Jack Daw & WebQuest

So, like I said in the last blog, during the months of January and February, I am really going to have to limit the amount of time my students are in the computer lab. This is unfortunate because my students will be reading some really great literature that really could really lend itself well to technology--first they will be reading Othello by Shakespeare, and then they will read Night by Elie Wiesel.

I know that for Othello I plan to use technology primarily in pre-reading activities as a method of "hooking" the students into Shakespeare--which is often a very daunting task. The students will participate in two activities that integrate technology as a means of providing introductory knowledge and material and to help create connections with the students:

1) Jack Daw--students will move between stations that have a variety of materials related to information about the Elizabethan era. Some of the materials include photocopied reading materials about the Globe Theater, images of Queen Elizabeth accompanied by reading material, images of clothing at the time, a PowerPoint about Shakespeare and his life, a small film about Queen Elizabeth, reading material and a small film clip about the plague.

2) WebQuest--I found the questions for this WebQuest at the PBS website that provides lesson ideas for teaching various Shakespeare plays. What I really liked about this WebQuest is that it has students look up more than just information, it also has them look up images and visuals. This will really help the students when they begin reading the play because they will have images of the characters in their minds. The WebQuest also helps the students better understand the racial attitudes of the time and the historical context of the play.

Mid-Late February: we will begin reading Night, and I am still trying to figure out exactly what I will do in that unit. That is the unit for which I am submitting my eThemes request, so I will probably wait until they have sent me my eThemes resources. I do know that will be a great unit for technology use, though, particularly through film clips, images, news, maps, etc.

End of the Semester

So, we're at the end of the semester and I feel like I've word very hard at infusing my curriculum with technology use. Both my sophomores and seniors have completed creative projects with the help of technology, allowing the technology to serve as a creative medium for displaying knowledge. Additionally, both groups also engaged in the research process using technology, with a focus on the many different research resources, and also determining valid/reliable resources. I feel this has benefited the students.

I was very surprised to see how well the students took the idea of determining resources to be valid and/or reliable. When I would interact with students during the research process I would hear students say comments such as, "I am having trouble finding an Internet resources because the only websites that show up do not look very valid and reliable." With comments such as this, I am confident that no one will turn in a research project with Wikipedia marked as a valid and reliable source, and that really makes me feel pleased. If they can determine the difference between sources when focusing on validity and reliability, that will affect how they look at all sources in their life...how they look at magazines, newspapers, advertisements, how they interact with people, whether or not they are easily persuaded by a scam. I just think it will make them more aware all around in their life.

So, while they have been very engaged in the technology world, I feel like I have driven the Media Center staff crazy. Whether with my seniors or sophomores, I feel like I am always down there. During the first part of second semester, I do need to spend some time out of the lab for the sake of my fellow faculty members. I know that many of them do a research paper second semester, and I should leave that room for them. My goal for next semester is to find a way to bring the technology to them. It's a little bit easier with my seniors because that room now has a projector, but the room for my sophomores is still waiting for its projector. Oh, the cool things I could do with them if we had a projector. I guess we'll just have to wait, and if it is absolutely crucial, I'll bring in one of the projectors on a cart.

Seniors having more success

I recently started the research unit with my sophomores. Instead of doing a major research paper like I had originally designed for this class, I decided to pair it down so as not to totally confuse and frustrate my kids. Specifically, instead of having the students spend 8 weeks completing research and writing a paper, they are spending 3 weeks learning the research process and writing an outline with citations.

Just as with my seniors, we had the whole discussion about valid and reliable resources. I do feel that this discussion went much better with my sophomores. I described non-valid resources as being like a stop sign, just avoid all together, don't even waste your time (and, of course, I described what non-valid sources are and how to recognize them...such as wikipedia, blogs, web posts, etc.). Then I described non-reliable resources through the metaphor of a yield sign. You can use these sites, but approach them with caution (and when I described these, I provided examples like political websites for politicians, religious websites, business sites). They really seemed to understand this. I was really glad that I was able to get them to really think about websites in this way because previously they felt that everything on the internet was a valid source. I don't know if I mentioned this, but I did this same lesson with my seniors. I feel that it was effect for both groups.

