Media Literacy Update

Nicole, Darlene and I are doing our media literacy project based on Alcohol on the web. We have already met once to discuss our topic, layout of our lesson plan, and what resources we will need to teach this lesson. We are meeting again tomorrow to gather our information together to see how much we have succesfuly completed so far.

second life

Second life is spreading through colleges and being used in classrooms. Will this resource latch on to middle schools?


http://www.thejournal.com/articles/20363

No more laptops

For some reason, I can not say that I am totally suprised that Liverpool has decided to get rid of their laptops in the classoom. If they do not see any academic improvements, then why continue to invest in such a large purchase?

However, it did not sound as though they were even trying to use the laptops for educational purposes. Have they even heard of Will Richardson? I did not read one thing about a class blog, a class website, students making their own wikis, podcasts, newsletters, enhanced power points (etc). Obviously grades are not going to increase if all students are doing with the laptops are typing papers, checking their email or looking at porn while in school.

No matter what, there will always be that one student who will break through the security and have access to sites which are not appropriate. Although I imagine it would be hard for a teacher to know what every student is doing on their laptop, but where were the adults while students were hacking buisnesses and looking at porn? If you ask me, the only people to blame for the termination of the laptops are the educators. They allowed the situation to get out of hand and they clearly never took a technology course if they don't know how to integrate the internet and computers into their lessons.

It is unfortunate that this is happening because there are so many students that would be incredibly engaged in blogging and having the ability to publish their own content. The school is at fault here. It is as simple as that. I would love to mail them Will Richardson or Friedman's book so they can realize what a huge mistake they have made. They just decreased those students chances of being Untouchables. How sad is that when we are busting our butts to make sure we know how to make our future students are untouchables? They had the tools and they failed.

That school just cost someone their future career.

Video games

Apparently it is true...video games a beneficial!


http://us.i1.yimg.com/videogames.yahoo.com/ongoingfeature?eid=513460&page=0

The "Interview"

First of all, I would take a deep breath and try not to freak out. Being put on the spot is not easy at all.

• The first thing I would do is show the princpal how to create a class blog. I would discuss the benefits of the class having one and the benefits of each student have their own. I would demonstrate how to incorportate educational links into the blogs and explain that the main importance of having the blog is so that learning and communication continues outside of the classroom.

• My next step: Show the principal how to make a newsletter. I would be able to explain how I used this program in college for my classmates to read articles on a conference I attended and well as making a theader view for an English class. I would show all the different ways you can introduce content and why this would be a useful tool for students to use.

• Next : Demonstrate an enhanced power point. Show a variety of tools students can use within this program, how you can add content from the internet into the power point...etc.
  

Chapter 4 - Hobbs

In the text "Reading the Media" by Renee Hobbs, I think the most important part of the chapter is titled: "The Power of Dialogue".

"Teaching about media and commication didn't work with that kind of predictabilty because students felt confident to bring their own experiences and knowledge into the classroom. They weren't timid."

• I am not sure if I read this incorrectly, but this section of the paragraph sounds as though Hobbs is feeling negative about this fact. In the even she is being positive about it, isn't this what we want for our students? Don't we want them to be confident in their school work and with what they do in the classroom? Not too long ago we read and article about how to use criticism/constructive criticsm in the classroom and how the students confidence affected their grades. The fact that students are confident with using technology is wonderful because the only reaction from confidence will be positive!

"...many teachers like to be the experts-the ones doing most of the talking in the classroom about the topics they care about."

• This is the wonderful thing about technology! The teachers no longer have to pressure themselves into thinking they need to know everything. Students can finally learn about the things they want and they can control how they learn based on technology resources. Teachers no longer need to be afraid of asking the students questions because they are also becoming the experts in the classroom. Sound familiar? It should!This has been an ongoing topic all semester!

"As a result, teachers relied on their expertise in using critical questioning and articulation techniques."

• This is where we need to be experts. We and other teachers need to allow the students to control the lesson and the classroom. We can further challenge them by asking questions and speaking to them as though they are finally the professionals.

This week's project...

This week in class, Ashley, Theresa and I will be demonstrating an Enhanced Power Point based on the topic of book trailers. The Enhanced Power Point is very tricky to work with that first because as we know with mac computers, nothing appears with just one right click. I really enjoyed making this power point and our group is excited about sharing it with you. For those of you that were in 374 last semester..there is a suprise at the end :)

Media Literacy Website

The teacher's link in the Media Literacy website reminded me very much of a post Darlene made a few weeks ago. She mentioned a movie (?) she saw in which the teacher incorporated hip hop into his lessons to help students remember continents, countries, math problems, etc.

With the amount of students that are tuned into music 24/7 these days, what a great way to gain student's interest and help them learn.

When I was in my 7th grade Language Arts class, I could not remember all of the prepositions for the life of me. My mother taught me all of the words using the 'yankee doodle' song. I still know it until this day. I am proof that this learning technique does work!

The problem with incorporating hip hop or any music for that matter into the classrooms, is that the older generations are not interested in it. They prefer standing in front of the classroom and having students take turns reading paragraphs out of the text. BBBOORRIINNGGG!!!

I already applaud all of us because our students are going to have a ball when we are their teachers. It is amazing how much fun learning can be with technology and I am pleased that using music in the classroom is beginning to be recognized.

Buffalo Students' videos

Will blog about later. ppl are working in the mac lab right now =X

Buffalo is on board

How many of us began this semester believing that classes would not go paperless or that there is no way schools would be able to afford/integrate technology into the classrooms? Me too. Apparently, schools are getting on board with technology and teachers are feeling positive about the students using all of these resources.


The part of the article which truly touched me was when the author said that students are using technology and"..creating meaning out of the curriculum and their experiences." What teacher could ask for anything more? I am sure almost all of us would have been more interested, engaged and participated more if our classrooms were based upon us being able to move around, converse and create our own projects.

It is terrific that students are finally "creating meaning" out of their work as oppossed to memorizing their notes just to pass a test or completing their readings because they may get called on in class the next day. I finally feel confident and relieved that Buffalo and many other schools, are understanding what we have spent the semester learning and preparing to teach our future students.

Schools Banning ipods?

I found this article to be not only very interesting, but not much to my suprise. The reason I am not too shocked that schools want to band certain devices is because when I was in High School (an all girl high school), they went to extreme limits to make sure we couldn't cheat.

For instance:

• Our uniform shirt had pockets on them. Girls were making "cheat sheets", putting them in their pockets, and by leaning over the desk in a certain way, could see the sheet.
• Water Bottles : Peal off the seal that goes around the bottle, place the cheat sheet in it, replace the seal. When your bottle of water was on the desk, you could see right into it.

What did my school do? Changed the uniform shirts to have no pockets, beverages and any food had to be placed in our bags and put under pur desk, and our teachers made us place our cell phones in a box at the beginning of the test period.

