Reflection

In looking back on this course, I think I have moved to a new continent on the map of English. Part of where I originated was where I think a lot of people in this class are coming from - a love of reading and writing. The other part, was a real sense of disappointment in my experiences as a student in English classrooms. Why couldn't my teachers lead me to appreciate To Kill A Mockingbird or Jane Eyre for example? Why did what I wrote outside of the classroom never seem to have a place in the classroom? I have always wanted to create a classroom where students were interested and challenged.

That goal has stayed the same, but I feel like I am leaving this class with a gigantic tool belt of new ways to help my students find meaning in their work. Many of the tools in my belt came from the work of other people in the class. The range of projects we saw over this semester really impressed upon me the versatility of the applications we were working with. I think the most exciting thing happened when people started trying out different applications. We didn't all work with iMovie, but we were able to hear from people who worked with Window Movie Maker, digital cameras, video cameras, microphones, etc. Sharing these experiences just made for a more informed perspective. Thanks to our professors for being flexible and our classmates for testing things out.

I've said this before, but this class has really been an amazing experience for me. It has challenged my beliefs about how we teach English in such a way that allows for constant careful thought and analysis of my teaching practices. As I said to Alex on Tuesday, "This class just totally twisted my ideas." I love that. The issues that we discussed in class, through the readings, on the blogs, with guest speakers permeated my life on more than a technology level.

Some of the things I'm taking away are the importance of meaning and the value of audience. We've talked about these in a technological context, but I think that regardless of application, good teachers should be asking themselves if these are truly aspects of their classrooms. This class affected my philosophy of teaching as well as my teaching practices.

The articles reiterate a lot of what we've discussed. Two points of particular interest to me were the discussion of access and the need to help students shift their own paradigm of the English classroom. Access is an issue that frequently came up in our class discussions, and is also the point that friends of mine kept coming back to when I brought up this class in our conversations. I think I've moved on this point. I have seen how incredibly limiting lack of computer skills can be, and while a teacher can be "understanding" by making allowances, the bottom line is that these are required skills for success in our flat world. Is it unethical to allow students to benefit from the access they have? Does it widen the gap? I guess my philosophy is to try to close the gap whenever possible. I did this when I taught in Brooklyn by inviting students to work on the computers in my home to search for scholarships, work on college applications and write personal statements. Did I make a huge difference? Well, to three young women I did. I guess my idealism shines through once again.

Clearly, most (if not all) of us in this class have adjusted or change the way we see technology and the way we see English classrooms. Reflecting back on where many of us originally stood on the map, we've come a long way. But we've gotten to this point with a lot of patience and gentle reminders. Students need to be encouraged to and supported in making this paradigm shift. Chris' student's post about English class is really a valuable resource. We can see how ingrained the system is and even though they may hate it, they are also comfortable with it. In general, they complained about how English has been the same every year, but also complained that the "new stuff" was harder, but more interesting. I'm curious to see how they would respond to some of those posts as the year comes to a close.

My final project, I think, shows some of the growth that I've experienced. My unit plan for Fences showed how vibrant even an imaginary classroom could be with the integration of the technology applications and the philosophy behind using them. As I've said many times, an exceptional learning experience. Thank you.

Final Project

Here's the web site I created as my final project. In reflecting on the project, I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out. I like that I am leaving this class with practical ways to implement the use of the applications we used/read about, and I feel like I challenged myself to try to avoid "tacking on" technology to a lesson. I used freewebs to make my site, PowerPoint, Word and MovieMaker. Everything went smoothly (for the first time!). As I said in my presentation, I would probably revise the amount of text on the site. I would try to switch to bullets and lists where I could. Other than that, it was fun and hopefully practical. At least my imaginary students really seemed to enjoy it.

Who is reading my blog? - OR - An obvious ploy for comments...

I'm pregnant! The bean-shaped object is my baby. Due date: July 2, 2007. So, I'm putting my Masters on hold (again). I won't be taking classes next semester. This may explain why I've been looking so exhausted in class recently.

