Big Shift #4: Teaching is conversation, not lecture.
This is by far one of the most true statements of the entire book. All of the technologies presented in the book require collaboration and conversation, active learning and participation, not lecture. Whenever I plan lessons, I make sure it appeals to at least two, if not all three, different learning styles. Lecture appeals to ONE learning style. I believe the most ineffective teachers are those who do all the talking....because he or she is also doing all the listenening.
Big Shift #9: Mastery is the Product
What I like most about these technologies is that they do not require the standard pencil and paper, scantron, and key. These technologies require students to show their mastery of skills in an authentic, practical way that allows students to apply their knowledge for real audiences.
I'm excited that my teaching skills have widened through knowledge of new technologies, but also very timid. OK, what happens when I have mastered these skills? What next? What will the next Big Shifts be?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Reactions to Chapter 6
Publish
Share
Connect
Create
These are very powerful words in a classroom, even more powerful in an intesified Language Arts writing curriculum. Discussion is at the heart of reading and writing, and learning is only achieved through continuous conversation among peers. Some questions, reactions, comments, and responses to this chapter, "The Social Web", are as follows:
1. Twitter is WAY too stalkerish. I don't see how this "micro-blogging" tool could be appropriate for student use in an education setting. I heard Krista wrote a memo to her administrator about the benefits of using this tool in the classroom. I plan on reading it as soon as I have finished all requirements for this, my LAST, course as a graduate student.
2. What will happen to the librarian profession? Will new technologies and tools like RSS, Diigo, Delicious, etc. eliminate the profession all together? Will it be modified? Will librarians become "technologians"?
3. I LOVE Diigo. Until now, I have used the "My Favorites" tags to bookmark favorite websites on the Internet. I will use Diigo now because I like that is allows you to provide information about the bookmarked site, make comments, and write notes.
4. Before I incorporate any of the technologies learned in this book and throughout this course, I MUST attend a professional development training on how to teach safety on the Internet and set appropriate/ethical student web behavior.
Share
Connect
Create
These are very powerful words in a classroom, even more powerful in an intesified Language Arts writing curriculum. Discussion is at the heart of reading and writing, and learning is only achieved through continuous conversation among peers. Some questions, reactions, comments, and responses to this chapter, "The Social Web", are as follows:
1. Twitter is WAY too stalkerish. I don't see how this "micro-blogging" tool could be appropriate for student use in an education setting. I heard Krista wrote a memo to her administrator about the benefits of using this tool in the classroom. I plan on reading it as soon as I have finished all requirements for this, my LAST, course as a graduate student.
2. What will happen to the librarian profession? Will new technologies and tools like RSS, Diigo, Delicious, etc. eliminate the profession all together? Will it be modified? Will librarians become "technologians"?
3. I LOVE Diigo. Until now, I have used the "My Favorites" tags to bookmark favorite websites on the Internet. I will use Diigo now because I like that is allows you to provide information about the bookmarked site, make comments, and write notes.
4. Before I incorporate any of the technologies learned in this book and throughout this course, I MUST attend a professional development training on how to teach safety on the Internet and set appropriate/ethical student web behavior.
Reactions to Chapter 8
After reading most of Richardson's book "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts" and experiencing "new" (to me) technology firsthand, I don't see how people who subscribe to these technologies ever have time for anything not located on the computer. Who has time for all this stuff? If I were to contribute to wikipedia and make sure everyone who edited or added on to information I wrote, if I signed up for several different RSS feeds related to my interests, if I posted blogs consistently and read my followerers comments regularly, if I listened to podcasts and created movies through MovieMaker, if I uploaded pictures to Flickr, and tracked my friends through Twitter, if I...., if I...., if I...., then I, would have no life.
I'm fearful that one day my job will be overtaken by these new killer app's and technologies.
But, for right now, my job is secure, and I am very interested in the iPod lesson plans on apple.com. I love my touch iPod and think incorporating it in my classroom would be engaging and motivating to and for students.
I'm fearful that one day my job will be overtaken by these new killer app's and technologies.
But, for right now, my job is secure, and I am very interested in the iPod lesson plans on apple.com. I love my touch iPod and think incorporating it in my classroom would be engaging and motivating to and for students.
Reactions to Chapter 4
"everyone together is smarter than anyone alone" when engaging in "the purposeful work of negotiating and creating truth". Richardson, page 57.
As a new teacher, collaboration with my team members is essential for two reasons. One, I do not know all the skills, strategies, tools, routines, etc. that are efficient and effective when teaching middle school aged students. I benefit from collaborating with colleagues because the unknown becomes known. Second, if I expect my students to collaborate with their peers, I must be willing to do so myself.
