October Journal Entry
New Market School 
What "Characters"!

 I used What "Characters"! lesson plan this month.  We took a little different approach.  Instead of reading a book about Winnie the Pooh and friends we watched a video that had all the characters we wanted to discuss.  Each group colored their favorite character.  We discussed what character traits were and the different character traits of Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and Rabbit.  The class surprised me with  how quickly they caught on to the idea .  After making a list of at least five traits per character we then went back to groups where I gave them different scenarios.  The groups had to predict how each character would react to the event based on their character traits.  The groups then acted out their ideas.  The class really enjoyed this activity because they were familiar with the characters and this class enjoys Winnie the Pooh.  They did two reading skills we have to cover and did not realize it. 
 I was able to use one of our Cyber Ambassadors now that I finally have my computer.  I  tried to install a program and kept coming up with strange instructions which lead to all sorts of frustration.  The show-off was able to install it in less than ten minutes. 
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November Journal Entry

My class started on the project Kids to Kids International.  After much discussion we decided do an ABC book.  We had a great time deciding what to draw for each letter that would be simple enough for all to understand.  They were confident they could draw lions, cat, goats, etc.  These quickly turned into ladders, carrots, and girls.  We are almost finished with the drawings.
 Creating a newspaper was interesting.  I had the class brainstorm ideas for a title and three days later we agreed on one.  Since we are not on Internet groups did articles on some things we are doing in class.  I discovered that my class has no idea how to write a paragraph and stay on a topic.  The clip art was not exactly what they wanted and that caused a lot of problems.  When we were done they were thrilled with the results.
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December Journal Entry

My Third Grade class did a wonderful lesson on similes called Busy As A Bee.  I introduced what similes are by writing the word boy on the chalkboard.  The class gave words to describe a boy like smart, big, dumb, loud, etc.  Then we compared their descriptions to things that were unlike.  They had a lot of fun coming up with unusual things and they did a good job using a lot of imagination.  Next, I gave each group a word such as clown, lion, house and they came up with as many similes as they could.  Most groups had the idea but a few needed help comparing them with unlike things.  They seemed to understand similes a lot better using this approach.  When we did a skill sheet they did not struggle as much.
 I used a Cyber Ambassador, Brett Heffner, to install several programs and to show me how they work.  We used several Ambassadors, Ashley Ballinger, Cody Enix, and Mychael Shackleford, in our computer lab to help with my classes' Power Point presentation.  The ambassadors were able to show my student how to start new slides and save what they did. It was great having so much help.
 I have not received any information from the Kids to Kids International project.  We are almost done with our book on the alphabet.  We are waiting on the information to make sure what we are doing is correct.

