Final Reflection

Wow, it seems like this class has flown by. An online class is the summer session was definitely an experience that I'm glad I did. I have learned several strategies and activities that I plan to implement into my own classroom. I like the approach that the text took. It wasn't a text that was trying to force the thoughts and opinions of the authors on top of me. The chapters were conversational and easy to follow and very engaging. I like that the chapters were relatable experiences that dealt with technology. I learned that technology can be used in any classroom in any state, as long as the teacher is willing and puts forth an effort. The communication and work load in the class was at a good pace. I liked getting comments and feedback from my peers and teacher. It is always great to see what others are thinking, even if they do not agree.

I think the biggest thing I learned from this class was to be open and willing to try new ideas and technologies. I also learned that there are a TON more resources on the web that I originally thought; and these resources can be easily implemented into the classroom. I need to try out these new technologies into my own classroom. I need to be open and try not to limit my students' experiences. There are tools that are engaging and exciting and ones that students can use in the classroom at home. My students deserve the opportunity to experience these new technologies and if they do not work in the classroom, then that will be okay. That is another important lesson I learned. Every single activity and technology that is implemented into the classroom is not going to be successful. Move on to the next one and see what works best...all about being open and flexible.

Completed Glossary

1. sociocultural (p.1) – This word is pertaining to, or signifying the combination or interaction of social and cultural elements. It is combining several different parts of social and cultural elements in creating something better.

2. dialectically (p.2) – This word is defined as the art or practice of logical discussion as being employed in investigating the truth of a theory or opinion and dealing with logical argumentation. It is being able to create a logical argument.

3. affinity (p.5) – Affinity means a natural liking for or attraction to a person, place, thing, or idea. Examples of this would be a relationship, a sport, a game, or a passion for a certain topic.

4. spatiality (p.9) – This is the combining the three great dimension. It covers the dimensional realm or expanse in which all material objects are located and all events.

5. crystallized (p.15) – This word means to give definite or concrete form to a particular word, idea, or thought. Putting ideas and thoughts into a solid form that has understanding.

6. adage (p.17) – This is traditional saying expressing a common experience or observation. It is an experience that someone has that is common.

7. pedagogized (p.25) – The art or science of teaching. This includes education, activities, strategies, and instructional methods.

8.inertia (p.26). – This is defined as inertness, especially with regard to effort, motion, action, and the like. It includes inactivity and sluggishness.

9.monospatiality (p.37) – This refers to being by yourself and creating your personal thoughts, ideas, and opinions. It allows creativity and strategies that engage students one-on-one.

10. pedagogization (p.40) – This includes the students in their schooling of everyday life. This includes all subject areas and activities that are related to the school day.

11.synchronous (p.41) – This involves occurring at the same time, coinciding in time, contemporaneous, simultaneous. All defined as going on at the same rate and exactly together or recurring together.

12. subversive (p.54) – This is defined as tending to subvert or advocating subversion, especially in an attempt to overthrow or cause the destruction of an established or legally constitute government.

13. manifestations (p.70) – The definition of this word is readily perceived by the eye or the understanding; evident; obvious, apparent; plain.

14. tertiary (p.71) – This pertains to of the third order, rank, stage, and formation. It is the third part of a series or relating to anything in thirds.

15.explicit authority (p.83) - The specific rights a particular participant has within the game and the consequences of others if they get in the way of each individual's rights. Usually attached to a role or a rule dealing with a specific character or setting. 

16. instantiates (p.97) – This is defined as to provide an instance of or concrete evidence in support of a theory, concept, claim, or the like thereof.

17. hybridity (p.118) – This is defined as a person or group of persons produced by the interaction or crossbreeding of two unlike cultures, traditions, etc.

18. emote (p.127) – Emote is to portray emotion in acting, especially exaggeratedly or ineptly; behave theatrically.

19. bricolage (p.189) – A construction made of whatever materials are at hand; something created from a variety of available things.

20. memes (p.199) – Memes are contagious patterns of cultural information that get passed from mind to mind and directly generate and shape the mindsets and significant forms of behavior and actions of a social group. 

Text Set 4-Slavery

1. Scholastic- The Underground Railroad, Escape from Slavery.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/plantation.htm.
On this site here are five different areas that the site covers. The areas are Beginning Journey, On the 


Plantation, Escape, Reaching Safety, and Reaching Freedom. Each one of these sections when clicked on follows the story of Walter who is a slave in Virginia. When each section is selected, Walter reads his story out loud to the students. There are pictures and important facts that can be clicked on to give more information. There are sounds and pictures and in each section it tells the story of how Walter escaped into slavery. It tells how he hid during the day, how he received help, how he knew about safe houses, and what it was like for him to receive slavery. While there is no evidence that the story is true, it does provide a real life example for students.

