Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Blogging ABOUT Blogging?? Oh no she diiidn't...
I know we have brought up the subject, several times, of incorporating social networking into the classroom, but I really like that we had a whole chapter to read about it! Can you believe I still like reading at this point in the “school game”?! Personally, I have become quite a fan of blogging. I was always sooooooooo resistant to the idea of it (I cannot tell you why), but after being required to do so in Rick Beach’s class last semester, I learned that, like most writing, I loved expressing my voice in a new and alternative fashion! If I, at this point in my education, can learn a new way to love writing… it’s very possible it will be relevant to my resistant-writing students… here’s hoping!
One part of the article that was extremely relevant to me and my philosophy of teaching was how the author explained the importance of why he “de-emphasized the importance of [his] evaluation” and never graded on what the student wrote, but rather how many times they posted. I know we have been going back and forth on the merits of rubrics and grades (especially when it comes to writing), and personally, I am a fan of grades (for myself as a teacher and as a student). However, in this instance, in reference to blogging or other forms of social networking in the classroom, I feel that it would be wrong to grade based on what I deemed “quality”… in this case it would definitely have to be quantity over quality and effort over mechanics. In my opinion, if we assign activities that incorporate blogging or Facebook or what-have-you, we cannot grade on what the student writes. In reality, social networking is not a traditional form of writing; people do not use proper grammar and the author often writes in a specific manner intended for a specific audience in order to achieve a desired reaction from said audience. I think if we incorporate things such as blogging into our classrooms, we have to stay true to the nature of blogging.
My opinion aside, I liked how the author offered suggestions for blogging curriculum - there were so many suggestions besides the obvious “students write a blog”. I like the idea, and had never really thought, about assigning students another blog to read and follow (and respond to… the options are endless!). It would be fun to provide a list of “school appropriate” blogs for them to follow so they do not just have to read about the lives of their classmates. It could really expand their ideas of the powerful expanse of social networking and the unlimited voices they can access from the click of a button.
I also like the idea of making podcasts and videos in the classroom. I am thinking of doing something similar at Northeast with my unit (which is exploring “who they are, who they want to be, and their integral part in their communities”). I am thinking of having the students upload a picture of themselves now and recording a little about who they are. Then I want them to upload an image that represents who they would like to be in 20 years (such as an occupation or someone they admire), and how they plan on achieving that (in relation to school hopefully!). Finally, I want them to upload an image that represents their community (or family or school) and how they are an integral part of it (both now and in the future). I will most likely use VoiceThread or iMovie. Hopefully they can figure it out and I can figure out how to piece it together for them into a class movie!
This link is great and shows a plan on how to not only incorporate iMovie into curriculum design and the classroom, but how to actually teach the students how to use it and the pace to teach them at. Hazaah! I am definitely using this as a guide point when trying to pull out the technology with the kiddies in the classroom.
One part of the article that was extremely relevant to me and my philosophy of teaching was how the author explained the importance of why he “de-emphasized the importance of [his] evaluation” and never graded on what the student wrote, but rather how many times they posted. I know we have been going back and forth on the merits of rubrics and grades (especially when it comes to writing), and personally, I am a fan of grades (for myself as a teacher and as a student). However, in this instance, in reference to blogging or other forms of social networking in the classroom, I feel that it would be wrong to grade based on what I deemed “quality”… in this case it would definitely have to be quantity over quality and effort over mechanics. In my opinion, if we assign activities that incorporate blogging or Facebook or what-have-you, we cannot grade on what the student writes. In reality, social networking is not a traditional form of writing; people do not use proper grammar and the author often writes in a specific manner intended for a specific audience in order to achieve a desired reaction from said audience. I think if we incorporate things such as blogging into our classrooms, we have to stay true to the nature of blogging.
My opinion aside, I liked how the author offered suggestions for blogging curriculum - there were so many suggestions besides the obvious “students write a blog”. I like the idea, and had never really thought, about assigning students another blog to read and follow (and respond to… the options are endless!). It would be fun to provide a list of “school appropriate” blogs for them to follow so they do not just have to read about the lives of their classmates. It could really expand their ideas of the powerful expanse of social networking and the unlimited voices they can access from the click of a button.
I also like the idea of making podcasts and videos in the classroom. I am thinking of doing something similar at Northeast with my unit (which is exploring “who they are, who they want to be, and their integral part in their communities”). I am thinking of having the students upload a picture of themselves now and recording a little about who they are. Then I want them to upload an image that represents who they would like to be in 20 years (such as an occupation or someone they admire), and how they plan on achieving that (in relation to school hopefully!). Finally, I want them to upload an image that represents their community (or family or school) and how they are an integral part of it (both now and in the future). I will most likely use VoiceThread or iMovie. Hopefully they can figure it out and I can figure out how to piece it together for them into a class movie!
This link is great and shows a plan on how to not only incorporate iMovie into curriculum design and the classroom, but how to actually teach the students how to use it and the pace to teach them at. Hazaah! I am definitely using this as a guide point when trying to pull out the technology with the kiddies in the classroom.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Integration of Technology!
I really related to the Kajder article, “Unleashing Potential with Emerging Technologies”. The past six weeks, while observing at Northeast, I have been thinking of ways to engage students (thereby “unleashing potential”) while using the laptops I have available for every student. Unfortunately, there are many additional, new problems that emerge with the incorporation of technology. I really like how the article admitted the many negative issues incorporated with integrating technology into curriculum and classroom instruction by saying technology “reveals holes in planning, misreading of content, instability in resources, and, most critically, those moments where we have allowed the technology to supersede our instructional goals and students’ needs” (Kajder, 14). I think it is really key to notice the rhetoric used, saying technology doesn’t cause holes, it reveals them. Clearly, technology can successfully and efficiently find it’s way into curriculum instruction, it just requires the knowledge on the part of the instructor as to how to integrate it appropriately. I am constantly brainstorming, critiquing, and designing reading and writing activities and lessons in which we use the laptops, because the students are significantly quieter, listening more intently, and more deeply engaged.
After one of the reading courses we took earlier this fall, I have really opened my mind and expanded on my idea of what “reading” counts as and what literacy really means. I really enjoyed the introduction of the “writing spaces” that engage students and reading outside of school. Even though these are untraditional uses of literacy in the classroom, and, even harder to admit, fun (ah!), are they inappropriate to include in the classroom? I argue that if we are to reform the poor state of education, we have to adopt new ideas of what is “appropriate” or “literate” texts for our students. Personally, in my class, I am planning on using blogs, wikis, a moodle, and voicethread. I feel quite strongly that if I increase my students motivation and reduce their resistance to reading and writing, by whoing that those things can be fun, i am willing to use integrated technological tools.
In the Jenkins article, there was one specific section that really interested me. The discussion of a “participation gap”, much like an achievement gap, references the inability to have access to technology due to socioeconomic status and housing location (among many factors). I feel that, in these specific instances, the integration of technology intothe classroom and curriculum instruction is even more crucial. I am a huge proponent of incorporating rigorous college preparatory into my classroom and I feel like for any student to be successful in college, they need to have a technological and media literacy. If they do not have these resources at home, school may be the only place for them to become more knowledgeable and ready for college.
I love using laptops in the classroom, but one of my biggest challenges is getting the students to not be surfing the web or distracted with other applications. This link has 23 tips and tools for having laptops in the classroom! I will have to integrate this into my instruction!
