Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Virtual Field Trip Experience
Ok, where were the virtual field trip experiences when I was a child?! The amount of awesome information, but most importantly visual information is extraordinary. How blessed are our children/students of today to have the resources available to them without having to leave their classroom or home. I must admit I loved so many of the sites the Prof. posted on blackboard. However, my two most favorite were www.arounder.com and www.amnh.org .
These sites were so cool! I actually fwd many links to my friends and family, especially the ones with children. I was very interested and amazed and kind of hooked on these sites and will be going back quite frequently. In arounder.com you have everything from historical works of art, museums, stores and breathtaking views from any city you pick from. There are destinations you can virtually visit from all over the globe and even Mars and the Moon! They have virtual panaromic 360 degree full screen views that are by far the best I have seen online without a doubt.
I would intergrate these sites to my curriculum according to the subject matter I would be teaching. In Social Studies I would certainly utilize arounder.com. I would pick a country like China and ask students to have a virtual scavenger hunt around the great wall of China. I would incorporate a checklist for students to follow. I would also have them gather text information and images so they can make their own scrapbook. On amnh.org the students have so many forms of interaction, I highly recommend you visit this site. Go to www.ology.amnh.org , the activities are endless. On this link students can learn a lot about astronomy, paleontology and the definitions of other "ologies". They can take journeys through space and the Gobi Desert. I love Science, so right on exhibit they are focusing on the human brain functions. The visuals are awesome. I would have my students categorize the different and distinct brain functions. I would have them compare the human brain, to the brain of a dog or grasshopper. In terms of evolution how studying the brain can help us perhaps live longer. Perhaps also get the future neuroscientists on their way to discovering the mysteries of the brain! :D
I found this quote on one of the sites and I really feel it hits the spot.
"Technology is not just another tool for instruction; it can break down barriers of time and space that has limited the traditional classroom." -Walter McKenzie
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
High School Report Cards
The two high school report cards I will be comparing are East Side High School in Newark, NJ and Harrison High School in Harrison, NJ. I attended E.S.H.S way back in 1993. I currently substitute teach at Harrison H.S about once or twice a week. I was a little surprised to see ranking results for my old high school. Just looking at the percentage rate of students planning to attend college was scary. I know it's been like 18 years from when I attended, but from what I can recall we had our class valedictorian attending Harvard. Some other top ramking graduates also were accepted to Brown and Princeton, not counting the many others that went to State Universities/Colleges. I do remember my graduating class consisted of a little more than 400 students. However, in regards to Harrison H.S., I am also quite surprised at the percentage of graduating students who are planning to pursue a college education.
The report card results we are comparing are based on 2009-2010 scholastic year under the student performance indicators option (assessments). Let's start by comparing HSPA results in Language Arts Literacy in E.S.H.S. We had 310 students that tested with a proficient score of 47.7%. In Harrison H.S. we had 161 students that tested with a proficient score of 78.3%. These results are significantly higher by 31%. However, when we look at HSPA results in Mathematics we have E.S.H.S. with 307 students that tested with a proficient score of 47.9% and in Harrison H.S. we have 160 students that tested with a proficient score of 56.9%. These results have a lesser difference of 9%. When I see these results it's quite obvious that Harrison H.S. students are performing better in HSPA. I do want make note that Harrison H.S. had almost half the student population that E.S.H.S. had. Regardless of this fact E.S.H.S still does not reach a proficient score of over 50% in this area. Looking at graduation rates, E.S.H.S. has a 78.9% rate and Harrison H.S. has a 83.8% rate versus the state's rate at 90.6%. We can see that Harrison H.S. only beat E.S.H.S by 5%. When we look at SAT scores, E.S.H.S. had 119 students taking test with an average score of 399 in math, 381 in verbal, and 386 in essay portion. Harrison H.S. had 78 students taking test with an average score of 459 in math, 420 in verbal, and 424 in essay portion. We can see a difference of 137 points higher by Harrison H.S. students. Surprisingly, for advanced subject placement classes we have a interesting disparity. In E.S.H.S. they offer A.P Biology class in which 11 students were members. There is also a Calculus class in which 9 students were members and English Comp. who had 15 students. In Harrison H.S. A.P Biology class in not even offered. They do have 14 students in a Calculus class and 0 in English Comp. class.
Regarding attendance rates both schools are approximately at 94%. Dropout rates are at 2.0% for E.S.H.S. (mostly consisting of Asian/White/Hispanic). Harrison H.S. has 0.0% drop out rate which is awesome! Graduation rates are pretty much equal for both schools at 96.0%. Again, it's sad to see that post graduation plans for both schools are not that promising. We have E.S.H.S. with 21.3% of graduates planning to attend a 4 year college, and 39.9% planning to attend community 2 year college. In Harrison H.S. numbers are slightly higher with 36.5% planning to attend 4 year colleges and 47.7% planning to attend community 2 year college. I must add that this data was surprising, but I do recall certaing factors that should be spoken about as well. I do have to believe that their are certain extenuating circumstances that existed and I'm sure still exist in E.S.H.S that have a reflection of these scores/rates. E.S.H.S. was known for accepting students from all districts due to their special education and inclusion classes. This fact alone contributes to the overpopulation of students. E.S.H.S. has almost double the amount of students in Harrison. These two cities are neighboring cities in which they are much alike. Both schools have diverse nationalities and environments, but the huge difference is the volume of students.