Age: Grade 3 and Up

2.  East Tennessee PBS (2010). Slavery and the Making of America.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/teachers/virtual.html.

The Students can create their own virtual museums exhibits for personal and classroom use by using this site’s downloadable PowerPoint template. Students and teachers can use the lesson plan What We Leave Behind for tips on how to use the images already in the Virtual Museum, find material from local museums and communities, and add their own content creations. Students create a virtual museum that can be use for presentations or study guides that will provide important events and information related to slavery.

Age: Grade 3 and Up

3. University of Virginia (2008). American Slave Narratives: An Online Anthology

http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7EHYPER/wpa/wpahome.html.

This is a great representation of the real life stories from slaves. There is a combination of slave narratives from actual slaves. Students can read the narratives or a teacher can read them aloud. It is probably a good idea to read them first because some of the can be graphic in details. The examples provided give students a first hand look at the extreme conditions that slaves experience while in America. It helps students realize the severity of the issue.

Age: Grade 3 and Up

4.EdSITEment (2009). Families in Bondage.

            http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/families-bondage.

This two-part lesson plan draws on letters written by African Americans in slavery and by free blacks to loved ones still in bondage, singling out a few among the many slave experiences to offer students a glimpse into slavery and its effects on African American family life. In Part I, students examine the letters of Hannah Valentine, an enslaved woman who lived on a Virginia plantation, drawing information from them to diagram her own family circle and the network of relationships to white society that defined her world. In part two, students read letters from a fugitive slave to his wife who is still in slavery. 

 

Age: Grade 4 and Up

5. National Underground Railroad Freedom Center 

http://www.freedomcenter.org/underground-railroad/

During the 1800s, estimates suggest that more than 100,000 enslaved people sought freedom through the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad is the symbolic term given to the routes enslaved Black Americans took to gain their freedom as they traveled, often as far as Canada and Mexico. Free Blacks, Whites, Native Americans and other slaves acted as conductors by aiding fugitive slaves to their freedom. This 19th century freedom movement challenged the way Americans viewed slavery and freedom. This site answers questions and provides details that students would not learn through the textbook. 

           Age: Grade 4 and Up

6.BrainPop on slavery 

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/slavery/preview.weml

This BrainPop is a great introduction to the issue of slavery. Tim and Moby will help you understand the terrible institution of slavery from its beginnings in ancient history up through the slavery of Africans in the United States. You’ll learn about when the U.S. slave trade started and why some colonies came to rely on slave labor. Find out how the slave trade worked, what happened once slave ships landed in America and the extent of suffering that slaves had to endure.

Age: Grade 3 and Up

7. BrainPop on the Underground Railroad.

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/undergroundrailroad/preview.weml

During the years prior to the Civil War, tens of thousands of African-American slaves won their freedom by heading north along the Underground Railroad. In this BrainPop movie, Tim and Moby will tell you all about the treacherous journey they took. You’ll learn the origin of the term Underground Railroad, and find out why people called abolitionists risked jail time to help slaves escape. You’ll learn about Harriet Tubman, the most famous conductor in the history of the railroad, and how something called the Fugitive Slave Law inflamed public opinion against slavery.

Age: Grade 3 and Up

8.Nick News - The Legacy of Slavery.

http://www.nick.com/videos/clip/legacy-slavery-clip.html

This 25 minute video covers all ends of slavery in the United States. It talks about important words such as the triangular trade route, conductors, safe house, Underground Railroad, and the Civil War. It shows pictures and paintings that have been created to depict the realism of slavery. Students will get a brief and informative description of the reality that slaves lived them.

Age: Grade 2 and Up

9. History Channel - Slavery and Civil War’s Greatest Myths.

http://www.history.com/topics/slavery/videos#civil-wars-greatest-myth

Slavery and its legacy have shaped American history, from the Civil War to Reconstruction in the 1860s and 1870s to the struggle over civil rights a century later. This video covers when slavery begin to what slavery looks like today. It covers the question of whether or not slavery still exists today. Students will get a descriptive example of important events that shaped slavery. The myths of the Civil War are covered from actual battles that defined slavery and whether or not slaves could actually fight in the Civil War.

Age: Grade 4 and Up

10. History Channel - Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad 

http://www.history.com/topics/slavery/videos#harriet-tubman-and-the-underground-railroad.

