Chapter 5

I think the Materials Generators that the chapter discusses can be very beneficial for teachers. In my own experience, I have used an online rubric generator multiple times to create scoring rubrics for lesson plans in my own classes. These types of generators are great because they allow teachers to skip the organization and setup steps and time that they would otherwise have to spend much of their time creating. For example, with the online rubric generator (similar to those discussed in the chapter), the software provides the frame/columns of a rubric and allows the teacher to simply choose from a list of scoring criteria or to create their own. The site also provides many assignments that are common in a classroom. For example, I once created a lesson plan on “Persuasive Writing.” The generator happened to have this exact assignment and provided pre-established criteria for it.

Also in the chapter, the author discussed how Graphics software is helpful. I think this is interesting because it calls on how technology can be used for visual learners with different learning styles. Many of my future students will have varying abilities and with learn information in different formats. Graphic software provides collections of things like clip art, animation, sound, video. As a result, this software can be aesthetically pleasing for visual learners and audio learners. As part of my future language arts class, I can incorporate the use of these software tools within research papers or presentations that would otherwise be primarily text.

Rubric Generator Link:

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

Rubric Generator Tutorial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htaMUOepNeM