Thursday, May 7, 2009
The End of A Semester and the Beginning of a New Dawn
So the Spring 2009 semester is coming to end with students frantically trying to complete all of their last minute assignments and get ready for finals. The class that I am taking, Literacy and Technology offered an insightful way of applying technology to the classroom, with many ways being accessible to all teachers and most of them at a wopping cost of "FREE" and who doesn't like free. This class demonstrated that theory does not have to rule the lecture.. hands on makes a huge difference. Even though I do not profess to be a strong technological person... I missed one class due to a computer malfunction and found myself not knowing what to do or who to turn to and it became rather frustrating, but Dr. S makes you feel at ease with the class and the technology presented. In addition, we had a great time learning together and learning from each other (classmates) whihc really gave the feeling of a collaborative working environment, something that all of us working teachers or future teachers hope to achieve with our own classes. I enjoyed this class very much and know that I will beable to much of the information that I learned and really apply it directly to the classroom.
Great Article
I came across this great article in the The Principal COnnection of the magazine Educational Leadership: March 2009
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership.aspx
The article was passed along to me by the principal of my school since he knew I was taking a Literacy and Technology class. I found the article enlightening and very relevant to today's educational needs of students: Some highlights of the article:
A challenge that we need to teach students is to be literate in two types of languages: thse of the pre and post digital worlds. They suggest teaching both literacies at once (that's a no brainer) but also to approach this challenge in three ways:
1. to encourage students to enjoy good books
2. the use of expressive writing
3. and the ability to communicate correctly through written language.
Another interesting comment that they make, especially to teachers that have been teaching for a while, that they need to abandon the idea that information can only be found in books and relying to heavily on end of chapter tests. There are better ways to keeping a school "language rich" and it can change with the growing adaptation of technology within the school.
There is another article within the same edition of the magazine called The Media Collage: Being able to read and write in multiple forms of media and integrate into a meaningful whole is the new hallmark of literacy.
It is obvious that not every school has a large budget set aside for today's growing technology... it could cost a fortune for some schools and asking for a new laptop or smart board, maybe nearly impossible when most of the time students can not even get themselves on new textbooks. However, this article shows how (much of what we learned in our own class) are ways that a teacher can incorporate technology within the classroom and without it breaking the bank... the article suggests such websites/softwares; blogging, digital story tell, and other Web2.0 (media collages) literacy tools.
There are 8 tips that the articles highlights:
1. Shift from text centrism to media collage
2. Value Writing and Reading now more than ever
3. Adopt arts as the next "R"
4. Blend Traditional and Emergin Literacies
5. Harness report and story.
6. Practive private and participatory social literacy
7. Develop Literacy with Digital Tools and about Digital Tools
8. Pursue Fluency
Just remember teachers are guides... "focus on expression first and technology second... and everything will fall into place."
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership.aspx
The article was passed along to me by the principal of my school since he knew I was taking a Literacy and Technology class. I found the article enlightening and very relevant to today's educational needs of students: Some highlights of the article:
A challenge that we need to teach students is to be literate in two types of languages: thse of the pre and post digital worlds. They suggest teaching both literacies at once (that's a no brainer) but also to approach this challenge in three ways:
1. to encourage students to enjoy good books
2. the use of expressive writing
3. and the ability to communicate correctly through written language.
Another interesting comment that they make, especially to teachers that have been teaching for a while, that they need to abandon the idea that information can only be found in books and relying to heavily on end of chapter tests. There are better ways to keeping a school "language rich" and it can change with the growing adaptation of technology within the school.
There is another article within the same edition of the magazine called The Media Collage: Being able to read and write in multiple forms of media and integrate into a meaningful whole is the new hallmark of literacy.
It is obvious that not every school has a large budget set aside for today's growing technology... it could cost a fortune for some schools and asking for a new laptop or smart board, maybe nearly impossible when most of the time students can not even get themselves on new textbooks. However, this article shows how (much of what we learned in our own class) are ways that a teacher can incorporate technology within the classroom and without it breaking the bank... the article suggests such websites/softwares; blogging, digital story tell, and other Web2.0 (media collages) literacy tools.