The report card results we are comparing are based on 2009-2010 scholastic year under the student performance indicators option (assessments). Let's start by comparing HSPA results in Language Arts Literacy in E.S.H.S. We had 310 students that tested with a proficient score of 47.7%. In Harrison H.S. we had 161 students that tested with a proficient score of 78.3%. These results are significantly higher by 31%. However, when we look at HSPA results in Mathematics we have E.S.H.S. with 307 students that tested with a proficient score of 47.9% and in Harrison H.S. we have 160 students that tested with a proficient score of 56.9%. These results have a lesser difference of 9%. When I see these results it's quite obvious that Harrison H.S. students are performing better in HSPA. I do want make note that Harrison H.S. had almost half the student population that E.S.H.S. had. Regardless of this fact E.S.H.S still does not reach a proficient score of over 50% in this area. Looking at graduation rates, E.S.H.S. has a 78.9% rate and Harrison H.S. has a 83.8% rate versus the state's rate at 90.6%. We can see that Harrison H.S. only beat E.S.H.S by 5%. When we look at SAT scores, E.S.H.S. had 119 students taking test with an average score of 399 in math, 381 in verbal, and 386 in essay portion. Harrison H.S. had 78 students taking test with an average score of 459 in math, 420 in verbal, and 424 in essay portion. We can see a difference of 137 points higher by Harrison H.S. students. Surprisingly, for advanced subject placement classes we have a interesting disparity. In E.S.H.S. they offer A.P Biology class in which 11 students were members. There is also a Calculus class in which 9 students were members and English Comp. who had 15 students. In Harrison H.S. A.P Biology class in not even offered. They do have 14 students in a Calculus class and 0 in English Comp. class.
Regarding attendance rates both schools are approximately at 94%. Dropout rates are at 2.0% for E.S.H.S. (mostly consisting of Asian/White/Hispanic). Harrison H.S. has 0.0% drop out rate which is awesome! Graduation rates are pretty much equal for both schools at 96.0%. Again, it's sad to see that post graduation plans for both schools are not that promising. We have E.S.H.S. with 21.3% of graduates planning to attend a 4 year college, and 39.9% planning to attend community 2 year college. In Harrison H.S. numbers are slightly higher with 36.5% planning to attend 4 year colleges and 47.7% planning to attend community 2 year college. I must add that this data was surprising, but I do recall certaing factors that should be spoken about as well. I do have to believe that their are certain extenuating circumstances that existed and I'm sure still exist in E.S.H.S that have a reflection of these scores/rates. E.S.H.S. was known for accepting students from all districts due to their special education and inclusion classes. This fact alone contributes to the overpopulation of students. E.S.H.S. has almost double the amount of students in Harrison. These two cities are neighboring cities in which they are much alike. Both schools have diverse nationalities and environments, but the huge difference is the volume of students.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Technology in Schools
I personally think using technology in schools is very beneficial for students and teachers. Using technology motivates and encouranges students to learn more and be curious about what's going on around them. In this day and age students will be better prepared for their future careers by uitilizing various forms of technology. The communication value alone is priceless, the fact that you can communicate with someone around the world in an instant via email, text or Skype is amazing. I wish I would have had some of these resources available to me as I was growing up.
Introduction
Hello class. My name is Amber Gonzalez. This is my first online course and first time blogging. I'm quite excited and challenged at the same time, but it's all good.
I have been substitute teaching for almost 2 years in Harrison and Kearny, NJ. It's been a great experience so far. I go from kindergarden to high school seniors in one week, so I get a wide spectrum of students to interact with. I see students of all ages using technology. Several kindergarden classes I have been in take a computer special at least once a week. It's pretty awesome how they already know how to navigate computers. I have also had to use youtube in many instances to show students art in paris, music from other countries and lectures and speeches from various historians. I look forward to continue my utilization of technology with students as a learning tool.
This is my first semester in St. Peter's, I'm pursuing a teaching certification in K-5, with a concentration in Social Studies for now. Perhaps in the future I may also go for a Spanish Teacher certification and also pursue my Master's Degree.
I have been substitute teaching for almost 2 years in Harrison and Kearny, NJ. It's been a great experience so far. I go from kindergarden to high school seniors in one week, so I get a wide spectrum of students to interact with. I see students of all ages using technology. Several kindergarden classes I have been in take a computer special at least once a week. It's pretty awesome how they already know how to navigate computers. I have also had to use youtube in many instances to show students art in paris, music from other countries and lectures and speeches from various historians. I look forward to continue my utilization of technology with students as a learning tool.
This is my first semester in St. Peter's, I'm pursuing a teaching certification in K-5, with a concentration in Social Studies for now. Perhaps in the future I may also go for a Spanish Teacher certification and also pursue my Master's Degree.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)