I chose to create a lesson around The Hunger Games, using an Animoto as the introduction tool, a blog as the class-discussion enhancement tool (running our own Arena, and requiring the students to use persuasive arguments to win the bid for District aid each day), and a digital story showcasing persuasive argument for who the winning District of our class should be as the final project. Since I do not currently have a classroom of my own, the feedback I was given was verbal from some of my peers (other teachers of high school English, or those with some training in Higher Ed.) I created an example of each stage of the lesson as my "show-and tell." Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.
Welcome to our class version of the 74th Annual Hunger Games! You and your fellow Tributes will be discussing your own experiences within our Arena as we also read the text, to try and bring the drama, if not the trauma, to light for us to explore. After each class, I will update the current locations of the Tributes grouped by District, as well as what (if anything) has befallen on them. Your task is to comment as the tribute with what you would do to make your District want to give you precious aid. In class, we will decide after discussion which District made a successful plea. Unlike the Tributes in the text, we will not be harming the other Tributes - your available actions are to be focused on self/team preservation without the additional, intentional harm of others.
(to be updated after our first class)
District 1 Tributes:
District 2 Tributes:
District 3 Tributes:
District 4 Tributes:
District 5 Tributes:
District 6 Tributes:
District 7 Tributes:
District 8 Tributes:
District 9 Tributes:
District 10 Tributes:
District 11 Tributes:
District 12 Tributes:
I was interested in the Xtranormal site after watching a few classmates attempts. I like all of the options it has, but there's a budget you start with, and it is eaten up pretty quickly. also, the voice-overs are decent...probably even better than decent, but they can have some very rough spots. I didn't have a script in mind, so I threw together a rough draft regarding rough drafts.
Overall, I'm very impressed with everything I've discovered this semester. There are so many tools I would have either never have known about, or been too hesitant to use in my first year of teaching. I'm so thankful for all of the blogs of my adventurous classmates, and the advice of our professor. I had blogged previously, but never with any steadiness, and usually just to vent to close friends. This had a different purpose and different audience, and I found myself eager to rise to the occasion. I think students that are given valuable reasons to blog, and to use these tools will not only also rise to the occasion, but be amazed at how literate they become, even with technology they take for granted, and ideally that will flow into text reading as well.
I had originally planned a literacy project using Romeo & Juliet and a website for the class (which exists only in my mind - the class, not the website). I was playing around on Weebly with a free account and realized I would want access to an actual forum style chat room, not just access to a blog & comments, though they could work as effectively once I got used to it.
In Fair Verona is my first attempt at a class site for a theoretical lesson. I had thought about splitting the class into "cousins" of the Montagues & Capulets and discussing amongst other family members how the current events in the play made them feel, towards their own family, and towards their "enemies." At the end of the play, I would have both sides share with the other what they discussed as a family and have them see how their views changed throughout the story.
It's very basic since I abandoned the idea - for now, but I can come back to it at another time when the thought is more fleshed out (or when I have a class to inspire me.)
While Googling (and yes, I used Google to search :P) info and sites on Web 2.0 offerings to play with and blog about, I came across Discovery Channel's Discovery Education site complete with many great Web 2.0 tools.
This site is amazing! It's like a mini Diigo library, with better annotations than I'd come up with, and many of them are sites that we've either played with in class, or have mentioned in passing. I was stoked to see a varying array in one spot, categorized neatly.
What I liked the best though were the blogs referenced on the side, especially one that caught my eye titled Multiple Intelligences, Multiple Possibilities. I've liked the Multiple Intelligence theory, I find it to be sound, how ever many ways you break it down, and really liked how the blog points out specific examples of using Web 2.0 offerings to help each style/intelligence. Blogs and the like for the linguistic learners, soundboard abilities for the musically inclined, Prezis and Slideshows for the visual...these are the things I've been trying to categorize myself during the last year of classes, and I found this to be very insightful. The other blogs are labeled well and are also pretty good reads. Overall, the Discovery Education site is worth a Diigo bookmark!
I played around with Prezi a little bit while poking around, but I already have a Google Presentation I'm in the middle of for another class. I look forward to playing with it more, possibly over the summer in another class.
I did play around with the Make Beliefs Comix tool. I'm not sure how I'd use it in class, but it has some potential for storyboarding. Here is a very quick and rough comic I made using it:
It has potential, and I didn't want to get lost in time messing around with it, but I whipped that up in less than 20 minutes - if a student had a little direction or a goal, they could probably make something fun with it.
