Computer Lab Issues

I have to share how frustrating it is to not be able to use the computer lab during testing weeks. We have 3 labs but they are all currently in use for NWEA testing. For two weeks! It makes me realize how much I and the students rely on and enjoy using technology throughout the week. Fortunately, we have the ipod touches so I've been able to adapt some of the lessons to incorporate them.

In my opinion, one of the best ways to help our students stay organized would be for them to have their own laptops or ipads. That way EVERYTHING would be in one place. It would eliminate the excuses like, "I left it at home," "I forgot," "I couldn't do it because I don't have a computer at home." Students could set reminders for assignments and projects due. They could keep track of refer back to individual goals and test scores. Teachers could communicate all reminders and critical information via e-mail. Students who miss school would be able to see exactly what assignments they missed. All notes a student takes would be there and organized by class. Sounds pretty nice, doesn't it?

Obviously, there are possible issues to consider such as students not staying on task and using their computer for something other than what they should. Also, big considerations like cost, IT needs, insurance, and off-campus internet access would have to be addressed. I'm convinced this is the way of the future. Wouldn't it be great if our students could be on the front end of this new wave?

ipod touch

The kids love this tool! It provides instant motivation and engagement. So far we have used the touches to participate in a couple of debates. To do this I bring up todaysmeet.com with the projector, students sign in with their name followed by pro or con and then start making arguments. I tally up the points afterward and declare the winning side. This week we will be preparing for a debate on the resolution: rodeo and ranching practices are humane treatment of animals. Last week the students got an eyewitness account of a team roping event at our "Cowboy Day." The students will also read an affirmative and a negative article and then compose their arguments. We'll conduct the debate as previously mentioned. Next week, they will choose a resolution on which to write a persuasive essay in the negative or affirmative. The ipod touches really helped to set up the excitement of a debate and gave students a chance to participate in one and practice persuasive/argumentative skills before beginning their essay.

Cowboy Day is here!

This Wednesday is the big day: our field trip to the Eagle River Center to ride horses, swing ropes, pet a bunch of critters, and watch exciting equestrian feats. The 7th graders will be gaining eye witness access to a topic they are studying for their debate and persuasive writing unit: treatment of rodeo/ranching livestock. The 6th graders will use the experience to help them in their endeavors to compare and contrast North American rodeos with Mexican charreadas. And of course, we're all going to have a lot of fun! Someone from the Vail Daily is even going to show up to capture the excitement. I have Scott Jones of Colorado River Ranch donating time, horses, and cattle. He and his crew will conduct a mock branding to help students visualize how it is done. Alecz of One Spirit is bringing a couple of her horses for kids to ride while she gives pointers. Also, I have several parents who have volunteered either to chaperone a group of students or lead one of the horses. I have asked all of the volunteers to bring any extra equipment or cowboy gear they have so that students can check it out up close and take pictures of themselves dressed up as cowboys/girls. For my ESL students this experience will be very effective at drumming up their background knowledge and serving as a motivator to continue studying this subset of American culture.

Not much time left!

With 6 ½ weeks of school left, I am realizing that there is still a lot to do! Will we get it all done? Will my students be ready to move on to the next grade? Will they have acquired the learning and skills expected of them? I definitely feel more confident than last year at this time, and I suppose that my confidence will increase in regards to these questions with each year to come.

I appreciated that in our E2T2 text, the authors admitted that project-based learning is flexible and changing, and probably never perfect. I have to make a concerted effort to let go and realize that I can’t script or plan for every nuance. I tend towards perfectionism and like to be over-organized. However, this experience of project-based learning and incorporating technology has helped me relax a bit and learn to go with the flow. I have realized that I am more flexible than I previously thought and that unforeseen events can even be good!

I do enjoy change so it is probably a good thing that I decided to be a teacher. Even a successful and well-planned project is going to be different each time by changing the most important variable- the students.

Unit update

Well, I’ve been reading a few more chapters of Project-based Learning with my unit in mind. Good timing! I’ve been writing down ideas like crazy. The basic premise of the unit is debate and persuasive language.

Here are my notes: give groups of students pro and con sides of an issue, they read together and highlight best arguments before beginning debate with todaysmeet.com and ipod touches; Show examples of strong vs. weak arguments, have students rate; Reflect/review The Great Debaters movie using todaysmeet and ipod touches; Have students reflect at least a few times during the unit on their wiki pages; Use wiki as project home: post examples of persuasive writing, use calendar, checklists, rubric, and jing screencasts; Use screencasts to give feedback on writing; find student debate examples on youtube; search the internet to find out if there are online debates students could participate in; require an interview as a source for the persuasive paper; students use wiki to collect and organize notes or other web-based organizer like Desire2Learn of Moodle; check out research tools: ASK for Kids, del.icio.us bookmarking and Citation Machine; have students read draft to an adult, record questions or alternative viewpoints to address.

Wow- looks like I’ve got a plethora of ideas to research and consider in order to make this unit engaging, motivating, and effective for my students. I'd better get to work!

E2T2 Unit

We're pretty close to starting our unit. It falls in the "cowboy" theme I have going for the last part of the school year. Students are going to investigate controversy and write a persuasive essay. In the beginning of the unit students will use ipod touches to interact with each other by sharing opinions on a few topics. One of the topics will be animal welfare and rodeo. We'll use todaysmeet.com (thanks Noel and Stephanie!) so that students can participate in an open debate after reading some articles on the subject. Towards the end of the unit my 7th graders will create a newsletter highlighting the unit and publish some of their writing.

One very exciting part of the unit doesn't include technology at all (although if anyone has any suggestions how I could do so send them my way) but is a huge motivator. We're taking a full day field trip to the Eagle River Center so my students can get first hand experience with horses and other livestock. There will be horses to ride, miniature donkeys, goats, steers, and roping lessons too! Last year I brought my horse to school, this year I'm stepping it up a notch with a full day of activities. Volunteers welcome for this huge undertaking!!! Call me to sign up.

Monk-e mail

Today was one of those rare days in the technology realm when everything works perfectly according to plan. As part of a unit on "The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make," students were to explore Sean Covey's website. I was going to have them read the author's short bio and then be ready to share something they learned about him. However, as I was perusing the website I noticed a link to "cool links." There I found Monk-e mail- a hilarious site that allows you to compose an email with special effects. For example, you get to dress your monkey and choose the setting. Best of all, you can write whatever you want the monkey to say and he'll deliver your personal voice message in an e-mail. So, I created one first and had the students listen to it. It gave them instructions to compose their own monk-e mail with something they learned about the author. After creating their own, they were to send it to my e-mail. I was able to assess whether they read the bio and learned anything about the author. It was one of the most enjoyable assessments ever! And it was obvious how much fun they had with an assignment that would have normally been ho-hum.