See why I'm not suprised? Been there, done that.

"Sometimes it takes awhile for teachers and administrators, who come from an older generation, to catch on to the various ways the technology can be used." This is going to be an issue until our generation is in the field because we know all of the tricks, will be aware up new technology, and will know how students can cheat using their devices.

I personally see nothing wrong with schools banning ipods from school because although students who are desperate will find other ways to cheat, this is one of the most easy ways to do it. It's unfortunate that students won't have their music to listen to when they have down time such as Kelsey Nelson mentioned, but I am sure students will find other things to do when they have free time.

Pokinitis = adorable

Very cute post made by Will Richardson about him and his daughter. After reading the idea's he suggested to her: making a book, movie, podcast (etc) about the story she was coming up with, she was not only engaging in conversation about technology with her father, but she was excited about it.

This post made it very clear that if a child can do these activities at home, they can be and most certainly should be doing them in the classroom.

As ELA teachers, it is in our power to expand the minds of our students as much as possible. We need to make sure they are communicating, getting involved in many activities that relate to technology, and are expanding their thoughts, knowledge, and intelligence to as many people as possible. If we cannot accomplish this, than are we really fullfilling our job requirements?

I always think of Friedman's "untouchables". If we do not teach our students how to be untouchables, they never will be and it will be our fault if they don't get the best jobs out there when the resources are right in our hands, right now.

We, the class of 307, are already made into untouchables. These skills and talents can only increase. Let us begin to spread our knowledge.

Have you Shape-Shifted?

While reading the article: Shape Shifting Portfolios: Millennial Youth, Literacies, And The Game Of Life, I began to recall how much my own portfolio has progressed and changed throughout this semester in 307.

I realize that I now have the benefits of knowing how to use technology tools, how to teach them, how to integrate them into my classroom, and how to relate to my students on a different level because of these advances. Teachers who are knowledgable about technology will have the upper hand against those teachers who are not educated about these resources. I will also be able to perform an example of how these tools are beneficial to students and in the classroom if I were ever asked to do this on the spot. That alone, if you ask me, is impressive.

While reading this article, I kept reminding myself: "the future is now the past" and how Friedman emphasized how competitive this world is now. We need to teach our students how to be "untouchables" and this is a difficult task when some students will not be interested in creating their own shape-shifting portfolios. We cannot force them into doing this activity but we have to encourage them and remind them of the benefits of this and that they will indeed be out there in the field one day against a lot of competition. We have to positively and encouragably (is that even a word?) put the fear of God in them(haha).

The future is already in our hands and we have to do all we can to benefit our students so that they can be successful in this flat world. If we don't do that, then we clearly are not doing our jobs.

A Heads Up

I just want to inform the class that I personally will not be posting or commenting anything about the Virginia Tech. Massacre or anything pertaining to it.

The point of me posting this is so that no-one gets offended if I do not respond to something they have written containing any of this information.

I hope my decision is understandable. Thanks!

imovie time

Theresa, Ashley, Charity and I are planning on making an imovie. We plan to get together this week to put all of our ideas together since we have already been brainstorming and eventually put our ideas into action. We may need some help from anyone who has experience with making an imovie..::cough, chris, phil, cough::.

When we get together and figure out more of what we will be creating, I will post an updated blog.

Social Computing it is!

According to Will Richardon's post, the University of Michigan now has a degree in social computing. Suprised? You shouldn't be. I think this college is one of the first to offer this!

'The depth of our curriculum in social computing is unparalleled. Rather than a single course as you might find in other programs, we offer a range of in-depth courses in the technologies and applications that are driving the Web 2.0 revolution', says a professor at the university of michigan. I find this pretty impresive because it sounds like students are getting more of a variety, in depth, and getting their money's worth of an education.

The fact that this idea has occurred in one college already reminds me of Friedman's chapters when he discusses that we will be preparing our students for jobs that don't exist yet. Who would have thought of colleges narrowing in on classes in social computing? My point exactly. Frightening enough, the future is already becoming the past.

One of Will's blog posts that I found most intriguing had to do with a school that plans to reinvent itself within the next five years. Some of the ideas are:

• Teachers that have freedom to learn and feel supported and not fearful.
• Students that have more freedom to learn and are drivers of their own learning.
• One with more opportunities for global learning.
• One where the desks aren’t in rows.

I am sure to many of you this all sounds familiar because it to me as well. We are already experiencing desks in circles in our English classes now, in 307 alone we are gaining the opportunity of global learning, and we often discuss that teachers are learners as well in the classroom. We can't be afraid to make a mistake in fron of our students and we have to allow them to take over control.

April 15 quiz continued..

What I found most interesting about the 'TECHNORATI report' were the bulleted facts and the very colorful graphs.

I like reading graphs and find them very beneficial, but the different highlighted information and the fact that the graphs were even available made the reading much easier to understand. Many students, such as myself, get so caught up in the text that eventually our eyes are just going over the words and we are not interpreting what we are "reading". Being able to see pictures or graphs help to keep me focused on the reading and to actually understand what I am reading.

I am shocked about the facts such as:

-70 million weblogs
-1.5 million posts per day
-17 posts per second
-Tracking 230 million posts with tags or categories
-2.5 million blogs posted at least one tagged post in February

I cannot believe that this many people are online, blogging, interacting and communicating every day! If this is the number of people engaging in conversation now, imagine what the number will be when all schools are online and using technology in the classrooms! It's unreal! Classrooms are being reinvented right under our noses!

Blog Quiz ~ April 15

The Baltimore County Public Schools are officially "on board" and "get it" as we have been discussing all semester. I think that with our generations imparticular, we will be able to stress the importance of technologies in classrooms to our schools and use the Baltimore schools as a prime example of technology benefits.

As discussed at the Dealing In The Digital session at the DATE conference, the definition of literacy is changing. Baltimore county schools are showing in one particular way just how that definition is changing. Literacy is not based on all printed text now, it's also visual. The present generations are becoming more and more visual learners thanks to the access of technology. Knowing this, schools need to keep up with how students are learning and tv's, camera's, computers (etc) are the best way to keep up now a days.

2 semesters ago I went to ASAP to get help on study habits. The first step they offered was for me to take the VARK survey. Results showed that I am a tactile learner. This means that I need to do hands on work in order to understand/learn what is being taught to me. I personally think that this goes hand in hand with technology. I have to type, use certain programs, and use different tools in order to do our class projects and this has helped me with my "hands on" learning.

Even with all of the benefits of technology, I can't help but wonder what happens to the students who have learning disabilities or mental disabilities. Do they get left behind because technology may become the only way to teach in classrooms?

rebuilding the internet?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070414/ap_on_hi_te/rebuilding_the_internet_8

speaking proper English = necessary!

