Working in a large school district and being the mom of two girls in elementary school, I'm exposed to numerous germs everyday, and while I know I've built up a strong immunity over the years, sometimes I get sidelined with an ailment. Well, for the first time EVER in 15 years of teaching, I have contracted conjunctivitis (aka pink-eye). I will spare you the details, but know that it is gross, hurts, and my eye looks like it could be a zombie extra in a Walking Dead episode. I can't wear contacts; my eyes are light sensitive; I can't see that well, but my brain still is working. So, using the proverbial lemons to make the proverbial lemonade, I got to thinking about tools that could help the visually impaired and bolster auditory and speaking skills.
Voice Dictation
Searching the Chrome Webstore for voice keyboards, I came across this Chrome app, Voice Recognition. The navigation is easy to use, and as long as you have a webcam microphone built in, there is no need for an external mic. I also like that I can export my dication to Google Drive and Dropbox or save to computer or send via email. Accuracy, as with any voice recognition program, is dependent on speed and articulation. While I would want the dictation to be highly accurate, it does provide an opportunity for a lesson in revision of text. Pair up students with one doing the dictation and the other doing the editing, and you have an opportunity for a lesson on voice (literally) and intention in writing.
Screenshot of Voice Recognition
While I have to use Voice Recognition in the app, I'd like to find a tool that could be used in any browser window or program on a Chromebook or computer. On personal devices, I like using the Google Voice keyboard on my Samsung Galaxy S3 dictate into an open Google doc, but I haven't come across anything similar for Chromebooks/computers. Please share if you know of such a tool!
Read to Me
SpeakIt! is a Chrome extension where you highlight text that you would to have read aloud. After adding the extension to your browser, highlight the text, and click the icon in your browser tool bar. A little pop up box appears and you hear the text being read aloud. For the visually impaired, this extension is not as easy to use since you have to select text and click on a small icon, but for those who like being read aloud to and to reinforce reading skills, this extension is useful.
SoundGecko is site that will read an entire webpage article to you. Simply visit the site, paste in the URL and your email address, and start listening. SoundGecko can be used on any device or computer using a browser window. I can see (even with my pink eye) using SoundGecko during listening activities, asking students to listen and answer questions based on what they heard. Teachers could also use SoungGecko for BYOD stations where students practice listening skills.
Whether visually impaired or not, these three tools are useful for practicing speaking and auditory skills. Know of others? Please share!
The session prompted participants to examine the ways in which we offer choice to our students: the texts they read, the assignments they complete, scoring, grades, participation.... The list goes on to encompass all facets of our classroom activities and procedures.
Aptly named, this session forced me to reflect on the choices I provide for my students and how I can transform the decision making process. When I reflect on the choices I offered students during the first years of my career, I usually provided them with options that I would have wanted as a student, but here in lies the problem: I was providing the choices I wanted. I was not really walking in their shoes; I imagined myself as I WAS as a student. My intentions with providing choice were sincere, but who I am now is much different from the student I was 20 years ago, and who I was then is much different from who my students are today.
must change the mindset/culture! it is OK that the teacher is not the expert in the room. #cel13
— Kate Baker (@KtBkr4) November 24, 2013
In the past 2 years, attempting to offer my students choices that are not biased or preconceived, I offer a "Show Me" option instead of an assessment I design for unit tests. Students "show me" that they know the material by synthesizing their knowledge and skills into some kind of product. I want to see that they can be an expert in their own right. The students have complete choice to show me that they know the material, and I grade it using an OSU rubric (Outstanding, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory). Instead of taking a test on the Trojan war, one of my students last year chose to write a multi-scene screenplay of the Apple of Discord episode. Amberlynn's writing was captivating and she showed me she knew the origins of the Trojan War without ever selecting A,B,C, or D on a multiple choice test. Amberlynn trusted herself to take a risk and try something new, and my supportive classroom environment enabled her to take that risk.
in order to promote choice, SS & Ts need trust & positive foundation to go ahead & risk try something new! #CEL13
— Kate Baker (@KtBkr4) November 24, 2013
Despite promoting student-centered learning, I will state that I'm not able to offer every opportunity for choice. For example, our district curriculum dictates which books are taught, and we engage in whole-novel study as a class. The curriculum content is selected by the teachers with approval from administration. This make me wonder about curriculum design in general. Yes, there needs to be a plan so that instruction is purposeful, but does the curriculum need to have content and/or skills standardized? Why do all teachers in a district need to teach the same book at the same time? I can see both sides of the argument for a standardized curriculum. But, is the bigger issue about trust? Is a standardized curriculum merely a system of control? What are we missing out on by having a standardized curriculum? How is the standardization limiting risk-taking and exploratory learning?
Does risk always represent a negative? Can we substitute choice and make it seem positive? #cel13@pradlfan
— James Forman (@drforman) November 24, 2013
I'm fascinated by literature circles and how to implement Donalyn Miller's & Penny Kittle's ideas about reading in the classroom. While I like whole novel study because it gives me a focus for class, I'm still wrapping my head around how to do it differently. ELA teachers, what is the design of your reading instruction? Do you, your students, or the district choose the texts being read in class? Please share your experiences!
