Creating the rubric this week was a bit challenging, but rubrics always are for me. I am always trying to address any loophole a 7th grade student will find, so I feel like some of my columns/requirements are too wordy. It doesn't help that I also need to design the rubric to be able to withstand the scrutiny of helicopter parents. The bonus to the rubric is that I focused on how I could change the wiki research project my 7th grade health students currently work on and re-direct it so that they can use other tools like prezi, glogs, wikis, and even a pecha kucha. I am going to put the rubric in action with my next semester of students and hope I get some better stuff than I got with the group I currently have (my 7th grade students are rather immature this year, so they are not as able to work independently as previous groups I have had).
I enjoyed looking at the group work we had to complete because it gave me an opportunity to check out SlideSix, Author Stream, and 280 Slides. I wish I would have known about these last week! I finally got my Pecha Kucha to upload with the audio I embedded, but I had to convert it to a video first then upload it to YouTube. If I had known about one of these three applications, I may have test run them first instead of wasting my time trying to figure out how to get my audio to upload with my video.
I am happy to say I am done with my Pecha Kucha although I don't know if I am jazzed about the way it turned out. I wanted to embed soothing music in the background, but it either overwrote my voice or it overpowered it. In retrospect, I think I would have had an easier go of this assignment if I would have done it on a Mac using iMovie. I could have easily done the voice with music overlay and the interface for iMovie is so sweetly simple. I also have Magix, a video editing program for PC, but I am still learning how to use it. I tried Windows Movie Maker, but the newest version is terrible terrible terrible and does not have the nice features earlier versions have.
I was laughing when I read the info on how to buy a camcorder and all of those links with little guides. I spent hours researching equipment for my broadcast/filmmaking class and ended up choosing a Sony HD camcorder with 120GB hard drive. All reviews and recommendations were solid. However, after I spent $1400 apiece, the middle of the manual tells you that it does not provide interface for Macs (I just bought 3 for the class). One would think that piece of info could have been listed somewhere in the reviews or product information. I decided I could deal with that and only upload those cameras to the PC's. However, the PC's had a version of Adobe Premiere Pro that did not support AVCHD (the format of the HD camcorder), so we could not edit the videos from the camcorder. I had to buy a better version of Adobe ($400). Luckily, a techie at Computer World in Appleton was able to get one of my Sony camcorders to upload to the Mac (but not the other). I have learned so much this year about buying computer hardware and software!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Week 4
I finished my Pecha Kucha, so I am glad to have it done. It took approximately 15 hours from start to finish. I initially uploaded it as a PDF to Voicethread to add my voice, but for some reason the site would not cooperate and my slides kept going over 20 seconds even though I had it set for that. I recorded voice through my powerpoint (just found out it had that ability). Even though I stayed within the 20 second time limit for narration, when I play back the entire presentation, it goes over by approximately 15 seconds. I can't figure out why since each slide is timed at 20 seconds and I don't have any transition time set for moving through the slides. I am so done with it now, though, that I don't even care. I doubt I will be doing this again as I did not really enjoy it.
The readings were fairly easy, so I didn't spend too much time on them. I am still waiting to get my Animoto Education account so I can try that out.
On one hand, I'm glad to have the week off. On the other, I just want to get this class over and done with. Though I am learning some good stuff, I am not actually enjoying the assignments because they are more about the work (and the excessive hours to complete) than they are about trying something new and seeing how it could translate into my teaching.
The readings were fairly easy, so I didn't spend too much time on them. I am still waiting to get my Animoto Education account so I can try that out.
On one hand, I'm glad to have the week off. On the other, I just want to get this class over and done with. Though I am learning some good stuff, I am not actually enjoying the assignments because they are more about the work (and the excessive hours to complete) than they are about trying something new and seeing how it could translate into my teaching.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Week 3 thoughts
I actually learned something from Presentation Zen this week, so that was refreshing. I really enjoyed the before and after shots of slides as well as the not so good, better, best examples. It's way easier to make sense of things when you can see solid examples as explanations.
I still think the homework load is excessive. I don't believe I've had this much for even six credits of classes, so I'm kind of wondering why it's necessary to have this much for three credits.
I had my guidance counselor come ask for help creating a powerpoint, so I grabbed the Presentation Zen book, and now I am helping her do Zen as well. After she is done, I am going to teach her how to do her entire presentation through VoiceThread. I would have her do Voicethread right from the start, but she isn't ready for that yet. She is excited about the way her slides look and then being able to record all of the words she would say. I like it when my best students are other teachers.
I had a Hollywood writer/director as a guest speaker today for my film class who talked about many of the elements in the Digitales book, so it's nice that those elements (that I have been trying to teach the kids all semester) are universal and reinforced by professionals.
I still think the homework load is excessive. I don't believe I've had this much for even six credits of classes, so I'm kind of wondering why it's necessary to have this much for three credits.
I had my guidance counselor come ask for help creating a powerpoint, so I grabbed the Presentation Zen book, and now I am helping her do Zen as well. After she is done, I am going to teach her how to do her entire presentation through VoiceThread. I would have her do Voicethread right from the start, but she isn't ready for that yet. She is excited about the way her slides look and then being able to record all of the words she would say. I like it when my best students are other teachers.
I had a Hollywood writer/director as a guest speaker today for my film class who talked about many of the elements in the Digitales book, so it's nice that those elements (that I have been trying to teach the kids all semester) are universal and reinforced by professionals.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Week 2 Digital Storytelling
I don't know if it's just me or if there was quite a bit of work to do this week. I have been sitting here for 8 hours doing homework, and I still haven't had the group discussion. I probably spent longer on the Voicethread thing than I should have, but I wanted to make sure it was good. I wish that we could have picked our own topic because I think it would have taken less time because I would have been more familiar with what I wanted to do. I also would have liked to "kill two birds with one stone" by creating a voicethread that my students could have participated in.
