Hey, no big deal here. Just needed a place to store some links as I work on my final project.
http://www.heelstone.com/meridian/annie/start.htm
user imput makes the poem (you click and there are popups)
http://cla.umn.edu/joglars/afteremmett/bonvoyage.html
user input--but just for next slide (3X3 grid of letters)
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/
collection of electronic literature, all in a neat gridded box. Very pretty.
http://www.secrettechnology.com/poem_cube/poem_cube.html
you can enter your own poem and it "poem cubes" it for you. user input on several levels.
http://bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/swiss/projects.htm
Thom Swiss: Dreamlife. It's pretty linear--a poem with pretty visuals. No user input
http://bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/swiss/cob/index.html#
Thom Swiss: City of Bits. You "stroll" and see the city: visuals, poetry.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Online feedback
Blog or vlog post: select an anonymous example of a student’s writing and describe how you would provide online feedback to that writing. Reflect on what you believe is important in giving online feedback to students. How might that feedback vary according to differences in disciplinary orientations/writing-to-learn strategies as described in Chapter 8. Then develop some techniques for training peers to provide online peer feedback and ways to determine the effectiveness of their feedback.
Here's a piece from last term. The theme for the poem assignment was "A Time My World Changed."
Here's a piece from last term. The theme for the poem assignment was "A Time My World Changed."
The day my world changed was a blur of brown boxes..
City lights swirling like they were putting on a show..
Cars screaching by
leaving the smell of rubber in the air..
Glass breaking
car alarms blairing
people out all night..
Gun shots bang
I'm sensitized to the sound..
I don't even flinch
as I sit on the couch..
Walking outside
everybody knows your name..
running the streets
as if i never became tired..
Beating the street lights home..
That was then..
now I'm looking out my window
I see nothing at all..
No more apartments
no more broken bottles..
No more of that place
that I came to love..
Now cute little houses standing side by side
like a group of soldiers going to war..
No more sirens
I hear nothing but silence..
Never knowing how loud being quiet could be..
This new place I will never call home
It feels anything but..
That was the day my world changed.
If I were to give this student online feedback, here's what I'd say:
Powerful moment! You really capture the idea of Home and what that means to you.
Look at your line breaks--are there places you can use enjambment to emphasize specific thoughts/make more powerful points?
I love your two opening lines--really good use of imagery.
Look at the line,
If I were to give this student online feedback, here's what I'd say:
Powerful moment! You really capture the idea of Home and what that means to you.
Look at your line breaks--are there places you can use enjambment to emphasize specific thoughts/make more powerful points?
I love your two opening lines--really good use of imagery.
Look at the line,
"running the streets
as if i never became tired.."
It feels a little awkward.
Also look a the 2nd half of the poem. How can you use concrete images to SHOW us even more how it differs from your original home?
Great image of the homes that look like soldiers.
In giving online feedback, I think it's best to ask questions, to create a space for students to figure out how they can make their writing stronger. It's a difficult place to proofread, so I prefer a hard copy when the editing version comes along.
Your feedback is going to vary depending on what your purpose is for that version of your writing. I hate to make editing corrections until the penultimate version, otherwise students get wrapped up in conventions and their creativity can get stifled. When we study the 6 Traits, I'll often focus on just one or two of those traits to really hone in on those skills.
When teaching students to give peer online feedback, I'll often ask questions they should ask themselves when reading someone's work such as,
A. Are descriptive words specific? (words like big, small, nice, amazing, good, etc. are pretty useless in poetry)
B. Are there similes/metaphors? These things help your reader SEE and EXPERIENCE what you have.
C. Does the poem avoid cliches?
D. Is the title thoughtful?
E. Does the poem surprise you, or is it fairly predictable?
F. What is the most effective element of the poem as it's written?
Other times I've had students post a 1st and 2nd version of an assignment (the 1st version is their initial attempt, the 2nd version is a revision after I've made comments) and have students post comments on what they noticed the writer has changed. This is a very effective way for kids to see what kinds of comments I give, and therefore to see what kinds of suggestions/observations they can make in the future.
