Module 2 Due Monday, September 27

Readings-

The Digital Writing Workshop, Read chapters 5-7

Discussion- Participate in the Voice Thread Discussion for Chapters 5-7. You must make 2 initial contributions and then respond to at least 2 other people to receive full credit.  Note- your first two initial discussion threads done by September 13.  Then do your follow up response between September 14-September 27th . This will be done in Voicethread. The discussion continues.

Link to Voice Thread Discussion at http://voicethread.com/share/1259276/ 

Action:

Write three reflective blog posts. One of the three blog post may be a digital story that is uploaded to YouTube and embedded into your blog. You may choose to do one or more blog post using Ipadio.  You may choose to use a VoiceThread as a blog post. One of the three blog post must be related to what you are reading and learning from the Troy Hicks book. I encourage you to do a podcast using Ipadio and embed into your blog.For one blog post, I want you to find a professional Video from YouTube  or TeacherTube to write a blog post. I want the video embedded into your blog along with your connective writing about the video.  I will be posting lots of suggestions in the week to come as suggestion. You are free to choose the video that meets your professional learning. Many of you have used hyper links in your posting.  I will be publishing a “how to” tutorial soon to show you how this is done. 

First post due before September 6.

Second due before September 13.

Third due by September 20.

Read and make at least one comment to each person's post in your group.  

Continue to read and follow at least three other bloggers outside our class.

Pause and Ponder due Midnight September 27th. Please email it to me as an attachment to mailto:wcgaskins.59@gmail.com.

1. What are the key points in your reading? (book, maybe blog posts)

2. Based on your experience as an educator, how can you apply content from this reading to your classroom and teaching?

3. What new insight did you gain from all that you have learned?

4. How has class discussion (VoiceThread) influenced your thinking?

See you face to face on Monday, September 27...

Take a look at this blog post

This is written by Christy.  Visit http://christyln.edublogs.org/2010/08/29/the-digital-writing-workshop/. She raises a good point in her reflection about pacing guides.  Please jump into that conversation.

NCTE

 I thought I would share this and I copied directly from Will Richardson's blog post titled "Ten Questions for Arne Duncan." I encourage you to read the post, but most of all notice the position statement from NCTE on 21st Century Literacies. It does not get more powerful than this as to the reason we must find ways to change our classroom practices and thinking!

According to the National Council of Teachers of English, the following are the characteristics of “literate readers and writers” in the 21st Century.

• Develop proficiency with the tools of technology
• Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and
cross-culturally
• Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of
purposes
• Manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous
information
• Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multimedia texts
• Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments

How are you personally meeting these standards? 

New School Year Ideas

I found this at Free Technology for Teachers. Here are some great ideas and very motivational.  Please share something you plan to do in the comment section.

Writing in the Digital Classroom VoiceThread

Take a moment and share your thinking about this discussion! Any "wow" moments about its use? Any big disadvantages or advantages? Has anyone made plans to use this in the classroom in the next few weeks?  Help us learn from you. Post your thoughts in the comment section....

Module 1 Due Midnight August 30

 (I finally got all the dates correct)

Readings- The Digital Writing Workshop, Read chapters 1-4

Discussion- Participate in the Voice Thread Discussion for Chapters 1-4..You must make 2 initial contributions and then respond to at least 2 other people.  Note- your first to contributions must be done by August 13.  Then do your follow up response between Aug. 12- August 27th.

Link to Voice Thread Discussion at http://voicethread.com/share/1259276/

Action:
Write three reflective blog post. One of the three blog post may be a digital story that is uploaded to YouTube and embedded into your blog. You may choose to do one or more blog post using Ipadio.  You may choose to use a VoiceThread as a blog post. One of the three blog post must be related to what you are reading and learning from the Troy Hicks book.

First post due before August 6.
Second due before August 15.
Third due by August 22.

Read and make at least one comment to each person's post in your group.

Continue to read and follow at least three other bloggers outside our class.

Pause and Ponder due Midnight August 29. Please email it to me as an attachment to wcgaskins.59@gmail.com.

1. What are the key points in your reading? (book, maybe blog posts)
2. Based on your experience as an educator, how can you apply content from this reading to your classroom and teaching?
3. What new insight did you gain from all that you have learned?
4. How has class discussion (VoiceThread) influenced your thinking?

Welcome to the world of blogging and learning.

