Final Project

I chose to create a wiki, but not for student use. One aspect of my future teaching career that I think will be crucial to my performance in the classroom is my willingness to work with other teachers. There are many teachers out there who have fabulous ideas for how to teach a certain book or subject that have no way to share their successful lessons with other teachers. I have created this wiki for teachers to use to collaborate with one another. It is a safe space online that can only be entered and read with an invitation from another member of the wiki group. This way, everyone would know who was accessing the page and it wouldn’t have to be open to the public if it makes others uncomfortable that anyone could see it.

I specifically think this will be useful for my English education cohort. We have been discussing the creation of some sort of support system for when all 17 of us are out teaching at different schools. It would be incredibly comforting to know that you could communicate with other members simply by going to this site online and get feedback for your teaching questions. My wiki is designed to solely deal with questions and suggestion for how to teach critical lenses to students. I chose this because I think it is crucial that students know how to be critical of the texts they read and how to apply what they learned to the world around them; not just in classic literature. In addition, from my experience, the critical lenses are not always being taught in an engaging and interesting manor. I think that it would be incredibly helpful to have access to a place that offers many suggestions for how to engage students while learning about these lenses. In my wiki I have created a space where anyone can post a sample lesson plan onto the wiki if they feel that students enjoyed it and learned from the experience. I think it would be nice to get fresh ideas from other teachers and expand my creativity.

My parents are teachers and they always express how difficult it is to collaborate with other teachers since everyone has such a busy schedule. This wiki allows for that collaboration because you can add to it or read it at any time you want. There is no need to schedule a meeting or sit down to talk to other teachers. The wiki also affords for you to work with people outside your own school. There can even be teacher collaboration from different states! It is reassuring to know that even if I end up teaching in a different state or area, I can still toss around ideas or discuss lesson plans with people from my cohort.

Because I am going to be working independently from the rest of my cohort when I begin teaching I can safely say that I really appreciate tools such as a wiki that allow for such collaboration. This class has shown me a bunch of tools to use in the classroom as well as with other teachers and I am so thankful for it! I did not realize how useful and engaging technology could be in the classroom previous to this course. I am very interested to see what everyone else comes up with for their final projects!

My Project:

http://exploringcriticallenses.pbworks.com/

e-portfolios

When I look over my blog posts it really becomes apparent that I had little knowledge of how to effectively implement the use of technology in my classroom. Even if I had knowledge of a program or website, I was unaware of how to incorporate these ideas into lesson plans to help students learn. What has been very helpful to me is reading other students blogs from this class. Everyone has such creative ideas for how to make this technology useful to us teachers. It is especially helpful to hear from those people in this class that are already teachers. They have specific instances/lesson plans that incorporate technology and are already using them in the classroom! It’s reassuring to know that all we are learning is useful and applicable to my future teaching.

If I had students create a portfolio for one of my classes, I think it might be fun to have the portfolio be an online display of all the work they have done in my class. They could upload all of there documents and include an explanation. As a tool for reflection on my assignments, it might be interesting to have the students write a paragraph or so about how they felt about the assignment; what they did or didn’t like. This could be used for more than just papers, but with Comic Life comics or podcasts too! They would have the freedom to acknowledge the aspects of an assignment they didn’t particularly like. This would help me as a teacher know how the students are feeling and I would be able to change and modify the assignments as necessary for the next school year. I think getting feedback from the students would be very helpful.

I am planning (maybe rather ambitiously) to implement almost every tool we have learned into the classroom at one point or another. I believe that everything we learned could easily be added into an English lesson plan with the result that the student learning would be amplified. Another huge benefit is that with the amount of technology that students use in their daily lives, these additions of technology in the classroom is very relatable to students and they can see how it applies to their lives. This class has really broadened my idea of how to incorporate technology into my classroom and I am very glad to have these blogs to look back on once I become a teacher.