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ap-beijing-chinglish&prov=ap&type=lgns

Blog Quiz ~ April 8

As a student now and looking back on my years of Education, I was able to relate to the article: 'Struggling' Adolescents' Engagement in Multimediating: Countering the Institutional Construction of Incompetence" written by David O'Brien on many different levels.

For one reason or another, I never had much confidence in myself when it comes to school and grades. Growing up, I never delt with the pressure of school very well and was always very hard on myself if I did not get good grades. Even though technology is introducing new ways for students to learn, be creative and communicate, many students are still feeling the pressure that I felt for several years.

We need to be constant in reminding each student of their strengths and accomplishments. If we only remind them of what needs to be improved or ways to critque every little thing they do, obviously they will not have good confidence and will begin to hate school. Isn't that the las thing we want for our students? There is so much that every student is capable of doing as an individual and in group work and it is our job to make sure they are aware of all the great things are doing and will be able to accomplish. If students do not feel like they have done their work correct or have not impressed their teacher, they are bound to be discouraged.

O'Brien discusses ways to get students involved and how to boost their confidence when it comes to any task they are asked of in school. Teachers need to be open minded to the fact that not every student is going to be a superb reader or writer but they certainly have the ability to be literate and there are several ways in which we can teach our students to be literate. Any teacher that assumes that a student will fall behind or not succeed because they are a poor reader or writer is extremly wrong. Perhaps they have not open their minds to the flat world?

we know this!

Check out the main cover story - it's right in the center. sound like something we've talked about in class before? I think so!

http://www.syracuse.com/poststandard/pageone/pdf/mon-a.pdf

bad code on content on blogs?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/09/technology/09blog.html

goodbye to printers

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/09/technology/09print.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Zine?

I have never heard of a zine until now. Author Tobi Jacobi, defines it as “typically single-authored, handmade, do-it-yourself, creative publications centered on themes and issues that explore the personal and the political, the extraordinary and the mundane.”

That's definitly a lot to try to understand but it makes sense. This eight week program is designed to emphasize the writing process where high school students and college students work together. Facts about society, race, and gender are some of the main topics that were discussed in this project.


The two main things that Jacobi and Hobbs have in common are the issues of gender and racial stereotypes in the media. These are issues that are occuring inside and outside of the classroom and in our every day lives. It is important that we discuss these issues with our students and integrate them into our lesson plans.

Who gets it?

Although this was a very lengthy article, it definitly had some good points and insights which we as future educators should consider. I personally felt that each participant "got it" but these are the two I agreed with most:

• Carole Buasell:

Could she be on target anymore? Every principal should be having professional staff development meetings where teachers will learn all sources of technology and how best to use them in their classrooms. Just recently my mother learned how to pod cast, directed by a professional at her staff development meeting. There is no reason why this cannot happen in every school. How else are teachers going to learn? Of course computers can be a distraction if they are not used properly and according to the lesson plan. So many students smile and relax when they walk into a classroom and see computers because they think it is play time. Although they should enjoy working on computers, educational reasons for them need to be enforced.

• Andrew Trotter:

The main reason why teachers get annoyed when they see students "playing" with their cell phones is because they automatically assume that they are texting out of bordem. Although this may be true and students have taken advantage of their cell phones during class, teachers need to be aware of the benefits of cell phones. Today, students can surf the internet, google, etc on their cell phones. However, the power is now in the hands of the students to use this tool "appropriatly." It is also important that teachers emphasize that no slang will be used in their classrooms. A few weeks ago I posted that I cannot stand when people use slang or shorthand when texting or iming. It's not a good habit!!

Blog Quiz - April 1

Last week on the field trip, Chris asked me "Why do you want to be a teacher?" After reading these articles, I now realize how wrong my answer was. When I first became an English major, I had hopes that I would be in front of the classroom and engaging students into tons of amazing literature. Although I can still have these hopes, the roles are changing and it's time for the students to take over with technology.

Isn't it a shame that students feel like they are in prison when they go to school? That they are possibly learning more outside of school then inside of school? I was able to relate to the student's voice 110% because I know that if I sleep through my alarm clock, my cell phone will be ringing with a phone call or a text message telling me to wake up. Welcome to 2007!

The way this student described the lack of technology in his school and his ability to use it really hit home for me. Money is always going to be an issue with schools, but there is plenty that can be done so that every school can have laptops and all sorts of technology resources. This is how students are learning and now it is our job to continue the desire they have for technology and integrate it into our classrooms. If we don't catch up to what the world is offering us, we are going to lose communication with our students and we will only be harming them in the end. The "plugged in" generation is here and growing rapidly. If we truly want our students to learn, then we will integrate technology into our lessons regardless of anything.

I am still trying to figure out why so many teachers are afraid of using technology. Is it a fear of losing control? The technology not working? Possibly messing something up during a lesson? It's time to wipe these fears away because teachers fail to realize they never had so much control to begin with and anything can go wrong during a lesson. Almost every school has access to the internet and it's time to take advantage of that!!

Each article reminded me of what Friedman wrote in chapters five and six. The competition for jobs is world wide. If we keep avoiding technology and therefore loose an enormous amount of communication with each other, we are only doing damage to our future students. If we really want to get them to be "untouchables" then technology, blogging, etc is a must. If we do not corporate these tools into our classrooms, there is no way our students will get the jobs they are capable of.

Increasing Competition

Well, if Chapters five and six in Friedman's text didn't make us aware of how much competition we are in, then maybe this article will.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0327/p03s03-legn.html

When I first realized I wanted to be a teacher, I was frightened by of all the mandatory tests that I would have to pass, surviving graduate school, and dealing with a fair amount of competition. Never would I have realized that I was in competition globally. I find it interesting that so many schools want to learn the Chinese language but the only way that is going to happen is if new educators come into the U.S. and basically take our jobs.

I am a little suprised at myself that I did not assume this would happen sooner or later, but as the world becomes flatter, this is something that we should all expect. Being that our future students will be preparing for jobs that don't yet exist, will be using technology that is not yet invented, and will be in the same competition tange as we are when it is their time to shine, the only real thing I can do it welcome all of the new educators. There is no way I could ever teach chinese or anything other than spanish for that matter, so we have to accept people coming into America if we want what is best for our future students.

Seems like we need to learn other languages as well as technology if we want a job anywhere now a days.

Bitter Sweet moment

While I was watching the News yesterday, a mother of two and her newborn were one of the top stories. With her husband away in Iraq, he was not able to be there for her or experience the birth of his third child. BUT:

"...thanks to technology, my children and I sat down for an hour and I recorded my children holding our newest family member. We spoke to Mike as if he were with us and zoomed in on the baby several times. I sent my husband the tape and he watched it via internet."

It's amazing that even at times when families should be together, technology has the power and we have the availability to make those moments as real as possible.

