Reflection
This course has helped me to take the leap from teacher-driven lessons in which I allowed some choice options now and then to developing student-driven lessons that are designed with my students’ interests, learning profiles, and use of technology in mind. It is this course that helped me fully understand how to create Universal Design for Learning lessons and about the benefits these lessons have for my students. As stated, “UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs” (CAST, 2011). Through the readings, research, and discussions each week with my fellow classmates, I have gathered a wide variety of websites and technology tools that I will be using in my classroom.
The first thing I will do, which I have already begun to start, is to develop a menu box for my students providing them with several choice options of different tasks they must complete as a class work grade. These will help students work with the content we are learning in a meaningful way as they picked the task that was most appealing to them. By doing this, students will be able to better retain the information and be better prepared for the test. Some of the choice options involve using the computer such as designing a restaurant menu that requires the use of five proper adjectives and five proper nouns using Microsoft Word or creating an online comic strip that requires using dialogue properly using the web site http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/ and print it out so it can be graded.
By providing students with some choices options that involve the computer I am helping those who have difficulty staying focused in class or organizing their thought when we are writing. As Bray, Brown, and Green state, “software programs provide multisensory and interactive experiences that can be so important for students who are easily distracted” (49).
Software programs also “help users through processes such as outlining and concept mapping” (p.49). A web site I will be using for our next writing unit is http://www.writingfun.com%2Fwritingfun2010.html&h=b7b9d as it provides a list of different writing styles and graphic organizers. When you click on a writing style, a graphic organizer appears that provides step-by-step instructions on how to follow the writing format for that particular style of writing, and there are examples modeling that writing style. On the side of the page, you can see tips or parts of the format which become highlighted in the text, so you can view how it was used. This web site is going to make life a lot easier for my struggling writers and organizers.
I also want to add more technology options to help customize the assessment processes in class. For my advance students who like to take on challenges I will recommend creating a Prezi presentation as this took my some time to get use to how it worked, but when I was finished I was very proud of my product. Prezi presentations can be assessment options in many units that we study. Another assessment option is to create a podcast which is another flexible option to use in a unit of study. I really liked the podcast idea I found at http://voicethread.com/#q.b425796.i2574380 . This allows students to create poems that depict the Great Depression which is a topic we cover in my six grade reading class. I could also have students create commercials using this website when we study persuasive tactics and create recordings from the perspective of the main character in their novels.
Although technology is not the only way to offer choice options for students regarding the learning process and assessment, it definitely provides a larger degree of choice options then what can be done without it. Not all students have the opportunity to work with a wide variety of technology tools outside of the classroom. Therefore, it is my role as their teacher to design lessons that offer the chance to work with such tools, so they can have exposure to them and begin to develop the skills needed in the workforce. I want to ensure I give my students “equal opportunities to learn” (Cast, 2011).
References
Bray, M., Brown, A., & Green, T. (2004). Technology and the diverse learner: A Guide to classroom practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Center for Applied Special Technology. (2011). UDL guidelines, version 1.0. Retrievedfrom http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Final Blog Post
I really liked that this course required us to make a GAME Plan. So often do I learn something and think “I can use that”, but I rarely take it any further and try it out in my lessons. In this course, I set two educational goals for myself: adapting or creating lessons that contain “digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008), and “contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of [my] school and community” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). After setting these goals, I knew I would have to update everyone on how I was doing to achieve my goals and the progress I was making which encouraged me to put them into motion. Through communicating with my fellow classmates at Walden, I was able to learn from their ideas/insight and even share some of my own with them. I began reflecting on my lesson plans each weekend for work to see how I could make improvements for the following week by using some of the technology I had been learning in my course and testing it out with my students. I realize after taking this course how important it is to update lessons, so students are learning the curriculum and technology skills collectively. Digital storytelling and blogging are versatile enough to add to many lessons, so by looking through the units I teach I was able to update the way in which students are sharing and presenting their information. I plan to continue working on my goals by keeping current on the latest technology tools for education and learning how to use them in order to teach my students.
-Lauren Cogan
Reference:
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
-Lauren Cogan
Reference:
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The GAME Plan Process Used with Students
In week two, I created My GAME plan goals which involved improving my lesson plans so they incorporate more technology and concentrating on my professional growth specifically learning more about technology that I can infuse into my lessons. I believe I have learned a lot through this class about technology tools that can be used in the classroom such as blogs, wikis, and digital storytelling. These are all tools that help students to develop proficiency skills in the use of technology. These tools can enable students to meet the NETS-S standards such as standard number four: “Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). Each week as I am developing my lesson plans for the coming week, I observe how I taught the lesson last year and determine how I can improve the lesson by using some form of technology that was not previously there. By learning more about technology and then trying it out in my lessons, students are being exposed to more forms of it and thus are able to meet the NETS-S standards.
Using what I have learned about the GAME plan process from this class, I can help my students to create educational goals of their own. Once written down, students can reflect on these goals by updating their progress much as we have with our goals. This will help students to easily view their goals regularly and reflect on their goals which will motivate them to continue trying to reach them.
My goals I developed will help me to continue updating my lessons to meet the needs of my 21st century students.
-Lauren Cogan
Reference:
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Using what I have learned about the GAME plan process from this class, I can help my students to create educational goals of their own. Once written down, students can reflect on these goals by updating their progress much as we have with our goals. This will help students to easily view their goals regularly and reflect on their goals which will motivate them to continue trying to reach them.
My goals I developed will help me to continue updating my lessons to meet the needs of my 21st century students.
