LearningWorks wiki:
learningworks.pbwiki.com
Friday, February 29, 2008
Blog post for December 11th
Digital portfolios.
A brilliant idea. What better way to track student progress than by using these innovative and engaging tools to understand student thinking and development. When we first began this class I had a very limited understanding of what "digital literacy" meant. Each week we learned a new brilliant tool that directly addressed some of the questions I had in relation to guaging student progress and development. Many times it is hard to track to minor development from assignment to assignment with any level of writer. These tools challenged me to have to think, write, and read in ways that were often new and at times uncomfortable. And all I found myself getting increasingly excited about using these tools with LearningWorks students, providing them with these new ways to read and write and making literacy accessible in ways they are familiar with and find engaging.
After a semester of school, the term "digital literacy" has become a common theme coming out of my mouth. Incoporating digital tools in the classroom will be a requirement for all 22 of my teachers as they plan their courses for this summer's program. This does not just mean projecting the teacher-made PowerPoint for lecture each day. Students will be required to do hands-on digital work in each of their classes, really opening up the possibilities of what can happen at LearningWorks over the summer. As I wrap up the interview season for this summer, one of my favorite questions to ask teachers is about their awareness of digital literacy tools. Most commonly the answer is "no" followed by a blank pause. Once informed of what it means and what the expectations of our teachers will be, all of the teacher-candidates have gotten excited about the myriad of tools available for them to use.
As for myself, I have already begun incorporating some of these tools in my work and personal life. My final project was creating the LearningWorks wiki, on which my teachers communicate, plan, and can tally attendance. Without this tool I am sure our Project Based Learning initiative for the School Year Program would have been far from successful. Outside of my position at LearningWorks, I give fastpitch pitching lessons for high school girls. Developing a blog with pictures, lessons, and themes for my pitchers has been very helpful in their training and development. Beyond the couple of hours of coaching each girl receives weekly, I am able to assign them "thinking" assignments in which they go out onto the web to find images, articles, and video to help them understand the different concepts we are working on.
Part of my LearningWorks job is to revamp the curriculum for the program. A large part of this change will include students maintaining digital portfolios of the work they do as students during their two years at LearningWorks. This will be a tangible portfolio of evidence they can take with them as they enter high school and challenge themselves to be in rigorous programs and classes. I am still working on the details as what digital form these portfolios will take, but blogs and wikis are both possibilities. I look forward to planning the details of what digital tools will be expected to have been used over the course of two years in our program.
I have truly enjoyed and learned a significant amount in this course. Using these new tools with students is something I am excited and driven to do in striving to expand and increase student engagement and literacy.
A brilliant idea. What better way to track student progress than by using these innovative and engaging tools to understand student thinking and development. When we first began this class I had a very limited understanding of what "digital literacy" meant. Each week we learned a new brilliant tool that directly addressed some of the questions I had in relation to guaging student progress and development. Many times it is hard to track to minor development from assignment to assignment with any level of writer. These tools challenged me to have to think, write, and read in ways that were often new and at times uncomfortable. And all I found myself getting increasingly excited about using these tools with LearningWorks students, providing them with these new ways to read and write and making literacy accessible in ways they are familiar with and find engaging.
After a semester of school, the term "digital literacy" has become a common theme coming out of my mouth. Incoporating digital tools in the classroom will be a requirement for all 22 of my teachers as they plan their courses for this summer's program. This does not just mean projecting the teacher-made PowerPoint for lecture each day. Students will be required to do hands-on digital work in each of their classes, really opening up the possibilities of what can happen at LearningWorks over the summer. As I wrap up the interview season for this summer, one of my favorite questions to ask teachers is about their awareness of digital literacy tools. Most commonly the answer is "no" followed by a blank pause. Once informed of what it means and what the expectations of our teachers will be, all of the teacher-candidates have gotten excited about the myriad of tools available for them to use.
As for myself, I have already begun incorporating some of these tools in my work and personal life. My final project was creating the LearningWorks wiki, on which my teachers communicate, plan, and can tally attendance. Without this tool I am sure our Project Based Learning initiative for the School Year Program would have been far from successful. Outside of my position at LearningWorks, I give fastpitch pitching lessons for high school girls. Developing a blog with pictures, lessons, and themes for my pitchers has been very helpful in their training and development. Beyond the couple of hours of coaching each girl receives weekly, I am able to assign them "thinking" assignments in which they go out onto the web to find images, articles, and video to help them understand the different concepts we are working on.
