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Lessons Using Technology 1. [| Language Arts Powerpoints] This website offers a variety of Powerpoint presentations created by other educators. Their quality varies, but there are several which are very good. For example, I recently used one to introduce the [|6 traits of writing] to my sophomore students. It was fairly basic, but did a nice job giving them the general idea, along with some things to pay attention to for each trait when they write. 2. [|This lesson] is an interactive media service project found on [|hotchalk.com] that incorporates many applications of technology. It's a rather ambitious undertaking, but I could see possibly using it as a collaborative final assessment in English 10 when we're learning about expository writing, or perhaps it could be used within the Technical Writing class taught at our school. I like it because it allows the students to focus on a real-world topic, work together, and use several technology applications to create real-world products for real-world audiences. 3. In [|this lesson], students begin to explore why poetry matters, as an introductory lesson to a poetry unit. One thing I really like about the lesson is that it gives students the opportunity to [|watch videos] of real people from varied backgrounds talking about a favorite poem and why it's meaningful to them. The poems vary in tone, mood, and subject matter, and the readers include children, blue collar workers, and even a former U.S. president. It's a nice lesson to expose the kids to a variety of poems, while allowing them to hear someone other than the teacher reading them and saying they have worth. Additionally, using this lesson as a beginning activity would work beautifully with ending the unit by having [|kids choose a favorite poem] for themselves, learn it, and recite it on videotape with a commentary about its significance. The teacher could then edit the students' videos into an iMovie or create a webpage featuring selected student videos. 4. [|Learnoutloud.com] is awesome! It features free audio recordings of stories, poems, novels, and dramas. This would be a wonderful use of technology for struggling readers and special education students, or even as some variety in a classroom reading.