Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Final Assignment Implementing Technology in the Classroom

Assignment #4

For my final assignment I am using Voice Thread to foster creative thinking while simultaneously using creative writing in the form of a poem students will write and read based on a painting I will post on Voice Thread.
Link to Voice Thread homepage: http://voicethread.com/
For this assignment, I will have every student create a Voice Thread account. They will have to then add me as a friend so they can access the assignment. I have created a Voice Thread of Pablo Picasso’s Blue Guitarist. Students will then write a poem about this painting and post it to the Voice Thread page.
Instructions on how access Voice Thread page:
To access my Voice Thread click on the link above to the Voice Thread homepage. In the browser type, Creative Writing Exercise: Poetry.  A thumbnail will appear with the text Creative Writing Exercise Poetry. Click on it and it will take you directly to the Voice Thread.
(I couldn’t set an actual link because it costs money)
I thought this would be a great activity regarding learning theory and higher orders of thinking because students are actively engaging and interacting with two separate art forms. Students are remembering and understanding content from class that we discussed earlier surrounding the conventions of poetry. Students are also analyzing and creating. They analyze the painting and then create a representation of that painting in the form of a poem. Most of my projects have been founded in some form of social constructivism but this project leans more towards individual constructivism. Students are constructing and applying knowledge on an individual basis. Students will be learning by experimenting hands-on with concepts discussed in class through a new technology, Voice Thread. Students will be experimenting, practicing, and developing their own conclusions.
This project would also meet numerous teacher and student standards. By asking students to write a poem about a painting and record their product in a new technology I am using technology to facilitate creativity. Students are engaging with me through their poetry, meeting Teacher Standard I. Teacher Standard III is also met, by using Voice Thread I am recognizing the potential new technology has for me to interact with and assess my students. Student Standard I is met, students must use their knowledge of concepts from class to record a written work in a virtual environment. Standard IV is met because students will engage in critical thinking in their analysis of the painting. Standard VI is met because students are realizing the potential of technology and its ability to connect the teacher and student.
One struggle I had when implementing Voice Thread was, would students listen to the recordings of other students. The way I’m using it now, there is, basically, only an interaction between the teacher and the student. It is possible to use Voice Thread as a way for students to collaborate and interact with content but the only way I saw this being feasible is if each student did what I did. Each student would have to pick a painting or photograph and record their poem. Students would then add comments to each others work. Because I had to have some type of product to show that I interacted with technology, logistically I could not implement the former. This is also a serious trade-off. With Voice Thread I could implement it as a teacher/student or student/student interaction tool. With the teacher/student application it is relatively uncomplicated however it because increasingly more complicated and time consuming when incorporating it as a student/student application. I think to a certain degree this software forces one-on-one interaction or collaboration between teacher/students not teacher/many students interacting in virtual environment. There is a lot research supporting collective learning and how it fosters student achievement. It would be difficult, if unnecessary considering all the software designed specifically for collaborative learning, to use Voice Thread as a collaborative learning tool.
I found an article by Linda Weir supporting the use of Voice Thread in the classroom to encourage student participation and engagement with content. She writes about a teacher who used Voice Thread to in essence “extend his classroom.” I’m not sure I would describe Voice Thread as an “extension of the class” but would definitely agree that Voice Thread is a great supplement to classroom work. I would also agree that Voice Thread can increase participation, but this participation is, generally between teacher/student not student/student. It is the student/student interaction that is important, the open discourse between students that makes education rewarding and encourage creative thinking. He mentions the ability to have students simultaneously discuss topics through Voice Thread, I’m not sure this is possible, and if it were possible that Voice Thread would be the best option for this type of discussion. I think Voice Thread is a great tool for teacher/student interaction. If I was to use it as a teaching tool, it would be implemented in this manor.
Link to article: http://www.edutopia.org/print/5429