How/why/when my students and I can choose has got me thinking: there is a hierarchy of choosing. Much like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the more we control internal and external factors, the more opportunity we have for choice and the more power we have in choosing for ourselves and others. Perfection implies that mistakes cannot be made or were never made--everything is perfect. Yet, we cannot explore and learn without an element of risk. But in order to be willing to try something new and risk making a mistake, we must get out of our comfort zones as our needs are met at each level. As we move up Maslow's hierarchy, we constantly make choices at every level and our circle of loci expands. If our needs aren't met, we won't move up the hierarchy and seek that opportunity for risk.
Pair Maslow with a hierarchy of choice, and we can see a relationship between the types of choices we make and the ability to make the choice. When we are focused on our physiological needs, we are concerned primarily with ourselves as individuals, but as we become self actualized, we are capable of making choices for the greater good.
Image made using PowerPoint.
Bringing this into the classroom, I need to be mindful of where my students are situated on the hierarchy. Are they ready for choices that affect the entire class or do I provide choices that are focused on the individual?
I've been working on this post for a few weeks now, and my mind is still swirling with ideas that I'm trying to get on to the page, but I'd like to hear from you, dear reader, what drives the choices that are offered in your class and how do you get your students to be self-actualized? Do you encourage your students to be risk takers? How can you create a school culture that allows risk taking for the greater academic good?
I connected with Ross LeBrun via Twitter this past year and met face to face at TeachMeetNJ 2013. Ross is an ELA supervisor and an awesome #NJED educator. I greatly value his opinion and use him as a sounding board for some of my crazy ideas. He has commissioned me and 10 others to complete a 4-part blog post as a way for us to connect and share. Here we go!
Part 1: 11 Facts about Me
My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.
Despite being an extrovert online, I'm an introvert in person. Online, I like the ability to interact when I want and through a portal that keeps everyone literally at arms length. Despite being an introvert, I have no problem with public speaking. Put me in front of a crowd and I will keep on talking.
I have a very loud voice. Others have stating hearing me teach from across the building. My husband has to constantly remind me that I'm not on the pool deck at home.
I have a fear of falling. I like heights, but only if I am secure and can have a white-knuckled hold on something. Dangle my feet and I'm done.
I was taught how to swim by my mom, who was also my summer swim coach. I never swam for a high school team (we didn't have one then) or for a Y team (couldn't afford it), and I walked on to my college team, which I captained my senior year.
With help from administration and fellow coaches, I started the swim team at my high school in 2000. In more ways than one, the Girls Varsity Swim Team is my dream team.
I like to drive fast. I would seriously try being a racecar driver if given the opportunity.
My favorite color is green-- especially the green of the marsh in late Spring.
I like to garden. My specialties are marigolds, petunias, and tomatoes.
My grandma, step-grandma, and I all share the same birthday.
Part 2: 11 Questions from Mr. LeBrun:
What would you do with a lottery win of $50,000? I would figure out how to invest/save it to make more money later on. A good chunk would be used for my daughters' education, and I'd like to stash the rest away for a "rainy day."
What was the first thing you read that you remember loving? I have always been a reader, and I remember my parents and siblings always bringing books with us wherever we went. I can't remember much of specific books I read when I was little, but I do remember the first book that got me hooked on sci-fi/fantasy: My dad gave me a copy of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonsong when I was in middle school, and after reading about Menolly and her fire lizards, I devoured any and every Pern book by Anne McCaffrey. I was enthralled with the world of Pern.
Diving - Sky or Scuba? Scuba! Put me in water, not the air! (See #4 above!)
What is your favorite season? Summer and Fall. Living at the beach, I love summer, but I also love the beginning of Fall and the start of a new school year.
Would you move for a job? I would consider moving IF it was the right fit for me and my family, and it would have to be a very cool place for a cool job. It took us 5 years to buy our current house-- we refused to settle!
Have you monetized your blog? Do you plan to? I haven't monetized my blog yet, but I would seriously consider it. How much do bloggers make?
Are you a cat or a dog person? There can be only one! DOG!!!!!!!!! (See title of this blog)
Pick one musical instrument to learn now that you're an adult. Why that one? Cello. I love classical music and grew up playing the piano and clarinet. I haven't played in years. My piano skills have since transferred to the computer keyboard-- I can type very fast!
To where did you fly on your first flight? Does anything about the experience stand out as significant? First flight was senior trip to Orlando, Florida when I was in high school. Nothing very significant--thank heavens when there were 100s of high school students on a plane. I've only flown a handful of times in the 20 years since: California (twice), Florida (4 times, during college for winter swim training), Dominican Republic (once), Colorado (once). I usually drive where ever I need to go. I like the adventure of flying-- just not the cost.
