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Summer is already half-way over, and it’s time to start moving towards my goals. I am lucky that my courses at Walden have started moving me in the right direction. One of my goals for the year is to “Model digital-age work and learning”. For this standard, I need to develop a fluency in technological systems and transfer my knowledge to my students. I have already done the hard work, creating blogs, wikis and web sites as assignments in my classes. This blog has been an amazing learning experience. It has taught me how to organize my thinking to publish it online. My next step for this goal involves the creation of a classroom blog. I would like to create a blog for weekly discussions where my students can meet after school to discuss our content. A teacher-friend of mine from Seattle has a great sample site for this idea. Check out Mrs. Fitz’s web site “You Are What You Blog". Her site inspires me to try this technique with my English classes next year. I just need to work on getting past our tricky filtering program.
For my other goal, to “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments”, I plan to create poetry wikis in class to teach digital publishing. Like Will Richardson points out, “everyone together is smarter than anyone else” (2009, p. 57). I am excited to see my students working collaboratively to analyze and synthesize poetry. This goal will require more assistance. Richardson’s Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom can be a useful resource; I have been rereading it this week. I am trying to find sample student wikis online so I can get an idea about how these sites are set up. So far, I am struggling to find any useable samples. Can anyone help me?
Resources:
Richardson, W., (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for the classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
My Technology GAME Plan
“The primary task of the educational system must be to give learners the right tools and provide them with a critical mind, so that they can ask the right questions and make the right connections. The problem is that the world is not the stable, static place it once was. The world has changed and continues to change” (Jukes & Macdonald, 2007). In the spirit of creating a 21st Century learning environment in my classroom, I have been researching methods for creating self-directed learners. I want my students to be curious about new innovations and have the ability to research and understand the changing world around them. I began working on creating a self-directed learning environment n my classroom last year by guiding my students through the inquiry process. I used the QUEST model (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007) to inspire students to create their own questions, evaluate online resources and synthesize information. I still have far to go towards inspiring my students to think critically. Before my students can become self-directed learners, I need a game plan for becoming more tech-savvy myself.
I have begun my own personal technology revolution at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) web site. This site lists five standards for guiding teachers to implement technology in their classrooms. I will start small next year and choose two standards to implement as I grow as a technology user.
Cennamo, Ross and Ertmer offer a suggestion for creating a GAME plan for self-directed learning. I plan to set a Goal, take Action, Monitor my progress, and Evaluate the results as I implement new technology in my classroom (2009).
Here is the plan:
1. Set a Goal: I plan to take on two of ISTE’s NETS for teachers (2008). First, I will work on standard number two- “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments”. This standard asks teachers to design and implement authentic learning experiences incorporating technology. I will also work on standard number three- “Model Digital-Age Work and Learning”. This standard asks teachers to develop fluency in technological systems and transfer than knowledge to students.
2. Take Action: I am going to start working with technology right away in my classroom. In order to teach web page design and encourage collaborative reflection, each class will create a web page to share our understanding of poetry throughout the year. Since I begin each class with a poem a day, we can build web sites around our explorations of the themes and ideas behind the poems we read. Creating web pages as a group will give me the opportunity to model techniques for creating interesting sites. Later in the year, my students will be able to use these skills for implementing their own web pages about the novels they read. To continue building my own skills, I will keep this blog spot current and share my revelations with the class. I may be able to encourage my students to build their own blog spots. A collaborative reading wiki may be another addition as well.
3. Monitor my progress: As we work together to build class web sites, I will need to constantly be reflective about the process. Are all of my students engaged in helping design our pages? Is everyone getting an opportunity to add insights? Are the students internalizing the value in this process? If I feel that students are getting bored, I may decide to have groups create pages for the site to give more involvement to the class.
4. Evaluate the results: As we near the end of the year, I will take a step back to consider the effectiveness of this project. Have my students become more tech-savvy as a result of these activities? Have they each had the opportunity to create a web site? What are my next steps?
If we want to be effective educators for our 21st Century students, we have a lot of work to do. We have to do more than just educate ourselves on the mass of technological tools available for teaching. We need to also teach our students to ask questions, to consider the validity of the sites they use to find answers, and most of all, to be willing to try new technologies and reach for the knowledge available to them. I feel more confident at achieving these aims now that I have a GOAL in mind. If you would like more information about setting up a GOAL for technological advancement, check out the resources below.
Kris
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
Jukes, I. (2007). 21st century fluency skills: Attributes of a 21st century learner. Retrieved from http://www.committedsardine.com/handouts/twca.pdf
I have begun my own personal technology revolution at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) web site. This site lists five standards for guiding teachers to implement technology in their classrooms. I will start small next year and choose two standards to implement as I grow as a technology user.
Cennamo, Ross and Ertmer offer a suggestion for creating a GAME plan for self-directed learning. I plan to set a Goal, take Action, Monitor my progress, and Evaluate the results as I implement new technology in my classroom (2009).