Mad Editing Skills

Check this amatuer drummer out.

My Project

Obligatory disclaimer: This is a work in progress. Here is my web site for my unit on Fences.

I am looking for feedback in terms of a few things:
--Do my explanations make sense (audience is students and other teachers who may be unfamiliar with these application)?
--Should I also post traditional plans to contrast, or is it safe to assume that people understand the gist of "traditional lessons"?
--Do you think the blog posts invite comments?
--I'm concerned about students understanding what I write, but also afraid that too much writing could be a turn off. At the same time, I wouldn't bombard them with all this at once as it's presented on the site.
--How do you think these lessons are in terms of integrating some what we've learned and discussed in this course?
--Specifically, I'm think I should take out the collage. What do you think?
--Any other suggestions and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Sarah's read aloud history:

Inspired by Joe's post:

My mother and read aloud together nightly up until middle school. We read the Narnia books, everything by E.B. White, A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, lots of Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume and other YA from the '80s. After we read Are You in the House Alone? by Richard Peck, we discussed the book (about rape), and I wrote to the author.

Mrs. Donner, my fifth grade teacher read aloud to us every day. The two I remember more are The Westing Game and The Cay. She made different voices for all the characters, and brought the story to life. Wonderful...

Much later on, in a Children's Lit. class at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Professor McLaughlin read us Charlotte's Web. Again, I was absorbed by the story and the reading aloud - even though he didn't do the voices. However, I found that I was the only one of my classmates who seemed to enjoy this time. I don't know why, but people just didn't seem that into it.

Don't laugh - but when I was pregnant with my son, I read to him nightly. I have been reading aloud to him ever since, and I plan to keep reading as long as he'll listen. He loves The Lorax, and I love reading it aloud to him.

So, does this history mean that my mother started me on the path to becoming an English teacher? How do you think being read to impacts a person at different ages? Why does reading aloud happen less and less (and seem to be enjoyed less and less) in middle and high school?

Where do we go from here?

I'm sad to see this course coming to a close. For me, this has really been a provocative class. It's challenged my beliefs in such a way that encouraged me to revise my views on how to best teach English, what meaningful work looks like, and how to bring classrooms, schools and districts into the world our students already live in.

What happens to these blogs we've been working on? I know that I will miss reading our course blog and my classmates' blogs. When Will visited our class, Larissa asked him how he learns about the best new technology out there. He said he has a network of "teachers." These blogs are my network of teachers. People are constantly posting links to interesting articles, helpful resources and amusing song parodies. Equally valuable has been the experiences of people in terms of bringing some of what we discuss into their classrooms. I will definitely continue to visit Chris' blog to hear how his students are doing and how his colleagues react to his letter suggesting a revamping of the English program. I hope to hear how student teaching goes, and how what we've done in this course becomes a part of that experience. I think most of us have felt the effects of this course when talking to our families and friends. It's been a powerful experience.

I realize this post is a little "link-happy," but I wanted to try to show how valuable these blogs are. I haven't even mentioned the books we've read, and the thoughtful discussions they have encouraged. What I'm trying to say is, please keep posting. I love the learning that continually happens in and out of the classroom as a result of this class. Thank you, teachers, for making this semester such a meaningful one.

Bloglines test

For some reason, the two posts I made two days ago are not showing up on bloglines. I'm posting again to see if this one will show.

Web Site Update

Continuing to work on my site through the weekend. Enjoy a few photos and a special effect courtesy of my husband's web magic. Thanks for the feedback - it is much appreciated.

Project Abstract

Fences: A Read/Write Web Unit Plan by Sarah Ostrom

I will be presenting a unit plan for teaching Fences by August Wilson using some of the applications we have worked with, strategies and suggestions from our guest speakers, and the guidance of Will Richardson's book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms . The final product will be a website contrasting traditional lessons with lessons that reflect the technology of our world today.

Professional Web Site

Well, here's my site so far.

I am working in Dreamweaver (with technical support from my husband).

