Writing Instruction

Over the past week, I have learned a great deal about the different writing styles used in the classroom. For my own classroom, I feel like I will be able to use a variety of these methods and intertwine them in a way.
My group presented on Kid Writing and I think that that method is a great way to promote childrens writing. If they are able to sound out the words themselves and write down the words how they hear them, it gives the teacher a look into what students are struggling and what ones are on the right track. I also liked the interactive writing because that gives the students a chance to write with each other and also help with creative ideas and also collaborate on editing.
The writing packets were also very helpful because for my topic we had the integration of writing in all subjects. In the packet, it taught a few ways to incorporate science into writing and social studies into writing which is going to be great when we have our own classrooms. Since most of the time these subjects won't be stand alone, it is a good way to incorporate each subject.
I feel that I have learned a lot about the different styles of teaching writing and I think I will be more prepared in the future to teach it.

India Wordle

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3069968/india_wordle

What I've Learned

Throughout this week I have learned a lot of new things regarding becoming a literacy teacher. I thought I knew a lot of what it took to be a teacher like using multiple learning strategies, having good organizational skills, and having a wide variety of books in the classroom, but there were many things that I needed to learn. I want to learn how to pick a good variety of books to use for examples as well as how to determine students' reading levels. These two things I think are the most important for new teachers to know. Having a wide variety of books to use as examples is great because then each student can relate and find something that they find interesting. Determining a student's reading level is also very important. In order for students to achieve the most out of their school year, they need to be at their zone of proximal development and trying to find that is somewhat difficult. I hope that by the end of this course, I will be able to know the answers to these questions as well as others that may come up. The videos were also helpful because they talked about including more technology into the classroom and ways to do this. Overall, I am excited to learn more as this course progresses.

What does a 21st century classroom look like?

Walking into a classroom of the 21st century, observers would see the usual computers, overhead projectors, and white boards, but they would also see more technology than just what meets the eye. Students who are growing up in the 21st century are all technologically advanced for their age. They have all grown up with computers, iPods, social websites, blogs, and cell phones that prior generations have found foreign. Rather than excluding those technologies from the classroom, teachers should embrace them.
Classrooms of the 21st century are made up of interactive lessons and cooperative groups. The projects are more hands on and they let the students use tools that they enjoy such as blogs and podcasts to get their points across. Teaching children how to email projects and use the Internet to find reliable sources is a skill that they will most likely need throughout their lives, so why not start it now? Textbooks are not entirely a thing of the past though. Examples from books and journals can still be used, but in moderation just like any other learning tool. Technology is constantly changing, and the elementary schools need to keep up, because believe it or not even the little second graders walking through the halls have the latest and greatest versions of cell phones and iPods. When teachers relate the material to things that the children are familiar with and like, it can engage the students a lot more and seem fun to them. And ultimately, that is what we as educators want.
Teachers in the 21st century classrooms need to be more creative as well. If teachers can change the way that they teach then the students will be better off. The classrooms that can combine the old ways with the new ways will be the ones that are the most successful and beneficial for the students.