Interestingly enough, both groups seem to have a great deal of trouble when it goes to actually finding resources on the computer (whether they be databases--which I taught--or websites). They really seem to have problems when it comes to problem solving through the brick walls in the research process. When they come to a "brick wall" or a problem, they just want to give up, they don't know how to think through the problem solving process. For example, they don't think to re-word their search, or to try and search in a new location, or try and search with new materials, etc. I'm not sure if this is a generational thing...we've all heard the term the "now generation"...meaning they want results immediately. I think that could be part of it. However, for a generation that is more tech savvy than every before, I was truly surprised to see this.

The next time I do a major project where the kids must complete research, I think I will prep them for it by providing numerous webquest opportunities. Specifically, I think it would be really beneficial to have them work through their problems, "brick walls," in a low pressure situation where they can really explore how to find answers and work around research difficulties. I think completing a few webquests would definitely help with this.

The students had two days to complete research during class time: one day was on the computer using databases and internet, the other day was for book sources. I'll be curious to see the quality of research the students find.

Valid Sources with My Seniors

Earlier this week my seniors began a project that we will be working on for the rest of this semester and will continue next semester. It is a career exploration project in which they will basically research their future career from every possible angle. The items listed in the table of contents are as follows:

Part I—Semester 1
1. Introduction—What is a basic description of career; why do you want to go into this field?
2. Qualifications—What skills, knowledge, and training are needed for this career?
3. Employment Package—What can you expect in terms of salary, benefits, and retirement?
4. Organizations—What are the groups associated with your career? What is their purpose?
5. Employment Opportunities—What are the growth rates and employment rates?
6. Works Cited—List of sources used in your research for Part I.

Part II—Semester 2
7. Advancements—How has your profession advanced and where is going in the future?
8. Famous Person—Research a famous person in that field, how were they influential?
9. Upcoming Election—How will the Presidential election affect your career
10. Economy—What influence is the economy having on your career?
11. In the News—What are major happenings in your career that put it in the news?
12. Pros & Cons—What are the benefits and drawbacks of entering into this career?
13. Resume & Cover Letter—Provide these items tailored to fit your career.
14. Conclusion—Final thoughts and reflection after extensive exploration of career.
15. Class Skills—How will you use reading, writing, speaking, and group work in your career?
16. Updated Works Cited—List of sources used in your research for Parts I & II.

The basic format for working through this unit will be to to work through each of the items on the table of contents one at a time. For each item I will introduce the students to the topic and have them brainstorm what they know related to their career. They will then conduct research related to that topic, then return to the class and draft their formal write-up (some of these will require charts, time lines, etc.), then they will peer review, and then return to the lab to type it up and put it in their Career Exploration Portfolio.

At the beginning of this week I went over the topic of sources and citations. Specifically related to sources, I really reinforced the concepts of reliable and valid sources. We discussed what it means if a source is not reliable and what it means if a source is not valid. I walked them through examples of both, and then the most fun part was when I opened up the Internet and we started searching a topic together. For example, with one hour we decided to search the average salary of garbage men. Then, once we were on the Internet, I would open sites and have the students determine if they thought it was a reliable and valid website. Most helpful was that the students really began to understand why blogs and wikipedia are not good sources to use in research. When we discussed how the last three letters of a URL can be helpful in determining the validness of a website (ex. .gov, .edu., .org). They saw this as a little "trick" that they now knew the secret to, like these sites had been trying to keep this a secret this whole time.

I noticed that when the students were researching that they seemed to be using valid sources and as a result they were finding much better information. I am curious to see how this turns out in class today when they start drafting #2 on the ToC.

A Few Questions & 1 Wondering

First, I have a couple of questions, and I thought I'd post them to the blog to see if my reader might be able to answer them.

1) We submitted a plan for a technology based activity/lessons and I submitted a research paper, what if that has changed and it is no longer what we thought it would be. Specifically, I will not be doing a full fledge research paper during 1st semester like I thought I would. Instead, I am spending 3 weeks doing an introduction into the research process where we will work on developing an argument, how to find research from books and electronic sources, and citations. Then, sometime next semester we will do a full research paper (I think...) . So I was wondering if this change is okay? I was also wondering, if it is not okay, can I switch that assignment to be the one that my students are about to do with creating a technology project based on myths we have read? Thoughts?