-Lauren Cogan
Reference:
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
GAME Plan-Week Six
The goals I created for myself about implementing new technology into my lessons and improving on my professional development are ongoing goals. I will continue to work towards my goals for the remainder of the school year. A new goal I would like to set for myself is from the NETS-T standard 3.D. “ model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). This new goal is related to my other goals as it involves me learning about and then incorporating new technology into my lessons. I will be using websites like Free Technology for Teachers to keep me up-dated on the newest was to use technology in the classroom. This website always has great ideas for teachers on how to present the learning content but incorporate technology in the process. New information and reviews are posted every day. Finding time to do the extra research is the problem when it comes to meeting this goal. I could spend hours, if I had that type of time, writing down new ideas on adapting lessons I have or developing new ones that increase the use of technology. Time is always the roadblock.
-Lauren Cogan
6-7 language arts
Resource:
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
-Lauren Cogan
6-7 language arts
Resource:
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Monday, November 29, 2010
Evaluating my GAME Plan Progress
This week I have learned a great deal about project-based learning units, and it is wonderful that the one I will be creating for class can be tested out in my own classroom. I have not done many project-based learning units in the past mainly because of the need for technology in every lesson and the fact that we do not have laptops in class really puts a damper on the chance to watch the amount and level of learning that takes place in such a unit. However, I could always try to test out the unit I create over the next couple of weeks during the end of the year when there is less of a demand for the computer lab. My goal of creating more opportunities for students to use and learn with technology would benefit from such a unit, even if it is a mini unit this school year. As stated in chapter eight, “when technology is incorporated in an effective way, it can indeed facilitate creative thinking skills in the language arts classrooms” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p.196). When students are engaged in a problem-based learning lesson, they are using their creative thinking skills to help them make decisions and find solutions to their posed problem(s).
Although I am learning a great deal this week about problem-based learning lessons, I still need to spend more time researching this topic before I feel comfortable presenting this unit to my students. Questions that arise are: How do I ensure all students are sharing the work load in their groups? How do I catch students up who have been absent or would their partners do that? How do I find the time to teach those students not comfortable with technology that may be used such as blogs and wiki? I hope by the end of the three lessons I create, I will be more secure with the idea of creating and using a problem-based learning unit in my classroom.
-Lauren Cogan
6-7 language arts
Reference: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.
Although I am learning a great deal this week about problem-based learning lessons, I still need to spend more time researching this topic before I feel comfortable presenting this unit to my students. Questions that arise are: How do I ensure all students are sharing the work load in their groups? How do I catch students up who have been absent or would their partners do that? How do I find the time to teach those students not comfortable with technology that may be used such as blogs and wiki? I hope by the end of the three lessons I create, I will be more secure with the idea of creating and using a problem-based learning unit in my classroom.
-Lauren Cogan
6-7 language arts
Reference: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.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monitoring my Game Plan Progress
Through this course I am learning a lot more about the technology that is available for the classroom which is helping me to adapt lessons to incorporate more technology. One idea that I want to use in the near future is the online testing software called Hot Potatoes. It allows teachers to create questions for students who go online to answer them and then the information is recorded. (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p.144). This would allow for quick assessments and record keeping. I also like the idea of moving our portfolios to becoming online portfolios. We recently found out our school is doing away with the portfolio boxes that contain each student’s writing samples from each grade level. We were told they do not have enough time to sort through them each year to move the students’ files to their new teacher’s box. If the portfolios were online then they could be accessed very easily each year. Students will just need to save their work in a word document in order to upload it to a portfolio management system (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, 152). Does anyone currently use an online portfolio system with their students? If so, do you allow them to pick what writing they want to add to their portfolio or are they already selected by you? In my district, the teachers select only four writing samples, each being the marking period’s timed writing which gets scored using the state writing rubric. I would prefer to have the students pick which pieces they want to put in their portfolio, but I currently cannot do that. My second goal, growing as an educator, is being fulfilled by taking this course and learning about the technology available for teachers to us in the classroom. I am gaining a lot of resources and information that I can put into my lessons.
-Lauren Cogan
6-7 language arts
Reference: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.
-Lauren Cogan
6-7 language arts
Reference: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.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Carrying Out my GAME Plan
To carry out my first goal of adapting or creating lessons that contain “digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008), I will need computers. I wish my school district, like my husband’s school district, had laptops available for students to use. If my classroom was equipped with laptops, I would be able to incorporate a lot more technology into my lessons. Students could use the laptops to write essays instead of doing it on paper, and when they went back to peer-edit and revise, less work would be required because the essay would be saved in a Word document. We could create electronic portfolios instead of the boxed ones we currently have, and students could easily publish their work to a blog or wiki. Students could also easily access websites we were exploring in class, take on-line quizzes, and each student could participate in interactive review games. I am currently limited in how I adapt my lessons because of the technology that is available. I have, however, been using the SMART board more in class which enables students to have more chances to interact with it, but I am limited to one students at a time.
For my second goal, “contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008), I will need the assistance of my administrators as they are the ones who plan the workshops we attend in school each year. They usually ask for input and comments from the faculty, so I can inform them that more workshops focusing on technology and content specific ideas would greatly benefit the teachers. I am currently taking this class, so that is helping me to reach my goal of improving and growing as a teacher. Each week I am learning new information and forming ideas that I can use in my classroom if not now then in the near future. I am setting and reflecting on goals I have created for myself as a teacher which is also helping me become an effective educator. And lastly, I am always reading and researching new ideas on the computer for improving my lesson plans. By doing this, I am demonstrating my ability to grow as an educator as I am not doing the same lesson year after year.