I created a Digital Storytelling project using PhotoStory3 to emphasize to high schoolers why internet safety and cyberbullying are important to be aware of, and how to be aware of both things. I chose the topic because i thought it was the best way to introduce any of the technologies we have covered in this course, before actually getting in to any extra computer use - especially since each one asks students to be honest, and to put themselves "out there." I felt that explaining that there are dangers "out there," how to identify them, protect ourselves and help others who have become victims, that i would be doing them a service, instead of hoping they'd had the "talk" already, or worse, doing it after there was a problem. Here is the final product, and you'll find my reflection on the experience below it.
I chose PhotoStory3 because it was easy to use, and free. I could upload images, edit them, add narration, change the flow of the pictures, save as I went along, and import the final product with pretty much no hassle. I used a Logitech headset with a built in microphone (which I've used every week for online gaming and VOIP chats for years) and was very happy with the narration results. the only issue was the microphone settings didn't work within PhotoStory3 but I found I didn't change anything anyway, other than lowering my own playback volume on my headset. The only issue I had was applying background music. I use iTunes, and Apple and Microsoft seldom play together. I had no problem adding a file in Animoto, but I had to download a program to convert the MPa format that iTunes uses into an MP3 format for PhotoStory3. I used CNET as my download source because I've trusted that site for many, many years (great reviews, clean links, dad approved). For anyone else needing the same service, HERE is a link to the program I downloaded. It's lightweight, and fast. And free! As for my song choice, I went with Adele's "Rumour Has It" as a tongue-in-cheek nod to how rumors can make internet safety and cyber-bullying awareness so important. I used Photo Filtre (and have for a very long time) to create the images that I was missing - primarily the links and tips.
What I liked about the Animoto project was how quickly it all came together, and I thought it would be an awesome tool for a very brief assessment, something mid-unit to give an additional format option. What I liked about using PhotoStory3 was that it allowed for additional input - for each minute of finalized product, I spent about an hour fussing with settings, images, re-recording narration. I like the thought of giving it as a format option for a final assessment. It lends itself to group work as well, since the recording can be paused and picked back up, each slide or mid-slide.
Overall, I enjoyed using both Animoto, and PhotoStory3. I was sort of at a standstill when the digital Storytelling project started, partly because I'm not in a classroom and was lacking some immediate inspiration, and partly because it was so open-ended - both things I plan to factor into an assignment that requests this kind of output - the inspiration being part of the unit or lesson, and the focus narrowed to specific areas. I needed, however, the flexibility that a lack of focus provided, and I'm very happy with the outcome
The feedback from the VERY rough draft was more useful than I expected. I had intended to use background music, but the majority of comments suggested it, and I think I like what it adds, especially the specific song I chose. It was also encouraging to continue with the subject when everyone agreed on how important the topic was, so full speed, off I went
For the next digital story, I'm not sure if I would try yet another different format, since I really enjoyed what can be done with these two - but I think I'd aim for another Animoto that I could find many pictures for. My first was limited, and I'm more confident with creating some now.
I found this interesting little post while reading my news over breakfast, and found it to be timely, since I'm still working on finishing my narration. It isn't scientific, but it's true with what science it does mention. I've heard myself recorded enough that I'm beyond what it sounds like, but I still am not a fan of what apparently, everyone else hears. Of course, I've always liked to think I walk to my own drummer anyway...
Why you hate the sound of your own voice
And for those reading this who are also still working on their projects, I found it helpful in the beginning to think of it as a student's voice, and focus on the breathing, evenness of quality, volume - and not worry on the pitch :)
My Digital Story is an attempt at introducing the topics of internet safety and cyber-bullying to high school students. I don't have a classroom currently, but I have observed similar discussions in high schools. Ideally, these children, who have already had years of access to the internet, already know some rules to keep themselves and their computers safe. It's my hope that the idea of cyber-bullying has also already been introduced, but I'm approaching both topics as if they may not have been. I would use this before introducing new technologies (blogger, twitter for research, Animoto, or other Web 2.0 tools) as an ice breaker, and a brainstorming session to make sure the students would be practicing the right methods and strategies, in the school and at home, for work, or for recreation.
This is a VERY rough draft. My purpose of this draft was to make sure I understood how to use PhotoStory3, and that each part of the technology I intend to use in the final version is working from my home computer with the equipment I have. Additional images, and fleshed out narration will be added during the next week (when I don't have multiple midterms, observations, and a crazy work schedule!) I wanted to see how well my microphone picked me up, get use to the recorded sound of my voice, and decided on pacing compared to what I imagined in my storyboard.
I apologize that there is not much at the moment to critique - but please fill out the survey, and if you have any recommendations, please leave me a comment! Thanks!