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Lesson Plan Rathionale

I believe the activity incorporating Twitter in a creative writing activity is a fun way of connecting creative writing to a new technology that  most  students are familiar with. I also feel that it is an appropriate activity in the classroom. Creative writing can be intimidating, hopefully by having students participate in this activity they will realize the freedom that creative writing can have, often it is the mind that gets in the way. Students will learn to write first and think second. By connecting writing to their subconscious, they will realize that they know how to write creatively from having it modeled prior to learning how to read. This activity is supported by two specific learning theories. By having myself and other authors model free thinking and “stream of conscious” creative writing, students will better understand the creative writing process. Collective learning is also a component. Students will be learning creative writing as a group and can therefore work through issues as a group. Students are responsible for their own understanding as well as the understanding of other students. Students will also use their fellow students as a resource for understanding.
It is also connected to numerous educational standards that I will outline below:
Teacher Standards:
Standard I: For this lesson I will put into use Twitter to facilitate student interaction and thinking of new and modern ways to incorporate technology into creative writing.
Standard III: Twitter represents a vast digital community that for this lesson connects students, authors, and bibliophiles to manufacture a piece of experimental writing using a social networking site.
Standard IV: For this lesson I will model accountability and creative integrity through a Twitter writing project.
Student Standards:
Standard I: Students are learning that writing; an older form of communication can creatively be applied to new forms of communication over a social networking site.
Standard II: Students will be collaborating over Twitter to create an authentic piece of writing.
As I said in my presentation, when I heard about this project being used at the Iowa City Book Festival I couldn’t wait to find a way to use it in the classroom. I think its application might be a stretch in a creative writing class but what’s the fun of being a teacher if you can’t take some chances. This project allows not only me to take a chance in the classroom, as a way to explore my pedagogical knowledge, but my students also take chances in exploring their potential for creative thinking that they all have. There is push in education to get students to think creatively and use creative problem solving. This project allows students to think outside the box while at the same time reflect on ideas we have discussed in class regarding creative writing.

