I am amazed at how much I have learned from this class! I am grateful I learned all of this now and am excited to share all of these ideas with other teachers in my school district. I have definitely become more aware of and engaged with technology resources that are available for teachers....I had no idea the potential for such creativity and unique learning opportunities existed! After having tried and having much success with the new technologies available, I am much more comfortable integrating these ideas into my curriculum. I now know the necessary steps and guidance needed to produce quality products, and I am ready to share that with my students. I am more knowledgeable on their uses within the classroom and realize the possibilities they offer me within my classroom. I find that Podcasts, wikis, blogs, and RSS feeds are technologies that could tremendously enhance the content of a Social Studies classroom, yet at the same time, foster writing skills and a sense of "collaboration" and discussion we strive for in Social Studies classes.
A couple of ideas have stuck with me during this semester: "Public Writing teaches Public Responsibility" and "Wikis....enable collaboration and teach us all something very important about what a true democracy is all about." These comments provide justification for the importance of utilizing these technologies within a Social Studies classroom, specifically a Government class. My Government class focuses on being an active participate in democracy and being a responsible citizen. Integrating these technology components can foster the sense of collaboration and contribute that idea of becoming a part of the classroom environment. Students need a place to showcase their ideas and engage in structured debate. Providing opportunities online to publish their work and share it with their classmates and the public makes their writing and ideas so much more valuable. They write to a public audience and within a civic dialogue, which teaches students to defend and explain themselves to others....something that cannot be fostered by simply turning writing in to a teacher. Developing writing skills for a public setting in the 9th grade could have the potential to lead to greater engagement and foster improved writing skills as they continue with their schooling.
(I am definitely interested in contributing to your new book, Rick, and will pass on things as I complete them next semester!)
With my students, I envision an online portfolio which includes: 1) two of their favorite online posts/replies 2) a reflection on a project 3) a digital concept-map which capture their learning from the class 4) a collection of political images which capture the main ideas they've learned from the class and 5) some links to their favorite websites. Perhaps I could have students focus their blog or portfolio on a theme that we have studied, a new viewpoint they now hold, or a concept they now embrace. Students are presented with new ways of thinking and different opinions throughout the year which shape their thinking. An online portfolio could help students self-reflect on the big ideas they have learned from the year as well as help them realize who they now are as a person. Not only could it help students realize their own growth, but it could help me assess their learning throughout the course of the year. Additionally, it could serve as a means of review for an end-of-the year assessment.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Online Feedback
I have been using Moodle in my classroom on a regular basis, but I'm not sure what direction to take in regards to giving online feedback. It is still an area of uncertainty for me. In regards to my students' posts and replies, I have simply given completion points for answering a question. I have tried to be more diligent in reading my students' comments/debates and have come up with a 5-4-3 grading scale. 5 for excellent, thoughtful, at least 3 reasons or explanations/4 for good, could provide more justification, 2 reasons or explanations/ 3 for fair and needs more thought. This seems to be working for simple discussion posts. Honestly, I focus more on the process, thought-formation, and interaction online rather than the correct answers. My goals with Moodle have been to foster and encourage discussion and debates outside of class, allowing students to develop a "voice" online.
Here is a sample post from one of my students:
"...all men are created equal…..with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
I think that Abigail Adams response to this quote would be she would think it was true becasue she had been fighting for so long for equal rights for women and africian americans and this quote talks about equality for all, and how everyone is equal and should be treated like everyone else not matter who they are.
I think that Abigail Adams would have agreed with Thomas Jefferson because Abigail Adams thought that all men and women are equal. And no matter what their race is they should all be treated the same. Thomas Jefferson said that " among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed" And i think that Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson both think that everyone should and needs to be treated with equality and have the same rights and freedom as everyone else.
I have found it be very time-consuming for myself to respond to every student's posts. Usually, I pick a class every couple weeks and provide comments to those students. I could explore the idea of using different fonts/italics/highlighting features to focus on points and ideas I like within students' work. Additionally, I need to become more familiar with Microsoft Word editing features and try these more to help my students. I haven't heard much negativity on my lack of comments; Students tend to understand the value and importance in commenting to each other.
As mentioned in chapter 8, "Students take pride in posting work and they are able to see authentic reader response to their writing." I hear many comments about discussions on my moodle. Many students are anxious to see if their post will receive any responses from their classmates. My students are no strangers to using text-talk, either. I come across many LOLs and TTYL and smilies in my students blogs. However, I don't frown upon this. I see it as students interacting and engaging with the content in an informal setting. To foster comments, I have students explain why they either agree or disagree with a students' posts. In the beginning of the year, I had student practice giving feedback to a couple of statements. Students still seem fearful of providing negative comments or disagreeing with their peers. They tend to simply agree and move on. Here is a sample response from one of my students:
I agree with Jason because the first time that i saw Trevor i thought that he was also just some kid who was week , shy , and couldn't do anything to change the world. But as the movie went on Trevors character started to grow more and more and you could see how he was changing into a stronger and more knowledgeable kid.