2) Can we submit our eThemes now if we want? I was reading further about that assignment, and I want to be sure that I have my eThemes materials before we do the unit, so that I can do my assignment on time. Can I submit them now? I read the information that is posted on Blackboard, is there anything else I need to know?

And finally...my 1 wondering:
I wonder how successful my students will be at creating this technology project. This is the project that I describe in a previous blog. I am introducing this project to my students tomorrow. They will begin preparing the information on the myths in a packet and then we will meet in the computer lab next week. My mentor and I were talking and she asked how experienced I think my students are with technology, and to be honest, I was able to answer it. From my experience with a project recently where they had to create a presentation and could chose what ever method of presenting, many groups chose PowerPoint presentation, and one group made a digital video. There were absolutely no limitation on this presentation, and technology was not a requirement...they chose this. So that indicated to me that many students are very familiar with technology, which I had assumed anyway. I suppose I am just afraid that when the students start this project that I will find out that there are some students who are not even able to create a project using Microsoft Word. I plan on suggesting that the students partner with someone who is good with technology if they are not...and I will put up on the board students who are good at various programs so they know who to go to with questions. I guess I will just have to give it a shot...and will let you know how it goes.

Wish me luck!

Catcher in the Rye Projects

My seniors have been in the computer lab a lot lately. They are working on "artifacts" for their final project in our Catcher in the Rye unit. The project is two parts, with the first part requiring them to create two artifacts, one written and one visual. The goal is for them to create "artifacts" that are actually described in the book or might be from the book. For example, at the beginning Holden talks about a composition that he writes for Stradlater. One of the possible written artifacts is for students to actually write the composition as if they are Holden writing it. For visual artifacts, they can do a variety of options, but the majority of them require the use of the computer to create an artifact that appears professional and high quality. For example, one of the visual artifacts requires the students to create a scrapbook of memorabilia that Holden might have accumulated throughout his trip (such as bar napkins, restaurant receipts, ticket stubs from train rides, etc.) , and then they must describe the artifact, the page on which it is discussed, and the significance of that artifact to Holden.

The kids seem to really be getting into the projects, and actually, I feel that they are more interested and engaged in them because they get to use the computer. They use the Internet to do research, to get pictures and ideas, they are learning how to use the programs more in depth. Only on one or two rare occasions have I had to redirect students to get back on task and off of a website they were surfing.

I think this project will be really good for preparing the students for the career research unit I plan on starting next. For that unit they will need to be comfortable with stepping outside their comfort zone when researching on the Internet and completing a more unusual and creative research project than they are used to. If nothing else, I know that several students have gone from virtually zero knowledge of technology (even Word) to being able to manipulate text boxes to create a visually appealing artifact. That is a feat in itself for those kids!

Project...will it work???

SO, I know this is late...oops! (But so is my electric bill! That's how frazzle brained I am right now!)

Anyway, I kind of wanted to blog about a project I want my sophomores to do with this mythology unit I am about to start. I haven't introduced them to it yet, so I still have time to change it a little bit if need be, but I wanted to see if my instructors had any thoughts.

I want for my sophomores to use technology to create a medium of presenting their knowledge to me. I realize this is more of a surface level use of technology, but I think that it forces the kiddos to go a little bit further with their technology skills than they have previously. The project will require all students to use computer software to create the project, which they will then email to me. Some possible formats/options the students will be able to pick from include (but I am open to other ideas) include:
1)MovieMaker (PC) and/or iMovie (Mac)—create a film or documentary
2)Publisher, Adobe PageMaker & Photoshop—create a magazine or newspaper
3)Kidspiration—create a series of graphic organizers turned into a easy-to-use guide for students
4)Website Design—create an informational website
5)PowerPoint—create a formal presentation
6)Micrsoft Word or Publisher to create a professional brochure

The students will have a set of objectives that I want them to prove to me that they understand in this format, which include:

• Guiding Question:
  --What meanings did myths about gods, goddesses, and heroes have for the ancient Greeks? What meanings do the Greek myths have for us today?
  
