This year I am teaching a pull-out English class for special needs students.  This is the first time that I have taught this level. Students in the class are 10 and 11th grade students with reading levels in the 3rd to 6th grade range. In writing, they struggle to write compound and complex sentences, and they struggle with organization and adding enough details and description to their work. Therefore, these students would have a very difficult time reading the 11th grade text (Scarlet Letter or Great Gatsby), and writing a five paragraph essay even with significant support. The 11th grade general education classes study an American Dream theme.  The unit that I am presenting adapts the American Dream theme for students at significantly lower reading levels.

Since reading and writing are difficult, introducing them to complicated technology would make the task overwhelming.  Therefore my goal is to introduce and practice using the same technology more than once.  Many of the students in the class benefit from a very consistent and predictable format.

At the beginning of the year, I plan to introduce Edmodo and use it as a calendar and a place to organize all assignments and materials. I also plan to use it a a means to keep in contact with liaisons and parents. My  next step is to introduce the American Dream Unit, and Google by having each student add a page in the American Dream Scrapbook on Google docs.  In addition to learning to use Google presentation, they will be exposed to what the American Dream is. All of the literature throughout the  year will be connected to this theme.  The next step is to read The Witch of Blackberry Pond and as a class, and make an American Dream presentation as a class.  This presentation and experience will then be the example that the students use on the Johnny Tremain Dream Project.  Only on the Johnny Tremain project, they will be working with one or two other students to complete their presentation.  The project is broken down into small chunks and the students are given homework assignments to help them prepare for their group work. This will also help the students keep pace with the project, and have regular check-ins to make sure that they are making steady progress. Each paragraph will be edited before they move on to the next slide (with a new paragraph).  Towards the end of the project, they will be given an editing checklist, and a writing conference to get read for their final presentation.  Students will need to practice presenting their project, and this will help build up their reading fluency.

American Dream Project
American Dream Scrapbook
 Letter to introduce Project.
American Dream Rubric

 I have had worked with Google docs for years. Most of my student use google docs with their essays for English.  I encourage them to use it because they frequently loose items and if their paper is on line they can always find it. I also  encourage them to share documents with me so that I can give them feedback and make sure that they are on track.

I found this project very helpful in expanding my knowledge of the other application in google docs.
I especially liked the survey form.   I liked the way being able to have the results graphed. It is a great way to keep track of student papers and automatically graphing results.  I planing on using this feature a great deal with my study skills students.  In addition, I may want to have the students work together to make a practice test or a power-point presentation.

Here are the documents that I

Expectations

Presentation

Drawing

Study Skills Survey

How do online video tutorials impact student learning?

 

How do online video tutorials impact student learning?

High school students are comfortable using computers, and frequently are more attentive to online learning than they are in listening to a classroom teacher.  Since most students process information that is presented both visually and aurally better, online videos can be an important tool for education. Although there are many benefits on online tutorials, thought has to go into how and when to use these activities. Some online videos are dated, boring, too young or too mature for our students. 

 I believe that two of the best uses of online videos is to present background information to a new unit, and to practice and review materials that require rote memorization.  I agree with Khan that we need a blended approach to online learning Salman Khan Describes Future Classrooms with Blended Learning .  He presents the idea that online learning can help with rote memorization and free up time for creative learning.  I would add that using online learning can also free up more time for students to collaborate with others in small groups, and collaboration is an essential skill in preparing students for the world of work.

One of the best uses of online tutorials is to introduce a new topic.  For example, as an introduction to Romeo and Juliet, the Crash Course tutorials introduce the background and many of the themes of the plays.  One of the tutorials is for Romeo and Juliet Of Pentameter & Bear Baiting - Romeo & Juliet Part I: Crash Course English Literature #2 - You.  The narrator is interesting and energetic, and he also gets a great deal of information into this short video.  Another video that he has presents is why we read literature and would be a great way to start off the school year http://youtu.be/MSYw502dJNY.  Mr. Green speaks very fast and presents a great deal of history background and facts in a short time, and this may make the videos difficult for some students.  On the positive side, he is young and brings a great deal of energy to his presentations and his personality is engaging.  However, some students will need to view these videos a number of times before they understand them completely, and may only fully understand them after the concepts that he presents have been explored in the classroom setting.  Many students may want to use these videos to review at the end of the unit.  Another site that has English literature is a site called Bitesize.  The BBC News has created Bitesize.  It has some fantastic support material for Shakespeare’s plays and other works such as Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird.  Bitesize provides short video clips on the plot, characters, and themes of various literary works.  In addition, they have online practice tests.  The presentations are very easy to follow, they are entertaining and age appropriate.  The material on the site was designed to be used in schools.  There is a large amount of information on this site, and many topics on the site are worth exploring.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/higher/english/macbeth/ Overall, I think that Bitesize is more useful for special needs students because the speaking is slower and it is well organized.  Students would especially benefit from taking the practice test as a way to prepare for their unit tests.

A second important use of online material is a way to rote memorizes material.  A few of my students have used tools such as Quizlet or the Sadlier-Oxford vocabulary site to help them with rote memorization.  These tools are very effective in helping them prepare for tests and quizzes

Finally, online tutorials are also a great way to help students to get caught up if they have been absent.  Some of the summaries of literature such as Bitersize that are online could be useful for helping students who have missed a few days of school.  Although the videos cannot totally replace the classroom experience, they can help students to get caught up.

Online Learning Tools

What does online learning mean to me.Online learning means accessing all the tools and information that is so readily available in today's world. It is unbelievable how much information is available with the use of a phone, a computer or a tablet. However, with so much information being available, we all need to develop skills in finding relevant and accurate information.

What are my goals for this course?
I spend a great deal of time trying to help students use their time more effectively, and I try to create useful tools to help them improve their study skills.  I want to organize this information and make it easier for my students to use.  In addition, I want to use technology to help my student become independent learners.

How do I anticipate using online tools?
 I  plan to use online tools to have students:

• create study guides
• write reflections
• use an online calendar to make plans for long-term assignments
• view power-points on specific topics