Diversity in My Classroom

Diversity is something that should be embraced by everyone because everyone is different in so many ways. We have categorized people into groups by race, color, religion, sexual preference etc. because that is how our world operates. It creates a sense of belonging for many, but it has also been the reason for more bloodshed and hate than any other reason throughout history. My school community strives to create an understanding of diversity.

We run regular Town Meetings embracing the differences among us. What makes these Town Meetings particularly effective is the fact that the students create and run the meetings. They create skits, write poems, paint pictures and produce the PowerPoint slide show. For one Town Meeting my class presented Empathy. The students used the idea of understanding how new students feel when they join the school later in the school year. (We had this occur in several grades). One student spoke limited English, another student had physical disabilities. The students thought carefully about how this "newness" feels, and how it can feel to various people.

We celebrate diversity through our International Luncheon. The fifth graders complete a research project based on their country of origin. It is so interesting finding out how many of them originate from a number of different countries. We talk about how cultures can mix and create cultural diffusion. The students interview relatives, email children from other countries, and conduct online research abut their selected country. This leads to wonderful discussions about the nature of America as a nation with many cultures. We discuss the benefits of such a nation, the wealth of influences that we can draw from in our lives. I also introduce the negative feelings that can occur related to diverse cultures living together, and we discuss ways that we can help people become more tolerant and accepting of others. The research is presented to the class in the form of a speech. The children also create a dish that is representative of their culture and we all have an International luncheon, sampling the culinary delights of the world.

My school hosts the BOCES Exl class, and the Foundations of Learning class. Both contain students with learning and physical disabilities. Through programs such as Peer Tutoring, regular-ed students are afforded the opportunity to learn along side those with disabilities. True friendships are formed and differences are accepted and become a non-issue.

We still have a long way to go before diversity is accepted by all, but I feel that my school helps to create a strong foundation for the students.

The Intersection of Schools, Communities and Technology

Chapter 5, written by Charles K. Kinzer takes a look at the way new literacies have redefined what we call "communities". Thanks to technology, students no longer think of a community as a small town, or part of a town where similar people live and work. I remember covering "Communities" in school and we looked at towns, our own and others; the school community; and a community in Africa. Today, children think of communities more globally. There are connections with others through the Internet that creates new communities. We are a community of bloggers...we share similar interests (maybe) and enjoy using technology as a means to communicate our thoughts and opinions. Technology offers this sense of community in education also. As Kinzer puts it, "When projects such as the Earth Day Groceries Project begin to bring together children and teachers fro around the world, a new form of community is being built - one based on common interests and goals, one that transcends the specific geographic space in which schools are physically located, compressing distance as never before." (p67)


I viewed schools as very isolationist in nature. By that I mean they taught me a set of predetermined information that had very little to do with my community, interests or life. We did not do projects that involved getting to know other people from another town, never mind another country. I could explain in detail the impact of Jethro Tull's "Horse Hoeing Husbandry" ( British Industrial revolution) but I did not know much about other communities in my area. I love the way children are now exposed to so much. They gain a much better understanding of other types of communities because they are able to interact with them (KeyPals) and research locations on the Internet.

The technology skills the children are now using carry them into the business community prepared and able to become useful members of society. Students need to understand the global community, how to use technology and how communication in a number of forms is vital in today's world. ">Internet Project Registry offers exciting collaborative projects that are suitable even for very young children. Beginning at such a young age, along with immersion into the skills and language involved in technology, students find completing these projects as ‘normal’ as any other type of schoolwork they do. Another great site is GlobalSchoolNet.org.

I see a wider school community opening up as parents and teachers can communicate so easily through emails, websites and blogs. I love posting my homework on my class website because it gives parents the chance to see what is going on without having to be ‘on the backs’ of their children. I send my newsletters out via email as well as on paper as many parents enjoy being able to check them out at work rather than when they come home late at night. It also prevents the problem of ‘lost’ newsletters. I know parents will get my messages. Sharing student work with parents is no longer confined to conferences and the random sending home of papers. Electronic portfolios can allow parents, students and other teachers to see the progress the children are making.



I long for the day a SmartBoard is installed into my room. The New York school that Kinzer talks about sounds like my dream: total access to technology through wireless laptops for every child!!!! Thus, in this setting the technology becomes incorporated into the learning, it is not an 'add-on' that is used 'if' one can gain access to it. Children in this setting are learning how to use technology because they are 'using technology'.