• Link between Gilgamesh and mythology:
  --How are they similar, how did Gilgamesh influence mythology, what common modern influence do they share?
  
• Learning Objectives:
  Learn, describe, and understand the basic plots of myths studied during unit.
  Learn, understand, and identify the three major themes in Greek myths:
  o Stories about heroes and adventure
  o Creation stories, or stories about “how it came to be”
  o Life lessons, or stories about consequences of unwise behavior
  Identify, learn, and understand the modern implications and relevancy of mythology, specifically related to:
  o Vocabulary derived from mythology
  o Cultural/Societal references to mythology (restaurants, festivals, movies, TV shows, cartoons, music) that make reference to, satirize, or do a creative take on mythology
  o References to mythology in both ancient and modern art
  o References to mythology in both ancient and modern literature and poetry

In addition they must include the following information:

• Written information/text à you must formally write explanations to answer the answers to some of the questions you project must answer/address (this cannot be information taken from other sources such as the Internet).
• Images/Photos à you must include photos, pictures, drawings, or other graphics that help illustrate your information. Must include a minimum of 6 images embedded in project (included the artwork image).
• Hyperlinks to websites à you must include a minimum of 3 hyperlinks that help illustrate your information. These sites could includes items such as maps, cultural information, images, sounds clips, film clips, government sites, etc.

I really think this project will go beyond a surface level use of technology, especially since the requirements will force the to seek information and media off of the Internet to prove they have an understanding of the objectives.

One question that I do have, is what about the kids who seriously struggle with technology skills. I plan to give them the option of working with a partner, and will encourage students who are not tech savy to do so. I will also give them a week in the lab to work on it (with a weekend of either side of that week). I am concerned about these students, still.

WebQuest Successful!

In my last post I said that I planned to have my seniors do a WebQuest for one of my introductory activities to Catcher in the Rye. We did this WebQuest on Thursday, and I have to say, it went pretty successfully. I did change the questions from what I had used last year. Some of the questions from last year's directed students to a particular URL, and I changed those this year to require the students to have to do all of the searching themselves.

I feel that making this change to the WebQuest was had both positive and negative overall effects on the activity. Looking at the negative effect first, many of the students really struggled with the ability to search for and find particular information on a top (ex. What is the difference between a banned book and a challenged book? or Research Salinger's father and Salinger's religion--what role did they play in Salinger's life?). I believe that many of the students struggled with the basic ability to search because many of my senior Career Comm. kids do not have computers at home, and thus, do not have advanced skill at "surfing" like most students who own a computer do. As a result, many of the students did not get very far in the WebQuest, despite the fact they were working quite diligently the entire class period.

The positive effects: 1) this activity gave those students who struggle with the skill practice in this area 2) the students really internalized what they researched. Being able to complete basic searches over the Internet, and problem solve when they have difficulty finding information will be a critical skill for my students, as most of them are going straight into the technical field, and many of those jobs use computers extensively. Additionally, the students really like that they were in control of what they were searching and the information they were finding. I discovered the next day when we discussed some of the topics that were researched, the students were able to rattle off information off the top of their heads, and I believe this was possible because of the format of the WebQuest.

After doing this activity with the kids, I now have much greater insight into the skills in which many of these students need improvement. After the Catcher in the Rye unit, the students will be doing an extensive career research project. For this project the students will need to use both books and technology to research topics related to their career such as: what educational background is required, what are the daily/weekly/monthly responsibilities for that career, what is the promotion system like, what is the pay like, how does your career interact with the community, in what ways does your career use reading/writing/oral speaking, how is your career affected by politics (public voting, electing of officials), etc. I now know that when we go to do this unit these students will need to have a great deal of modeling and practice with using the many different research tools available to them at Hickman. They will also need extensive instruction and practice with learning what is and is not a valid/reliable research source. I do feel that by the end of the year if these students are proficient in these areas that they will be very prepared for any career they enter into after they graduate.

Can't wait for our projectors!

