CEdO530 Digital Storytelling-Entry #4

The Presentation Zen reading for this week really hit home today. We had an early release day in the district because we had a guest speaker coming to talk with us about professional learning communities. The presentation lasted from 1:45-3:30. Thinking about the book in a general sense, I found myself rating the presentation from the Zen point of view. The slides were heavy with text, the presentation seemed endless, and the handout was a copy of the PowerPoint slides. Prior to reading the textbook I would have been bored with the presentation. After reading the text I was bored because I knew there was a better way to present the information.
Specific to the reading this week, the speaker would have been wise to trim some of the fat from his presentation. I have a difficult time sitting for any length of time, but sitting in one spot for nearly two hours was an exercise in torture. I don't care how great of a presentation you have, expecting people to sit for that long and pay attention is silly. Our speaker had an excellent message, but with attention spans beginning to wane at about the 10-15 minute mark, I wonder what the audience learned from the presentation. By shortening the presentation, I believe the message would have been clearer, and the impact greater.
I love Ben Sander's emphasis, not on success or failure, but on contribution. None of the usual concerns that many presenters worry about are important. It doesn't really matter if we are a success or failure, because if that is our concern, we will not be effective. Sander also discusses the great concept of not taking ourselves too seriously. Obviously, we put extensive time into the preparation and polished delivery of our message, but that doesn't mean that we can't make mistakes. We should be able to laugh at ourselves within the context of doing our best. If we have that attitude, there will be a greater chance of a naturalness appearing in our presentations, and a better connection with the audience.
The Prezi tool is really fascinating because it is unlike anything that I have seen before. Having a giant canvas to put one's information, and then linking that information together seems like a really cool way to make presentations. That being said, I have found Prezi a little more difficult to use effectively than how it was described. But I suspect that my struggles revolve around having to learn a new tool and having high expectations for myself. I sometimes don't have the patience with myself to really give something a chance. I think with more use, Prezi will be a great tool to add to the arsenal.
The Pecha Kucha assignment has also been a little bit of a struggle, again because it is a new way of thinking for me. I like having the storyboarding ability in the planning analog stage, so when I go to the computer, my time will be spent more efficiently.
Overall, the week's assignments have been a challenge for me, but a good challenge. I think that I have found new tools that I will be able to share with my students, and hopefully I will remember not to take myself too seriously while I learn how to use the tools effectively.

CEdO530 Digital Storytelling-Entry #3

I am really intrigued by the Presentation Zen principles that we have been studying so far. At the beginning of our reading, I was essentially a blank slate when it came to presentations. As I have alluded to in previous writings, I have always avoided presentations because I thought they would bore the pants off my students, and be of little or no value concerning getting information where it needed to go. But now I am starting to understand how powerful and meaningful presentations, when done correctly, can be for the presenter and the viewer. I like the idea that Reynolds presents concerning amplification through simplification. I have seen many presentations that are a labyrinth of information, and Reynolds suggests that eliminating clutter (noise) can really make for a powerful message. I love the idea of less is more, and that time should be spent finding graphics that can really develop visual representations of ideas. That being said, I am a little frustrated at the price tag that accompanies many of these graphics. Fortunately, our book does offer some free sites that will help me find images without having to pay for the privilege.
Speaking of images, Animoto is awesome. I have known this for quite some time, but it is nice to be reminded about the power of this tool. I plan to have my students use Animoto to represent what is important to them concerning family and their lives in general. I think that this tool provides enough options for the user to have control of their presentation, or to simply let Animoto do all the work. However this tool is used, I think that it will be a wonderful addition to my students' technological arsenal.
I am most excited about the "This I Believe" site. I am never very good at providing my students with outlets to submit their written work, but this site will help me change that trend. I will be using this site for my advanced composition students by having them submit essays as a culminating activity toward the end of their time with me. I think the writing assignment challenges students to really examine what they believe and what helped forge their belief systems. I will be presenting this idea on the first day of class, and I hope it is met with enthusiasm by my students.