Do you play video games? If not, WHY? If yes, which system/games? I grew up playing Nintendo. I fondly remember one Christmas staying up very late trying to learn how to play Super Mario Bros-- everytime we wanted a character to jump we'd lift our hands/controller. We have a Wii now, but I haven't played it much lately. I've been playing some games on my phone/iPad (Candy Crush, Plants v. Zombies 2). I like play as a form of distraction when I need to take a few minutes and zone out.
What was the first CD you ever bought? Do you still have it? Oh boy. I have no idea. I remember buying U2 bootlegs on the boardwalk in Seaside. Ordering free CDs from that company that would send you a new one every month...
Part 3: Nominate Other Bloggers
Every blogger listed below is on my must-read list-- and my partner in crime WOULD BE on my must-read list if she blogged more (here's to getting you going, Liz!) :-D
What was your best Christmas/Birthday/Holiday gift ever (either given to you or you gave to someone else)?
Why was that the best gift ever?
What is your favorite tech tool?
Oxford comma, necessary or superfluous?
What is your favorite book?
If you could have 3 wishes, what would they be?
If you were to name one piece of clothing that describes you, what would you say?
Would you rather visit the world 100 years into the past or 100 years into the future?
What's the kindest act you have ever seen done (either to/by you or another)?
For those I nominated, now it is your turn!
1. Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
2. Share 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
4. List 11 bloggers after you write this.
5. Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer and let all the bloggers know they have been nominated. Don’t nominate a blogger who has nominated you.
General Steps:
1. Create master template Google document that includes the mail merge tags: << >>
2. Create Google Form for entering the information that will be merged.
3. Install and run the script on the response spreadsheet.
For teachers, sports teams, clubs, and administrators, Autocrat can be used to create and send certificates as needed. With just a few minutes of set-up, you can have a method for quickly generating certificates and have a record of all items organized on a spreadsheet.
Think of all the ways you could use this to promote positive interactions and recognize accomplishments!
Perfect Attendance
Honor Roll Certificate
Free Homework Pass
Athlete of the Week
Student of the Week
Share your ideas!!!!
I created a screencast demonstrating the process for certificate creation.
I couldn't afford the cost of attending the entire NCTE conference this year in Boston, but I was able to attend and present at the Conference on English Leadership, an intimate conference tied to the main NCTE event that was held November 24-26.
The 2013 CEL convention focused on the theme of Transformative Literary Leadership and Learning, and my session was STOP BLEEDING RED INK: Using Paper and Online tools to assist in evaluating student work. I'm very passionate about changing the perception of English teachers as red pen wielding warriors. English teachers should not be lugging home piles of papers to red pen and spending 20+ hours outside of school grading student work. Available technology AND teaching strategies can empower students to create better products better than any red mark on a paper. I'm very grateful to Heather Rocco and the CEL leadership for the opportunity to share my thoughts how on to transform literacy learning in the classroom with people who can effect change in their districts.
Celebrity Sightings & Twitter
Twitter has become such an integrated part of my professional learning. Sharing resources, working out issues, and conversing on Twitter with like minded individuals has propelled my teaching practices. On more than one occasion, I was called "prolific" in reference to my tweeting habits during the conference-- if they only knew. One of the highlights for connecting via Twitter is being able to meet tweeps in person, face to face.
#CEL13 love that so many of those I follow on twitter are here in person!
— Kate Baker (@KtBkr4) November 25, 2013
There were quite a few people at the conference who I did not recognize until they mentioned their Twitter handle. One such moment occurred with Colette Benett: it wasn't until I saw her Twitter handle @teachcmb56 that I realized I follow her on Twitter and regularly read her blog. "OH! You're Used Books in Class! I love your blog!" was my immediate response when I connected with her and fellow teacher Stephanie Pixley during #CEL's social hour. Nothing beats discussing Odysseus, Frankenstein, and Pygmalion over a class of Cabernet.
Amazing geeky awesomeness. Talking abt The Odyssey over wine. #cel13
— Kate Baker (@KtBkr4) November 25, 2013
Colette made an interesting point in one of the sessions (please forgive my paraphrasing): Teachers are always doing dress rehearsals; we are never actually performing a final show. Every period we teach is just a dress rehearsal at best, and if we are lucky to teach the same prep, we can perform it multiple times with the 3rd showing probably the most successful. I think she is right! I wonder, how can teachers be on stage for a final performance? Evaluating teachers' performances via the Danielson model isn't the answer. I also wonder, why do teachers need to be on stage? Why not let the students "steal the show"? Let the teacher be the stage director or set designer-- more thoughts on this for another blog post.
Another moment was during the lunch keynote session, where I sat at a table with fellow educators Meenoo Rami, Amy Baskin, Kate Roberts, Maggie Roberts, Chris Lehman, and others: catching sight of @teachkate written on a name badge, I exclaimed, "OH! YOU'RE @TEACHKATE! I follow you! I'm @KtBkr4!" Once our Twitter handles were shared, we realized that we already "knew" each other.