Part of my LearningWorks job is to revamp the curriculum for the program. A large part of this change will include students maintaining digital portfolios of the work they do as students during their two years at LearningWorks. This will be a tangible portfolio of evidence they can take with them as they enter high school and challenge themselves to be in rigorous programs and classes. I am still working on the details as what digital form these portfolios will take, but blogs and wikis are both possibilities. I look forward to planning the details of what digital tools will be expected to have been used over the course of two years in our program.
I have truly enjoyed and learned a significant amount in this course. Using these new tools with students is something I am excited and driven to do in striving to expand and increase student engagement and literacy.
Blog post for December 4th
Providing online feeback to student writing can be exciting, but can also be challenging. Instead of the traditional red-pen editing marks and margin-sized comments, online editing can be an interactive experience with many people giving feedback in a short period of time, and revisions being made in "real time". My favorite way to provide online feedback to digital writing is by using the wiki. Basic and simple to use, wikis are a great tool for tracking student progress and student thinking. When a student submits a paper to a wiki, it is easy to go into the paper and make comments, suggestions, and changes in a different color font. Then, when the student comes to edit the paper, they can create a copy of the draft and make suggested changes and revisions. This creates a "paper trail" without the actual paper and allows students to track their own writing progress through each assignment. Another valuable tool here is digital recording of audio critique of the paper. Audio recordings could be used in a variety of ways. One way that particularly interests me is in self-editing. Reading something you have written aloud has always been proclaimed to be one of the best tools in revising your own work. But the process that happens when a student does self-editing and revision ends up being nearly invisible, or the teacher has assume the transition of thoughts in the student's head to the changes on the paper (and, let me tell you, sometimes making those assumptions is impossible!). I would like to have a student digitally record him or herself reading the paper aloud to him- or herself, stopping when things seem awkward or they have a desire to change something and making an audio notation of what needs to change and how/where. It would also be valuable to have peers read one another's papers outloud digitally, using the same pause-and-suggest method I described before. This makes editing a much more personal and interactive experience while providing teachers with the ability to track student thinking throughout the process.
Training peers to edit each other's paper is a difficult thing to do whether you are using a pen and paper or digital means. Effective editing is not a tool we emphasize enough from peer-to-peer; many students are afraid of sharing their work in a classroom, allowing others to make marks on their "masterpiece." All of this changes when students realize that digital writing is universally published writing. Instead of one piece of paper floating around with your ideas and another two or three people looking at it, all of a sudden anyone with internet access can look at and evaluate your writing. In order to have students understand this, one technique I would use would be to have students critique what I feel to be a good Facebook page and a poor Facebook page. To begin, I would have students read the "About Me" sections on each page and write a short blurb about who they understand this person to be...not just from what the person wrote, but also from the grammar, spelling, flow, and engagement of the writing. I would have them note the things that led them to these assumptions and what tools worked on the page. Students would also do that with the poor page. In the end, I would stress to students that each person who visits their digital writing is essentially a critic of their work and, in most cases, is able to leave feedback on what they see and/or hear. To wrap of the activity I would give each small group of students an example of bad digital writing and have each group work together to edit the writing; I will then post the good version of the same writing and see the differences and similarities between student revision and the revision that had occurred.
Training peers to edit each other's paper is a difficult thing to do whether you are using a pen and paper or digital means. Effective editing is not a tool we emphasize enough from peer-to-peer; many students are afraid of sharing their work in a classroom, allowing others to make marks on their "masterpiece." All of this changes when students realize that digital writing is universally published writing. Instead of one piece of paper floating around with your ideas and another two or three people looking at it, all of a sudden anyone with internet access can look at and evaluate your writing. In order to have students understand this, one technique I would use would be to have students critique what I feel to be a good Facebook page and a poor Facebook page. To begin, I would have students read the "About Me" sections on each page and write a short blurb about who they understand this person to be...not just from what the person wrote, but also from the grammar, spelling, flow, and engagement of the writing. I would have them note the things that led them to these assumptions and what tools worked on the page. Students would also do that with the poor page. In the end, I would stress to students that each person who visits their digital writing is essentially a critic of their work and, in most cases, is able to leave feedback on what they see and/or hear. To wrap of the activity I would give each small group of students an example of bad digital writing and have each group work together to edit the writing; I will then post the good version of the same writing and see the differences and similarities between student revision and the revision that had occurred.
Blog post for November 27th
BAD (AND I MEAN HORRIBLE) SITE
http://www.dokimos.org/ajff/
My computer is lucky to still be functioning. Thank you to the less-than-brilliant design of this webpage, it was all I could do to not throw my computer on the floor to stop the pain of this website. The background is visually assaultive, it has horrible digital music looping in the background, there are random graphics of animals moving all around the page, and I have no real idea what the point of the page is even after trying to examine the links without getting a splitting headache. While all of the links work, each page is filled with pointless graphics and animation. Navigating away from the main page was enjoyable only for the fact it eliminated the obnoxious main screen background and music. The only thing that would have made this page worse is if GWB's voice was looped in with the ear-splitting jamtrack that kept repeating over, and over, and over, and over...
