I want to thank each and everyone of you for your continuous support and kind comments on my blogging posts :-) This was definitely a memorable experience for me...Thank you, Professor Schmidt, for your support as well, and for providing links to websites I found to be extremely useful and fun...I have learned a lot..
I wish you all the best in your future endeavors!
Best Regards,
Evelina
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
WebQuest
Hello All,
I can't believe this is our final assignment! I worked for so many hours to create this webquest on biomes - but it was all worth it. I've researched all six land biomes and explored pages of websites from around the world... I've learned so much about ecosystems that I think I could teach it to 5th graders now (even though I'm not a teacher)... It was as fun as intellectually stimulating, I must say... Hopefully, you will like it :-)
http://questgarden.com/author/create/preview.php?u=125941&l=125941-110504090223&pt=student&p=introduction
I can't believe this is our final assignment! I worked for so many hours to create this webquest on biomes - but it was all worth it. I've researched all six land biomes and explored pages of websites from around the world... I've learned so much about ecosystems that I think I could teach it to 5th graders now (even though I'm not a teacher)... It was as fun as intellectually stimulating, I must say... Hopefully, you will like it :-)
http://questgarden.com/author/create/preview.php?u=125941&l=125941-110504090223&pt=student&p=introduction
Monday, April 11, 2011
Web 2.0 tools...
Hello All,
I was absolutely amazed as I explored different Web 2.0 websites - I didn't know there were so many cool sites for kids and adults that are both educational and fun!
My daughter and I spent hours creating puzzles, slide shows, videos, etc...We had a blast using http://www.animoto.com/ - within 15 minutes, our last trip to North Carolina was animated into a brilliant slide show of alpacas, caves and our smiling tanned faces. Definitely a keeper...
We also visited http://www.blabberize.com/, http://www.glogster.com/, http://www.voki.com/ - websites with limitless possibilities to create silly and fun projects, like posters, "speaking" pictures and personalized avatars...
I also explored wikis in education http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/ and found some interesting and helpful links for teachers and students alike.
But my favorite so far is http://www.discoveryeducation.com/ - a website with ducational tools and resources galore. I would use a puzzlemaker for my daughter's next birthday party: I'll create some cool cryptograms, print them and use them as pizza party placemats for intellectual stimulation :-)
I was absolutely amazed as I explored different Web 2.0 websites - I didn't know there were so many cool sites for kids and adults that are both educational and fun!
My daughter and I spent hours creating puzzles, slide shows, videos, etc...We had a blast using http://www.animoto.com/ - within 15 minutes, our last trip to North Carolina was animated into a brilliant slide show of alpacas, caves and our smiling tanned faces. Definitely a keeper...
We also visited http://www.blabberize.com/, http://www.glogster.com/, http://www.voki.com/ - websites with limitless possibilities to create silly and fun projects, like posters, "speaking" pictures and personalized avatars...
I also explored wikis in education http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/ and found some interesting and helpful links for teachers and students alike.
But my favorite so far is http://www.discoveryeducation.com/ - a website with ducational tools and resources galore. I would use a puzzlemaker for my daughter's next birthday party: I'll create some cool cryptograms, print them and use them as pizza party placemats for intellectual stimulation :-)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
High School Spies on Students
Hello All,
a few weeks ago I came across this peculiar story about a Philadelphia-area high school that spied on its students. Apparently, 1800 students were given school district laptops for educational benefits and these laptops had Web cameras. These webcams, according to school officials, were used to "track lost or stolen laptops", but, unfortunately, they also spied on students and their families inside their homes (according to the class action suit filed against the district). The lawsuit was filed by one student's parents, after he was confronted by high school official with the photographic evidence of "improper behavior" in his home. It turns out that the school district has the ability to remotely activate webcams even when laptops are not in use.
So, with all the technology out there, how do we safeguard ourselves AND our kids against invasion of privacy? How do we teach our future generation the ethical guidelines when it comes to web safety if authorities are sending the wrong message?
We all remember the story of a Rutgers University student's dorm room webcam incident that led to his suicide (http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-rutgers-student-sex-suicide,0,1881562.story ). There must be a way to control this ever growing trend of spying...