#CEL's keynote line-up was jammed packed with Twitter-celebs, amazing educators who cut the edge. Eric Sheninger touted the importance of being connected in his conference opening keynote. Troy Hick's keynote on digital writing resonated with me for it focused on what I am trying to do with my students: get them writing more and for an authentic audience. I carted around my copy of Hick's Crafting Digital Writing hoping to catch an autograph. Donalyn Miller's keynote on fostering life-long readers was funny, smart, engaging. Meenoo Rami's keynote on connecting with her students and empowering their learning through relevant projects. I want to be in class with all of these people!
Tough decision: tweet or eat during @meenoorami 's keynote .... Actually not tough decision.... #cel13
— Kate Baker (@KtBkr4) November 26, 2013
One of many highlights for the conference was sitting with Meenoo Rami, Kate Roberts, Maggie Roberts, and Chris Lehman during lunch and unintentionally twitter-bombing Donalyn Miller's keynote. We realized rather quickly that the noise we heard emanating from the podium was her phone vibrating every time she received a tweet. We couldn't stop tweeting because her speech was relevant and inspiring, and needed to be shared.
One session really got me thinking about writing instruction. Erika Bogdany's Breaking Down Walls: how to break down the walls of a classroom for inclusive learning among staff and students. By changing the mindset and having staff model independent reading and participate in an Educator's Editing Workshop, student accountability, connections, and performance are increased.
AH-MAZ-ING Educator Editing Workshop breaking down walls. Ts & Ss see/learn more abt process of learning & selves. #cel13@ErikaBogdany
— Kate Baker (@KtBkr4) November 25, 2013
Interesting concept: Educator's Editing Workshop. Other subject area Ts read/edit Ss work. Strategic, Deliberate & structured #cel13
— Kate Baker (@KtBkr4) November 25, 2013
The Educator's Editing Workshop is simple: invite other staff members from other subject areas to sit with students and conference about their writing. Amazing concept. Erika is to be commended on her ability to pull this off. She really got me thinking about how I could bring this to my school.
If you've read my other blog posts about grading writing, I harp on this issue: writing is never finished. Erika made this point in session.
change language: "final draft" needs to be "BEST Draft (for now)" Can always make writing better later. #cel13#engchat#flipclass
— Kate Baker (@KtBkr4) November 25, 2013
So why do we mislead students by labeling it as "final"?
Another highlight was bumping into Penny Kittle and getting her to follow me on Twitter.
Yay! @pennykittle follows me! Gushing blushing goodness! Love twitter for connections & #cel13 for opportunity to meet f2f
— Kate Baker (@KtBkr4) November 26, 2013
I have some reading to do: I picked up copies of Penny Kittle's Book Love, Donalyn Miller'sThe Book Whispererand Reading in the Wild. While I have had a hand in crafting the curriculum, I'd like to see what else I can do with my students besides whole novel instruction for reading. While I didn't grab it YET, I'm also enamored with Chris Lehman and Kate and Maggie Roberts' concept of Falling in Love with Close Reading. Their session got me thinking about how much close reading I do with my students (A LOT). Really, we don't need to close read everything in class. It does take up a lot of time and I can always sense the moments when my students have had enough. So putting Kittle's and Miller's ideas into practice with this notion of selective close reading, I wonder how I can restructure my class so that reading is more student centered and authentic.
I want to close read every text I teach w my Ss. Good to put in perspective! It is ok to only do parts, not whole. #cel13
— Kate Baker (@KtBkr4) November 25, 2013
Really, CEL could be renamed Connecting English Leaders because this conference was more than just sharing ideas about the future of ELA in schools or sharing progressive projects in conference session. This conference promotes collaboration and connections. I have so much more to process and write about this conference-- probably another 10 blog posts, but to sum it up for now, take a look at these two tweets:
"at end of day we want to feel like we are energizing our colleagues" @MaggieBRoberts#cel13 Lift each other up, not be beaten down
— Kate Baker (@KtBkr4) November 25, 2013
Similar to other whiteboard screencast tools, Animoby lets users create multipaged screencasted videos.
Take a look at this demonstration from Animoby:
Features:
Use on Apple or Android devices
Variety of tools and colors
Connects to Dropbox
Import PDF's from email or Dropbox
Able to insert images
Able to zoom in and out
Save as compact files
Share and email projects
Various background templates
Share to Facebook, Twitter, Google+
New users will appreciate the extensive video tutorial menu on Animoby's website. The videos are easy to understand and demonstrate use of the app. While the interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, having the tutorials available is a positive. Also, visit Animoby's homepage to view what other users have created.
Students could use Animoby to demonstrate understanding of concepts taught in class. Imagine screencasts of students solving equations-- talk about showing your work! Students could also demonstrate active reading skills by recording themselves talking through reading a text on a PDF or picture taken of an excerpt from a book. Music and Math teachers will appreciate the preloaded backgrounds available: from blank sheet music to various styles of graph paper, subject area teachers will easily be able to create screencasts to use in their classes. I'm partial to the white lined paper background, as you will see in this example I created: http://www.animoby.com/a/3214
I used the Animoby app on my iPad to create this screencast of the literary device, Personification. I did a quick Google search for images, saved them in my camera roll, and added them to the presentation, cropping the images as needed. Animoby's save feature allows me to start a project, save it unfinished, and return to as needed before recording and publishing it to the web.