January Entry

 In December, my class created a newspaper on Christmas customs that we did in class.  The students used the Internet to research countries that I had picked that had different customs than ours.  They shared what they found out.  They had to summarize the customs and find appropriate clip art to go with it.  They had a great time looking for pictures.
 We started using our Cyber Ambassadors, Brett and Caleigh, to do web searches on weather.  They would go as a group and research weather words and find pictures about their word. 
 I was able to use the laptop over Christmas break to create a PowerPoint on similes.  It was easier to do this at home than to find time in class.
 The Internet project, Kids to Kids International, is stalled because we have not received any information.
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February Entry
 We have only had time to do a short ICQ with the other Third grade class.  We did syllable division where we gave them a word to divide into syllables and they gave one back to us.
 Our newspaper was about weather, which we are studying in Science.  Each group chose a weather topic and researched it on the Internet with the help of our Cyber Ambassador, Brett.  They downloaded pictures to go with the topic and printed material they found.  This was summarized and presented to the entire class.  Two groups wanted to summarize what we did on Groundhog's Day and their Project Groundhog.
 We changed Internet projects from Kids to Kids International to Project Groundhog which they are really enjoying.  We did activities I found on the Internet.  We located a Groundhog postcard and e-mailed it to our team.  We record daily temperatures in Celsius, which is helping them understand the conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius.  It is difficult for Third Graders to understand the difference and I am hoping this will make it easier when we reach this in Math.
 I have used the laptop several times on the weekend to create PowerPoint presentations for Reading skills and Language Arts.   I use these to introduce a skill or to reinforce it.  These presentations have created an interest in the students to make one of their own and I have been able to show them how to put in animation and sound.
 The class has become more computer literate because of this project.  They have learned how to search the web for their topic and to bookmark the place for later use.  When the students come across an unknown word in a newspaper article they are using context clues to figure out the meaning instead of just skipping the word.  They are also learning a new vocabulary like the word poll by participating in one and thereby getting involved in checking out the results.  Whenever I find an interesting article we discuss it and they have to write a summary of it.  They are getting better at picking out the important facts.
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March Entry
This month some of my students created PowerPointpresentations on compound words, adverbs, and stories they wrote.  This gave me the opportunity to get them early before class and after school to work on them.  We used several presentations in class to reinforce what we were doing and review what we have gone over.  This has created a great interest in what each student can do a presentation on.  Several students have started presentations.
 I was able to use the laptop to type their newspaper stories at home since time in class is limited.  I am in the process of creating PowerPoint presentation on several weak areas to prepare them for Terra Nova testing.
 Our Internet project, Project Groundhog, is almost over.  We have had a great time looking up information on the other teammates and hopefully realizing that Tennessee is just a small part of the world.  We were surprised to find out what other communities consider small compared to us.  We are learning new vocabulary words such as rural.  The students realize difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit now and are not shocked when someone has 3-degree temperatures. 
 Several students wrote stories on their own about groundhog adventures.  They are excited about creating stories where at the beginning of the year when I would mention writing they would groan.  They are learning to keep the stories in one tense instead of past and present combined.  They continue to look up unknown words to find the meanings.  As they make a presentation they have to remember what the parts of speech are and how to use them in sentences.  It is also reinforcing what a complete sentence is.
Our newspaper was about groundhog stories to save time this month because it was also a part of our Internet project. Some worked as groups and several wrote two stories individually.  They enjoyed finding clip art to go with their stories.
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April Entry
 My Third Grade students have become so good with computers because of our Reading Launch Pad computer lab that I did not need to use a Cyber Ambassador this month.
 I really appreciate the lap top computer.  I used it to link and edit several of their Power Point presentations at home where I have a lot more time and a quieter environment.  I type their newspaper articles at home using the laptop. Without it I would have to spend several hours after school doing this at my school when all I want to do is leave.
 The class has written stories about themselves for the class web page.  When we started this I told them to write a story about what they are like and their likes and dislikes.  They usually groan when given a writing assignment but since this was going on the Internet they were really excited and wrote a lot about themselves.  I hope to update the page soon.
 We use a class newspaper as a closing activity for the unit we are studying.  They summarize an area we have learned about and find pictures about their topic.  They had a good time with last month's paper.  When they wrote their articles they looked up their government official on the Internet to find a picture and got excited when they found a place to email the person.  They emailed most of our government officials and received mail back and pictures through the mail from several of them.  They were impressed to think these people would respond to them.
 We completed our Internet project on Project Groundhog.  As a result they understood the difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit temperatures better than any class I have had.  They did a lot of independent research on groundhogs on the computer and reported several facts to the class. This is unusual for an average or low student to want to do research.  Several things have come up in class or on videos and they are quick to point out they learned it from our project.
 Because of this Cyber Exchange project and the computer given to us the student want to do a lot more work on specific topics.  Whenever we go into a new unit they want to find out more by going into the Internet or the encyclopedia on the computer. They are doing a lot of Power Point presentations, which they think is for fun.  They do not realize they have to think about the part of speech they are doing and have to think in complete sentences.  They remember verbs, adjectives, compound words, and adverbs better because to this.
 I have used a lot of the Power Point presentations to reinforce what we are doing in class.  The student love to work on these individually and they think they are "playing" on the computer.  I like to find related sites for the student to go to in Social Studies and Science.  I had never used to computer as a learning tool until I entered this project.  I would love to go through it again to reinforce what I learned.  I have been able to"teach"another teacher how to use several different things I have learned which she is now using in class. 
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May Entry
I did not have Internet access during the 1997-1998 school year.  Several times I tried taking my class to the library to do web searches, which was frustrating finding time when it was free and often finding time just to go was a real problem.  This year when we are working on a topic the students are able to do searches when we have a few minutes to spare. I have bookmarked many sites to go with what we are studying and they can look at those when they complete their work. Many of the students have found great sites that I was not able to find and wouldn't have had the time to find.  They are excited about doing in depth research about any unit we are studying.  If they print anything they have to report on it and several student who would not normally do any extra work have done reports summarizing what they have read.
 