I understand the essence of Presentation Zen, but I am getting "zenned" out because the videos say the same as the book, and the book spends too much time not being simplistic. For example, I would like to see an introduction to the topic then a little info, then some examples (both good and bad). That is how I learn best. It doesn't help that I think the author is a little full of himself and it annoys me greatly that he flips off japanese words almost like he is saying, "I'm sooooo awesome." Every time I watch one of his video snippets I want to puke.
While he makes some good points about powerpoints, I keep reminding myself that he is just one opinion. I agree that powerpoints need to be more exciting, but I'm not sure that we have to go to the extreme he recommends. Again, I may be biased because I just can't stand watching him talk. And now it's too late to undo the visual of him being so pompous.
I understand the essence of Presentation Zen, but I am getting "zenned" out because the videos say the same as the book, and the book spends too much time not being simplistic. For example, I would like to see an introduction to the topic then a little info, then some examples (both good and bad). That is how I learn best. It doesn't help that I think the author is a little full of himself and it annoys me greatly that he flips off japanese words almost like he is saying, "I'm sooooo awesome." Every time I watch one of his video snippets I want to puke.
While he makes some good points about powerpoints, I keep reminding myself that he is just one opinion. I agree that powerpoints need to be more exciting, but I'm not sure that we have to go to the extreme he recommends. Again, I may be biased because I just can't stand watching him talk. And now it's too late to undo the visual of him being so pompous.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
CEDO 530 First class thoughts
I am excited about this class because I am teaching an Intro to Broadcast class (which should be called Intro to Media), and I need help teaching my kids. I was selected to teach the class after the prior person left, but the only training I have is that I love technology. I hope we can get to some editing instruction because I have my students working with Final Cut Pro and Express, iMovie, other Apple suites like Garage Band, Adobe CS5 Pro Premiere and After Effects, and Windows Movie Maker. As a class, we have gone through the process of brainstorming ideas, scripting those ideas, storyboarding, preparing a shot list, and filming. With the editing suites, the kids are struggling to find what works best for them, and I am still learning, so I can't offer much help. I am also hoping this class shows me more ways in which I can re-structure my class at school for second semester students so that I do not end up having them and myself be too overwhelmed by jumping in with applications that are too advanced. I would like the class to be more about digital storytelling than it currently is.
As I was reading our chapters in DigiTales, there was a paragraph about Nikos Theodosakis and his book, The Director in the Classroom. I have read this book, talked with Nikos on the phone, and organized a video teleconference with him for my classes with National Louis University. Though he is not a licensed educator, he is doing much to help teachers make content relevant and exciting through allowing students to do film projects. He has a presentation called "Mattering" that he did for my class, and it was amazing. You can view this at http://vimeo.com/4888866. Additionally, you can visit the website, http://www.oliveus.ca/OliveUs/Welcome.html to see how he teaches teachers and students how to use digital storytelling as a project based/service based learning experience. His website for his book is http://www.thedirectorintheclassroom.com/. The book walks you through filmmaking in the classroom but also discusses why filmmaking and digital storytelling are important (21st century learning skills, ISTE standards, etc).
As I was reading our chapters in DigiTales, there was a paragraph about Nikos Theodosakis and his book, The Director in the Classroom. I have read this book, talked with Nikos on the phone, and organized a video teleconference with him for my classes with National Louis University. Though he is not a licensed educator, he is doing much to help teachers make content relevant and exciting through allowing students to do film projects. He has a presentation called "Mattering" that he did for my class, and it was amazing. You can view this at http://vimeo.com/4888866. Additionally, you can visit the website, http://www.oliveus.ca/OliveUs/Welcome.html to see how he teaches teachers and students how to use digital storytelling as a project based/service based learning experience. His website for his book is http://www.thedirectorintheclassroom.com/. The book walks you through filmmaking in the classroom but also discusses why filmmaking and digital storytelling are important (21st century learning skills, ISTE standards, etc).
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Strategies that I forgot to post
Setting objectives, providing feedback, and providing recognition:
I think that setting objectives is very necessary because it helps you define where your students are at and where they need to go. I agree that objectives should be specific but flexible. I find that being flexible allows me to adapt to what the students need most versus the pace I think I should be moving at. I also agree that communication is essential. So many times teachers do not show rubrics to the kids, but it would help the kids make better sense of what the expectations are for each unit or project. Communicating with parents also helps keep parents as allies rather than foes.
Feedback is essential especially when you engage in project based learning. I find that prompt and specific feedback helps students stay focused on the expectations of each project. I like to sandwich my feedback by starting with positives and ending with a positive wrap up and suggestions for improvement. Most of my feedback is given through email or through the comments section of a wiki or within a Google Doc. Whenever possible, I try to use a different color so that it is separated from the student work. I also try to leave feedback near the places where I recommend a change or more development rather than in one long paragraph at the end. Because my feedback occurs so promptly, student time on task is more focused. Lastly, the bulk of my feedback concerns content versus usage and grammar. I may make a comment about technical things, but I prefer to focus on the actual substance of a project.
Recognition for me occurs in almost the same way as feedback. I try to find specific places where I can leave a well developed positive comment rather than a general "good job" statement. I have also saved good student work and used it as the "good" example of what students should be striving for. I think students appreciate this, though most will act embarrassed and surprised.
I think that setting objectives is very necessary because it helps you define where your students are at and where they need to go. I agree that objectives should be specific but flexible. I find that being flexible allows me to adapt to what the students need most versus the pace I think I should be moving at. I also agree that communication is essential. So many times teachers do not show rubrics to the kids, but it would help the kids make better sense of what the expectations are for each unit or project. Communicating with parents also helps keep parents as allies rather than foes.
