diversity2

Note: As I put this artifact together, I am confronted not only by my students' needs but by my own struggles with learning. So many children are labeled incorrectly as being LD when the only problem is that they have not been able to have the life experiences that they need for proper educational development. I was one of those children that grew up at the poverty level. I remember teachers helping me by loaning me books upon books becasue I was so hungry to know what was "out there". One teacher in particular, Mrs. Virginia Cardwell, would stay after school just to explain what I was reading. Thank you, Mrs. Cardwell! I think back to a recent student I had in my classroom when I taught 3rd grade. She was thrilled when the Kroger and Kmart that were right beside her school closed so that she could go up the road to Walmart, a place she had nver been. In fact, since the child lived right next door to the school, she had never actually been out of her neighborhood. The City of Lynchburg was as far away as Paris or London. I was told that this student may have been thought to be gifted in the area of writing if her vocabulary and grammer could be enhanced. Technology is invaluable in providing background experiences to students of limited experiences.

Lesson Plans that I have used which support diversity of backgrounds, culture, and experiences

In Old Pompeii from Edsitement
La Familia from Edsitement
Mummy Said There'd Be Days Like This (This is an excellent lesson plan but it is not mine. I did change it slightly and used a video from United Streaming instead of the video it suggested I also uincorporated a webcam with this lesson.) Attachments for this lesson.
Wild and Wetlands (This is a TTI lesson I created. It is based on a video called The Great Dismal Swamp which is available from Blue Ridge Public Television)
Teaching with Asian Children's Literature

Evidence, such as printouts or summaries, of electronic searches for specific technology resources to meet the unique needs of students. Click the image to view the search I made.

Resources	Rationale for selection or rejection of specific resources
United Streaming Some of my favorite videos to use are: National Parks: The Florida Everglades Asia's Expansion: Treasures and Travels American History: East Meets West, Americans on the Move The Roots of Religion American History:: The Civil War, A Nation Divided Inside The Pyramids	United Streaming is web based service that provides downloadable and streaming video on demand. I have used United Streaming much to teach about other cultures. It also provides visuals for teaching about historical events. I don't think I could teach without United Streaming.
Web Cams Some of my favorites: Eagle Cam Pyramid Cam African Safari Cam Rome Cam	Students love web cams. They are very motivated to focus when they are watching things happening right in front of their eyes. Web cams work very well in you have a high speed connection. If the connection is slow, students become less interested. Teachers should check on the cam before class starts and have a back-up plan if the camera is down for the day. Web Cams are great ways to provide students with limited background experiences with means to better understand content.
Virtual Tours Some of my favorites In Old Pompeii La Familia Jamestown Virtual Fieldtrips (a portal) Microsoft Virtual Classroom Tours (a portal)	Virtual Fieldtrips provide insight for students to understand other cultures and religions. This is very important in this age of promoting tolerance.
Digital Images My favorite place to find pictures is Pics4Learning.com	Often all a teacher may need is one image or picture to help a child visualize a topic. I love Pics 4 Learning. It has a searchable database to help in finding the right picture. I had one child ask me if a woman they had seen in the store was a terrorist just because of her dress. In the child's mind, the coverings the woman wore were to disguise her so that she would not be held accountable for her actions. I pulled up a picture from Pics 4 Learning and then a web site on the Middle East. After understanding that the dress of the woman was the "style" of their country, the student felt more at ease. This has not been the lesson of the day but it was an example of teaching on the spot to support the idea of diversity.
Translator	We have a large population of immigrant students that have limited English. Being educated for 6 years in Spanish and having taught for a year and a half in a Floridian school with a large Hispanic population, I can speak Spanish. However, it has been about 20 years ago since I taught in that Floridian school and it has been almost 30 years since I had formal teaching of the Spanish language so my Spanish is very limited. Having a translator is very beneficial when communicating to an ESL child.