Teaching through Technology

Karen Mardispvhvoice@bellsouth.net

http://webpages.charter.net/cmardis1605

Pinson Valley High Schoolwww.pinsonvalleyhigh.com

“Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad, Mouse?”

• Too many different programs

• Takes too long to learn

• Takes too long to set up

• My students won’t or can’t use it

• I’m just not that good with computers!

What Has the Web Done for Me Lately?

• Kept up with my classes, assignments, and grades, while letting parents and students have instant access to these as well.

• Automatically checked for cheating while teaching documentation skills.

• Had student essays professionally evaluated and revised before I graded them.

Integration Is the Key

• Find the tools you like and use them.

• Put all your tools in a tool box that is easy to find and easy to use.

• Teach your students where it is and why they should use it.

Building a Class Web Site

• Find the right tool box.

• Decide which tools you put in.

• Make it easy to find.

• Provide rewards for using it correctly.

• http://webpages.charter.net/cmardis1605

The Right Tool Box for You

Free ad-based sites that require no skill in web-authoring.

• Tripod.com

• angelfire.lycos.com

• Hometown.aol.com

The Right Tool Box for You

Education-based sites that require no skill in web-authoring.

• Schoolnotes.com (free)

• Teacherwebsite.com (free)

• Teacherweb.com (monthly fee)

• BigChalk.com (annual fee)

The Right Tool Box for You

Space provided through your school, system, or internet service provider will require use of HTML code or web-publishing software:

• Most internet accounts come with 10MB of space for hosting personal web sites.

• Jefferson county provides web space

for schools – contact Warren Reed.

Make it Easy

• The URLs for most personal or classroom websites are difficult to remember.

• Placing a link on your school’s main web site will increase the traffic to your page.

• Parents are able to use your web site to be proactive in helping their children, rather than reacting to a situation that has already occurred.

Reduces the need for parent conferences

Useful Tools for the Box

Grade Management and Communication

Student AccountabilityResearch

Assessment

and Feedback

Alabama Virtual Library

• www.avl.lib.al.us• A link on your site

provides quick access to the AVL, increasing the chances that students will use this valuable research tool.

Mygradebook.com

• Provides instant online access to your grades for you, your students, and their parents.

• Reduces time spent in parent conferences and games of phone tag.

• Cost is $34.95 per year • www.mygradebook.com

Turnitin.com• Provides electronic plagiarism detection.• Creates a database of papers from your school and

around the world.• Keeps students honest in a world of cut and paste

papers.• Shows students where citations are needed.• Provides peer assessment and easy paper

management.• Cost is usually less than $1 per student.• www.turnitin.com

HRW Online Essay Scorer

Using Holt Online Essay Scoring

Yes, you can grade essays at the speed of light!

Is this for you?

Basic, easy to defend rubrics are used to score essays.It is consistent and fair. Students can resubmit essays after editing to get a better grade.It saves all essays for you to access along with the date and score. (record keeping!)There are a variety of modes covered.

The question should be…

WHY ARE YOU NOT USING IT?

I don’t understand this technology stuff!

There is a page that you can print with all of the prompts and modes.

There is a FAQ page to help you.

Students, parents, and you can view the rubrics used to grade.

Teacher support information gives easy to understand directions.

It is interactive

There are interactive model essays for each prompt.

You can use these as a whole-class teaching tool or students can view them individually. Scroll through and watch information boxes in the margins that explain parts of the essay.

New! Writing Activities

Now, after a student’s essay is scored, he/she can go complete a writing activity to improve future essays or to resubmit.

It is as easy as…

1- Go to http://www.hrw.com and click on the box that says Holt Online Essay Scoring.2- Register using your textbook ISBN number, a username, and a password.3- Click on add a class to add your student’s names, print out their passwords, and watch how easy grading becomes.

Advantages to Whole-Class Assignments

You can teach, brainstorm, and outline a concept as a class.

Students learn the importance of good notes and prewriting.

Example essays can be used.

Love Lending a helping hand

Kindness to others

Theme

College Bound?

Students have to compose in a time frame on screen. (much like freshman composition courses)

Students who come unprepared tend to do much worse or not get finished in comparison to those with notes and outlines.

You can give them a choice of questions and choose one for them to write when they arrive.

Students can do this outside of class

You can use this as a big writing assignment for a test grade. Give them a deadline to have it completed.

You can use this as a portion of a test (essay question) that is to be completed before the other portion of the test is given.

You can use this as a practice for in-class essay writing. They get immediate feedback.

Finally…

Holt is there to help. They have wonderful technical assistance.

Their Online Textbook and resources are helpful if they are available. Go to http://www.go.hrw.com

You even get access to their Language book resources. I especially like the Model Bank.

Links to get started

• Register at http://register.hrw.com/hrw/userreg/reg_educator.jsp

• Login at http://my.hrw.com/hrw/login_all.jsp

• Follow the directions. Click on Online Textbook, Essay Scoring, Teacher Support, or View Student Essays and get started!

Brandi Caldwell contributed to the Holt Online Essay Scorer information. She may

be reached at

caldwellteach@charter.net

Handouts and slides from this presentation may found on my website:

http://webpages.charter.net/cmardis1605

Click on the English Department Link