CEdO530 Digital Storytelling-Entry #2

I find it rather ironic that my literature classroom is devoid of any digital stories. Perhaps I would go further and say that this fact is also pathetic, but my psychologist has told me to think only happy thoughts. I think that literature is rich with stories that need to be told, and that by experiencing them, readers will learn more about themselves. The problem with literature is twofold. The first issue involves the why does it matter factor. If a student is planning on attending a technical college, and probably never take another literature class after mine, then why does what Twain wrote have any significance to them? And the second issue involves Hamlet's response to Polonius when asked what Hamlet was reading; "words, words, words." Literature requires the reader to read words, then have those words become meaningful on the movie screens of our minds. With the advances in technology, information is received and digested in the visual form, and makes reading a difficult sell. So I have two choices on how to proceed with my dilemma. I could quit my job and go back to running a restaurant, or I can figure out a better way of selling literature to the masses.
The topic of digital storytelling has emerged at the right time in my career. With a classroom filled with visual learners, expecting students to voraciously read books without first selling the story will be as successful as trying to milk a bull. (I will not explain this comparison any further because I think you get the point) So I will do my best this year to make stories come to life through the use of digital storytelling.
The scary issue for me with using digital tools involves the amount of time needed to be successful. I know that Reynolds addresses the ideas of busy vs. busyness. Everyone is busy, but busyness is usually self-imposed. For me to be successful at digital storytelling, I will really have to be efficient at using my time. I can't waste time struggling with whether or not everything I do will be successful. Per the advice from Presentation Zen, I must identify my point and why does it matter. If I can focus on those two questions, I won't spend time being overwhelmed with self-doubt and other insecurities. At that point in our reading, I really felt like that was something that I could accomplish.
Since the stories in class are already written, I need to find ways to make the story come to life. Just because I love what we read doesn't make the class important to my students. The idea of stickiness will also help my plans to use digital storytelling in class. With storytelling being a natural and appealing method to share information, following the six characteristics concerning stickiness should really help my students be open to receiving the information.
I am really looking forward to getting to work on creating some digital stories. I know that not all of my efforts will be rewarded with students rushing to class to learn, but I do know that the tools we have been given so far will greatly improve the chances of my students wanting to read and participate intelligently in class.

CEdO530 Digital Storytelling-Entry #1

I have one predominant thought concerning the first lesson in this class. I am cautiously optimistic that what we will be studying will help open my eyes about the power of presentation through the use of electronic tools. This might be the first opportunity to take theory and make practical applications for the classroom. In literature, I try to let the work speak for itself, and let students do most of the talking. As I reflect on this philosophy, I know that I am cheating the students out of some wonderful learning opportunities by avoiding power point, or in my case, keynote presentations. To this point in my career, I have avoided using these presentation tools with the exception of as a review before tests. My main excuse for this avoidance involves what was covered in our reading of Presentation Zen. I never wanted to torture students with nauseating amounts of slides filled with data, and I didn't feel confident enough to use the presentation tools to make slides that were really meaningful. This class will hopefully help me overcome my reluctance to use presentation tools and provide me with ideas on how to be a more successful presenter.
As indicated in our reading of Digitales, everyone has a story to tell, and the oral tradition has been around longer than any other form of communication. That being said, it behooves us to extract the richness of our stories through the use of digital tools, and allow our stories to be stored for future generations to enjoy. But not every storyteller is created equally, and the same story told by two different individuals can yield remarkably different outcomes. Imagine a popular joke that you have heard in the past and recall the delivery of the punchline. In one case, the mastery of the delivery makes the joke funny for one, while intolerable for another. I think that Digitales will provide the tools needed to be, at the very least, a better storyteller, and allow me to better share experiences with my students.
Having a good story is a great opportunity to enlighten others, but deciding what is necessary and what is superfluous is a challenge to be addressed. Presentation Zen seems to address this challenge by providing, as the author indicates, and approach, rather than a method for presentations. Reynolds discusses that there is not a one size fits all approach to presentations, and that each situation requires a unique perspective. But by using the approach discussed in the book, the presenter seems to have a better chance to have a positive impact on his/her audience. I like the idea of simplicity, but it also scares me. We all probably think that the information we present is important, so being willing to thin out our material can be a daunting task. Perhaps less is really more, as long as we are willing to objectively let go of some of our materials in order to extract what is really meaningful.
Between the two readings I think that I will have a great approach to presentations, as described in Presentation Zen, and quality tools to present a story, as provided in DigiTales. My hope is that I will challenge some of the ways that I currently deliver information, and in the process, find ways to create quality presentations that can be used, and continually improved, throughout the years.