I always emphasize that we're taking care of each other, and helping each other to be better writers. I don't allow any peer editing at all until I feel we've established community and students are starting to trust one another.
It feels a little awkward.
Also look a the 2nd half of the poem. How can you use concrete images to SHOW us even more how it differs from your original home?
Great image of the homes that look like soldiers.
In giving online feedback, I think it's best to ask questions, to create a space for students to figure out how they can make their writing stronger. It's a difficult place to proofread, so I prefer a hard copy when the editing version comes along.
Your feedback is going to vary depending on what your purpose is for that version of your writing. I hate to make editing corrections until the penultimate version, otherwise students get wrapped up in conventions and their creativity can get stifled. When we study the 6 Traits, I'll often focus on just one or two of those traits to really hone in on those skills.
When teaching students to give peer online feedback, I'll often ask questions they should ask themselves when reading someone's work such as,
A. Are descriptive words specific? (words like big, small, nice, amazing, good, etc. are pretty useless in poetry)
B. Are there similes/metaphors? These things help your reader SEE and EXPERIENCE what you have.
C. Does the poem avoid cliches?
D. Is the title thoughtful?
E. Does the poem surprise you, or is it fairly predictable?
F. What is the most effective element of the poem as it's written?
Other times I've had students post a 1st and 2nd version of an assignment (the 1st version is their initial attempt, the 2nd version is a revision after I've made comments) and have students post comments on what they noticed the writer has changed. This is a very effective way for kids to see what kinds of comments I give, and therefore to see what kinds of suggestions/observations they can make in the future.
I always emphasize that we're taking care of each other, and helping each other to be better writers. I don't allow any peer editing at all until I feel we've established community and students are starting to trust one another.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Website readability
Blog or vlog post: Analyze the readability of a effective web site versus a less-effective or poorly-designed site or blog in terms of difference in the design features: what specific design features contributed to high versus low readability? Develop some activities that would help students learn to attend to design features in creating and editing their digital writing, for example, how to make their PowerPoint presentations more interactive.
Always on the look-out for creative writing prompts, I checked out two sites:
http://www.writersdigest.com/writingprompts.asp?goto=closead
and
http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/
The Writer's Digest site doesn't hold up in readability tests (my own) compared to the Writing Prompts site. Here are some reasons:
1. Writer's digest has a pop up add when you first access it, asking if you want a free copy of their magazine. Gross.
2. The font size is small.
3. Flash advertisements.
4. Too busy.
The Writing Prompts site isn't fabulously fabulous (also too many small fonts and too much going on) but the cool part is its purpose is very clear: Writing Prompts. There are hundreds of them. You scroll across a number and a writing prompt comes up. It's all secret and revealing fun-like.
Writer's Digest also gives prompts, but just in a list. It's not as fun.
Activities for students to pay attention to design...
1. Show them strong and weak examples of websites, powerpoints, etc. and have them list what categories they can for what makes a visually strong website, etc.
2. Have them find websites that do/don't embody these categories. (Save websites for future use. :) )
3. Have students make the worst powerpoint they can and tell us what makes it so bad.
Always on the look-out for creative writing prompts, I checked out two sites:
http://www.writersdigest.com/writingprompts.asp?goto=closead
and
http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/
The Writer's Digest site doesn't hold up in readability tests (my own) compared to the Writing Prompts site. Here are some reasons:
1. Writer's digest has a pop up add when you first access it, asking if you want a free copy of their magazine. Gross.
2. The font size is small.
3. Flash advertisements.
4. Too busy.
The Writing Prompts site isn't fabulously fabulous (also too many small fonts and too much going on) but the cool part is its purpose is very clear: Writing Prompts. There are hundreds of them. You scroll across a number and a writing prompt comes up. It's all secret and revealing fun-like.