Recording was simple, and the quality is excellent. I really like that I was able to zoom in and out of each image while recording. You'll hear my dog Charlie barking at the neighborhood cat in the background, but I can still be easily heard over the noise. I could have deleted it and re-recorded the audio, but I chose not to for the sake of demonstration. After the final product is published, I emailed it to rmyself to generate a URL from which I can get the embed code or share to Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. The embed code could also be used for adding the Animoby projects to blogs or Edmodo posts.
What I would like to see is Animboy be able to connect to Google Drive. I use Google Drive more so than Dropbox, and having this option would be a major plus. It would also be nice to have the option to include background music. While Animoby works great on tablets, I wonder if a paired down version could be available for smartphones. Teaching in a BYOD district with most of the students using smartphones, having a screencasting tool for a smartphone would be an asset.
Animoby is versatile and easy, and I'll be sure to recommend it to colleagues and students.
So it is summer time and I'm supposed to have lots of time to do lots of things: blog, write content, create presentations, read, catch up on laundry, organize closets, clean those not regularly cleaned areas, watch movies, go on vacation... As I'm sure for many of us, there is struggle between devoting enough time to work, home, and self. So rather than wallowing in not enough time (here's a conundrum: how can I wallow when there is no time to wallow?), here are two tools to help organize our time while on the computer--whether it be at home or work.
Task Timer
This nifty tool can be found in the Chrome Web Store and allows users to create a list of tasks with time goals in hours. Create your list and set your time, then hit the icon to start recording the time spent completing the task. For those of us who multi-task, multiple tasks can be timed at the same time (say that 10 times fast). Current features include task descriptions, progress bars, desktop notifications, pie charts, and CSV exporting. This tool could be used by teachers for in-class monitoring of time spent on aspects of a lesson as well as keeping track of how much time spent on housework at home. Just type in the task, click start, do what you have to do, then hit stop when done. By taking inventory of how long tasks take, we may find that certain tasks can be truncated to free up time for others.
Web Timer
Web Timer is aptly named for this Chrome extension keeps track of the time spent on the tab you are actively using. Features include a pie chart for visualizing data, stops counting if idle for more than 30 seconds, easily share stats with others. For time management, students and teachers could use this in class for keeping track of time spent on a particular website, and for those of you who are Pinners, this extension can track your time spent on Pinterest--although ignorance may be bliss in this case. Wanting to keep to a schedule while working online, this extension is very useful.
Out of Time
While I would have liked to find and post more tools, I'm out of time! I only had 30 minutes to get a post out and both of these tools kept me to my schedule by allowing me to see how much time I wanted to spend and actually spent. Time to log off and get outside!
Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present.
My best buddy and partner in crime, Liz Calderwood, and I are presenting at Edmodocon 2013 this summer! We are one of 15 presenters chosen for this global, virtual and free conference.
Our session is titled Classroom Gymnastics: How to Use Edmodo for BYOD, 1:1 (When you can be), Paperless, and Flipped Learning. I hope you will join us online on August 7th, 2013 and view all the presentations.
I know I haven't posted much lately, but I have a list of topics to write about once I get through the end of the school year. Please continue reading and sharing my posts!
So, I've been playing a lot of Candy Crush lately.... yeah, that addicting Facebook game.... yup, that one... I know I shouldn't admit it, but... there is some relevancy. While I usually write about technology in the classroom, I think it's appropriate considering the events of the past two weeks to talk about how seemingly silly games serve an important purpose.
I've been playing a lot of Candy Crush as a distraction. I don't want to focus on or exist in the moment, so I will use Candy Crush as a way to check out. But the more I look at the design of the game, and the more I look at how the game board is laid out, I realized that it is a metaphor for life. Now I'm sure the creators of Candy Crush are not as philosophical as I am about their game, but bear with me.
When I look at the design of it, each level is a little square puzzle, connected by a track, and as each puzzle is solved, I then move on the track to the next level. Some levels are easier to pass than others and, I'll admit, there have been a few levels that I got stuck on. When faced with this "adversity," I could have given up. I could have thrown my phone. I could have researched cheat codes. I could have whined and cried, lamenting my misfortune. I could have paid for an upgrade. Instead, I relied on the generosity of friends (ie. free lives and extra moves) and just kept persisting until I got to the next level, knowing that eventually I could beat it.
But isn't this what we do our own lives? When faced with the difficulty, we keep persisting and trying, accepting help from others, until we finally get through the moment and on to the next, and while I was using Candy Crush as a distraction for the moment, it helped to give me a break or some quiet "un-contemplation", because I do not want to think about the moment I've just been in. Descartes says, "I think, therefore I am;" I use Candy Crush to not think, so I can just be. After a few minutes break, I can get back into the real game of life.
