"Teaching English and Language Arts With Technology" Workshop 2008
Topics and Descriptions
Integrating Technology in the English Classroom (Part I)
The first session begins with a discussion of "Why Teach with Technology? Digital Natives and the 21st Century." We will then examine numerous examples of the best English-related web sites, describe practical methods and techniques for using technology in the English and Language Arts classroom, and include opportunities for targeted web exploration after each "mini" lesson. This session will draw heavily on WebEnglishTeacher.com and Teaching Literature and Writing with Technology. Participants will learn:how to find the best English and Language Arts portals, clearinghouses, gateways, and collections
how to find the best English lesson plans and activity resources for studying literature, prose, poetry, grammar and writing
how to integrate the Internet and other technology resources into your classroom: a discussion of techniques and strategies for saving time and maximizing student productivity.
Teaching With Technology: Lesson Plan Preparation and Implementation (Part II)
Participants will prepare and review examples of best practices in tech integration and then design their own technology-based English and Language Arts lesson plans. We will then examine issues of preventing and identifying plagiarism in student writing. Technical trouble-shooting and classroom management issues will also be addressed. Participants will:
- explore various examples of projects such as: I-Search (research & blogging)/Day in the Life of a Hobo (blogging & podcasting)/Children's Lit book (Word)/Digital Story Telling (iMovie)/ others for lesson plan creation
- begin designing their own technology integration project
- investigate strategies for plagiarism prevention including: understanding paper mills, study guides, plagiarism strategies, rubrics, and plagiarism detection tools on the internet
Improving Writing and Editing with Word and Teaching With New & Emerging Technologies (Part III)
On this final day we will focus on tools in Word that can help improve student writing and also making grading and commenting on student papers more efficient and less time consuming. In the afternoon we will look ahead at new and emerging technologies that will shape and change classrooms in the coming years. Based on class interest, participants will pursue some of the following:
- examine several features of Microsoft Word in depth including: editing Word preferences, auto-correct, reviewing (comments & track changes); online grading
- explore various blogging platforms, discuss authorship and management issues, and review several blogging activities
- learn how to podcast with either GarageBand or Audacity and review several podcasting activities
- explore wiki platforms, learn editing tools, and see applications for the classroom
- explore video ipods and possible applications in the classroom