Diigo is at it's heart a bookmarking site/tool that is handy even for those who only use one computer for everything. You can label your bookmarks to make it easier to find them later, you can share your bookmarks and labels, and you can search other shared labels to find sites to add to your collection. Beyond that though, you can highlight pages, leave sticky notes, collaborate and even mark up images. While not all of the utility is free, there is enough that is to make it worth using anywhere, anytime. You can chose to keep bookmarks private as well, so it is not something that should only be used for work!
I have found it to be an interesting experiment at times to bookmark and label, and then follow the labels to other links and see where it takes you. I think when used correctly, the use of Diigo also embraces the NETS-T #5, because you can use the labels as a form of research into other databases you wouldn't normally know about. Teaching the use of the technology as well to students can give them streamlined access that a Google search doesn't often provide. What sites have you found that weren't your original bookmark intention? Is there any of mine you liked, or others you'd recommend?
Last semester, I had a group project assignment where each individual was assigned their own unique question/aspect to research for an overall research paper. We had to follow this up with a class presentation, which also had to include a powerpoint style element. Since my partner and I didn't live close by each other, and had weird schedules outside of the 3 classes we had together, we chose to use GoogleDocs to collaborate our work.
What we both loved about the process was we could each access the document at the same time, and chat through the comment option in real time - no need to text, or IM in a separate window or program. We could each add in our paragraphs and works cited, chat about transition sentences and even leave links for each other we found that helped the other with their part of the research. I haven't used the discussion feature of a wiki yet (though I may tonight) but I imagine it functions similarly.
The presentation tool was also useful for us each creating slides before we were able to meet up and finalize it. The downside to the GoogleDocs is that the options for finalizing and polishing are limited compared to Microsoft Office, or OpenOffice. I chose to copy our paper into an OpenOffice document, and finish the APA format tweaks, namely the header and pagination styles.
Have you used GoogleDocs to collaborate? What was your impression?
Sitting here with writer's block, I decided to search for ways to break the block down in a classroom - maybe helping students know it happens to adults too would be useful, as well as introducing strategies to get beyond the blank page. What I found were both ways to stifle creativity as well as how to generate ideas in the classroom.
Marvin Bartel posted 10 ways he can kill creativity in his classroom, as well as explaining how and why what we do stifles the creativity and how we can change our responses to encourage creative expression. He also explicitly allows duplication of his information for Educational Fair Use, which I found to be interesting after our review of Digital Storytelling. I enjoyed his comments on cliches, especially from an English classroom point of view - while they are not ideal, critiquing the use of them instead of bolstering fresh ideas to move beyond the cliche is a great way of getting beyond the obvious.
Suzie Boss on MindShift had 8 great ideas for generating ideas beyond the graphic organizer method. What I liked best about her list is that the topics cover a wide range of ways to stoke creative fires in young minds, and old. I also liked the MindShift site as a whole, and found it to potentially have other interesting blogs for all educators.
What ways have you found you either killed creativity or brought it back? What was an exceptional class discussion you had and how did it start?
I've never been a big fan of Twitter, and find the instant gratification of the tweets to be used mostly for information I'd have been happier not knowing. I've read a few blogs, somefromclassmates, that have begun to change my mind, but then I find things that remind me why I really don't care for it overall.
One blog we were introduced in class listed 60 Inspiring Examples of Twitter in the Classroom, but there were many I felt took the personal interaction, or responsibility out and replaced it with 140 characters.
I don't think it's asking too much for students to arrive on time, or for a teacher to have set office hours that can be flexible as needed. Even for the things I could use Twitter for, I don't see how a forum discussion is any harder. Students and teachers can still leave comments for each other, and other people can read them. I've yet to see a school that doesn't have email for the faculty, so sending an email versus sending tweet means it's one more thing to check every day.
I like the idea of keeping parents updated, or making notifications easy to see since people who don't have a Twitter account can still follow a twitter feed and receive texts on their phone. But I don't see how making a classroom even more instantaneous is helping the students learn respect for someone else's ideas, or fostering patience in waiting their turn. I see the instant gratification making people more antsy to be heard, right now, and it frustrates me.
I definitely don't like the idea of Twitter to build reading and writing skills. I like the idea of technology in building the skills, but Twitter and texting are not the way to go. I think students flipping back to a Twitter account or feed while in class is taking time away from them learning directly from each other, or from the teacher. Even if trying an exercise in learning to be concise, there is a word count feature on almost every word processor application, or even barring that - you hand write a sentence or two and manually count the words.
Don't get me wrong, the applications for Twitter in a school system are growing and very useful in staying in touch with the community when instant conversation is necessary - I just don't think asking the students to interact with it in the classroom is the best option, for me.