Giving Feedback

My final project is a place where teachers can collaborate and work together to help one another with lesson plans or ideas for teaching critical lenses to their students. Therefore I will not need to provide students with any feedback for my final project. For this blog post I have decided to discuss how I might give feedback for an Inspiration assignment instead. (This Inspiration assignment would be a pre-requisite to a larger paper) I think a good way to incorporate peer feedback for this specific project is through blogs.

Since I now know that it is possible to post your Inspiration or Bubbl.us onto a blog, I think it would be really cool for students to be able to go to any student’s blog in the class to check out their projects. The students could even create an RSS feed so the entire classes blogs would be in one place. Each student would be required to comment on at least five other students’ blogs. They would be assigned five students to ensure that every student gets feedback. I think student’s performance would improve with my feedback because they would know which elements of their concept map are important, and which elements are unnecessary to include in their larger paper. They might be required to revise their concept map if their map doesn’t make sense or there are lots of important elements missing.

Inspiration Rubric

	Not-Satisfactory	Proficient*	Strong
Relationships	No evidence of meaningful relationships	Relative importance of ideas is indicated and relationships are mapped	Relative importance of ideas is indicated and both simple and complex relationships are very effectively mapped
Communication	Information is not clear; very difficult to understand	Information is presented clearly and allows for a basic level of understanding	Information is presented and clearly allows for a high level of understanding
Exploratory	Thinking process is not clear	Map show definite thinking about relationships between ideas, themes, and the framework	Map shows complex thinking about the meaningful relationships between ideas, themes, and the framework
Concept map Blog	Concept map is not posted to blog		Concept map is posted to blog
Comments for Blogs	Commented on no students blogs	Commented on 1-4 students blogs	Commented on five students blogs

Modified from a rubric found at: http://dmc.umn.edu/activities/mindmap/assessment.pdf

Design for Digital Texts

I decided that since I am now an avid blogger I decided that I would compare blogs that I discovered on the web. I determined what aspects of the blog would act as effective, and what aspects wouldn’t.

I found this blog online: http://www.samnangsim.com/blog/

This blog is incredibly easy to read and follow. There is a wonderfully colorful graphic at the top, and there is no other bright color on the rest of the page. This makes the blog fun, but not to bright or overwhelming. The blog is also designed so that the beginning and end of each individual blog post is light blue, as the rest of the posts are white. This makes it very easy to see the individual posts; they don’t run together. There is also white space between each post, as well as the date it was written. This blog is very effective because any visitor could read it without any trouble. The site has no clutter and is very organized.

I also found this blog online: http://mcornwell.typepad.com/

This blog isn’t terrible. It has no horrible color schemes or flashing lights. The reason I don’t particularly like this blog is because it is too busy for me to understand! I think the format is actually pretty simple, but there is so much content! I am overwhelmed when I look at the page. It might be because I’m not used to the sidebars and other links to different sites. The sides of the blog seemed to be organized under larger categories but it is just difficult for me to follow. Maybe I will get better at this as I become more used to reading blogs, especially blogs of notable people or places, which might have more content like this blog.

I think an activity to help students learn about effective design is using PowerPoint in Microsoft Office. I think the students are pretty familiar with this program, but what they aren’t familiar with is using links that you can click on within a PowerPoint slide that will take you directly to a different slide. With students designing their PowerPoint’s in this way they will see how the design not only affects how much information the viewer gets out of it, but it also affects how entertaining and easy to read it is.

Here's my Presentation!

http://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AezJTi3Z4PHzZGZ0OXJtMl82enpxdzUzZGI&hl=en

Creating Comics

Wow. Making comics is fun! I think the ability to use Comic life, or other applications similar to it, is incredible. As a future English teacher, I feel that I could adopt this technology into any book or novel the class was reading. It could be a final project to take a theme from the novel and create a story that also incorporates that theme and shows how it plays out in the novel. I found the making of these comics to be very enjoyable! If using this type of project in the classroom students would be thinking at deeper levels. In order to get your comic to appeal to the write audience, and have the dialogue and storyline reflect themes of a novel, the students would have to be applying what they have learned in class to the creation of a comic.