This video from the History Channel covers the importance of Harriet Tubman and the impact she had on the Underground Railroad. She led over 300 slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad. It covers how she escaped to slavery and how she led family, friends, and strangers to freedom. It covers specific strategies and secret communication strategies that were used in order to remain in safety. There are specific examples from actual escaped slaves and the journey they took to escape to freedom. 

Age: Grade 4 and Up

11. Hamilton, V. Many thousands gone: African Americans from slavery to freedom.

This book traces the history of slavery in America. It tells the actual voices and stories of those who lived it. The illustrations in the book are all black-and-white. It portrays the stories’ power and makes the book a strong book to use in a classroom. There is some graphic content in the book, but the material is suitable for 4^th grade. Students read real life examples of the struggle that slaves faced on a daily basis. The combination of the reality and illustrations make this book very powerful.

Age: Grade 3 and Up

12. Miller, W. Frederick Douglass: the last days of slavery.

This is a book based on the life of Frederick Douglass. It is the beginning of Douglass's slave narrative. Reading this together with students gives the teacher an opportunity to bring up the sensitive subject of slavery and the language associated with it. It is a true story based on real events that Douglass experienced. It would be helpful to show how a slave was able to overcome slavery and become successful in life.

Age: Grade 4 and Up

13. Johnson, P. & Kamma, A. If you lived when there was slavery in america 

 

It is sometimes hard to imagine that a person in America could be owned by another person. But from the time the colonies were settled in the 1600s until the end of the Civil War in 1865, millions of black people were bought and sold like goods. The book answers a variety of different questions that students may have concerning slavery. Where did the slaves come from? Where did they live when they were brought to this country? What kind of work did they do? With compassion and respect for the enslaved, this book answers questions children might have about this era in American history.

Age: Grade 4 and Up

14. Turner, A. Nettie's Trip South

A big difference for this book is that it is a picture book, but the content is geared towards intermediate grades. In a letter to her friend, Nettie remembers her trip to the pre-Civil War South. The main idea that she remembers in her letters is the slave auction where people were bought and sold like sacks of flour. Nettie can't forget these images, and she can't help but wonder what life would be like if she were a slave.  A bonus of this book is that it is written from a child's perspective. Many of the readers' observations may be similar to the characters' observations and the readers connect with the characters and with the story.

Age: Grade 3 and Up

15. Nordan, R. The Secret Road.

This book is another book that is told on the opposite side of slavery. Laura is a young girl who discovers her Quaker aunt and uncle's home is a stop on the Underground Railroad. Along her journey she charts a dangerous plan to accompany a pregnant slave to her husband and freedom. This book is would be useful in the classroom because it is told from a child’s perspective and covers the Underground Railroad. It shows how not all white people were in support of slavery and there was help for the slaves.

Age: Grade 4 and Up 

Media Presentation 2- Food Nutrition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjRUIQLfYnw&feature=plcp

 I posted two media presentations. I liked both so I didn't want to just post one. This is a video I made about the new my plate in America. After almost 20 years of the food pyramid for students, there has been a new my plate created to help students with nutrition and solve the obesity problems.

Media Presentation 1-Executive Branch

Executive Branch PowerPoint 1

Chapter 10-New Literacies

In the concluding chapter of the book, a combination of all the previous 9 chapters is discussed.  This chapter said that new technologies afford new practices, but it is the practices themselves, and the local and global contexts within which they are situated, that are central to new literacies. Allow creativity is one of the main goals of the new literacies because it allows each person to be an individual. New literacies tend to allow writers a good deal of leeway to be creative, perform identities, and choose affiliations within a set of parameters that can change through negotiation, play, and collaboration.

Sometimes I think we forget that we are the people who push along these new literacies. The whole purpose of this book was to show new literacies and provide examples of how they can be incorporated into the classroom. We are the so called test dummies. We are the ones who are experimenting, tinkering, and playing with all these types of technologies. I think that as we continue to experiment, we must remember as educators to connect these technologies to our students. Provide examples and opportunities for students to be active learners through these new literacies. 

 I love one of the ending quotes which said it did not matter whether or not educators or parents use these new literacies, young people will continue to engage in a range of new literacies during their out-of-school hours. Let's don't be the educators who say no to these new literacies and only focus on textbooks and PowerPoints. These new literacies are at our disposable, as educators we have to take the leap of faith and incorporate these into our teaching style. 