Here we go!

http://www.mygradebook.com/video.cfm

Online courses taking over Community College

http://www.syracuse.com/poststandard/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-8/117489954457790.xml&coll=1

Article: "Music fans reaching the end of the album"

http://www.syracuse.com/poststandard/pageone/pdf/mon-a.pdf

Overwhelmed?...Totally

If no one is feeling overwhelmed after reading chapters 5 and 6 in Friedman's text..you clearly didn't read it! I personally had a better time understanding chapter 6 but I will admit that I should read chapter 5 again to really get the grasp of it.

I have not begun my observing yet so I cannot say first hand if I have witnessed whether or not teachers are doing what is necessary to support "the new middlers". However, my cousin is a first year English teacher and when I asked her if her students were blogging, she responded with: "what the hell is that?"
So based on that answer, I am guessing that no, teachers are not preparing what is needed for their students to become prepared in this world, where the jobs they will have don't even exist yet.

The job market is becoming extremly competitive as the world becomes flatter. Since the world has become so globally connected, people all over the world are becoming more educated and prepared for any job that comes their way. This puts more pressure on us because we have to prepare our students to be above and beyond. We have to teach them all the skills that will make them "untouchable" so that they will survive in this competitive world and maintain their jobs.

We need to be teaching our students more than just what a "Sonnet" is or what "allegory" means. We truly need to enforce having students speaking publicly, communicating inside and outside of the classroom, keep them on their toes with all of the technology that is being invented, how to use all the technology resources that are currently on the market and available.

Friedman mentioned that most of the jobs that people had 30 years ago won't exist in the flat world. Hello?! Look at us! The description of what an English teacher does and is, is changing right before our eyes! I never knew I would be blogging as an English major when I first entered the program! The way the world and jobs are changing is rapid. Along with the world and the jobs changing, we have to basically reprogram our students brains and teach them all that is needed to live in this flat world.

I don't think Friedman could have been more on target if he tried!

National reading scores...

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nrc/reading_math_2005/s0002.asp?printver=

Will Richardon's Blog

I found it interesting that the students only discussed technology in one of their grad classes.

The reason for this: Besides 307, the topic of technology has never been brought up in any of my classes and I am taking 16 credits. I am in the process of reading chapter six in Friedman and there was so much detail about how the world is working with technology in chapter five, that I was really shocked when I realized that no other professors or students have brought up technology in class.

I am still trying to adjust to what technology tools can be used in a classroom and how to incorporate it into a lesson, so for example, when I think of an American Lit. class I took last semester, I now realize how many different activities could have been done with the help of technology. Granted I loved the class, there were times it was very boring because while we all sat there, the professor read and we chimed in every once in awhile, needless to say it was the same students talking every time.

At this point of my 307 education, I know that the class could have done what is called Discourse Mapping that I learned about at the DATE conference, we could have had a class blog where we discussed characters, writing styles, etc about the readings, we could have made pod-casts, a web site, a class wiki, etc. I really think the class would have enjoyed the literature more and would have appreciated it if the class were organized in a different manner.

Like I said before, I am not suprised that the source of technology was only metioned in one class. The question now is, why only in one class? Why aren't teachers integrating or at least communicating about technology to their students? I think Will is right when he said it may have to do with the older generations not wanting to be bothered with it. In a sense I don't want to be bothered with it either, but I will be using it because this is a new way of learning and I am growing up with it.

Speaking up about technology

I have many mixed feelings about the opinions and statements that were made throughout this survey

• Students feel that they should be allowed to have cell phones in the classroom in case of an emergency.

I don't see anything wrong with this as long as the teachers enforce the students that they are to keep their phone on vibrate at all times and there will be consequences if they are caught text messaging through lessons. However, I think it is ridiculous for 5 year olds to even have a cell phone. Is it really becoming that tidious for parents to call the school in the event something happened?

• The fact that definitions seem to be changing because of online communication and technology just seems rather foolish to me. For example, the word "Friend".

I cannot personally say that I communicate with people online that I don't communicate with in person, but if I did, I would not walk around saying I have "online friends" and "face to face friends". I understand the article is just trying to state that students are communicating with people all over the world who they may never meet, but to change the meaning of what a friend is, is ridiculous.

• "[Students] tell us overwhelmingly that they feel they could do so much more if they could present [information they have collected] in a multimedia or PowerPoint presentation."

If anyone watches Grey's Anatomy, something "McSteamy" said should have caught your ears last week. "He is doing a powerpoint presentation in the board meeting? What are we, back in 1998?"

According to him, power point presentations aren't the big thing that they used to be, however, I can relate to the students enjoying power point presenations because I myself have gotten much use out of them.

• "More than two-thirds of parents said they are unsatisfied with the amount of time their children are spending using technology in school and how well this technology is being integrated into core academic subjects."

There is only one way parents can truly understand if technology is being integrated into their child's academics. Sit in on a lesson. I am not sure if schools still do this, but in my elementary school and in my middle school, parents were asked and allowed to come into their child's classroom and observe the work they are doing and how their child is in a classroom. Parents cannot assume that teachers are doing their jobs correctly just because their child comes home with homework assignments. I think it should be an anual event when parents come to sit in on their child's school day.

• "In addition, 41 percent of parents said they wanted information about their children's grades sent directly to them via eMail, as opposed to having to go to the school's web site for this information."

Are parents truly this lazy that they need the information put right in front of their faces instead of doing a few steps to get to the school website? Why are they making the teachers go out of their way when grades would already be posted on the school website?

Eventually, parents will not have to worry about technology being used mainly in their child's core classes because it will be used in every class for every subject one day.

Chaotic Middle Schools ~ part 3

• "There are some people who are born to do it and some who learn to do it, and there are some people who really shouldn't do it."

Unfortunatly I have experienced one too many teachers that really should not have been teachers. I am sure we all have.

I was a speech pathologist major for three years and really thought for years before college that I would not make a good teacher. I go to my mothers classroom often and see how much stress, pressure, and anxiety she goes through every day and I did not think I could handle that. It was not until I realized how passionate I was about English that I realized I have several qualities to make a good teacher.

• One teacher had a theory that "the key is to get the kids to like you."

I cannot agree with this theory 100% simply because you are a teacher to your students, not their friend. I had a teacher in 8th grade that I absolutly hated. There was not one quality that I liked about her personality, but I learned more from her than I did from any other English teacher. So of course you want your students to like you but that should not be your main priority. Your main priority is to teach them something, to show them how to apply the skills and knowledge you share with them. If you walk into a classroom thinking you are going to be a friend to every student you have, good luck!

Chaotic Middle Schools part 2

• "The schools share the premise that the way to reserve years of abysmal middle school performance is to get rid of middle schools entirely."

This is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard of. I went to elementary school (k-6), middle school (7-8) and then high school. I absolutley loved every school I went to and although I had some adjustment problems, that's a fact of life that my mother was not going to shelter me from. Keeping students in the same building from k-12 may be good for some students, but I think that overall teenagers need to be exposed as to many people, cultures, learning styles, and enviornments as possible. I truly think that if I did not have the chance to experience different teachers, different schools, different schedules, and have the chance to make new friends, there is no way I would be who I am today.

