User:Ruszkowskim14

Assignment 1 - Exploring IT Resources

Web Resource Criteria from http://courses.olblogs.tru.ca/eddl5101-sep14/week4-searching-for-resources/evaluating-information-sources/	Grade-Level Match -Who is the intended audience of this content?	Currency -Is the content of the work up-to-date? -Is the publication date clearly indicated?	Coverage -What topics are included in the work? -To what depth are topics explored? Exploring IT Resources	Accuracy -How reliable and free from error is the information? -Who or what organization published the document? -Do editors and/or fact checkers verify the resource?	Objectivity -Is the information presented with a minimum of bias? -To what extent is the resource trying to sway the opinion of the audience using rhetorical skills (appeals to emotion etc.) instead of logic?
Learn Alberta - Supporting English Language Learners http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/eslapb/index.html	Teachers (K-12) are the intended audience of this resource.	The content is current and the dates are outlined in the Copyright section.	Numerous ELL topics are covered in depth, including assessment, proficiency benchmarking, and tools and strategies.	The information is published by Learn Alberta, a Government of Alberta organization. A competent and reliable resource.	Information is objective.
Read Write Think http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/story-30008.html	Teachers, students and/or parents are the intended audience of the content.	The resources are up to date, 2014.	Various writing activities and graphic organizers. Relevant topics are included.	The International Resource Association is the publisher. Educational professionals create the information.	The website is free from bias.
Learn Now BC – English/ESL Courses http://lor.learnnowbc.ca/lnbclor/access/hierarchy.do?topic=ac934f7a-2ba0-c16e-e887-0ddaecd89c9e&sort=rank&page=1&q=	The site is for teachers, parents and students of any grade school level.	The dates of the resources vary, however information is current.	A vast learning repository for many subjects, including English as a Second Language.	The School District No. 73 Business Company is supported by the Government of British Columbia’s Ministry of Education and publishes information from other reputable school boards in BC.	The information is for educational purposes and is objective.
Colorin Colorado http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/ell_resources/grades_7-12/	Teachers, students and parents of grade school English Language Learners.	The information is current and dates are provided.	The topics focus on learning the English language. There are readings, activities, lessons and webcasts. Information is in-depth and relevant.	The website is published by WETA, a community based public broadcasting station.	The website is non-biased.
ESL Printables http://www.eslprintables.com/	The website is for K-12 teachers.	The content is current and each resource has its own date.	Lesson topics and worksheets are focused around learning the English Language. There are over one hundred thousand resources.	Website allows members (teachers) to share resources; to access information, one must contribute. The individual user is the editor.	The resources are shared. Each user must monitor the particular resource for bias. The resources I have seen are objective.
Teach Thought http://www.teachthought.com/learning/50-incredibly-useful-links-for-ell-educators/	Teach Thought is for “K-20” teachers.	Information is dated and current.	Articles discussing teaching, learning and technology to support 21st century education.	Teach Thought uses publishers who are teachers, and as such they do not publish “misleading content.”	The blogs are written with the intent to “push education forward,” some bias may be present.
Reading Rockets http://www.readingrockets.org/teaching/reading101	The website is geared towards teachers and parents of young readers.	Website content is up to date.	Strategies, tools and resources for teachers and parents to engage and develop young readers.	As with Colorin Colorado, the website is published by WETA, a community based public broadcasting station.	Mainly objective information is provided, however some articles may contain the promotion of reading.
NOVA Podcast: ESL Services https://itunes.apple.com/ca/itunes-u/esl-services-lessons-in-grammar/id413642698?mt=10	The Lessons are for English Language Learners, approximately levels 2-5.	Dates are included. Although the podcasts are dated, the lessons are relevant.	Videos with audio providing basic grammar lessons. Many grammar topics are covered.	Northern Virginia Community College publishes the information through itunes-u.	Bias may be present in the elaboration of incorrect grammar usage.

The resources I chose to evaluate for this assignment relate to English Language Learners (ELL’s). I found websites published by government ministries, organizations, shared resource sites, webcasts, as well as podcasts. In my teaching context, adapting and modifying for ELL’s is an ongoing part of my practice. The students I teach range in age from twelve to fourteen, but their English language levels range are far broader. I will highlight some of the key supports found in these resources.

Graphic organizers (ESL Printables) are a key piece in assisting ELL’s in in any subject. Writing in a foreign language can be made easier through planning and seeing how the information should be laid out. Pictures have no language, they aid in the understanding of concepts. Digital Worksheets (Read Write Think) allows for an exciting and interactive area in which developing language students can produce quality work, without feeling overwhelmed. Strategies such as Word Walls (Reading Rockets) improve vocabulary; creating representations of a word to go along with its definition reinforces literacy. Having these reinforcements around the classroom to add repetition to learning is beneficial to all students. Simply reading (Colorin Colorado) at the appropriate ELL level, with high interest/low vocabulary passages, will diminish frustration and consequently enable success.

Websites such as Learn Alberta, Teach Thought, and Learn Now BC, which include blogs and/or articles from leaders in teaching English as a Second Language education, provide awareness of the emerging strategies in the field. The suitability of the Learn Alberta website specifically illustrates information that fits in line with the current assessment standards in Alberta schools. Resources on how to properly use the required assessments as well as strategies to enrich language learning.

Whether it is a lesson, a unit, or my entire Language Arts program, the above assessed resources will support ELL’s as they develop their fluency, comprehension and grammar to achieve success in their English education. Furthermore, they will foster my endeavor to be a life-long learner.

My WordPress blog: http://students.olblogs.tru.ca/mruszkowski/