I'd appreciate feedback on what you'd like to see more of (okay, besides the missing teaching philosophy). What would be eye-catching, interesting, and professionally appropriate?

Naive or idealistic

It's been a little while since I posted, so here I am to try and remedy that in spite of feeling like I've come down with a case of blogger's block.

I've been thinking a lot about our class with Will. I feel very lucky to have had that experience. My brain gets such a work out from trying to manage all this new information. When I reflect back on our conversation, something that I keep coming back to is Joe saying, "Maybe I'm naive, but...". I've been thinking about the difference between naive and idealistic. Is it naive to have high expectations of yourself and your students? Is it naive to think that you can bring about the changes that we are talking about? Is it naive to think that your students will find meaning in their work in your class? I hope not.

In a somewhat related story, I have been struggling to get my students to attend class. Most times, this means me either going outside or to the cafeteria to find them and bring them to class. What has been frustrating me about this endeavor is the apathy of some of the security guards, teachers, and administrators (NOTE: not ALL are apathetic). As I walk outside and debate going off to the creek to search for my students, I wonder, "Am I being naive to think that this will help anything?" One thing that I know for sure is that whether or not they come to class and do their work, these students know that someone is paying attention to them (and aren't we in an attention economy after all?). I really believe that they know that I care about them on some level. Is this naive or idealistic or both?

Web 2.0 Solutions

My friend sent me this link of a huge list of applications for teachers and students. Not only are there a lot of applications/programs/tools out there, but clearly there are a lot of people out there who are moving towards using these kinds of technology in their classrooms. Exciting stuff.

iMovie Reflection

I feel like I've said most of this on other people's blogs, but I thought I should post about my iMovie here, too.

So, I pretty pleased with my iMovie. As always, I immediately see things that could be improved upon, but it's okay. The best part of this project was finding a computer to work on that could handle the job. I got yelled at by a librarian (who mistook me for a student) for eating in the computer lab, but that was the only snag.

My movie is about Socratic Seminars - which I'm a big fan of. I hope that when it plays next week, the sound will be loud and clear. Working with the external mic is something I'll have to try next time.

Smack your Mac

Also from last night's conversation...

Hitting the side of the computer changes the application you're working in (as opposed to clicking between them). Check out the video and the blog post that explains it.

Inspired by Chrissy's post.

The Mac vs. PC debate was raging at my house last night. I have done my share (maybe more than my share) of Mac bashing, so I'd like to try to clear up my stance on this issue.

Basically, I don't have a problem with Macs, I have a problem with Mac access. My biggest complaint about Macs is that they are awkward to use, but that's only because I'm more familiar with PCs (my Mac-using friends reminded me). I am glad to be working with Macs because I think that - ultimately - some experience with Macs will help me to help more of my students. Along these lines, I think it might be beneficial to work with both in order to give students (in this class) a broader knowledge base of these multi-media applications (for example, a podcast using GarageBand and a movie using WindowsMovieMaker).

In other news, last night's conversation turned to a "statistic" about how every ten years something revolutionizes computer technology. This led to trying to come up with what we'll need to get my son when he goes off to college in 17 years... what will the average college student need - technology-wise?

What Teachers Make by Taylor Mali

I mentioned this poem to Rachel last week which made me go check it out again. I originally saw/heard it on a Def Poetry Jam. Since taking this class, I have to admit, there are some things that I question more than I originally did. However, I still love the heart of it which I think goes along with some of the current discussions on our class blog (Alex's post and Karen's post).