Assignment 3 for Implamenting Technology in the Classroom

Assignment #3

I remember when I was getting my undergraduate degree at Iowa, I took a class on Early Silent and Avant-Garde European Films. We did a unit on Dadaism. A common Dadaist experiment was to pass around a piece of paper. Someone would write a line and without seeing the first line  the next person would write a line until finally a piece of writing was created. The purpose of this exercise was to think beyond the boundaries of conventional writing. I was surprised this weekend while perusing the newspaper I found an article about the Iowa City Book Festival incorporating a similar activity using Twitter called Novel Iowa City. It is interesting how a major criticism of technology is how it is an impetus to formal writing, most notoriously text messaging has turned writing for purpose of communication into half-phrases and emoticons. It is even more interesting to think of how technology can open-up new ways of thinking about creative writing.
Link to website: http://www.iowacitybookfestival.org/noveliowacity
Link to Iowa City Press-Citizen article: http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20110708/NEWS01/110708009/Iowa-City-Book-Festival-novel-written-tweets
Link to Twitter page containing final thoughts and product:
http://twitter.com/search?q=%23icbfn
For this project I would like students to contribute lines to the construction of a “stream of conscious” style writing activity. I will project the Twitter page on a screen in the front of the room. As a homework assignment students will be given the parameters of the narrative and must construct one sentence to contribute to the project. In real-time students will submit their sentences to be used in the project. The objective of this project will be to:
1) Have students think about the nature of writing in the digital world?
2) What does this type of project say about the nature of writing in general?
3) Think about writing as an individual activity versus as a collective activity (bias).
Finally students must post their reflection on the class blog, that will be used for a grade. In the reflection students will be asked to think about the above objectives.
This activity will be introduced to students a few days in advance. Students will be asked to have their sentences prepared before the day of the live feed. I will create a “hashtag” on my account that students can use to submit their sentences. As the project is being streamed live I will submit the sentences via my Twitter account. Students will nominate their sentences in class as the project is streaming live. The product of the project will be a completed narrative submitted digitally by my students, authors, and bibliophiles from the created digital writing community on Twitter.
I thought this would be a fun project to incorporate into the classroom but also one that encourages creativity, collaboration, and collective learning. Connecting this project to learning theories, it exhibits ideas of both social cognitive theory and social constuctivism. Social cognitive theory because this activity will be modeled by professionals and peers while at the same time, because it is relatively anonymous, it will not affect student’s self-efficacy towards creative writing. It encompasses social constructivism because students are developing meaning and knowledge of creative writing collectively as a group. Both of these models illustrate effective ways for fostering student learning. As far as using higher orders of thinking, particularly within Bloom’s Taxonomy students will be using there knowledge of creative writing to form their sentences. They will then analyze and evaluate the final project while thinking about the proposed objectives.
A project like this will require extensive planning and preparation. How much inside and outside time will the project take? Another struggle is, the project starts at noon on a Friday. How can I use this project in multiple classes when the deadline is so specific? Possibly, because most students have cellphones I can work something out with other teachers that between certain times students are allowed to use their phones in class to post and follow the novel’s progress. Another concern is getting the student’s work submitted into the project. I am hoping that the motivation for the project is the excitement of getting a line published, along with other writers and book lovers. I do not want students to get discouraged if none of their work is used in the project. These are very general problems I foresee with the project. As far as problems in the application of the technology, I can see students having problems thinking about Twitter, not as a way to talk with friends in a very informal way, but as a tool for creative writing. I will have to get students to understand that most technology has a use beyond its intended, basic function.
This project meets Teaching Standard I. Students use technology to foster creativity and write a narrative in a virtual environment. Standard III using technology to think about creative writing in new ways. This project meets Student Standard I. Students will be using technology to create a piece of experimental writing and will be forced by participating in the writing project to think about how technology can be used for creative writing purposes. Standard II is met, students are collaborating in a virtual environment with other students and authors to create a piece of writing.
I had to rack my brain to come up with a unique bias, in my first project I discussed the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic value, which is evident in this project and comes close to the ultimate goal of teaching, creating a intrinsic value in a subject.  I addressed in my second project the bias of thinking about writing as an individual versus collective activity. That bias is also present, I discovered that many bias in technology exist across the applications of those technologies in the classroom, but for purposes of not being redundant I found other potential bias. For this project I am choosing to address how creative writing in the digital age favors “non-professional” writers more than “professional” writers. Historically, when it has been possible for an aspiring writer to collaborate and hone their craft with writers who do it for a living? Even thinking about the accessibility of writers has changed. You can follow your favorite author on Twitter, where in detail they may describe their process or progress on their current novel. Because of the digital age we are all capable of being “professional” writers, even though there be no monetary reward, a “non-professional” writer can have their writing discriminated on a massive scale. With a project like Novel Iowa City “non-professional” writers can have a taste of what it is like to be published and read by a larger group of readers than what was traditionally possible.  
There was a plethora of research discussing collective writing in a digital environment but most of it cost money. Which in and of itself says something about writing in the digital age. I did, however, find a group that supports and answers questions regarding digital writing. The group asks, Why teach digital writing? I found that they made some great points in favor of implementing some kind of digital writing. What is interesting is, they address one of the questions I ask students to think about when writing their reflections. How does digital writing change our ideas on the nature of writing. I thought the line, “Connectivity allows writers to access and participate more seamlessly and instantaneously within web spaces and to distribute writing to large and widely dispersed audiences” was particularly appropriate for my discussion. I liked the idea that the digital age has not only made writing easier but also has a social impact. The authors of this article are focusing more for teaching students how to write in a digital medium but also address the importance of digital writing and how it can potentially change the way people think about writing and the writing process. http://www.technorhetoric.net/10.1/coverweb/wide/kairos2.html