The application of this project goes further than just asking students to write a paper as a final project. Creating a comic forces students to think about the visual aspects of their presentation as well. The message that they would try to get across in a paper now also has to be transmitted through visual channels. Using this technology is another way to ensure the students’ comprehension because in order for them to create the comic, their visual aspects of the comic must align with the text. This project also allows students to express their creativity, which can be a motivator for most students. I’m really glad I’m getting all these ideas before I begin teaching!

Podcast Reflection

My experience using a podcast was very different than any technology I have used before. I had many ideas of possible uses for a podcast, but they all seemed to work better on a Skype conversation for instance. All of my ideas would be better served using technology that allowed for multiple voices to contribute to a conversation, not just the teacher delivering a monologue. However, this being said, I did get a good idea for using a podcast from my sister, and that is to announce daily work. I think if students were able to access a podcast of the day’s lesson if they missed class because they were sick it would be very beneficial. Not only would the students always know what is going on, but it would reduce a large amount of work for the teacher who has to ‘catch up’ the students that were absent.

Specifically in the classroom, there are many ways students themselves could implement the use of podcasts. One way is in a presentation. If every student in a class presents information about their project, ii is often difficult to remember the information presented in every one of them. It might be beneficial to have each student record a podcast of their presentation so their peers could have access and listen to it whenever they wanted. This could also be used if students are writing an ethnography paper and they need to conduct interviews. This would be helpful not only in the student’s writing process but to the rest of the class as well.

I think students would enjoy using a podcast and I think it might even be motivation in itself. The students also would know that the entire class has access to their work, so that might be more motivation to do a thorough job since they realize everyone will be listening to it. In terms of evaluation, I think the content of their podcasts would be much more important than fluidity in their voices. This might be a very new concept to students so hopefully they’ll be excited about it!

Podcast

I figured out how to do a podcast!

http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/embedqt/49398

Ideas for Podcasts

I think the possibilities of subjects to talk about over podcasts are basically endless. I like the idea of using them to broadcast sports events. The college I attended did just that and even expanded to make live webcasts over the internet so even players who had parents in other states could watch their children’s sporting events. I’m not sure if this is applied yet at a high school level, but I think it is a worthwhile idea. Another idea is to broadcast a school play on a podcast. This would leave out a lot that is shown during a play, but it would be interesting if students could still listen in.

What I would like to do for my podcast is discuss a book. This applies directly to my field of teaching and you could use this podcast to send to all of your students. It could provide more of a “book club” type feel to it, and maybe I would only address the themes of the book or ask questions about it that the students would then have to think about and bring their responses to class the next day. It is another way for me to connect with my students outside of school.

Skype brings another interesting element because it allows for a conversation, for more than one person to provide their input. This allows for the possibilities to be even broader. This would definitely better allow for my book club idea because it would transform into more of a discussion. Rather than one person forming all the questions, both parties could address points that they are interested in.

My First imovie!

Here it is!

http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/embed/48376

Online Role-Play

Whew. I have never participated in an online role play before but I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. I participated as a student who believes that Google is making us stupid. It was really fun to pretend to be someone else and I was able to let my ideas flow more freely because I knew I was not sharing these opinions as a representation of myself, but rather, someone else. I argued as a student who thinks her friends are spending way too much time on the computer and I added research from articles written about this topic. I think the evidence helps support my ideas but what was really interesting to see was what everyone else in the role play had to say about them.

I really like the idea of this role play because it allows for debate which is not face-to-face. I get really nervous in those confrontational types of situations so this allowed me to feel much more comfortable with participating in the debate because it is a step back from that. My personal beliefs also altered a little as a result of this online role play. I don’t often think of this issue from the perspectives of others so it was interesting to see what the other participants had to say. For example, seeing what a Google conglomerate (Rich McMoneybags) would have to say in this situation was new to me because he would of course know everything there is to know about Google, while my character (a student) might not know all the different ways Google offers help and different tools that anyone can use.

I would definitely use a version of this in my future classroom. My favorite aspect of it is how well I think the students would engage in something like this just because it is not face-to-face. The freedom of playing a role also lets students state facts and opinions behind a sort of mask. All in all I’d say this was a very fun activity and I can’t wait to apply it in my classroom!