When I went to check out Taylor Mali's site, there was a specific post about this poem and how it has made the "Inspirational CyberSpam" rounds. Ironically, this poem was used by Thomas Friedman in a speech he gave at Yale graduation 2003. Check out the post and the poem.

iMovie Update

Well, I continue to struggle with the Mac aspect of this class, and the iMovie project is no different. I'm doing my movie on Socratic Seminars. I have taped one Socratic Seminar and hope to get at least three more on Monday. The problem is that the computer that I'm using (my friend's Powerbook G4 - about 3 years old, I think) doesn't have nearly enough memory for me to work with. I was able to get 10 minutes of footage in. I edited it down to a minute and wasn't able to save the project. I unistalled some of the iLife '06 applications, deleted the unused footage and my podcast; I tried to save to a 1GB Flash Drive, but there wasn't enough space there either. I feel like instead of spending my time working with the application, I'm trying to work around the constraints of the application and the computer I'm using. In addition, I purchased a mic that didn't work with the camera I used and a fire-wire that didn't work with Mac. I really want to work on this project, but I can't.

Poetry Unit

Okay, I'm going to give the wiki another try. I've started a page for a poetry unit. I know already that I will need help organizing it. I was hoping for the unit to be something that we could all contribute to and eventually use. I've started with "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou, but I've left it open. Anyone interested?

Paperless school

Check out this article about the School of the Future - it was on NPR this morning -a paperless school in Philadelphia. Here's proof that all these things we're reading about and learning about are happening... and we could make them happen in our schools and classrooms too.

iMovie Ideas

For the iMovie assignment, I'm going to try to show some aspect of teaching in a high school. I have a few ideas, and the deciding factor will probably be what's the most logistically feasible.

(1) document what's going on in Shade's classroom - focus on students using technology in their English classroom and Shade's enthusiasm. I think I'd rather do something with Shade for my final project instead of the iMovie assignment.

(2) document a leadership class that is new at the high school this year - a friend of mine created this class for the students who are student government and class officers - it's mandatory for them. It takes place before regular school hours (which would be good for my schedule). I think I'm most interested in this for iMovie because I can sort of visualize it at this point.

(3) document "a-day-in-the-life" of a teacher. This could go two ways: either how busy teachers are and how hard they are working throughout their day, or showing different short clips of positive student/teacher interactions (I'm thinking mostly one-on-one). I think this would be pretty hard to do because I need to be doing my job and filming simultaneously. Also, it's less controlled than working with the leadership class.

So...what do you think? Feedback is appreciated.

Good Student/Bad Student

Thanks to Dave's post for the inspiration...

I have also thought of myself as a bad student (not so much now, but pretty bad in middle/high school and my first try at college). Much like the student in Kadjer's first chapter, I picked up on things from the kids that had done the reading. I participated once the discussion strayed from the text to generalizations about "life." I actually looked forward to the essay test, because I knew a little bullshit would get me a decent grade. I could tell you the long sordid tale of my schooling, but suffice to day that by the time I was 23 I finally decided I was ready to learn - and ready to work for it.

At this point in my life, I do consider myself a good student. I am motivated by gaining actual knowledge, by having my way of thinking challenged. Again, I feel I have to sing the praises of this class. I am always thinking about this class, the flat world, the classrooms I'm in, the students I've had, what students need, what students want... constant questioning. It sometimes feels overwhelming, but it also feels good.

This brings me to another point (not exactly where I thought I would end up, but not entirely surprising that I got here). I am very disappointed with the other class I am taking. Part of being a good student means taking some responsibility for my learning. Usually I wait until the end of semester teacher evaluations come out, but I'm not sure if I can. As someone who has been in the classroom and who has been through an undergrad teacher-ed program I am really appalled. It makes me sad to think that students are being misinformed and that their time is being wasted. This class could potentially discourage students from pursuing teaching. Personally, I feel like this class is detrimental to my success as a teacher.

Teachers have a lot of power. As Spiderman well knows, "With great power comes great responsibility." Remember that your students are watching you. You are models, and you can do such great things with your power. So, what do you advise? Leave it be. Keep my mouth complacently shut for the next couple of months? Is is "worth it" to try to do something?

Podcast Assessment

So...my podcast...