• "Should the nurturing cocoon of elementary school be extended for another three years, shielding 11 year old from the abrupt transition to a new school..?"

NO!! They said it all right here themselves : Cocooning and Shielding. That is exactly what they are doing to these students and it is not going to help them when they need to go out into the real world. I cannot emphasize enough how horrible of an idea this is. Everyone goes through rough times in there life. It is something we all have to deal with and cope with. Trying to hide teenagers from this fact of life is a horrible idea.

• There is mention of students being able to turn to teachers they had years back for advice by staying in the same school from k-12. Well I have news for you, I have been to 6 different schools in my life already and I still keep in touch with my 1st, 2nd, 5th and 8th grade teachers who were all from different schools and different neighborhoods. It does not take much to form a relationship with a teacher and then maintain that relationship throughout the years. Why is this article making this idea of students turning to their former teachers sound like rocket science?

• "There is a lot of drama in the 6th grade" says a 12 year old girl. Drama in the 6th grade? I didn't even know what drama meant in the 6th grade. Perhaps all of the hours these young teenagers spend on their cell phones and on the internet gossiping to one another is a main cause of the drama. There is no reason for 6th graders so have so much drama and so many distractions in their life. They are still children at that point as far as I am concerned.

• "The uniform was easy to digest as a sixth grader because your mom is still dressing you at that time..by ninth grade, it was just a part of life", says an 18 year old girl. I'm sorry, but I was not only dressing myself in the 6th grade, I was extremly exposed to so many different culters, ethnicity, different teachers, and changing classrooms thoughtout the day. Why are parents hovering, sheltering and failing to allow their children to explore? I went to an all girl high school simply because the crime and theft in the Brooklyn public schools at the time were hurrendous. I did not weep or stomp my feet when I had to wear a uniform, it was what it was. Trying to adjust is a way of life and we are putting students at a disadvantage my limiting their ability to do so.

Chaotic Middle Schools ~ Part 1

Not to offend anyone who thought that the opinions in this article were useful, but I thought it was the most outrageous and ludicrous information I have read in quite some time.

• ..."all five middle schools have begun offering some form of single sex classes, on the theory that they promote self esteem and reduce distractions."

What good is forming single sex classes? The world is not a single sex place and jobs are not single sex. How is making single sex classrooms going to help students socially and career wise in the future? If anything, it will frighten them more when they go out into the world because they are going to be exposed to so many new aspects that they had never experienced before.

• A friend of mine graduated from the Brooklyn Secondary School for Collaborative Studies in Carroll Gardens and completley hated the fact that her school days did not begin until 9am. She only went there because it was her grandmothers wishes, but she was an early bird and felt like she sat around in the morning waiting for her education to begin. Though some may think that many adolescents are not morning people, the results may turn out even worse by keeping them later in the afternoon!

• "Students of all grades are grouped into academies with themes like buisness and cultural arts based on their interests rather than their age." This idea will only take students so far. Is an 8th grader who is more advanced in the same topic as a fourth grader really suppossed to just sit there while the fourth grader asks introductory questions? I like the idea of classrooms being formed based on themes of interest, but they should be formed with students of the same age.

• "But scores are not exactly his priority." They should not be anyone's priority! What good is getting an A in a class if all a student did was memorize their class notes? The state is so distracted with standardized tests which are suppossed to prove something about the students intelligence and the performance of teachers, that they are failing to realize that tons of students blank out on tests or have test anxiety. Whoever really believes that a number or a letter on a test grade proves how intelligent a person is has got it all wrong.

Couldn't help but wonder....

We have often mentioned in class and on our blogs if classes will one day all be held online.

Let's say classes are done online, is there a chance that we could have school literally 24/7? Will we still be given Saturday and Sunday off?

We will be able to access the internet at anytime and at any hour. So what is stopping us from having to blog, take a quiz or do an assignment that is due or presented on a weekend?

NAEP exams going digital

"100 million blogs—online journals—now exist worldwide, and 171 billion e-mail messages are sent daily." These numbers are almost hard to comprehend but they are the reality of what technology has come to be in 2007.

Although tests will most likely be done on a computer by the year 2011, what happens to those that need to write on paper before they type on the computer? I am one of those students and I would fail terribly if I had to type an essay or an article on the spot before drafting it on paper. Just because technology is increasing in schools and because almost every teenager our there uses numerous forms of technology, that doesn't mean that every single student would be successful at it on an exam.

When I attended St. Joseph's college, I had a professor that made those who didn't usually write drafts write one before they types, and those who did write drafts, to not write one. I got as far as two pages when I re-read what I typed and could not believe how incomplete and unorganized my thoughts and writing was. So what will happen in 2011? Will those students that need to write before they type receive bad grades or get held back?

This is the problem with tests and standardized tests. They make students feel unintelligent and it puts them at the bottom of the list if they do not do well even though they are smart and sophisticated students.

Also, why won't this new performance of test taking happen until 2011? I am suprised it will take that long to happen.

Google keeps going and going...

It really amazes me how people come up with inventions such as Goggle Lit. Trips. This would be such a great tool for students to use especially when they are reading difficult literature such as Shakespeare. I took the tutorial guide on MacBeth and was amazed at the three dimensional figures that were made, arrows to show us where the characters originated from and where they were going, and well as being able to hear someone explain where the characters traveled.

This resource will really help students imagine what is going on in the novel and it will give them a better understanding when they try to discuss it.

The best part about this is that it can be used anywhere with the help of wireless networks. This is a tool I can already see myself using when I am on a 5 hour bus ride to go home while I am reading a book.

For students that are visual learners, this tool will help them to read a milestone in their learning lives. We as teachers have to accomadate our students as best we can and this resource should immediatly be added to one of the tools we could use in a classroom.

Teen Book Video Awards

I want to thank Doctor Stearns for showing us the youtube video of The Book Thief simply because now I realize how powerful the tool of technology can be.

Throughout this semester I have been battling on weather or not I am for or against technology in the classroom. As I've stated before, I understand all of its benefits but I do not want my classroom to go paperless or have students lose face to face communication. Although I still feel this way, watching this youtube video made a very powerful impact on me. I did not read The Book Thief in 374 but after seeing the video, I am extremly eager to read it.

During the semester I have gained a liking to the Warlick text simply because I like the short personal stories of teachers and what they are experiencing in their classroom. I found it interesting that the technology always seemed to work out for them and in their favor. I couldn't help but wonder if using technology in a classroom would be just this easy for me. Somehow, watching this video made an impact on my positive feelings about technology. I wish I could explain it better but I can't!