The first time i saw Eugene i also agree that he was a quiet and patient teacher who cared about his students and wanted to help them achieve in the world. And as the movie went on Eugenes personality opened up more and he showed more passion for teaching and helping society grow.
I did like some suggestions that were made in Chapter 8 and could possibly inter grate them into my classroom, especially for larger projects.
-Encourage students to highlight parts of a text they agree or disagree with.
-Use different fonts of italics to emphasize an idea
-Group my students on Moodle and have them share project ideas or papers (require a certain number of responses before turning in the final draft)
-Explore Tappenin or some IM program to encourage a more free-flow of ideas within a small group.
Here is a sample post from one of my students:
"...all men are created equal…..with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
I think that Abigail Adams response to this quote would be she would think it was true becasue she had been fighting for so long for equal rights for women and africian americans and this quote talks about equality for all, and how everyone is equal and should be treated like everyone else not matter who they are.
I think that Abigail Adams would have agreed with Thomas Jefferson because Abigail Adams thought that all men and women are equal. And no matter what their race is they should all be treated the same. Thomas Jefferson said that " among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed" And i think that Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson both think that everyone should and needs to be treated with equality and have the same rights and freedom as everyone else.
I have found it be very time-consuming for myself to respond to every student's posts. Usually, I pick a class every couple weeks and provide comments to those students. I could explore the idea of using different fonts/italics/highlighting features to focus on points and ideas I like within students' work. Additionally, I need to become more familiar with Microsoft Word editing features and try these more to help my students. I haven't heard much negativity on my lack of comments; Students tend to understand the value and importance in commenting to each other.
As mentioned in chapter 8, "Students take pride in posting work and they are able to see authentic reader response to their writing." I hear many comments about discussions on my moodle. Many students are anxious to see if their post will receive any responses from their classmates. My students are no strangers to using text-talk, either. I come across many LOLs and TTYL and smilies in my students blogs. However, I don't frown upon this. I see it as students interacting and engaging with the content in an informal setting. To foster comments, I have students explain why they either agree or disagree with a students' posts. In the beginning of the year, I had student practice giving feedback to a couple of statements. Students still seem fearful of providing negative comments or disagreeing with their peers. They tend to simply agree and move on. Here is a sample response from one of my students:
I agree with Jason because the first time that i saw Trevor i thought that he was also just some kid who was week , shy , and couldn't do anything to change the world. But as the movie went on Trevors character started to grow more and more and you could see how he was changing into a stronger and more knowledgeable kid.
The first time i saw Eugene i also agree that he was a quiet and patient teacher who cared about his students and wanted to help them achieve in the world. And as the movie went on Eugenes personality opened up more and he showed more passion for teaching and helping society grow.
I did like some suggestions that were made in Chapter 8 and could possibly inter grate them into my classroom, especially for larger projects.
-Encourage students to highlight parts of a text they agree or disagree with.
-Use different fonts of italics to emphasize an idea
-Group my students on Moodle and have them share project ideas or papers (require a certain number of responses before turning in the final draft)
-Explore Tappenin or some IM program to encourage a more free-flow of ideas within a small group.
Readability of Websites: "Facebook versus Myspace?"
After thinking about the topic of present ion and readability of a website, I'm compelled to respond to the competition between the online networking site of Facebook and Myspace. I've heard several comments from my students as well as my friends on their preferences for these networking sites. I read an article in Newsweek about the growing competition between these two sites and the different features they offer. Myspace used to the "place to be." However, Facebook is now the cool spot for teenagers and 20-somethings. Myspace allows you to upload interactive graphics and backgrounds as well as music to your virtual "space." I've heard several comments from people that this is rather annoying because it can up to five minutes to upload webpages and its difficult to read the font amongst all of the jewels and glams on the page. On the other hand, Facebook provides only a white background, website sections are sectioned off with one blue line and it's much "clearer" to read. Additionally, facebook Focuses more on the "interaction" and building of features rather than the fancy graphics and texts. The article commented "MySpace is glam, Facebook is geek." From what I have gathered, people prefer being a "geek" rather than "glam." Teenagers, in particular, like the simplicity of Facebook yet love the interactive features. 
