Teaching Two-Point-Oh

Start small.... With every difficult step, change or avenue in life, we're told to start small. With teaching, its basically the same thing, but sometimes starting small sounds like moving backwards. As was the case with planning lessons in a Web 1.0 environment. There are so many tools available, being limited to a few is almost distressing. If I were to recreate my WebQuest lesson I would definitely change some of the components to utilize the vast array of tools available. In the WebQuest, students are asked to research an animal, create a poster and a PSA about the animal but I did not specify how. In a faster paced web 2.0 world, I would definitely change the PSA to a podcast. This would allow for sending/publishing the podcast to the web without infringing upon the issue of putting students faces/images out for all to see. This should allow for parents to listen to a be a part of the students' products. Talk about making learning real. Parents are always asking students what they "did at school today." After students have returned home, had a snack, done homework and played some video games- the school days seems as far as eons ago. Forget about "talking" what about "showing" their parents what they accomplished. It would surely change the fodder for dinner table discussion tremendously... if students still have family dinners, that is...

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Students who take an extended absence from school due to illness or recovery from a medical procedure are usually unable to make up all work missed. It's a fact- though we try our best, sometimes that last paper doesn't get done. It results in an incomplete or low grade. Or, students miss the introduction and bulk of instruction: we're giving a test and Student A is just returning... What if- the teacher created a podcast to explain different portions of a lesson for those students who are out, or those who are struggling? The flu is a nasty thing- I'd much rather my student listen to my voice from the comfort of their quarantined home than come in and cause me to have a quarantined classroom. Parents are always asking what they can do to help those students who are struggling- maybe create a podcast (by grade level) of tips and strategies for parents to listen to based upon their students needs (ie. fluency, decoding, etc). There are many options- we just need to find the time (and energy) to do them. In a perfect world, I'd: have a full time blog, teach my class using the most up-to-date forms of instruction, they'd all be reading on grade level... and I'd be a size two... But, alas, I must start small... here's to one step at a time.

My, how time does fly

Growing up, my little sister knew she wanted to do something with on-air, on-camera "stuff" when she grew up. So she had a "talk-girl recorder."

                                                               
It went everywhere with us- I do, vaguely remember borrowing it once to prove that she did, indeed, snore when she slept... (don't worry- she's a silent sleeper now). We would make "radio shows" or commercials or just goof around. If we found those little cassette tapes today, I'm positive they'd be quite embarrassing.  Its interesting how times change. 

Can you imagine your 8 year old self creating today's equivalent... a podcast? Sharing your thoughts and chatter with friends, family and whoever would listen? I definitely can not. I'm sure our students can- they love to talk, as evidenced by the number of times I ask them to "tone it down." A podcast would allow them to speak for a specific purpose. I wonder if they'd have anything to say...

Blogs are difficult enough. Trying to get your "voice"" to convey through the written word. Podcasts are scripted radio- the 'Super Me' of the blog world. If a blog is "all about the writer" what is a podcast? Easy to continue to old adage- "a face for radio and a voice for silent movies." We could change it to "A face for podcasts and a voice for blogs..." bless her heart, times are a'changin...

A wiki-whah?

You know that sound you hear, the one that brings you back to the 00's... sounds really cool, like a scratching record- but electric... That's what I figured a "wiki" was.. you know... a "wiki-wah" best onomatopoeia out there. Sounds interesting. Also reminds me of the sound at :42 seconds in the Wish You Where Here video from Incubus. Go ahead, check it out... is up there ^.... I'll wait....

Get it now? Yeah... not the right "wiki" but it brings me back to my high school days. Oh well- another chat for another time.