End of Module 1

This is a reminder that your Pause and Ponder is due midnight Monday.  I hope all is well with everyone.  Please check back with our VoiceThread discussion.  Great conversation in progress. You might want to share this conversation with your colleagues.

Bill

The New Writing

There is no doubt that texting, Facebook, My Space, instant messaging, YouTube, blogging, etc that our students are writing more than they ever have, but not so much in an academic way that is very important to the learning processing. Intrusion of out of school writing interfers in our classrooms when we start seeing LOL, OMG, and the many other writing short cuts appear in formal writing in our classrooms. No doubt, creating text as a form of literacy is still as important as it was 30 years ago and it probably more important. We struggle with how to bridge what happening on social media and networking inside the classroom.

It is important we find ways to teaching writing in a way that makes use of the new tools that effectively scaffold writing, and yet not adopt every kind of technology because it exists.  We need to look reflectively as our present reading and writing process model and figure out how to incorperate useful technologies into that model. As we have discussed when we were face to face, we only need to know and understand the tools benefits, limitations, advantages, and disadvantages as we prescribe that tool with the learner. We need to come familiar with the tools but we don't have to be the expert. Perhaps we need to know how the tool might fit the learners learning style.

I have an Iphone and the applications I have on my Iphone are unique tools that fit me.  The voice recorder, the Ipadio app, to do list, calendar, and camera are unique for me.  And I know there are literally hundreds more out their that are similar.

One question was asked earlier this week! There are so many tools I cannot decide which one to introduce or use in my classroom this year.  I don't know how to make the technologies fit in my classroom. Here is what I believe- I think a good starting point is Voice Thread.  If I were a science teacher that does lots of hands on experiments, I would get students to take take pictures of the learning process during the experiment. Then dump the pictures into a VoiceThread and put them in a logistical order. Then have student use the VoiceThread to make comments about each step, narrate the  experiment, tell what they know, summarize, and share with a larger audiences.  

Please take a moment to share in the comment section about how you would use VoiceThread or how you plan to use VoiceThread in your content area?

Bill

Embedding with Ipadio

Week One Module One- Thinking about Blogging

Greetings Everyone,

My head is still spinning from the four days we spent together! What a great group you are!

This week I want to explore the topic of blogging.  (I know I am little late in sending this out due to Vacation). I am sharing some links to fellow bloggers with you. Please read and possibly share your own thinking as a comment to this blog post.

Don't forget the conversation has started with the Troy Hick's book at http://voicethread.com/share/1259276/.


Introduction to Blogging Lesson Plan by Langwitches
You have to read this post!  Great starting point!
Blogging is Elementary! by Kim Coffino
Another great read! This is very helpful for elementary teachers and she offers insight to all K-5 teachers who are thinking about using blogs in a classroom.
Blogging Lesson Plan- Writing by Langwitches
“A true educational blog is NOT about socializing, but about students and teacher helping each other grow in their learning.”  This is most important and our students need to be taught this. She provides some great links to get your students ready for blogging.  Langwitches offers a great “paper blog” activity. This article is worth checking out.
Read the post carefully for some great ideas!
Blogging Lesson Plan- Commenting by Langwitches
This is a must read and help you with your own commenting on blogs. Be a practitioner of commenting before expecting your students to do so.
10 Tips for Beginning Bloggers
These are ten tips that will help with your blog……..
AHS Blogging Policy
This is a set of general guidelines for the use of weblogs (“blogs”) at Arapahoe High School. Blogs are considered an extension of the classroom and therefore are subject to these guidelines as well as the rules and regulations of Arapahoe High School. This could be helpful with helping your school establish guidelines or guidelines for your classroom blogs.
Learning with Blogs and Wikis by Bill Ferriter
This is a great read after our four day class. Bill Ferriter, The Tempered Radical, wrote this article and it was published in February 2009 Educational Leadership by ASCD.
Blogging Influence by Bill Ferriter
Remember it is the discussion that is the most important part of the blogging experience. It is a way to get your ideas out to at least a small group of people. These people will become your Personal Learning Network.  Could our voice influence other teachers, our profession, and even policy?  Lots of food for thought here.
Digitally Speaking- Blogging by Bill Ferriter
Take the time to view this site. Bill offers some great tips and advise……

Blogging Idea-
Write a blog post about your experience so far and how these articles influenced your thinking and learning.