So...I'm drawn to a couple of non-scientific conclusions: 1. Teenagers love interaction and uploading pictures and writing on message boards. 2. Teenagers want easy access to information. The article entitled, "Usability of websites for Teenagers"stated, "To work for teens, websites must be simple -- but not childish -- and supply plenty of interactive features." Students get easily frustrated when they have a difficult time gaining information and finding answers. I have found that students are not as web-savy as we like to think. It took me several weeks to get them used to moodle and teach them to upload a single document to my moodle page. They are not as "researched-based" as we think, but rather, tend to like more easy-interactive features on websites. Just like research from books, students want information spoon-fed to them in an easy manner. They lack the patience needed to search broad topics in many databases.
It has taken me awhile to learn how to make an interesting and interactive powerpoint. There are numerous features of powerpoint that most students are not familiar with at all. I came across some really useful tips on how I can approve my powerpoint presentations:
-Use images to communicate ideas, rather than words
-Use images or single words on the screen to represent your ideas and speak the sentences with your voice
If I ever require students to create a powerpoint presentation or when I assign a technology-based assignment, I generated a few tips to pass on to students:
Place your outline on the powerpoint with 3 or 4 bullet points per slide. Students still need to talk through and expand on their slides. Students need to consider it a "speech" with the powerpoint only guiding them through their presentation.
Students should use 1 visual per slide to enhance their main point.
So...I'm drawn to a couple of non-scientific conclusions: 1. Teenagers love interaction and uploading pictures and writing on message boards. 2. Teenagers want easy access to information. The article entitled, "Usability of websites for Teenagers"stated, "To work for teens, websites must be simple -- but not childish -- and supply plenty of interactive features." Students get easily frustrated when they have a difficult time gaining information and finding answers. I have found that students are not as web-savy as we like to think. It took me several weeks to get them used to moodle and teach them to upload a single document to my moodle page. They are not as "researched-based" as we think, but rather, tend to like more easy-interactive features on websites. Just like research from books, students want information spoon-fed to them in an easy manner. They lack the patience needed to search broad topics in many databases.
It has taken me awhile to learn how to make an interesting and interactive powerpoint. There are numerous features of powerpoint that most students are not familiar with at all. I came across some really useful tips on how I can approve my powerpoint presentations:
-Use images to communicate ideas, rather than words
-Use images or single words on the screen to represent your ideas and speak the sentences with your voice
If I ever require students to create a powerpoint presentation or when I assign a technology-based assignment, I generated a few tips to pass on to students:
Place your outline on the powerpoint with 3 or 4 bullet points per slide. Students still need to talk through and expand on their slides. Students need to consider it a "speech" with the powerpoint only guiding them through their presentation.
Students should use 1 visual per slide to enhance their main point.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Script of podcast
I decided to create a podcast that would be useful for my classroom. I plan on posting this on my website to inform parents of an upcoming project. I also included students in the podcat.
Dear parents,
Hello, this is Ms. Nelson and this podcast is to inform you of the 9th graders progress on their service-learning project. By now, each 9th grader has researched 3 different issues and should be deciding upon their final topic choice. We have spent some time in class discussing what genuine service means and trying to define ‘service’ as a class. I first asked students to write down their definition of service. Here are some responses from the 9th grade:
We then looked at a different scenarios, each about service, but helping students distuninguish between meeting genuine needs and simply “helping others” After reflecting on different ideas of serving others, each class created their own class definition of service. Most students have realized that service works both ways and creates a full circle, with both the giver learning just as much as the receiver. Moreover, how service is really about a circle of learning and connecting between two people. I invite you to look at the worksheet entitled “What do you mean by service—and what do you want “service’ to mean. Relating service to the idea of being part of democracy. Students should be working on their proposals with their groups. Each student will be submitting a “proposal” which outline a problem state, goals, a description of what they plan on doing, and some potential contacts. I am stressing to students the importance of taking care of finding an organization sooner rather than later. Additionally, each student will be conducting an interview with you so you as the parent are informed of their project. Finally, it is important to note that we require students to receive a signature from the organization they plan to volunteer at by January 10….we want to know they have been in contact with a volunteer organization. A more detailed listed of important due dates is located under service-learning sheets. Also, we are asking students to keep individual track of all the work they do for their project. I sign off upon completion of tasks to keep record of responsibilities. "Service-learning is a particularly fertile way of involving young people in community service, because it ties helping others to what they are learning in the classroom. It enables them to apply academic disciplines to practical, everyday problems. In the process, it provides a compelling answer to the adolescent's perennial question, 'Why do I need to learn this stuff?'""Civic behavior is the important issue for the country. Democracy requires its citizens to take responsibility and be involved in solving problems, not just during times of crisis, but all the time. Service-learning involves students in solving community problems, and at the same time, helps them learn and apply reading, writing, math, science, and social studies."Frank Newman, Visiting Professor of Public Policy and Sociology, The Futures Project, Brown University Member, National Commission on Service-Learning