With that being said, I feel I am off to a good start on reaching my goals set last week.
-Lauren Cogan
6-7 language arts
Reference:
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
For my second goal, “contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008), I will need the assistance of my administrators as they are the ones who plan the workshops we attend in school each year. They usually ask for input and comments from the faculty, so I can inform them that more workshops focusing on technology and content specific ideas would greatly benefit the teachers. I am currently taking this class, so that is helping me to reach my goal of improving and growing as a teacher. Each week I am learning new information and forming ideas that I can use in my classroom if not now then in the near future. I am setting and reflecting on goals I have created for myself as a teacher which is also helping me become an effective educator. And lastly, I am always reading and researching new ideas on the computer for improving my lesson plans. By doing this, I am demonstrating my ability to grow as an educator as I am not doing the same lesson year after year.
With that being said, I feel I am off to a good start on reaching my goals set last week.
-Lauren Cogan
6-7 language arts
Reference:
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
My Personal GAME Plan
Setting goals helps me to continue to challenge myself and continue to grow in my profession. After reviewing the International Society for Technology in Education website and reading through the National Education Standards for Teachers, I have developed two goals that will help me to strengthen my confidence and proficiency in using technology in the classroom. It is my hope that I can meet these goals on some level despite my limited technology resources at school.
The first goal is from indicator 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Experiences and Assessments: “design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). To achieve this goal, I will begin to incorporate more technology into lessons that will benefit from the enhancement. For example, I can use a digital storytelling program to adapt my unit on the personal narrative. In the first marking period, students learn how to write a personal narrative which then goes into their writing portfolio. To incorporate technology into this unit, I can teach students how to use the digital storytelling program to “enable learners to reflect, represent, and communicate what they know” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p.67) in order to help the class “develop a deeper understanding of the perspectives of others” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p.69). Students will be given the opportunity to turn their writing into images and to record their narrative using a recording device. By creating lessons like this one, I will be teaching my students how to use technology and creative thinking skills to demonstrate what they know. To monitor the progress of my goal, I will observe my students during these technology rich lessons to determine if the addition of the technology to the lesson is benefitting the students as ideas may look good on paper, but one needs to see it in action to decide if it was beneficial or not. I will make adjustments to my lesson plans as needed for the next time I teach the lesson. To extend my learning, I will continue to research and read about different ways to use technology to enrich my lessons and promote student creativity and growth.
My second goal is from indicator 5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership: “contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). To achieve this goal, I will continue to peruse my master’s degree in education with a concentration in adolescent literacy and technology. I will also continue to read and research information about technology being used in the classroom, so I can remain current in the latest tools being used to enhance student learning. Lastly, I will continue to take workshops offered by my school district that inform me about technology for the classroom. I have a professional developmental plan that I need to create each year at school and then I chart the different professional developmental programs that I attended. This chart will help me to monitor my goal as I record the classes I attend at Walden and the workshops I attend throughout the year. I will evaluate this goal by reflecting back each month and determining if I used the information I have learn that month to enhance my lessons. It is important that teachers change or adapt their lessons to meet the needs of the current students they have. Classes change each year regarding their needs and abilities. If I do not modify or adapt my lessons from year to year then I am not benefitting my students or being an effective teacher. I owe it to my students to replenishment my resources that I use to deliver my lessons, and I can do this effectively by meeting my goal.
Reference:
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.
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
The first goal is from indicator 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Experiences and Assessments: “design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). To achieve this goal, I will begin to incorporate more technology into lessons that will benefit from the enhancement. For example, I can use a digital storytelling program to adapt my unit on the personal narrative. In the first marking period, students learn how to write a personal narrative which then goes into their writing portfolio. To incorporate technology into this unit, I can teach students how to use the digital storytelling program to “enable learners to reflect, represent, and communicate what they know” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p.67) in order to help the class “develop a deeper understanding of the perspectives of others” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p.69). Students will be given the opportunity to turn their writing into images and to record their narrative using a recording device. By creating lessons like this one, I will be teaching my students how to use technology and creative thinking skills to demonstrate what they know. To monitor the progress of my goal, I will observe my students during these technology rich lessons to determine if the addition of the technology to the lesson is benefitting the students as ideas may look good on paper, but one needs to see it in action to decide if it was beneficial or not. I will make adjustments to my lesson plans as needed for the next time I teach the lesson. To extend my learning, I will continue to research and read about different ways to use technology to enrich my lessons and promote student creativity and growth.
My second goal is from indicator 5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership: “contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). To achieve this goal, I will continue to peruse my master’s degree in education with a concentration in adolescent literacy and technology. I will also continue to read and research information about technology being used in the classroom, so I can remain current in the latest tools being used to enhance student learning. Lastly, I will continue to take workshops offered by my school district that inform me about technology for the classroom. I have a professional developmental plan that I need to create each year at school and then I chart the different professional developmental programs that I attended. This chart will help me to monitor my goal as I record the classes I attend at Walden and the workshops I attend throughout the year. I will evaluate this goal by reflecting back each month and determining if I used the information I have learn that month to enhance my lessons. It is important that teachers change or adapt their lessons to meet the needs of the current students they have. Classes change each year regarding their needs and abilities. If I do not modify or adapt my lessons from year to year then I am not benefitting my students or being an effective teacher. I owe it to my students to replenishment my resources that I use to deliver my lessons, and I can do this effectively by meeting my goal.
Reference:
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.