Let me start with the positive, which is what I learned by creating this podcast. I feel like I have learned how to work with GarageBand well enough to bring it into a classroom. Specifically, I learned how to manipulate the different tracks and synchronize the music, vocal track and images I used. In terms of my images, the picture I found of Bill Gates makes me laugh everytime, and I am always happy to be able to include pictures of my family in anything I do. (Chris, to answer your question, only two of the pictures are of my family. I got all my pictures from GoogleImages and Flickr. Jack, the Friedman photo was from Flickr - and there were LOTS to choose from.)

This assignment pushed me to think outside of the box (or 8.5 x 11 piece of paper) and convey a mood with images and music in an unfamiliar medium. I really had the hardest time with the "create a mood" aspect of the assignment because I was concerned that if I chose images or songs that had a certain connotation to me, they may not have the same connotation for my viewers/audience. Jack and Chris hit on this with a particular image (a boy handcuffed to a desk) that I thought would symbolize a sense of today's high school students being restricted by the "digital immigrants" they are being taught by. My idea didn't translate. Perhaps if I had more explicit comments at that point in the podcast, this wouldn't have been a problem.

Things I wasn't happy about - not being able to fade in and out of images and music. I didn't fill the podcast with images all the way through. In hindsight, I don't know why I thought this was okay, but looking at the podcast now, it makes things choppy and disrupts any feeling of mood.

What would I change? More images; use the vocal track to direct the mood more clearly; change my voice (pace and tone);

I'm very glad to have had this experience, and I feel that I could use this in my classroom (a refreshing take on oral presentations or an identity box project). This class, in and of itself, has been a great "world-flattener" for me, and this assignment has definitely been a big part of that.

"Free Periods"

As a teaching assistant I work 7 out of 8 periods and have one period for lunch. Maybe it's because I'm used to the teacher end of things, but I feel like this "free period" is the time to get stuff done - not eat, or chat, or do my homework.

Before I continue, let me say: teachers should take time to eat, rejuvenate, etc. However, it has at least been my experience that teachers are busy ALL day.

So, as a teaching assistant, this is what I did during my "free period" today:
made flash cards for a student to use for a Global Studies vocab quiz tomorrow; visited a student in a resource room to help him get on track with overdue English assignments; spoke with the head of my department about changing my schedule (again) so that I can support students with whom I work in regular classrooms; also spoke about my concerns regarding two specific students; made copies of teacher handouts and plans; distributed these copies to three different resource room teachers; made a seating chart for one of the classes I work with; picked up the second half of a student's paper to deliver to the student later in the day; and, as the period ended, herded three students into class.

This type of daily experience always brings me back to Alex's post specifically the "What am I NOT into?" part. Does all this work really need to be done? Am I really making a difference by doing any of these things? What is the quality of the "difference" I am making (if any)? Could my time be better spent - making a difference in a bigger way? Should I just remind myself of my HOURLY rate of pay, eat my PB&J, find a quiet spot in the library and read Friedman?

Final Project Thoughts

I had originally hoped to do some research on the way my students are using technology at home and at school. However, as my schedule continues to change and concerns about using students arise, I am having trouble seeing this as a viable project.

My second thought would be to work with Shade Gomez (since we work in the same building), but what? Is there anyone out there with a suggestion?

Podcast letdown

I am feeling kind of discouraged about my podcast. While working on it, I felt that I had a good sense of where I was going. I felt like I was learning to manipulate the applications fairly well. I even started to feel like I was ready to move on to iMovie to make something more dramatic. I found pictures and music that I thought fit well together, and I felt pretty confident overall with my finished product. It was amusing to me, but still, I thought it showed that I had learned something from Friedman and was gaining some facility with the iLife '06 applications.
Then, I saw what other people did.
Now I think my podcast is - in a word - lame. I'm frustrated because I actually worked hard on trying to get things right and make it engaging. But, as I see from what other people have done, there was so much more that could have been done. I guess the upshot is that my students will only need a teacher who allows and supports the use of technology, not one who's good at it.

My Mood Podcast

Check out my podcast here
You should be able to open this file: MoodPodcast.m4a
Please let me know if this works for you and what you think.
Thanks.

