for the review was better developed, than the “validity of checklists may be improved.” Until then, checklists should not be relied on heavily as a great way see how a product was reviewed.

Module 5 Site Reviews

Review
Sites for

Instructional
Technologies

Kaitlyn
Lara

• http://www.aace.org/pubs/aacej/

  
  

The
AACE use to be a printed journal that you had to subscribe to,
but now you can subscribe online. The website allows members to
exchange information and ideas about how to implement technology. I
think this website is pretty up-to-date and values the use of
technology in the classroom.

• http://www.evalutech.sreb.org/

  
  

Evalutech
is a review site that has “over 10,000 recommended reviews of
software.” One of the things I really like about this site is
that you can find reviews of instructional product through its
keyword-searchable database. Their goal is to provide the latest
useful information and resources for teachers.

• http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

  
  

Free
Technology for Teachers is a blog by Richard Bryne. It is his
personal review on technology resources and it instructs teachers on
how to do them. I liked this because he not paid to do this and is
strictly giving his opinion based on his experiences.

Kaitlyn Lara's Finding the Right Products for Instructional Purposes

With all the information/products to choose from, finding a good online product to help teachers enhance their students learning can be challenging. There are so many to pick from. Some are not all that great so it is important to do the research and ask yourself if a certain product is right for your students and ties into your lesson. The article I looked out gives its readers some key questions to ask themselves when picking out instructional technology. While giving readers a list of technologies, it also gives readers a chart that will help them determine what type of technology they should use in certain time frames.

http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/LPWILSON/FCLD_IT_Activity07.pdf