After one of the reading courses we took earlier this fall, I have really opened my mind and expanded on my idea of what “reading” counts as and what literacy really means. I really enjoyed the introduction of the “writing spaces” that engage students and reading outside of school. Even though these are untraditional uses of literacy in the classroom, and, even harder to admit, fun (ah!), are they inappropriate to include in the classroom? I argue that if we are to reform the poor state of education, we have to adopt new ideas of what is “appropriate” or “literate” texts for our students. Personally, in my class, I am planning on using blogs, wikis, a moodle, and voicethread. I feel quite strongly that if I increase my students motivation and reduce their resistance to reading and writing, by whoing that those things can be fun, i am willing to use integrated technological tools.
In the Jenkins article, there was one specific section that really interested me. The discussion of a “participation gap”, much like an achievement gap, references the inability to have access to technology due to socioeconomic status and housing location (among many factors). I feel that, in these specific instances, the integration of technology intothe classroom and curriculum instruction is even more crucial. I am a huge proponent of incorporating rigorous college preparatory into my classroom and I feel like for any student to be successful in college, they need to have a technological and media literacy. If they do not have these resources at home, school may be the only place for them to become more knowledgeable and ready for college.
I love using laptops in the classroom, but one of my biggest challenges is getting the students to not be surfing the web or distracted with other applications. This link has 23 tips and tools for having laptops in the classroom! I will have to integrate this into my instruction!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Constructive Criticism: How a wrong can make a right!
First, I should say I got overly excited when I saw that one of the articles for this week was titled, “On Conferences”! I am having PARENT teacher conferences with Veann on Friday and, to be honest, I am terrified! It’s one thing dealing with students… it’s another to be in a conference talking about them with their parents! Unfortunately, this article only helped me with student-teacher conferences, but, despite my sadness, it, too, was helpful!
Conferences have long been something I have planned on doing with my students. I have seen Veann have several “mini” conferences with students (only about 3 minutes) over their behavior slips. When a student gets a referral at Northeast (which is a purple sheet), they have to carry around a behavior slip (a blue half-sheet) for a couple of days and have all of their teachers fill it out and sign it. 1) I have noticed that organization can be carried out by color-coding all important documents in schools and 2) The students, no matter how upset, angry, or detached during class, participate honestly in their “conferences” with Veann when she fills out the behavior slip with them at the end of class.
I feel that there is a level of accountability that holds the student to a higher standard and makes them want to do their assignments and complete them on time when student-teacher conferences are involved. Unfortunately, some of the suggestions I read in the article I do not think will apply well to my classroom, but there were many good tips that Atwell gives that I will definitely use! I really enjoyed the guidelines for conferences and the suggestions on how to make the meeting successful, efficient, and useful for the student. It had many good tips on how to approach students’ writing and, specifically, the things that need to be corrected and changed. Critiquing can be a very sensitive issue for many students, so a safe space with a teacher where errors are approached with an attitude that is more “ this is good, there is more room for improvement” instead of “this is wrong, fix it”. I specifically liked the suggestion to avoid generalized praise but to instead praise by being involved in the writing. Pointing out specific things that the student did right is a thousand times more helpful than pointing out ten things they did wrong. If a teacher approached critiquing that way, a student could likely shut down and not listen to any good advice the teacher may have to give.
As most of you know, I am a big fan of AVID, in which we coach students to ask higher-level questions and, in turn, think more critically. This is a much more important, and harder skill to master, than asking low-level questions and then turning to the teacher for the answer. I like how Atwell emphasizes the importance of asking the student about their writing in a way that makes them think about it and go further into their points and opinions. Often, students writing is unclear and fragmented because they do no inductively think their thoughts through in their writing (and yes, I just said inductive). By talking it through with them, the teacher builds on their skills of critical analysis and helps them learn the important skills of inductive reasoning that is essential in their writing.
I also liked the “Awesome Dude!” article because not only did it have a fantastically awesome title, but it again stressed the importance of teaching higher-level inquiry and responses! Woohoo! I am all for peer-reviews, but I am left wondering how to make it appropriate for my 6th graders. Often they are so shy with sharing their writing or too immature to say things nicely to one another, that I worry peer-reviews could cause tension in the classroom and make already resistant writers even more shy and resistant to write and share.
This resource/link I have this week is a blog I found called Successful Teaching, which is a blog full of, you guessed, it, strategies and tips for successful teaching!! The post I found is from 2008 (so relatively recent) and is about giving appropriate constructive criticism to students. I think the key to “constructive criticism” is in the wording and rhetoric: we want to give criticism that allows for more constructivist thinking to occur and work to be produced. We don’t want to give criticism and have thinking shut down and attitudes plummet.
Conferences have long been something I have planned on doing with my students. I have seen Veann have several “mini” conferences with students (only about 3 minutes) over their behavior slips. When a student gets a referral at Northeast (which is a purple sheet), they have to carry around a behavior slip (a blue half-sheet) for a couple of days and have all of their teachers fill it out and sign it. 1) I have noticed that organization can be carried out by color-coding all important documents in schools and 2) The students, no matter how upset, angry, or detached during class, participate honestly in their “conferences” with Veann when she fills out the behavior slip with them at the end of class.
I feel that there is a level of accountability that holds the student to a higher standard and makes them want to do their assignments and complete them on time when student-teacher conferences are involved. Unfortunately, some of the suggestions I read in the article I do not think will apply well to my classroom, but there were many good tips that Atwell gives that I will definitely use! I really enjoyed the guidelines for conferences and the suggestions on how to make the meeting successful, efficient, and useful for the student. It had many good tips on how to approach students’ writing and, specifically, the things that need to be corrected and changed. Critiquing can be a very sensitive issue for many students, so a safe space with a teacher where errors are approached with an attitude that is more “ this is good, there is more room for improvement” instead of “this is wrong, fix it”. I specifically liked the suggestion to avoid generalized praise but to instead praise by being involved in the writing. Pointing out specific things that the student did right is a thousand times more helpful than pointing out ten things they did wrong. If a teacher approached critiquing that way, a student could likely shut down and not listen to any good advice the teacher may have to give.
As most of you know, I am a big fan of AVID, in which we coach students to ask higher-level questions and, in turn, think more critically. This is a much more important, and harder skill to master, than asking low-level questions and then turning to the teacher for the answer. I like how Atwell emphasizes the importance of asking the student about their writing in a way that makes them think about it and go further into their points and opinions. Often, students writing is unclear and fragmented because they do no inductively think their thoughts through in their writing (and yes, I just said inductive). By talking it through with them, the teacher builds on their skills of critical analysis and helps them learn the important skills of inductive reasoning that is essential in their writing.
I also liked the “Awesome Dude!” article because not only did it have a fantastically awesome title, but it again stressed the importance of teaching higher-level inquiry and responses! Woohoo! I am all for peer-reviews, but I am left wondering how to make it appropriate for my 6th graders. Often they are so shy with sharing their writing or too immature to say things nicely to one another, that I worry peer-reviews could cause tension in the classroom and make already resistant writers even more shy and resistant to write and share.
This resource/link I have this week is a blog I found called Successful Teaching, which is a blog full of, you guessed, it, strategies and tips for successful teaching!! The post I found is from 2008 (so relatively recent) and is about giving appropriate constructive criticism to students. I think the key to “constructive criticism” is in the wording and rhetoric: we want to give criticism that allows for more constructivist thinking to occur and work to be produced. We don’t want to give criticism and have thinking shut down and attitudes plummet.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Reading Response Week 3!
First, I want to mention how “scared” I am of grammar sometimes. Not that I do not think I know proper grammar well, but it’s completely intimidating to be the “go-to” person for students when it comes to all kinds of random grammar questions! There are some many things about grammar that I do not know or do not remember off of the top of my head. Thankfully, I at least have the competence to know references where I can look up the answers to all the questions my students (and I!) have! I suppose that calms me down a bit… and at least I know the differences between “they’re”, “there”, and “their”! Woohoo!