There are 8 tips that the articles highlights:
1. Shift from text centrism to media collage
2. Value Writing and Reading now more than ever
3. Adopt arts as the next "R"
4. Blend Traditional and Emergin Literacies
5. Harness report and story.
6. Practive private and participatory social literacy
7. Develop Literacy with Digital Tools and about Digital Tools
8. Pursue Fluency
Just remember teachers are guides... "focus on expression first and technology second... and everything will fall into place."
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Digtial StoryTelling and Other Modes
There is always a point within your lesson, where a student recalls a moment in time; "One time, when my dog, who was white, ran away from home, but then he was found again in my neighbors yard and he was rolling around int he mud, and then my mom was really, really, really, mad, and then when we got home she put him in the tub to get him washed and then he shook all over and got soap and water everywhere, and mom said that I had to clean it up, so I did, and then my dog and I went to sleep all clean." We can and will always have these types of stories and you begin to look at the student in amazement, because you were talking about how white the snow is... it only takes one word for the student to latch onto and tell a story... it is that one word that the student has associated with that particular story that made it important. We do not know exactly know how the human mind stores information and how each student can retrieve a similar experience each in different ways, but they do and it is fascinting to watch their minds at work.
Storytelling is now enhanced to include a digital version (for example: PhotoStory)... A student can create a digital story thaat includes drawing or pictures in a cinematic way adding music, voice, and animation to make these stories like the one of the dog come to life for them. This is a great way to take their bookreports to a whole other level.... children will not see these projects as more homework, but as a means to really get involved and explore whats on THEIR minds in more detail. I had a project in my Literacy and Technology class, where the Professor required us to include a maximum of 10 pics... once I got intrenched in the project, I found that 10 pics wasn't enough to really tell the story they way I invisioned it... so I say so limit to the content, but maybe the length... you do need to get to math and social studies as some point in the day...
Another web2.0 source is Voicethread... This was a great tool to use because it allowed for the students to interact and share their thoughts and ideas of another students work... this is taking peer to peer evaluation to a whole new level. A teacher can create a Voicethread of lets say the bookreports for the month. They can take photos of each student and post them on the site... the students can then go on and say a short clip of what their book report was about... students can then visit each page and comment on that students presentation... in the end the student can then go into a self reflection or listen to the feedback... maybe someone says, I sit all the way in the back and I could not hear you... but the book looks interesting, now the student has a good point of reference when he/she makes their next bookreport to make a mental note... "can they hear me in the back?"
My only suggestion is that you treat these softwares with respect, the last thing you want is someone making a nasty or non-constructive comment about another student... teaching respect of technology and modeling it for the students is very important for each to get the most out of the enhancement.
Storytelling is now enhanced to include a digital version (for example: PhotoStory)... A student can create a digital story thaat includes drawing or pictures in a cinematic way adding music, voice, and animation to make these stories like the one of the dog come to life for them. This is a great way to take their bookreports to a whole other level.... children will not see these projects as more homework, but as a means to really get involved and explore whats on THEIR minds in more detail. I had a project in my Literacy and Technology class, where the Professor required us to include a maximum of 10 pics... once I got intrenched in the project, I found that 10 pics wasn't enough to really tell the story they way I invisioned it... so I say so limit to the content, but maybe the length... you do need to get to math and social studies as some point in the day...
Another web2.0 source is Voicethread... This was a great tool to use because it allowed for the students to interact and share their thoughts and ideas of another students work... this is taking peer to peer evaluation to a whole new level. A teacher can create a Voicethread of lets say the bookreports for the month. They can take photos of each student and post them on the site... the students can then go on and say a short clip of what their book report was about... students can then visit each page and comment on that students presentation... in the end the student can then go into a self reflection or listen to the feedback... maybe someone says, I sit all the way in the back and I could not hear you... but the book looks interesting, now the student has a good point of reference when he/she makes their next bookreport to make a mental note... "can they hear me in the back?"