GOOD SITE
http://www.expedia.com/
Expedia has immense amounts of traffic for a couple of reasons. First, it provides travelers with some pretty enticing deals when setting out to explore the world. Second, finding these deals is significantly more easy than finding someone to sit on your suitcase so you can zipper it shut, not wanting to leave that seventh pair of shorts home during your three-day trip. Expedia, funded by many corporate dollars to fuel their website, has clearly put themselves in the chair of their consumers. Categories are easy to identify, links are clearly labelled. Even when faced with a challenge in trying to find solutions to your travel woes, Expedia's site will suggest alternatives and additional options to help satisfy you on your visit to their site. The site can, at times, be a little bit busy with scrolling specials and locations luring you to tropical destinations or exotic adventures. But even the first time user should feel comfortable using Expedia to search for deals, with the main function of the page, "Build Your Trip", greeting every nomad crossing through.
Students creating digital writing for the first time could easily get caught up in all the bells and whistles of the newest programs and innovations. Wanting to use to many graphics, adding distracting animation, and uploading audio just for the sake of sound are common mistakes students will make. Irrelevant links and excessive text are also common errors associated with digital writing. While blogs leave you plenty of room to "journal", things like PowerPoint presentations and webpages are best presented with concise, easily categorized information. The best way to assist students in learning best-practices in relation to digital writing is to have them evaluate current pieces in existence and, most importantly, create their own. It is important to first gage your students' experience with different tools, such as wikis and podcasting. Despite the digital revolution constantly happening, many students have yet to experience some of the most exciting tools available. That being said, let your students explore these programs after a very basic tutorial. Have small groups create web pages, PowerPoint presentations, and the likes. When each project is completed, have the groups rotate around and review and critique each project, making suggestions and pointing out the things that work.
http://www.dokimos.org/ajff/
My computer is lucky to still be functioning. Thank you to the less-than-brilliant design of this webpage, it was all I could do to not throw my computer on the floor to stop the pain of this website. The background is visually assaultive, it has horrible digital music looping in the background, there are random graphics of animals moving all around the page, and I have no real idea what the point of the page is even after trying to examine the links without getting a splitting headache. While all of the links work, each page is filled with pointless graphics and animation. Navigating away from the main page was enjoyable only for the fact it eliminated the obnoxious main screen background and music. The only thing that would have made this page worse is if GWB's voice was looped in with the ear-splitting jamtrack that kept repeating over, and over, and over, and over...
GOOD SITE
http://www.expedia.com/
Expedia has immense amounts of traffic for a couple of reasons. First, it provides travelers with some pretty enticing deals when setting out to explore the world. Second, finding these deals is significantly more easy than finding someone to sit on your suitcase so you can zipper it shut, not wanting to leave that seventh pair of shorts home during your three-day trip. Expedia, funded by many corporate dollars to fuel their website, has clearly put themselves in the chair of their consumers. Categories are easy to identify, links are clearly labelled. Even when faced with a challenge in trying to find solutions to your travel woes, Expedia's site will suggest alternatives and additional options to help satisfy you on your visit to their site. The site can, at times, be a little bit busy with scrolling specials and locations luring you to tropical destinations or exotic adventures. But even the first time user should feel comfortable using Expedia to search for deals, with the main function of the page, "Build Your Trip", greeting every nomad crossing through.
Students creating digital writing for the first time could easily get caught up in all the bells and whistles of the newest programs and innovations. Wanting to use to many graphics, adding distracting animation, and uploading audio just for the sake of sound are common mistakes students will make. Irrelevant links and excessive text are also common errors associated with digital writing. While blogs leave you plenty of room to "journal", things like PowerPoint presentations and webpages are best presented with concise, easily categorized information. The best way to assist students in learning best-practices in relation to digital writing is to have them evaluate current pieces in existence and, most importantly, create their own. It is important to first gage your students' experience with different tools, such as wikis and podcasting. Despite the digital revolution constantly happening, many students have yet to experience some of the most exciting tools available. That being said, let your students explore these programs after a very basic tutorial. Have small groups create web pages, PowerPoint presentations, and the likes. When each project is completed, have the groups rotate around and review and critique each project, making suggestions and pointing out the things that work.