Wired article

I was reading an interesting article about eBaumsworld. It's basically a site with funny videos and pictures that one guy (and his girlfriend) compile together on the site. Not surprisingly, the site is popular and has started to make him a lot of money. He hasn't been giving credit to the originators of the videos. Some have resorted to threatening him until he finally took down their video, and others have just been complaining LOUDLY.

I made two connections to this. First, it once again brings to the front of my mind the challenge of always staying current. I read this article because I had seen some of my students on the site. One of my undergraduate professors frequently instructed us on the importance of what he called "with-it-ness." I don't think he was even thinking about any of the things we're talking about in this class, but the concept still seems to be relevant.

Second, this reminded me of Natalie's post about posting on the class wiki. Alex's replly discusses the difference between authority and authorship. How do you think this applies to ebaumsworld?

Cool Web Site

Will the wonders of Flash never cease...
Check out this Japanese hatmaker's site.
Has anyone ever seen a site that is navigated this way?

Teacher vs. Teaching Assistant

I had an interesting day today. As a certified and experienced classroom teacher, I wondered how I would do with being in a support staff position. Would there be conflict? Would I disagree with the teacher I was working with? Would I find good teaching practices in the classrooms I was working in? I have seen some good teaching and some great teaching. One of the teachers I work with has been particularly open to my input, and I feel like I am truly part of a teaching team in her class. In other classes, I have been clerical/errand girl, which is what I expected in part. Even that aspect of the job has been okay.

However, today I had a situation where - without thinking about the implications - I did not do what the teacher asked me to do. She asked me to remove a student whose cell phone rang during class (and the kid had answered it!) and bring him to the office. I removed him from the room, but instead of taking the disciplinary measures she wanted me to take, I talked with him. Without getting into too much detail, this student is having some trouble with school (not doing homework, missing class, coming late to school, not getting enough sleep, being bullied to the point of having his thumb broken, being generally out of it). I don't know all the details of what's going on with him, but I just thought there was a better way to handle the situation. So I did it my way.

The following period, I was pulled from another class and asked to find this student and bring him to the assistant principal's office, which I did. As we walked to her office, this student and I spoke a little about his bullying situation. It was clear that he knows who is bullying him, but doesn't want to tell the administration the person's name. He says, "It's no big deal. It's funny how important he thinks this makes him." When this student spoke with the AP, he changed his story (unconvincingly). His parents were called (not exactly sure of the parent situation). I worked with him on some homework 8th period and went over what he needed to do at home that night.

So, now I'm worrying about this student, and I'm worrying about me. Did I do the right thing? Am I allowed to make that kind of decision? Are there consequences for this? Will there be tension or conflict between me and the teacher? Does this impact my reputation? Is he doing his work? Is he going to get a good night's sleep? What are the repercussions of a phone call from the AP? What exactly is the extent of the bullying? What is the best way to hanndle bullying? What is my role in a situation like this?

Looking for advice and an unbiased opinion...

My Time is Precious

This may not come across the way I want it to, but...here goes: My time is precious - don't waste it.

Hooray for this class. Students are treated to a fast-paced class with high expectations from our professors who are also available to help and they've set up a way for students to help other students. I feel a range of emotions when I feel my time is being wasted in class - frustrated, annoyed, agitated, bored, underestimated and angry. In 506 I am learning new things all the time, building on what I learn, applying what I learn, becoming more comfortable with what I learn.

Being a teacher of teachers (or soon-to-be teachers) is an incredible challenge in my opinion. You are dealing with people who are out there in the trenches. They know what it's like and they want real solutions. They can be resistant to change, and they are certainly tired. Thank you for rising to the challenge every week in class and throughout the week on our blogs.

I really feel like I am learning about technology in the English classroom, but also learning about good teaching practices that have little or nothing to do with technology: Keep students engaged. Provide opportunities for creativity and success. Make yourselves available, but give students ways to be responsible for their own work. Model effective collaboration with others. Know your subject area curriculum. Have high expectations for your students. Differentiated instruction (we read, we write, we talk, we listen, we do).