My only suggestion is that you treat these softwares with respect, the last thing you want is someone making a nasty or non-constructive comment about another student... teaching respect of technology and modeling it for the students is very important for each to get the most out of the enhancement.
Levels of Instruction for any Teacher
Teachers should always find ways to improve themsleves as well as their lessons. As stated early in my blogs, teachers need to constantly improve on how they teach a grade or subject... or lesson... doing the same thing over and over again does not improve the teacher or the student. Think of it this way, if you were a Information Technology person working in Corporate America... Would your company still be working out of folders and paper... yes it works, but are we being competitative? Having worked for some large Investment Banks in the past, I can assure you, even if it works, it can always be better, faster, and more efficient. Education needs to take this type of mentality, just because the way you used to teach Math 10 years ago, resulted in many people who have graduated from highschool and on their way to college, doesn't mean that you should continue to teach it the same way. Now, you might be saying, if it isn't broke why fix it... I am not talking about the basic principles of teaching, you can only teach addition one way and one way only, I am talking about advancing that teaching to a level that will engage the students and make the year after even better. There are a number of Instructional philosophies out their and each one of them slightly overlap the other, so that the student is building a repitoire of ideas, philosophies, conceptual strengths and areas of development that they can continue to use as their educational career blossoms.
Direct Instruction: There is always room for direct instruction, but researchers are finding it that the "lecture" doesn't have to consume the entire 40 or 50 minute lesson. approximately 20% of the lesson should be direct instruction... this allows for the teacher to interact with the students either in a group setting or one on one instruction for heightened development. It also allows more time for students to ask questions... questioning brings out the curiosity in the student, there is not stupid questions, just the ones that go unasked.
Interactive Instruction: This is when the teacher is working within a group setting of students or on a one on one area... this invokes brainstorming and cooperative learning among classmates. Given a problem, then group must solve it with a variety of parts, the students then have the opportunity to brainstorm the problem.. highlighting developed areas of reasoning and problem-solving within the students mind.
Indirect Instruction: Lets take that same Problem that needed a solution, now the students can explain to the remainder of the class how they identified the problem, created a solution, possibly multiple solutions, the ways that they thought about the problem, and then the final solution that made the most sense and why... the digital storytelling is a great way for students to show how they went from start to finish and put together an example of their work. This is agreat for students who have a tendency to run on and on and on and on and on... like myself.
Independent Instruction: Research papers are now a thing of the past, sure you must beable to look up information on a particular subject, site sources, etc... but there is a better way to develop the insightfulness that students need...JOURNALING- again going back to their ability to question... why do we have strict guidelines on recycling in our neighborhood? These students were born into a generation where all of these things are what I like to call "Automatics." Its a given, just like when I was born, there was gas shortage... I didn't understand why, until I got further along into my school and we learned about OPEC and the problems that surmised from this creation. Journaling allows for the student in an open, judgement free area to question why things are the way they are, how they contribute to the topic in question and are there ways for them to change. It isn't always about learning their ABC's and their 123's its about these students becoming adults in a world that needs more people asking questions and finding solutions.
Experimetnal Instruction: We can all remember the days of the bunson burners and eye goggles, you were given a project to see how much heat is needed to melt something... we all remember this from chemistry... but we need to take this one step further, role playing and surverys are now in conjunction with these hands on approaches. Allowing students to survey if students like Taco Tuesdays or Fish Fridays is important for their social skills as well as their ability to collect data, organize, analyze, filter, hypothesize, and report on the results.