You can read the article "School Spies on Students at Home with Webcams: Suit" here http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/School-Spies-on-Students-at-Home-with-Webcams-Suit-84712852.html
a few weeks ago I came across this peculiar story about a Philadelphia-area high school that spied on its students. Apparently, 1800 students were given school district laptops for educational benefits and these laptops had Web cameras. These webcams, according to school officials, were used to "track lost or stolen laptops", but, unfortunately, they also spied on students and their families inside their homes (according to the class action suit filed against the district). The lawsuit was filed by one student's parents, after he was confronted by high school official with the photographic evidence of "improper behavior" in his home. It turns out that the school district has the ability to remotely activate webcams even when laptops are not in use.
So, with all the technology out there, how do we safeguard ourselves AND our kids against invasion of privacy? How do we teach our future generation the ethical guidelines when it comes to web safety if authorities are sending the wrong message?
We all remember the story of a Rutgers University student's dorm room webcam incident that led to his suicide (http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-rutgers-student-sex-suicide,0,1881562.story ). There must be a way to control this ever growing trend of spying...
You can read the article "School Spies on Students at Home with Webcams: Suit" here http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/School-Spies-on-Students-at-Home-with-Webcams-Suit-84712852.html
Monday, March 21, 2011
Electronic Field Trip: Colonial Williamsburg
Hello All,
after exploring different links for a while, and with a help from my 10-yr. old, I have chosen the Colonial Williamsburg's website for review http://www.history.org/history/teaching/eft/ We visited Colonial Williamsburg last summer and the experience was quite memorable. I flipped through the pages of my daughter's Social Studies textbook a few months ago when she was learning about the colonial times, and reminded her that we actually visited the home of George Wythe, who was Virginia's first signer of the Declaration of Independence. And then...there was this priceless "Oh yeah, I remember" moment...
I found Colonial Williamsburg's website to be extremely helpful for teachers, kids and their parents. Their EFT (Electronic Field Trip) program offers an impressive library of educational resources, live streaming videos, lesson plans, interactive classroom features, podcasts and links to virtual explorations of the Colonial Williamsburg's mansions, public spaces, gardens and farms. The 2010-2011 EFT season provides interactive lessons on the Bill of Rights, presidential elections, slavery, women of the Revolution and others. The art collections from their museums and live discussions with curators and historians are broadcasted 7 times a year on public TV education stations. Colonial Williamsburg's EFTs are correlated to American history, literacy and science standards. The cost of the program is $500 for the series (Emmy-winning!) or $120 for individual programs. I am a big supporter for infusion of the technology and interactive learning into our kids' classrooms. I am sure that 5th graders would benefit from EFT to Colonial Williamsburg - it will help them visualize the historical events that are quite complex and provide access to fun interactive activities (like "Battle for the Vote" game), which I barely finished, if I may add :-)
after exploring different links for a while, and with a help from my 10-yr. old, I have chosen the Colonial Williamsburg's website for review http://www.history.org/history/teaching/eft/ We visited Colonial Williamsburg last summer and the experience was quite memorable. I flipped through the pages of my daughter's Social Studies textbook a few months ago when she was learning about the colonial times, and reminded her that we actually visited the home of George Wythe, who was Virginia's first signer of the Declaration of Independence. And then...there was this priceless "Oh yeah, I remember" moment...
I found Colonial Williamsburg's website to be extremely helpful for teachers, kids and their parents. Their EFT (Electronic Field Trip) program offers an impressive library of educational resources, live streaming videos, lesson plans, interactive classroom features, podcasts and links to virtual explorations of the Colonial Williamsburg's mansions, public spaces, gardens and farms. The 2010-2011 EFT season provides interactive lessons on the Bill of Rights, presidential elections, slavery, women of the Revolution and others. The art collections from their museums and live discussions with curators and historians are broadcasted 7 times a year on public TV education stations. Colonial Williamsburg's EFTs are correlated to American history, literacy and science standards. The cost of the program is $500 for the series (Emmy-winning!) or $120 for individual programs. I am a big supporter for infusion of the technology and interactive learning into our kids' classrooms. I am sure that 5th graders would benefit from EFT to Colonial Williamsburg - it will help them visualize the historical events that are quite complex and provide access to fun interactive activities (like "Battle for the Vote" game), which I barely finished, if I may add :-)
Monday, March 14, 2011
HS Report Cards Comparison
Hello Everyone,
Since I graduated from high school in Europe, I have decided to compare 2 high schools based on their geographical location - both located in Bergen County and just under 3 miles apart - Fort Lee and Cliffside Park high schools. I was particularly interested in the Fort Lee HS because it's in the walking distance from where we live and, quite possibly, my daughter will be attending it in the future. Before settling down in Fort Lee, we looked at neighboring towns and compared costs of living, taxes, demographic data, and, of course, the schools. Fort Lee high school outperformed others, according to different sources, and the report cards I compared today clearly support that...