Wikis... the Encyclopedia Brown of Web 2.0. There's even a Wiki for that song: Go figure. Basically a Wiki is a quick way to locate mostly accurate information about everything from history to popular culture topics and everything in between on the web. It can be quickly updated and corrected and many wikis are monitored and changed almost instantaneously, even more than your Call-the-cops-and-wait security system. Take that ADT.. But I digress... Personally, I wiki everything if I need to know it quick. If I were answering a "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" question- I'd probably check a couple sources. For daily life- wiki is my go to. To add these into my classroom I'd have to do a Halo Effect lesson first- trusted vs. untrusted sources, etc. Overall, I definitely wouldn't count them out quite yet. They're definitely more reliable than the dusty old books shoved in my parents' attic sold by those door-to-door guys. Come on, at least no one is waking the neighborhood on a Saturday morning trying to get me to use a Wiki.

To Blog or not to Blog

There really isn't a question in these times, it seems like everybody who is anybody has a blog. Firstly a blog is... all about me- therein lies the problem. If I don't have something worth sharing- I suppose I need not share anything. Like Thumper, right? "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Many bloggers and Internet perusers could take a note from Thumper. As blogs are inherently an open forum which allows users to be a part of the writing process the blog is never truly finished. If a reader comments, one can engage and comment back- thus creating a discussion or argument. Unlike on a discussion board, the blog author is not required to respond as per netiquette requirements. On this same train of thought, a blog author may post whatever whimsy she chooses- there is no requirement for fact. The validity of a statement falls to the readers to decipher.

Blogs are an overwhelmingly positive resource for teachers. Many authors choose to create, experiment with and post on topics that are commonly studied within the education spectrum. Authors often create and share templates and tips for teaching that save educators time and energy. As easy as the idea of "starting" a blog may be, the maintenance and continual posting separate the master-bloggers from the mini-bloggers. There are relative levels of blogging as referenced by Will Richardson in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. He says:

                     "Doing connective writing in blogs is a different experience than just posting. If we
                      look at the spectrum of different types of Weblog posts, we can start to see where
                      posting ends and blogging an an academic exercise begins."

There is a difference between journaling and posting assignments or links and "metacognitive and reflective" writing. The higher order thinking strategies are more depended upon in "real" blogging. Making connections between experiences and readings as well as writing with a specific audience in mind takes careful planning and control. To me, its much like writing a rough draft to an essay or book.

In the Winter 2013 edition of Scholastic Administrator there's an interesting article called Books, Blogs, Ideas. It focuses on Salman Khan and his idea of a tech-centric classroom which focuses on self-paced learning. He mentions the importance of incorporating technology in order to help the educational model to evolve. He also mentions that the current attention being paid to technology in schools is more negative than positive. Much like the concepts within the Victorian Internet, these things take time. When a new idea is introduced it must first be constructed, tested, accepted and promoted within the educational community in order to secure validity.

Blogs in the classroom can be beneficial for students of all ages. Younger students are able to read and glean information from blogs in order to extend their learning. Older students may be able to use blogs to connect, collaborate and construct meaning through writing and commenting on the blogs of their teachers, classmates and other positive members of society. As blogs are a newer tool, I'm sure much will be learned, changed and will start to evolve as the possible educational uses become wider known. Personally, I look forward to incorporating blogs into my units of study to engage students and move them toward the ability to be good technology users as they grow academically.

Go ahead, start a blog... no pressure.

First Graders are thirsty, or firsty, learners. They want to know everything about everything. Especially the stuff that's not on the agenda for the day. They're also; frilling, finkers, fankful, foughtful, and frifty- or in adult language... thrilling, thinkers, thankful, thoughtful and thrifty. As their teacher, I am also all of these things. I care about them academically, as any teacher does. I care about them socially, emotionally and for many, many years as they grow, learn and eventually leave the safety of our Elementary School Home. I look forward to hearing about their accomplishments when I'm old and gray. I strive to share a love of going to school with them. Not because they have to go to school- but because they feel successful, confident and happy when they attend.  I'm not only their teacher, I'm a safe adult, I'm a caregiver, I'm a cheerleader and a diciplinarian. I'm a little nutty- and that's okay. They understand me, and I strive to understand them. In short and long, I care. I care about teaching them to make a difference. A difference in their own lives, in the lives of their peers, and an ability and drive to change the course of the future as they deem necessary.