The Gift of a Good Friend

Since we were allowed to post freely today I thought I might reflect on what a gift it is to have good friends. As opposed to Why I think Learning Set Notation is Not Only Pointless it Makes My Headache, oh I digress.
Most of us taking this class live in relatively remote areas of Alaska, some of us may not live near family of whom we can depend on for support. In fact, many of us live thousands of miles from our family. What this causes, at least for my family, is an opportunity to find those relationships in people we may not have ever had the chance to meet.
Living in Kodiak these last 6 years, away from family has brought out an ability I didn't even know I had. The ability to form intimate personal relationships with people outside of my family group. As a result my family has found itself in a position where we spend all holidays and even most weekends with those people who bring fulfillment to our lives. We laugh together, cry together support each other both spiritually and physically. They are sometimes the first person we call when we need to vent or share a special moment. We partner in the raising of each others children.
Now, you might think so what no big deal, but we live in military community. Building relationships like this takes time, but here time is not always on our side. We form these relationships knowing that someday, someday maybe soon, this family will move on. Job transfers come all to soon and we must say goodbye to our new found family. The challenge it to remain in touch to fill each other in on as much as we can and to try and maintain the bonds we have created.
Living in Kodiak has forced our family to reach out beyond our own family bonds to accept other people into our lives to fill the holes that are created when we live in Alaska away from our family.

Software Resources

Software Title: PBS Kids
Grade/age Level: Pre-K through Grade 3.
Subject Areas: All subject areas with a greater focus on phonics.
Platform: MAC/PC
Purpose: This site is based on many of the popular educational TV shows that kids are familiar with. The site uses the characters to teach fundamentals of phonics in a fun, interactive way. The site is easy to navigate and young children could work independently simply by following the voice prompts. I think that students would like the idea of "playing" with their friends from TV. I love PBS!

Software Title: Free Rice
Grade/Age Level: Grade 2 through Adult
Subject Areas: Grammar, Geography, Foreign Language, Math
Platform: MAC/PC
Purpose: This is an interactive website that uses educational games to fight hunger. The site is most known for its emphasis on vocabulary. Participants are asked multiple choice questions ranging from vocabulary to multiplication, a correct answer will cause your rice bowel to increase by 20 grains of rice. Every correct answer adds rice to your bowl. The rice grains you earn are then donated by site sponsors to feed hungry people worldwide. Students love the idea of being able to give to others in a tangible way. There are no download fee's and the site is simple to navigate. Students can play as often as the teacher allows. Perhaps, the teacher could let the students track how much rice there class had earned with a graph or bar chart. I could also see where the teacher could use this to lead a discussion about world hunger and what we can do to help.

Software Title: FunBrain
Grade Level: K through 8th
Subject Area: Math and reading
Platform: MAC/PC
Purpose: These are basically fun "arcade" style games. The student can choose from many different kinds of games and levels. There is also an option for teachers to choose the games they want their students to play according to a subject area they want to emphasise. I did notice a few adds but they were mostly adds for teachers for online grade books. In order for student to get to these pages, they would need to navigate into the "for teachers" section of the website. Children wouuld have a lot of fun playing these games. However, I would limit the exposure of these games because sometimes children can be overstimulated by all the bells and whistles.

One to One Reflection

I watched the One to One video last week and left it to sink in. I rewatched it tonight and these are some of my reflections on the video. I liked the teacher who brought up the fact that the computers should not be used simply as a research tool. The teachers interviewed seemed to be able to move beyond that and were using the laptops as another tool to be used in all aspects of the teaching experience. I also was encouraged by the idea that all of the teachers didn't use the computers for everything but provided other ways for student to learn without turning to technology every time. I clearly see that the Denali School District seemed to have a firm grasp on almost all of the "issues" that would come up with using laptops for every student. I wonder if the One to One initiative could be used in the same way in every school where it is applied? The only thing that would worry me or raise a concern, would be the power of the teacher to impart his or her personal experiences to the students. How many of us can remember the really great teachers we may have had? The personal contact and interaction that make teaching great is what shape and mold future generations. I would only hope that the students could still receive that same kind of education.

Personal Introduction

Hello Everyone,
It is nice to "see" so many people from the other Education classes I have taken. I really enjoy getting to know each of you more and more as we go. We sure have some Girl Power in this class!
Anyway, my name is Melissa Griffin. My Husband and I are raising three children ages eight, six and four on Kodiak Island. I have lived in Alaska my whole life although I grew up on the mainland in Eagle River. I started taking classes last fall in an attempt to finish my education degree. I took an 8 year vacation but I am really glad to be back in school. I hope to finish in about 2 years.