Writing Task Analysis

This week we have been looking at and experiencing the huge amount of steps it take to write just one letter. It is actually mind boggling to identify everything that needs to be functioning properly and happening all at the same time to pick up a pencil or pen and be able to write. We were asked to write a summary for a video we watch both using pen and paper as well as using a key board. Both methods of writing involve the ability to be able to pay attention to task, access working long and short term memory, and have execuative functioning skills to help you get organized even before you start to write letters or words. The process gets more and more deatiled and complicated as you try to outline what needs to be in place and happeing inorder for your student to write a word, sentence, and move on to a paragrph. Many of the AT programs and Apps that we have learned about so far in this course will not only help sturgging readers but can also be use to help and support strugging writers.

Krazy Kurzweil

Over the past two weeks the focus of the class has been on the introduction and exploration of the Kurzweil program. I had heard of this program before and by request had provided paper copies of tests and exams to our PST for her to put it on Kurzweil. I had never used the program before and had heard frustration with how we only have one computer in our junior high with this program so I was not motivated to learn more about it. Now that I have had two weeks to learn the ins and outs of this program I am fasinated by all the possible uses. However, with this fasination comes once again the frustration that our junior high only has one computer with this program. If I had this program on the computers in my classroom I can think of many ways that it would be useful to all students inaddition to the struggling students.
Our small group task over the past two weeks was to create a blog tutorial for Kurzweil. The exciting part was learning about and using the program. I will be sad when the 30 day trial is finished on my computer. I could invision my students useing this program to find, read, and pick out pertiment information when researching on the internet, with the use of the web button. I could also see students using this program to help with reading articles and handouts and answering quesitons in addition to using it for test and exams. Before I had the opportunity to learn the many functions of this progam I thought it was a program that was only used for testing. I have even used this program to read my own papers to me as a way to proof read. I find it easier to pick out grammar and spelling mistakes when you can listen to your own writting. I have also use the translate button to help me write Christmas cards to my friends in Costa Rica.

Please explore the Krazy Kurzweil tutorial blog link at the top right of this blog

Web literacy

I have to admit I found last week’s webinar very frustrating. By the time I actually was able to log on the class had already started. I don’t know what was wrong after that but I kept being logged off and the logged back on, several time. I miss the whole discussion about the websites. I spent most of the time playing around on the udltechtoolkit website. This is a great search engine for all grade level teachers. One could spend hours looking at this site alone and find amazing and useful resources, games, and online assists for students. I found there were really good graphic organizers. It was here that I also found the kerpoof.com website. This site is really neat for making stories, movies, and picture presentations. The Starfall website and tumblereadables I found were quite low level for my junior high students and I can not see myself using these.

After class I did some more searching around on the web and I found that just like Apps there are also a gazillion literacy websites out there. After spending over one hour playing around I settled on three great interactive sites. Some of these I could even use with the junior high students. Check them out, I had a lot of fun so I am sure your will too.

Here are just three of the many websites out there:

http://www.theclassroomkit.coml/

All kinds of words games for rhyming words, site words, and word family card games. Is great for lower level not so great for junior/senior high.

http://www.ictgames.com/literacy.html

This website has many literacy games. I had a lot of fun with the dinosaur games. Writing Runway is also a neat way for students to develop their sentence writing. Once again these games are for our students who are still emergent readers and writers. The DJ Cows Crossword games are also a lot of fun and I could use some of the seasonal ones with my junior high students. Check it out the cow does a great dance at the end.

http://www.scholastic.com/esperanza/storybuilder.htm

The Scholastic’s website is full of literacy games and supports. Most of the activities I found there are for elementary. However, the esperanza storybuilder is interesting. I could use this with my grade 9 students to write culture stories.