Students, especially in a discussion-centered Language Arts class, benefit from hearing and reading the insights, thoughts, and opinions of his or her classmates. I can incorporate wikis in my classroom through a variety of activities- writing projects (research articles and editorial writing), notes-from-class, and book reports. These activties that incorporate wikis can be collaborative- students working in small groups- or individual.
The only way for wikis to work in the classroom is if students have accountability. Teachers must make sure they set guidelines, procedures, and rules. For example, when assigning the project, also set a date of when the contribution must be made. Set a minimum length for each student's contribution. Participation of students must be tracked, or else, some students will not contribute, leaving other students to do all the work.
Interesting edit to the serenity prayer on page 69.
As a new teacher, collaboration with my team members is essential for two reasons. One, I do not know all the skills, strategies, tools, routines, etc. that are efficient and effective when teaching middle school aged students. I benefit from collaborating with colleagues because the unknown becomes known. Second, if I expect my students to collaborate with their peers, I must be willing to do so myself.
Students, especially in a discussion-centered Language Arts class, benefit from hearing and reading the insights, thoughts, and opinions of his or her classmates. I can incorporate wikis in my classroom through a variety of activities- writing projects (research articles and editorial writing), notes-from-class, and book reports. These activties that incorporate wikis can be collaborative- students working in small groups- or individual.
The only way for wikis to work in the classroom is if students have accountability. Teachers must make sure they set guidelines, procedures, and rules. For example, when assigning the project, also set a date of when the contribution must be made. Set a minimum length for each student's contribution. Participation of students must be tracked, or else, some students will not contribute, leaving other students to do all the work.
Interesting edit to the serenity prayer on page 69.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Reactions to Chapters 3, 5, and 7
- During student teaching last semester, I frequently gave students a journal prompt as a sponge activity at the beginning of class. An example of one of my journal prompt topics would be something like, "what do you think this world need more of, what do you think it needs less of" or "what would you change about yourself and why". Students would be given 10 minutes to write about the assigned topic. While they were writing, I would walk around the classroom and monitor. Chapter 3 gave me several new ideas to improve my teaching pedagogy. First, students should journal in the form of a weblog (blogging), because their writing would be for real purpose and to a real audience. We do not have time to share everyones journals everyday (an upsetting fact for most students), and if they blogged their writing, then students could read and comment on people's journals before and after class. Second, Will Richardson affirmed that if "we want our students to learn... we have to experience that learning firsthand". While proximity and classroom maintenance is a priority, I believe I, too, must blog. By blogging with students, I encourage a sense of classroom community not only amongst students but also between student and teacher, and ensure appropriateness and value in the activity given. Third, I like using blogs as a way of assigning and collecting homework. For example, students can be given an assignment to answer a question pertaining to that weeks discussion via weblog. I can show anonymous student work to jump start discussion the next day. Fourth, if students blogged in my classroom, I would make sure that they only posted classroom assigned blogs. I would want them to personalize their profiles, but not posts blogs irrelevant to calssroom instruction as I want all our blogs to be focused on classroom work. However, I will assign activities that allow them to choose and create. For example, a journal topic one day could be "free write". Fifth, feedback from teachers and parents was my single most influential motivation for achieving good grades in middle school, high school, and college. Therefore, I vow to comment on all my student's blogs on a weekly basis.
- Incorporating technology in the classroom requires MUCH pre-planning. There are so many ways for teachers to fail considerably by using technology; therefore, they must plan accordinlgy. Set student expectations and ENFORCE them. Advise parents, staff, and administration how weblogging will be conducted in your classroom. Set appropriate personnel permissions.
- The sacriest part about using technology in the classroom is safety. I'm worried that child stalkers and pedofiles on the Internet will learn too much about my students. When I create student weblogs, is there any way to set privacy restrictions so that not everyone can read their blogs, only people I personally select or give access?
- Honestly, I have never heard of RSS till last week. But, now, I can't imagine living without it. The goal of RSS is to make teachers' lives less stressfull and less bogged down. I love it already! I will use RSS predominately as a research tool and a grade checker tool (to receive feeds that students posted new weblogs daily and weekly). Richardson commented in chapter 5 that it is a technology that will "change your life", but I believe all technologies I have learned thus far, in this course, have changed my life, more specifically my education skills and strategies toolbox, for the better.
- Flickr reminds me so much of of Facebook. Both programs upload photos quickly, freely, and easily. Both allow the administrator to "tag" photos. And, both allow viewers to comment on the photos. I believe many students will feel comfortable using this tool because of its stark resemblance to facebook.
Choose Your Tool
Attention: Steve F.