My problem with grammar (often forgetting its rules and appropriate applications) was specifically addressed in Bush article regarding grammar. As the article states, “the writing process offers an opportunity to continually reinforce previously ‘learned’ skills” (Bush, 80). Further, many teachers make the mistake of “’covering various grammatical skills and then assuming that students know and can apply them” (Bush, 80). Obviously, I was taught in such a way that I cannot apply or recall some of the rules of grammar I have learned – and I actually enjoyed English class as a middle and high school student! What am I supposed to expect of the students who can’t stand my class as I go over grammar rules?? (Side note: hopefully I find a way to reach them so they don’t ultimately hate my class, haha). I really like the idea of reinforcing grammar continually by integrating it into the writing process. Currently, in my sixth grade classes, vocabulary, root, and suffix lessons are a huge part of the curriculum. Often times, students will write vocabulary words in sentences as a way to really grasp the meaning of a word. After reading this article, I have thought about incorporating grammar rules in example sentences I give the students to copy down during vocabulary time. Why not teach them the proper use of “its” and “it’s” by incorporating it into a sample sentence with a vocabulary word. Hello killing two birds with one stone!
The Harper article was another article that I took notes on while reading because it is something extremely applicable to my teaching this spring. I got a kick out of the article when Harper wrote, “after years of just being told ‘Revise!” without further explanation, my students had become furtive recopiers, adding a few words here and there and using neater handwriting to revise their drafts” (Harper, 192). This is a problem I have thought about myself and how to approach the idea of revising writing to 6th graders, many of whom are not even comfortable writing yet, let alone revising something they have written. I recalled Amy Corrigan’s classroom and the way in which she approached revision. I really liked how she gave the students a specific template for writing (an I-am poem) so all of their writing was similar enough that the revision process applied to everyone. I am thinking of a writing assignment that I can do that will be similarly applicable for my students to follow a well described and laid-out plan for revision that is easy for a newcomer of revision!
Whoops! I almost forgot to put a website resource included! I chose to include a website specifically addressing elementary and middle school reading and writing. The writing section includes everything from writing prompts in creative writing to graphic organizers to ideas and context. While I am teaching middle school, I am currently struggling at getting my 6th graders to write at all...therefore, I think elementary writing prompts (such as those that are more fun or less stressful for them) might help my specific students work through their aversion to writing.
My problem with grammar (often forgetting its rules and appropriate applications) was specifically addressed in Bush article regarding grammar. As the article states, “the writing process offers an opportunity to continually reinforce previously ‘learned’ skills” (Bush, 80). Further, many teachers make the mistake of “’covering various grammatical skills and then assuming that students know and can apply them” (Bush, 80). Obviously, I was taught in such a way that I cannot apply or recall some of the rules of grammar I have learned – and I actually enjoyed English class as a middle and high school student! What am I supposed to expect of the students who can’t stand my class as I go over grammar rules?? (Side note: hopefully I find a way to reach them so they don’t ultimately hate my class, haha). I really like the idea of reinforcing grammar continually by integrating it into the writing process. Currently, in my sixth grade classes, vocabulary, root, and suffix lessons are a huge part of the curriculum. Often times, students will write vocabulary words in sentences as a way to really grasp the meaning of a word. After reading this article, I have thought about incorporating grammar rules in example sentences I give the students to copy down during vocabulary time. Why not teach them the proper use of “its” and “it’s” by incorporating it into a sample sentence with a vocabulary word. Hello killing two birds with one stone!
The Harper article was another article that I took notes on while reading because it is something extremely applicable to my teaching this spring. I got a kick out of the article when Harper wrote, “after years of just being told ‘Revise!” without further explanation, my students had become furtive recopiers, adding a few words here and there and using neater handwriting to revise their drafts” (Harper, 192). This is a problem I have thought about myself and how to approach the idea of revising writing to 6th graders, many of whom are not even comfortable writing yet, let alone revising something they have written. I recalled Amy Corrigan’s classroom and the way in which she approached revision. I really liked how she gave the students a specific template for writing (an I-am poem) so all of their writing was similar enough that the revision process applied to everyone. I am thinking of a writing assignment that I can do that will be similarly applicable for my students to follow a well described and laid-out plan for revision that is easy for a newcomer of revision!
Whoops! I almost forgot to put a website resource included! I chose to include a website specifically addressing elementary and middle school reading and writing. The writing section includes everything from writing prompts in creative writing to graphic organizers to ideas and context. While I am teaching middle school, I am currently struggling at getting my 6th graders to write at all...therefore, I think elementary writing prompts (such as those that are more fun or less stressful for them) might help my specific students work through their aversion to writing.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Reading Response Week 2!
While reading the Dornan text and the chapter on essays as well as the articles discussing the pros and cons of the five paragraph essay (a more formal essay/research paper), I immediately found myself arguing both sides of the merits/disadvantages of research papers. Like the text says, essays have “instructional payoff” (119) in the sense that they can expand vocabulary, require higher order thinking, and build organizational and critical analysis skills. However, it is quick to argue (and I agree quite strongly) that essays and research papers are some thing “few students write enthusiastically and almost no teacher[s] grade them with glee” (119). When I got to the section on I-search papers, I pulled from our conversation in class last week as well as my own memory of writing a research paper in AP English 11 in high school.
The reason I am on the fence with essay papers, much like Dornan shows both pros and cons, is because I do not believe that any structure of writing (or reading for that matter) is appropriate in all classroom settings for all students. I remembered our conversations from class last week and recalled when Jack shared that he would like to teach a unit surrounding a multi-genre paper because it would be fun for him to read and grade. Further, students seem more invested when they are writing a paper that they choose the subject and are personally invested in; further, students are still learning the important fundamental elements of writing and organization that are important. These would be examples of essay papers in which all parties (teachers and students) walked away with positive effects and results. However, I also recalled when Tara shared her bad memory of writing in school being an essay assignment in which the teacher gave the students the freedom to write what they want, but gave them a full 10 weeks with little instruction or timing implemented in the assignment. I had a similar memory (that I totally forgot about until I read Dornan this week) with an I-search.
In AP-English in 11th grade, we were given the assignment to do an I-search paper. It could be on anything we wanted. At first, me and several other classmates had overzealous, extremely ambitious ideas. I remember that I wanted to do a research paper on whether monkeys could really learn sign language. Our teacher reminded us that it had to be something practical that we could actually research on a personal level. I instead chose “what it is like to work as a radio broadcaster”. Over the course of many many weeks, we “worked” on these projects. Even though I was a good student (good meaning had self-direction and motivation) and enjoyed the writing process, I found I lost my way with how much freedom I had over the paper. In the end, I think I made up an entire interview with one radio broadcaster (so maybe I lied, but at least it was a good experiment in creative writing!)
In the end, the experience was probably more good than bad. As Dornan points out, the paper is in the form of “story telling”, which I think is a better format than a more formal, traditional research paper. However, the chapter also insists the importance of the teacher periodically checking in on the students (which my teacher did not). Like any writing process, a more personal essay or research paper has the ability to really involve the student while still allowing for invention, discovery, and narrative.
When thinking of it in terms of my own students currently at NE Middle School, I feel that a shorter writing prompt with several well-defined steps would work more effectively and eliminate “dead time” where nothing is being accomplished. When mentioning well-defined steps, I do not only mean a five-paragraph essay, either. Teaching 6th grade, I am sure bringing up the format of five-paragraph essay is important. In my opinion, a student needs to know this format if they are to go on in higher education. However, I agree with Kimberly Wesley in her article when she states that the five-paragraph essay can “stunt students’ critical thinking abilities”. I feel that something that structured is better left for students who have a better attitude towards writing. It would be hard to make my students write an extremely structured research paper where I am telling them exactly what the subject they are writing is when they do not even like writing in the first place. I feel, as of now, my main goal currently at NE with my students is to get them excited and interested in writing - I feel I can do this by making the essays and writing prompts more personal to them. From there, I can introduce things like the five-paragraph essay and papers about texts we analyze together.