Feedback is essential especially when you engage in project based learning. I find that prompt and specific feedback helps students stay focused on the expectations of each project. I like to sandwich my feedback by starting with positives and ending with a positive wrap up and suggestions for improvement. Most of my feedback is given through email or through the comments section of a wiki or within a Google Doc. Whenever possible, I try to use a different color so that it is separated from the student work. I also try to leave feedback near the places where I recommend a change or more development rather than in one long paragraph at the end. Because my feedback occurs so promptly, student time on task is more focused. Lastly, the bulk of my feedback concerns content versus usage and grammar. I may make a comment about technical things, but I prefer to focus on the actual substance of a project.
Recognition for me occurs in almost the same way as feedback. I try to find specific places where I can leave a well developed positive comment rather than a general "good job" statement. I have also saved good student work and used it as the "good" example of what students should be striving for. I think students appreciate this, though most will act embarrassed and surprised.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Module 5 "Interactives" online unit
I browsed through the Interactives website http://www.learner.org/interactives/ and found some really cool learning tools. The site has modules in Math, Science, History, Language, and Arts. Under these main topics are subtopics such as cinema, middle ages, elements of a story, metric conversions, and amusement park physics. Each subtopic has a recommended age level. When you click on the subtopic of choice, it guides you through different facets of the topic including an introduction, and a related resources page. I browsed the cinema subtopic found under "arts" because it had some info I can use for my broadcast/film class. The site's explanation of director and producer was easier to understand than most examples I have read, so even though the recommended age group is 9th-12th grade, I am sure my middle school kids could follow it. The tabs on actors and editing will be very helpful to my kids since they are about ready to start filming their commercial projects. I will be adding the list of recommended resources to the wiki I have for this class. Interactives seems to be sponsored by Annenberg Media Learner, found at http://www.learner.org/ which contains many more topics and lessons for most categories of education.
Strategies for the Week: Similarites and Differences, Homework and Practice, and Generating Testing and Hypothesis
This week's strategies do not really apply to what I teach: physical education, health, and broadcast/film. The only time I use "Recognizing similarities and differences" is when I am trying to get a student to understand that the sign of ultimate participation in PE is sweating, red face, deep breathing, etc. versus no sweat, regular breathing and normal color in the face (I use heart rate in this example). I don't think that is what the chapter was really talking about. I have not used "Generating Testing and Hypothesis" formally, and I am fairly confident I won't in the future. The resources in both chapters 9 and 11 are ones that I can pass on to teachers, though. I many times get asked questions about "the best way to. . . " so any time I can bank resources and find a way for others to benefit is good.
The Homework and Practice chapter (10) was probably the most useful. I do not generally give homework because I know the students in my school are already overloaded. The gauge our school uses is 15 minutes of homework per class. This usually means each student in 6th through 8th grade could have 1.5 or more hours per night. I am convinced that not all of this homework is relevant. I think that some of our teachers give homework because it's just what teachers do, and they do not think about the objectives and goals of the homework. According to the website, http://www.nasponline.org/resources/home_school/homework.aspx, only 10 minutes of homework per grade should be assigned. That means 6th grade should have no more than an hour, 7th 70 minutes, and 8th 80 minutes. Even the grade school kids in our system have at least one hour per night. Excessive if you ask me.
All that being said, now that I am teaching a broadcasting/film class, students do have to find time outside of class to complete projects. This is mainly because students are writing and developing their own 5 minutes "short" so their plots and stories may need locations outside of school. Students in class are just now getting to that point. It is not homework per se, but if students want to meet the rubric requirements, they will need to do what is necessary to complete the film. I really enjoyed the resources in this chapter. I have bookmarked several such as Writeboard, Backpack, and Campfire. We have been having problems at our school embedding in wikis and with sharing some google docs, so maybe these other resources have less hassle to using them collaboratively.
The Homework and Practice chapter (10) was probably the most useful. I do not generally give homework because I know the students in my school are already overloaded. The gauge our school uses is 15 minutes of homework per class. This usually means each student in 6th through 8th grade could have 1.5 or more hours per night. I am convinced that not all of this homework is relevant. I think that some of our teachers give homework because it's just what teachers do, and they do not think about the objectives and goals of the homework. According to the website, http://www.nasponline.org/resources/home_school/homework.aspx, only 10 minutes of homework per grade should be assigned. That means 6th grade should have no more than an hour, 7th 70 minutes, and 8th 80 minutes. Even the grade school kids in our system have at least one hour per night. Excessive if you ask me.
All that being said, now that I am teaching a broadcasting/film class, students do have to find time outside of class to complete projects. This is mainly because students are writing and developing their own 5 minutes "short" so their plots and stories may need locations outside of school. Students in class are just now getting to that point. It is not homework per se, but if students want to meet the rubric requirements, they will need to do what is necessary to complete the film. I really enjoyed the resources in this chapter. I have bookmarked several such as Writeboard, Backpack, and Campfire. We have been having problems at our school embedding in wikis and with sharing some google docs, so maybe these other resources have less hassle to using them collaboratively.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Strategies for the week: Collaborative Learning and Reinforcing Effort
Collaborative Learning
This is a topic I am very passionate about. I have witnessed the engagement that occurs when students can work together using technology to communicate and discuss ideas. I like the passage from the book that states, "When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others." This emphasizes relevance - I believe only students know how to make material relevant to them, and when you let them discover how, it really is amazing what they learn individually and as a group. I like to think of things in terms of road maps - if you supply the starting point and the destination, you can let the kids pick the route, and they will discover things that not even you anticipated. Add feedback along the way (to make sure no-one is "lost"), and the results are awesome.
A note about organizing groups. I understand that organizing groups based on ability should be limited, but there are also merits to this practice. If you work on the theory that you are only as good as the best person in the group - then students who are at the top should sometimes be allowed to work with each other so they, too, can experience growth rather than providing the measuring stick for those in class that are not at the same level.