So now that we understand the new ways that we can add life to the standard way of teaching, you maybe asking yourself how can I create this in my classroom when my district is still caught in the Web 1.0 phase? Great questions: Let's say you do not have a large budget... there are so many free sites out their, really what you are investing is your time... but isn't that why we got into teaching, keep a binder of websites in the teachers lounge... use that as a first step, possibly another teacher came across a similar situation... if not once you have identified it... add it to the binder for other teachers to use. Second, collaborate with other teachers/grades... it is possible when you are in 3rd grade, much of the software may also be applied in fourth grade as well as fifth, etc... by collaborating you are creating a seemless transition from each grade for the students leveling their expectations as well as the parents expectations. You will find alot of the the textbooks that are being created will now have an alignment to technology... this will give any teacher a base to start their experiments on, but may also trigger something that the teacher has never thought of... in addition, your early mastery learners may also find this time to really expand on their knowledge... get them working too... they have great minds and make strike on something that you can expand on... you not only have them involved but now you have a new idea.
There are so many websites out their that if you are focusing the children on Informational Processing Methods or Social Interactive Methods, technology will not only make it easier, but it will enhance your lesson tenfold. It will also allow for you the teacher to find those precious few minutes that you so desperately beg for to work with the students that need your attention.
Direct Instruction: There is always room for direct instruction, but researchers are finding it that the "lecture" doesn't have to consume the entire 40 or 50 minute lesson. approximately 20% of the lesson should be direct instruction... this allows for the teacher to interact with the students either in a group setting or one on one instruction for heightened development. It also allows more time for students to ask questions... questioning brings out the curiosity in the student, there is not stupid questions, just the ones that go unasked.
Interactive Instruction: This is when the teacher is working within a group setting of students or on a one on one area... this invokes brainstorming and cooperative learning among classmates. Given a problem, then group must solve it with a variety of parts, the students then have the opportunity to brainstorm the problem.. highlighting developed areas of reasoning and problem-solving within the students mind.
Indirect Instruction: Lets take that same Problem that needed a solution, now the students can explain to the remainder of the class how they identified the problem, created a solution, possibly multiple solutions, the ways that they thought about the problem, and then the final solution that made the most sense and why... the digital storytelling is a great way for students to show how they went from start to finish and put together an example of their work. This is agreat for students who have a tendency to run on and on and on and on and on... like myself.
Independent Instruction: Research papers are now a thing of the past, sure you must beable to look up information on a particular subject, site sources, etc... but there is a better way to develop the insightfulness that students need...JOURNALING- again going back to their ability to question... why do we have strict guidelines on recycling in our neighborhood? These students were born into a generation where all of these things are what I like to call "Automatics." Its a given, just like when I was born, there was gas shortage... I didn't understand why, until I got further along into my school and we learned about OPEC and the problems that surmised from this creation. Journaling allows for the student in an open, judgement free area to question why things are the way they are, how they contribute to the topic in question and are there ways for them to change. It isn't always about learning their ABC's and their 123's its about these students becoming adults in a world that needs more people asking questions and finding solutions.
Experimetnal Instruction: We can all remember the days of the bunson burners and eye goggles, you were given a project to see how much heat is needed to melt something... we all remember this from chemistry... but we need to take this one step further, role playing and surverys are now in conjunction with these hands on approaches. Allowing students to survey if students like Taco Tuesdays or Fish Fridays is important for their social skills as well as their ability to collect data, organize, analyze, filter, hypothesize, and report on the results.
So now that we understand the new ways that we can add life to the standard way of teaching, you maybe asking yourself how can I create this in my classroom when my district is still caught in the Web 1.0 phase? Great questions: Let's say you do not have a large budget... there are so many free sites out their, really what you are investing is your time... but isn't that why we got into teaching, keep a binder of websites in the teachers lounge... use that as a first step, possibly another teacher came across a similar situation... if not once you have identified it... add it to the binder for other teachers to use. Second, collaborate with other teachers/grades... it is possible when you are in 3rd grade, much of the software may also be applied in fourth grade as well as fifth, etc... by collaborating you are creating a seemless transition from each grade for the students leveling their expectations as well as the parents expectations. You will find alot of the the textbooks that are being created will now have an alignment to technology... this will give any teacher a base to start their experiments on, but may also trigger something that the teacher has never thought of... in addition, your early mastery learners may also find this time to really expand on their knowledge... get them working too... they have great minds and make strike on something that you can expand on... you not only have them involved but now you have a new idea.