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

2nd Assignment Implementing Technology In The Classroom

Assignment #2
There is a push in contemporary English curriculum to have students create writing portfolios, where students can view their progress throughout the school year with their writing. For this assignment, I will incorporate Edmodo. Students will submit their work during the semester via Edmodo where they will create a portfolio page displaying their writing from the semester. Students will then be able to access and comment on other student’s work. I will also be able to easily assess a student’s work through their on-line student portfolio. Initially, I was planning on using Facebook, students would create a portfolio page for their writing. I was, however, concerned about access and privacy. I also like that Edmodo is an application specific to education. What is interesting about Edmodo is that, it is a program incorporating the technology of social networking sites like Facebook and caters these technologies specifically to education.
Attached is a link to my class website, on the left side of the page is a tag for students to access their writing portfolios.
One of the problems I have with portfolio work is it is only accessible to me (the educator) and not other students from the class. So much of learning how to write creatively comes from modeling the writing form not just by educators but by other students as well. This idea is a type of social contructivism, that I believe, is integral to students becoming good writers. I think this is a great way to connect students and instill the idea that even though traditionally writing is thought of as an individual effort, the process of writing, however,  is collective. Besides social constructivism, this project is also connected to Social Cognitive Theory. Students will be learning how to write vicariously through other students who show an aptitude for writing. Regarding self-efficacy, by connecting all students in the process of writing hopefully students will not be discouraged and realize that no piece of writing is perfect the first time but most go through a series of edits and proofreads. Also students who feel they are not improving as writers I can refer to their portfolio and cite specific examples of ways they have improved.
This assignment  will also challenge students to evaluate other’s work in constructive ways. Students must synthesize what they know about writing to evaluate other student’s work as well as their own. I will explain that because these profiles are on the Internet, they will be available forever, so thinks about the implications of what they write.
Student’s ideas of writing as a individual not collective activity could present problems and a definite bias. As well as, how to ensure that the comments students make on other’s work are constructive and appropriate. I plan on taking some time in class to model how to appropriately comment on other’s work. Unfortunately, this will take class time away from subject area content.
As I discussed above many of the trade-offs and bias represent potential problems. I recognized above the preconceptions students might have regarding writing as an individual activity and writing as a collective effort to be a potential bias. I need to emphasize the process of writing, particular peer editing, and that it is essential to the writing process. No piece of great writing is fully realized independently. The trade-offs are I will have to use class time to outline appropriate behavior on Edmoto. This is a definite trade-off when it comes to time and the best way utilize valuable class time.
This project meets numerous student and teacher standards. The teacher standards met are Standard IV, because students are creating a permanent portfolio I will emphasize the importance of digital responsibility and creating a digital footprint. Students must be aware that what they write and the comments they make leave a permanent mark in the digital world. Student Standards II and V are met in this project. Students are collaborating and connecting in a virtual environment. Students, similar to teacher Standard IV, must consider their digital footprint and contribute thought provoking and constructive comments on other student’s work. They also must be aware that the work they submit is available to every student in the class to evaluate.
Attached is an article discussing a move towards computer based portfolios and there use as a new way for assessment. The article outlines how electronic portfolios can be an effective way to assess student performance and is also a fun and constructive way to get students to use new technology.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

