Entries from February 2008 ↓

Task 1…Reflection on blog posts

    The question of homework has always been an ongoing struggle in the reading department at WA. All of the teachers in my department struggle with “how to or if ” we should give homework. The posting on homework gave some valid pros and cons , but as a middle school teacher, I sit on the fence. After taking a course on “How the Brain Works”, other inservice courses on adolescent behavior, and 21 yrs. at WA, I have my own theory.

In general, 7th graders will do homework more readily than 8th graders. The majority of     7th graders are more pliable/obviously more immature, need more repetition, and are more eager to learn. I do not give my 7th graders homework every night and I rotate the kind of homework I give. One assignment may be reading a story to discuss the next day, while another night may be surfing the web for info on a topic we are studying . Whatever I give is an extension from class…it is not busy work just to say they have homework and they are accountable the next day. Several nights of homework may be just STUDYING handouts from class. I like to give strategies for studying and give them opportunities at home to practice without penalizing them. Yes, it’s random and not really tangible, but in middle school, we are about letting them make choices….and learning how to manage time and grow up! This works at 7th grade level in my classes at WA because they begin to see we are putting the responsibility on them and they like mom and dad out of the equation!

8th graders are a whole new strain of humankind! Their brain has trouble working at school or away from school (for the most part)! This group is focused on the “MOMENT” so giving homework for the large majority is non-existent. I try to follow the strategy of the posting guru and make the most of my class time. I have more than enough plans to cover the timeframe and work them right up to the bell….then call it a day! That is not to say I don’t ever give homework in 8th grade, but the quality that comes back is not their best work. In my SAT PREP (9 week) class, they have one homework assignment all 9 weeks which is to make SAT note cards to turn in each week. They get the list at the first of the week and the cards are due the next Monday. Several times I have even let them use their cards for the vocabulary test. It is non-threatening and I discuss a variety of strategies for learning vocabulary and they share what is working for them. There are pros and cons about long-term assignments also…but the majority of the 8th graders are successful with this. Because I am constantly reminding them that the cards/materials will be used in 9th grade on the PSAT and later, it seems to mean more! Go figure!

The blog about 5th grader, Patrick, was very revealing about how important writing and listening can be for young people. Many teachers use journaling in their classes for a variety of lessons and even as a way to modify behaviors—let them write about it. But the big questions is…..who is reading it? Does my teacher even bother to read EVERYONE’S journal entry everyday. This blog idea gives a way to empower young people and motivate them to learn. They are connecting with others outside of their immediate class which helps them see themselves as part of something much bigger. All of the feedback for Patrick signaled HOPE for a young boy struggling with life in general.

I was very interested in the blog on Improving PowerPoints. All of my students have become very proficient at making slides, but they are not creative. They tend to put the exact information from their outline or note card on the power point slide which is very boring and unnecessary. Using pictures (and not clip art!) add meaning and require the student to connect with the audience….which is difficult for many young people. I’m using the ideas from this post for sure!

After reading many of the blogs listed on our task outline, believe it or not….the DUCK BLOG made one aspect of blogging very clear to me. (Is this saying that I need to be working in a lower level of education? or what?) The entire blog dealt with the duck and what happened when the duck came to their schoolyard. It was one event, a few activities and pictures, but the blog focused on ONE THING. I guess I have always looked at blogs and wikis as something that continued on and on; something you kept adding to. I always thought you had to have a grand plan, a big idea with lessons that continued for an extended period of time. So, what I have learned is that when my class does a neat activity or project—maybe even a writing assignment, I can BLOG it (instead of and) in addition to putting it on the bulletin board or in the school newsletter. Wow!

Another blog worth mentioning is our 8th grade Independent Reading blog for the Carlos Library. Joanne and I decided this was an excellent way to preserve book talks so students could get help in finding a book of interest. Once the initial day of book talks are over, students seem to flounder when trying to find a book they would enjoy. This blog will be filled with podcasts about books on the list (by teachers and staff) and later students will be asked to participate in a podcast for the site. This is an ongoing project that we are beginning this spring semester in hopes of actually using it by the last 9 weeks.    Check it out!    

The two blogs that are on-going in our family are my two nieces who have a family blog. It’s a great way to share family stories, pictures of children and connect with everyone! I log in every other day to catch up on the family and enjoy hearing from them. So, blogging has just become something I better understand……I still struggle with getting the pictures up on a blog, but that is something I will continue to work on.

All of a sudden I feel like “Charlie Gordon” from Flowers for Algernon learning about punctuation.…..blogging is fun!

Comments on Web 2.0

Having lived over 5 decades in the 20th century, watching the video clips of how learning has changed sort of “boggles” my mind! If I had been much older, it might be science-fiction! The speed in which learning in school has changed means that if we don’t embrace this technology, our students will very quickly be at a disadvantage. Even though I have taken many classes, you can’t get away from it for any length of time or you forget it…or at least I have to do it on a regular basis. I am a queen with email! I can google anything! I actually “think” about going to the internet to look up addresses, directions, medical information, and everything for school ! Here’s the deal… at WA we have resources at our fingertips! But when I go home, I’m lucky if the internet /computer does not screw up for a variety of reasons! I have even offered to cook dinner for Brian Sorrow to get him to come work on our computer….we’re pitiful! But that’s a personal problem! If I want to be a “life long learner”, I have to be able to do it outside and beyond WA!