There are so many websites out their that if you are focusing the children on Informational Processing Methods or Social Interactive Methods, technology will not only make it easier, but it will enhance your lesson tenfold. It will also allow for you the teacher to find those precious few minutes that you so desperately beg for to work with the students that need your attention.
Instructional System Designs Develop a Teachers Pedagogy
All to often we as teachers (or those like myself future teachers) find outselves in a place where we need to learn more... there is something to be said of the addage; "It was a great day today, I learned something new." In the end, many of us fall short in this area, especially for the teacher that teaches the same grade year after year. Instructional Systems Designs allow for a teacher to apply a methodology be it within the classroom or in their own development. The simpliest method is called ADDIE: Analysis... Design... Development... Implementation... Evaluation...
When I first read this article I thought sounds like something that would be used in a Science class, than when I digested it a bit more I realized that it was not about the subject itslef, but how the teacher taught the subject. For example, let's say you are a Middle School History Teacher and you are looking for ways to increase the class participation within your classroom. I am not talking about the students that raise their hand all the time, they will always do that, but for the majority of the class... a teacher can apply this methodology to a number of teacher mechanisms or teaching strategies... it can be as simple as the delivery of the lesson or how the teacher presents the motivator or "hook" of the lesson... or the end of the unit project. Whatever it is that you are looking to change, you can apply this methodology for true feedback... there is no reason to change something and than continue to do it if it doesn't work. Your feedback could be from a colleague who you have asked to sit in on your class or it can be direct from the students in the form of a written or oral survey. Listen, listen, listen... not only to your students but yourself... you will know when something isn't working, you will not have every pair of eyes on you all the time.
When I first read this article I thought sounds like something that would be used in a Science class, than when I digested it a bit more I realized that it was not about the subject itslef, but how the teacher taught the subject. For example, let's say you are a Middle School History Teacher and you are looking for ways to increase the class participation within your classroom. I am not talking about the students that raise their hand all the time, they will always do that, but for the majority of the class... a teacher can apply this methodology to a number of teacher mechanisms or teaching strategies... it can be as simple as the delivery of the lesson or how the teacher presents the motivator or "hook" of the lesson... or the end of the unit project. Whatever it is that you are looking to change, you can apply this methodology for true feedback... there is no reason to change something and than continue to do it if it doesn't work. Your feedback could be from a colleague who you have asked to sit in on your class or it can be direct from the students in the form of a written or oral survey. Listen, listen, listen... not only to your students but yourself... you will know when something isn't working, you will not have every pair of eyes on you all the time.
You Tube Videos Within the Classroom
Remembering back when I was in elementary school, I will always remember when we had a slide to show for class. It was a series of pictures strung through on a film that was narrated by the teacher. As they became more advanced they would have words on the bottom of the film and the teacher would call upon someone to read it aloud, that was always the fun part, in addition to being the person who got to shut off the lights. Don't get me started when we actually had a movie film to show, that was a day from heaven. :-)
Now information, moving information, current information, is at everyone's finger tips with the creation of YouTube and many other interactive websites that show movies... Just a few tips to maeke the experience enjoyable...
1. Make sure the source is reliable and has been viewed in full by the teacher before showing it to the class.
2. Make sure the source is reliable and has been viewed in full by the teacher before showing it to the class. (I repeat this for a reason... anyone and everyone can post something to YouTube, so if you are going to show it in your classroom you must make sure that it is authentic and that it gives the correct information.)
No one wants to get introuble for showing something that is inappropriate...
Now information, moving information, current information, is at everyone's finger tips with the creation of YouTube and many other interactive websites that show movies... Just a few tips to maeke the experience enjoyable...
1. Make sure the source is reliable and has been viewed in full by the teacher before showing it to the class.
2. Make sure the source is reliable and has been viewed in full by the teacher before showing it to the class. (I repeat this for a reason... anyone and everyone can post something to YouTube, so if you are going to show it in your classroom you must make sure that it is authentic and that it gives the correct information.)