Writer's Digest also gives prompts, but just in a list. It's not as fun.
Activities for students to pay attention to design...
1. Show them strong and weak examples of websites, powerpoints, etc. and have them list what categories they can for what makes a visually strong website, etc.
2. Have them find websites that do/don't embody these categories. (Save websites for future use. :) )
3. Have students make the worst powerpoint they can and tell us what makes it so bad.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Making My Own Podcast
I basically turned a Creative Writing exercise into a podcast and shamelessly added sound effects for my own entertainment. I'm not sure where I'd actually use it in real life. If a kid was gone and I was SUPER on top of things, I could have podcasts for missing assignments. But that seems like a ton of work. If I was teaching via the internet it would be useful. Quite frankly, I do not know.
Making it was fun. My sisters and I made radio dramas (mostly detective stories) on cassette tape when we were younger. If we had had this technology back then, we would have had a blast with it.
I'm confused about how to share it with the world. Right now it's posted on the class wiki and it lives in my iTunes, but I'm stuck as to how to have it hosted someplace.
Making it was fun. My sisters and I made radio dramas (mostly detective stories) on cassette tape when we were younger. If we had had this technology back then, we would have had a blast with it.
I'm confused about how to share it with the world. Right now it's posted on the class wiki and it lives in my iTunes, but I'm stuck as to how to have it hosted someplace.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Podcasts
Oh my god. I found someone dorkier than me. His name is Luke Taylor and he creates the "Grammar Grater" podcast for MPR. Now, I know what you're saying, "Geez, Nicole, what were you thinking?" But I really like grammar. It's the math part of my brain. So I thought I'd dig it. But his delivery is so peDANtic and scripted and the jokes are all kinds of lame. Worst part: I didn't learn anything. Sigh.
Then I listened to the Bob and Rob show, which attracted me because it rhymed. Then I saw it was a "Yankee and a Brit" and this made me very excited. Their show is much different from Grammar Grater because it's a conversation and not a recitation. However, I hate the sound effects and laugh track. Why do we need that? After I listened to a couple snippets of shows, I saw that their intended audience is English Language Learners. What a cool way for people learning English to enrich their understanding of the English language. I admit it made me less interested for my personal use, however.
I sampled this and that, coming to the conclusion that I can see doing podcasts with students because once you read your writing out loud, you hear where you can make improvements. If students are recording their writing, I imagine they'll be even more committed to writing well (because of the audience piece).
But how...
-creative writers (maybe CW2) could record podcasts of their poetry
-creative writers could create their own radio dramas
-9th grade? Boy, it's so tough to think of them because of the curriculum monster that I wish would stay under the bed or in the closet, but continues to make himself at home everywhere. Romeo and Juliet, maybe? Maybe they could do modernizations and make radio dramas.
As for my own podcast, I could interview my mom (whose life has always been very interesting) or my sister. She has a brand new job as a morning DJ and this has changed her in various ways.
Or I could do a diatribe of some sort.
Then I listened to the Bob and Rob show, which attracted me because it rhymed. Then I saw it was a "Yankee and a Brit" and this made me very excited. Their show is much different from Grammar Grater because it's a conversation and not a recitation. However, I hate the sound effects and laugh track. Why do we need that? After I listened to a couple snippets of shows, I saw that their intended audience is English Language Learners. What a cool way for people learning English to enrich their understanding of the English language. I admit it made me less interested for my personal use, however.
I sampled this and that, coming to the conclusion that I can see doing podcasts with students because once you read your writing out loud, you hear where you can make improvements. If students are recording their writing, I imagine they'll be even more committed to writing well (because of the audience piece).
But how...
-creative writers (maybe CW2) could record podcasts of their poetry
-creative writers could create their own radio dramas
-9th grade? Boy, it's so tough to think of them because of the curriculum monster that I wish would stay under the bed or in the closet, but continues to make himself at home everywhere. Romeo and Juliet, maybe? Maybe they could do modernizations and make radio dramas.