One way the internet (web 2.0) has changed my school is that I may not see other teachers for weeks at a time, but I get email from them and keep in touch. I am very glad that WA upgraded all of the GradeQuick/ Edline and other programs so that teachers can work from home and not be at their desk. (None of this technology may be connected to Web 2.0 but it sure is nice to be able to work from home!)

Web 2.0 has already effected the way I plan and teach my students. I have focused on my 8th Honors class in this endeavor as we did our projects for Animal Farm last year in a wiki. I was David Widener’s guinea pig and reorganized the project so the student’s designed power points, illustrations, and timelines instead of posters, charts, and presentations. We posted everything we learned on the wiki along with comments, a course outline, handouts, and an explanation of the project. I facilitated the project, but David actually did the technology behind the scenes. The students did a great audio podcast of the song in Animal Farm. At the time, I didn’t know what I would do the next year to beat the wiki, but we used the wiki as a learning tool. This year my 8H students returned to the wiki and added visual interpretations and edited the work from last year. Their names were added to the work and we had many “teachable moments”. Check it out!

Up to this point, I have used the internet to “surf” and look for information and have spent hours with little results. With RSS, Delicious and other kinds of connections, the information now comes to me—not the other way around! That’s cool! I just have to wrap my mind around that concept! I understand that everything a student can do on paper can be transferred to the web. Discussions can take place in a variety of settings—not just the classroom. But then again, Middle schoolers are just not there! I believe using technology at the middle school level needs to be directed and coordinated/ teacher in charge kind of thing. Being a reading teacher, I have always taught students to read different kinds of materials at different rates and speeds. Web 2.0 opens up a whole new can of worms! Our new Elements of Literature textbook teaches how to read websites, and computer books. We are incorporating a webpage with questions on the exam this May. Lots of interesting ideas and not enough time to feel comfortable with it. Just about the time I’m feeling proficient, there will be some cutting edge idea that I will need to learn.

Working with honors is one thing, but how do I get my prep classes to buy into using the web to learn? They are masters of games, videos (and I don’t mean didactic in nature), chat rooms,etc. but as a whole, they do not necessarily see the web as a learning tool. I have met with a lot of frustrated parents and students this year who have the opportunity to use the computer in all of their work (accommodations), but refuse to do it. I keep trying to help them see the future and how the computer would make learning easier, but they are focusing on today. When more of the population in middle school use laptops, I think the negative connotation of using one will disappear. In SAT PREP, I have tried to encourage those with poor handwriting to make vocabulary cards on the computer…..they could even design an SAT BLOG where all of the cards could be held until they need them in 9th grade for the PSAT! They could pull together websites, practice test,etc. WOW! But will they do it?

One way we are trying to incorporate web 2.0/podcasting with our prep students is to integrate it into the Independent Reading class in Carlos Library. Students spend 9 weeks reading and conferencing with teachers to promote leisure reading and review literary skills learned. The librarians have traditionally given “book talks” to the students the first day of class, along with an extensive book list, to familiarize them with what is on the shelves. We are creating a link on our MS website for podcasts that will be another resource for students after those the first day! Teachers and students will be podcasting about their favorite book and create an interest. As this website grows, we want the students in the class to share their favorite book by podcasting. The site is set up by genres so students can quickly find something they are interested in reading. Check out our website.

All of this information on web 2.0 for individualizing, yet connecting with people, interacting, collaboration, etc…….where is the personal touch? I want to actually talk to someone once in a while and not be “held up at my desk”! Of course, I know you can carry your handheld computers. And another BIG question which plaques “my house”….what happens when the power goes out? the signal goes down? Well…we will grab a book, light a candle, and remember the good ole’ days!

Looking forward to learning more about web 2.0. I feel very fortunate to work in a place that values this kind of learning and facilitates the process.

7 1/2 Habits of Life Long Learners

The most challenging thing in this course is staying calm and not falling apart, feeling like a failure every time something goes wrong. “A little bit of knowledge is dangerous” and that’s why I’m taking this course. I don’t have enough technology skills to solve my own problems; just enough to be dangerous to myself and others.

The easiest part of this class is having goals in mind. It is exciting to take all of the old, dried up lessons and put them into new technology. My students showed me how to get on YouTube today and we listened to Bob Dylan perform “A Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall” which in the past has been a choral reading or a cassette in class about the end of time It’s fun to do something new!

The most important thing I need is confidence to move forward and time to make it happen. Sometimes I can work on a project and before I know it, I’ve been at the computer for hours. When this happens, it is easy to fall back into my old ways and old lessons which are quick and already prepared. The second most important thing is trying to keep up with all of the usernames, passwords, and tags I have put on a variety of sites. Oh my!