More from school

Exhausted and burnt out. Reading, reading, reading. Naively thought I could be an uninvolved teaching assistant who "leaves work at the door." However, I find myself thinking about the students I work with and try to help, but instead find myself doing mundane things. Speaking with disgruntled teachers and feeling despondent. Wondering about this balance of family, work, school and myself (is working on yourself even allowed if you are wife/mother/daughter/teacher/student?)

First Day of School (as a Teacher Assistant)

It's been a couple of days...orientation with the whole district, working with my department, first meeting 9th graders and - at last - a full day of school with all grades. A few things strike me at this point in the game.

Personally, it is really hard for me to make this transition from stay at home mother to student/teacher. Time management is critical, and I am feeling really overwhelmed by all that I have to do and want to do. My time feels more precious than ever.

As a student, this class is challenging and fast paced -- I love it. I feel like I am really learning new material and learning how to apply this to my classroom. I don't feel like I'm wasting my time. Unfortunately, this is not always the case with the other ways I'm spending my time.

Professionally, this is a challenge. I have been the classroom teacher of 25-34 students in an urban setting with up to 6 special needs students on my own. It's an adjustment to be in a district that even has a support staff. As a teaching assistant, I am struggling with being in the periphery, even though I chose this position over a teaching position so I would not have all the responsibilities of a teacher. On the other hand, it is good to meet and begin connecting with my students, especially students I will be working with in a resource room setting. I am eager to learn about the special education program and how it serves its students.

Tomorrow, my first week will be over...I feel emotionally and intellectually exhausted by my new schedule...not sure what else to say.

Where are the women?

Did anyone else notice that all of Richardson's examples of real world application of these technologies come from male teachers? Thoughts on this?

A Whole New World

Lots to comment on... first, regarding Marc Prensky's digital native/digital immigrant idea: I'd like to think there's a middle ground. I don't know, some kind of digital immigrant who has been in the "digital country" for most of her life; or a digital immigrant who is eager to lose his accent and completely assimilate. Am I an immigrant in denial?

Next, the Bruce article: He expresses an interesting concern about losing sight of the students as the focus shifts to the technology (16). James seems to express concern over this in his recent post as well http://iregretnothing.blogspot.com/. I think this concern could apply to any teaching tool. If the teacher becomes too focused on the lesson, the movie, the song, the poem, the reading, the writing s/he is teaching, s/he is in danger of losing sight of how the lesson is working within the classroom. I can recall more than one occasion when I had to change plans because what I thought would be a thoroughly engaging lesson just didn't work at that time.
Bruce concludes with an emphasis on the importance encouraging and guiding our students towards "learning how to learn" (18). I believe that one of the most valuable tools we can give our students is the freedom to find out what works for them. We do this by provided varied instruction, which provides an opportunity for our students to discover their own learning style and strategies for success. We are teaching them a valuable lesson: Sometimes things will come easily to you. Great. How will you handle the things that don't? I feel like I am constantly evolving as a learner and this class is certainly provocative in that way.

Finally, Richardson's book. The way this book is written works very well for me. It's accessible and exciting. His explanations of how things work and how to implement them in the classroom are clear and concise. Here are a few random thoughts about the reading...
I am a BIG fan of collaborating so learning (yes, learning for the first time) about wikis was invigorating. I immediately thought of how hard it was to find common time to meet with other teachers to develop lessons. If I had only known about this sooner!
I'm wondering about the public/private issues regarding this idea, but imagine meeting with your grade level team and/or your department via a blog!? I'm sure this is being done somewhere to the great convenience of all involved. It would be great to be able to share concerns about and successful strategies for helping specific students. It would be great to communicate on a daily(!) basis about students' needs. It seems like these technologies could make things a lot easier for students, teachers, parents, administrators - everyone. I am interested in being able to create private spaces online for my classes mainly because of concerns about public access. However, isn't it important and of value to get students into more public arenas? I feel conflicted. Students could (and need to) learn so much in terms of dealing with public space and being a part of global community emphasizes the significance of their contributions. Still, there is a sense of risk...
Learning about RSS was also eye-opening. I was thinking, "How can Alex and Karen keep up with all these blogs? How can I find out when someone posts on the class blog? What about keeping up with my classmates' blogs?" Hooray! A solution! I went right to Bloglines and signed up. It took a little while initially, but will save me time from here on out.
More reactions: pg. 96 - The Social Web - Wow. Once you become fluent in these things you could provide more individual instruction and maybe (gasp!) save some time with planning and feedback.
pg. 98 - a computer program that puts the sources you use in MLA format!? Am I dreaming? How long has this existed!?