"By nature, both multimedia projects and cooperative learning groups require attention to detail in the planning process. When these types of activities go astray in the classroom, it is often due to inadequate up-front preparation." This is so true! In my experience projects that incorporate cooperative learning require up-front work. You then can sit back and watch the kids work, give feedback along the way, and get a good idea of what your students are learning. Many teachers are more accustomed to back loading lessons (deliver what the book says, quiz, correct, review, correct, test, correct). When you change to this other model, up-front work means less load at the end. And students got prompted when necessary and useful to them.
I enjoyed the section on websites because I have been looking for other solutions that are more professional looking than a wiki. A wiki is great, for sure, but it is difficult to make it look as appealing as some other programs out there. I will definitely be looking in to some of the options listed.
I was refreshed to see a section about communication software. The next level of collaborative learning I will be introducing is www.tokbox.com. Kids can use this for video chat (up to 20 people at a time), so they can be working on their Google docs while actually seeing each other and discussing at the same time.
Reinforcing Effort
When I read the first generalization about not all students realizing the importance of believing in effort, I smiled because it is so true - I see it quite a bit in my 7th grade students. Sometimes, I think so much educational time is spent on learning content that we forget to teach or introduce the meaning of effort. I find myself using more rubrics that define effort and using examples relative to subject/age group that help them understand what effort looks like. I'm not sure the charts in the book would work for my subject areas, but I can see their merits.
This is a topic I am very passionate about. I have witnessed the engagement that occurs when students can work together using technology to communicate and discuss ideas. I like the passage from the book that states, "When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others." This emphasizes relevance - I believe only students know how to make material relevant to them, and when you let them discover how, it really is amazing what they learn individually and as a group. I like to think of things in terms of road maps - if you supply the starting point and the destination, you can let the kids pick the route, and they will discover things that not even you anticipated. Add feedback along the way (to make sure no-one is "lost"), and the results are awesome.
A note about organizing groups. I understand that organizing groups based on ability should be limited, but there are also merits to this practice. If you work on the theory that you are only as good as the best person in the group - then students who are at the top should sometimes be allowed to work with each other so they, too, can experience growth rather than providing the measuring stick for those in class that are not at the same level.
"By nature, both multimedia projects and cooperative learning groups require attention to detail in the planning process. When these types of activities go astray in the classroom, it is often due to inadequate up-front preparation." This is so true! In my experience projects that incorporate cooperative learning require up-front work. You then can sit back and watch the kids work, give feedback along the way, and get a good idea of what your students are learning. Many teachers are more accustomed to back loading lessons (deliver what the book says, quiz, correct, review, correct, test, correct). When you change to this other model, up-front work means less load at the end. And students got prompted when necessary and useful to them.
I enjoyed the section on websites because I have been looking for other solutions that are more professional looking than a wiki. A wiki is great, for sure, but it is difficult to make it look as appealing as some other programs out there. I will definitely be looking in to some of the options listed.
I was refreshed to see a section about communication software. The next level of collaborative learning I will be introducing is www.tokbox.com. Kids can use this for video chat (up to 20 people at a time), so they can be working on their Google docs while actually seeing each other and discussing at the same time.
Reinforcing Effort
When I read the first generalization about not all students realizing the importance of believing in effort, I smiled because it is so true - I see it quite a bit in my 7th grade students. Sometimes, I think so much educational time is spent on learning content that we forget to teach or introduce the meaning of effort. I find myself using more rubrics that define effort and using examples relative to subject/age group that help them understand what effort looks like. I'm not sure the charts in the book would work for my subject areas, but I can see their merits.
bubbl.us vs webspiration vs exploratree.vs mind42.com
Bubbl.us, Webspiration, Exploratree, and Mind42 have the following in common:
Bubbl.us seems to have the least information as to how to use the program. I'm not sure if this was because the site seemed to be experiencing difficulties at the time of this post or if it doesn't give you very much information or guidelines on creating concept maps. For those who may have writer's block, I'm not sure if this would be a good program unless you knew your starting point. You can design how you want the map to look - it does not offer any templates.
Webspiration seems to be very easy for adults to use. I can see that kids would use it as well, but the site touts "professionals, educators, and college" for its audience. The site offers help in getting started, tips and tricks, and examples to help get you started on your "visual thinking." The interface seems very easy to work with and use.
Exploratree is somewhat like Webspiration in that it allows you to view examples of others work as templates. Exploratree goes a step further by allowing users to customize the work of others to fit your personal needs. If that feature does not fit your needs, you can design your own using one of their empty templates or a template you make yourself. Exploratree is also for students as well as teachers. This is definitely a resource I would introduce to students. I also think the ability to research the work of others helps when you have writer's block and don't know where to start. The best examples are always ones that have been written.
I found an additional resource from http://mind42.com/
Mind 42 is a browser based online mapping application. This is from the website:
In Mind42, 42 is not only the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything! 42 means FOR TWO and indicates the collaborative character of mind42, because that is exactly what mind42 is: A collaborative browser-based online mind mapping tool.
It allows you to manage all your ideas, whether alone, twosome or working together with the whole world. As mind42 runs inside the browser, installing mind mapping tools is no longer needed - for a hassle-free mindmapping experience. Just open the browser and launch the application when needed - it behaves like a classical desktop application!
Mind42 is a web application - however, this doesn't mean yout have to set your comfort aside. Mind42 is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) mind map editor supporting keyboard shortcuts, drag and drop, zooming and much more. No forms and lists which are generally used in web application. A real application - within your browser.
Definitely interesting!
- All are free
- All are for concept mapping
- All offer the ability to save maps
- All give the ability for users to work collaboratively with other users
Bubbl.us seems to have the least information as to how to use the program. I'm not sure if this was because the site seemed to be experiencing difficulties at the time of this post or if it doesn't give you very much information or guidelines on creating concept maps. For those who may have writer's block, I'm not sure if this would be a good program unless you knew your starting point. You can design how you want the map to look - it does not offer any templates.
