Course Management System Snapshot

Effective Literacy Website #7 - Rewordify

Yoneko Kanichy

ED 638

Dr. M.N. Rivera

Fall 2018 Intersession

Rewordify.com, http://rewordify.com/, a powerful and free literacy website is dedicated to improving reading, learning, and teaching aimed at improved learner’s comprehension level.  This app is free, fast, and safe for all users.  Both students and parents can become members and have access for a better and monitored learning.  Created by Neil M. Goldman, this site’s aim is to help more people understand materials read to enhance their reading skills. After ten years of teaching experience, Mr. Goldman realized the need to further build on reading skills and decided to develop an app for struggling readers who need to work very hard to understand materials read. He further stressed that despite the fact that dictionaries are already in place the help is minimal. As a result, he created this site to allow all learners the opportunity to attain their maximum capability. This application eliminates the difficulty to understand words and replaces them with simplified words while keeping as much of the original meaning as possible. Being a user-friendly site, it gently introduces learners to new words, teaches meaning, and empowers them to make necessary changes as they see fit for enhanced learning. 

The goal of Rewordify.com is to build on its learners reading comprehension and vocabulary development by making the language easier to understand. It also allows the ability of rewording sentences or paragraphs in simplified forms. This app is an important part of reading instructions and vocabulary instructions for ESL students, people with reading disabilities, people with a learning disability, or anyone who wants to improve reading skill.  Benefits of this app includes saving time when reading hard texts, improves comprehension and self-confidence, improves vocabulary and word retention, reduces frustration and improves comprehension just to name a few.  This site has received several positive comments from various educators which includes “pretty remarkable”, “one of the most innovative websites”, “this is amazing”, “a fantastic web app”, “excellent tool to enhance comprehension”, “makes your life easier” etc.

            With the use of rewordify.com, materials will become simplified to boost understanding.  When understanding is in place for sure learning will become productive. As educators, we ought to learn more about this app and utilize it in the learning environment especially that it’s free of charge.  Since we are ESL learners, this tool is matches our capability and is more appropriate for our use to maximize learning.

Farewell reflection

Yoneko Kanichy

ED 638

Dr. M.N. Rivera

Fall 2018 Intersession

Farewell Reflection

Where do I start from?  First of all, I would like to make this an opportunity to say my big kalahngan to Dr. Rivera for your undivided attention, the motivation, support and skills instilled in us.  I wish to also say that I appreciate you for allotting time from your already busy schedule to guide us during the past four(4) weeks.  Just thinking about earning 6 credits in a month drives me crazy.  To be honest, this is the most difficult class I’ve ever taken all my life.  I admit, I am very bad at technology and I think that’s why.  My skills are deficient.  Because of this, I struggled and almost cried but I never did.  On top of that, it was during the holidays and our minds are already set for fun and enjoyment activities plus most of us are parents-it was just plain simple hard.  For me, my daughter came out from Hawaii to take a break.  It was crazy, I was crazier.  I ended having to juggle and make smart allocations of my time so it can be fair and square for all of us.  For the very first time I wanted to clone myself so one can specifically concentrate on Dr. Rivera and Dr. Stoicovy while the rest can go out and take care of the rest.  This may sound funny but indeed it was a challenge but at the same time an honor and privilege for me.  Ok, taking us back to the ED638, in the midst of the term, I almost throw myself in the towel but because of some very positive, energetic, wise and motivating people in the cohort, I am still here.  Thank you for your words of wisdom, love, and support.  We really need to celebrate overcoming this challenge together.  Everyone is welcome if you wish to be a part of it even those of you out there.  I am very much ready to make use of resources attained from this course as google earth, blogs, CMS, surfing the literacy websites and it goes on and on. I will continue to surf the net for more learning.  Our school system in Pohnpei will need to made aware of these empowering FREE resources for necessary adaptation and upgrade. Now I can proudly share all the knowledge and skills attained from this course with colleagues-can’t wait for that.  For the very first time in my life I feel like I know technology and I am not scared of it.  I just can’t wait for this dream to become real so the real stuff can be dealt with.  Again, I wish to thank each and everyone of you in this cohort for all that you do and know that I appreciate you all much.  Thank you and we shall meet again in a week’s time.  Looking forward to it.

Farewell Post-Reflection

ED638-41-Teaching with the Internet

Fall Intersession '18 - M. Rivera

Farewell Post-Reflection

To start with my final self-reflection, I want to say my life will be changing dramatically here very shortly. I have noticed time management falls under both a weakness and a strength for me. I feel as if everyone can improve on their time management skills since life is always throwing new curve balls at us.

Reading is not of my greatest strengths. Online learning requires a significant amount of reading. Which is something I rarely did until I enrolled in this program, then this is the time I commit myself to read and now I love it. So yay me!! I am also very good at finding key points within these readings. Well in my opinion, it is also great challenge and strength to have an online learning or just learning in general.