As for my own podcast, I could interview my mom (whose life has always been very interesting) or my sister. She has a brand new job as a morning DJ and this has changed her in various ways.
Or I could do a diatribe of some sort.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Idea for specific class
Specific Activity:
Well, I had a specific idea for the use of a piece of this technology in my creative writing class (an elective for 10-12th graders) and am in the process of using it. Here it is:
My CW students create a cast of characters and a common event to write about. Then they create plot lines that must compliment each other (and not contradict). I set up a wiki for them to keep track of all of the mutual information, and they have made it their own. Here it is: http://champlincw.pbwiki.com/
They also have blogs, so they're posting their stories for all to read and to help them clear up contradictions.
I'm doing this project for the 4th time, and it changes each time a little bit. This time, adding the wiki has really changed the nature of the project: kids are more excited and invested.
Final Project Ideas:
1. Our sweet 9th graders are writing a lot of "firsts" this year: their first literary analysis paper, their first research paper, and their first comparison/contrast paper using embedded quotes. Most kids understand how to write these papers with the instruction they receive in class, but some kids need that one-on-one time for me to just repeat it all over again. I could make some vlogs summarizing the instruction for any/all of these papers so kids could review at home if they are totally lost once they sit down to write the paper.
2. CW2: I did a digital poetry unit with them last year and they LOVED it. They made some very cool stuff, too (on Powerpoint) but most kids' digital poems were like music videos for poetry. I'd like to see them explore this genre on a deeper level. More examples? Some articles? Maybe I need to spend some more time with that unit.
3. Romeo & Juliet: We do a persuasive essay for this one for 9th grade. It would be cool to do some online role playing before they launch into the essay, so I could develop the guidelines for some asynchronous discussions/other activities to assist with the pre-thought/pre-writing work.
Well, I had a specific idea for the use of a piece of this technology in my creative writing class (an elective for 10-12th graders) and am in the process of using it. Here it is:
My CW students create a cast of characters and a common event to write about. Then they create plot lines that must compliment each other (and not contradict). I set up a wiki for them to keep track of all of the mutual information, and they have made it their own. Here it is: http://champlincw.pbwiki.com/
They also have blogs, so they're posting their stories for all to read and to help them clear up contradictions.
I'm doing this project for the 4th time, and it changes each time a little bit. This time, adding the wiki has really changed the nature of the project: kids are more excited and invested.
Final Project Ideas:
1. Our sweet 9th graders are writing a lot of "firsts" this year: their first literary analysis paper, their first research paper, and their first comparison/contrast paper using embedded quotes. Most kids understand how to write these papers with the instruction they receive in class, but some kids need that one-on-one time for me to just repeat it all over again. I could make some vlogs summarizing the instruction for any/all of these papers so kids could review at home if they are totally lost once they sit down to write the paper.
2. CW2: I did a digital poetry unit with them last year and they LOVED it. They made some very cool stuff, too (on Powerpoint) but most kids' digital poems were like music videos for poetry. I'd like to see them explore this genre on a deeper level. More examples? Some articles? Maybe I need to spend some more time with that unit.
3. Romeo & Juliet: We do a persuasive essay for this one for 9th grade. It would be cool to do some online role playing before they launch into the essay, so I could develop the guidelines for some asynchronous discussions/other activities to assist with the pre-thought/pre-writing work.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Use of asynchronous discussion
We used tappedin.org during Tom Reinartz's media literacy class (the course Rick usually teaches, but he was on sabbatical).
Things I liked:
An online place that kept track of files, the schedule, and allowed me to post assignments.
How most of the time, the chat function. (More on that later)
Constant, live tech-support
Things I didn't like:
The tiny fonts.
It's not very user friendly.