Webspiration seems to be very easy for adults to use. I can see that kids would use it as well, but the site touts "professionals, educators, and college" for its audience. The site offers help in getting started, tips and tricks, and examples to help get you started on your "visual thinking." The interface seems very easy to work with and use.
Exploratree is somewhat like Webspiration in that it allows you to view examples of others work as templates. Exploratree goes a step further by allowing users to customize the work of others to fit your personal needs. If that feature does not fit your needs, you can design your own using one of their empty templates or a template you make yourself. Exploratree is also for students as well as teachers. This is definitely a resource I would introduce to students. I also think the ability to research the work of others helps when you have writer's block and don't know where to start. The best examples are always ones that have been written.
I found an additional resource from http://mind42.com/
Mind 42 is a browser based online mapping application. This is from the website:
In Mind42, 42 is not only the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything! 42 means FOR TWO and indicates the collaborative character of mind42, because that is exactly what mind42 is: A collaborative browser-based online mind mapping tool.
It allows you to manage all your ideas, whether alone, twosome or working together with the whole world. As mind42 runs inside the browser, installing mind mapping tools is no longer needed - for a hassle-free mindmapping experience. Just open the browser and launch the application when needed - it behaves like a classical desktop application!
Mind42 is a web application - however, this doesn't mean yout have to set your comfort aside. Mind42 is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) mind map editor supporting keyboard shortcuts, drag and drop, zooming and much more. No forms and lists which are generally used in web application. A real application - within your browser.
Definitely interesting!
The Use of Advance Organziers. . . Ausubel article
This article was interesting to read because though it is 50 years old, it shows how far education has come while still struggling with many of the same issues that were prevalent back then. It seems as if textbooks still segregate homogeneous topics into separate chapters and with schools being on a time line to "cover" the text, students are not able to digest the material in a way that equates to deep comprehension and learning. Many current teaching practices encourage rote learning just so students can do well on tests for NCLB. Though NCLB was good in theory when first introduced, it is mainly product oriented, which further promotes the current system of memorize and regurgitate. Evidence and research exists that demonstrates the value of process over product as the way for students to learn and retain knowledge. One example is the article found at http://www.ioe.ac.uk/about/documents/Watkins_09_Lng_about_lng.pdf. I related to the following bullet points the author used:
The use of advance organizers help create an experience for students, and students use them to find ways that they as an individual makes sense of information. This becomes more valuable because it is student driven rather than teacher driven. Relating experiences through stories is an example of how a Narrative advance organizer works.
I completely agree with the last paragraph of the article that stated that greater use of advance organizers could lead to better retention while rendering rote memorization unnecessary. Through advance organizers, students actually learn before moving on to the next subject.
As an off-topic note to this article - I wonder if the same study was done today if there would be differences in females understanding and retaining the steel material (today vs. 50 years ago). Have traditionally male topics made a jump in female interests? Nature vs. nurture?
- Learning is the human process of creating meaning from experience.
- Simply having an experience is not enough for someone to learn. Without reflecting upon this experience it may quickly be forgotten or its learning potential lost.
- Human beings relate their experiences to each other through the medium of stories. As we tell the story of an experience we can “rise above” it and create meaning.
The use of advance organizers help create an experience for students, and students use them to find ways that they as an individual makes sense of information. This becomes more valuable because it is student driven rather than teacher driven. Relating experiences through stories is an example of how a Narrative advance organizer works.
I completely agree with the last paragraph of the article that stated that greater use of advance organizers could lead to better retention while rendering rote memorization unnecessary. Through advance organizers, students actually learn before moving on to the next subject.
As an off-topic note to this article - I wonder if the same study was done today if there would be differences in females understanding and retaining the steel material (today vs. 50 years ago). Have traditionally male topics made a jump in female interests? Nature vs. nurture?
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Strategies for the week
Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers:
I am always looking for new tools for my health class and my broadcast/film making class, and this chapter gave me a few resources I did not know about such as BrainPop, A9 from Amazon, and Creative Commons. I enjoyed reading this chapter, especially the bit on multimedia. This year, we have access to YouTube in our school, so finding pieces and videos that fit well with curriculum are so much easier. I think having the ability to add video snippets or demonstration software can amp up the effects of the lesson and help students relate to the subject matter as well as be more engaged in the subject matter. For example, I am working with the religion teacher to teach the Corporal Works of Mercy to the 7th grade students. In the past, she presented (verbally) what they were and gave kids a reflection sheet to fill out when they completed a Corporal Work (which then requires the parent signature to testify that the child completed the Corporal Work). She has found over the past few years that students do not fully understand the concept of Corporal Works, and parents many times are signing the sheets when the student did not do anything with the Corporal Works. This year, I prepared a wiki that included a recent video with recent music that demonstrated all seven works in three minutes. I then posted questions for students to answer in groups in a Google apps document. One of the questions asks kids to research/name/list ways in which they can prove they completed a Corporal Work. Kids are getting excited about the projects they can do to prove they completed the work, and I think it's because of the way the lesson was presented. I truly believe if you want to get the kids on board, you need to throw in multimedia presentations within what you normally do, and it makes it seem like a whole different lesson than before (snore and bore now becomes engagement and excitement).
As I was reading about non-linguistic representation, I began to wonder if the screenwriting and story-boarding my Intro to Broadcast/Film-making class would be an example. Fast forward a few pages, and "Movies and Video" is explained. I am a newbie at teaching this class, and my experience includes approximately 100 hours of reading and studying books on the subject this summer. Seeing it in this chapter was a nice reinforcement that video and movie projects should and could extend beyond a "broadcast" or "film" type of class. I am finding many different resources for movie-making including www.scriptbuddy.com which allows kids to take their prose ideas and put them into a screen-write format. I have moved on to finding free software that does the same for story-boarding, so if anyone has any ideas. . .