One idea I had (which I actually remembered from reading Gallagher last semester) was to have students write letters to me and I write them back. I have decided to do this (despite how much time commitment that will be on my weekends, haha) with my sixth graders at NE. I really feel that I need to get to know them, and this is a great way to hear all of their voices without having each one express it outloud in class (which would never work). Plus, they’re writing! I am hoping we can periodically do this throughout the rest of the eyar. They are resistant, at the moment, to even write a sentence; therefore, I’m hoping by writing about themselves in an “informal” way, they will focus more on sharing things with me and less about the actual, phsycial act of writing (which they LOATHE!). Here are two links I found about having students do letter writing activities/units. I am starting to look from different sources and pull out the bits and pieces I like best to make my own ideas that relate to my specific students. Here are two such links!
Letter Writing Unit
Letter Writing Tips
The reason I am on the fence with essay papers, much like Dornan shows both pros and cons, is because I do not believe that any structure of writing (or reading for that matter) is appropriate in all classroom settings for all students. I remembered our conversations from class last week and recalled when Jack shared that he would like to teach a unit surrounding a multi-genre paper because it would be fun for him to read and grade. Further, students seem more invested when they are writing a paper that they choose the subject and are personally invested in; further, students are still learning the important fundamental elements of writing and organization that are important. These would be examples of essay papers in which all parties (teachers and students) walked away with positive effects and results. However, I also recalled when Tara shared her bad memory of writing in school being an essay assignment in which the teacher gave the students the freedom to write what they want, but gave them a full 10 weeks with little instruction or timing implemented in the assignment. I had a similar memory (that I totally forgot about until I read Dornan this week) with an I-search.
In AP-English in 11th grade, we were given the assignment to do an I-search paper. It could be on anything we wanted. At first, me and several other classmates had overzealous, extremely ambitious ideas. I remember that I wanted to do a research paper on whether monkeys could really learn sign language. Our teacher reminded us that it had to be something practical that we could actually research on a personal level. I instead chose “what it is like to work as a radio broadcaster”. Over the course of many many weeks, we “worked” on these projects. Even though I was a good student (good meaning had self-direction and motivation) and enjoyed the writing process, I found I lost my way with how much freedom I had over the paper. In the end, I think I made up an entire interview with one radio broadcaster (so maybe I lied, but at least it was a good experiment in creative writing!)
In the end, the experience was probably more good than bad. As Dornan points out, the paper is in the form of “story telling”, which I think is a better format than a more formal, traditional research paper. However, the chapter also insists the importance of the teacher periodically checking in on the students (which my teacher did not). Like any writing process, a more personal essay or research paper has the ability to really involve the student while still allowing for invention, discovery, and narrative.
When thinking of it in terms of my own students currently at NE Middle School, I feel that a shorter writing prompt with several well-defined steps would work more effectively and eliminate “dead time” where nothing is being accomplished. When mentioning well-defined steps, I do not only mean a five-paragraph essay, either. Teaching 6th grade, I am sure bringing up the format of five-paragraph essay is important. In my opinion, a student needs to know this format if they are to go on in higher education. However, I agree with Kimberly Wesley in her article when she states that the five-paragraph essay can “stunt students’ critical thinking abilities”. I feel that something that structured is better left for students who have a better attitude towards writing. It would be hard to make my students write an extremely structured research paper where I am telling them exactly what the subject they are writing is when they do not even like writing in the first place. I feel, as of now, my main goal currently at NE with my students is to get them excited and interested in writing - I feel I can do this by making the essays and writing prompts more personal to them. From there, I can introduce things like the five-paragraph essay and papers about texts we analyze together.
One idea I had (which I actually remembered from reading Gallagher last semester) was to have students write letters to me and I write them back. I have decided to do this (despite how much time commitment that will be on my weekends, haha) with my sixth graders at NE. I really feel that I need to get to know them, and this is a great way to hear all of their voices without having each one express it outloud in class (which would never work). Plus, they’re writing! I am hoping we can periodically do this throughout the rest of the eyar. They are resistant, at the moment, to even write a sentence; therefore, I’m hoping by writing about themselves in an “informal” way, they will focus more on sharing things with me and less about the actual, phsycial act of writing (which they LOATHE!). Here are two links I found about having students do letter writing activities/units. I am starting to look from different sources and pull out the bits and pieces I like best to make my own ideas that relate to my specific students. Here are two such links!
Letter Writing Unit
Letter Writing Tips
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
First post for CI 5461! Week One Response
Many lines and comments in the Dorman text struck me and made me think more critically of my current situation teaching sixth grade at Northeast Middle School. While it is not my first time working in an urban school (I participated in my practicum at Crosswinds Charter School in St. Paul) or with a diverse group of students (I tutor AVID in Robbinsdale School District at Plymouth Middle School), NE Middle school is my first time working in an urban setting and in a traditional (non-charter) public school. Immediately, I found myself highlighting lines such as “the rules and conventions of written language”, “writing is thinking” and “the best practice in writing instruction emerges from a fundamental understanding of how learning to write can piggy back off of learning to talk”.
I personally connected this to previous reflections I have had on the conventions and skills of “proper” speaking. Many of my students come from a background of ELL or speaking a different language in the home setting. Further, the discussion of Ebonics or African American Vernacular English often comes into discussion when speaking of students in an urban school district (specifically, Minneapolis). I, personally, have no problem allowing my students to speak however they find most comfortable. My teaching philosophy, thus far, is one that encourages deep thinking and further critical analysis – to me, their thoughts are more important than the way they express them. I feel that there is a time when “proper” English must be used in the classroom, obviously, as it will one day it will most likely be expected in college or the work place; however, I have given little thought until now as to how my students should write. Do I teach them to write the way they speak (and therefore write in AAVE)? Or do I require “proper” writing when not emphasize speaking “properly” or “most correctly”? Dorman goes on, in the chapter, to say that “writing is a socially constructed process”; therefore, does this mean that it should be o.k., in the context of particular settings, to allow my students’ voices to show through by using language most comfortable to them (i.e. AAVE)? One resource I found was a website with articles entitled “Rhetoric, writing, culture, and politics: The Writing Crisis in Urban Schools: A Culturally Different Hypothesis”. This resource really applies to my response this week and the concerns I am starting to accumulate around the specific topic of teaching writing in an urban setting. The article even covers information and discussions on relating African American spoken language with that of written processes.
Another concern while working my way through the first chapter of the Dorman text was the comment, “we learn to write by writing” and “we don’t become good writers by studying about writing; we become good writers by writing” pg 5. This is not, I’m sure, a concern that solely applies to me, but how do I teach writing if I cannot get my students to write in the first place? If we learn to write (and learn to love writing) through the fundamental practice of expressing language in written form, what happens if we cannot get our students to begin that practice and learning in the first place? Many of my students argue about even writing a sentence? I am curious, what tips do others or know of that might work for the mere motivation to occur in order to allow them to learn to write? I am hopeful, over the course if this method’s class and semester, that I learn tips of motivating students to write so it is not a hated and difficult struggle every time. One suggestion I have, for myself, is to use computers to type (therefore practicing writing skills) without actually writing (papers and pencils). Eeek! Imagine something as trivial and ancient as paper and pencil! Ha!