Re: Trailfire in the 6th grade Language Arts classroom
Steve,
Students are researching digitally. Less and less go to the libraries and dust off books to find information. More and more simply log on and bowse the Internet. Because most students reasearch via Internet, it is our job, as teachers, to provide a safe way of conducting Internet research in the classroom. Trailfire is the answer.
Trailfire is a teacher made, webquest-like browser that allows students to search for information in a safe, confined, and precise way. For a given subject or topic the teacher wants to teach, he or she can make a trail of web pages for students to follow. The teacher will first find information on several different websites about the topic he or she will teach, then link these websites to Trailfire (through guides), and finally, make comments or ask questions to students on each webpage, called "marking". The pages are linked together, with comments, in a sequential path developed by the teacher for easy use by the students.
Trailfire is a tool that should be used in every classroom. Trailfire provides a safe and easy way for students to research information on the web. Trailfire makes learning authentic, interactive, and personal. The student constructs his or her own new knowledge about a subject or topic by following the trails, reading the teacher's comments, and answering the provided questions on each marked page. Teachers can make sure students stay on task during the instructional period because all they have to do is look at the computer monitor to see whether or not the student is on the "trail" as each web page shows a sticky note with markings by the teacher. Trailfire is safe because it eliminates disorganized and cluttered searching and browsing.
I believe Trailfire is a tool that can be effectively and efficiently implemented in all grade levels and for all content areas. If you would like to learn more about Trailfire, please contact me. I would be more than happy to administer a PD, training, or information session on the use of Trailfire in the classroom.
Sincerely,
Jackie
Re: Trailfire in the 6th grade Language Arts classroom
Steve,
Students are researching digitally. Less and less go to the libraries and dust off books to find information. More and more simply log on and bowse the Internet. Because most students reasearch via Internet, it is our job, as teachers, to provide a safe way of conducting Internet research in the classroom. Trailfire is the answer.
Trailfire is a teacher made, webquest-like browser that allows students to search for information in a safe, confined, and precise way. For a given subject or topic the teacher wants to teach, he or she can make a trail of web pages for students to follow. The teacher will first find information on several different websites about the topic he or she will teach, then link these websites to Trailfire (through guides), and finally, make comments or ask questions to students on each webpage, called "marking". The pages are linked together, with comments, in a sequential path developed by the teacher for easy use by the students.
Trailfire is a tool that should be used in every classroom. Trailfire provides a safe and easy way for students to research information on the web. Trailfire makes learning authentic, interactive, and personal. The student constructs his or her own new knowledge about a subject or topic by following the trails, reading the teacher's comments, and answering the provided questions on each marked page. Teachers can make sure students stay on task during the instructional period because all they have to do is look at the computer monitor to see whether or not the student is on the "trail" as each web page shows a sticky note with markings by the teacher. Trailfire is safe because it eliminates disorganized and cluttered searching and browsing.
I believe Trailfire is a tool that can be effectively and efficiently implemented in all grade levels and for all content areas. If you would like to learn more about Trailfire, please contact me. I would be more than happy to administer a PD, training, or information session on the use of Trailfire in the classroom.
Sincerely,
Jackie
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Reactions to Chapters 1 and 2
- The purpose of technology is to "make a collaborative medium, a place where we [could] all meet and read and write". Before taking this class, I nievely thought that that Language Arts had not as much need for technology integration as a science and math class. But now, I believe technologies are "obvious tools for teaching writing and reading" and must be incorporated in classroom (weblogs).
- During student teaching, my students came into class and immediately began working on their "sponge" activity, which was a journal entry to a specific topic or a grammar exercise. At my new school next year, I can implement blogging instead of journaling when completing sponge activities. Through blogging, students can read and respond to other students' insights and thoughts, creating an authentic, collaborative community in my classroom.
- Technology is replacing paper and pencil. I do not subscribe to the Courier Journal, but read articles online everyday by visiting courier-journal.com. It's not that I am too cheap to pay for the paper version newspaper, instead, I enjoy reading articles online and then reading readers comments to the article in the blog section at the end of the webpage. For example, during basketball season, right after a game, I will get online and read the article summarizing game action. Although I have watched the game, I like to get online and read readers comments and reactions to the game and information presented in the article. It's like I am having a conversation with Louisville fans online. This is the type of community I want to create in my classroom. After we read a piece of literature or reading, I want students to reflect and react on a blog, and have other students respond to their comments.
- FACEBOOK. Should teachers have one? It seems facebook creates several problems in the professional community. But, it is a technology that creates the collaborative atmosphere I will strive to enstill in my classroom. Should teachers be friends with students or former students on facebook? Why or why not. I say, no they should not be friends with students and former students, for several reasons, but would love to read comments by my EDTP 504 class why teachers SHOULD be friends with students on facebook.
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