I've considered my self a computer nerd/geek my whole life, partly due to having access to a computer since I was 4 or 5, and partly due to using it as often as I could. I was exceptionally excited to see there was a class that would merge literacy and technology and I could get credit for learning new things. The first book we've finished reading, Blogs, Wiki's and Podcasts by Will Richardson, did not disappoint me with the creativity and novelty of the ideas that were expressed so enticingly and with such great enthusiasm.
I've come to embrace the blogging idea for a classroom, though I'm not sure how often I'll do it for personal reasons - I may surprise myself and find something I can't shut up about! I can also see the appeal and amazing strength of really using RSS to pull sources together. I look forward to our own class work on a wiki, and the digital storytelling. There was one part of the technology that left me a little leary because I don't think the safety measures of the sites have been addressed considering the information on Facebook and Twitter is over 3 years old, and both sites have changed policies a bit since (especially Facebook).
I think in the case of both of those social networking sites, I would make a case that they have educational value, but there is so much identity safety that needs to be established, that I'd rather use other sites for a classroom. The ability to create a page, have a discussion or forum, talk about interests and things relevant to the work, and to host images and video isn't unique to Facebook and Twitter, and I don't like how especially Facebook has changed so much into a corporation content to sell the information of the average person, no matter how private you make yourself. At the time the book was written, I'll acknowledge Facebook was a fair more user friendly, but I wouldn't trust the direction it's been heading in with my students and their work. I've even stopped using the site myself because I don't believe in plugging something you personally don't agree with.
Ultimately the book was an awesome and eye-opening look at the way the Web has evolved and what it means for us in the classroom, but I think we need to look past some of the enthusiasm built into selling us on ideas, and remember we're still the ones responsible in the classroom for the safety of our students and their intellectual property and identities.
It's been 45 years since Fred Rogers made a different kind of name for himself, and started helping children find out who they would be. Despite TV still showing the kinds of programs he hated, the show that prompted him to create his own "Neighborhood," his impact is still felt, by our own generation, by the lessons he taught us that we hand down, and even by a few in this current generation who were able to see him before the end of the broadcast.
I've come across two videos today that made me not only reflect on the lessons he taught me, the same lessons I want to teach (especially to the older kids who may not have learned them when they were younger, and to my own child I can't wait to hold by the end of the year), but also on the reasons he had for doing so.
Today I offer educational tools of a different sort - something he'd have called food or flowers for the "garden of your mind." This video is tribute from the Symphony of Science and the PBS Digital Studio (something that could be a tool for the classroom!)
The second video is from his convincing speech in defending the need for funding for PBS.
Please tell me what he taught you, what you know you've passed on, what you hope to pass on because of him, and what legacy do you think you may leave?
I wish I had found more images for public use, but I'm surprised with how well it turned out compared to what it looked like while creating it - not too painful, even for the first time! I decided to use Romeo & Juliet as a topic because I knew it would be a likely subject for me in a public high school, and if not this play specifically, surely one of the Bard's other tragedies would be. I owned the song, and forwarded the music to a more economic starting point, shaving off almost a minute of instrumental and initial verses. There were other images I had in mind, but I really wanted to stay with what was open to use to have a better feeling of what my students would face as a challenge to being honest with their own work.
This Animoto would be for use in a high school English class as an introduction to Romeo & Juliet, before discussing vocab, setting or expectations. It fulfills the NETS-T 1, 2, & 3 standards for Facilitating & Inspiring, Designing & Developing, and Modeling technology that would be further used in the classroom. It could be the first time Animoto is used, as a way of also introducing one method a student could utilize it for in a later project.
There is a site I've run into a few times over the years, and I'm happy to see it stay relevant. There is a channel on youtube from History teachers in Hawaii who take popular songs and remake them into music videos for unit topics.
When I was subbing, and the students would beg to listen to music, I would open this channel and watch to see how long it took for them to realize it wasn't what they were expecting. I love each video, but one of my favorites is their video for the French Revolution:
Do you see any tie to how you'd use Animoto, or think there is a video they made you find exceptional?
The biggest idea I walked away with after reading the Online Collaborative Inquiry was that instead of using paper journals, or handing in physical journals, to have students blog responses. It may not seem like a big idea to someone else, but to me (an English major, with the intent to teach high school English), being able to update the way something so integral to how I was taught, and how I thought I'd teach is huge!
With an online blog (is that redundant?), I wouldn't have to worry about papers getting lost or handing them back in. Blogs could be made private and shared just between a student and myself, or as part of a collaboration, and an intro to a wiki project (gee, sort of how I'm being introduced to this...)
