Saturday, January 29, 2011
Compromise
After some tough bargaining with my reader self, I finally agreed to put down my book and work for at the minimum of two hours on the web app project that Larry and I are doing. I got the Keynote completely finished! HALLELUJAH!! All that is left is meeting with Larry and going over the presentation. Then I spent the afternoon finishing my book, very rewarding! Now to figure out how to get to work on the webquest!
Motivation, where art thou?
On the one hand, I have 100 pages left in the book that I just can't put down....on the other hand, I have two projects that are due next weekend. Why, oh why, is this such a struggle? I have always worked best under pressure but it seems that in my old (okay, not THAT old) age, I just can't bring myself to work on something until THE very last minute. I am beyond frustrated with myself at this point! Words of wisdom?
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Social Networking Sites - part deux!
Interestingly enough, I checked my school email today to find the following email from our school administration. Clearly, we will not be using any of these sites for educational purposes any time in the near future! I really can't say that I disagree!
Dear Staff,
The use of social networking is growing at a rapid rate as adults and students use social media sites such as Face Book or MySpace to connect with family and friends. Many of our own staff communicate effectively with students via First Class regarding assignments or school related questions.
I strongly discourage staff from socializing with students outside of school on social networking websites, including but not limited to MySpace, Facebook or Twitter. I remind everyone that email, text messaging, instant messaging and social networking with students about non-school related issues is not appropriate. It has been brought to my attention that staff members are "friending" students on social networks and non-school related text messages are being sent to student cell phones.
I have attached a copy of the Conduct Between Staff and Students Policy. This policy clearly states that "friending" students on social networking sites (outside of any school approved activity) is prohibited conduct. Please keep relationships with students professional at all times. Thank you.
Chapter 2 - Social Networking sites and the classroom- still a skeptic
I read chapter two in Teaching Tech Savvy Kids hoping to be convinced that social networking sites in K-12 schools are a great idea...I am still waiting! This chapter was written by Jessica K. Parker and danah boyd (no, she does not capitalize her name) and discusses students and their use of social networking sites such as Facebook, My Space, and so on. The authors make a couple of convincing points for their use in schools but have still not convinced me. One of their main arguments is that students need our guidance in navigating these sites and their implications on friendships, future college and job choices, misunderstandings and the like. I wonder why this guidance can't take place without interacting on these sites? Sites such as Edmodo and Ning are great places to have a Facebook like setting while it is an educational forum. You can also include parents in the sites as well as administrators and the like.
I do love their idea of using Facebook for history lessons. Students would really buy into setting up Facebook pages for Abe Lincoln or Eleanor Roosevelt. Imagine the creativity this would allow! For example, who would Abe Lincoln friend? What would his profile pic be? What pages would he "Like"? Students would have a blast with this activity.
I agree that there needs to be discussion and guidance for students to learn how to navigate the ever-changing social networking sites, however, does the teacher have to befriend them online in order to have valid, concrete discussions? The risks associated with befriending students on social networking sites still outweighs the positive for me. What does anyone else think?
I do love their idea of using Facebook for history lessons. Students would really buy into setting up Facebook pages for Abe Lincoln or Eleanor Roosevelt. Imagine the creativity this would allow! For example, who would Abe Lincoln friend? What would his profile pic be? What pages would he "Like"? Students would have a blast with this activity.
I agree that there needs to be discussion and guidance for students to learn how to navigate the ever-changing social networking sites, however, does the teacher have to befriend them online in order to have valid, concrete discussions? The risks associated with befriending students on social networking sites still outweighs the positive for me. What does anyone else think?
Monday, January 17, 2011
Great Choice
I recently started reading the book that I chose for our class, Teaching Tech-Savvy Kids and have been pleasantly surprised. I don't think I could have chosen a better fit for me. This book offers me a continuation of the research I did for the paper that I wrote for our last class, "Student-Centered Models of Professional Development and Classroom Integration". I have read through the first chapter and am anxious to continue. The author, Jessica K. Parker, has structured this book around the idea that, "our goal as educators in understanding youth and digital media should be to frame our discussion around learning, literacy and knowledge rather than merely concentrating on the integration of and access to technological tools" (p. 2). I agree, in order to remain influential over our classrooms we need to forget what the technological tool is and focus on what it can offer to our students.
In the first chapter, Maryanne Berry, a twelfth grade English teacher, makes the case for using instant messaging as a way to create discussion groups in her classes (I have to admit, as I started reading this passage I would classify myself as skeptical). Berry previously assigned journal entries for her students but five years ago decided to experiment with online chat rooms. The students were required to turn in the transcripts of their chats and to have a certain number of chats throughout the semester. She discovered that the chats were much longer (students meeting on-line often times for an hour or more) and more engaged than the journal entries and peer responses. "The emailed journal responses resembled short written letters between readers, while the instant messaging resembled spoken conversations" (p. 11). Berry also noticed that the students using instant messaging had other successes such as the ease of exchange between students who may not have been friends and that the conversations allowed for students to reveal their understandings and questions of the book. She also noticed that the instant messages allowed for a more abstract and complex understanding of the book. As Berry points out, the results of her five year study indicate that this is certainly one form of "new media" that supports learning. While this is not the conventional journal entry, it certainly is an idea that we need to explore.
I really like that Parker's book is not going to be, in her words, "cut-n-paste activities for teachers to integrate into their classrooms but to really grapple with serious technological and communicative changes that deeply affect how and what students learn in school" (p. 13). Not every teacher has the same style, same knowledge, same pedagogy and therefore what works for one teacher will not necessarily work for another. I like that Parker recognizes that we really need to focus on the learner and how they learn and run with that. I am really looking forward to reading more of her ideas.
In the first chapter, Maryanne Berry, a twelfth grade English teacher, makes the case for using instant messaging as a way to create discussion groups in her classes (I have to admit, as I started reading this passage I would classify myself as skeptical). Berry previously assigned journal entries for her students but five years ago decided to experiment with online chat rooms. The students were required to turn in the transcripts of their chats and to have a certain number of chats throughout the semester. She discovered that the chats were much longer (students meeting on-line often times for an hour or more) and more engaged than the journal entries and peer responses. "The emailed journal responses resembled short written letters between readers, while the instant messaging resembled spoken conversations" (p. 11). Berry also noticed that the students using instant messaging had other successes such as the ease of exchange between students who may not have been friends and that the conversations allowed for students to reveal their understandings and questions of the book. She also noticed that the instant messages allowed for a more abstract and complex understanding of the book. As Berry points out, the results of her five year study indicate that this is certainly one form of "new media" that supports learning. While this is not the conventional journal entry, it certainly is an idea that we need to explore.
I really like that Parker's book is not going to be, in her words, "cut-n-paste activities for teachers to integrate into their classrooms but to really grapple with serious technological and communicative changes that deeply affect how and what students learn in school" (p. 13). Not every teacher has the same style, same knowledge, same pedagogy and therefore what works for one teacher will not necessarily work for another. I like that Parker recognizes that we really need to focus on the learner and how they learn and run with that. I am really looking forward to reading more of her ideas.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
What do you think?
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Welcome!
I am really looking forward to learning more about web 2.0 tools and how to tailor them to the variety of teachers that I work with. I have used a blog with my students in the past and currently have a wiki that I use for PD with teachers but have not had a lot of time to keep up to date with quickly changing and ever-developing Internet tools and resources.
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