CEDO 525 Final Thoughts

This class has made me realize how my anachronistic teaching style needs to adapt to the times. Reflecting back, I admit that I teach like I was taught, and coached like I was coached. But today's students and players are different than those of days gone by, and need to be handled differently. What was good for the goose does not translate into something good for the gander. But now I feel that I am better equipped to make meaningful changes to my teaching style. The lesson revision assignment made me realize that I am probably the main reason that my students are not excited about literature. Just because I love reading doesn't excuse my throwing the books out there and expecting kids to share my passion. The strategies we have studied will hopefully help get kids excited about learning again, and make them more successful students.
The setting objectives strategy will be my starting point for revising my teaching style. I like the idea of making the KWHL chart available to students via Google Docs. I think that having students think about what they know, what they want to know, and how they plan to acquire the knowledge will not only reveal prior knowledge, but it will also give ownership of the learning process back to the students. They will have a say in how the obtain information, and reflecting on what they have learned can help develop better habits for future units. I also want to make sure that my objectives are clearly stated for students, and I will make them available electronically on either Moodle or Google Docs.
Providing feedback is arguably the most important strategy to incorporate into a classroom, yet one that is difficult to make meaningful. I think that by having students create blogs they will be able to communicate with each other on issues throughout the year and provide more valuable feedback than simply feedback from the teacher. Last year I started using Senteo software with the new smartboard in my classroom. I really like that feedback on quizzes is immediate, and that problems can be addressed when the information is fresh in the students' minds. The smartboard itself will also allow for immediate feedback while allowing students to be more participatory and engaged in classroom activities.
I have tried to do a good job with cooperative learning through the use of Google Docs. I love the fact that there is a revision history, so I know what kids have been doing, but it also allows for additional technology to be explored. Skype has been a nice compliment to Docs and allows even more freedom for students to work together. I am also thrilled that I learned about Webspiration. I think that Inspiration is an awesome tool, but cost and limitations concerning collaboration has made me reluctant to pursue this software. Wespiration has the same features as Inspiration, but is free and allows for collaboration. This will be a great addition to collaborative efforts in my classroom.
Nonlinguistic representation is probably going to be the biggest change this year in my classroom. Looking at the textbook for our next class, a presentation expert stated that slide shows should never have more than six words on a slide. After I regained consciousness, I realized that might be excellent advice for anyone who is presenting. We want our audiences to be engaged and not simply reading words on a slide. I think we also challenge ourselves to become better presenters, rather than simply reading what we have on a slide. I am very heavy in linguistic representation, but I now realize the importance of nonlinguistic representation for student engagement, and I will be utilizing this strategy significantly in my classroom.
I will also reinforce effort in the classroom by using an effort spreadsheet produced in Excel software. My participation grade was often a gift to all students regardless of effort, but now I will be able to look at data showing how student effort effects performance. My hope is that the hard workers will be motivated to work even harder, while my students lacking motivation can see that improved effort can produce improved grades.
I could go on and on, but this reflection makes me feel like a failure as a teacher. I think that the strategies I learned will make learning visible in my classroom again. I know that the technologies I have used helped student engagement, and I also know that being more knowledgeable concerning strategies to help student learning will make my job more rewarding.

CEDO 525 Graphic Organizers

One of the first questions any new teacher is asked in an interview concerns the idea of organization. The teacher lies and says that organization is a strength and that he or she has a multitude of strategies in place to ensure organization in the classroom. Administrators probably see through the charade and know that the new hire will be a work in progress and ultimately need help with organization. But the new teacher can certainly develop organization in the classroom through the use of graphic organizers. There are many different organization tools available, and this assignment allowed me to examine a few of them.
The first tool that I examined is called Inspiration. Inspiration is a graphic organizer that costs $69.00 to download to a computer. The money is well spent on this product for it has an array of tools to help plan, research, and complete assignments. Users can choose from ready made templates, or start from scratch with an original design. There is a built in library to add clip art to enhance presentations. A Rapid fire key allows easy data entry, and text can be added to links, as well as notes added to key ideas. Audio and video can be added to the presentation, or a hyperlink can be added to link directly to the information. The coolest feature of Inspiration is that views are integrated. The user can shift from a graphic display to an outline display. Any changes made to either display will automatically update in the other display. For showing connections between ideas, and having a visually rich presentation, Inspiration provides a great option for graphically representing information.
Bubbl.us provides another solid option for graphic organizers. For what it lacks in aesthetics, bubbl.us compensates for by allowing users to collaborate on projects. Because bubbl.us is an online graphic organizer, users can share work with whomever they choose. Although bubbl.us allows collaboration, it does not provide the real time power of Google Docs. Colors can be enhanced to really highlight key points, and projects can be shared for collaboration, emailed, or embedded in blogs and websites. Bubble.us has a box at the bottom right corner of the screen that allows the user to better understand the function they are choosing. Bubbl.us is a powerful tool for graphic organizing, and because it is free and allows collaboration, it provides a viable alternative to Inspiration.
Education Oasis provided yet another option for graphic organizers. Fifty-eight organizers are available for download in the form of PDF files. Some of the organizers can be filled out and then printed, but the majority that I tried could only be printed. In one sense, these organizers are limiting because they are premade, and may not be exactly what a user is looking for. That being said, the user could easily upload the PDF file into Google Docs, make a copy, and then tailor the finished product to meet specific needs. There is a wide array of organizers available, and if nothing else, the user may get valuable ideas for his or her own organizer. This graphic organizer option is probably my least favorite, but again, can be a great starting point for building a really solid presentation.
I am very excited about a recent discovery. Of my three evaluations, I would definitely choose Inspiration software. The power of this tool is second to none, but the fact that it costs money, doesn't allow online collaboration, and can only be used on one computer per license gives the potential buyer pause. Probably aware of these limitations, the creators of Inspiration now have created Webspiration. Webspiration has all the functions that bubbl.us provides, but maintains the power and look of Inspiration. This online tool is also free, and I think would challenge any other online graphic organizer in existence. I will be using Webspiration in my classroom next year, but I will certainly keep the other options available as the need arises.