One thing I really enjoyed about the Dorman text was the comment that the text “is not just a theoretical text” but instead “provides in-depth coverage of classroom strategies for teaching and assessing writing based on these socio-cultural-linguistic principles”. This leads me to hopefully believe that this text will be an excellent source of support, information, and suggestions for teaching writing as I make my way through student teaching and my first years as a novice ELA instructor. Chapter 3 further led me to believe this as I found concrete examples and suggestions for teaching writing to my students – and even more specific and helpful, how to teach to meet state standards! My school, Northeast middle school, is an IB structure, and many times I have heard my cooperating teacher referring to standards as models for her curriculum instruction, so this information is specifically applicable to me!
The Romano text was, to my surprise, quite a quick, interesting, and (maybe it’s my nerdy-English side coming out) very entertaining! I really enjoyed reading all the examples of multigenre writing and styles. The contributions from real students and writers made the information and text less “theological and method-y” and more applicable to my current classrooms This ease, I’ll admit, in the middle of all the stress that student teaching brings, was actually quite relaxing and nice to have something easily presenting to me and not have to think too hard (I’m semi joking about not wanting to think, ha).
One thing I noticed is that the text kept referring to high school or college students or how something could be easily accessible and relatable to them. Since I am teaching middle school (more specifically sixth grade which is no where near a freshman in high school), it would have been nice to have more suggestions for sixth to eighth grade. While it was fairly easy (even while I was reading) to make connections in my mind to how I could/will present it to my middle school students, I have come to realize that sixth grade and seventh grade is an especially “turbulent” time in adolescent development; therefore, I do no think it would be wise to present lessons/ideas to them the same way I would a ninth or tenth grade student.
Also, because this is the first week, I thought it would be fun to also include a video (now that I know how to embed on my blog!!). I haven't seen the movie yet (it's in my Netflix queue as we speak) but here is the trailer for Freedom Writers - a story about an English teacher who gets her kids to write... how appropriate! Now I just need to see the movie... haha
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Podcast!!
Using my savvy skills from 5472, I created a podcast (instead of submitting a written form) for a book review for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. This was created for a Master's class (CI 5442), Young Adult Literature. I thought this was a much more interactive way to give my book review and definitely plan on using this in the classroom one day soon! I think podcasts are a terrific addition to put on my class website/blog and think it is a great way to market books to my students and hopefully get them excited about reading! Further, I think it would be a much more interactive and personal way to describe assignments( that students may have been absent for) on my class website. Instead of reading the instructions for a worksheet or assignment, students could listen to my voice explain it to them!
** Reader note: I am having trouble figuring out how to upload the file onto my blog (some other classmates had the same problem), but hopefully following this link to media mill works! I cannot seem to find a way to upload an audio file (such as an MP3 to blogger), so if someone knows how to please let me know! Thanks and enjoy!
Listen to my podcast for a book review of Harry Potter!
** Reader note: I am having trouble figuring out how to upload the file onto my blog (some other classmates had the same problem), but hopefully following this link to media mill works! I cannot seem to find a way to upload an audio file (such as an MP3 to blogger), so if someone knows how to please let me know! Thanks and enjoy!
Listen to my podcast for a book review of Harry Potter!
The end of the semester already???
I cannot believe it is the end of the semester already... it is a cliche saying, but time flew by! While the past semester was challenging and stressful, I am more motivated than ever to pursue a career in education. This semester I have learned invaluable methods, tools, and resources that I can incorporate in my future classrooms. I feel that these skills are what will seperate me (and my fellow M.Ed. classmates) apart from other novice teachers entering the work field. I am also excited to announce that I got my student teaching placement at N.E. middle school in Minneapolis... I could not be more thrilled!!!
I am not sure where the next year will lead me, but I am so excited to find out! I have decided that New York would be faaaar to expensive to live in alone (I'm poor now, I don't want to still be poor after I finish grad school!), so instead I am thinking of moving to Chicago! I feel it is the perfect mixture between urban and midwest living and would still allow me to pursue my dream of working in an inner-city school district and working to close the achievement gap.
While I am sad that the semester is coming to a close... I am so excited for a break!!! I hope everyone enjoys their winter breaks and comes back ready for student teaching!
I am not sure where the next year will lead me, but I am so excited to find out! I have decided that New York would be faaaar to expensive to live in alone (I'm poor now, I don't want to still be poor after I finish grad school!), so instead I am thinking of moving to Chicago! I feel it is the perfect mixture between urban and midwest living and would still allow me to pursue my dream of working in an inner-city school district and working to close the achievement gap.
While I am sad that the semester is coming to a close... I am so excited for a break!!! I hope everyone enjoys their winter breaks and comes back ready for student teaching!
Using Storybird in the Classroom!
We did this for another class, but I really enjoyed using Storybird and am looking forward to using it the future in the classroom. I liked this program so much, I thought I would share my silly story with you!
Since the program provides images for the creator (and does not let them upload their own), I thought it would be fun to give pairs of students the assignment to create a Storybird with the same images and have them work independentally. This would be a good creative writing activity, as well as show the students that even when given the same material (such as writing an analysis paper for a novel), there are many ways you can take your writing and form your own arguments based on what you, specifically, bring to a text.
Click here to view my Storybird!
Since the program provides images for the creator (and does not let them upload their own), I thought it would be fun to give pairs of students the assignment to create a Storybird with the same images and have them work independentally. This would be a good creative writing activity, as well as show the students that even when given the same material (such as writing an analysis paper for a novel), there are many ways you can take your writing and form your own arguments based on what you, specifically, bring to a text.
Click here to view my Storybird!
Film Adaptations
Here is a lesson plan that I had originally thought of earlier in the semester, but added onto to incorporate the use of VideoANT as well. I am really interested in using film adaptations of literature as an incorporated tool in my classroom. This activity uses "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass", but you could use any film adaptations paired with literature.
I took special care when designing this lesson as to not give the students the idea that one version is better than the other, but instead focused the activity on making students realize the different elements and techniques in each version and how those elements and techniques added to the film or literature to make them special in their own ways - whether these techniques were successful or not. I also used it as a tool to show students that they can read film and images in media as just like they can read literature.
Lesson Plan:
Subject Area: English/Language Arts
Grade Level: 10th grade
Unit Title: Through the Looking Glass
Lesson Title: Two Sides of the Mirror
Time: Two class periods totally 80 minutes (or one block class of 80 minutes)
Essential Question: Similar to the literary elements of a story, what are the literary elements of film?
Objectives:
• Students will be able to identify important themes and significant details in the novel Through The Looking Glass.
• Students will be able to identify important themes and significant details in the movie Alice in Wonderland (1951 Disney version).
• Student will be able to identify similarities and differences between the written and film versions and analyze those components in an analytical manner and understand their significance and importance in the both versions.
• Students will learn how to become more consciously literate in film and media as well as reading, learning that there are elements of film similar to how there are elements of literature.
• Students will become more comfortable incorporating technology in their assignments (VideoAnt).
Materials/Resources Needed:
• Book: Through the Looking Glass
• Disney film: Alice in Wonderland (1951) or access to YouTube for this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBTWE26AeEw
• Notebook and pencil
• Scheduled time in a computer lab and access to VideoAnt
Previous Knowledge: By this point in the lesson, students will already have finished the book Through the Looking Glass and have discussed and analyzed the book critically as a class. They will be familiar with certain elements of fiction such as imagery, word choice, sentence structure, detail, dialogue, character development, tone, and voice etc. The students will also have had a tutorial the previous day on how to use VideoAnt (a video annotation program that allows students to annotate comments while simultaneously watching a film clip). They will feel comfortable to use it on their own.
Procedure:
1. Intro (10 minutes):
At this point, the students would be redirected to turn to the scene in which Alice enters the realm into Wonderland. Students will be divided into small groups and asked to recall the important elements of literature used in this scene. After, the class will come back and discuss what they found/came up with.