No one wants to get introuble for showing something that is inappropriate...
New Online Softwares to Use within your Teaching Career
With the ever expangin World Wide Web... more more we find the use of new online softwares that are free or have a minimal charge for teachers and students alike to use within the classroom. These softwares allow (especially the student) to be as creative as possible and really get into the homework or projects. The children that we teach today are of a different generation, a "Digital Generation" than many of us are used to. Not to date myself, but I didn't get my first cell phone until the mid 90's... and I was in my early 20's... today in the third grade classroom that I teach in... almost everyone has a cell phone, ipod, DS, PSP, or some other device with a crazy initial sequence. Some of the softwares that I have tried and have really enjoyed are the following:
Del.icio.us: Social Bookmarking Website, which allows a person to bookmark a site that they have been to or one that they want to remember for future use. I like the fact that you can share bookmarks with friends and colleagues as well as house everything under one software. Many email sites, like AOL or Google have something similiar but not as extensive as Delicious. The only thing that I would like to see updated is the ability to create folders. I know as a Graduate Student, I can be working on two-three papers at one time and organizing my research a little more would be extremly helpful.
Diigo: This in conjunction with the above site really gives students a leg up on research and information on the World Wide Web. This gives anyone the ability to highlight text within articles or on webpages so that if and when you return to the article, you can go directly to that section. In addition, teachers can use this as a means to teach students how to draw out important information within a text rather than coloring the whole page yellow.
Slideshare: Is a step up from Powerpoint. This makes any class presentation come to life. There is something for an elementary school student building a diarama for a story that he or she read, or creating a drawing by hand to describe the story that they have just written. But this takes those thoughts one step further. Definitely, great for those collaboration projects... as well as enhancing audience presentations (this allows the students to focus on the content/information being presented, rather than the cardboard box that they are holding.) A student can be as creative as he/she wants to be, by adding music and special effects to jazz it up.
Mind-Mapping: I have used this in a few of my own school projects and what an easy tool to use and its free. This website takes the graphic organizer to a whole different level. It allows you to create flow charts and room to add additional information (especially for those students that are having trouble taking or organizing their daily classroom notes.) Definitely one to use as often as possible. You can also allow the students to use it to create study guides that are interactive and re-emphasizes the information taught.
Del.icio.us: Social Bookmarking Website, which allows a person to bookmark a site that they have been to or one that they want to remember for future use. I like the fact that you can share bookmarks with friends and colleagues as well as house everything under one software. Many email sites, like AOL or Google have something similiar but not as extensive as Delicious. The only thing that I would like to see updated is the ability to create folders. I know as a Graduate Student, I can be working on two-three papers at one time and organizing my research a little more would be extremly helpful.
Diigo: This in conjunction with the above site really gives students a leg up on research and information on the World Wide Web. This gives anyone the ability to highlight text within articles or on webpages so that if and when you return to the article, you can go directly to that section. In addition, teachers can use this as a means to teach students how to draw out important information within a text rather than coloring the whole page yellow.
Slideshare: Is a step up from Powerpoint. This makes any class presentation come to life. There is something for an elementary school student building a diarama for a story that he or she read, or creating a drawing by hand to describe the story that they have just written. But this takes those thoughts one step further. Definitely, great for those collaboration projects... as well as enhancing audience presentations (this allows the students to focus on the content/information being presented, rather than the cardboard box that they are holding.) A student can be as creative as he/she wants to be, by adding music and special effects to jazz it up.
Mind-Mapping: I have used this in a few of my own school projects and what an easy tool to use and its free. This website takes the graphic organizer to a whole different level. It allows you to create flow charts and room to add additional information (especially for those students that are having trouble taking or organizing their daily classroom notes.) Definitely one to use as often as possible. You can also allow the students to use it to create study guides that are interactive and re-emphasizes the information taught.
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