The first order of business is to discuss the idea of Wikipedia in the classroom. I know that I have shied away from allowing students to cite Wikipedia during the research process, but have suggested students use the site as a starting point. According to Richardson, this is a popular approach for many teachers. After having a chance to really investigate Wikipedia, I might be changing my stance concerning students citing this source during the research process. As Richardson states, and I loosely paraphrase, we together can do more than any individual alone. Many of the topics in Wikipedia have extensive research from multiple resources. The culture of Wikipedia seems to police itself and seems to strive for accuracy. What I have found with Wikipedia is that for general topics it is a great resource. As we look at very specific topics, the success rate seems to wane, but that doesn't mean that Wikipedia isn't useful. It is still a great starting point for research, and I think it has become a source worthy to be cited in research.
For my purposes, asking what is microblogging could easily be changed to why microblog. I might be too old fashioned to handle the idea of Twitter and Plurk, but hopefully I will be able to find some value in these services. As a tool to have students connect with each other and give quick responses concerning ideas in the classroom sounds good to me. I could have students use either Twitter or Plurk to share ideas related to topics discussed in the classroom. So I have reluctantly joined both sites in order to fulfill the requirement of this class, and to hopefully open my eyes as to the value for my classroom. But if I am supposed to be interested in following the random musings of people that I don't really know (or even people that I do know) I think that I am the wrong person for the job. People who use both services claim that they are wonderful, but I am solitary by nature, and don't feel the need to spend more time that I don't have following people that I don't know talk about things that don't matter to me. That sounds really brutal of me to say, and I don't mean to bash anyone who loves microblogging, but for me, the idea doesn't blow my hair back.
My positive vibes concerning blogging are increasing the more we study the variety of uses for blogs. As I have said in previous posts, my biggest concern would be student safety. But I like the fact that students would be able to learn from others that I teach. I think the discussions could be much more valuable between 140 students than simply 25 students in a class. Whether I ever move towards having students contribute to a worldwide audience is something that will need to be addressed down the road. I also like the fact that blogging can help students deal with conflict. I am sure that many students will simply say things that won't hurt any feelings, but I think that being honest with each other will encourage further discussions about specific issues. But to do this, we have to move beyond a comment being construed as a personal attack. By keeping control of what is allowed to be posted, I think that I can help with conflict resolution and keep the fragile world of personal feelings a bit more stable.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
CEdO535 Post #1
I had the unique experience this weekend to hear a speaker discuss the importance of 21st century skills in the classroom. I have to admit that after reading Presentation Zen I have evaluated PowerPoint presentations based on what we read. This speaker reminded me of Reynolds, and his presentation seemed to include quite a few principles that we studied. At the end of the conference, I introduced myself to the speaker, and it occurred to me that I was speaking to the author of our current book. Will Richardson did a great job sharing his thoughts concerning technology in the 21st century classroom, and he emphasized what he wants schools to teach his children. I was impressed with how down to earth Richardson was, and I reflected on the conference during my 120 mile drive home.
I was excited to read the first three chapters of Richardson's book, because I felt that by meeting him, I had a better understanding about his viewpoints. Suffice to say, his writings did not disappoint. Richardson has a comfortable writing style, and although he is a proponent of web tools in the classroom, he doesn't beat people over the head with his ideas
One of the ideas that I like is the implementation of blogs in the classroom. Richardson gives helpful hints on how to get started with that process, and also addresses pitfalls that can occur. I have been working with the LMC director at my school, and I will be using a blog for at least one of my classes during the second semester. My school district only allows the use of EduBlogs, and now the school wants to pilot a program where the blog is hosted on our server. I am one of the participants of this plan, and I think that the experiment will be rewarding. Blogs are intriguing because they can allow for a global audience. Perhaps students will take ownership in their work if they know that anyone can view their work, including parents. I also like the ability to address some of the dangers concerning posting online, and the controls that can be set by an administrator. I am currently researching and getting feedback concerning how best to create my blog under the guidelines of the school district.
RSS feeds is another interesting topic for this week, and I am sure we will be learning more about them throughout the class. My year has gotten significantly more busy, so it will be important to be efficient with my time. By using RSS feeds for my personal and professional life, I will hopefully be able to save time because: the information comes to me, and I can read the information in one spot. Recently, I spoke to my students about Google Alerts, and there seemed to be some interest in further investigating all that it had to offer. Students can similarly use RSS feeds to have relevant information sent to them without spending significant time trying to separate the wheat from the chaff by using Internet searches.
Overall, I am excited to immerse myself into this class, and that is probably due to the success I had in the last class. We are starting to get to the meat of the issues concerning the use of technology in the classroom. It is essential to make educated decision concerning students using blogs to post information. Have student information on the web cannot be taken lightly with an attitude of do now apologize later. Although my role might change by allowing students to interact with the world online, it is paramount that I keep them safe. The students in my classroom are my kids, and I will protect them in the same way that I protect my kids at home. We must have honest discussions about technology in the classroom, and be willing to address our concerns, as well as the impact it will have on our children.