The best resource I have read on film-making in the classroom is titled, "The Director in the Classroom: How Filmmaking Inspires Learning" by Nikos Theodosakis. I have been using this book as a bible so to speak and contacted the author for more information. Long story short, Mr. Theodosakis and I are planning a video-conference type of workshop for up to 30 teachers (to be held in the Appleton area). He covers all grades (K- College).
I am not a lecture/note-taking type of teacher, so this chapter wasn't very useful to me. It may be the scope of what I teach (PE, Health, Film-making) is too active for kids to sit and do this. I am also not a big fan, though I'm sure some teachers find the necessity of it.
I am always looking for new tools for my health class and my broadcast/film making class, and this chapter gave me a few resources I did not know about such as BrainPop, A9 from Amazon, and Creative Commons. I enjoyed reading this chapter, especially the bit on multimedia. This year, we have access to YouTube in our school, so finding pieces and videos that fit well with curriculum are so much easier. I think having the ability to add video snippets or demonstration software can amp up the effects of the lesson and help students relate to the subject matter as well as be more engaged in the subject matter. For example, I am working with the religion teacher to teach the Corporal Works of Mercy to the 7th grade students. In the past, she presented (verbally) what they were and gave kids a reflection sheet to fill out when they completed a Corporal Work (which then requires the parent signature to testify that the child completed the Corporal Work). She has found over the past few years that students do not fully understand the concept of Corporal Works, and parents many times are signing the sheets when the student did not do anything with the Corporal Works. This year, I prepared a wiki that included a recent video with recent music that demonstrated all seven works in three minutes. I then posted questions for students to answer in groups in a Google apps document. One of the questions asks kids to research/name/list ways in which they can prove they completed a Corporal Work. Kids are getting excited about the projects they can do to prove they completed the work, and I think it's because of the way the lesson was presented. I truly believe if you want to get the kids on board, you need to throw in multimedia presentations within what you normally do, and it makes it seem like a whole different lesson than before (snore and bore now becomes engagement and excitement).
As I was reading about non-linguistic representation, I began to wonder if the screenwriting and story-boarding my Intro to Broadcast/Film-making class would be an example. Fast forward a few pages, and "Movies and Video" is explained. I am a newbie at teaching this class, and my experience includes approximately 100 hours of reading and studying books on the subject this summer. Seeing it in this chapter was a nice reinforcement that video and movie projects should and could extend beyond a "broadcast" or "film" type of class. I am finding many different resources for movie-making including www.scriptbuddy.com which allows kids to take their prose ideas and put them into a screen-write format. I have moved on to finding free software that does the same for story-boarding, so if anyone has any ideas. . .
The best resource I have read on film-making in the classroom is titled, "The Director in the Classroom: How Filmmaking Inspires Learning" by Nikos Theodosakis. I have been using this book as a bible so to speak and contacted the author for more information. Long story short, Mr. Theodosakis and I are planning a video-conference type of workshop for up to 30 teachers (to be held in the Appleton area). He covers all grades (K- College).
I am not a lecture/note-taking type of teacher, so this chapter wasn't very useful to me. It may be the scope of what I teach (PE, Health, Film-making) is too active for kids to sit and do this. I am also not a big fan, though I'm sure some teachers find the necessity of it.
Feedback that fits
For this post, I read "Feedback that fits."
I can relate to what this article is saying about feedback needing to be prompt and constructive. In my experience, I have been able to help kids achieve that "A" column of the rubric by giving them feedback throughout the process part of a project. I have noticed that feedback has to be cultured within the student, and it is a means of facilitating quality communication between student and teacher. For example, I start projects by having students email me a pitch of their ideas. I can then do the first level of feedback by asking questions of them that lead them to answer whether or not the topic/idea they picked has enough substance to reach the "A" column of the rubric. This is emailed back (with some possible suggestions to help), and the student has an opportunity to re-pitch using some of my suggestions or suggestions of their own. I think this "start" helps break the ice (some students are scared of communicating with teachers) and encourage kids to continue back and forth with the dialogue (I like to think of it as trading feedback-how the student responds to my feedback is feedback for me). I am also finding that kids communicate more freely with me when an electronic dialogue is going on. Because I have opened the door to feedback from the start of a project, kids tend to be more willing to share with me and accept what I share with them (collaboration). My students do not wait until the end of a project to "discover" they did not do well because we have a consistent dialogue of feedback going both directions (which does evolve from electronic to verbal) so they know before the end what level they have achieved, and most often it is the "A". I see many teachers in my school focus on product versus process, and the grade for the student is usually a surprise because they had no guiding help along the way. Another frustration I have is that so many teachers still give the paper and pen projects for both individual and group work (which makes feedback a little more difficult because you can't see student progress or process, so it is more difficult and time consuming to provide prompt feedback). They give due dates for different parts of the project to be completed so that there are steps to attempt to make sure students are staying on task. The problem arises when students start missing these due dates or turn in substandard work on the due date, and the teacher ends up giving a 0 or a lower grade (for the substandard work) for that part of the process that was due. If a student misses one or more of the stepping stones to the project, or if the student receives a 0 for a late or incomplete part of the assignment, how can the student be expected to achieve the highest grade possible on the final elements of the project? At each due date, the feedback is a grade. I have seen how students react when they don't do well on one part of a multi-step project: they become ambivalent about the entire project. Thus, no real learning or quality learning can or will occur. If the purpose of having students complete a project is for students to learn x, y, and z, then feedback should match those goals. If a teacher received an annual evaluation with a list of things he could have done better throughout the year, he would wonder why the principal didn't just come and tell him before the end of the year, and he would have corrected right away. Our students deserve the same courtesy.
The information at http://www.learning.ox.ac.uk/rsv.php?page=319 also helps put feedback into context and reiterates the point that if you can't correct something if you don't know it is wrong or deficient. I like the "Some things to consider when giving feedback" section because box 1 shows what to do and box 2 gives an example of how to do it. I also learned there are three main forms of feedback for written work: referential, directive, and expressive. This part was helpful because it put into context the type so I can match it with different parts and goals of the assignment that I give feedback.