What caught my attention right away was the data in language diversity, subject proficiency and SAT scores. Cliffside Park's LEP (Limited English Proficiency) is twice as high as in Fort Lee high school (8% vs. 4%), and on the language diversity, English language is spoken in more Fort Lee households (54.4%) than in Cliffside Park's (38.8%).
Taking the language diversity into consideration, it's not surprising that in Language Arts assessment, Fort Lee HS's advanced proficiency is at 19%, while Cliffside Park's - at 6%, and that 6% falls way below the state's 18.7% advanced proficiency. In Math, Fort Lee HS's advanced proficiency is at 35.5% (!), comparing to Cliffside Park's 14.7%. When comparing SAT scores, Fort Lee HS scores higher across the board in all subjects, whether you compare it to the state's averages, or, to Cliffside Park HS's scores.
When you look at Math SAT scores, for example, Fort Lee HS's average score is 565, while Cliffside Park's - 474 (state's average - 520). In Verbal/Essay, Fort Lee HS scores 514/526, while Cliffside Park HS scores 449/444.
And then I found something interesting: only 38% of Fort Lee HS's teachers have Master's Degree, but in Cliffside Park HS - 51%(!) of teachers have Master's Degree. And the student/faculty ratio is lower at Cliffside Park HS. So, it makes me wonder, how relevant is the instructional/teacher quality for high school education...Oh, and by the way, Cliffside Park HS has more computers...
Since I graduated from high school in Europe, I have decided to compare 2 high schools based on their geographical location - both located in Bergen County and just under 3 miles apart - Fort Lee and Cliffside Park high schools. I was particularly interested in the Fort Lee HS because it's in the walking distance from where we live and, quite possibly, my daughter will be attending it in the future. Before settling down in Fort Lee, we looked at neighboring towns and compared costs of living, taxes, demographic data, and, of course, the schools. Fort Lee high school outperformed others, according to different sources, and the report cards I compared today clearly support that...
What caught my attention right away was the data in language diversity, subject proficiency and SAT scores. Cliffside Park's LEP (Limited English Proficiency) is twice as high as in Fort Lee high school (8% vs. 4%), and on the language diversity, English language is spoken in more Fort Lee households (54.4%) than in Cliffside Park's (38.8%).
Taking the language diversity into consideration, it's not surprising that in Language Arts assessment, Fort Lee HS's advanced proficiency is at 19%, while Cliffside Park's - at 6%, and that 6% falls way below the state's 18.7% advanced proficiency. In Math, Fort Lee HS's advanced proficiency is at 35.5% (!), comparing to Cliffside Park's 14.7%. When comparing SAT scores, Fort Lee HS scores higher across the board in all subjects, whether you compare it to the state's averages, or, to Cliffside Park HS's scores.
When you look at Math SAT scores, for example, Fort Lee HS's average score is 565, while Cliffside Park's - 474 (state's average - 520). In Verbal/Essay, Fort Lee HS scores 514/526, while Cliffside Park HS scores 449/444.
And then I found something interesting: only 38% of Fort Lee HS's teachers have Master's Degree, but in Cliffside Park HS - 51%(!) of teachers have Master's Degree. And the student/faculty ratio is lower at Cliffside Park HS. So, it makes me wonder, how relevant is the instructional/teacher quality for high school education...Oh, and by the way, Cliffside Park HS has more computers...
Saturday, March 5, 2011
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