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Friday, April 23, 2010
Reflection
Learning how to develop inquiry-based research projects has been an eye-opening experience for me as I have never created such a unit. Providing students with the opportunity to become investigators, to create their own questions to research, to use the Internet to uncover their answers, and then create a way to demonstrate their learning is what the 21st century learning environment should look like (Laureate Education, Inc, 2009). From the resources I read and the multimedia videos I watched, I was able to learn how beneficial this type of learning is for the students. Previously, I had provided students with the topics or the questions they needed to research. I realized, however, that teachers need to facilitate learning, but the students are the ones who need to become in control of how they learn. As stated in Reading the web: strategies for internet inquiry (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007),“A resourceful person may not know all the answers, but she is strategic and tenacious at finding them…when stumped a resourceful person does not give up but rather tries to think of another resourceful consult.” (119). Teachers need to teach their how to become a resourceful person in life. Students need to acquire the necessary skills such as: how to evaluate a web site to ensure the information is reliable, how to summarize the information, how to synthesize the information read in order to record it in some fashion, and how to deepen their questioning skills in order to proceed on their journey through the inquiry-research. Once the students master these valuable literacy skills, they will be able to use them for many reasons throughout their lives.
I have been greatly influenced by the amount of information I have learned in this course about web literacy and inquiry-based research projects. I realized that the learning that takes place during a lesson does not have to be contained to the classroom. Once students have mastered the necessary skills to embark on the inquiry-based research, they are ready to travel far and wide through the magic route of the Internet. In gaining this knowledge of the 21st century classroom and learning environment, I have been planning on executing next school year the inquiry-based research unit I created. In this unit, students will be exploring questions related to the Great Depression in preparation for the reading of two novels that occur during that time period. Students will get the opportunity to become active learners and explorers. I also would like to develop an inquiry-based project for my 7th graders in their writing class. I will be modifying the research project that my students do in December on a cultural holiday tradition or celebration. Previously, I provided them with questions to help guide them in their research; however, I now plan on teaching them the necessary skills to develop their own questions. I also have learned new ways to teach them how to be stronger investigators such as how to use search engines that are geared towards them, how to be more conscious of the words or phrases they type in the search engine, how to develop stronger questions that will expand their research (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007). With this knowledge, I will be able to better meet the needs of my 21st century students.
I have created a professional developmental goal that I would like to achieve for the 2010-2011 school year related to the use of web literacy. I would like to create a communication forum between my students and another class from a different state. In order to achieve this goal, I need to carefully plan out the process. I will first have to get approval from my school district to ensure we are allowed to use a blog forum as currently no teacher in my district is using technology in this manner. I will have to then connect with another teacher who is willing to arrange his or her time to plan the unit with me as well as be willing to teach the unit the same time that I do. After we create the unit, I will have to teach my students the essential literacy and web skills that I previously mentioned to be able to communicate through the use of a blog forum with students from the other class. Lastly, I will have to ensure the communication between the two classrooms continues until the end of the unit, or students will not remain motivated. Although many problems could occur, these are risks I am willing to take to expand the realm of the learning environment. Students will be able to learn that communication and learning can extend beyond the walls of our classroom as they connect with other students their age who are learning the same unit.
-Lauren Cogan
References:
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Armstrong, S. (Speaker). Program Nine. Project-based learning. [Motion Picture]. Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom. Baltimore: Author.
I have been greatly influenced by the amount of information I have learned in this course about web literacy and inquiry-based research projects. I realized that the learning that takes place during a lesson does not have to be contained to the classroom. Once students have mastered the necessary skills to embark on the inquiry-based research, they are ready to travel far and wide through the magic route of the Internet. In gaining this knowledge of the 21st century classroom and learning environment, I have been planning on executing next school year the inquiry-based research unit I created. In this unit, students will be exploring questions related to the Great Depression in preparation for the reading of two novels that occur during that time period. Students will get the opportunity to become active learners and explorers. I also would like to develop an inquiry-based project for my 7th graders in their writing class. I will be modifying the research project that my students do in December on a cultural holiday tradition or celebration. Previously, I provided them with questions to help guide them in their research; however, I now plan on teaching them the necessary skills to develop their own questions. I also have learned new ways to teach them how to be stronger investigators such as how to use search engines that are geared towards them, how to be more conscious of the words or phrases they type in the search engine, how to develop stronger questions that will expand their research (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007). With this knowledge, I will be able to better meet the needs of my 21st century students.
I have created a professional developmental goal that I would like to achieve for the 2010-2011 school year related to the use of web literacy. I would like to create a communication forum between my students and another class from a different state. In order to achieve this goal, I need to carefully plan out the process. I will first have to get approval from my school district to ensure we are allowed to use a blog forum as currently no teacher in my district is using technology in this manner. I will have to then connect with another teacher who is willing to arrange his or her time to plan the unit with me as well as be willing to teach the unit the same time that I do. After we create the unit, I will have to teach my students the essential literacy and web skills that I previously mentioned to be able to communicate through the use of a blog forum with students from the other class. Lastly, I will have to ensure the communication between the two classrooms continues until the end of the unit, or students will not remain motivated. Although many problems could occur, these are risks I am willing to take to expand the realm of the learning environment. Students will be able to learn that communication and learning can extend beyond the walls of our classroom as they connect with other students their age who are learning the same unit.
-Lauren Cogan
References:
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Armstrong, S. (Speaker). Program Nine. Project-based learning. [Motion Picture]. Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom. Baltimore: Author.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Websites for Students Researching The Great Depression
Here are the following websites I have bookmarked for students researching The Great Depression-specifically the Dust Bowl.
http://www.english.illinois.edu/Maps/depression/dustbowl.htm
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/Cunfer.DustBowl
http://www.ccccok.org/museum/dustbowl.html.