Here is the plan:
1. Set a Goal: I plan to take on two of ISTE’s NETS for teachers (2008). First, I will work on standard number two- “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments”. This standard asks teachers to design and implement authentic learning experiences incorporating technology. I will also work on standard number three- “Model Digital-Age Work and Learning”. This standard asks teachers to develop fluency in technological systems and transfer than knowledge to students.
2. Take Action: I am going to start working with technology right away in my classroom. In order to teach web page design and encourage collaborative reflection, each class will create a web page to share our understanding of poetry throughout the year. Since I begin each class with a poem a day, we can build web sites around our explorations of the themes and ideas behind the poems we read. Creating web pages as a group will give me the opportunity to model techniques for creating interesting sites. Later in the year, my students will be able to use these skills for implementing their own web pages about the novels they read. To continue building my own skills, I will keep this blog spot current and share my revelations with the class. I may be able to encourage my students to build their own blog spots. A collaborative reading wiki may be another addition as well.
3. Monitor my progress: As we work together to build class web sites, I will need to constantly be reflective about the process. Are all of my students engaged in helping design our pages? Is everyone getting an opportunity to add insights? Are the students internalizing the value in this process? If I feel that students are getting bored, I may decide to have groups create pages for the site to give more involvement to the class.
4. Evaluate the results: As we near the end of the year, I will take a step back to consider the effectiveness of this project. Have my students become more tech-savvy as a result of these activities? Have they each had the opportunity to create a web site? What are my next steps?
If we want to be effective educators for our 21st Century students, we have a lot of work to do. We have to do more than just educate ourselves on the mass of technological tools available for teaching. We need to also teach our students to ask questions, to consider the validity of the sites they use to find answers, and most of all, to be willing to try new technologies and reach for the knowledge available to them. I feel more confident at achieving these aims now that I have a GOAL in mind. If you would like more information about setting up a GOAL for technological advancement, check out the resources below.
Kris
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
Jukes, I. (2007). 21st century fluency skills: Attributes of a 21st century learner. Retrieved from http://www.committedsardine.com/handouts/twca.pdf
Thursday, April 22, 2010
A Vision of Students Today
To go along with the previous post, this video is a little reminder: A Vision of Students Today. I'm sure you've all seen this video or a similar one, but it's powerful to watch it often. Enjoy.
Online Inquiry Units
In my reading classes, I am a strong proponent for explicitly teaching strategies to help students construct meaning. I believe students benefit from read-alouds and think-alouds during which they watch me read and walk through the reading processes I use to build comprehension. After purposefully practicing strategies, my students begin to internalize the skills necessary for reading carefully. In the past, I have specifically taught students methods for summarizing, connecting, questioning, inferring, etc., as they read the various genres we studied. Then I went on to my social studies, geography and English classes and asked my students to research content on the Internet without any intentional instruction. Recently I have come to rethink my expectations regarding technology and reading. The Internet is a unique genre that I have overlooked in my mini-lessons in the past. With this genre comes a whole new set of reading and thinking strategies that I must incorporate into my lessons.
The Internet is the primary information source for today’s students. We spend countless hours teaching students methods for reading various texts; we practice strategies for reading novels, textbooks, reference and other materials. For our 21st century learners, we need to connect the old with the new. To read information online, students must be able to recognize new text cues such as indexes, tabs, links and hyperlinks. The Internet lends itself to a unique “interconnection between comprehension and navigation” (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007, p. 34). Not only must we purposefully teach students how to navigate multiple sources, we also must teach them how to navigate back and forth between multiple programs and tabs. They also need skills for choosing trustworthy sources of information that fit their research needs. They must practice skills for analyzing web site credibility and then practice techniques for ensuring credibility in the content they create online. The process for reading and publishing online is daunting; teachers must incorporate these new skills into their lessons.
My last course through Walden, “Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom”, inspired me to add a new unit into my curriculum. I want to teach my students a unit of online inquiry. I think it is important for 21st Century learners to be able to determine what they want to learn online and know the best ways to access that information. Alan November provides useful strategies for teaching students how to evaluate web sites (Web Literacy for Educators, 2008). Check out the “Screencast” blog for an overview of his REAL strategy. After learning how to search and evaluate web sites, students need practice reading multiple sources and synthesizing the information. Once students develop these skills, they can become a part of the massive information-sharing network we have online. This is the best technique I have discovered for preparing students for their lives as 21st Century learners.
Check out my references. All literacy teachers should read these texts:
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousands Oaks: Corwin Press.
The Internet is the primary information source for today’s students. We spend countless hours teaching students methods for reading various texts; we practice strategies for reading novels, textbooks, reference and other materials. For our 21st century learners, we need to connect the old with the new. To read information online, students must be able to recognize new text cues such as indexes, tabs, links and hyperlinks. The Internet lends itself to a unique “interconnection between comprehension and navigation” (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007, p. 34). Not only must we purposefully teach students how to navigate multiple sources, we also must teach them how to navigate back and forth between multiple programs and tabs. They also need skills for choosing trustworthy sources of information that fit their research needs. They must practice skills for analyzing web site credibility and then practice techniques for ensuring credibility in the content they create online. The process for reading and publishing online is daunting; teachers must incorporate these new skills into their lessons.