2. Watch Film clip (15 minutes):
If the classroom does not allow enough time to see the entire movie, watching just the clip where Alice enters through the door into Wonderland should be just fine (here is a link to the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBTWE26AeEw). In this lesson plan, we are watching just this clip. Similar to the task after completing the novel, after watching the clip (10 minute clip) we would, as a class, generate and critique specific things that we noticed in the clip, such as detail, music, character voice and pitch, camera angles, tone, dialogue, and drawing technique (since it is a cartoon).
3. Computer lab and VideoAnt (50 minutes):
The class will move quickly to the computer lab and each student will sign-on to a computer. They have already had a tutorial and learned how to use VideoAnt, so no instruction is needed. This time will be devoted entirely to the students creating their own VideoAnt in order to discuss the literary elements of film in the clip. The clip is ten minutes long, so the students will have a whole fifty minutes to work on this. They will be instructed they need at least ten annotations throughout the ten-minute clip. They should be reminded to use their notes to generate annotations. They should also be reminded to stay on task, because they only have this class time to work on the VideoAnt portion of this project (no more computer time in class after this).
4. Closure (5 minutes):
As a wrap-up, they students will sign off their computers. This is a time they can pose any questions or comments to the class as a whole. For homework, they have to go home, look at their notes, and start comparing the similarities and differences between the two scenes (from the book and movie) and come prepared to talk about them in class tomorrow. They will also be introduced to the next assignment of the lesson which will begin tomorrow, which is to create a similar annotation storyboard for the book (as they did for VideoAnt), but this time on paper.
I took special care when designing this lesson as to not give the students the idea that one version is better than the other, but instead focused the activity on making students realize the different elements and techniques in each version and how those elements and techniques added to the film or literature to make them special in their own ways - whether these techniques were successful or not. I also used it as a tool to show students that they can read film and images in media as just like they can read literature.
Lesson Plan:
Subject Area: English/Language Arts
Grade Level: 10th grade
Unit Title: Through the Looking Glass
Lesson Title: Two Sides of the Mirror
Time: Two class periods totally 80 minutes (or one block class of 80 minutes)
Essential Question: Similar to the literary elements of a story, what are the literary elements of film?
Objectives:
• Students will be able to identify important themes and significant details in the novel Through The Looking Glass.
• Students will be able to identify important themes and significant details in the movie Alice in Wonderland (1951 Disney version).
• Student will be able to identify similarities and differences between the written and film versions and analyze those components in an analytical manner and understand their significance and importance in the both versions.
• Students will learn how to become more consciously literate in film and media as well as reading, learning that there are elements of film similar to how there are elements of literature.
• Students will become more comfortable incorporating technology in their assignments (VideoAnt).
Materials/Resources Needed:
• Book: Through the Looking Glass
• Disney film: Alice in Wonderland (1951) or access to YouTube for this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBTWE26AeEw
• Notebook and pencil
• Scheduled time in a computer lab and access to VideoAnt
Previous Knowledge: By this point in the lesson, students will already have finished the book Through the Looking Glass and have discussed and analyzed the book critically as a class. They will be familiar with certain elements of fiction such as imagery, word choice, sentence structure, detail, dialogue, character development, tone, and voice etc. The students will also have had a tutorial the previous day on how to use VideoAnt (a video annotation program that allows students to annotate comments while simultaneously watching a film clip). They will feel comfortable to use it on their own.
Procedure:
1. Intro (10 minutes):
At this point, the students would be redirected to turn to the scene in which Alice enters the realm into Wonderland. Students will be divided into small groups and asked to recall the important elements of literature used in this scene. After, the class will come back and discuss what they found/came up with.
2. Watch Film clip (15 minutes):
If the classroom does not allow enough time to see the entire movie, watching just the clip where Alice enters through the door into Wonderland should be just fine (here is a link to the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBTWE26AeEw). In this lesson plan, we are watching just this clip. Similar to the task after completing the novel, after watching the clip (10 minute clip) we would, as a class, generate and critique specific things that we noticed in the clip, such as detail, music, character voice and pitch, camera angles, tone, dialogue, and drawing technique (since it is a cartoon).
3. Computer lab and VideoAnt (50 minutes):
The class will move quickly to the computer lab and each student will sign-on to a computer. They have already had a tutorial and learned how to use VideoAnt, so no instruction is needed. This time will be devoted entirely to the students creating their own VideoAnt in order to discuss the literary elements of film in the clip. The clip is ten minutes long, so the students will have a whole fifty minutes to work on this. They will be instructed they need at least ten annotations throughout the ten-minute clip. They should be reminded to use their notes to generate annotations. They should also be reminded to stay on task, because they only have this class time to work on the VideoAnt portion of this project (no more computer time in class after this).
4. Closure (5 minutes):
As a wrap-up, they students will sign off their computers. This is a time they can pose any questions or comments to the class as a whole. For homework, they have to go home, look at their notes, and start comparing the similarities and differences between the two scenes (from the book and movie) and come prepared to talk about them in class tomorrow. They will also be introduced to the next assignment of the lesson which will begin tomorrow, which is to create a similar annotation storyboard for the book (as they did for VideoAnt), but this time on paper.
Rock My World: Incorporating Popular Music in the Classroom
There are many genres of music I like and artists and bands that I enjoy listening to and support; however, whenever this question is posed to me, my first and instinctual response is: Dave Matthews Band. I am a HUGE fan of Dave Matthews Band. I love the organic feel of their music and enjoy the underlying political messages – probably because I agree with them. I have been a fan of Dave since middle school, even before I was old enough to really appreciate the music for all of its aspects; yet, it is something I have grown into and still love! My fondest memories are of going to outdoor Dave shows at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin - eating and drinking with my friends before the show as the hot summer sun sets behind us, and then going in to see an amazing show by DMB under the stars.
I chose to share the video “Don’t Drink the Water” by Dave Matthews Band and incorporate it into a lesson because I actually began thinking about this a couple of weeks ago while tutoring in AVID at Plymouth Middle School right before Thanksgiving break. The students were talking about Thanksgiving, pilgrims, Native-Americans, and of course, Christopher Columbus. Even though I am sure they are being taught (at least hopefully they are!) the truth of how Native-Americans were treating when colonists came to North America. The song is an homage to how the colonists poorly treated the Native Americans and I think could fit perfectly when paired with a multi-cultural text with a Native-American protagonist (such as True Diary of a Part-Time Indian). I think it is fantastic when English classes are paired with Social Studies classes, so this could create a fun and new approach to feeling the pain of the Native Americans through lyrics and music. If you listen to Dave Matthews sing, his voice is full of emotion and anger as well as addressed in the lyrics.
Digital News Journalism: Through the Eyes of Another
After hearing Jim Hatten and Chris Baker guest speak in class on November 18th, I was reminded of my own love of being in Journalism and on the newspaper in class. It made me begin thinking of how much I would love to one day teach Journalism classes, and possibly, digital news (which they did not have when I was in high school). After a little insipiration and really enjoying their talks, here is a lesson plan I wrote for a 10th - 12th grade Journalism classroom. It incorporates the use of VoiceThread as a different way to "interview" a person and to learn to use the sources's information (and not your own) when writing a newspaper story.
Lesson Plan:
Subject Area: Journalism Class
Grade Level: 10th – 12th grade
Unit Title: Through the Eyes of Another
Time: Two Class periods totally 100 minutes (each class 50 minutes)
Essential Question: What elements of writing must be included (and therefore also excluded) in order to write a news story without bias?
Objectives:
• Students will be able to describe pictures/images in a clear and concise way; describing emotions as well as actions portrayed.