In order for a child to create a PowerPoint on a given subject, a plethora of literacy skills are put into play. Mina, a child at the school was able to express herself through the technology. She fully understood the correct techniques for researching information on the Internet. She could cut and paste, edit and revise, produce audio/visual including video, cite and produce her own work (obviously aware of the legal issues behind plagiarism). Mina also understood how to communicate for the intended audience, she selected the right terminology when explaining how she did things…she used all forms of literacy well…it was just in the context of technology rather than a novel or textbook, for example. Metacognition was evident as Mina expressed an understanding of her learning and understanding. We all hope children achieve such high standards of literacy. This example highlights the power technology has, if used correctly, to develop literacy. I want to avoid calling it ‘new literacy’ now as Mina obviously felt there was nothing ‘new’ in it at all.


Image: http://eduscapes.com/sessions/sand/web.jpg

Effective Professional Development

The final chapter of the book tackles the sticky situation known as staff development. The chapter summarizes the findings of Julie Coiro as she explains the current research (current at time of publication 2005) and the dedicated work of the many Miss Rumphius award winners.

There have been many development days when I have struggles to keep my attention on the speaker, distinctly aware of the noise the 'whispered ' conversations of other teachers. I have often wondered why the speaker, while giving a two hour presentation on how people learn best from 'doing' is prepared to teach us without us 'doing' anything. Passive learning is the death toll of understanding. I really could not tell you what I learned from those lectures. I just remember being bored, despite the subject matter being very close to my heart.

The following is a slide from a PowerPoint I created for another class. It shows seven key elements of good professional development.

Professional Development

Seven Key Principles Loukes-Horsley (1998)

Effective Professional Development Experiences:

• are driven by a well-defined image of teaching and learning

• provide opportunities for teachers to build their knowledge and skills

• use or model the strategies teachers will use with their students

• build a learning community

• support teachers to serve in leadership roles

• create links to other parts of the educational system

In addition, good staff development should focus on student work giving the teachers time to evaluate the quality of classroom assignments and their direct connection with standards. Teachers usually respond well to small, more engaging training sessions. Vertical and horizontal groups allow grade levels to share ideas and materials and teach each other through using technology, rather than just hearing about it. Mixed grade groups helps to spread the wealth of knowledge and experience further. I remember learning more from a session evaluating a Kindergarten curriculum map, than I ever did at a Rubicon Atlas training session. This was because I was able to use the map, to discuss it with others, to make suggestions and get immediate feedback.

I once took a WebQuest training class a couple of years ago. I was virtually computer illiterate at that point and dreaded the whole thing. The instructor began with a lecture about WebQuests and their uses…yawn! Then he set us up at our own computers and asked us to create a WebQuest. I almost fell off my chair! Well, it was the best way to learn. We worked collaboratively in small groups to produce our WebQuests. Not only had I learned how to turn on the computer, but I had created a meaningful learning resource for my class.

In today’s world, educators and staff developers really need to view technology as part of literacy. There will not be a child in school who will not benefit from experiencing instruction on how to use technology but more importantly, they need to use technology in meaningful and authentic way. Teachers cannot ignore the need to develop fluency in technology.

Below you will find my own ideas for creating a vision statement for technology integration. To achieve this vision, teachers need to be taught how to utilize technology and integrate it fully into the classroom. Sadly, Coiro cites many studies revealing a lack of proper staff development. This is strange given the amount of pressure the ‘Powers that Be’ are putting on us through standards and standardized tests. We have even been given technology standards to include in the planning of our curriculum. Here’s a thought: let’s give the students a new set of data and skills to learn, master and apply, but we won’t teach them how to. Could you imagine the uproar that would commence if that happened? It wouldn’t….or at least, shouldn’t. Yet we as teachers are not given the professional courtesy of being fully trained before we are expected to pull of a stunt more impressive than Houdini ever did. No wonder so many teachers shy away from technology…they are not given a safe learning environment!

Kudos to the teachers who do venture into the unknown and simply try to work things out. Often, the best way to really get a handle on something is to do it and learn from one’s mistakes. The winners of the Miss Rumphius Award are role models and are highly valued in the world of education. We do need to follow their examples, have a go; we don’t have to use it if it doesn’t work…just join a Keypals group to share ideas and resources that way :)

Personal Vision Statement

I. Well trained teachers who feel confident in the integration of technology into the curriculum and who do see it as an "add-on" or enrichment subject

II. Students moving freely to the computer to work on assignments

III. Individual needs of students met effectively through teacher collaboration both vertically and horizontally

IV. Technology used as a means of communication with students, teachers and parents. (Class web pages)

V. Students are able to investigate beyond textbooks, experiencing real-time events, or using technology to explore the past in various ways - timelines, documents, interviews...