This makes me wonder about students who persist in playing games in class on their device. What are their reasons for playing? Do they need a break, too? Can they realize when it is time to put the game down and return on their own with out my harping? How can my classroom be a place where they do not need the distraction or break?
While browsing through the Language Arts community on Edmodo, I came across a post by Kalina Noelle, who shared a simple and easy newspaper clipping generator, and Mrs. Osborne who replied with another site with even more newspaper templates. Cool!
While the newspaper clipping tool is very useful for creating story starters or fake articles about content studied in class, I also came across something even cooler on the site and generator blog:
Check out this video, fellow teacher Carolyn P. and I made introducing Voice Comments as a cool tool for the 21st Century. Primarily used for the teacher to record voice comments on a student's Google doc, I anticipate that the capabilities will expand to include use for peer editing with classmates, and, as you will hear, use for classes that require audio. Major props to Sam Patterson for sharing this tool with me! Just search the Chrome Web Store for Voice Comments, connect the app to your Drive, and begin using.
I am very excited to use this tool for providing students feedback on their writing. The process is much quicker than red penning or creating screencasts of each doc, and I like that comments are linked directly to the document instead of using an MP3 voice recorder app to email a voice message to a student.
This tool is ridiculously easy to use and set up, and as an English teacher who has lots of writing to grade and critique, I'm ecstatic to use it.... wait, did I just say I'm ecstatic to grade?! This must be a cool tool!
In my last post, I discussed that academic writing needs to be put on display and showcased to motivate students to write well. Writing is meant to be read, not to be locked up in a folder in a file cabinet or later tossed in the trash after the grade received. Students think that when they turn in the assignment and meet the teacher's due date, the writing is good & done. My other posts address my frustrations with grading the "got it done" academic writing:
But what if teachers steered students in another direction and away from the impending due date? By telling students that their work will be published, instead of graded, they will (hopefully, fingers crossed) write a better final product than the "good enough, got it done" essay, and then once the essay has been written, peer edited, and then published, the teacher can go through the work and assess if the objectives of the assignment were met. While I'm not a fan of putting grades on student writing, I get it: teachers need to follow the rules or expectations of school districts and have grades in their grade book. With the red-pen system students only see the negative and the grade, but by using a showcase approach, teachers can arrive at the same destination but in a more positive manner. In a way, it is tricking the students to write better the first time than waiting for the grade on the paper.
Only owners and collaborators on a Google Site may comment on the pages, so as a work around, I embedded the same form on each student subpage and created a public comment page where all the comments will appear. I was initially going to do a comment form and spreadsheet for each student, but that meant 65 separate forms for each essay on the site, and the more I thought about it, the more sense it made to have a public comments page where the students would have to read through the comments to
find their own. The point of this project was to make student writing and feedback visible, so I want all students to see all essays and all comments.
While the shared folder doesn't allow for complete visibility of feedback because my students will have to open each document in the shared folder to see all comments, students would still be able to see 1 or 2 other comments for other students because each of Sam's students wrote comments for more than 1 student on the document. In addition, some of Sam's students made videos and screencasts of commentary for my students. #EduAwesome!
After 14 years of teaching, I'm just tired of student writing being hidden and dying a death in a dusty folder in a locked file cabinet, and students thinking that the only relevant audience for their work is the teacher. I want the writing to breathe and live. By putting academic writing on display and allowing for interaction, students will see their work and the work of others and gain a better understanding of their potential and abilities for writing.
Please visit the #OdysseyExperts site, read, comment, and share. The students need to see that their writing is alive.
I'm constantly writing about the dilemmas of student writing and how to grade student academic writing in an efficient and effective manner. This is probably borderline obsessive... but, I am the type of learner who when faced with an issue/problem/question, obsesses until ... ... ....
Options for Grading Writing:
Traditional: teacher does all the grading and marking up of students' writing.
Progressive: students peer edit and self assess using guided structure provided by teacher
Techie Traditional: teacher uses Google forms with the Autocrat, Doctopus, and Goobric scripts, as well as other online rubric tools to assess student work.
Options #1-3 require time and effort in class and by the teacher. I have happily peer edited on paper with my students, but there was just too much paper and it took up time in class.
Option #4 can be completed in and out of class, but it takes time to set up the forms, feedback docs, and scripts. BIG HUGE THANKS to Cheryl, Karl, Troy & all the Twitter peeps (Again & AGAIN) for walking me through creating this process, and the creator of the Autocrat script, Andrew Stillman, for answering my gazillion questions. I'm working on ways to better streamline the process (and not split my infinitives), but trust me, it is well worth the effort to guide students through troubleshooting their writing.
But, Option #5 I'm stealing (again) from Cheryl Morris. :-)
Un-grading Student Writing
In our #ElaFlip Hangout talking about assessing writing, Cheryl stated that she tries to detach grades from student writing. I forgot to ask if she was talking about creative writing or academic writing, but should it matter?
