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| Inspiration from the STRANGEST places... |
| 09.29.03 (8:41 pm) [edit] |
As a Literacy Coach I'm always looking for inspiration --for myself, my teachers, and my students. This evening I came across a fabulous site by Michael Arnzen, a Professor of Creative Writing that totally inspired me! His site, [b]gorelets[/b] http://www.gorelets.com/[/url is an amazing feast for the eyes and a riveting diversion into the deliciously macabre. Truly creative and I loved it!
Its got me thinking--wouldn't it be great to get students writing using Flash? I've use Hyperstudio many times and students became very motivated to write and publish using sound effects and "ghost writing." But Flash is much more sophisticated. I wonder how difficult it is to learn and use effectively.
I can imagine students writing expository pieces that are punctuated by flashing pictures that further illustrate the topic. And what about narratives-a fairytale that comes to life with flashing pictures strategically place to emphasize repetitive text? Student motivation and creativity would be off the hook!
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| Chaos, Complexity, and the Heroic Educator... |
| 09.25.03 (8:53 pm) [edit] |
In chapter 4 of [b]The Hero's Journey: How Educators Can Transform Schools and Improve Learning[/b] http://www.ascd.org/readingro... by John L. Brown and Cerylle A. Moffett the authors write:
[i]How, then, can the heroic educator, school, and system face the challenges of chaos and complexity? How can they successfully tame—or eliminate—their serpents in the garden and their dragons breathing fire at their doorsteps? In The Living Company, de Gues (1997) suggests:
To cope with a changing world, any entity must develop the capability of shifting and changing, of developing new skills and attitudes: in short the capability of learning . . . the essence of learning is the ability to manage change by changing yourself—as much for people when they grow up as for companies when they live through turmoil. (p. 20)[/i]
I like the idea that to manage change we must change ourselves, something which requires struggle--a revolution of the self. In my experience, this happens best through self reflection and feedback. Enter--the blog, a great tool in "edu-revolution" with its built in reflection and the opportunity for feedback. Imagine how powerful it would have been to start out as a new educator with a structure for self reflection and feedback already in place. That's just what Pam Pritchard has done http://www.edithere.com/eyt with her Mentor Blog. I know how valuable concentrated reflection and feedback can be because last year I went through the NBC http://www.nbpts.org process with UTLA's Support Network http://www.laep.org/about/nat... In my 14 years of teaching it was the single most powerful professional development experience I've participated in and I am fundamentally changed because of it. Kudos to you Pam, and to your mentee!
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| Blog or Website...visit Pat Delaney! |
| 09.21.03 (10:28 pm) [edit] |
I've been searching the web and I'm still under the same impression--a blog is not a website because the beauty of a blog is that it is personal/the blogger's personality comes through while a website is an information portal. Can an entity--a school, a department--have a blog? Wouldn't that be a website?
Today I came across Pat Delaney's "Library Digital Agenda" http://www.bayareawritingproj... It is fabulous and it IS a blog! I don't know Pat Delaney, but reading his library blog really made me want to visit his school because of his excitement about what's going on there. And, since the posts are in chronological order, I could understand (and be inspired) at how the "Crash and Burn Cafe" came about (you really MUST visit his blog). This blog proved that a school CAN create a blog--a first person narrative in real time. I hope to find more school sites calling themselves blogs that really are...
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| Whoa Nelly... that's not a blog, that's a website! |
| 09.17.03 (1:31 pm) [edit] |
Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but I keep coming across blogs that are websites claiming to be blogs. To me, the beauty of a blog is that the blogger posts news, thoughts, etc. in chronological order while the use of the comments box allows for interaction with the reader.
Now, I've had a website--one that I created for my students' use. It was a kind of reference portal, consisting of organized hotlists, some relevent information I put in, and a section for uploaded student work, including pictures. There were no posts in chronological order. There was no comments area--no interaction between webmaster and websurfer. And forget RSS!
[b][i]"A blog is a first person narrative in real time."[/i][/b]
It seems to me that a blog is unique because of the posts in chronological order [i]and[/i] the reader interaction. It's an unfolding story. Blogs that become popular are those whose readers get caught up in the storyline and long to visit the next day to "turn the page" so to speak, and see what new event has taken place, and how the main character/s have reacted or changed as a result. Thus, communities form as readers and fellow bloggers hitch a ride to see how the story continues. As they do, they become part of the ongoing saga--often commented on, and linked to. Sometimes these links create supportive relationships--sometimes disagreements come up; tiffs occur--just like real life. Whether it's a newsblog, edublog, hobbyblog, etc., the blogger's personality comes through, and if the story is interesting, the reader keeps turning the pages.