Chapter 9-Memes, Affinities, and Cultural Production

In this chapter, we learn about memes. Memes are contagious patterns of cultural information that get passed from mind to mind and directly generate and shape the mindsets and significant forms of behavior and actions of a social group. The chapter states that psychological and cognitive conceptions of memes tend to pay closer attention to decision-making processes prior to action. Memes are more about some that is memorable than what is useful. The three key characteristics of successful memes are fidelity, fecundity, and longevity. The suggestion at the end is very encouraging for teachers. It says that studying online memes that aim at promoting social critique can help educators to rethink conventional approaches to critical literacy. Any type of media that can be incorporated into literacy is a bonus because there has been a huge push lately to surround all teaching around literacy. 

I have never heard of memes until I read this chapter, but I think that it is something that is a great tool for educators. It is important to keep out students up to date on cultural information. This can help with retention by passing along this information from mind to mind. Another advantage to this is that is in involved with social groups and we know that there are those students who struggle with social interaction and public speaking. Having students create a meme about a specific topic would help build confidence because they have covered all the important information. Overall, while there has been little research shown on the effectiveness of memes in the classroom, it is important to expose our students to new types of media.

Chapter 8-Blogging

In this chapter is focuses on why blogging has become so hot over the past several years. Blogging is compared to keeping an online journal for others to read. The most recent post is usually shown at the top of the screen, with previous posts listed below and older posts are archived and hyperlinked, all in date-of-posting order. It can be used a social interaction tool for classrooms or for communication with others. An excellent quote was "We have observed that the online practices and events in which we have been involved via our blogs are frequently not confined to specific online literacy events and practices but are rooted in, or developed by, additional associated social events and practices beyond the internet." It is deeper than just the internet blogging. People can practice literacy while conveying messages that they find important or meaningful to them. Blogs are useful because you can personalize them and the postings are quick to be released. There is no down time waiting for things to be read or posted, it is immediate. 

One of my favorite things about this chapter is that blogs can cover a variety of different topics. There are blogs from personal journals to cooking to sports. If provides a brief summary of information that is easy to access and easy to read. I have had a little experience with blogs from other classes, but not any that required postings daily such as this class. This has shown me how easy it is to blog and be conversational in the text. I know one girl that blogged about country music that she liked. She was so consistent in her reviews and information and had such a large following that she begin getting paid and was being recruited for her opinions. So blogs can be used for financial benefits :). But overall blogs are useful tools and can be used in many different classrooms. In my own classroom, I plan on having one student blog one day a week to post about our information in class and to have a conversation with another class. 

Text Set 3- Landforms

Totally 3rd Grade Landforms Song
http://www.totally3rdgrade.com/landforms.html

I like this site because it has several different songs about landforms. I think all classrooms could use a little more song and music. We don't just need the projector and PowerPoint sides. This specific songs goes over every single landform possible. It is easy to learn and provides the music that goes along with the song. It is a great tool to use when teaching on landforms.

Age: Grade 3 and Up

Youtube-Landforms Lesson and Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v7R2bALbgI

The teacher on this video is rather amusing. But I think it is because of her energy and honestly we need more teachers with this kind of energy teaching lessons. The video goes over a brief description of each of the major landforms. At the end, the teacher then sings a song about remembering the landforms. Overall the video is short and easy to use for a quick review or introduction to landforms.

Age: Grade 3 and Up

Edtech- Habitats and landforms
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/habitats.html

This site can be a little overwhelming at first, but upon a closer look it has a ton of information. There are links on this site to at least 50 other websites or sources that can be used when teaching habitats or landforms. The websites cover all of the landforms and much more. This would be a great resource for any teacher when teaching about landforms or habitats.

Age: Grade K and Up

Landform Activity
http://www.barrow.k12.ga.us/hes/classrooms/html/landforms.html

This is an actual lesson plan that can be used in an elementary school classroom. It was an excellent activity. Usually I don't post sites that just have one lesson plan, but this lesson plan was very interesting and had a great structure. The teacher that posted this had a great sequence and it would be easy to use in any classroom.

Age: Grade 2 and Up

BrainPopjr- Landforms
http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/land/landforms/

You can never go wrong when you use brainpop in a classroom. I love this site and all the videos are accurate and entertaining. The video on landforms in very informative and is humorous. I like that it provides activities and quizzes to use after watching the video. Teachers can also encourage their students to watch it at home because it had activities to do at home with the family.