• Students will be able to use VoiceThread effectively and efficiently.
• Students will be able to write a new story without personal bias or opinion.
• Students will be able to use information from a source as the base for their news article.
Materials/Resources Needed:
• Notebook and pencil
• Scheduled time in computer lab and access to VoiceThread
Previous Knowledge: By this point, students will already have gone over the important elements and aspects that go in to writing a news article. The class will have already gone over how to write an article that is appropriate for a newspaper: such as length, word choice, and how to not include a biased opinion or personal opinions. Students will also have received a tutorial on how to use VoiceThread and should know how to upload pictures to the computer and the VoiceThread program. As homework prior to these two days, students will have been instructed to find five pictures that are important to them. They can represent who they are or important memories/events in their lives. They will be instructed to either email these photos to themselves (so they can open them during work time in the computer lab) or download them on a zip drive that they will bring to class. As for differentiation, if a student does not have the resources to do either of these things, they can bring their photos to class prior to workday and the teacher can scan them in and upload them for the student.
Day 1
Procedure:
1. Intro (10 minutes):
The students will meet in the classroom and, as a class, generate a list of things that are essential to incorporate (or exclude) when writing a story using a source. The teacher will write all of the ideas on the board and the students will record them as notes in their notebook. The teacher will direct the discussion towards on tips on how to not include personal bias or opinion when writing a news article/story.
2. Computer lab and VoiceThread (35 minutes)
Students will move to the computer lab and have remainder of the class hour to work in there. The students will upload their photos (however they chose to do this) to the VoiceThread program and record about three to five minutes of a description of what is happening in the photo, who is in it, and the emotions happening when the photo was taken.
3. Closure: (5 minutes)
The teacher will tell the students to wrap up their recordings. Then, the teacher will pair the students up into groups of two students each. The teacher will inform the students that tomorrow, each pair will listen to their partners VoiceThread and then write a news story about their partner.
Day 2:
1. Intro (10 minutes):
The teacher will immediately move the students to the computer lab. Here, the teacher will provide each student with the link to their partner's VoiceThread (it is not essential that partners sit next to each other). The teacher quickly go over the brainstorming elements the students generated and took notes on the day before so that the ideas are fresh in their minds. The teacher will remind the students that they should write down direct quotes they hear that they would like to include in their article.
2. Listen to VoiceThread (20 minutes):
The students will listen to their partners VoiceThreads and take notes while they listen, paying particular attention to write down notes that include their sources ideas, feelings, opinions, and emotions and not theirs.
3. Article Writing (15 minute):
The students, using their notes, will begin to write a news article about their partner. They can write about the events in the images or write a story about who their source/partner is. They can write the story however they choose, but their personal opinion and bias cannot show through or be included. They must use only the information they received from their partner.
4. Closing (5 minutes):
The teacher will stop the students from writing about five minutes towards the end of class. Here, the teacher will remind the students of important things they should include in their article and words/ideas they should leave out that could lead to personal bias/opinion. The teacher will allow for one or two students to share a sentence or two from their articles as an example for the rest of the class. The teacher will assign the students homework to finish their rough draft tonight so that they can edit it and complete it in class tomorrow.
Lesson Plan:
Subject Area: Journalism Class
Grade Level: 10th – 12th grade
Unit Title: Through the Eyes of Another
Time: Two Class periods totally 100 minutes (each class 50 minutes)
Essential Question: What elements of writing must be included (and therefore also excluded) in order to write a news story without bias?
Objectives:
• Students will be able to describe pictures/images in a clear and concise way; describing emotions as well as actions portrayed.
• Students will be able to use VoiceThread effectively and efficiently.
• Students will be able to write a new story without personal bias or opinion.
• Students will be able to use information from a source as the base for their news article.
Materials/Resources Needed:
• Notebook and pencil
• Scheduled time in computer lab and access to VoiceThread
Previous Knowledge: By this point, students will already have gone over the important elements and aspects that go in to writing a news article. The class will have already gone over how to write an article that is appropriate for a newspaper: such as length, word choice, and how to not include a biased opinion or personal opinions. Students will also have received a tutorial on how to use VoiceThread and should know how to upload pictures to the computer and the VoiceThread program. As homework prior to these two days, students will have been instructed to find five pictures that are important to them. They can represent who they are or important memories/events in their lives. They will be instructed to either email these photos to themselves (so they can open them during work time in the computer lab) or download them on a zip drive that they will bring to class. As for differentiation, if a student does not have the resources to do either of these things, they can bring their photos to class prior to workday and the teacher can scan them in and upload them for the student.
Day 1
Procedure:
1. Intro (10 minutes):
The students will meet in the classroom and, as a class, generate a list of things that are essential to incorporate (or exclude) when writing a story using a source. The teacher will write all of the ideas on the board and the students will record them as notes in their notebook. The teacher will direct the discussion towards on tips on how to not include personal bias or opinion when writing a news article/story.
2. Computer lab and VoiceThread (35 minutes)
Students will move to the computer lab and have remainder of the class hour to work in there. The students will upload their photos (however they chose to do this) to the VoiceThread program and record about three to five minutes of a description of what is happening in the photo, who is in it, and the emotions happening when the photo was taken.
3. Closure: (5 minutes)
The teacher will tell the students to wrap up their recordings. Then, the teacher will pair the students up into groups of two students each. The teacher will inform the students that tomorrow, each pair will listen to their partners VoiceThread and then write a news story about their partner.
Day 2:
1. Intro (10 minutes):
The teacher will immediately move the students to the computer lab. Here, the teacher will provide each student with the link to their partner's VoiceThread (it is not essential that partners sit next to each other). The teacher quickly go over the brainstorming elements the students generated and took notes on the day before so that the ideas are fresh in their minds. The teacher will remind the students that they should write down direct quotes they hear that they would like to include in their article.
2. Listen to VoiceThread (20 minutes):
The students will listen to their partners VoiceThreads and take notes while they listen, paying particular attention to write down notes that include their sources ideas, feelings, opinions, and emotions and not theirs.
3. Article Writing (15 minute):
The students, using their notes, will begin to write a news article about their partner. They can write about the events in the images or write a story about who their source/partner is. They can write the story however they choose, but their personal opinion and bias cannot show through or be included. They must use only the information they received from their partner.
4. Closing (5 minutes):
The teacher will stop the students from writing about five minutes towards the end of class. Here, the teacher will remind the students of important things they should include in their article and words/ideas they should leave out that could lead to personal bias/opinion. The teacher will allow for one or two students to share a sentence or two from their articles as an example for the rest of the class. The teacher will assign the students homework to finish their rough draft tonight so that they can edit it and complete it in class tomorrow.
Studying and Creating Documentaries: What is truth and it is possible to document it?
Waiting for Superman is a very directly vocal film arguing the dire state of the public school system, specifically students who are underserved due to race and socio-economic status. I am struggling to decide on who the intended audience really is. I feel that much of the message is directed towards the white, middle to upper class audience and impede a sense of guilt in them at the terrible state of the public school system in which we subject children (specifically poor children of diversity) to every day. The film gets this point across by employing heart-breaking scenes in which African-American and Hispanic students beg, “I just want to go to school”. Bias, in this film, comes in the form of showing the hero status that lies within charter schools. Every mention of a charter school shows the positive aspects of them and how they are saving our poor, disadvantaged children in poor, disadvantaged neighborhoods. As a viewer, as well as a future educator, I admit that I am not biased in my feelings, opinions, and emotions that I brought to watch the movie. I am personally adamant and passionate about teaching in an urban, inner-city setting where the achievement gap is practically palpable. I admit that I am not experienced enough in the realm or professional career of education to have a solid stance on whether charter schools or better (or in that sense, worse) than public schools. Yet, I was touched, none-the-less, by the inability for many children in America to receive excellent education and motivated to be a person, in the very near future, instigating change.