Blog post for November 6th
The Teacher's Podcast
http://www.teacherspodcast.com/
I found this podcast while searching for teacher wisdom. Or, I suppose I was just trying to find podcasts that included relevant information, were accessible, and enjoyable to listen to. This podcast included the first two, but I can't go as far as to say I enjoyed listening to it. There was a good conversation about technological resources in the classroom, but it seemed very scripted and very dry. What was meant to be a conversation did not keep me drawn into the topic; I found myself zoning out often. There were no "extras" to this podcast - music, sound effects, banter. Clearly well planned out from the rhetoric side, but not real engaging from a listeners point of view.
The Wicked Good Podcast #78
http://cdn1.libsyn.com/wickedgood/WGP_2008-02-20.mp3
With this podcast, I may have found my new favorite procrastination excuse at work. They had it all in this podcast - music, sound effects, banter (ok, clearly this may not be "all" in everyone's world but, let's face it, I am pretty easy to please). The commentators had a great repetoire of one-liners and interacted with one another casually and comfortably. Topics ranged from eBay to Baby Gap, taking multiple perspectives on issues and making them accessible to listeners. I will definitely be checking out this podcast again!
The Memphis Edge
http://www.commercialappeal-web.com/theedgepodcast/audio/edge-2007-04-10-63318.mp3
If I were from Memphis, maybe this podcast would have been more interesting. Dry, scripted, and, at times, inaudible, this podcast will not be will soon be forgotten. The main announcer was conducting an interview with someone who sounded as though he was on the phone, calling in. Almost impossible to understand, I quickly found myself frustrated with the quality of the podcast and tuned out almost as quickly as I tuned in. Not recommended...unless you are a diehard Memphis fan with no standards for information quality.
Podcasting is a phenomenal tool to use in the classroom. The multiple literacy elements that are involved in creating the podcast are challenging, interdisciplinary, and engaging for students who are creating them. One way I have used podcasts is with my two journalism groups. In the beginning, both journalism groups wanted their big project to be creating a final printed newspaper. Instead, I have convinced one group to use blogs and podcasts to create an interactive and multimodal news and information page that can be accessed at any time. The students have started by writing articles for the blog and then creating scripts and/or interviews related to their articles and recording podcasts to post for enhancing their articles. Additionally, with Garage Band they are able to add digital images to their podcasts to enhance the experience of the listener. This has been a powerful method for engaging students in a variety of literacies while using research methods to produce a very unique project.
http://www.teacherspodcast.com/
I found this podcast while searching for teacher wisdom. Or, I suppose I was just trying to find podcasts that included relevant information, were accessible, and enjoyable to listen to. This podcast included the first two, but I can't go as far as to say I enjoyed listening to it. There was a good conversation about technological resources in the classroom, but it seemed very scripted and very dry. What was meant to be a conversation did not keep me drawn into the topic; I found myself zoning out often. There were no "extras" to this podcast - music, sound effects, banter. Clearly well planned out from the rhetoric side, but not real engaging from a listeners point of view.
The Wicked Good Podcast #78
http://cdn1.libsyn.com/wickedgood/WGP_2008-02-20.mp3
With this podcast, I may have found my new favorite procrastination excuse at work. They had it all in this podcast - music, sound effects, banter (ok, clearly this may not be "all" in everyone's world but, let's face it, I am pretty easy to please). The commentators had a great repetoire of one-liners and interacted with one another casually and comfortably. Topics ranged from eBay to Baby Gap, taking multiple perspectives on issues and making them accessible to listeners. I will definitely be checking out this podcast again!
The Memphis Edge
http://www.commercialappeal-web.com/theedgepodcast/audio/edge-2007-04-10-63318.mp3
If I were from Memphis, maybe this podcast would have been more interesting. Dry, scripted, and, at times, inaudible, this podcast will not be will soon be forgotten. The main announcer was conducting an interview with someone who sounded as though he was on the phone, calling in. Almost impossible to understand, I quickly found myself frustrated with the quality of the podcast and tuned out almost as quickly as I tuned in. Not recommended...unless you are a diehard Memphis fan with no standards for information quality.
Podcasting is a phenomenal tool to use in the classroom. The multiple literacy elements that are involved in creating the podcast are challenging, interdisciplinary, and engaging for students who are creating them. One way I have used podcasts is with my two journalism groups. In the beginning, both journalism groups wanted their big project to be creating a final printed newspaper. Instead, I have convinced one group to use blogs and podcasts to create an interactive and multimodal news and information page that can be accessed at any time. The students have started by writing articles for the blog and then creating scripts and/or interviews related to their articles and recording podcasts to post for enhancing their articles. Additionally, with Garage Band they are able to add digital images to their podcasts to enhance the experience of the listener. This has been a powerful method for engaging students in a variety of literacies while using research methods to produce a very unique project.
Monday, January 21, 2008
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