VI. Students will become better readers, writers and orators through technology integration (Powerpoint, etc)

Powerpoint presentations

Reading skills

Writing Applications - Word, Storybook Weaver

VII. Cross-curricular activities can be easily coordinated through teacher collaboration

VIII. Students connect to the past via primary sources and links to historic sites

IX. Online learning

X. >Appropriate software is utilized which aligns district/state/national standards.

>It will meet the needs of all types of learners, including inclusion and gifted and talented.

> Is user friendly. Allows teacher to assess student achievement.


Image: http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Technology/conference/matter2.jpg
Click on picture for link to conference hints

Connecting Technology and Literacy

Chapter 9 is written by Mary Kreul, a teacher with technology vision. The full title of the chapter is Connecting Technology and Literacy: A Journey from "How Do I Turn on This Computer?" to "My Class Is Blogging Their Book Reviews for Literature Circles."
I already know how to turn on the computer so I thought "Wow! I'm on my way to blogging with my students." This became a very important chapter for me.

I immediately related to Kreul's account of navigating the one computer classroom (she had to go to the library which is worse than I had to deal with). Yet her determination to overcome these obstacles made me feel a little guilty about my own gripes. I have one working computer in my room but at least it is connected to the Internet (high speed) and I can show my whole class what I am doing thanks to the T.V. monitor it is hooked up to. I also have a bank of 10 computers in the library but this does still make me mad as we can only book them for one 45 minute slot each week.


Although a major value of technology lies in the literacy skills children develop through reading and writing, I felt this chapter accentuated the value of technology in terms of communication. The ideas that Kreul shares most definitely hold their own in terms of literacy development but I want to focus this blog on the new literacies such as communicating via e-mail and telecollaborative projects. "The experience was valuable because it not only took students through the writing process but also demonstrated how a variety of technology skills come together n one project. After learning the technology skills necessary to create beautiful work in the form of a slide show, students were then able to use the Internet to share their work with others." (p144) As I stated in a previous post, children need to be equipped to be able to communicate through the technology of the day...who knows what it will be when our students are grown-up!

Keypal projects are touted as a beginning project, one that Kreul used before becoming more techno-savvy and ventured into telecollaborations. I went to ePals Classroom Exchange which I found on the Internet Keypal Exchange . Communication on this global scale is awe-inspiring. Jut a few years ago we had to write by snail mail. Today we can find out what is going on in classrooms all over the world. As I am from England, I decided to explore schools in Manchester where I grew up. I found my high school on ePals and will contact them to set up a project with their year seven students. I think it will be great for my students to discover school life in England and hear about what it was like for me at their age.

It was a relief for me when Kreul moved on to her experiences in fourth grade. I had been reading the chapter worrying about how to up the anti for my fifth graders. I too have used one or two techsperts to train my less advanced students. Using technology for book reports makes total sense to me. As adults we like to read reviews before we buy a book. Webpages with childrens' book reports, written in a similar style, give global access to children wanting to find out about a book they are possibly interested in.

Using blogs for students to post their responses to literature seemed to be a challenging task before I read this chapter. Then it all clicked into place. I just have to do what I am doing here...blog. I would like to do other things with my class blog such as add student work and timelines similar to Kreul. It will also open up the students' work to the whole world...their parents will also have instant access to their child's work and will observe the progress being made.


Image from: http://www.nova.edu/~kolemary/image002.gif

Literacy and Technology: A World of Ideas

Cathleen J. Chamberlain, a teacher and District Information Technology Integration Specialist, provides us with some very useful ideas for streamlining our use of the Internet. She hits the nail on the head when she states, "It is a common occurrence while using the Internet to realize suddenly that time has just melted away...Often...I stray from my original focus and pursue other topics of interest...This realization made me see that developing websites that provide links to educational materials would help teachers by narrowing the field." (p49)

I have experienced the trap of surfing the Net for information, only to find three hours have passed by and I have yet to find my initial inspiration for looking. Not because it is not wasy to find, but because I will see an interesting looking link, discover a download that will be useful for a unit next Fall or I just get sidetracked into an interesting article that I 'just cannot stop reading'. My school district's network provides us with our own WebPages. Unfortunately we are still limited to following the format they have chosen and I find it next to useless. In addition, we can no longer bookmark sites we find. The network will not save them. All my previous bookmarks were lost so I am very frustrated.

To my delight, however, Chamberlain provides ample information about how to become more focused in using the Internet. I liked her pointers about search terms that yield more successful results. She discusses her journey into web design; apparently this is a slow process as one learns more with each web one creates. Her staff development creates a hands-on approach to learning how to create WebPages...I wish we had this. She also enforces the need to actually go into schools and show teachers how to do things, tweaking what they already know and developing greater skills as they go.

