Blogging!

I have spent a few hours setting up a class blog and researching how other teachers have used blogs for teaching and reflection. I'm always amazed by the amount of time it takes to learn a new technology and figure out how to best implement its use in the classroom! And I still have so many questions to answer as well as skills to acquire in order to become proficient at using just this one tool.

I am using Edublog. I am starting with one class blog and will eventually have students set up their own blogs to be linked within our class blog. Here's the URL if you'd like to check out the initial set-up: http://mrsblick.edublogs.org

I will begin the introduction to blogging by looking at examples of other classroom blogs and comment strings. As a class, we'll look at a few examples of blogging guidelines and then come up with our own to include on a page in our blog. I'd like to try and have the students be as involved as possible in the set-up of the initial blog. This way they'll have ownership and learn the skills needed to set up their individual blogs later. I envision these blogs to be used as portfolios for finished writing pieces as well as a reflection of the entire process.

It's a little scary jumping into something so new that none of us have done before. At the same time it is exciting. I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck!

Project-Based Learning

As I took another look at the first three chapters of "Reinventing Project-Based Learning," I spent some time viewing blogs and websites the authors recommended. This takes considerable time as I always seem to find a link inside one site that leads me to another and then another, etc.... Then, I begin to feel overwhelmed again by the daunting task of creating a project for my own students. So, I was glad to find a list of some baby steps to get me started at Edutopia.org. I'll create a link here if I can figure out how to do it. It shouldn't be too hard, right? The article gives you things you can do if you have 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days, or 5 years. I am going to start by planning mini-lessons for technology skills my students will need in order to participate in a project. First up- creating blogs to have a record the process and for reflection!

Information Literacy

Wow! My head was spinning and I think I was having a slight anxiety attack during this session. There are SO many tools available out there and WAY too much information to possibly examine. Our blog was to center on developing the topic, identifying sources, searching strategies, evaluating sources, etc..., but I don't know where to begin.

Originally, I was thinking I would plan a unit for 2nd Trimester and do the lesson plan for 3rd Trimester. However, I've been rethinking this as I have an exciting unit I'm going to do again this year during 3rd Trimester that lends itself well to integrating research and technology. The name of the unit is "Cowboys" and it draws on my own passion for the subject and therefore generates a lot of excitement among the students. The topic is cross-cultural and lends itself to inquiry. For example, last year one of the questions it brought up was the humane treatment of livestock. This year I'd like to have them take such a question and research it to come up with an opinion piece. How this would look I'm not sure yet but it could be in the form of a written document, blog entries, Powerpoint presentation, class debate, or some sort of simulation. Sounds exciting, doesn't it?

Fair Use

I feel much better about my knowledge of fair use guidelines after yesterday's meeting. I was pleasantly surprised to find that students and teachers receive special consideration when using content for educational purposes. As long as we are using the material for a different purpose than the creator intended, we are pretty safe.

The TED video really got me thinking about how the world is changing and the amazing shifts it's already taken in regards to creation methods and rights. I'm glad our students' generation has access to so many tools to express their creativity and become creators. I hope to foster that expression in the lesson plans and unit I develop for this grant. I know it will benefit my ELA students to be exposed to various applications that they could then access in future situations.

Self-Direction

I believe some of the motivators that drive students to remain engaged in self-directed activities are curiosity about the content, a need to be successful, perfectionism (for a few), and the desire to please. One of the elements I consider to be most motivating is interest. If a student cannot relate to the content it will be a tough sell. One of the things I try to do is find a way to tie the material to my students' lives so that it peaks their interest. I also feel that when I have a good relationship with a student, many times they will stay driven to try to please me. I don't know that this is the best form of motivation but it sure helps!

I often feel overwhelmed by all of the options out there to improve my teaching. There is SO much information out there to research as well as a plethora of techniques, plans, and materials to implement. Thinking about how to motivate students is no different. I could spend days just finding and then deciding which methods to employ. But, I shall not let myself be completely overwhelmed! Instead, I'll remind myself that Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will be my teaching career:)

New Technology

Today I learned how to navigate in a Wiki and how to begin managing one. I feel pretty confident repeating the steps we learned today so I would consider it a successful training. I can’t wait to create a class Wiki. I can imagine many applications to engage my students and to make it easier for all of us to manage assignments and learning.

The Value of Students' Reflections

Okay, so it took me a little while to consistently make reflection a part of each lesson- but now I have and I'm sold! I thoroughly enjoy reading my students' notes about what they have learned that day. I can see the wheels spinning in their heads as they mentally review the lesson to decide what to write for their reflection. I know there is proven benefit for their learning retention and what a great evaluation tool for me. I implemented a system whereby I hand out pieces of scratch paper at the end of a lesson for students to write at least one thing they have learned or a question they still have. Then, I have a "reflection" can to collect their tickets out the door. At the end of the week we have a raffle and the person whose ticket is picked gets to dig through the goodie box. It's so fun as a teacher when you try something new and it's a success for all. Yea!