I've only been blogging for two weeks and I already feel part of a dynamic community. Other bloggers and readers have become characters in my story; we have created dialogue together that leads me (and the collective "we" I hope), further along an exciting plot with twists and turns, ultimately leading me (and "we"), to something new and worthwhile. I never had this feeling of growth as an educator, or development as an amateur writer, with my website because there was no built in self reflection or reader's voice to move me along. So, I think it's the blogging that matters and I hope we continue to explore its possibilities without diluting its essence.
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| Learn baby, learn... |
| 09.14.03 (9:52 pm) [edit] |
As Christopher Walken, [i](The Continental on Saturday Night Live)[/i] says, "Wowie, wow, wow, wow!"
I'm so amazed at how blogs are being used in education. Here's what I've learned this weekend:
[b]RSS[/b]--This allows you subscribe to your favorite blogs and read the latest blog entries from one location. I subscribed to Bloglines http://www.bloglines.com/ and now I can get my blog updates from any computer that's online.
[b]Kinder students blog[/b]-- At the British School of Amsterdam's Infant School Weblog, Mr. Haynes' class of Kinder students not only create stories that are posted on their blog but they also recite stories and poems that are posted as audiofiles http://www.bsablogs.com/Class...
[b]IM and Blogging in the classroom [/b]--Read the transcript of a classroom using IM on the free radical blog http://l.editthispage.com/200... What a great idea.
[b]Project Blogs[/b]--classrooms are using blogs to create collaborative projects and as part of the wequest experience. Students can track and reflect on their research as they progress through the quest. Interesting.
I purused dozens of educator blogs, which I found to be pretty sophisticated, often experimental, visionary, and filled with helpful links. I'm definitely on the same wavelength as the Writing Project people. This is truly exciting.
I could just jump for joy... oh yeah, that's right, [i]I really can jump for joy since I'm writing this on my wireless Acer Travelmate Tablet PC.[/i] Wait--let me put the stylus down. Did you hear that? That was the sound of me hugging my tablet pc and jumping for joy.
[b]I love being a teacher in 2003![/b]
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| Wow...there's a whole community out there! |
| 09.11.03 (8:16 pm) [edit] |
Well I'll be darned--there's a whole community of educators out there using blogs in elementary school! And here I was reinventing the wheel. Now I can actually commune with the like minded--wow, I love this blogging stuff!
Today I worked with the same 4th grade class, but I actually had the LCD projector (though still only 2 computers work--sheesh). We discussed blogging, read the blog together, and everyone learned to post a comment. The students were more into the tech gadgetry than the content of their comments. [b]Some kids had never seen a real laptop![/b] I think I'll totally freak them out tomorrow by bringing in the Tablet PC I borrowed from Acer http://www.acersupport.com/no... and write out a blog comment using the stylus. [i](By the way, think of all the great writing process work that could be done using a tablet pc and software with overlays. hmmmm...)[/i]
I like what weezBlog http://www.rit.edu/~eroics/MT/WeezBlog/archi ves/000131.html[/url] had to say about blogging: [i][b]"Blogs are a first person narrative in real time."[/b][/i] nice...
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| My 1st day working with students on blogging! |
| 09.10.03 (8:16 pm) [edit] |
I went into a 4th grade ELD classroom today and introduced blogging. I began by asking what a [b]web[/b] is and received the answers "a spiderweb" and a "fishing net". I drew both and asked them what they had in common and they focused on the connecting threads. Then I asked what www meant, which they knew. I asked what kind of web www meant and how did that relate to connecting threads. That was a great little discussion about "jumping" from "doing email" to "chatting" to "buying online" to "online games", etc. Next, I used a Circle Map to brainstorm in black marker what a [b]Weblog[/b] was, which was interesting. I charted lots of answers. We finally got to "homework log", "keeping a log", "writing about your life", "biography", and "diary". With a red marker I enclosed We[b]blog[/b] (blog) in a box and asked them what they thought a blog was. Interestingly, they went on a different tangent, saying "a virus", "a computer problem", etc. I brought attention back to the word in the center of the brainstorm-weblog, blog, log-and asked them "If a weblog is a kind of diary or log where you write about your life, then what is a blog?" Two more students went off direction again until a third said "a weblog". Eureka!!! After a short discussion about what people might blog about I explained to them they would try blogging and learn to be bloggers (which they didn't get at first so I had to write "skate=skater=skating jump=jumper=jumping" and ask what the "er" suffix and "ing" suffix denoted) so that a student said "oh, a blogger is someone who blogs and blogging is doing a blog." Hurray!-(it's tough for English Language Learners--they need lots of visuals and to have things broken down so they can connect the dots themselves and create meaning rather than just getting definitions). I introduced them to the blog site and the avatar, SuperThinker.
