Thursday, October 29, 2009

Using Rubrics to Assess

Since there has been a buzz about assessing lately, I thought I would post a site for assessing in nontraditional formats using rubrics. This site has tons of rubrics for all types of assessing for any content area. Hope you find it useful!
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Reading, Technology, and 5 Components

http://mrsdell.org/reading/index.html
Since I just finished my stint as a Reading Coach (under RF) and I am now moving into same role-new title, I understand the importance of the five components so when I came across this website I was very excited to see not only reading and its 5 components but also technology thrown into the mix! Each component has its own page with links and resources to target instruction!

Link to Blog

http://www.classroom20.com/
Hey ya'll, I found a website/blog that specifically deals with technology integration into education. It actually might be a bit overwhelming at first because there is a huge amount of resources, links, ideas, and on and on.. Check it out when you have some time.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm
The best website I have found for Comprehension Strategies! This site discusses all the new TEKS from Figure 19. There are discussion groups on both Mosaic of Thought by Keene and Zimmerman and Reading with Meaning by Debbie Miller. Both books are must reads for any reading teacher especially in light of the new comprehension TEKS which have been incorporated.

Blog Purpose

This blog was originally created for one of my classes in my M.ED Educational Leadership classes however, I think it would be useful to continue the blog with the purpose of evaluating various websites that can be used in reading instruction. In addition, I would like to evaluate websites that also deal with reading instruction and technology integration. Please feel free to add information regarding any websites or lesson ideas that you may have. Thanks for sharing!

Friday, July 4, 2008

Tech and Learning Website Evaluation

After spending hours searching for which website I wanted to use for the course evaluation, I decided upon TechLearning.com. This site is geared for K-12 educators and has articles from the Technology & Learning magazine. The magazine is also available in digital format on this website. TechLearning.com is a combination of resources for teachers, tech coordinators, and administrators. Within the home page, there are tabs for each section of interest as well as additional links to other valuable website such as The Model Intelligent Classroom-http://www.modelintelclassroom.com/. Within the home page, you will also find Today's News, Today's Article, Grant Guru, Tech Learning blog, Today's Tip, Contests, Question of the Week, and Award Winning Brands. Once you tab into the Teacher section, one will find a Featured Story, Recent Articles, How to QuickFlicks, Grant Database, and additional links as well.
My decision to choose this website was in part due to the links it provides to other websites which also focus on integrating technology into the classroom. 21centuryconnections.com site "links students, teachers and administrators to the latest resources, creative tools and educational leaders behind digital learning. Provided by Lenovo, Adobe, Intel and Futurekids, the site is hosted by Technology & Learning, NewBay Media," and can be accessed from the TechLearning.com website. This website provides for professional development and success stories so that teachers can access information and examples of how technology can be introduced into their own classrooms. On TechLearning.com there are additional websites which also share similar information for educators.
The drawback to utilizing TechLearning.com is that there are many advertisements and moving graphics which can be distracting at times. Also, since there is an abundance of information this may not be the website for a quick check of information but would provide many resources for the individual with time to study and research.
I do believe this website provides valuable information for an educator on how to integrate technology into their classroom and have it become a 21st century learning environment. There are articles that can be utilized as professional development opportunities as well as lesson plans that can be easily downloaded and are ready to use within the classroom.
I would highly recommend this website to other educators with the suggestion that within TechLearning.com's links they find the website they feel is most appealing. They also have the opportunity to participate within discussion forums as well as receive a newsletter for further information.