I completely agree with not scoring creative writing. I have never been comfortable putting a grade on creativity and therefore have never sought out teaching a creative writing course-- it is art and art is subjective: one critic might give Ellsworth Kelly's Blue Panel an A+ and another might give it an F. The simplest question in assessing the art is, "Does it hold meaning for me as the viewer?" The same subjective scoring can be used on student creative pieces.
I know, I know, some will say, rubrics make the scoring objective, but really? Rubrics turn writing into objects that sit on shelves. Rubrics are limiting! Students only strive to hit the points on the rubric and not beyond. They become complacent when they get the grade, and whose grade is it when the teacher designed the rubric? I know, I know, I could get my ninth grade students to design the rubric with me, but they are just learning how to write, so do they know what to even put on the rubric? And me leading them for what to put on the rubric is still me, the teacher, controlling the rubric. I could use my O-S-U rubric (again) or use standards based grading and score for mastery, but does the grade on the paper push the student to continue writing? No! As Cheryl and the other ELA flippers (Andrew, Katie, Dave, & many more) will agree, as soon as a student receives the grade, he/she thinks the process is done. The point should be about keeping students writing until ... ... ...
I fondly remember the yearly high school trip to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, and every time we flew through the exhibits just to sit in front of that blue panel and "critique" it. My naive teenage friends and I would mimic high brow folks and comment in horrendously fake British accents on the composition, scale, and other fancy art terms, nicknaming it, "The Blue Rhombus of Life". Granted, our obsession with this painting was seemingly in a joking manner, but the fact remains that painting is still hanging in Gallery 915.
"I have worked to free shape from its ground, and then to work the shape so that it has a definite relationship to the space around it; so that it has a clarity and a measure within itself of its parts (angles, curves, edges and mass); and so that, with color and tonality, the shape finds its own space and always demands its freedom and separateness."- Ellsworth Kelly
But, this got me thinking: is this why I've had so much trouble scoring student academic writing? Every method I have used, revolves around my expectations: how well did the student follow my directions, display the knowledge I taught, and use the conventions the students have been taught throughout their academic career? I can lead the students through trouble shooting and revising their essays. I can score them on participation meeting checkpoints, and being held accountable for the process, but do I, the teacher, really have to put a final grade on the essay?
During the #ELAFlip hangout, Katie Reagan explained that her students peer edit with other classes and students not at her school. Getting students out of their comfort zone certainly motivated them to perform. What about an even greater audience on the web? What about publishing their work for a bigger audience than my two hazel eyes to see? Wouldn't that "grade" the piece? It is so simple: Is the writing ready for publication and to be "hung in a gallery"? And wouldn't that prospect motivate the student to perform well? Isn't that better than any grade I could put on the page or in my gradebook?
To adapt Kelly's words, writing is also about playing with the "color and tonality" of words so that words take shape and have a "definite relationship" that has "clarity and measure". Creative writing is an obvious form of art, and academic writing should also be considered no less an art, but many teachers and students drown in the red ink and forget the art of academic writing.
So, stop grading and focus on crafting, molding, and painting with words. Turn your student writers into artists.
Post Script: Check out my next post, #OdysseyExperts, because I put into practice my ideas about showcasing writing.
Teaching 150 high school students, there are bound to be some who get lost in the crowd, lack confidence, or distracted by personal technology usage, but with the following tools and techniques, the quiet students can have their voices heard, the text-ers can be academically occupied, and all learners can be engaged by using technology that taps into students' behavior and aligns with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Humanism, and Social Learning Theories.
TodaysMeet.com
I really have to thank Cheryl Morris for introducing me to this simple tool last summer and providing me with ideas that I've put into action this school year. TodaysMeet.com is a website that allows a person to create a closed chatroom that only those with the URL can join. A la Twitter with it's 140 characters per message, the teacher creates the name of the room and provides the students with the URL address. Students type in the URL in their web browser and enter their names in to join the room. The chatroom or backchannel can be accessed on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, and puts students' texting talents to work. Caveat: Expect some shenanigans the first time using the backchannel as students move through Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs and engage in social learning and digital citizenship. I've had students enter false names and type ridiculous messages, but once they get settled, they can move from the realm of ridiculousness, needing the attention of others, enter the sphere of learning to understand and engage with the content, and finally, make connections with other students in a self actualized and transcendent manner. Uses:
For informal class discussions and viewing activities, allow students to speak aloud and/or communicate via the backchannel depending on their comfort level with speaking aloud in class. A moderator can monitor the the backchannel and interject in the verbal discussion as needed.
In structured Socratic Seminars, students in the outer circle communicate via TodaysMeet, while those in the inner circle speak aloud.
While watching video clips in class, post questions and comments to the backchannel instead of stopping the film every 30 seconds (like I do, or did before TodaysMeet) to point out visual nuances or comment on the action.