-Lauren Cogan
http://www.english.illinois.edu/Maps/depression/dustbowl.htm
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/Cunfer.DustBowl
http://www.ccccok.org/museum/dustbowl.html.
-Lauren Cogan
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Reflection
“The Read/Write Web holds transformational changes in store for teachers and students of all stripes. But, as is often the case, education has been slow to adapt to these new tools and potentials” (Richardson, 2009, p.3). My philosophy as to what is most important for my students and how I can ensure they process the information has changed dramatically since embarking on the journey throughout this course. During each week’s resources and readings, I was able to obtain further evidence that a big change is about to occur in the education field. I have come to realize that many districts are failing to enrich their students with the skills they will need to use in the 21st century business world. Educators need to move away from the lector approach of teaching in which they control the amount of knowledge that will be access and processed in a lesson to a more shared learning environment allowing the teacher and students to explore the information together. It is known that students learn best when they are working with information that they deem relevant to their lives in some way. By allowing students the ability to use the technology that is easily accessible to the public as tools to use in the learning process, students will be more likely to retain the information as well as gain knowledge of the skills that are needed in their futures. Students are using these tools already in their personal lives; why not expose them to the educational area of these tools. Although the educational system is slow to make the changes in their districts, I believe in the next several years educators will be changing their roles as “the knower of all information” to directional leaders guiding their students through the avenues of information and enabling them to discover in their own ways. Their approaches will no longer be centered around the teacher but on the learner.
I have begun to change my approach in teaching to be more focused on the learners as a result of discovering that my students are not being exposed to the 21st century skills essential to their futures. In reading class, we will be reading two books that deal with autism and how it affects a family. To explore this topic of autism in a more “learner centered” approach, I will be taking my students down to the computer lab to research autism. After exploring the topics on autism, students will present their information to the class. This will be a day of exploring, researching, sharing, and teaching. Students will be able to process more about this topic by exploring websites and sharing their findings with the class than if I was to give them a note sheet that answers questions about autism. They will be able to see different sides of the issues on autism and observe how it affects not only the individual but also the family. I am not an expert on autism, so I look forward to learning a few new things from my students during this lesson. Through this process of discovery, my students will be able to recognize many things about this condition and as they read their novel they will have a better perspective of the characters. The way in which learning takes place in my classroom will not change completely over night, but I will begin to make the switch over to a “learner-centered” classroom one unit at a time after agreeing with the need for these critical changes.
“Studies show that by their senior year, barely one-fourth of today's students agree that school is meaningful or their courses are interesting—and less than half believe what they learn in school will have any bearing on their success in life. However, evidence also shows that by engaging students through participatory media, we can turn these statistics around” (Nussbaum-Beach, 2008, p.1). It is so important that students understand why they are learning the curriculum and how it will be beneficial to their futures. This course has provided me with the opportunity to explore different media tools that I can incorporate into my lessons to not only deepen my ability to work with these different tools but also to peek the interests of learning for those who are bored in school. Technology tools such as podcasts and Wikis I had merely heard of but never explored or thought to incorporate into the classroom. Now, I have become more comfortable with these tools and seen the potential they have in the learning process. These tools can help teachers expose their students to 21st century skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, and team-work. By participating in making a group Wiki, I have explored the problems that may occur in the process, worked closely with others, and shared ideas. Individuals in the business world work with people in other states or countries on projects all the time, so by exposing my students to this realm of learning they are able to learn 21st century skills and understand the importance of what they are learning. As a result of working with additional technology more students will find learning meaningful and interesting.
I have set two long-term goals for myself that will help change my classroom environment to a 21st century classroom. Currently my school district has a strict surf control on student and teacher computers. When creating my podcast for this course, I had a very difficult time being able to access Audacity; luckily, my principal allowed me to use her computer to complete my assignment with the students. In order to meet my first goal of exposing students to podcasts and Wikis, I will have to petition my administration to unblock certain sites for the educational purpose I have in mind. I will not be able to take strides in transforming my classroom into a 21st century learning environment if I cannot have access to the technology needed to fulfill my goals. I plan on presenting my purpose for using the technology and the list of skills and outcomes students will obtain from using the technology. It is my hope with the state’s core curriculum content standards changing that the administration, too, will change with the times and allow my students access to the latest technology resources.
My second long-term goal is to change over from paper portfolios in writing class to online portfolios using student blogs to house the various writing artifacts that we create throughout the year. I do not plan on having students just post their best work rather a collection. This collection of work will consist of a writing piece every two weeks in order to chart the improvements they have been making throughout the school year. The class will reflect on their own writing as well as post on others’ blogs about what they liked in their writing pieces. For conducting peer-edits that we do in class after each writing unit, students will post comments for improvement on their partner’s blog. Through this process, students will obtain a greater desire to do well since others will be able to see their writing. Students will also be able to continue adding to their blog after the year is over if they wish. My obstacle that will have to be overcome in order to put the blogs into motion is to get permission from my principal and also to try and convince other teachers in the language arts department to switch over to e-portfolios. There are some teachers that may be hesitant in doing this since they have had the manila portfolios for years and years, but I believe if I show them how easy it is to create a blog and coach them through creating one, they may be more willing to do so with their classes. “”When you celebrate good work, or use students’ unique ideas to drive further discussion, it goes a long way to creating a community of learners” (Richardson, 2009, p.47). I believe by creating blogs it will expose students to more writing and help them learn from one another how to improve and value their writing techniques. If the other teachers jump on board with this goal I have for next year, the community of learners in my school district with be vast.
