Learning Linked to Technology

When introducing poetry, I have my students browse Poetry.com and read as many different poems as possible. When they run into a poem that really strikes them emotionally, they copy it for the class. After they read and interpret their chosen poem, they play a piece of music that resembles the poem. It's interesting to see the creative choices they come up with.

Rosa Leporini
Eighth grade English teacher
West Paterson, New Jersey

By making templates for use with primary age children, your job becomes a lot easier. You can make a template for letter-writing, hundreds charts, the five senses, or anything your class is studying. Or you can buy the templates books by Evan-Moore and scan them, copy to your computers, and have lessons ready to go for any subject area. If you then copy them onto all the computers in your lab, all students will be able to follow along as you teach a lesson using your templates.

Lynn Brengle
Second grade teacher
Manchester, Missouri



My tip is to use PowerPoint or another software application to create students' electronic portfolios. Kids are so enamored with technology that they will be instantly focused and thrilled to create multimedia documents of projects or topics from your curriculum. Create task assessments and use a digital camera or scanner to visually digitize the works. Use text inserts to answer reflective questions and add those to the presentation. Create alternative assessment templates (rubrics, rating scales, and checklists) to be answered by the students. PowerPoint has added animation features.

Kids will be so self-directed when you turn them loose on an electronic portfolio project that you'll be amazed. This works with any grade level and any subject.

All you need is working knowledge of PowerPoint (or software package of your choice), the kind of portfolio you want to create, computers, scanners (or digital camera), and activities to be documented.

Show the kids how to construct a basic portfolio as you envision it. Give them time. Let them begin using the software, and before you know it ... presto!

Clyde Gaw
Art teacher
Indianapolis, Indiana


I created a classroom Web site a couple of years ago that included many links to educational sites. Recently, I have revamped the site to make it more useful for my students and their parents. I have included a variety of useful classroom information and links that allow parents to E-mail me or request a conference at their convenience. The more outlets we have to provide communication between home and school, the better the results for everyone involved.

Keri Kotchounian
Middle school special
education teacher
Sunbury, Ohio

My students have constant access to wireless laptop computers in my science classroom. The computers are an invaluable resource on a daily basis. There are times when a student has a question and I might respond with "Why don't you search the Internet for the answer, and get back to us." The student heads to the back of the room and gets online to research.

The laptops are also utilized daily to produce lab reports, complete with graphs and data tables for a real professional appearance. For projects, the students are asked to complete numerous PowerPoint, Hyperstudio, and Microsoft Word projects. The students have ample access within the school day and can also check out the laptops (like a library book) for use at home. The wireless laptop computers have been an extremely useful resource in our classroom.

Amy Boros
7/8 grade science teacher
Technology resource specialist
Maumee, Ohio

My colleague, Gene Chase, who teaches AP US Government, and myself have developed a social studies web page for our AP classes. We post all of our study guides/links so that our students can stay current whether in class or not. We also have a parent's forum where our parents can interact with the classroom through e-mail; including checking their child's progress from anywhere in the world as well as students staying current through e-mail questions when away from school. This has been a great help to our students in their attempts of mastery.

Michael McLaughlin
A.P. U. S. History teacher
Edmond, Oklahoma

My favorite Web site

My favorite Web site is one that provides easily dowloadable beginning readers for kids. For five dollars, you can download five books and five vocabulary sheets. Teachers can make unlimited copies for their classes. To see for yourself, go to www.early-foundations.com.

Julie Schmidt,
Kindergarten teacher,
Wausau, Wisconsin

Bytes for Beginners

I hear my students talking about listening to their favorite music using their computers and something called "streaming audio."

What's this all about?

New technologies have made it possible to listen to your favorite music on the computer. These computer-based broadcasting innovations make it possible to convert analog data (traditional audio signals transmitted from vinyls or CDs or radio stations) into digital data, or bits; compress it-compression/ decompression software, CODEC, removes sound data from the original sample for transmission over the Net and then adds some or all of it back when the tune makes it to your computer; and then resave it for broadcasting using one of a variety of industry formats such as MP3, RealNetworks, Windows Media Player, and QuickTime.
Special software such as Shoutcast or Icecast gives anyone-from traditional radio station DJs to high school students-the ability to broadcast music over the Internet. This makes the Net an ideal forum to tune in to and experience an eclectic mix of music.
Many college stations now keep in touch with their alumni via the Internet. For a list of radio stations or individuals who "stream audio," visit Shoutcast at yp.shoutcast.com, or Radio Locator at www.radio-locator.com.

TALK TO US

Have a nifty classroom tip or lesson plan that uses technology? E-mail a description (under 200 words, please!) to wiredclassroom@list.nea.org.

Is there a Web site, CD-ROM, or piece of software you can't live without? E-mail your favorites-and why you love them-to
myfavoritetech@list.nea.org.

Or send your responses by regular mail to NEA Today, or by Fax to 202/822-7206, or through the Web at www.nea.org/cet.
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