Age: Grade K and Up

A to Z Teacher's Stuff-Landforms
http://forums.atozteacherstuff.com/showthread.php?t=156899

This website is in a blog format. This blog is dedicated to teachers providing information about landforms. Teachers can post ideas, activities, lesson plans, and just any information that relates to landforms. I wish more teachers would be willing to post to sites like this. It is great to see teachers sharing lessons and activities and this site has several that would work great in a classroom.

Age: Grade 3 and Up

Landforms and Erosion
http://www.sturgeon.k12.mo.us/elementary/numphrey/subjectpages/science/landforms.html

I like any site that can provide links to important and valuable information. This is one of those sites. It provides links to anything and everything related to landforms and erosion. I like that it is easy to use and the information is useful. This is a great resource and provides photos, quizzes, games, projects, webquests, and lessons that can be used in the classroom.

Age: Grade 2 and Up

TeacherTube- Exploring Landforms
http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=97670

Anytime a video or song can be used in a classroom it is a bonus and especially if the information is valuable. This video discusses and shows actual videos and photos of landforms. It is not a very long video, only about 4 minutes, but it is a great source that would be a great introduction to teaching on landforms.

Age: Grade K and Up

Landforms-Education Song by the Obies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJoJRPN8N6A

Another video that can be used when teaching landforms. It is a humorous video that was created by a teacher. I like that the song is accurate and fun. Students will love to watch this band perform a song about a topic such as landforms. It is a great song that is a little over 2 minutes long. Excellent video that would be could easily be used.

Age: Grade 2 and Up

Internet Resources-Landforms
http://www.lincoln.dubuque.k12.ia.us/School-Wide/internet_resources/expeditions/3rdgrade/landforms.htm

Excellent site that includes games, glossary, rock cycle, earth structure, and more. Includes great photographic examples of each type of landforms such as valleys, plateaus, mountains, plains, hills, loes, and glaciers. There are plenty of links to use for teachers to access for resources related to landforms. There are links to crosswords, activities, quizzes, and puzzles.


Age: Grade K and Up


Landforms and Bodies of Water
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/geography/landforms/


There are a ton of printouts to use for teachers. There are handouts for glossaries, quizzes, worksheets, anagrams, and games. There are graphic organizers for all age levels and they can easily be accessed and printed without having to pay or sign up. Easy to use and would be great tools for assessing students.


Age: Grade 3 and Up


Mr.Nussbaum-World Landforms
http://www.mrnussbaum.com/wlandforms.htm


This is a great resource to use when showing landforms around the world. There is a map of the earth. On earth are roughly 25 red dots. You can click on the red dot and it shows a famous landform that is found in that area around the world. It also provides a description of the landform and exactly where that landform is found. I like this because it exposes students to important areas around the world.


Age: Grade K and Up


Enchanted Learning-Landforms
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/geography/landforms/glossary.shtml


I like this site because it has pictures pictures pictures! Each landform that is shown on this site has a picture that is accompanying it. There are over 100 words that relate to landforms. That go from famous landforms to small parts that accompany landforms. Overall it is a great resource to use for vocabulary words and resources for projects or presentations.


Age: Grade 2 and Up


Ehow Video- Landforms
http://www.ehow.com/video_12232657_types-landforms-land.html


This video is made by a science teacher from a high school. The video is made outside in the desert so it already has a landform in the video. He teaches about the landforms in an engaging way that is humorous and entertaining. It is a short video but very informative and helpful.


Age: Grade 3 and Up


Lifestyle- Types of Landforms
http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/types-of-landforms-11269.html


I like this site because it begins with a description of earth and just how unique earth is with the variety of landforms is has. It then describes all of the landforms on earth with a brief description. There are huge paragraphs that are overwhelming. It is a short paragraph that provides enough information about each landform to have enough information to know about each. 


Age: Grade 3 and Up

Tech Review 4

http://smithsonianeducation.org/

I'm not sure if this site has already been used but it is a great resource! The Smithsonian education site has tabs for educators, families, and students. For educators, you can select from art and design, science and technology, history and culture, or language arts. It allows for a deeper search into resource and state standards. Teachers can choose the state they teach in, and then find resources that match the state standard they are currently teaching for. There are ideas for field trips, professional development, lesson plans, resource library, and online events. Anything a teacher would need to prepare a lesson or unit is found on this site. I really like the organization of the site for all age levels. Students can choose from tabs such as at the Smithsonian, explore by topic, idea labs, or secrets about the Smithsonian. There are games and activities and about anything a student or teacher would need, this site offers. Since the Smithsonian museum is so far away from schools down here in the south, this would be a great resource to use so that students could take a virtual tour and see all the interesting artifacts that the museum has to offer. My favorite part is for the idea lab for students. Students can experiment and explore from a variety of different topics in this section. This site is great for students of all ages as well as parents. It is easy to access and does not have distracting ads or flashing lights. It is a great resource that offers many tools for teachers, students, and their families. It would be a great website to ask students to look over while at home or create ideas for possible projects or presentations. 