As an extra note on feedback from being a student, both research papers I completed this summer (one 41 pages, one 24 pages) had zero feedback. I am left with the impression that the only person who read my research was the college reviewer (who actually gave me content feedback with the mechanics feedback because she enjoyed reading my paper). If no one read it, why did I do it?
I can relate to what this article is saying about feedback needing to be prompt and constructive. In my experience, I have been able to help kids achieve that "A" column of the rubric by giving them feedback throughout the process part of a project. I have noticed that feedback has to be cultured within the student, and it is a means of facilitating quality communication between student and teacher. For example, I start projects by having students email me a pitch of their ideas. I can then do the first level of feedback by asking questions of them that lead them to answer whether or not the topic/idea they picked has enough substance to reach the "A" column of the rubric. This is emailed back (with some possible suggestions to help), and the student has an opportunity to re-pitch using some of my suggestions or suggestions of their own. I think this "start" helps break the ice (some students are scared of communicating with teachers) and encourage kids to continue back and forth with the dialogue (I like to think of it as trading feedback-how the student responds to my feedback is feedback for me). I am also finding that kids communicate more freely with me when an electronic dialogue is going on. Because I have opened the door to feedback from the start of a project, kids tend to be more willing to share with me and accept what I share with them (collaboration). My students do not wait until the end of a project to "discover" they did not do well because we have a consistent dialogue of feedback going both directions (which does evolve from electronic to verbal) so they know before the end what level they have achieved, and most often it is the "A". I see many teachers in my school focus on product versus process, and the grade for the student is usually a surprise because they had no guiding help along the way. Another frustration I have is that so many teachers still give the paper and pen projects for both individual and group work (which makes feedback a little more difficult because you can't see student progress or process, so it is more difficult and time consuming to provide prompt feedback). They give due dates for different parts of the project to be completed so that there are steps to attempt to make sure students are staying on task. The problem arises when students start missing these due dates or turn in substandard work on the due date, and the teacher ends up giving a 0 or a lower grade (for the substandard work) for that part of the process that was due. If a student misses one or more of the stepping stones to the project, or if the student receives a 0 for a late or incomplete part of the assignment, how can the student be expected to achieve the highest grade possible on the final elements of the project? At each due date, the feedback is a grade. I have seen how students react when they don't do well on one part of a multi-step project: they become ambivalent about the entire project. Thus, no real learning or quality learning can or will occur. If the purpose of having students complete a project is for students to learn x, y, and z, then feedback should match those goals. If a teacher received an annual evaluation with a list of things he could have done better throughout the year, he would wonder why the principal didn't just come and tell him before the end of the year, and he would have corrected right away. Our students deserve the same courtesy.
The information at http://www.learning.ox.ac.uk/rsv.php?page=319 also helps put feedback into context and reiterates the point that if you can't correct something if you don't know it is wrong or deficient. I like the "Some things to consider when giving feedback" section because box 1 shows what to do and box 2 gives an example of how to do it. I also learned there are three main forms of feedback for written work: referential, directive, and expressive. This part was helpful because it put into context the type so I can match it with different parts and goals of the assignment that I give feedback.
As an extra note on feedback from being a student, both research papers I completed this summer (one 41 pages, one 24 pages) had zero feedback. I am left with the impression that the only person who read my research was the college reviewer (who actually gave me content feedback with the mechanics feedback because she enjoyed reading my paper). If no one read it, why did I do it?
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Meta-analysis of Teaching and Learning With Technology on Student Outcomes
It is evident that this research article is dated by reading the first few sentences in which it states that NCLB "is placing new emphasis on scientifically based research and is requiring states and school districts to choose 'evidence based' programs for their schools and classrooms." Fast forward seven years, and you will find that NCLB is not exactly that. In some states where schools were not meeting AYP, the states were allowed to lower standards so that AYP could be achieved. In many schools, even in Appleton public, students who may not do well on the test (ESL, learning disabled, behavior problems) are somehow encouraged to not be present for testing (some behavior students have been suspended during testing time). Anyway. . .
In the introduction of the article, it states that back in 2001, technology knowledge did not equate into any useful ways in which to integrate technology into the classroom. Further, back in 2001, the author states that the technology of 2001 is vastly different from several years before that, and rapid growth of technology exceeded current knowledge. It seems that nine years later, we still have those issues. In many cases, our students know leaps and bounds more about technology and devices/applications which I think makes many teachers uncomfortable with integrating it. Instead, we make rules and policies that ban the use of these devices when we could be embracing them and making our teaching/classrooms more effective.
In 2001, a study found that small group learning using computer technology yielded more positives than individual learning. I believe this still holds true today. If you look on the P21 (Partnership for 21st Century Learning), one of the hallmarks of learning skills is collaborative learning. In 2010, however, we have many options for small group learning integrated with technology. Google Docs, wikis, Skype, and Tokbox, for example, make it easy for students to work with each other no matter where they are physically. If you want your students to know more about the culture of China, you can find a classroom in China (who also wants to know more about the culture of America) and use online tools to communicate, collaborate and learn.
I can say from personal experience that technology integration does impact pedagogy practices. Because I can let the kids use computers and other technology applications, I can focus on them and what they want to know. It really is student centered because the students get a say which helps in the areas of motivation and relevance.
While this study attempted to answer the question of whether or not academic performance is improved with technology integration, newer studies exist and continue to be done regarding this subject. In my own research on this very topic, I came across the research of Anthony Saba. To read his study, go to http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/sabaa/502/Saba_Synthesis_Paper.pdf. The more sophisticated technology becomes, I think the more possibilities for the education system to use it for improving academic outcomes.
