Checking for Understanding-ReQuest

ReQuest is a strategy designed to teach students to ask questions and think of the answers while they are reading. In the book, Checking for Understanding, studies have shown that students who engage in questioning while reading improve their comprehension. I tried this strategy out with my son's Battle of the Book team. Since we are a book club and not a class, we had to alter the strategy. The team had to read 16 books to prepare for the Jeorpordy type question and answer competition. Intially, parents meet with the students and had them answer questions from the Accelerated Reader program on the school computer. Once the students got into the routine of answering questions about their readings we (the parents) asked the students questions. We did this for several meetings and then once we were sure that all the books had been read by the students, we asked the students to come up with questions to ask each other. They did a terrific job. They started out asking knowledge questions and then comprehension content type questions. It worked out great.

I did not ask these students to ask questions of each other until they had read the whole book. I tried to get the kids to write down questions while they were reading but they really had trouble stopping their readings to write down a question. I did finally tell them to just think of questions while they were reading and that at the end of the book they could write down the questions. Most of the students didn't write down the questions but they did have the questions in their minds when it was time to ask their team mates questions. These students will be Battling through April, so they will continue to review their books and ask each other questions.

P.S. They won their first Battle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Specific Applications for Blogs

I can think of many ways that Blogs can be a part of classroom instruction. When I am teaching I will have a classroom Blog. The Blog will be used to solicit comments and questions from students as well as a place to share pictures of classroom activities. Some specific ideas I have are:

• Taking pictures of field trips and putting them on the Blog with descriptions and then asking students to comment. Rather than simple asking for comments, I could also ask students to answer a reflective question. It would be fun to have the students take turns being the photographer so that it was their pictures that were on the Blog.
• Asking students to comment or answer reflective questions concerning a story that we might be reading.
• Asking students to do some research and have them briefly describe their findings on the Blog.
• Ask students to comment on the Posts of other students.

As I write these ideas, more ideas continue to pop into my mind. I think once you start a class out on the path of participating on Blogs, they will become more and more involved in its use. Students could even take turns coming up with ideas for Post assignments. I think Blogs have a lot of potential for improving student involvement on assignments. In a Public School setting it will be important to provide access to the Blogs for all students.

Web 2.0-Rethinking our Schools

After watching Shift Happens and Pay Attention I felt conflicting feelings. I can definitely see the need for new teachers to not only learn technology but to also- Teach Technology. Wow, 10 -14 jobs by the time they are 38 years old. Call me old fashioned but going through that many jobs in such a short period of time meant you were a lousy worker. The videos do an amazing job of providing a glimpse into the fast pace world that our children will be living and working in. My first reaction to the videos were -what can I do to prepare children for the type of world that they will be experiencing.

• Teach children the ability to learn.
• Teach children how to critically think.
• Expose children to many ideas to develop personal flexibility.
• Help children learn about themselves.
• Teach children about nature.

The videos drove home to me the responsibility that I have as a teacher to teach children technology so that they can be prepared to function successfully in society. The videos also made me concerned for the pace in which our society seems to be heading. Children need time to discover themselves and their connection to nature. When I think of teaching a child- I think all these factors are important.

My Favorite Web 2.0 Tools

Web 2.0 is a web-based platform for applications and services. In other words, the software for programs and services need not be on your computer-"it is in the clouds". I find this sort of technology exciting and scary. It's scary to think that your information is just "floating in the air". But after reviewing all the different programs and tools, I can't but help feel excited about all the possible uses in the classroom. Everyone in our family has played with TokBox-it's a blast. Web based technology can have a major impact on my teaching through providing me with technology that students will find relevant to them. Children seem to have a natural attraction to computers-they seem to relax and interact with each other when technology is involved. They seem more connected to projects and content when computers are involved. And most importantly, they seem to listen better when technology is involved. I think incorporating technology in the lesson plan can definitely enhance learning.



While exploring Web 2.0 I had a blast. I especially enjoyed TokBox. TokBox is a video mail tool. It was simple to use and I kept coming up with ideas for its use. It has a feature that allows you to ring another person and talk to them while looking at their image in time-fantastic and fun. This sort of tool would be easy to teach children. I also liked Dabbleboard. Dabbleboard is a whiteboard that you can free draw, type or put pictures. This would be a great tool when working with students on developing idea webs or Pre-writes. It also is very easy to use and most importantly-free.

Bio

I moved to Salem, Oregon four years ago from Southeast, Alaska. I bring to teaching a wide range of life experiences. I grew up in Southern, California in a small racially integrated desert community. I attended college at San Diego State University and earned a degree in Psychology. Shortly after college, I headed to Alaska. Once I landed in Alaska, I found myself involved in one remote living experience after another. After 18 years of living in Alaska, family responsibilities brought us back to the Lower 48. After years of solitude I feel a great need to be a part of a community. Since my son was born in 1998 I have been immersed in the world of children. I have discovered an unknown passion-teaching. Since I spent most of my younger years exploring and not saving for my retirement, I now realize that I will have work far into my sixties. I lose track of time whenever I am with children so I have decided that teaching is the profession for me-I will be happy and feel fulfilled while making a contribution to society and earning a retirement. View my complete profile