Chapter 7-Fan Fiction

In this chapter, we are introduced to two fan fiction writers. They are two girls and they write from each other's perspectives in their writings. They have created their own fantasy world with parts such as the character journals, the artwork, the careful plotting out of storylines, the forum discussions, the descriptions of worlds and cultures, the invention of language, the playful spoofing, the in-role poetry, and much more. All of this has been created by the girls to write/live in this fantasy world. The girls create Avatars, visual signatures shown on the screen, icons to reflect moods, music bytes, and even posters. It is an entire virtual world. What it is interesting about these virtual worlds is the intensity of emotion Tiana speaks of when discussing her role-playing reveals her depth of investment in her writing.

What I liked most about fan fiction is the dialogue between the two girls. It was like the two girls had their own language and codes for everything that they wrote. My favorite quote was, "They have mastered a range of literary techniques in their writing, drawing upon intertextual references from literature, media and personal experiences to create their intricately woven narratives." This sentence provides as much information as teachers would need to use or encourage students to use fan fiction in their own classrooms. It said at the end that teachers often write off pop culture. I feel like pop culture can be one our greatest resources because it is what our students know and understand. We need to use our resources and this is a great one. 

Tech Review 3- Underground Railroad

Scholastic-Underground Railroad-An Escape from Slavery
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/plantation.htm

This is a great website! What I enjoy most about this site is that it takes students on an actual journey through the Underground Railroad. There are five different areas that the site covers. The areas are Beginning Journey, On the Plantation, Escape, Reaching Safety, and Reaching Freedom. Each one of these sections when clicked on follows the story of Walter who is a slave in Virginia. When each section is selected, Walter reads his story out loud to the students. There are pictures and important facts that can be clicked on to give more information. There are sounds and pictures and in each section it tells the story of how Walter escaped into slavery. It tells how he hid during the day, how he received help, how he knew about safe houses, and what it was like for him to receive slavery. While there is no evidence that the story is true, it does provide a real life example for students. I like that students have questions to answer at the end. They challenge the student's thinking and require a deeper level. In teaching, it is important to help students make connections to their real life and something that is relatable. There are teacher resources to use such as a narrative to follow, teacher's guide, and topics to write on. Scholastic is a respected and trustworthy site that provides great resources for teaching the Underground Railroad.

I think that a connection that could be used to this site is creating an actual Underground Railroad throughout the school. The students would love getting to sneak around school and move from safe house to safe house in order to reach the destination. It would have to be very organized and the help of teaching assistants and others in the school would be needed, but students would love this real life example of the Underground Railroad. This would be best for students 3rd grade and up. It is free to use and is easy to access. Luckily there are no ads or distracting features.

Chapter 6-Digital Design

The chapter told about the three different types of spaces. There are the affinity spaces, networks, and identity. It affinity, people interact and relate to each other around a common passion, proclivity, or endeavor. Network is being able to network with others. Identity is the ability to be recognized as a kind of person, such as an anime fan, within a given context. The story of Tanaka was very interesting because she had such a creative mind. Tanaka's ability to create engaging storylines and her willingness to network and interact with her fans showed she had a true passion for her work. This needs to be encouraged in our classrooms. We need to let students know we value all of their work. 

I liked through these stories that while the primary focus was around adolescents in North America, they incorporated other cultures like Japanese and Chinese language. Using other cultures in the classroom is an excellent way to show connections and help students understand other areas of the world. I like that they acknowledged a growing recognition than there are other forms of literacy that are necessary for effective work, leisure and academics. I like exposing my students to different types of media, especially when discussing other cultures. I like for students to be creative and use their imagination just like Tanaka. The imagination is a powerful tool that is often supressed in the classrooms. Let our students express themselves and create stories! It is so much fun for them and for teachers to read!

Text Set 2-Titanic

Titanic Pigeon Forge
http://www.titanicpigeonforge.com/

This site would be beneficial because it has pictures and actual replicas of the Titanic ship. There is an education tab that leads students on a journey through the history of the Titanic. There are lots of pictures, biographies, and blogs about the most important parts of the Titanic. If possible, it would be a great place to take students on a field trip.