This would be a great exercise for students to use in the classroom. Students can form book clubs based on the same novel and then make a video clip of a preview of the book and post it on the class blog. This will not only engage students in working and communicating together, but it will spread tons of authors, titles, genres, and give students more exposure to books they may decide to read.

An activity just like this was shown at the session I attended at the conference. The teacher had her students perform a skit of any section of the book they were reading and post it on youtube. She has she received tons of positive feedback about it from her students and she made one just as well.

After-thoughts about the Conference

The more I think about the D.A.T.E conference, the more I realize how aprehensive I am about technology. As great as the conference was, it was a huge eye opener for me which has made me pretty vulnerable. The session that I enjoyed and learned the most from was Dealing in the Digital because everything that we have been reading in our texts and discussing in class finally all came together.

Here we are in a technology class where we are learning, using, and teaching each other the many sources that teachers are using in classrooms today. Has it really hit us that we will be those teachers one day? That we will be demonstrating to a room of 30 students just how to use these tools and how to incorporate our lessons into these tools? Throughout the session I kept thinking about Will Richardson's text and realizing the importance of practicing on how to use RSS Feeds, why and how blogging is useful and important in a classroom, why we as teachers need to be totally alert while our students are surfing on the web, the significance of Wikis and so much more.

All of the reading in our texts totally corresponded with what I learned during that session, plus I was given more websites to check out and use in a classroom.

It is true now more than ever, we are all publishers, artists, writers, and proudly, teachers.

Which one is hurting your brain?

http://www.gamedaily.com/top-10-lists/brain-freeze-games

Barb's Post

I think it is pretty clear to all of us at this point that the definition of "texts" are changing rapidly. I thought the article that Barb posted was very useful and something that I will need to keep in mind constantly when I enter a classroom.

I especially liked the quick writing activity because it will bring awareness to the students of what texts are, how many different types of texts are available, and that they are most likely using valuable texts already.

I am still trying to get used to the fact that the definition of literacy is changing and that there are so many different texts that can be used in the classroom now.

Awhile ago we had a class discussion that the job of what an English teacher is, is changing and we might be a little disappointed at this point. Well, this article is proof that the curriculum and resources in the classroom are changing more and more as the days pass.

You won't believe this

There was also a breaking story on the News about a situation that occured in a sixth grade technology classroom.

The classroom had computers for every student which were set up in a way that looked like each student had their own cubicle to complete their work.

While the teacher was in front of the classroom demonstrating an example on the overhead, she was unaware of what was occuring in the back of her classroom. Two sixth grade students were having sex while in their "cubicle".

The Superintendent and Principal are furious and humiliated about this situation and parents are saying that technology classrooms need to be set up in a different way so that teachers can see everything that is going on in the classroom.

Even movies are changing

While I was home over the break, the News had a breaking story that technology is even changing the way movies are being made and presented.

The movie "300" is the primary example of technology changing what we will see from now on in the movies.

There were several scenes throughout the movie where the actors were not even on the set while the movie was being filmed, but technology gave the actors the ability to film anyway. One of the actors was in another country but still had the ability to film his scene by performing it on a set where he was and sending it via email to the directors back here in the states. The directors then simply added it into the rest of the film where the scene was meant to be.

It is amazing that this was able to happen, but frightening to me all at the same time. Technology is doing so much and I don't want it to take over everything. Especially movies.

D.A.T.E ~ part 2

The session that I enjoyed the most throughout the conference was presented by Patrice K. VanSlyke and Kjersti VanSlyke-Briggs. The title of this session was "Dealing in the Digital".

Six things stood out the most to me:

• Increased Demand: This included Multimedial literacy, digital communication, a competitive job market, and literacy as social practice.

• Digital: Is the definition of literacy keeping up? Everything is becoming digitalized: libraries, music, films, movies, etc.

• Cross Curricular: Create natural bridges as communication, such as: "fear free" explorations, student teacher blogs, wikis, youtube, and discourse mapping. (http://laurie.sl3dge.net/speak.htm)

• Text Analysis: Technology is reshaping society, critical literacy, and can we live without technology anymore?

• Technology in the classroom: Danger!! Use Wisely!

Teachers need to be prepared for their students finding misinformation on the internet, their students misusing the internet resources, performitivity, and critical literacy. (www.easywhois.com)

• Risk to Students:

Non-Authentic experiences, Limited use and vocabulary, and teacher knowledge.

D.A.T.E ~ part 1.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see Jennifer Donelly at the conference last week. She is such an inspirational woman, writer, and speaker. She discussed the four main categories that she feels are necessary when planning to write a book:

1. Inspiration
2. Imagination
3. Research
4. Emotion

Of course I would have assumed that these things would have been necessary in order to write a book, but the impact of hearing an author say it, while we were under the same roof, seemed to have more of an impact on me. I do have intentions of writing a book one day and when that day comes, I will look back and remember the encouraging words that Jennifer said.

I also found it interesting that she said: "Nintendo, television and DVD's are ruining the imagination of children." Of course I agree with this because now a days there aren't many educational lessons within these resources. However, I also agree with her when she said: "Technology is gradually increasing children's imaginations." There is proof of this right in our 307 classroom. We have learned so many tools already that are helping us connect, share, and progress as readers, writers and teachers.

I am very grateful for having the chance to see an author speak publicly, especially an author whose books I love!

LibraryThing

I was updating my LibraryThing tonight and my father was interested in what I was doing. I showed him how to sign up, how to add books, how to rate them, what the point of tool is, etc. He was so impressed that this resource is free and how easy it is to use.

Right now, my father has his own account on librarything and is addicted to it. He loves to read and has already read hundreds of books which are now all organized online.

So I wanted to thank Jami's group for showing me how to use this social bookmarking tool because I was finally able to teach my father something for once!!

My mother's classroom

At the beginning of the semester I mentioned that my mother would be using podcasts in her classroom of special ed. students. At the time my mother and I did not think this would actually happen because her students struggle to even write their names on paper every day. Well, it turns out that we were wrong.

As of Friday, March 9th, my mother was trained how to use a podcast in her classroom. The training will continue for the rest of this week as well. Although my mom was excited to learn how to use some form of technology in her classroom (and in general!) she unfortunatly does not see herself pressing her students to use this tool. The reason for this is that my mother has eleven students in her class and the room is extremly small. "It would be a ligistic nightmare."

Although my mom does not see her students being able to use this tool now, hopefully in the future her students will be able to use it.

Also, from the blessing of grant money, all eleven students in my mothers classroom will have their own laptops. They are scheduled to arrive this week and the students will spend 2 periods a day learning how to use their laptops. All students from grades 3-5 will also have their own laptop.

It's amazing that I thought not every school would be able to afford having laptops for each student. Turns out that my doubts are occuring up the block from my house!!

uh - oh

http://money.aol.com/bankrate/credit/canvas3/_a/top-internet-scams-to-watch-for-in-2007/20070227144209990002

NAEP Scores

In 2005, the reading score on a scale from 0-500 was an embarrassing 286? I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!