In the introduction of the article, it states that back in 2001, technology knowledge did not equate into any useful ways in which to integrate technology into the classroom. Further, back in 2001, the author states that the technology of 2001 is vastly different from several years before that, and rapid growth of technology exceeded current knowledge. It seems that nine years later, we still have those issues. In many cases, our students know leaps and bounds more about technology and devices/applications which I think makes many teachers uncomfortable with integrating it. Instead, we make rules and policies that ban the use of these devices when we could be embracing them and making our teaching/classrooms more effective.
In 2001, a study found that small group learning using computer technology yielded more positives than individual learning. I believe this still holds true today. If you look on the P21 (Partnership for 21st Century Learning), one of the hallmarks of learning skills is collaborative learning. In 2010, however, we have many options for small group learning integrated with technology. Google Docs, wikis, Skype, and Tokbox, for example, make it easy for students to work with each other no matter where they are physically. If you want your students to know more about the culture of China, you can find a classroom in China (who also wants to know more about the culture of America) and use online tools to communicate, collaborate and learn.
I can say from personal experience that technology integration does impact pedagogy practices. Because I can let the kids use computers and other technology applications, I can focus on them and what they want to know. It really is student centered because the students get a say which helps in the areas of motivation and relevance.
While this study attempted to answer the question of whether or not academic performance is improved with technology integration, newer studies exist and continue to be done regarding this subject. In my own research on this very topic, I came across the research of Anthony Saba. To read his study, go to http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/sabaa/502/Saba_Synthesis_Paper.pdf. The more sophisticated technology becomes, I think the more possibilities for the education system to use it for improving academic outcomes.
Principles of Teaching and Learning
I am not quite sure what I was supposed to get out of reading the information on this site. Under the "Learning Principles" tab, it listed seven main ideas that affect student learning. The first touches on prior knowledge. I think that saying something may hinder or help you is not helpful at all. To me, the fact that prior knowledge works both ways for students is a "no duh" statement. It's the equivalent of saying that kids come to PE class and if they know how to shoot a free throw with proper form, they will probably continue to improve, but if they don't shoot a free throw with the proper form, it will interfere with their ability to be consistently accurate. For the most part, I think what the Learning Principles section says is all about human nature and how all people learn, not just students. Even adults need to organize knowledge in a way that they can apply principles for learning, and motivation will determine their path. Mastery requires practicing a skill and applying it properly. I hope the author didn't actually think this was a revelation. Number seven was very profound - when students figure out how they learn best, they form habits that make them better learners. When I learn something new or figure something out about myself or my teaching, I usually become more effective and better at what I am doing, too.
I relate to the "Teaching Principles" section of the web page most because I subscribe to the seven ideas, and I see plenty of teachers who do not. As the document states, the principles are small but powerful, and they do make teaching more efficient and effective. These principles require teachers to front load lessons, which is different than what most are comfortable doing. Many times, teachers will lecture, have students take notes, then test. The problem with this is that the work is back-loaded, and assessment does not come until the end of a unit. Many times, a teacher will not revisit the parts of a lesson that many students may have not understood because the unit is over, and on to the next unit. I design my units for health so that I give the students all the expectations and learning objectives they will need when we start the unit. How the objectives are achieved is somewhat up to the individual students, thus allowing the student to find relevance in the topic. For example, I may have a unit on media, technology, and health and the objective may be for students to analyze how technology influences and affects health. I design a rubric that communicates the objective as well as the expectations. Students can work in groups and decide how they will research the question and present it. Some students design a wiki that has video clips, research articles, and personal reflections based on the research, some students plan a debate on the topic. Either way, because I have done all of the work and then presented the goals and expectations, I can move into the role of facilitator to make sure students stay on task. All students, regardless of method can arrive at the preset goal, but because they got to pick their "route", they created relevance for themselves, I am able to do ongoing assessment (mostly informal - I can see and hear what is going on, so I can re-direct at any time), and students go deeper with the learning because they got to lead themselves on the discovery. The great thing about all of this is that I get to spend time with students, getting to know them better (because I am working with them rather than preaching at them- never underestimate the importance of rapport in teaching), and I know before the end of the unit what my students have learned. Our students are so technology involved that teaching today does require examining what works and adapting to how students learn best in this time period.
I relate to the "Teaching Principles" section of the web page most because I subscribe to the seven ideas, and I see plenty of teachers who do not. As the document states, the principles are small but powerful, and they do make teaching more efficient and effective. These principles require teachers to front load lessons, which is different than what most are comfortable doing. Many times, teachers will lecture, have students take notes, then test. The problem with this is that the work is back-loaded, and assessment does not come until the end of a unit. Many times, a teacher will not revisit the parts of a lesson that many students may have not understood because the unit is over, and on to the next unit. I design my units for health so that I give the students all the expectations and learning objectives they will need when we start the unit. How the objectives are achieved is somewhat up to the individual students, thus allowing the student to find relevance in the topic. For example, I may have a unit on media, technology, and health and the objective may be for students to analyze how technology influences and affects health. I design a rubric that communicates the objective as well as the expectations. Students can work in groups and decide how they will research the question and present it. Some students design a wiki that has video clips, research articles, and personal reflections based on the research, some students plan a debate on the topic. Either way, because I have done all of the work and then presented the goals and expectations, I can move into the role of facilitator to make sure students stay on task. All students, regardless of method can arrive at the preset goal, but because they got to pick their "route", they created relevance for themselves, I am able to do ongoing assessment (mostly informal - I can see and hear what is going on, so I can re-direct at any time), and students go deeper with the learning because they got to lead themselves on the discovery. The great thing about all of this is that I get to spend time with students, getting to know them better (because I am working with them rather than preaching at them- never underestimate the importance of rapport in teaching), and I know before the end of the unit what my students have learned. Our students are so technology involved that teaching today does require examining what works and adapting to how students learn best in this time period.
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