The big problem:
My asynchronous discussion group. I was randomly placed with 3 women, two of whom were tech savvy and one of whom was not. I have this tendency to lead, and this woman was angry at me for being a "young whipper snapper" and having opinions when I wasn't a "real" teacher yet.
So.
When we had our live chat or our asynchronous chat, she misconstrued my tone, and the tones of the other 2 women in our group. She was angry at us for not "waiting" until she had her turn to say what she needed to say. She felt like we jumped in too often and didn't give her space.
Finally, we all had a very easy breezy open discussion and solved our mounting miscommunication issues which had been escalated by the use of technology.
Therefore.
This is a skill that students need to practice. They need to find their voices and learn how to shape them in an increasingly technological world. They need to learn how to not piss people off. Plus all the other good things, like shy kids find they can say what they need to, and people stop and think more when they know other people will be able to see what their opinions are, and that they practice writing and critical thinking.
I teach Honors 11 next semester, and I can see using asynchronous discussions with that group of kids to great success. It's a lot of dense American literature and this might help them see deeper into the material than they would in a class discussion because they're "forced" to participate and listen to others' opinions.
Things I liked:
An online place that kept track of files, the schedule, and allowed me to post assignments.
How most of the time, the chat function. (More on that later)
Constant, live tech-support
Things I didn't like:
The tiny fonts.
It's not very user friendly.
The big problem:
My asynchronous discussion group. I was randomly placed with 3 women, two of whom were tech savvy and one of whom was not. I have this tendency to lead, and this woman was angry at me for being a "young whipper snapper" and having opinions when I wasn't a "real" teacher yet.
So.
When we had our live chat or our asynchronous chat, she misconstrued my tone, and the tones of the other 2 women in our group. She was angry at us for not "waiting" until she had her turn to say what she needed to say. She felt like we jumped in too often and didn't give her space.
Finally, we all had a very easy breezy open discussion and solved our mounting miscommunication issues which had been escalated by the use of technology.
Therefore.
This is a skill that students need to practice. They need to find their voices and learn how to shape them in an increasingly technological world. They need to learn how to not piss people off. Plus all the other good things, like shy kids find they can say what they need to, and people stop and think more when they know other people will be able to see what their opinions are, and that they practice writing and critical thinking.
I teach Honors 11 next semester, and I can see using asynchronous discussions with that group of kids to great success. It's a lot of dense American literature and this might help them see deeper into the material than they would in a class discussion because they're "forced" to participate and listen to others' opinions.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Flickr
Is it really so much effort that we need to eliminate that extra "e" from the real word flicker? Do we really need to keep confusing our children about spelling? I embrace the curmudgeon in me. I do.
Here's the link to my Uptown Minneapolis slideshow. I chose Uptown because one of my creative writing classes last year picked Uptown as the location for their group story, but very few students had actually been there. (Even though it's only 20 minutes from Champlin). Finding money for a bus to go there was not an option (time, money, permission) so this would have been a good alternative. At least for them to get the feel of place. Since I used to live there, I was their main resource for place-related questions. The photos I chose are all places/events that resonate with me when I think of my old neighborhood.
This time around, my group has picked a common event to write about. We're still in the brainstorming process as to what that will be, but I'm excited--they're a bright group and I think we'll get some really interesting interactions. I've set up the wiki (see previous post) in a very bare bones way, and tomorrow (Monday) I'm going to show them how it works. Maybe over MEA they can have some homework involving posting info on the wiki.
But back to Flickr. I'm not sure if it's blocked in my district. I'll have to check that out. But using images from Flickr (if it isn't blocked) could be a great addition to the wiki for the creative writing project. I have found with this project that the more images we have in common, the richer the connections in the story.
Re: the reading for this week... I like Selfe's assignment about creating a visual argument. In 9th grade we have a weak non-fiction unit that needs some serious life blood pumped into it. There's so much potential for really important learning, but we're bogged down by the district curriculum. I'm about to have my 3rd swipe at this unit (twice last year b/c of block scheduling) and there has been NO TIME to give it CPR. The visual argument could be a great way to talk about emotional and logical appeals as well as advertising...