I also enjoyed the detailed information on the Ultimate Guide, though I disagree with the blanket statement about not grading a blog. I think it can be used in some formal assessments, partly as participation, partly in use of the tools available (spell checker, for one), and partly in answering a question posed. That may be because I look at it from an English educator viewpoint, though I do agree that while students need to have a reason to write everyday, not every piece of writing needs to be graded.
Perhaps weekly assignments, with Essential Question explored throughout the week, would be graded, but critical reflections would just be commented on?
The missing link between PowerPoint and Youtube, I like the concept of Animoto, but it seems that it has been mostly ignored by the secondary educators - or there just aren't that many of us in comparison to the early childhood educators.
This use of an animoto for introduction of vocab for science made me think of using one for a vocab intro at the start of a new book, or unit. It could be especially useful if the unit/book corresponded with cross-discipline topics. Studying WWI in Social Studies, reading All Quiet on the Western Front in English, the geometry or physics of a battlefield. Or when studying the English Renaissance, Shakespeare, metrics...
Another example, from the Animoto site on Civil Rights made me think of how to enhance even just one event that might be minimally covered otherwise, with some specific images and music to reinforce the importance of that event. A third on the same site for Math was an example on what music NOT to use. I didn't make it pass 10 seconds before I stopped the video.
I'm not sure if I will end up making a vocab presentation or one on an event, but I feel like I've narrowed it down to at least those two concepts...and the Animoto technology is growing on me. I've seen some that move too slow (in my opinion) and some with music poorly chosen, but I like that with moving images, and words, and sound, you can get the attention of a range of learning styles.
I'm enjoying the Richardson book - it's easier to follow, and makes good points. The Sample Blogging Letter was a great example of introducing the blogging assignment to parents. Also, the reminder that the internet is only 15 years old - I can remember having a PC always (Dad's been working on them since the 70s when he was in the military), but I also remember the D/OS prompts and Windows 1.X and floppy disks...which weren't very floppy. I think an interesting assignment for students would be to spend one day logging what they did INSTEAD of using the internet/cell phone. And as a follow up, a day logging EVERY time they did use current technology (as in, developed within the last 30+ years or something like that) and comparing the two days.
What other ways can students be introduced to the concept of something they take for granted?
We throw the term around, "computer literate," but there is very little discussion on what that literacy entails, or what other new literacy are developing because of new and increasing access to *technology. Without thinking about how we do it, we find ourselves identifying questions we want answer to, navigating until we find them, analyzing the results, and sharing those results - and we do this every day, on our own, often turning off tutorial guides as they seem intrusive instead of instructional.
NETS for Teachers & NETS for Students offer standards we should be (and are being) measured against, as teachers and as students in our pursuit to be more knowledgeable in our surroundings. at this point, I don't know what I don't know to ask a thought provoking question. I'm sure those 2 sites will have more meaning for me in the weeks and months to come, but as of right now, they are a little overwhelming - and I think that's the biggest hurdle anyone has in dealing with these new literacies; is there a way to jump in that isn't a toe-step or both feet?
*If you mistype, and add a carefully misplaced "a" to technology, you get "teachnology." I think that is the best typo I have ever had. I plan to make this a word. Teachnology - the technology used for educational pursuits, and purposes. A quick Google proves it isn't yet a word. I call Dibs, and Shotgun. Also, I licked it. Get your own word. I'm currently waiting for Urban Dictionary to review my submission. /cheeky
**Urban Dictionary won't accept it. I will try another method. Teachnology will flourish!
Second night of second semester, but it's the first night of my Technology and Literacy class - as well as my first Master's class. I was expecting to be done with all of my classes in just over 2 years, but now I'm expecting...so this may take a little bit longer. The current goal is to enjoy the ride, and learn as much as possible so when all is said and done, I can nail a full time job that isn't working at the grocery store, or subbing at the local high school (a.k.a. how I currently pay the bills).
The going-slow aspect of this class is a little frustrating because I spend so much time online, however, I know there must be aspects of things I take for granted that I don't know in a robust manner, and if I slow myself down, I'm sure to know them all better. Or, that's what I'll tell myself until I get to do something meaty or new. On the flip-side, this has a spell check, and my brain power is lacking during this first trimester (or baby brain as everyone affectionately is calling it - to my face).
I am really excited to get to interact with all of the different technologies, and projects and not have to be so focused on APA-format-papers-Times-New-Roman-size-12-font-1-inch-margin-header-no-footer-thankyouverymuch.
That about taps whatever I have floating around in my own mental cyberspace for now...