The class has loved doing a web page.  Usually when I have them write a story they will write a few lines and complain if they have to write even a half page.  When we did our web site on All About Me they were so excited that it was going to be on the Internet that many wrote several pages and no one complained. When we wrote to Columbine school the kids were thrilled to be able to express their feeling to the students there.  Several parents check out our site and newspaper frequently.

We loved the Internet project the class did on Project Groundhog.  This helped with geography, math, and composing.  We had a good time emailing the other classes and finding them on the map.  There were several sites with activities and plans, which we did.

Because of these lesson plans, the basic skill I have to cover are a lot more fun.  I used several plans to introduce skills in a way that helped the students remember it longer.  When we introduced similes we used a plan I found on the Internet during Cyber Exchange training and the students picked up on it faster. Whenever we are beginning a new skill I now look for a plan on the Internet ahead of time, so I can try something new.  One lesson the class particularly likes was on "What Character" where they worked with the Winnie the Pooh to discuss characterization.  They mastered this skill very quickly as a result of this lesson plan.
 
The class loved emailing people.  Each student picked a government official to research and email to ask questions about their jobs and request a picture.  Several sent autographed pictures, which thrilled them.  They felt they could talk to the people.  We have emailed several students who were out of school with get well messages and assignments.  The class used email repeatedly during out Internet project.  I let them type the information in and send it. We used ICQ with another class doing syllable division. 

I have made many PowerPoint presentations to introduce a skill in language.  They do some individually and some independently.  The student love to do these and they have become fired up about making one of their own.  I had a Resource student make one. When they make one they have to think about the skill and examples and this is great reinforcement.  The students have used Word to type their newspaper articles and stories.  They enjoy experimenting with the different sizes and styles.

I have used the newspaper as a summary of what we are learning.  They pick a topic and tell what they have learned or do additional research.  We print these to send them home to the families without computers and those with computer show their families what they have done.  This has also opened some parent's eyes about their child's ability compared to the other students in class. When doing the web site the students have been given a topic to write about and they have to think about sentence construction and grammar.  Parents have made several favorable comments about their work.

When we started these training sessions I knew very little except how to use MS Word.  I have learned so many things.  PowerPoint has become an invaluable tool in my class. I would never have tried to do this if not for this class.  I have learned how to do web searches, web sites, ICQ, and several other programs.  I would not have had time to take these classes.  Now I feel I can do many different things and I am willing to try many things I wouldn't have dreamed about doing.

I have used the laptop provided through this project many times to do newspapers at home, type their stories, and make PowerPoint presentations for class.  I use it to do the linking for their PowerPoint presentations.  I would not have time to do these at school and being able to them at home has been great.  I often work on these things on weekends.

I have used the Cyber Ambassadors to help students find information on the Internet when they have been assigned projects. The Ambassadors taught some how to do the web searches.  Whenever I have run into difficulty installing a program the Ambassador was able to install it.  They have helped me solve several problems.     

I have changed the way I teach because of the technology I have been given.  We do many different activities now instead of just seatwork.  I am able to get other teacher's ideas and use them in class.  The most beneficial aspect of this project has been what I have learned in class and been able to then use in my classroom.  The students have benefited from my taking these classes in how I am able to get new concepts over to them.  I would never have tried some of the things if not for this class and the students would not have done as much writing and research.

I have gone back each month and shown one of the other third grade teacher what I learned.  I have shown her how to ICQ and our classes have done this together.  I have shown her several PowerPoint presentations, which she has used in computer lab.  Several teachers will come to me to help them solve problems, because they know I have had training in these classes.  When we find anything on the Internet that we can use in class, I share it as well.  I have shown several teachers where to find lesson plans that are of great help.
 
I would suggest having additional classes and advanced classes for the teachers in this project.  They classes are invaluable. I cannot tell the all the changes in the way I teach and how much the students are able to achieve because of this project and the instruction we have been given.

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