For a teaching activity, I think it would be very interesting to show students some documentaries (such as Super Size Me or Waiting for Superman) and have them notice the techniques and strategies used in documentaries that are advertising the “truth”, but are obviously very strongly arguing one side of a debate. From there, I would have them choose a topic that is important in their lives. This could be as simple as “What is better: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or tuna?”. The goal would just be to come up with a debate that they can choose to “find the truth”. I feel, for students, it may be easier to have them pick a debate which is somewhat black and white, and where there can be clear sides to portray in a documentary. From there, if the school I am in has the equipment, I would have them make a five-minute documentary. The requirements could be one minute of self-interview or voice-overs, two minutes of interviewing other people, and then two minutes documenting “reality” and the life in which their debate takes place (so, in the peanut butter and jelly scenario, they could have two minutes of footage in the cafeteria). If the school does not have the equipment to film this, students could draw a storyboard of how they would develop and create their documentary. The activity could be graded on employing the techniques viewed in the other documentaries, such as bias and ways to convince the audience of which side of the debate is wrong and right.
Genre Analysis
Here's a prezi that I made of a criticism of The Cosby Show as an authentic representation of African-American families in media, specifically sitcoms. It is really interesting to see the stereotypes that we, as a society, are taught by the media. Especially interesting, in the case of sitcoms such as The Cosby Show, the stereoytpe of what African-American families were "supposed" to look like was attempted to be reconstructed. However, this new image of African-American families in many ways reinforced further racial stereotypes and illusions.
Dear Rick Beach,
Hello all! (aka, Richard Beach... because I think my readers may have dwindled as our work load has greatly increased towards the end of the semester).
I have been TERRIBLE at keeping up on my blog! I would like to start again with the personal blog posts, though. This is a very fun way to express my feelings and stresses and have people read them.. or not... either way, I think it's fun.
So, to Rick: While I haven't been posting them on the blog I PROMISE I've been keeping up with the work in class and doing the assignments... I feel like some of my students with excuses, but I promise, it was more of a procrastination and avoidance issue. I did the assignment on the Cosby show and presented it in class, but for some reason didn't take the four seconds to post it on my blog. From there, I formed a bad habit. I'm sorry! Anyway, all of these assignments were really fun to do, as well as attending your class... I'm so glad I took it with you before you retired! I'm sure you've heard this a million times, but I have used many of the tools and skills learned in your class in other projects this semester for other classes, including but not limited to: podcasts, websites (and trying new sources besides just google which I was comfortable with), blogging, VoiceThread, and VideoANT. Without this class I would have been too afraid to try to learn new types of technology (I'm not the most savvy when it comes to computers and technology), but because of you I have a new found respect for using technology in the classroom and even made my Intersession unit based around media. So, as you retire, here is one more student saying THANK YOU!! You really made a difference in my education, and the education of my future students :)
So, without further ado, here is my work I've done towards the end of the semester, couldn't have done it without you!
I have been TERRIBLE at keeping up on my blog! I would like to start again with the personal blog posts, though. This is a very fun way to express my feelings and stresses and have people read them.. or not... either way, I think it's fun.
So, to Rick: While I haven't been posting them on the blog I PROMISE I've been keeping up with the work in class and doing the assignments... I feel like some of my students with excuses, but I promise, it was more of a procrastination and avoidance issue. I did the assignment on the Cosby show and presented it in class, but for some reason didn't take the four seconds to post it on my blog. From there, I formed a bad habit. I'm sorry! Anyway, all of these assignments were really fun to do, as well as attending your class... I'm so glad I took it with you before you retired! I'm sure you've heard this a million times, but I have used many of the tools and skills learned in your class in other projects this semester for other classes, including but not limited to: podcasts, websites (and trying new sources besides just google which I was comfortable with), blogging, VoiceThread, and VideoANT. Without this class I would have been too afraid to try to learn new types of technology (I'm not the most savvy when it comes to computers and technology), but because of you I have a new found respect for using technology in the classroom and even made my Intersession unit based around media. So, as you retire, here is one more student saying THANK YOU!! You really made a difference in my education, and the education of my future students :)
So, without further ado, here is my work I've done towards the end of the semester, couldn't have done it without you!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Halloween... how old is too old?
It's the time of year again when candy is discounted and girls are searching to the skimpiest costume of their favorite animal. Ill be honest, I've been there, too. Last year I was a peacock.
However, I feel that as the years pass, my enthusiasm for finding (aka buying) an elaborate costume is dwindling. I'd rather spend $50 on groceries... or drinks at the bar. Therefore, I am using this week's blog post as an open forum/discussion... I would like feedback as to what I should dress up for for Halloween this year! Please, nothing too elaborate as I do not want to spend a lot money or time to make it... but I want it to be creative!
Thanks and I'm looking forward to seeing suggestions!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Facebook... Friend or Foe??
Aaah Facebook... where would we be without you?? You are the reason we stay in touch with long lost friends, exchange numbers with people of the opposite sex that we were too afraid to ask in person, are able follow (aka stalk) ex-boyfriends after the relationship dies. And how could we ever plan a party or event without the ability to attend, maybe-attend, or decline??
I remember when Facebook first became popular (at least for me). It was 2004 and I was a freshman at the University of Minnesota. A friend told me I should join something called "facebook" so that I could network with people in my classes. It took me two months to realize what she was talking about... at the time the internet address was THEfacebook.com and I was just typing in facebook (without the "the"). Oh how my social life began once I figured out my little snafoo!
Facebook, originally, was extremely different. I emailed a photograph of myself (that I took on my cell phone) and upoloaded my ONE picture I was allowed. There were no networks, there was no privacy. If you were friends with someone or they went to your University, they could see your information (which didn't say much).
In the years that followed, I have experience both good and bad things from Facebook. Sophmore year of college my mom found my profile (which was STUPIDLY still public) and found out that I was drinking... a lot... and underage, while living in the dorms. That was embarassing, to say the least. THEN there was the time that a boy I met at work (who I had already said I would not go out with him) who found my number on listed on my profile and proceeded to harrass me for three months with threatening voicemails 60 times a day. I had to change my number. Oh, and call the cops. Most recently, I found out a guy I was dating was cheating on me when another girl posted something on his wall... After telling me he had a stomach ache, I saw the next day a girl, with the annoying name of "Kelly", wrote: "Thanks for dinner, Dan... what a nice change of pace :) "
You think that all of this would be enough to make me cancel my account. But what can I say... I have a love affair with Facebook! There is something fun about seeing other people's "personal" business and seeing who got fat since high school (from the ability to view thosands of photo's. Voyeurism, as much as we don't want to admit it, is FUN! There is something that builds community and commradery when everyone is a part of a group. Little notes on your birthday make you feel special. Facebook is an integrated part of our society, as much as texting I would argue.
As I've grown older, I've realized the severe consequences that can be related to Facebook. I've had friends get fired when they call in sick to work and then post status updates about going to a Twins game... Things like this have made me realize the severity of posting personal things in a public forum.... You never know who will see it! Especially now, in my journey to becoming a teacher, I've realized the extreme importance of seperating my personal life from my professional one as a mentor and teacher. However, there can be useful tools to using Facebook in the classroom. It is free, and therefore opens the ability, to create class pages and groups (seperate from personal accounts) where students can join forums and discussions and access class information.
While I make these rational declarations... of both the good and bad, desirable and disgusting aspects of Facebook, I can tell you right now... I'm going to check my Facebook before I go to bed.
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