We are all blessed or cursed by the Standards Movement. (I have mixed emotions) Finding interesting learning experiences that meet these standards can be made easier with links to the various curriculum areas; both content and standards. NY Learns is a great starting point and is very easy to use. I tried it and wish I has known about it before I worked on my Keystone Project for EDLA 615!!! Guess what? I have just spent the last hour playing with NY Learns and not doing this blog....um...I guess we also need willpower to stay focused too.

One excellent suggestion Chamberlain makes is to join a Listserv. She recommends using Google and typing in Listserv and educational. I checked out the Listservs and have just subscribed to Teacher-to-Teacher (T2T) majordomo@t2tforum.com The image used at the top of this page is taken from a PowerPoint about email, Listservs and pen pals. Image: http://www.siec.k12.in.us/west/slides/penpal/IMG005.GIF. To see the whole slideshow. go to http://www.siec.k12.in.us/west/slides/penpal/sld005.htm. You will see other examples of Listservs and how to use them.

Image taken from:http://www.aea1.k12.ia.us/technology/graphics/screen.jpg

The Earth Day Groceries Project

Mark Ahlness talks about his remarkable project The Earth Day Groceries Project for which children decorate grocery bags for their local grocery store. At first I thought "how cute!" It seemed like a nice way for children to get involved in Earth Day, interact with the community, and do a little research on environmentalism. As I was reading, I had mental images of children using the internet to find information before decorating their bags. Nice, but not something that teaches me better use of technology...and that is why I'm reading the book.

Then Ahlness begans to explain how the project developed. I literally had an aha! moment. This project was so much more than merely Googling 'environment' and making some notes:

By spreading the word about the project, Ahlness was encouraged to develop his own skills in web creation. He also discovered interesting ways to communicate and use listservs such as Ednet (www.umas.edu/ednet), thus enabling him to 'expand the boundaries of his classroom' further.

Because Ahlness requested feedback from participants in the project, he found the need to re-evaluate his technology skills regularly. He states that participation grew to a staggering 188 schools by 1996. Having checked out the website, I have read that over 1200 schools participated in 1999. I could not find numbers for this year, but did find a cool link that lets you read the feedback from participating schools across the nation. There is also a blog which shows a new addition to the project, a school from Sri Lanka. Wow! To accommodate this growth, Ahlness had to find new ways of processing the information sent to him by the schools. He established a new website and database, sponsored by the American Forest and Paper Association. He had to grow with the project.

Through this amazing growth, the project has taken on an interdisciplinary opportunity for teaching. It is no longer a basic research project. Schools are invited to use the website http://www.earthdaybags.org/ to interact in many ways. They may use the free downloads provided by the site (desktop wallpaper, PowerPoint presentations, drawing templates, clip art and screen savers) and can instruct students in using them to create their own Earth Day webpage on which Ahlness encourages schools to post pictures of their bags and feedback about the project.

Geography skills can be enhanced as students track the locations of the participating schools. Follow-up can be done on the natural resources and environmental issues pertaining to that area or country. There is even a wonderful math opportunity on the site as it posts figures relating to the number of bags each school produced.

Not all of his learning was positive. Ahlness comments on the issues of copyright and how his work has been used both with and without permission.

As I am writing this I am not sure that my point is coming across. Learning is a two way street. This project reminded me of the way teachers learn just as the students do...provided they are prepared to move forward and take some chances. This is a project that I would love to introduce to my school but I am afraid that I do not possess the skills involved. I should take the path taken by Ahlness and 'try it'. I need to grow in my own skills and this learning will also provide my students with a wonderful and meaningful learning experience. Who knows, I may even help to protect out world!

Image taken from http://static.flickr.com/8/10405335_0221aa1c6c_m.jpg

Books on Tape

Chapter 2 of Innovative Approaches to Literacy highlights the project Books on Tape for Kids, created by Gino Sangiuliano. This project looks fabulous! Check it out at http://www.booksontapeforkids.org/

The project began as a technology piece for the Rhode Island Foundation's Teacher Training Initiative. It grew into an interdisciplinary, authentic learning opportunity which fosters a love of literacy, a sense of community service, and many skills related to the new literacies. I am very impressed by this project and feel compelled to try it at my own school.

The idea of the project is to have students practice reading books to a point where they feel comfortable recording themselves on tape. (What a great way to develop reading fluency!) Students then record themselves and create artwork, an original story based on the book, a photograph of the children who worked on the book, a pen-pal letter explaining how the project was created and a reply/feedback postcard. The items are then put together in a package and sent to hospitals, libraries and other schools.