In order to continue increasing my knowledge of how to teach with technology, I will continue to take courses at Walden as well as continue to read education articles about this topic. It is my job, as an educator, to expose my students to the curriculum that I value to be essential to them in future grade levels as well as to set up a foundation of skills for their future careers. I want my students to succeed and have the 21st century skills that they need. By keeping myself up-to-date on the lasts forms of technology accessible in the classroom as well as ways to implement it, I am doing my job as their teacher in preparing them for the future and guiding them in the learning process.
Resource:
Nussbaum-Beach, S. (2008). No limits. Technology & Learning, 28(7), 14–18.
Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/article/8466
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
I have begun to change my approach in teaching to be more focused on the learners as a result of discovering that my students are not being exposed to the 21st century skills essential to their futures. In reading class, we will be reading two books that deal with autism and how it affects a family. To explore this topic of autism in a more “learner centered” approach, I will be taking my students down to the computer lab to research autism. After exploring the topics on autism, students will present their information to the class. This will be a day of exploring, researching, sharing, and teaching. Students will be able to process more about this topic by exploring websites and sharing their findings with the class than if I was to give them a note sheet that answers questions about autism. They will be able to see different sides of the issues on autism and observe how it affects not only the individual but also the family. I am not an expert on autism, so I look forward to learning a few new things from my students during this lesson. Through this process of discovery, my students will be able to recognize many things about this condition and as they read their novel they will have a better perspective of the characters. The way in which learning takes place in my classroom will not change completely over night, but I will begin to make the switch over to a “learner-centered” classroom one unit at a time after agreeing with the need for these critical changes.
“Studies show that by their senior year, barely one-fourth of today's students agree that school is meaningful or their courses are interesting—and less than half believe what they learn in school will have any bearing on their success in life. However, evidence also shows that by engaging students through participatory media, we can turn these statistics around” (Nussbaum-Beach, 2008, p.1). It is so important that students understand why they are learning the curriculum and how it will be beneficial to their futures. This course has provided me with the opportunity to explore different media tools that I can incorporate into my lessons to not only deepen my ability to work with these different tools but also to peek the interests of learning for those who are bored in school. Technology tools such as podcasts and Wikis I had merely heard of but never explored or thought to incorporate into the classroom. Now, I have become more comfortable with these tools and seen the potential they have in the learning process. These tools can help teachers expose their students to 21st century skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, and team-work. By participating in making a group Wiki, I have explored the problems that may occur in the process, worked closely with others, and shared ideas. Individuals in the business world work with people in other states or countries on projects all the time, so by exposing my students to this realm of learning they are able to learn 21st century skills and understand the importance of what they are learning. As a result of working with additional technology more students will find learning meaningful and interesting.
I have set two long-term goals for myself that will help change my classroom environment to a 21st century classroom. Currently my school district has a strict surf control on student and teacher computers. When creating my podcast for this course, I had a very difficult time being able to access Audacity; luckily, my principal allowed me to use her computer to complete my assignment with the students. In order to meet my first goal of exposing students to podcasts and Wikis, I will have to petition my administration to unblock certain sites for the educational purpose I have in mind. I will not be able to take strides in transforming my classroom into a 21st century learning environment if I cannot have access to the technology needed to fulfill my goals. I plan on presenting my purpose for using the technology and the list of skills and outcomes students will obtain from using the technology. It is my hope with the state’s core curriculum content standards changing that the administration, too, will change with the times and allow my students access to the latest technology resources.
My second long-term goal is to change over from paper portfolios in writing class to online portfolios using student blogs to house the various writing artifacts that we create throughout the year. I do not plan on having students just post their best work rather a collection. This collection of work will consist of a writing piece every two weeks in order to chart the improvements they have been making throughout the school year. The class will reflect on their own writing as well as post on others’ blogs about what they liked in their writing pieces. For conducting peer-edits that we do in class after each writing unit, students will post comments for improvement on their partner’s blog. Through this process, students will obtain a greater desire to do well since others will be able to see their writing. Students will also be able to continue adding to their blog after the year is over if they wish. My obstacle that will have to be overcome in order to put the blogs into motion is to get permission from my principal and also to try and convince other teachers in the language arts department to switch over to e-portfolios. There are some teachers that may be hesitant in doing this since they have had the manila portfolios for years and years, but I believe if I show them how easy it is to create a blog and coach them through creating one, they may be more willing to do so with their classes. “”When you celebrate good work, or use students’ unique ideas to drive further discussion, it goes a long way to creating a community of learners” (Richardson, 2009, p.47). I believe by creating blogs it will expose students to more writing and help them learn from one another how to improve and value their writing techniques. If the other teachers jump on board with this goal I have for next year, the community of learners in my school district with be vast.
In order to continue increasing my knowledge of how to teach with technology, I will continue to take courses at Walden as well as continue to read education articles about this topic. It is my job, as an educator, to expose my students to the curriculum that I value to be essential to them in future grade levels as well as to set up a foundation of skills for their future careers. I want my students to succeed and have the 21st century skills that they need. By keeping myself up-to-date on the lasts forms of technology accessible in the classroom as well as ways to implement it, I am doing my job as their teacher in preparing them for the future and guiding them in the learning process.
Resource:
Nussbaum-Beach, S. (2008). No limits. Technology & Learning, 28(7), 14–18.
Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/article/8466
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Podcast Headache Rant
( Note: There are two links in this post)
When I first began this podcast assignment, I did not predict that is was going to be a royal pain and cause so many problems. I began my podcast assignment early at school because I knew I had to create the survey, get it approved from the principal, conduct the survey with my homeroom students, then plead with them to get their permission form signed by their parents in order to move on to the next step of the assignment. Out of fifteen students who were surveyed, seven remembered! I only needed three, so I was okay with that. I compiled the data from the survey http://feed.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/2116/mp3.rss I was ready for the next step. Then the problems from school started.
It all began with the fact that I was unable to download Audacity from my computer at work since it has a surf control block on it. When I contacted one of the administrators who handles the technology in our district, she advised me to contact the company that deals with the teachers’ computer problems by sending them an email. That is when I knew I would not be doing the student interviews that day. I happened to see my principal in the office that day and told her about the road block in my project, and she told me that the computer company that helps with teachers’ computer issues often does not reply to emails as quickly as we would expect… could take a week!!! She then said I could try her computer to see if Audacity would work. Luckily it did, and I was allowed to bring my four students down to her office to conduct the interview portion of my assignment since she was not going to be there on Thursday.
Once I gathered all the students, I had twenty minutes to explain to them that they may not touch anything on her desk, show them how to use the microphone, work the controls of recording and stopping after each questions, etc… It was pretty funny when I look back on it, but the recording http://feed.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/2172/mp3.rss is not great since they were sitting in four chairs and passing the microphone down the line. They seemed to be more interested in the video phone on the wall that displays the people ringing the doorbell to come into school.
In the end, I realized that my school is not prepared for podcasting. I even had the administrator who I had emailed about my problem call me and want to know something along the lines of why schools are just expected to have access to this type of technology and how the recording site could be unsecure. I do not believe I will be including podcasting into my lessons any time in the near future, and I am glad this assignment is over.
When I first began this podcast assignment, I did not predict that is was going to be a royal pain and cause so many problems. I began my podcast assignment early at school because I knew I had to create the survey, get it approved from the principal, conduct the survey with my homeroom students, then plead with them to get their permission form signed by their parents in order to move on to the next step of the assignment. Out of fifteen students who were surveyed, seven remembered! I only needed three, so I was okay with that. I compiled the data from the survey http://feed.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/2116/mp3.rss I was ready for the next step. Then the problems from school started.
It all began with the fact that I was unable to download Audacity from my computer at work since it has a surf control block on it. When I contacted one of the administrators who handles the technology in our district, she advised me to contact the company that deals with the teachers’ computer problems by sending them an email. That is when I knew I would not be doing the student interviews that day. I happened to see my principal in the office that day and told her about the road block in my project, and she told me that the computer company that helps with teachers’ computer issues often does not reply to emails as quickly as we would expect… could take a week!!! She then said I could try her computer to see if Audacity would work. Luckily it did, and I was allowed to bring my four students down to her office to conduct the interview portion of my assignment since she was not going to be there on Thursday.
Once I gathered all the students, I had twenty minutes to explain to them that they may not touch anything on her desk, show them how to use the microphone, work the controls of recording and stopping after each questions, etc… It was pretty funny when I look back on it, but the recording http://feed.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/2172/mp3.rss is not great since they were sitting in four chairs and passing the microphone down the line. They seemed to be more interested in the video phone on the wall that displays the people ringing the doorbell to come into school.
In the end, I realized that my school is not prepared for podcasting. I even had the administrator who I had emailed about my problem call me and want to know something along the lines of why schools are just expected to have access to this type of technology and how the recording site could be unsecure. I do not believe I will be including podcasting into my lessons any time in the near future, and I am glad this assignment is over.
Monday, September 28, 2009
21st Century Skills
I thought the information on the website, 21st Century Skills.Org http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf , was a start as far as trying to create goals and a direction for the schools to move towards when they begin the change to incorporating 21st century skills in their districts’ curriculum. I do feel, however, that it will be a long time coming before all schools are able to make that change and close the gap between how schools teach and how businesses work. The technology that businesses are using in the workplace and students are using at home far surpasses the technology that many schools are using today in their districts. The problem with making the change and incorporating 21st century skills into the core content areas is money and age. Schools do not have the proper funding to upgrade their technology tools. There are some schools where students have poor quality text books and unrepaired facilities. To think that these districts will be using the technology and incorporating 21st century skills into their curriculum that is discussed on the 21st Century Skills’ website is being unrealistic. Then, there are teachers who are older and unwilling to change their ways to learn how to use and incorporate the new technology. Just as I believe that not all students will be able to meet the demands of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, I do not believe that all schools will be able to incorporate the amount of technology that is being used in the work force. This change over will be a long process unless proper funding is found and teachers receive sufficient training in the technology tools. We cannot expect older teachers to be given technology tools and then start using them; they need to be trained and warmed-up to the idea.
While reading the information about assessment, I found it surprising that students who are use to typing out their writing as opposed to writing it out may be losing valuable time during the timed test. It is true that people can type a lot faster than they can manually write out, and taking your time to have neat handwriting is not an issue when using a computer. Also, if a student is typing during the test and wants to add or change part of their response they can do it a lot easier than if you were writing it and trying to fit the new information into a tight spot of space. However, in my school district, we write a lot without using a computer. We even practice timed writing several times throughout the year before the state test. Therefore, I believe that students should be able to interchangeably write and/or type effectively to communicate.