During class presentations, students can ask questions and provide constructive criticism without interrupting the speaker or waiting until the end of the presentation.
To allow students to revisit the conversation as needed, download and save the transcript and then upload it to Edmodo or other LMS, or email a copy to all participants. Students can also save their own copy of the transcript directly from the site. Here is a transcript of a Socratic Seminar on Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.
As seen in the transcript of December's Socratic Seminar on Steinbeck, students practiced interpersonal, listening, and critical thinking skills. As they became vested in the activity, the students were quick to point out those who dominated the conversation and others who provided thoughtful responses. The entire conversation was student-centered, and all I had to do was monitor and provide guidance as needed. During our viewing this week of the first 30 minutess of The Odyssey staring Armand Assante, I posted questions to the TodaysMeet chat room, as well as gave them a handout with the questions printed. Since this was the first time using TodaysMeet during a film, I scaffolded the process and anchored the new activity with something familiar. During my pd 7 class, one of my "deskflowers" (like a wallflower, but sitting in a desk, of course) bloomed for all to see, providing intelligent comments and smart answers to the questions I posed and was recognized by another student for her contributions. Despite the typos, this was the first time Nikki really heard Alyssa "speak" in class and Alyssa was recognized for participation in class. Pretty darn cool, especially if you knew Alyssa's back story.
Now, as expected, they were sharing answers via the backchannel, but the recognition of Alyssa's contributions by Nikki could not have been written in any lesson plan. By providing the students an opportunity to communicate, we are also providing them an opportunity to make interpersonal connections that otherwise would not have occurred.
Google Hangouts
One of my go-to Google guys, Troy Cockrum, told me to not be afraid to Hangout by myself, and he was right. And my ELA-flip-coach Cheryl Morris, who I have mentioned here so much that I should just rename this blog "Putting Cheryl's EduAwesome Ideas Into Practice," provided me with the opportunity to do just that. Working with Cheryl and the other #CoLab flippers from the Flipped Learning Journal on a series of video discussions of John Green'sThe Fault in Our Stars, I snatched up the opportunity to record a discussion with a quiet student who wows me with her nerdfighter prowess and a video with another student who's own life connected with the characters in Green's novel. Gabbie won't speak up in a room of her classmates, but after school on Friday, we recorded an 11 minute conversation using On Air Google Hangout where she couldn't stop talking about the author and all she knew about the story. Using the Google effects as an ice-breaker while we filmed and simultaneously projected the video on the front screen (as well as live posting to YouTube), Gabbie was able to face her fear of "public" speaking. With more practice, hopefully Gabbie will realize just how valuable her contributions can be and that she should not hide in a crowd.
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of chatting with my former student Steven about Chapter 2 of The Fault in Our Stars and his own experience with cancer. Again, this wasn't for a grade, but to show how fictional stories resonate in own lives and to give one student the opportunity to share his story with others.
You may have noticed that the style of the video differs despite using the same tool. For Gabbie's video, I opened a Live, On Air Google Hangout with no other participants and flipped my web camera around to capture us sitting in the desks. We were technically hanging out by ourselves online, and Gabbie's buddy, Amber, played cameraman by changing the effects and starting/stopping the broadcast. For Steven's video, we did a regular Live, On Air Google Hangout and chatted back and forth for 15 mins, then with a little editing magic using Camtasia, Cheryl inserted titles and cut the conversation to 6 minutes for me (Thank you, again!). Google Hangout is a useful tool that I am just beginning to realize its applications in and out of the classroom, and I have just barely begun to delve into the world of video editing. Oh, what I want to learn to do!
Coincidentally, if you are interested in getting in on the discussion, The Atlantic is doing an organized Twitter chat on The Fault in Our Starsand you can view the rest of the Flipped Learning Journal's book discussion videos on YouTube.
Why do they work?
Both TodaysMeet and Google Hangout appeal to visual and kinesthetic learners and social learning proponents. The visual learners can see the conversation in the backchannel, as well as see the movie like nature of the Google Hangout when not actively participating in the video. Kinesthetic learners are busy exercising their fingers when using TodaysMeet, and, as an active participant in a Google Hangout, the learner is a movie star whether it be on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. The students work collaboratively to understand the material and practice interpersonal skills.
The longevity of both of these tools in found in what they provide at no cost to users whether in the classroom or not. Both allow for synchronous communication no matter the location or context of the participants. Todaysmeet can be used during business meetings/presentations-- just imagine Mad Men (if they had computers or smartphones) backchanneling during a pitch!-- and, while I like the serendipity of Twitter and opening the chat to the world wide web, since schools and/or businesses many need closed and secure communication, TodaysMeet is a more viable option than chatting using Twitter. With archiving using YouTube, Google Hangouts allow for a variety of connections, including hanging out with President Obama. Politics aside, if the President uses Google Hangout as a modern version of Roosevelt's Fireside Chats, then why not apply this tool in the classroom? By using technology that appeals to student behaviors and needs, we can give all students a voice and opportunity to be in the spotlight. References