Wikis in the Classroom

I think the Wiki is a great tool to use in a classroom. It allows for many possibilities that a blog doesn’t afford for. Blogs are very individual, and don’t get me wrong, they’re a great place for expressing your opinions, but they just aren’t conducive to group work. I think a Wiki is great for people that are attempting to compile separate information into one place that everyone has access to. I never have used one before but now that I’ve been introduced I’m actually using one for one of my other classes. It’s hard to arrange a time that works well for everyone in my group to meet so a Wiki is exactly what we needed. It allows everyone to edit the page so that we can basically do group work from our own homes.

In terms of classroom use, there is so much collaborating going on in classrooms constantly and a Wiki allows for that collaboration to extend to after school while the students are at home. It even seems that students enjoy it and are engaged even outside of the classroom.

Here is my wiki: http://exploringcriticallenses.pbworks.com/

In one of my other classes we are exploring in depth the literary critical lenses. I decided to create a Wiki for this project because the class was spilt into groups and each group is responsible for analyzing one specific lens. Therefore, every group is really only knowledgeable for one lens. I thought by creating this Wiki I could get all the information on separate pages that everyone can get access to and even edit. I think this can transition very easily to a classroom of my own where I am teaching my own students about critical lenses.

One challenge that I see in collaborative writing assignments on Wikis is computer access. It is a great fear of mine that I will assign something that not all the students will be able to participate in at home!

Flickr Slide Show & VoiceThread

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43039514@N02/favorites/show/

The images I’ve chosen for my blog are pictures I found on Flickr through the creative commons. The images are all Jasper National Park located in Alberta, Canada. The natural beauty that can be found at this park is absolutely breathtaking and I think these pictures capture it well. I selected these pictures because they all capture the essence of the feeling that overwhelms you when you see this park in person. The greenery spans such large amounts of land and the mountains are enormous. Contemplating your place in the world is almost a requirement when visiting this park. These pictures capture the power that nature brings when it is all the eye can see. There are no signs that human life is even present in these pictures except for the two pictures I have chosen that include the train. These pictures are beautiful because they capture how small and insignificant the trains and their technology are in comparison with the clear blue lakes and massive mountains.

These pictures are all taken from the perspective of the ground, looking upward. This allows for the scenery to loom above the photographer and cause the viewer of these pictures to feel small. The effect of these pictures would be very different if the photographs were taken from the top of the mountain looking down. This is an interesting concept when thinking of how I’d like my students to use images or clips in their own writing. These kinds of pictures could easily supplement the point a student is attempting to get across in their writing. For example, if I was writing about this national park and how it made me feel as though I was ruler of the world, I might choose a picture taken from the top of the mountain and pointed downward to show that all of the scenery beneath the mountain looked small and unimportant. I think it would be a great idea to use this idea in my own teaching. I think it would also help students focus their writing and really reflect on what it is that they are trying to show.

My VoiceThread

http://voicethread.com/share/646668/

A Vlog Worth Viewing

This week we were supposed to find a vlog that we enjoyed and share it with the rest of the class. I was having a hard time finding one that I thought captured the essence of a vlog. It seems a lot of people out there are using vlogs for no other reason than they enjoy listening to themselves speak. After much searching, I finally found one that immediately peaked my interest and my watching of it did not lead me to believe I had just wasted precious minutes of my life.

The vlog can be found here: http://vimeo.com/3071006.

This vlog is a woman’s personal experience of her battle with breast cancer. She is sharing her story “of courage and hope.” Her audience is both fellow cancer patients and those who are fortunate enough not to get the disease. The vlog uses both words and images to get her message across. She wants her audience to know what it is like to go through this disease. She is attempting to increase awareness on a topic that has influenced her life so heavily.