Dear parents,
Hello, this is Ms. Nelson and this podcast is to inform you of the 9th graders progress on their service-learning project. By now, each 9th grader has researched 3 different issues and should be deciding upon their final topic choice. We have spent some time in class discussing what genuine service means and trying to define ‘service’ as a class. I first asked students to write down their definition of service. Here are some responses from the 9th grade:
We then looked at a different scenarios, each about service, but helping students distuninguish between meeting genuine needs and simply “helping others” After reflecting on different ideas of serving others, each class created their own class definition of service. Most students have realized that service works both ways and creates a full circle, with both the giver learning just as much as the receiver. Moreover, how service is really about a circle of learning and connecting between two people. I invite you to look at the worksheet entitled “What do you mean by service—and what do you want “service’ to mean. Relating service to the idea of being part of democracy. Students should be working on their proposals with their groups. Each student will be submitting a “proposal” which outline a problem state, goals, a description of what they plan on doing, and some potential contacts. I am stressing to students the importance of taking care of finding an organization sooner rather than later. Additionally, each student will be conducting an interview with you so you as the parent are informed of their project. Finally, it is important to note that we require students to receive a signature from the organization they plan to volunteer at by January 10….we want to know they have been in contact with a volunteer organization. A more detailed listed of important due dates is located under service-learning sheets. Also, we are asking students to keep individual track of all the work they do for their project. I sign off upon completion of tasks to keep record of responsibilities. "Service-learning is a particularly fertile way of involving young people in community service, because it ties helping others to what they are learning in the classroom. It enables them to apply academic disciplines to practical, everyday problems. In the process, it provides a compelling answer to the adolescent's perennial question, 'Why do I need to learn this stuff?'""Civic behavior is the important issue for the country. Democracy requires its citizens to take responsibility and be involved in solving problems, not just during times of crisis, but all the time. Service-learning involves students in solving community problems, and at the same time, helps them learn and apply reading, writing, math, science, and social studies."Frank Newman, Visiting Professor of Public Policy and Sociology, The Futures Project, Brown University Member, National Commission on Service-Learning
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Podcasting!
I'm really amazed at the wide-variety of activities I can do with podcasting. Even more, I impressed at the potential to engage students in the process and help the analyze, evaluate, and re-create the content from our government class. Almost any lesson I do could incorporate podcasting. Kids love getting into groups to debate and discuss issues...which is what our class entails. I can envision my students taking on unique characters and different roles to act out historical debates in the form of a podcast....very powerful stuff. I've also been looking into the Celtx software and am pleased that there is software available to help my students organize their ideas. Half the battle of creating successful projects, such as podcasts, depends on the students' ability to organize their ideas and make their scripts.
I've listened to many podcasts before....interviews, Policast and Musicheads from MPR, the current song of the day, etc. While I haven't listened to anything much more exciting than simply reporting, I can see the potential to create some very dramatic podcasts. Garageband had such an endless array of sounds and music to choose from it was overwhelming. Podcasting can definitely allow the student to be creative, but I need to make sure to emphasize the content portion of a podcast...such as with any project. I do like when podcasts add some extra sounds...it keeps my attention.
For potential projects, I am going to have my students create a roundtable discussion on the debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. I'm going to have my students take on roles, such as Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, or George Mason, and have a discussion on the inclusion of the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. Students can decide where this will take place and add appropriate sounds.
For my own podcast, I'm going to provide parents with some instruction on our big service projects. Parents always have questions on these...so I'll put this up on my school webpage. Additionally, I might create a commentary as if I'm an Anti-Federalist to provide an example to my students.
I've listened to many podcasts before....interviews, Policast and Musicheads from MPR, the current song of the day, etc. While I haven't listened to anything much more exciting than simply reporting, I can see the potential to create some very dramatic podcasts. Garageband had such an endless array of sounds and music to choose from it was overwhelming. Podcasting can definitely allow the student to be creative, but I need to make sure to emphasize the content portion of a podcast...such as with any project. I do like when podcasts add some extra sounds...it keeps my attention.
For potential projects, I am going to have my students create a roundtable discussion on the debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. I'm going to have my students take on roles, such as Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, or George Mason, and have a discussion on the inclusion of the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. Students can decide where this will take place and add appropriate sounds.
For my own podcast, I'm going to provide parents with some instruction on our big service projects. Parents always have questions on these...so I'll put this up on my school webpage. Additionally, I might create a commentary as if I'm an Anti-Federalist to provide an example to my students.
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