Many of us around Hickman are growing increasingly anxious about our new projectors. As of now, there are just big black poles sticking out of our ceilings, awaiting the nifty device's arrival. I am particularly eager, especially as I do daily tasks for which a projector would make much easier. For example, I am currently typing warm-ups, printing them off, and creating transparencies for the overhead, so I can carry that around with me to my differnet rooms. If I had a projector, though, I could just open them up in a word document and, BOOM, there they'd be without the need of wasting paper or transparencies. I also did an activity this week where it would have been cool to have the projector as we created a class contract of rules. As a group, the students brainstormed what it meant to be respectful in three specific ways: 1) to the classroom and teacher 2) to their classmates and 3) to themselves as learners. The next day we brainstormed ways that I could show respect for the students. All of these ideas were typed up in a contract that we all then signed. It would have been really cool to have the projector so we could compile the ideas and create the document right there with the kids, really giving them a sense of ownership of this document.

I had a projector in the room where I student taught last year, and I did some really cool things with websites, showing film clips, and streaming videos from United Streaming. I was wanting to use use Google Earth to help the kids see where Gilgamesh takes place (a book we start in Sept.), but it's really not worth it to bring the projector in for that if i'm only going to use it for less than 10 minutes of every class. It might be worth it if I had the space, but the desks are crammed in as it is. Oh, I can't wait for the projector! I know that even if I use it frequently just for word processing purposes (as opposed to more complex, high order thinking purposes), that will be enough to really get the student's attention, because they are all about being on the computer (this is something we study hall/lit. lab supervisors have to monitor so that kids who actually need the computer for school work have a computer to use).

Anway--we're hoping for Novemeber? Maybe sooner??

So far I am not a very big fan of Blogger.com

So, after 30 minutes of trying to log into my account, screaming and shaking my laptop, I was finally able to get the website to log me in to my account. Needless to say, I am not thrilled with Blogger.com. I like to think of myself as reasonably skilled with technology, especially systems that require you to log into an account and post comments, after all, I have been using email accounts and Blackboard for quite a while now. I have never had as much trouble with a program as I have with this one.

That being said, I think I will stick with Blackboard for my discussion forums this year. I have been thinking about mediums through which my students can have discussions about class topics and literature. Also, if I use Blackboard I could post memos for the students, or they could even turn in papers or other documents through the site. I certainly do not wish these similar difficulties on my students.

Speaking of the start of school, I have spent a great deal of the last few days doing extensive planning for both my sophomore and senior English classes. I am disappointed to say, that as of now, I do not have a lot of technology use scheduled for my sophomores (with the exception of word processing, but I know that doesn't count as technology use). For my seniors though, I plan to have them do a WebQuest in introducing them to the novel Catcher in the Rye. I taught this novel last year to my seniors and I had them do a WebQuest, however, many of the questions consisted of me asking a question and providing them the website on which they could find the answer. They had to then search the website for the answer. Only a couple times did I ask them questions in which they had to do the actual surfing, meaning sifting through a variety of websites to find the answers themselves. After reading the textbook on WebQuests, I think I will change my WebQuest this year to involve more open ended questions. For example, I might ask questions such as:

--Research the life of the author J.D. Salinger. What about his life seems particularly interesting and/or important?
--After researching Salinger, is there anything about his life that you think is important to know or consider while reading Catcher in the Rye? Why is this information important?
--What does is the difference between censoring, banning, and challenging the teaching/reading of a book?
--Are there any issues related to the banning of books that have an important and lasting effect on the issue?
--What are some of the reasons that books are banned?
--Are there any books that you are surprised to see on the banned book list? What are the reasons for which those books have been banned? Do you agree or disagree?
--Why has Catcher in the Rye been banned from some schools?
--What are some of the arguments for an against the banning of books?

These are just some questions that I have been able to come up with off the top of my head. I think this WebQuest will really get the kids interested in the topic. I know that last year it got the kids really heated, as most of them really disagreed with banning books--and that was with a lame WebQuest. I think the kids will enjoy the surfing these questions will allow. This will also allow me to introduce topics related to reliable sources on the Internet. My only concern is that the students might encounter many blocked web pages as they surf.

I plan to do this activity the first or second week in September. Will let you know how it goes!

Sorry it's lame

Sorry my blog is lame right now. I'll put stuff on it later, I promise!