Problem: The LCD projector was unavailable and only one computer went online! [b]Aaargh!!![/b] So, tomorrow I go back to get them online. I am encouraged by the conceptual work they did--without even seeing the blog--and excited to have them actually on the blog tomorrow!
I'm beginning to formulate ideas for helping students master the specific literary elements they will apply as they write in a specific genre. For example, a blog entry on how a specific writer uses a literary element effectively--a blog entry on interesting leads, ways to develop character through dialogue, persuasive concluding paragraphs, etc. and a call for students to post their own examples in the comments section. Further interacting with the student posts can happen in the next blog entry. And so on.
[b]I wonder if other elementary schools are using blogs to further genre study/practice/mastery? Anyone?[/b]
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| Technology as Diversion/Essential Questions |
| 09.08.03 (2:59 pm) [edit] |
Well, my ITAF sent me this link on an article to guide our technology integration efforts. It's called "Technology as Diversion" http://www.fno.org/sept03/div... The idea is to think about the purpose of the technology being used. Is it just the newest trend, or is it meaningful because it helps develop mastery of the targeted standards? Here is a quote from the article:
[i]"Schools and teachers should be using new technologies only when they serve the primary mission of schools - teaching students to think, solve problems, make smart decisions, read with understanding, interpret information and communicate effectively."[/i]
It leads into an article called "From Trivial Pursuit to Essential Question" http://www.fno.org/feb01/pl.h... which basically brings us back to Bloom Taxonomy because it focuses on asking the higher level thinking questions, vs. just basic recall and information.
Applying this to blogging, my focus needs to be on creating essential questions that move students toward mastery of the grade level standards.
EXCELLENT! I feel more focused in my efforts. Thanks Barb!
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| Excited about next week! |
| 09.07.03 (6:05 pm) [edit] |
Next week I am going into two 4th grade classrooms and get students started on the blog I set up for them. I plan to introduce them to blogging, get them on the site, and have them post a comment. I have been looking at other educational blogs, both about their educational uses and classroom blogs themselves. I am getting a bit confused. The blogs about their educational uses are actual blogs as I understand them to be--a weblog, a collection of information, opinions, etc. But, the classblogs seem more like webpages, including school calendars, etc. Hmmm...
Well, we'll see how it develops.
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| Here we go... |
| 09.06.03 (12:45 am) [edit] |
So there I was, just minding my own business--surfing the web, checking out tablet pc's, and drooling. Oooo...aaah...slate tablets (leave your keyboard at home and just use the stylus), convertible tablets (laptop + slate [the screen swivels and locks down flat] = my fave), and wha d'ya know, I come across several kinda funny sites that were "blogs", whatever that meant. Hmm--immediately interested, I stopped my tablet drooling and started searching for more of those blog things. Boy did I find more. Blogs of every kind--storyblogs, opinionblogs, photoblogs, hobbyblogs, informationblogs, diaries, sarcastic smartass blogs, really annoying wow you should be taking medication blogs (its scary out there folks), and yada, yada, yada--you get the picture. If you can think it, you can blog it.
Blogs are so awesome, ya know, with everybody putting their lives out there and all. Anonymously becoming known--connecting, posting links to each other's blogs, creating communities. Wow! Suddenly, it hit me. Since I'm a teacher, wouldn't it be cool if I created a blog for students to share their ideas about books and the concepts they develop? Hey, students could even post their own writing and receive comments. Excellent, no? (And heck, throw in using a tablet pc and an LCD projector to take students through the blogging process, and I'm in like flynn.) So, I checked out free blog sites (with no ads and some kind of privacy--no weirdos trying to communicate with the kids). I put up a couple of blogs to experiement, and feeling insecure, I quickly took them down. I thought that maybe I was in over my head. I didn't think my focus was clear. I didn't feel confident about teaching something I didn't know that much about and that was so new to me. But still, the coolness factor drew me in. Then today I came across this blog by Will Richardson, a professor of instructional technology http://www.weblogg-ed.com/new...$Professional%20Developme nt and read his advice to newbie teacher bloggers, "To teach writing, write...To teach blogging, blog."
My initial WOW quickly changed to, okay-um-DUH! Now I get it. Just do it; blog. DER! Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that I'm a Literacy Coach and have spent the last year helping teachers teach writing by writing their own pieces along with their students? (You would think I would take my own advice.) Ok, um, double duh! So here I am--blah, blah, blogging. (I'm long winded.)
My fiance says to tell you you'll get used to it.
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