New Braunfels, TX - Comal River

New Braunfels is pretty
Originally uploaded by Terribly-Happy.

This is where I was born and raised. We spent many of days floating!!

If you love being in fresh water and have nothing to do on a hot summer day - GO FLOATING!!!

Remember, you are only allowed to bring a 18 qt ice chest and one tube per person!!!

See you on the river!!

Bourbon Street, New Orleans

Bourbon Street, New Orleans
Originally uploaded by Antre.

In February, 2007 I was fortunate enough to go to my most favorite city - New Orleans, Louisiana. I have been to the city various times but this was my first visit since Hurricane Katrina and celebrate in all the Mardi Gras festivities. We had a BLAST!! We were able to see parades, eat Muffelatas, shop at the French Quarter, take a trolley ride through the plantation homes, gamble, and of course visit Bourbon Street and celebrate the nightlife. Believe me plans for 2008 are already in the "works".

Software Evaluation

Software Evaluation #2

Title of Software: Rosetta Stone

Producer: Fairfield Language Technologies

Target students (e.g., age or grade-level of students): 1st – 12th

Proficiency level (e.g., beginning, intermediate, advanced): All Levels

Description:
This program is designed to teach a new language quickly by using the following type of activities:

*Word/picture identification – the learner must match the correct word with the correct picture. A yellow (a) indicates the response is correct and a red (r) indicates the response is incorrect and other opportunities to respond correctly are provided.
*Listening comprehension – various forms of real-life situations are provided for the learner to listen and respond by matching the correct picture with the words.
*Writing – the learner is able to listen to words, phrases and sentences (as many times as necessary) while using the keyboard to input the correct word syntax.
*Speaking – the learner is able to hear phrases and repeat what was said while a microphone records their voice.
*Reading – one of the final activities for each level is reading. This activity allows for the learner to read the text and provide comprehensible understanding by answering questions that relate to what was just read.

All of the activities are provided in the chosen targeted language and can be used as a reinforcement of particular language skills (prepositions, nouns, etc.) and each lesson begins at a basic level and increases as the learner progresses through each level.

Language skills targeted: Listening, Speaking, Reading and, Writing

Evaluation:
Overall, the program is instructionally appropriate for any level of second language acquisition. The student will be able to navigate easily through each level and an assessment is provided for teacher evaluations. The pictures are “real-world” and most students will be familiar with the photos. Some of the situational practices could be unfamiliar but with practice the students will be able to understand the vocabulary – because of the photos.

Reading Prompt #10

Technology can be wonderful assets for ELL's in various ways. Students can use different websites as extensions to particular lessons. For example,we did a lesson on circuits and this website http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/ provided students with extra practice on that targeted TEK. The website provides different English, Math and Science lessons that are all interactive, animated and very easy to navigate for all students. The students love this program!

Flickr provides students with visuals and "real-world" applications to the world outside the classroom. Many of my ELL's are limited on different experiences that are not provided in the classroom, textbooks or even picture books and the Internet can provide learners with cultural awareness and understanding of our diverse country.

Reading Prompt #9

Some of the limitations that I have encountered in my classroom with technology are similar to what Egbert mentioned in this chapter.

• Time - Since we are responsible for 3 TAKS tests (as I have mentioned before), realistically we are very limited on time with technology lessons, projects and lesson extensions.


• Large classes - I currently have 26 students in my class and with only 4 computers (and no access to the computer lab because of the Reading First Grant) we do a lot of "buddying-up" which is a positive learning experience for ELL's.


• I also have plenty of books on tape in various genres and language.

Limitations with technology will continue to exist in any classroom so, it's up to the individual teacher to prepare for her students needs and ensure that technology is integrated in order to create life-long learners.

Quick Share

The International Children's Digitial Library (ICDL) provides different types of literature available online for anyone to enjoy in almost any language. http://www.childrenslibrary.org/


Background & History


The ICDL was initially created by an interdisciplinary research team at the University of Maryland in cooperation with the Internet Archive. Members of the team include computer scientists, librarians, educational technologists, classroom teachers, graphic designers, and graduate students from the University of Maryland's (UMD) College of Information Studies (CLIS) and the UMD Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL), a leader in children's interface design.


Other important contributors to the research are the members of the College Park Kidsteam, a group of six children, ages 7-11, who work regularly with the adults in the Lab. The approach used is called cooperative inquiry, a unique partnership between children and adults to develop and evaluate computer interface technologies that support searching, browsing, reading, and sharing books in electronic form. http://www.childrenslibrary.org/about/background.shtml

Reading Prompt #8

Standardized testing is very formal and does not allow for students to be creative with knowledge that they have acquired. This is especially true for ELL's.

Authentic assessments are "true pictures" of what a student is actually learning! Portfolios, and journals are examples of authentic assessments are so much more meaningful to learners. These assessments provide ownership to the students and allow for them to monitor their own progress.

Computers can be used for both types of assessments. For example, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has online TAKS tests that students can use in the classroom or at home. It has been suggested on our campus to provide our "bubble" students intervention time to practice the TEKS that are still undeveloped.