The website implies that teachers truly need to make the decision to cross over to the 21st century and incorporate the skills that the students will need for their future careers. I agree that it is important to involve technology into lessons so students are exposed to different degrees of technology, but teachers are limited to what their district can afford and offer. The site also implies that the students who do not learn the skills needed for the 21st century will fall behind and be unable to contribute in the work force (21st century skills.org). It is important to be exposed to technology and be willing to learn and adapt, but I feel this is a scare tactic. There are many blue collar jobs that will not require such demanding skills and if they do, I am sure they will offer some type of training.
As a whole, I do agree with many of the points addressed on the website in reference to incorporating 21st century skills into lessons. As a fairly young teacher, I am willing to make changes to my lessons and expose my students to real-life learning situations. They do learn more and are eager to learn when they can find a need for the knowledge and skills. However, the gap between 21st century skills and how students are learning today will continue to be open until proper funding is available to all school districts and teachers are trained in the use of technology tools.
Recourse:
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf
While reading the information about assessment, I found it surprising that students who are use to typing out their writing as opposed to writing it out may be losing valuable time during the timed test. It is true that people can type a lot faster than they can manually write out, and taking your time to have neat handwriting is not an issue when using a computer. Also, if a student is typing during the test and wants to add or change part of their response they can do it a lot easier than if you were writing it and trying to fit the new information into a tight spot of space. However, in my school district, we write a lot without using a computer. We even practice timed writing several times throughout the year before the state test. Therefore, I believe that students should be able to interchangeably write and/or type effectively to communicate.
The website implies that teachers truly need to make the decision to cross over to the 21st century and incorporate the skills that the students will need for their future careers. I agree that it is important to involve technology into lessons so students are exposed to different degrees of technology, but teachers are limited to what their district can afford and offer. The site also implies that the students who do not learn the skills needed for the 21st century will fall behind and be unable to contribute in the work force (21st century skills.org). It is important to be exposed to technology and be willing to learn and adapt, but I feel this is a scare tactic. There are many blue collar jobs that will not require such demanding skills and if they do, I am sure they will offer some type of training.
As a whole, I do agree with many of the points addressed on the website in reference to incorporating 21st century skills into lessons. As a fairly young teacher, I am willing to make changes to my lessons and expose my students to real-life learning situations. They do learn more and are eager to learn when they can find a need for the knowledge and skills. However, the gap between 21st century skills and how students are learning today will continue to be open until proper funding is available to all school districts and teachers are trained in the use of technology tools.
Recourse:
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Blogging in class
I really enjoyed reading everyone's ideas on how to incorporate blogs into their classrooms. Currently no one in my school district uses blogs with the students, so once I finish this course I would definitely like to test it out. Someone in our group had suggested to another that they attempt to begin blogging with just one group of students, so it does not become overwhelming. You can also see where the kinks are with that "trial" group of students. I really like that suggestion and will use just on section of my students at first to try blogging.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Blogging in the classroom
Allowing students to use blogging for an educational purpose would be a lot of fun for my middle school students. They really enjoy making Power Points and presenting videotaped presentations, so blogging would be a step above that for many of them. I teach sixth and seventh grade Language Arts, so blogging could be used to turn our regular portfolio folders into an online portfolio. This would allow students to be able to access their writing at any time and add to it if they wanted after the school year was over. Creating an online forum for one’s writing would definitely motive students to spend more time with the drafting process since their writing would be available for their classmates’ viewing and even their parents. I also like the advantage for teachers mentioned in our reading from the week that “the dog never eats it; it’s either in their blog or not” (Richardson, 2006, p.22).
Another use for blogging could be to enhance the old fashioned pen pal. Two teachers at different schools could develop a common forum where their students would create personal blogs and write weekly posts where they communicate back and forth to one another. Students could practice their writing techniques and incorporate technology in the process. It would also bring further appeal to having a pen pal from a different state or even country since the communication would be more instant than using the old fashion post office method of communication. Maybe students from the two schools would be reading the same novel. In this case, students from the two schools could hold weekly discussion answering teacher generated as well as student generated questions based on the novel. This takes the classroom literature circle to a higher level. Students would not only be discussing with the students in their class, but they would also get to hear the viewpoints from students in another area who might offer a different perspective on issues from the novel. I believe using the blogs would definitely motivate students to continue to read their novel, so they would be able to post on their blog. At first these students are strangers and discussing topics created by their teachers. By continuing the communication over a period of a novel, these students may begin to discuss other topics or interests they have in common, thus creating a friendship through their educational blogging.
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Another use for blogging could be to enhance the old fashioned pen pal. Two teachers at different schools could develop a common forum where their students would create personal blogs and write weekly posts where they communicate back and forth to one another. Students could practice their writing techniques and incorporate technology in the process. It would also bring further appeal to having a pen pal from a different state or even country since the communication would be more instant than using the old fashion post office method of communication. Maybe students from the two schools would be reading the same novel. In this case, students from the two schools could hold weekly discussion answering teacher generated as well as student generated questions based on the novel. This takes the classroom literature circle to a higher level. Students would not only be discussing with the students in their class, but they would also get to hear the viewpoints from students in another area who might offer a different perspective on issues from the novel. I believe using the blogs would definitely motivate students to continue to read their novel, so they would be able to post on their blog. At first these students are strangers and discussing topics created by their teachers. By continuing the communication over a period of a novel, these students may begin to discuss other topics or interests they have in common, thus creating a friendship through their educational blogging.
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
First Post
The only blog I ever created was for an under-grad class I took several years ago. I viewed a few of the blogging sites and found this one to be very user friendly. I hope to improve my blog as I learn how to use more of the tools provided on the site. I have developed this blog for a graduate class I am taking at Walden University.
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