I was excited to read the first three chapters of Richardson's book, because I felt that by meeting him, I had a better understanding about his viewpoints. Suffice to say, his writings did not disappoint. Richardson has a comfortable writing style, and although he is a proponent of web tools in the classroom, he doesn't beat people over the head with his ideas
One of the ideas that I like is the implementation of blogs in the classroom. Richardson gives helpful hints on how to get started with that process, and also addresses pitfalls that can occur. I have been working with the LMC director at my school, and I will be using a blog for at least one of my classes during the second semester. My school district only allows the use of EduBlogs, and now the school wants to pilot a program where the blog is hosted on our server. I am one of the participants of this plan, and I think that the experiment will be rewarding. Blogs are intriguing because they can allow for a global audience. Perhaps students will take ownership in their work if they know that anyone can view their work, including parents. I also like the ability to address some of the dangers concerning posting online, and the controls that can be set by an administrator. I am currently researching and getting feedback concerning how best to create my blog under the guidelines of the school district.
RSS feeds is another interesting topic for this week, and I am sure we will be learning more about them throughout the class. My year has gotten significantly more busy, so it will be important to be efficient with my time. By using RSS feeds for my personal and professional life, I will hopefully be able to save time because: the information comes to me, and I can read the information in one spot. Recently, I spoke to my students about Google Alerts, and there seemed to be some interest in further investigating all that it had to offer. Students can similarly use RSS feeds to have relevant information sent to them without spending significant time trying to separate the wheat from the chaff by using Internet searches.
Overall, I am excited to immerse myself into this class, and that is probably due to the success I had in the last class. We are starting to get to the meat of the issues concerning the use of technology in the classroom. It is essential to make educated decision concerning students using blogs to post information. Have student information on the web cannot be taken lightly with an attitude of do now apologize later. Although my role might change by allowing students to interact with the world online, it is paramount that I keep them safe. The students in my classroom are my kids, and I will protect them in the same way that I protect my kids at home. We must have honest discussions about technology in the classroom, and be willing to address our concerns, as well as the impact it will have on our children.
Friday, September 25, 2009
CEdO530 Digital Storytelling-Entry #5
I am intrigued this week with our study of rubrics. For some reason, my mind only works with percentages, so using rubrics with point values always screwed with my mind. Although I don't usually use rubrics, I can appreciate the value for both the student and the teacher. That being said, I am going to make a concerted effort to incorporate rubrics into my curriculum this year, and determine future use based upon the experiences. Whenever I give an assignment, I discuss criteria that will be used to assess student performance, but a rubric would probably streamline the process. In language arts, I have always tried to grade papers using the 6+1 writing traits guide, and I like how it can identify specific areas of weakness. I would love to find a system that limits subjectivity in grading, but I know that will be difficult to find. Even the 6+1 lends itself to subjective grading, but it does provide a vehicle for some objectivity that would be missing without the grading criteria. I will certainly be mindful of the successes and failures of using rubrics for my assignments this year, and I will also seek feedback from my students to see if it helped them tailor their assignments to what was being assessed.
The group work this week is both a positive and negative undertaking. Positive in the fact that we get to write a paper, something that I enjoy creating. Negative in the fact that we are reviewing two products that are foreign to me. Hopefully, through a meeting of the minds, my group will enlighten me about what is unfamiliar, and we will be able to create a paper worthy of merit.
The Pecha Kucha presentation in theory really got me excited. Now that I have test driven this presentation style, I am not sure that I am ready to buy. I certainly don't blame the product, because I like the idea of working within certain constraints. My disappointment is that I wasn't able to create the presentation that I had initially envisioned. The initial plan was to create 20 slides about writing in iambic pentameter, and show the parallel between that form of writing and the form involved in creating a Pecha Kucha presentation. For whatever reason, my ideas led to dead ends, and I decided to scrap the idea. Hopefully I am resilient enough to revisit my initial ideas after I have more experience with this presentation form. I still like the idea of using it to create a week in review for those who are absent or for parents to view. But, as always, my mind tries to weigh the value of the product versus time to create ratio, and I am not sure that the idea would bare fruit. So, in the end, I have been frustrated with this assignment because I was unable to create what I set out to accomplish. But frustration that leads to learning can be good, and my frustration has yielded a fair amount of knowledge concerning a presentation style that I previously knew nothing about.
The group work this week is both a positive and negative undertaking. Positive in the fact that we get to write a paper, something that I enjoy creating. Negative in the fact that we are reviewing two products that are foreign to me. Hopefully, through a meeting of the minds, my group will enlighten me about what is unfamiliar, and we will be able to create a paper worthy of merit.
The Pecha Kucha presentation in theory really got me excited. Now that I have test driven this presentation style, I am not sure that I am ready to buy. I certainly don't blame the product, because I like the idea of working within certain constraints. My disappointment is that I wasn't able to create the presentation that I had initially envisioned. The initial plan was to create 20 slides about writing in iambic pentameter, and show the parallel between that form of writing and the form involved in creating a Pecha Kucha presentation. For whatever reason, my ideas led to dead ends, and I decided to scrap the idea. Hopefully I am resilient enough to revisit my initial ideas after I have more experience with this presentation form. I still like the idea of using it to create a week in review for those who are absent or for parents to view. But, as always, my mind tries to weigh the value of the product versus time to create ratio, and I am not sure that the idea would bare fruit. So, in the end, I have been frustrated with this assignment because I was unable to create what I set out to accomplish. But frustration that leads to learning can be good, and my frustration has yielded a fair amount of knowledge concerning a presentation style that I previously knew nothing about.
Friday, September 18, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, August 10, 2009
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.
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.
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