Here's the link to my Uptown Minneapolis slideshow. I chose Uptown because one of my creative writing classes last year picked Uptown as the location for their group story, but very few students had actually been there. (Even though it's only 20 minutes from Champlin). Finding money for a bus to go there was not an option (time, money, permission) so this would have been a good alternative. At least for them to get the feel of place. Since I used to live there, I was their main resource for place-related questions. The photos I chose are all places/events that resonate with me when I think of my old neighborhood.
This time around, my group has picked a common event to write about. We're still in the brainstorming process as to what that will be, but I'm excited--they're a bright group and I think we'll get some really interesting interactions. I've set up the wiki (see previous post) in a very bare bones way, and tomorrow (Monday) I'm going to show them how it works. Maybe over MEA they can have some homework involving posting info on the wiki.
But back to Flickr. I'm not sure if it's blocked in my district. I'll have to check that out. But using images from Flickr (if it isn't blocked) could be a great addition to the wiki for the creative writing project. I have found with this project that the more images we have in common, the richer the connections in the story.
Re: the reading for this week... I like Selfe's assignment about creating a visual argument. In 9th grade we have a weak non-fiction unit that needs some serious life blood pumped into it. There's so much potential for really important learning, but we're bogged down by the district curriculum. I'm about to have my 3rd swipe at this unit (twice last year b/c of block scheduling) and there has been NO TIME to give it CPR. The visual argument could be a great way to talk about emotional and logical appeals as well as advertising...
Monday, October 8, 2007
Wiki
http://champlincw.pbwiki.com/FrontPage
Okay. Here's the wiki for my Creative Writing class project that comes up in a couple weeks. In the past, I've had a hard time helping my students keep track of all the mutual information, but with a wiki, it'll be slick. I hope they think it's an awesome tool and want to add to it.
I'm a little concerned that the kids who have internet access will be more in the loop than the kids who don't. I can book some computer lab time, but it won't be totally ideal.
Ooh--you know, I've got links to their blogs for the actual story writing part, but maybe they can each have a page or something on the wiki...hmmm.....
Okay. Here's the wiki for my Creative Writing class project that comes up in a couple weeks. In the past, I've had a hard time helping my students keep track of all the mutual information, but with a wiki, it'll be slick. I hope they think it's an awesome tool and want to add to it.
I'm a little concerned that the kids who have internet access will be more in the loop than the kids who don't. I can book some computer lab time, but it won't be totally ideal.
Ooh--you know, I've got links to their blogs for the actual story writing part, but maybe they can each have a page or something on the wiki...hmmm.....
Monday, October 1, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Digital mapping
Holy cow. I forgot how much I like Inspiration. We learned to use it in the cohort, but my 35 kid classrooms and 32 computers in a computer lab conundrum has kept me from utilizing it. I've gotta figure that out. Here's mine:
My Inspiration mind map is all about how I can use digital tools to help kids in the writing process. Fleshing that out could be my final project.
The part I got most excited about is the Creative Writers. We do this "town project" (which I stole from Crosswinds and have adapted for h.s. writers) where the whole class picks a place for a group of people to live, then they create 20 characters who live there. In the past, students have chosen a boarding school, a village in Mexico, and an apartment building in Uptown Minneapolis. The stories have to fit together and can't contradict each other. Kids always really like this project, but it's really hard, too. It takes an abnormal amount of communication and coordination compared to the average high school class.
Enter: wikis. This would solve a lot of problems. I'm jazzed about using them to make this town project more efficient, and probably work on a deeper level.
As for my 9th graders, their level of thinking is using fast and surfacey. They are Get It Done people. But they love technology. I think using Inspiration to help them think about the 3 papers we have left this semester: compare/contrast, research, and persuasion, will really help them think more deeply and make better connections, especially my visual and kinesthetic learners.