I am shocked by this score and I cannot fathom how this is happening. However, there are many reasons why the score has declined so drastically:

1. Parents are not encouraging their children to do their homework/complete it. They may also not be encouraging them to read for pleasure. Instead, children are glued to the T.V, video games, and computer.
2. Are teachers really enforcing reading and/or reading exercises in the classroom? How many books are teachers having their students read throughout the school year?
3. The students themselves. So many children dred school and do not take it seriously.

Something obviously needs to be done about this. I do not mean to bash parents because there are tons of parents out there that do the best they can to enhance their childrens reading ability, but with the way society is today, I cannot help but say that parents are slacking. They are the ones who really need to enforce extra-curricular reading at home.

When I first learned how to read, my mother and I read a book or two a week together. Once I was able to read totally on my own, she bought tons of books for us to read at the same time and then we talked about it once we were done. I never hated doing this because my mom was involved. She made it fun and I loved that she was reading with me. The after school hobbies in homes need to change.

Going Wireless

The percent of people using wireless in anyway possible did not suprise me throughout the article.

I personally have never used my phone to access the internet or to check my e-mail, but over the Christmas break I used wireless in my house every day. Here at Cortland I use broadband simply because I kept getting kicked offline when I was using wireless.

I find it humorous that people are accessing their e-mail so much at work. Makes a person wonder how much of the day they are spending playing on the internet as oppossed to actually doing their job.

I was a little suprised to see that more men used the computer/cell phone/other devices more than woman simply because I mainly talk to my female friends when I am online.

I think there will come a time when you can only access the internet through wireless and dial-up will be completely eliminated. But then again, who knows what "they" are going to come up with next.

Walrick

"What these and many other educators fail to understand is that these children have invented a new grammar specifically designed for a communication avenue that is unque to their generation. We should respect this and even marvel at how well these kids have adapted a new tool to their tasks and lifestyle and to enriching their personal relationships." (Warlick, 64)

I honestly do not agree with this quote. It is one thing to admire, if you will, the fact that children have created their own language to communicate. On the other hand, how much should we admire them for it? It is not correct English and certaintly not the type of grammar I would allow in my classroom. For a long time I used slang and all of the terminolgy that is listed on page 64, but I have made it a fact now not to use it. I complete each word and do not shorten it in anyway. To me, it seems unprofessional and it is not something I would encourage students to do simply because it is not correct.

What do you guys think?

Blog Quiz: RSS Feed

I have never heard of RSS Feeds until reading the chapter in Richardson's book, let alone use it.

The point of RSS feed is to connect/"link" people from all over the world to communicate by viewing the work that you post on the internet.

When I was updating "my 43 things" I was a red box that said "RSS" on it but at the time had no clue what it was meant for. Now that I am aware of this feature, I will use it on this blog, my 43 things, my delicious account and the site where I post some of the poetry I write.

The RSS Feed can be used in the classroom for numerous things.

1. On their blog and other sites that they will create (ex:librarything, class website, etc) This will give anyone and everyone that searches the students sites to see what they are posting, reading, writing, and discussing. This also allows others to write/respond on the students blog/websites.
2. As a teacher, I can use the RSS Feed to keep me updated and organized on the students most recent posts. This will allow me to see what students have written as soon as I sign in and will allow me to respond to them at a rapid pace.
3. Students can create RSS Feeds to keep them up to date about what interests them most. They can find books, genres, authors, and other resource information within the blink of an eye with these feeds.

Clearly, Richardson is right! These RSS Feeds are beneficial to everyone, help to learn more at a quicker speed, and keep everyone connected 24/7.

Blog Quiz : Time Magazine Article

I would be lieing if I said this was the first time I ever heard someone say that college is basically not worth all of the money we pay to attend. I on the other hand, obviously disagree.

Of course it would be great if the cost of college tuition could be decreased and I definitly think it would help thousands of others to receive an education. But isn't it ironic that just a few weeks ago we read an article that revealed that President Bush is cutting the amount that is spent on education? No wonder people do not think getting a college degree might not be worth their time. What are they going to learn if our own President is cutting down a huge part of the support system?

Not everyone is meant to go to college but to say that if you do go to college, it leaves you out in an open field is ridiculous. The point of college is to explore all of the different things you can study and then narrow in on something one would truly enjoy pursuing. How is that a waste? You are gaining more knowledge in every class you take. Won't that alone open more doors of opportunity as oppossed to not attending college at all?

I think watching a debate between Friedman and Caldwell would be extremly intense because they are viewing education from opposite ends. Friedman is very in tune with showing us ways to connect with others all over the world and how to communicate and explore our minds with as many people as possible. Friedman is way too open minded for Caldwell and in his defense would say that the 3.0 world has now given us the ability to teach and learn more than we ever could have imagined.

Blog Quiz : Friedman

I found Friedman's writing on the 2.0 world to the 3.0 world to be not only interesting, but effective. The 3.0 world offers many more accessible ways for students research, communicate, teach and learn.

ELA teachers need to be very aware when they work on teaching students to progress from one dimensional learners to three dimensional learners. Teachers will need to clearly show all of the new ways students can learn and how to use these new ways effectivly. In the classroom, this new tool for teaching will reveal many ways of communication at numerous levels. Students will expand their critical ways of thinking and writing through literature, conducting research projects, creating a blog and using the internet in an educational manner.

Creating my own blog has really opened by eyes to the numerous things one can do. By teaching a class in the 3.0 world, I can have my students make their own blogs, communicate with students all over the world and basically, create their own classroom. Students can form book clubs, write/share poetry with each other, discuss literature, and truly broaden their horizons.

Having the ability to communicate 24/7 inside and outside of the classroom will really teach students how to view their work and others through many different lenses. Could we ask for anything more?

Have you gotten caught....yet?

http://www.syracuse.com/ap/stories/index.ssf?/base/business-10/117206814260710.xml&storylist=topstories

Teen Tech Week

1. I definitly like the idea of "Teen Tech Week" and I enjoyed taking a glimpse through the Wiki.
2. What I like most about this is the fact that parents can be just as involved as their children. Parents need to be as involved with their children's education as possible and this is another great way for that to happen.
3. I think the events every Monday are a good way to keep teens motivated and eager to return to the site. Each week they can be involved in something else.
4. I also like the fact that the site sponsers virtual tours and shows teens just how important librarians are.
5. Teens need to be aware of the resources they can get from a library. Some are so fascinated with finding research through google, askjeeves, an yahoo, that they forget other beneficial rescources. This site is a great way to give more information to students and a great way to keep libraries alive.

Students learning less?

