Posts

Integrating Virtual Field Trips

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  Memorial Day VFT v.NoJS I have linked above the Memorial Day Virtual Field Trip (there is a Google Slides Version, but this one felt more engaging and had a good flow). This field trip starts out with saying how we are going to take a field trip to Arlington National Cemetery and then is followed by some music as the "Let's Go" button pops up. The next slide then shows kids in line waiting to get on the bus and then a bus driving down the road. It highlights a few snap shots of Arlington National Cemetery and the Eternal Flame. By watching kids get on a bus it gives a more realistic feel that they are attending a field trip in person. Many of my students have not been to places like Arlington and probably never will. As you click through the simulation there are many videos embedded and questions that need to be answered before clicking onto the next part. In this field trip students are looking to collect pictures for a virtual scrapbook.  When using this in my classro...

Digital Platforms: Blooket and Prodigy

Blooket:   Blooket is an online platform that allows students to play games by answering educational questions. There is instant feedback following each question. It is like Kahoot where you answer questions the more questions you answer the point points you earn depending on the game. There are a bunch of different games modes like Crypto Hack, Fishing Frenzy, Battle Royale and Deceptive Dinos, these games can last for a set amount of time or a set number of points. Most games are free but there are some you need a subscription for. Student are able to test their skills and knowledge on different subjects. Teachers are able to make their own question sets with different answers or pick from premade sets on Blooket. When playing Crypto Hack, students are answering questions to pick a box when they get the answer correct. The box reveals either X amount of crypto or allows them to hack another peer playing. Students when hacking need to guess the peer’s password and if correct will ...

Annotated Bibliography

As I was thinking about what I wanted my final project to be on, I knew I wanted it to connect to the work I do every day. As technology and media is constantly changing, I want to be able to meet each of my students where they are and provide them with skills and tools that will help them be successful as they grow up. My classroom is very diverse, and I want to make sure, each student feels included and welcomed as some of them have never felt that before. I wanted to focus on culturally responsive instruction with multiliteracies. Annotated Bibliography Burnett, C., & Merchant, G. (2019). revisiting critical literacy in the digital age. The Reading Teacher , 73 (3), 263 –2 66. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26839949 This article goes into depth on how to navigate critical literacy in the digital age, with a developed model that draws on sociomaterial perspective. The article includes a revised model and implication for practice. Ending with questions to help provide a deeper refl...

M3: Blog Post 3 - Leveraging Tools, Texts, and Talk in My Teaching Context

  This is more then just one lesson, I did this over like 3 weeks so more of a unit. I wanted to talk about my project/activity first and then get into the other part of the prompt as it ties it all in at the end.   When working in my 3 rd and 4 th grade Special Education class, I wanted to help them understand and be able to skip count by numbers 2- 12. Unsure how I was going to tackle this, I started small with skip counting by 2s and 5s, as a class we practiced this for two days, each number had its own 20-minute lesson and then I would do the same thing with the second number. Before I formally introduced what we were counting by I would show a Schoolhouse Rock Video on the skip counting (about the number they would be learning to skip count by). My class and I would practice counting together and then they would do an independent activity like a skip counting maze (which was a big hit), connect the dots to reveal a picture or something with coloring. I continued thi...

M2 Assignment: Blog Post 2- How New Literacies are Relevant to Us

  As I reflected back after each reading one thing kept coming to my mind, and how has literacy evolved into multiliteracies over such a short period of time?  Thinking back to my undergrad which was between 2019 and 2023, when learning about literacy, I was really only taught about reading and writing, paper and pencil. Now with new ideas and theories literacy is constantly changing and being redefined. As stated in the “Expanded Territories of “Literacy”; New Literacies and Multiliteracies” by Yuan Sang “Thus, as the world has changed, the definition of literacy should be broadened accordingly.” (Yuan, 2017), literacy is more than just written and printed text and as technology and human interaction continues to change so should the meaning of literacy. I found it useful to better understand the major difference between multiliteracies and the conventional view and to be able to instruct using the multiliteracy view vs. what I thought literacy meant.  When I think about...

M2 Assignment: Blog Post 1 - Defining New Literacies and Why They Matter

I truly did not understand how new literacy practices are playing a role in both my personal life and work life. Yes, like most people I have social media, and I use it often (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc.). But I never thought of the skills that I needed to be able to use social media sites. I took basic computer classes in high school and learned how to type properly and how to use Microsoft Word but that was the extent of my technology teaching in school.  As I started reading “What Does It Mean to Have Digital Literacy Skills?” by Jenifer Vanek, I never realized how many different digital literacy proficiencies there are: “Basic Computer Skills, Network Literacy, Digital Problem Solving, Media Literacy and informational literacy.” (Vanek 2019, pg.2). This made me think about using technology in my classroom and how I have to be mindful of the different abilities each student has. When thinking of basic computer skills, students do need to be able to turn the computer on an...

Introduction

  Hi! My name is Delaney Emerson, and I am from Rochester NY. I went to SUNY Geneseo for my undergrad in Childhood and Special Education 1-6 with a concertation in Environmental Studies. I've been teaching for two years at Hillside Children's Center at the Crestwood Campus. I currently teach 3rd and 4th grade. I love animals and currently am hatching chickens and peafowl with my students! Outside of work, I love to spend time outside hunting, fishing and our family farm. I am part of the Mayfly Project, which is a national organization that uses fly fishing as way to mentor kids in foster care! I have a yellow lab named Harper who is just over a year old and is a certified therapy dog, I enjoy being able to take Harper on different visits and watch how she makes an impact on other people's lives. I also have a cat named Addie and everyone says she is the cat version of me! I decided to pursue my master's to be able to meet the needs of my diverse classroom better as aca...