OMGoodness! VB came over to Northbrook today, and we had the best time working on VoiceThread. One of the English Teachers will be studying Julius Caesar and will be researching various aspects of life in Ancient Rome. This, thought I, would be the most opportune time to try a VoiceThread so I have made an offering to use with students next Tuesday. I recorded my comments until I was breathless because some alien kept overtaking the microphone and commenting in the most annoying tin-can voice! I sent invitations to three friends who are obligated to comment or break off our friendship. So far, VB is still my compadre. If all goes well, you will see my VoiceThread embedded in this blog; otherwise, you can check back at a later time!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thing #2: Wordle
Thia image has been generated by www.wordle.net
During summer school, a highly energetic English teacher, a library intern and I worked together on a poetry project. Students composed a poem, determined the theme or topic, found three published selections that reflected that theme, and created a PowerPoint. For the first slide, students created a Wordle that expressed their personalities, thoughts, aspirations, etc. The results were colorful and introspective, and the students enjoyed learning a new way to express themselves creatively. I enjoyed their enjoyment and tried one for myself using one of my favorite quotations by George Eliot: It's never too late to be who you might have been.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Where did my avatar go??
Okay, I am ready to vacation! (You don't really fool me; I know I am actually sitting at my desk in summer school!)
As I watched the video, I thought that most students are probably already competent as 21st century learners and that it is we who are lagging so far behind by (1) being unfamiliar with the technology they cut their teeth on and (2) by making it almost impossible for students to use such technology in an academic setting. I believe that we are so afraid of what might happen that we have made ourselves into the "anti-electronic gadget" police! When multimedia classrooms are required to post "no I-pods or other electronic devices permitted," it says to students that these items are not related to acquiring and sharing information that is educational. It gives us, as teachers, leave to remain obsolete, and we cannot allow that to happen or we will lose a generation of students.
My vision is for teachers to use available technology in such a way that students are constantly interacting with the teacher and with each other to research, to pose questions, and to find solutions so that they will be too much "on task" to get into trouble! Responsible and ethical use of electronic devices, as well as integrity of authorship, are emphasized in elementary libraries and classrooms, and we expect students in secondary schools to exhibit these behaviors, but we probably need to use every opportunity to reinforce these concepts!
I really like the terms used for the librarian's functions: Learning Architect, Modeler, Learning Concierge, Incubator, Synthesizer, Guide (Sherpa--not politically correct, I have been advised),
and Change Agent. I know that I am not sufficiently qualified to tackle all roles at once. Maybe I will start with Modeler and transition into Change Agent!
As I watched the video, I thought that most students are probably already competent as 21st century learners and that it is we who are lagging so far behind by (1) being unfamiliar with the technology they cut their teeth on and (2) by making it almost impossible for students to use such technology in an academic setting. I believe that we are so afraid of what might happen that we have made ourselves into the "anti-electronic gadget" police! When multimedia classrooms are required to post "no I-pods or other electronic devices permitted," it says to students that these items are not related to acquiring and sharing information that is educational. It gives us, as teachers, leave to remain obsolete, and we cannot allow that to happen or we will lose a generation of students.
My vision is for teachers to use available technology in such a way that students are constantly interacting with the teacher and with each other to research, to pose questions, and to find solutions so that they will be too much "on task" to get into trouble! Responsible and ethical use of electronic devices, as well as integrity of authorship, are emphasized in elementary libraries and classrooms, and we expect students in secondary schools to exhibit these behaviors, but we probably need to use every opportunity to reinforce these concepts!
I really like the terms used for the librarian's functions: Learning Architect, Modeler, Learning Concierge, Incubator, Synthesizer, Guide (Sherpa--not politically correct, I have been advised),
and Change Agent. I know that I am not sufficiently qualified to tackle all roles at once. Maybe I will start with Modeler and transition into Change Agent!
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