Reflecton after Peer Review

Thank you to everyone who reviewed my lesson on how to use K7.net. I was fortunate in that my technology was so simple to use that it was easy to describe a clear, step by step set of instructions on how to set up and use k7.net. (a voice mail box that sends voice mail and faxes to your email) No significant lapses were found in my instructions and thus no editing was necessary. The only difficulty was when Tracy first gave it a test drive, the email confirmation that K7.net sends to the user was delayed. When Clarise tried, the email was sent to her immediately. Again thank you to all. I find k7.net to be a great tool which I have already begun using in my classroom. Student voice samples can be analyzed at the teacher's leisure. Teacher and student can review samples for an excellent source of feedback.

Not on an island...anymore

History, planet Earth, mankind, civilization, by whatever moniker has been changed by the actions of singular human forces many times. The individual human has that potential. Today with the ease of information exchange, that said individual must still possess massive moxy but can more easily reach a wide audience with a message which contains that potential for change. From Caddo through Custer counties turn left at Konowa and hello Kilimanjaro, Calcutta, and Caracas. I want to put a message in a bottle...now to think of one.

Reflection on Overlapping Technologies

I enjoyed our conversation on this and associated topics in class. Thank you to all members of 5513. I feel as though I have only dipped my little toe into a vast sea. I truly am at peace with saying I don't know what I don't know. There of course seems to be multiple replications, duplications,permeatations,combinations, and mirror images of versions and forms and models and brands of software, hardware, information sources,technology doodads and doohickies.Do I think we need them all? In short no. They exist due to a free market (sort of free) and will most likely take care of themselves in due time. I am content to find something that works for me and ride that pony until something that better serves me crosses my path. I most likely won't spend too much time actively bird dogging something to replace what I already have. Its overwhelming and seems dumb to have so much choice....beats the alternative. Gluttony and starvation both drive you to the same party. One is just a more pleasant ride.

Grammar Safari

I found a support site called Grammar Safari. This site provides "grammar safari" activities wherein students "hunt' and "collect" specific common words as they are used in documents accessible on the internet. The process begins with a choice of either finding vocabulary or a grammar structure by one of two ways: 1.begin with a certain text and search for the vocabulary or grammar structure or 2.begin with the vocabulary or grammar structure and find a text in which it is contained.Then students can copy and paste the structures to a word document where they can be saved and tagged so that the source can be found later. The Grammar Safari website which is a project produced by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champlain. Within the site are helpful hints on how to produce activities and already produced activities.
I played around with the site and found it interesting. I think that teachers can use this site for almost unlimited authentic text sources for ELL students. Student can view multiple examples of how structures are used in context to better gain understanding of proper usage. The activities make a game out of the search. Try it and let me know if this is something you feel you can use. I also see how teachers can customize lessons using Grammar Safari.http://www.iei.uiuc.edu/student_grammarsafari.html