Age: Grade K-12

National Geographic-Return to Titanic
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/0411/articles/mainarticle.html

This site provides tons of information about the Titanic. It has extra links and stories from people who were actually on the boat. I like that it is so many statistics. It puts things into perspectives and makes me realize just how big this ship really was. It would be great to use in a classroom because there are actual stories that help students make a connection to a ship that sank so long ago.

Ages: Grade 3-12

Pinterest- Titanic for Kids
http://pinterest.com/brimful/titanic-for-kids-educational-resources/

This site is a little different for me because I do not have a Pinterest account. But I do know that the pictures on this account are amazing! On this account, there are over 25 ideas for teachers to use in their classroom when teaching on the Titanic. There are pictures, models, and graphic organizers. If you have a friend with a Pinterest it would be a great resource for teaching on the Titanic.

Ages: Grade K-12

Hidden Expedition Titanic
http://www.primarygames.com/science/ocean/games/HiddenTitanic/start.htm

This site would be great for students because it leads them on an actual journey with the Titanic. Students get to make decisions as if they were the captain and get to be different people while on the boat. Through this expedition, there are pictures and important information that students would gain while playing a simple game.

Ages: Grade 3-12

Strange Science: Titanic 
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/discovery-presents/videos/strange-science-titanic.html

This video provides an interesting take on the Titanic. It talks about the science of the Titanic and focuses on the bacteria that has now accumulated on the Titanic since its been under water. This would be excellent example to use in science class while teaching on bacteria. It provides video and pictures of the Titanic under water which students would love to see.

Ages: Grade 3-12

Titanic Facts and History
http://www.titanicfactsandhistory.com/titanic-facts/

This site is great because it has everything you need to know about the Titanic. It has information such as Titanic facts for kids, mistakes, artifacts, passengers, pictures, movies, and much more. It would be a great resource for students doing a report on the Titanic. It would be great for any teacher talking about the Titanic and I like that it has the passengers so it puts the ship into real life perspective.

Age: Grade k-12

Titanic Movie for Kids
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlQq7aDjWqU

This would be a great movie to show after studying on the Titanic. It is an animated version and goes through what happened on the real Titanic. Kids love animated characters, and it is much more a kid movie than the actual movie. It provides an actual movie that students can enjoy. This movie is found on youtube which is hard to access in schools, but teachers can save it to a USB.

Age: Grade 3-12

Kids Konnect-Titanic
http://www.kidskonnect.com/subject-index/16-history/281-titanic.html

This site is very appealing and would be a great resource. It has videos and pictures which are easy to access. This site gives information about the captain, the passengers, and important information about the ship. This site provides at least 20 links to other sites that could be used in the classroom.

Age: Grade K-12

Titanic Research and Modeling Association
http://titanic-model.com/

This site shows a picture of the Titanic ship. It then breaks down the ship into compartments and the layout of the ship. It shows where certain people slept and where others worked. It shows just how big the ship really is. It will help students put into perspective how big the ship is and the thinking about the layout and the structure of the ship.

Age: Grade 5-12

Online Titanic Museum
http://www.onlinetitanicmuseum.com/memorial1.html

This site provides artifacts from the actual ship. There are pictures of the wood, curtains, dishes, and other parts that were on the ship. It shows 25 different headlines of big time newspapers after the Titanic had sunk. From this site, you can order postcards and pictures that can be collected or used in a classroom.

Age: Grade 3-12

Kidz World-Titanic
http://www.kidzworld.com/article/5529-the-titanic-history

This site provides a short and description section about the Titanic. It is in blog format. My favorite section was the did you know? It tells interesting facts that most people would never think about it. The size of the beds and the amount of dishes on the ship. It is a short description, but students would like this because it is not a ton of reading, but it provides lots of information.

Age: Grade 3-12

History on the Net- Titanic
http://historyonthenet.com/Titanic/titanicmain.html

This site doesn't provide a lot of information, but the links that are connected to this site are hugely beneficial! There are links to information such as lifeboats, the crew, first class passengers, second class passengers, construction, and many more. There are links to crosswords, wordsearches, and quick quizzes. This would be a great site for teaching a unit on the Titanic and it provides resources to use in the classroom.

Age: Grade K-12

Why did the Titanic Sink?
http://historyonthenet.com/Titanic/blame.htm

This digs into the problem of why the Titanic actually sank. we all know that the Titanic sank because it hit ice, but no one really knows who is to blame. This goes over ten different people that could be to blame for the Titanic sinking. It is interesting and could show the students that the sinking was not one person's fault, but simply that accidents happen.