My last course through Walden, “Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom”, inspired me to add a new unit into my curriculum. I want to teach my students a unit of online inquiry. I think it is important for 21st Century learners to be able to determine what they want to learn online and know the best ways to access that information. Alan November provides useful strategies for teaching students how to evaluate web sites (Web Literacy for Educators, 2008). Check out the “Screencast” blog for an overview of his REAL strategy. After learning how to search and evaluate web sites, students need practice reading multiple sources and synthesizing the information. Once students develop these skills, they can become a part of the massive information-sharing network we have online. This is the best technique I have discovered for preparing students for their lives as 21st Century learners.
Check out my references. All literacy teachers should read these texts:
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousands Oaks: Corwin Press.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Surviving the End of the World
Rick and I learned how to use iMovie last weekend for a class project for his Bachelor's degree. Hope you enjoy his strange directing...
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The Big VP
Did I mention I took a job as interim vice principal? What the heck was I thinking? I keep running this over and over in my head. How did this happen? I have never had the inclination to work in administration. I love my job. I think I am probably the only adult I know who can honestly make that statement. Sure, there are days I want to pull the fire alarm and hide out in a bathroom stall until I can make a break for it. Yet, somehow, I ended up leaving my cush job surrounded by loveable 6th graders (perfectly trained, I might add) to become the new force of evil at my school.
I'll tell you how it happened- I was coerced, I tell you. My amazing principal, Dan, was called away for the Army. He's off training troops in Oklahoma. So, he asks me, "Kris, I need your help." How could I say no to the one and only great administrator I have ever known?
So here I am, writing referrals, creating policy and calling parents all day long. I'll let you know how it goes, but so far all I can say is, "hug your administrator today!"
I'll tell you how it happened- I was coerced, I tell you. My amazing principal, Dan, was called away for the Army. He's off training troops in Oklahoma. So, he asks me, "Kris, I need your help." How could I say no to the one and only great administrator I have ever known?
So here I am, writing referrals, creating policy and calling parents all day long. I'll let you know how it goes, but so far all I can say is, "hug your administrator today!"
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Screencast
I spent the last week exploring hoax web sites online. I am amazed at the numerous fake web sites out there! Many of these web sites come up right away in a Google search. Try this: Google Martin Luther King. The third resource is a startlingly biased web site created by a white pride organization called Stormfront. The site, at martinlutherking.com, looks valid but contains biased information. These are the kind of sites our students are clicking to all of the time as they research. Without training for recognizing scams and hoaxes online, our students are vulnerable.
It is startling to think about how easy it would be for our students to click on false information online. For instance, I read Rodman Philbrick's "Freak, the Mighty" with my sixth graders. In the story, Kevin suffers from a crippling disease. He tells his friend Max that his doctor is designing a bionic body for him. As we read the book, my students believe that bionics is possible. If a student wanted to conduct further research on this topic, they very well may find the web site for RYT Hospital. The site has beautiful graphics and is professionally kept. This hospital supposedly uses bionics along with genetic engineering for embryos. How are our young students to know when a web site is invalid?
Alan November's "Web Literacy for Educators" offers a variety of methods for uncovering invalid web sites. He calls the Internet "the most powerful, convenient, and potentially manipulative medium ever invented" (2008, p. vii). He encourages direct instruction in critical thinking techniques as we explore the Internet.
My Walden Masters program assigned a screencast this week. I put together a video to show my students, giving them tips for uncovering the truth. I think the screecast will be eye-opening for my students as well as for many adults.Clicking on the "Screencast" link will take you to my video. Check it out!
November, Alan. 2008. "Web Literacy for Educators". Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
It is startling to think about how easy it would be for our students to click on false information online. For instance, I read Rodman Philbrick's "Freak, the Mighty" with my sixth graders. In the story, Kevin suffers from a crippling disease. He tells his friend Max that his doctor is designing a bionic body for him. As we read the book, my students believe that bionics is possible. If a student wanted to conduct further research on this topic, they very well may find the web site for RYT Hospital. The site has beautiful graphics and is professionally kept. This hospital supposedly uses bionics along with genetic engineering for embryos. How are our young students to know when a web site is invalid?
Alan November's "Web Literacy for Educators" offers a variety of methods for uncovering invalid web sites. He calls the Internet "the most powerful, convenient, and potentially manipulative medium ever invented" (2008, p. vii). He encourages direct instruction in critical thinking techniques as we explore the Internet.
My Walden Masters program assigned a screencast this week. I put together a video to show my students, giving them tips for uncovering the truth. I think the screecast will be eye-opening for my students as well as for many adults.Clicking on the "Screencast" link will take you to my video. Check it out!
November, Alan. 2008. "Web Literacy for Educators". Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
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