"What we see out of these results is a very disturbing picture of the knowledge and skills of the young people about to go into college and the workforce," said Daria Hall

• Standardized tests are the worst thing to ever happen in education and to students.
• Not every student is a good test taker and not every student is on the same learning level.
• The State needs to get rid of standardized tests and stop judging and stereotyping students because of their grade on a few tests. These tests are very nerve wrecking for thousands of students and many are so overwhelmed that they are not able to focus. Are we really going to penalize students because of tests?
• I am bewildered by the fact that even Special Ed. students have to take standardized tests. There are thousands of talented and intelligent students in the world that get left behind or judged because of a grade they received on a test.
• I did horrific on every city wide test I had ever taken. I would stress out all year knowing I had to take these tests and would continue to stress out even after the test was over.
• How dare anyone base a students "knowledge" because of low grade they receive on a test. A test grade does not claim them not adequate enough to be successful in the world.

"Vegas"

I am sure many of you know about the "Vegas" night that Neubig and ASC hosted the other night in Neubig.

Well I just found out that not only does ASC have a blog where we can request other types of food we like that is not on campus or give our opinion about the food we don't like, they want people to give them ideas about what to do for next year's theme.

Last year was a cruise.

I was looking through this blog and someone wrote "Since technology is increasing so much, why don't we have a high tech theme? Since we don't even know what time of technology is going to come out next, maybe we can do food of the future or something."

I just found this humorous and whenever I see the word technology anywhere I want to share what I saw or read on my blog.haha.

Ready or not - here it comes!

The Virtual schooling article is one of the most interesting articles that I have read so far in this class.

One thing is definitly for sure: schools need to be prepared for the dramatic change that will take place because of the opportunity of online courses.

I was proud that 15 year old boy who was handling online school work and helping his mother with the work load around the house. It just seems like today, children get away with everything. They go to school where they most likely don't pay attention and then go home and play video games or computer games for the rest of the night.

Not every child is meant to be taught online. I think that having the option is a great idea, but to one day get rid of schools would be a huge mistake. Some students really need that student-teacher relationship to grow, which you obviously cannot get through a computer.

I took an online course over the winter break and although I got an A- in it, I cannot honestly say that I took is seriously. I was so distracted by everything going on in my house and with my family, that I was too frusterated to really study or read. I often breezed through the chapters with the tv on, put it on mute when it came time to take a test, and guessed my way through discussions.

The reason I am sharing my incompetance with this class is because I experienced that I cannot take an online course as serious as I would if I were sitting in a classroom. Just like the article said, the child was able to help out at home, do some homework, go out and play, play a computer game and get back to his work later. Yes I believe children need a break when they are doing their work, but to have the opportunity with so many distractions will not help their learning process.

Projects

I wanted to congratulate the groups that presented their projects yesterday. I enjoyed watching my classmates present something they took in an interest in as well as showing us how to use new tools of technology and how to incorporate it into a classroom.

I have a "Librarything" account and I love it! I really recommend the rest of the class try it out!

I am still working on my del.icio.us account as well my list of "43 things".

I have always been iffy about wiki's simply because anyone can add information into them. I did, however, enjoy learning how to make one!

Thanks everyone!

just for fun

Hey guys!

In my African American Literature class we are reading the autobiography, "I know why the caged bird sings." While reading the book, my professor is also showing us the film.

I thought it was funny and wanted to share with you something that a teacher in the movie said:

"I am a teacher because I love chalk, blackboards, and books."

Doesn't sound like this teacher would adjust too well to the new ways of learning!

2/20 task # 3

• The Hobbs text, the 6 PLS principles, and the NCTE standards all completely corresponde into the same ideas and same goals.

• Using the media will definitly gain our students attention and motivate them to do work. No student wants to write papers or book reports when they can be blogging, creating films, or writing scripts about something they enjoy based on a television show or a movie. Can we blame them?!

• All of the ideas and research we have read about for the tasks assigned to us this week make a huge connection and these readings were a huge eye opener for me. Hobbs proved that introducing media into the curriculum has had positive outcomes and best of all: students are enjoying it. It is definitly something that I would like to try in my classroom one day. The last thing I want to do is bore students with those horrible vocabulary books and filling in the blanks with the correct word.

• Children and teenagers love television. There are so many creative lesson plans that we as future educators can come up with to relate what students enjoy, into their classwork. Students need to enjoy their classwork and walk away from school at the end of the day understanding all of the content that they took in throughout the day. Bringing media into the classroom is one of the best ideas yet.

2/20 - Task # 2

• Hobbs conducted a research assignment in 1998 which focused on Concord High School and how teachers are using media literacy in their classrooms. The study was based on eleventh graders and Hobbs not only observed in the classrooms, but also had interviews with the teachers and the students. She collected "notes, videos, lesson plans and assignments" for her data (13).

• I found this study to be very interesting and I especially liked the fact that the teachers had no trouble admitting that they were having a difficult time adjusting to the new curriculum as well as struggling to understand it. This goes back to our last reading when we said that students are now teaching the teachers. It helped me to feel less ancious knowing that adults are also going through a huge adjustment with the change in lesson plans and I was comforted in knowing that students were so engaged in the lesson because it was something they could 100% relate to. I am always afraid of going to student teach and not having students participate or engage in conversation. Well, with this type of curriculum, I don't think I'll have to worry about that anymore.

• Hobbs mentions a variety of positive aspects that can come about from using media literacy. Students will be participating through conversation, writing, reading and observing. It wasn't until I read these positive aspects that can come from using media in a classroom, that I slowly began to accept this idea.

• I think Hobbs' research is very relevant and something I will definitly keep in mind when I go out into the field. All of her research correspondes with the six principles and they should all be conducted in classrooms.

2/19 - Task # 1

I found chapters one-three in the Hobbs text and the six principles of media literacy that PLS works with to be practically identical.

The ideas within the text and the ideas within the principles want the same goal: to integrate media into English Literature. By doing so, educators hope to enhance students writing and critical thinking, views of cultural beliefs and customs, and to help their students see through various lenses.

"...urges English educators to incorporate a wide range of texts including films, television, advertising, then Internet, music, and popular culture." (Hobbs, 7) I find this quote to be very interesting because all of the items listed create an entirely different English classroom from what we are used to. Also, these are the things that most teenagers are spending endless amounts of their time on! Of course engaging it into lessons with create motivation and more interest!

My question though, is: does this mean we get rid of books in the classroom?

"...recommends that teachers make learning a long-term, thining-centered process, providing for rich, ongoing assessment and guidance" (Hobbs, 8).

This is where I believe Blogging comes in with all of its benefits. If students blog, it will enhance their understanding of topics and assignments being done in the classroom, the learning will continue outside of the classroom, and it helps create an on-going atmosphere.

Like I said above, the similiarities are the same. I think engaging media related work into an English classroom is a huge step which many of us are not prepared for or ever saw ourselves teaching. Hobbs showed us that the curriculum based around media worked out very well for Concord High School. All we need to learn now, is how to teach it.

Nervous? I sure am.