1st Project For Implementing Technology Into The Classroom

It is difficult to incorporate new technologies into a content area where purism is valued and new technology is viewed as a disloyal. As I considered how to incorporate new technologies into a lit class, I asked myself....what can I do to get students excited about reading? Conversely, I also had to ask myself.....what makes me excited about reading? My conclusion was that discussing the novels I read is something I enjoy almost as much as reading them. Is there a way I can use technology to open-up discourse among my students and get them thinking about the texts we read in class?
At the end of every unit students are presented with the arduous task of writing an essay. The purpose is for educators to check for understanding and progress, but generally it functions as a way of assessment.
In my first application of technology for educational purposes. I have decided to scratch the final essay and instead have students create an account through the on-line reading community, GoodReads.
Attachment to GoodReads website: http://www.goodreads.com/book
For the assignment, students will set-up accounts on the site GoodReads. Students will then be asked to do the following things:
1) Write a review of the book discussed in class.
2) Post at least three comments to an existing review.
3) Post at least three comments to a peer’s review.
Requirements for reviews and posts:
I want to push student’s thinking beyond “I liked it,” or “I hated it.” Because this project is taking the place of an essay students will have to meet certain criteria within their review.
Students will be required to:
1) Form an argument and support their argument in the review.
2) Cite two specific passages from the book to support their argument.
3) Foresee potential criticism that fellow members may have with their review.
Students will receive a rubric outlining what their reviews and posts must contain.
I believe that this is an appropriate project for my content area for the following reasons. Students will be actively engaging with content by writing reviews. Students will reflect on the similarities between a review and a formal essay, hopefully seeing the practical application of thinking about a text. The process of writing is tiresome, by incorporating a reading community, like GoodReads, students will hopefully get excited to think about a text and to share their ideas regarding that text.
I can validate this project because it meets many of the learning requirements both in a practical and theoretical sense. This project meets ISTE Teacher Standard I. Students will create a virtual profile in a virtual environment to discuss books we have been working with in class. Students will also be using appropriate content area knowledge in a virtual space. Standard II is met because I can easily go into the virtual space and assess student understanding. Standard IV is met because students will create a profile, their views and comments will be evaluated by an entire digital community of readers. ISTE Student Standard I is met. Students will be synthesizing and analyzing information to create reviews and post comments. Standard II is met because students are collaborating and commenting on data inside a digital community. Critical thinking is a requirement for most of the activities we will do inside and outside of class, so Standard IV is met. Accountability is met, students reviews and comments will be subject to evaluation by peers and the entire digital community. This assignment will also require students to use higher orders of thinking. Students must synthesize information and use data to analyze a text. Students will also be evaluating the reviews of the peers and other member of the community.
Research exists supporting this type of activity. David Reinking and Janet Watkins discuss how not only does having students write digital reviews support critical thinking but also meets numerous pedagogical goals.
Link to article A Formative Experiment Investigating the Use of Multimedia Book Reviews to Increase Elementary Students' Independent Reading : http://www.reading.org/Publish.aspx?page=/publications/journals/rrq/v35/i3/abstracts/rrq-35-3-reinking.html&mode=redirect
This project is a simple way to implement new technology. Students are, in essence, doing the same thing they would be doing in class but inside a digital community. I do not think that students will struggle with this new technology as an application. The trade-offs of incorporating a project like this are, you lose the face to face communicating and discussing that would happen if we discussed the book as a group. Students may be less passionate about their ideas when putting them on paper versus discussing them in class. The linear, building on each others ideas that happen in discussion also might not happen in this type of digital forum.  A foreseeable problem could be accountability and assessment. Because this project is taking the place of an essay, students will need to meet specific requirements to receive a passing grade. I would have to create a formal rubric to evaluate an informal kind of activity which could be difficult. How do I get students to take these reviews and posts as serious as they would an essay? An inherent bias of this assignment could exist between intrinsic and extrinsic value. The ultimate goal of educator is to instill intrinsic value for a content area. Potential bias could be this assignment promotes extrinsic value because most of the critique will take place in external comments and criticisms by other people inside the community. Because no student will have nothing but positive feedback, students will hopefully realize that they must put an intrinsic value to their ideas and have faith in the these ideas.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

First Day of Education Technology

I assumed that if I ever wrote a blog it would be a review of the latest movie or some new record that just came out....instead I will be talking about the first day of my new class Educational Technology. Two words Education and Technology, it seems like a "no brainer", right? Well not exactly. We will be learning new technology but also re-wiring our expectations of what is considered technology. I am excited to learn new ways of thinking about technology....not only as a way to communicate or make like simpilar but the ethical implications of new technologies. The classroom is in the basement computer lab of the Education Building and each student has a computer where we can practice and apply these new technologies. The first day of class was busy but fun...as technology changes and progresses it becomes more numerous and common. We will be working with lots of new media and programs. I will keep you all posted as to my progress. Good night and good luck.