ps/ just did spell check on this post and wiki and blog are not in the dictionary...I guess there's always room for improvement.

MAC ATTACK

Well, here I sit, for the second night in a row trying to do my homework: Lessons on iLife '06.

Problem #1: I don't have a Mac
Solution #1: I have borrowed my friend's Mac

Problem #2: She doesn't have iLife '06
Solution #2: I purchased this software so I don't have to make an extra trip to campus (I am already working full-time, taking two graduate course from 4:20-9:20, and am committed to spending as much time as possible with my husband and son).

Problem #3: I can't install all the software because there isn't enough room on her drive.
Solution #3: I will install the software I need for these specific lessons, and uninstall/install accordingly as the lessons progress.

Problem #4: I need her password to install the software...and she's not home right now.
Solution #4: Post a frustrated entry on my blog and hope she calls me back.

Relevant Reading Writing and Speaking

Let me start with the disclaimer that I'm not really sure where I sit on this issue. Is there value in being "cultured" and "well-versed in the classics"? Is there value in having read all that Shakespeare wrote if it will not apply to the practical, professional world of which many/most of our students will be a part? What about the value of having a student really enjoy something they read even if that student will never be able to use their knowledge of the book again? As our world becomes "flat" where or how does traditional English curriculum evolve to keep up with the times?

Listening to the Natives

Exciting! There are so many ways to use technology to improve the classroom for teachers, students and parents. Giving students the opportunity to show off their knowledge, to let them be the "expert," fosters self-esteem, motivation, confidence. A teacher asking for help and deferring to his or her students' expertise models humility, and establishes the classroom as a safe place to say, "I need help. I don't understand."

The thought of being able to integrate cell phones into the classroom (as part of learning) would be so relieving. To not have to compete with a cell phone, text messaging, surfing the web, taking pictures, etc. would make the whole room more comfortable. In a situation where there is limited technology in the school, yet almost every student has a cell phone, it would require little financial support from the district and meet our students' needs for technologically relevant instruction.

One concern I have is that communication will suffer. Students will not learn how to write or spell correctly because they are using short cuts and abbreviations. I personally pay attention to the quality of people's speech and writing (perhaps this has something to do with being an English teacher). I believe this continues to be important whether you are writing an email or a cover letter. An emphasis still should be placed on writing and speaking correctly no matter what medium is being used.

First Day of School

Well, I find myself home after my first evening as a graduate student at SUNY Cortland. I am eager to learn more about how to better serve my students. The thing that is sticking with me most at this point is how negative the tone can become when we talk about teaching and the education system in this country.

There are so many challenges in teaching, and it is easy to feel unsupported or overwhelmed by environmental factors that affect one's classroom. However, I believe maintaining a positive attitude is vital to a successful classroom and overall teaching/learning experience. My strength and determination to persevere comes from my students -- past, present and future. They never cease to amaze me in their overall spirit. With regard to technology in the classroom, I will always think of one particularly special young woman who, understanding the importance of computers, sought my help in getting an email address. Even with the limited access at school, she took it upon herself to make sure she had the tools she needed to achieve her goals. This motivation is just one of the remarkable qualities she possesses. As she begins her sophomore year of college, I am proud to say she is continuing to succeed and achieve. How do you think teachers can stay positive about such challenging work?

Welcome!

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope this will be a forum where different viewpoints on education will come together to better serve our students. Comment often!