Going to ISTE

I am so excited to have the opportunity to go to this conference! Getting there, however, has been quite the adventure.

I only found out about this conference a weeks ago. Then I had to secure funding because believe me this teacher has limited resources. So I finally got the approval and then the fun really began. Trying to find a hotel a week before a huge conference is not fun. It took me two days to finally acquire a hotel other than the Ritz at $600 a night! Even so, at $350 a night I was not sure I would get approval, but I finally did. Then I had to find a flight. Hence my next adventure. I found a flight, but again the cost! At $692 I was SURE they would say NO! Much to my delight, it was approved. Add in the conference fee of $400 (forget any workshops), food, etc. this conference is beginning to add up!

So I began thinking....how do people like me (teachers on meager incomes) go to these great conferences? I would love to travel more and get new ideas, but I don't think my current source will ever send me anywhere else, lol. So what is the solution? I will have to ponder this a bit more and perhaps ask around when I get to ISTE! Can't wait!

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To Blog or not to Blog....

My first attempt at having students "blog" was 5 years ago. I wanted my students to maintain an on-line discussion, and I thought blogging would be a good/free way to do it. I abandoned "blogging" a few years later when my school system purchased a software program that would allow my students to participate in a real threaded discussion.

I never really used a blog with my students in the real sense of the word, web journal. That is until recently. My students are reading Things Fall Apart. In the past I have had them keep dialectical journals, but this year I wanted to explore other options. I decided to go back to blogging, and I am so happy I did.

This particular novel is great for journaling or blogging because it produces a lot of emotions. I introduced the novel by telling the students we were going to study a novel that would enrage them, shock them, surprise them, and make them think. I also told them that they were going to write about the emotions they experienced while reading the novel. I gave them instructions for how to use Blogger.com and instructed them to write about how they felt while reading the novel. I also gave them the option to keep a standard journal if they do not have a computer at home. I did not tell them how long the entry had to be or what the entry had to be about other than I wanted to know what they were thinking and feeling as they read. The results have been amazing!

I am so glad that I choose to have them blog. Overall, 90% of my students have chosen to blog rather than keep a standard journal. I have found that they make lengthier, more thoughtful entries while blogging versus the journal. I am not really sure why. Furthermore, I find myself making more comments on the blogs. I guess it is just easier, quicker to type. It has been really nice to read their thoughts, some that would never have been expressed in class. Overall, I would rate this assignment an A+.

I have come up with a few tips for anyone who might be considering having their students blog:

• Select a novel that will get them thinking and feeling.
• Don't assign too many entries. I only assigned 4
• Don't give them specific questions to answer. Let them decide what is important to address.
• Give them plenty of support, including technical support.
• Give them a worksheet that will show them how to set up and maintain their blog.
• Allow them the option to keep a standard reading journal.
• Make comments on their blog. No blogger wants to think that no one wants to read their blog.

I have found that my students really enjoyed this activity, and I am also finding that they are really thinking about what they are reading. It is nice to see them interacting with the text instead of just reading it so they will pass the quiz. I think that you will find blogging to be fun for the student and the teacher. Happy blogging!

VoiceThread

I have recently discoverd VoiceThread. "VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to leave comments in 5 ways - using voice (with a mic or phone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam). Share a VoiceThread with friends, students, and colleagues for them to record comments too." I am really excited about this tool.

My students will be using VoiceThread to complete a PopUp poetry activity. They have been assigned lines of a poem. They have to make 3 connections to these lines and bring in digital images that relate to their connections. The next step is to enter VoiceThread and have a collaborative talk about the lines and images they found.

The students seems to be excited about this assignment. I will post the results later.


"VoiceThread". VoiceThread.com. 11 November 2008. <http://voicethread.com/about/>

The aduacity!

I had great inspiration. I had motivation. I had excitement. What I did not have was support.

This summer I attended a wonderful workshop on digital storytelling. I was inspired! I created a great assignment that would ask my students to create a story about their heroes. To go a step further, I decided to invite the parents of my students to hear/view their child's story at our annual open house. I was very excited and so were my students until...

We began the project. The students eagerly wrote their essays about their heroes. We viewed sample digital stories and talked about what made them good. Then it was time to create our own. My plan was to use Audacity (a free, open source audio editor). This is a free program that is VERY easy to use. I was thrilled that it was free and easy to use. All of my students would be able to use this program at home and at school.

When we got ready to record their story we realized that Audacity was blocked! For some reason (turns out because it is an open source file) my school system blocked this great resource! I immediately took action to get the site un-blocked. I emailed everyone I knew and finally discovered that I could download the program to my flash drive and manually install it on all the computers. I did this, but also followed up with my earlier inquiry. As a result I was able to get Audacity unblocked so that other schools would be able to use this great resource.

After this experience I am left with a bad taste in my mouth. We are supposed to be preparing our students for the 21st century, but when I tried to use a 21st century tool, I ran into a roadblock. I am not easily discouraged, but I know that many teachers, especially those who might be intimidated by technology would have probably given up and "chucked" the whole idea.

When will our school systems catch up with the times? I think the lesson I have learned in all of this is that it is up to the educators, those of us who interact daily with the students , to help our school systems catch up. If I did not have a little audacity myself who knows if this resource would have ever been available.

Summer School- Porfolio?

I am teaching summer school for the first time in over 8 years. I must admit that I am actually enjoying the relaxed classroom enviornment that summer school affords. I am teaching a class of 24 "first timers". They are seniors who will graduate early next month. All in all, I have had a good summer so far.

So, the question came to mind-do I have them create an electronic portfolio or not? They will have a portfolio of one kind or another by the end of summer school, but do I have them create it electronically? Admittedly creating an electronic portfolio does call for more time invested for me and my students. It would be so early to skip it all together, but that would cheat my students.

So, I guess I have my answer. My summer students will get the benefit of creating their own electronic portfolio. I do say "benefit" because I strongly believe they need to have the skills it requires to create an electronic portfolio in the future.

Next week we will begin our adventure. I can't wait to see the themes they will create for their work. It should be exciting.

What are 21st Century Literacies Anyway?

Recently I was asked to be part of a very esteemed group of experts at NCTE's Summer Institute on 21st Century Literacies. I must admit that I am honored to be included in the group of people, but I have been left with the question, "Just what are 21st century literacies?"

On the surface it seems that the answer is simple. 21st century literacies must be all the new technology that we educators use in the classroom, but is that all? Is there more to it?

Over the last couple of months I have pondered this question. I think that 21st century literacies not only include all the new "techno stuff", but it also includes all the "old" literacies. I think the "21st century" part is about how these literacies are approached and taught in the classroom. So what do you think?