One of my weaknesses is being a very shy, anti-social person. I have a hard time contacting people when I need the help. I feel embarrassed to ask questions sometimes. I started being independent straight out of high school; many times it’s very hard to ask for help. I need to improve on my social skills and get over the fear of asking for help because sometimes you just need it. I know in some of my other courses I will be required to work in groups so improving on this will help me greatly with these types of projects. Also being able to contact with other students or even my professors when I struggle with a certain assignment is something I may need to do in the future.

Within this course, I have faced many challenges and difficulties. I always try my best to fulfill all the requirements for this course. Most of the time, I submitted my works late due to the fact that the time limit is too short as well as everything always pile up. Therefore, most of the time, I’m behind of schedule but I always try to submit everything. Well, I have doubt for this class whether I could pass it or not but honestly I learned a lot from Dr. Rivera. This is my first time to create my own blogs or even websites that provide great resources for the teachers. I didn’t know that the website or blogs already upload on google. It’s really a great learning experience I’ve obtain in this course. THANK YOU Dr. Rivera for this opportunity and learning experiences I have so far.

Moreover, I have a major tool that I will use to help in the future online learning. This tool will be highlighting while doing my readings to find those key points and it always helped me. I will also be trying the method of playing music in the background while doing school work to help calm me and focus my studies. One other method I want to try that I haven’t done is working outside in the fresh air, maybe next to a lake or river. Also, I need to find a new spot to do my school work instead of doing it inside my house. So I will be looking into buying a desk so I can have a place where I can solely work on school. Some of the UOG resources I would like to use in the future are Tutorial Service. If I make it through these two course. Then next term, I must ask help from my classmate and especially my Professors for their assistance. 

One last note to everyone! Thank you for all the advice you guys have given me and I greatly enjoyed having this class with all of you. Also I want to thank Professor Dr. Rivera for all the great encouragement. I wish you all the best of luck in your future of online learning, as well as any other great things you have planned for yourselves!

~Strickson Lenster Fredrick 

Effective Literacy Website #6 - Story Online

Yoneko Kanichy

Fall 2018 Intersession

ED 638

Dr. M.N. Rivera

Effective Literacy Website #6 – Story online

Story online, https://www.storylineonline.net/, an award-winning children’s literacy program. Storyline Online is a program of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. The SAG-AFTRA Foundation is a nonprofit organization that relies entirely on gifts, grants and donations to fund Storyline Online.  These have allowed the production of its videos dedicated to providing the most inclusive, educational and state-of-the-art resources for its members. This Foundation strongly believes that contributions made by these performing artists are vital to make a difference in the lives of our readers especially the children.  Storyonline produces videos featuring celebrities reading children’s books.  Readers include Viola Davis, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White and many many more.  This is their way of giving back to the community of learners. Storyline Online receives over 100 million views annually from children all over the world.

Storyline Online is made available for use 24 hours a day for children, parents, caregivers and educators worldwide. Available books also include supplemental curriculum developed by a credentialed elementary educator with the target to strengthen readers of English language.

Storyonline strongly supports reading aloud to children. This has shown to improve reading, writing and communication skills.  It also boosts logical thinking, concentration, and their academic performances.  Being a successful reader equals success. Reading aloud also inspires a lifelong love of reading where readers develop the passion. Teachers use Storyline Online in their classrooms to enhance reading for success in their readers.  Doctors and Nurses in children’s hospitals also utilize Storyonline.

Until this very day solicitation on contributions are open.  This will allow the chance to be able to read to millions more children every month. By giving a gift to Storyline Online, you can help make a difference in the lives of our children by advancing and improving their lives through improvement of their reading capability. Each and every support makes a greater difference.

Effective Literacy Website #5 - RIF

Yoneko Kanichy

Fall 2018 Intersession

ED 638

Dr. M.N. Rivera

Effective Literacy Website #5 – RIF

Reading Is Fundamental Inc., https://www.rif.org/ is known as the largest non-profit children's literacy organization in the United States. Founded by Margret McNamara in 1996, RIF provides important resources such as books, STEM-themed classroom activities.  It also provides opportunities for children and their families to experience the importance of reading and how plays a major impact in our lives.  It clearly shows that when reading is deficient, learning is not attainable and success will be minimal.  RIF also provides professional development services for educators, and parent engagement materials as well all aimed at successful reading.  The goal of RIF is to prepare learners for a lifetime of opportunity. 

Margaret McNamara has been recognized for her organization’s support for children's literacy in the United States.  In 1981, RIF won the Presidential Medal of Freedom as acknowledgement of its support and dedication for reading for the people of United States.  For Margaret and Robert McNamara, reading is fundamental for successful learning and future. During the 1970s, Margret continued with the effort and expanded her sponsorship for women and children worldwide.  She strongly believes in the development of human resources in order for success to be in place.

Reading is fundamental is committed to a literate America by inspiring a passion for reading among all learners, providing top-level materials to make an impact inthe lives of the learners both students and parents.  It also engages communities in the solution to give every child the fundamentals for success in life.  As the nation’s largest literacy non-profit organization known for its developments in boosting learning, it maximizes every contribution to ensure that each and every child is given the opportunity.