Age: Grade 4-12

A Little Titanic Story
 http://www.finnvalley.ie/history/titanic/index.html

This site is different because it doesn't have the facts or videos that most other sites have. It is the story of one person who was on the ship. It details his life and the events. The name of the guy is Jerome Bourke. It details his life and how he was on the shop. He did end up dying in the icy waters, but he left a bottle with a special message it in that washed up on a shore 3 years later. Great story!

Age: Grade 5-12

History Channel-Titanic
http://www.history.com/topics/titanic

My favorite part of this site is because it has a Titanic interactive. It shows what actually happened when the ship hit the ice. It then shows why it went under and what caused this. It is a great video to show students and there is commentary as the video plays. It is a great resource to use to show students an actual replica of the ship and what happened when it sank.

Age: Grade 3-12

Chapter 5- Video Games

Chapter 5 was very interesting because it focused on incorporating video games into the classroom. One of my favorite quotes from the chapter was that humans, when they are thinking and operating at their best, see the world in terms of affordances for actions they want to take. Thus, we see the world differently as we change our needs and desires for action. As teachers, we have all struggled with motivating our students to complete assignments given to them. If we are able to get our students to see their assignments in terms of beneficial, then our needs and desire for action have extra motivation. Relevance is an important part of education. If teachers can provide relevant material to their students there is a strong correlation that students will comprehend the material.

In comparing tasks in the classroom and video games, there are several similarities. Video game has a tutorial, hints, and much in its design that helps players learn the knowledge, values, practices, strategies, and skills necessary to enact professional military knowledge. In these types of games, students are using different types of thinking in order to reach the goal. I also like the idea of giving students more freedom. Giving students the opportunity to make their own choices allows students to feel more confident in their choice and creates a deeper level of thinking. It also says let the students act and experience consequences, but in a protected way when they are learners. Then help them to evaluate their actions and the consequences of their actions. Students are given the role of the teacher as well. Getting to choice their own route and decisions. Student choice has become of the most important parts of teaching.

Chapter 4-Role Playing Texts

In Chapter 4, it talks how video games can be compared to an author writing a story and how this can be used in the classroom. He compares playing a video game to hands on activity in a classroom. He compares the roles of the three main characters in a role-playing game. The roles are primary, secondary, and tertiary. Each character had a different role in the structure of the game and how the game is organized and played out. He pointed out that the steps in a hands on activity used in the classroom follows the same steps in completing a role-playing game. It is all about the task given to the students. If the students can follow a step-by-step process in order to complete the activity, then the application for the students will be to follow their original thinking or switch due to the activity. It says that authors can choose to limit agency socially by creating a “social contract” or agreement about how the game will run. He compares this to the author writing the book. The author chooses the characters and the framework and a role-playing game can follow the same strategy.

I like how it compares reading to role-playing games like hands on games. I had never really thought about a video game being a story. It points out that classroom games have an author, story line, characters, and all the parts that go into designing and writing a book. He points out that because of their collaborative nature, role-playing texts must also address authority differently from the ways a traditional text might. There are different thought processes than go into reading a book and playing a video game. I like that the video games can provide a challenge for students to follow. In most games, it takes several tries before a task is completed. I like that this promotes perseverance so that students will continue to try again until there is success. There needs to be an age limit of the video games, but using them in upper elementary and above would be great for motivation, interest, use of technology, and a practice that creates a different kind of thinking that just reading a book. 

Tech Review- Cool Math

http://coolmath.com/

This website was very helpful for me during my internship year. I was a math tutor for REM 4th grade students. Using this website helped my students with different topics that they struggled with. There are games on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, grouping, whole numbers and many more. This website provides connections to other subjects. It provides links to math books that can be used in correlation with the math topic being taught. There are plenty of resources for parents and teachers to use inside and outside of the classroom. It is a beneficial tool that teachers can suggest students use at home, when they go to the library, or computer lab. The best thing about this site is that it covers all ages and areas of math. This site is not just geared towards elementary level teaching. There are topics for algebra, geometry, and calculus that can be in college and beyond.

Another beneficial area of this site is that it provides links to other helpful math websites. Coolmath has a network of sites for all ages. From coolmath.com, you can access at least eight other math websites that can be used for lessons and games in the classroom. In addition to this, the bright colors and funny icons provide a sense of humor and relief about math. Since math is commonly considered one of the most stressful subjects for teachers and students, this site provides easy support to help with comprehension, understanding, and just having fun!