She also incorporates slow, steady, and rather sad background music so as to give her video the underlying tone that reflects the impact this disease has had on her private life. She records snippets of her life through surgery and even her outlook afterwards. This was a very moving video and her openness about the ordeal she went through is shocking. Her video is very effective in getting her story out where the public can see it. She even shows the apprehension and fear that she feels knowing she’ll have to go bald. The end of the video really creates the feeling that you knew this woman in the video. The way the video compiles sounds, music, words, and video clips makes a final product that the viewer feels is genuine and really delves into the issues that come along with facing breast cancer.

I think this is very useful in thinking about having students of mine vlog, or even when I vlog. When using it an academic setting there will be already be a valid reason for using a vlog, but I think the tone is very important in keeping viewers interested. The music and video heavily impact the vlog on breast cancer. I think using music and text in video clips can also be very helpful in vlogs that are of a more academic nature and work better to get information across because they are more interesting to their viewers.

My First Ever Vlog!

http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/embedqt/43912

My Final Topic Ideas

Bubbl.us

Search Strategies

As far as databases go, I would say I have evolved a lot over the years in terms of researching for papers. Of course when the internet was introduced my internet searches remained strictly with Google. As I became older and more of a serious student, the preferred databases I would explore for research included NexisLexis and Webquest. These databases were very helpful, however, I much prefer books that I can get my hands on and actually smell the pages. I have always preferred a visit to the local library as opposed to an online article. I think part of the reason for that is lack of experience. In both of our readings for today it is mentioned how users of these programs have to get in the habit of checking their Bloglines or Google Reader daily. I think I need to use them more often instead of attempting to avoid them altogether in attempt to remain comfortable with the familiar.

Now that I am the proud owner of a Bloglines subscription I can see how helpful it really can be. My goal is to check and update my site every day. This will also help me to be able to sift through and find the valid and credible articles or readings. It is easy for me to sift out credible articles on the databases I’m used to using. When I search for an article all of the information on that article pops up right in front for you. You can see where the article was published, who the author is, and why the author is qualified to write this article. You can even see other articles written by this author with one click of the mouse. That is my concern with switching to an RSS feed. How will I know if the author of an article is credible if all I know is the author’s name? Will I have to do searches to find out if my resources are valid? I think would get easier to determine validity of sources if I was a user of RSS feeds for more than the four days I have been experimenting with it. As with everything else, I’m sure it would get easier with practice.

Based on my experience I think I would teach students to use RSS to gain effective search strategies. This is an example of a place where students themselves will have to sift through all sorts of information to determine which is the most relevant to them and why. Because of all the capabilities of these feeds and bookmarking sites, it is possible for me to tag certain sites that I believe are relevant to the students and be a guide to help them through this learning process. This way students would be involved in their searching process rather than have an authority figure tell them what is and isn’t a relevant source.

Thoughts on Digital Writing Tools

Using a blog in my everyday life is probably a good idea. I agree with the readings that in order for me, as a teacher, to have my students use blogs, I need to understand them as well. I don’t know much about them and have never used one in my day-to-day life. It seems the only way to understand how they operate and the advantages they bring is to use them myself. It is possible that since students use websites like blogs and myspaces for fun outside of school, using them in school will peak their interest. Students might be more excited about a blogging assignment than a formal paper. I think I would use a blog as a means of journal writing for my students. I would like to have then respond to short thought provoking questions that I give them in class on a daily (or maybe weekly) basis. I think this would be fun for the students because not only could you express your own thoughts on your blog but you could respond to others in the class as well. However, I am unsure of how the students would like others being able to read their writing. I think some students would love it, but I’m afraid that other students would feel like they couldn’t express their honest opinions because they know others in the class are reading their blogs.

I see blogs as enhancing means of communication with others. They provide a useful way to share ideas with other students outside of class. I would like to learn a lot from this class. I know very little about technology that is available online or how to use that technology to enhance activities and learning in the classroom. I would like this class to show me all of the tools out there that could potentially help me as a teacher. In terms of specifically using a blog, I hope that with the experience I am gaining from using it in this course it will help me discover the benefits to my own writing. Maybe my writing will be different on the web than it is in a formal paper. I’m excited to find out!