CEDO 525 Rubrics and Quizzes

We have spent considerable time in the first two weeks of class investigating the importance of being clear with students concerning objectives. Whereas I think I do a fair job instructing students what is expected of them on their assignments, I rarely give a rubric showing how they will be assessed. I am arguably a product of my environment in that I teach in much the same way I was taught. My teachers never gave rubrics with assignments although directions were made clear as to what they expected. But as times have changed, both with the types of students that sit in our classrooms and the quality of technologies available to teachers, it would be wise to reevaluate how my expectations for student work are delivered. To that end, I have examined both Rubistar and IRubric to see if either might be viable options for providing information to my students concerning how they are graded.
If time is short, Rubistar provides a great tool for easily creating rubrics. Templates are provided for a variety of assignments, and numerous categories within each assignment can be selected. Preloaded descriptions of each category aptly describe how the student is being evaluated. The user can customize existing descriptions in order to tailor evaluation to fit his or her needs. The finished rubric can be printed, downloaded, and even saved to an online database. The finished rubric looks professional and can be edited as the user's needs change. The downside of Rubistar is that there are only four scoring criteria for the rubrics. I have never used a point system in my classroom, and if I did, I would want five scoring criteria available. When teaching the 6+1 writing traits, a five point scale would parallel the scoring given with the trait descriptions. That being said, Rubistar provides a vehicle that provides easy to produce rubrics that can save precious time for a teacher while delivering clear objectives to the students.
IRubric has a site that appeals to the eye more than Rubistar. Rubric templates can be searched in a database or rubrics can be created from scratch. Once a rubric is created, that template can be used for other rubrics. Although IRubric doesn't have the auto fill device provided by Rubistar, it does offer the ability to create more categories for grading criteria. Another nice feature of IRubric is the ability to create a link or embed the rubric. I am making a concerted effort to reduce the amount of paper used in my classroom, and the link and embed features will help me achieve this goal. Rubrics are stored online and can be edited as the need requires. So although IRubric takes a little more time to create a rubric, I think that the features make this an excellent tool for assessment.
Although using rubrics in my classroom might be a new idea, giving quizzes is not. Frequent quizzes are delivered during the study of a piece of literature, and I always try to look for new ways for students to be assessed. I have tinkered with Senteo and Hot Potatoes with excellent results, but now Quia and Quizstar have been brought to my attention.
Quia is a neat tool in that it allows the teacher to utilize many tools besides simply creating quizzes. Although better suited for the grade school teacher, the activities section allows teachers to provide learning through different games. There is also a search mechanism that allows the teacher to find work that other teachers have created. Quia also has a survey creator and settings can be customized to achieve the desired purpose. The site offers a nice video tutorial illustrating the advantages of using the service. For quizzes, Quia is easy to use and provides an array of choices concerning question styles. All objective question will be automatically graded, and preferences for feedback can be set by the teacher. There is a nice timing feature that can be set to control how long a student has to complete the quiz. Once a quiz is created, a link is provided for students to retrieve and complete the quiz. The teacher can control how students register for the class, and results can be saved in classes that have been created by the teacher. Quia offers a 30 day trial for teachers, and a yearly subscription can be purchased for $49.
Quizstar is another tool for creating quizzes, but doesn't have the activity or survey features of Quia. Quizstar allows for quizzes to be shared with other teachers but only if permission is granted. Like Quia, QuizStar allows the teacher to control registration and whether or not the class is private or public. Objective questions will be graded automatically, and a variety of question styles can be created. Students will login to QuizStar to complete their quiz, and results are stored automatically in a grade book. The teacher can place time constraints on any quiz created, and results can be emailed to the teacher. Feedback can be immediate, received after completing a question, or set to be delivered at the end of the quiz. QuizStar also provides a free trial of 60 days, after which a yearly subscription can be purchased for $39. QuizStar parallels the features of Quia and would be another nice resource to have in the teaching arsenal.
I think that Rubistar and IRubric are two tools that I will tinker with during the next school year. The quiz generators are nice, but I am not interested in lightening my wallet when I have Senteo and Hot Potatoes for free at my fingertips. That being said, it is always wise to have as many options available for use when it comes to evaluating student work throughout the year.