I'm a little overwhelmed re: the other digital note-taking tools. What have people used that works? It's tough to get computer lab time in my school (although compared to other schools, it's not terrible--we only have a week at a time to sign up for, not the whole quarter or semester) so I've got to make that time count.
My Inspiration mind map is all about how I can use digital tools to help kids in the writing process. Fleshing that out could be my final project.The part I got most excited about is the Creative Writers. We do this "town project" (which I stole from Crosswinds and have adapted for h.s. writers) where the whole class picks a place for a group of people to live, then they create 20 characters who live there. In the past, students have chosen a boarding school, a village in Mexico, and an apartment building in Uptown Minneapolis. The stories have to fit together and can't contradict each other. Kids always really like this project, but it's really hard, too. It takes an abnormal amount of communication and coordination compared to the average high school class.
Enter: wikis. This would solve a lot of problems. I'm jazzed about using them to make this town project more efficient, and probably work on a deeper level.
As for my 9th graders, their level of thinking is using fast and surfacey. They are Get It Done people. But they love technology. I think using Inspiration to help them think about the 3 papers we have left this semester: compare/contrast, research, and persuasion, will really help them think more deeply and make better connections, especially my visual and kinesthetic learners.
I'm a little overwhelmed re: the other digital note-taking tools. What have people used that works? It's tough to get computer lab time in my school (although compared to other schools, it's not terrible--we only have a week at a time to sign up for, not the whole quarter or semester) so I've got to make that time count.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Dinkytown
So far my process researching Dinkytown was to check out what my classmates have posted on the wiki (I am a little late in the game on this I see) and to surf Youtube for some Dinkytown related videos. They're mostly recordings of people playing music at different venues. But I found a couple of local repair shops, and that is pretty unique to this area. Not too many places can keep a shoe repair shop or a guitar repair shop alive for so many years. Rock on, college town.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Data collecting
Well, back in the day, for my own personal research, I used the notecard method. I had a list of sources in my notebook, each had a number next to it, and as I found useful information, I'd write a category on the top of the notecard (if I was researching Shakespeare's life, for example, I might write "Family Life"), the notes in the body of the notecard along with the page number, and then write the number of the source on the back of the card. It worked like gang busters.
Quite frankly, I haven't had to do a lot of structured information collecting since I became more computer-savvy. However, in my school 9th and 11th graders do research papers, and I, coincidentally, teach 9th and 11th grade. So.
Our media specialist is a very active participant in our students' lives as researchers. She does a great presentation at the beginning of 9th grade talking about good research methods, data bases, etc. and in our 9th grade English non-fiction unit, we spend a great deal of time discussing what makes a good website, how to research, emotional appeals, types of persuasion, etc.
We teach our students to examine a website critically: who funds this website? who wrote it? what might they have to gain? how can I tell if this is trustworthy information? They get a great baseline knowledge of how to be a smart researcher.
Now, the part we haven't done so well is demonstrating smart organizational methods while researching. I'm just not as up on electronic ways to do this. If kids have their own computers, that's one thing, but most of our research takes place in the media center on school computers. If they are going to maintain online records of their good hits, I need to figure something else out.
As for RSS feeds, I'm still a little confused. Don't RSS feeds just work for blogs? If that's so, how does that help my kid who is researching thematic relationships between 2 short stories? Anyone can have a blog. It's harder to judge the validity of a blog author than, say, the New York Times staff. I'm not seeing a way to use RSS feeds to help them with research if this is so.
Google Reader. What is this again?
Overall, however, I am all about helping my students develop stronger researching skills. It's an easy sell--it really is a valuable life skill.
Quite frankly, I haven't had to do a lot of structured information collecting since I became more computer-savvy. However, in my school 9th and 11th graders do research papers, and I, coincidentally, teach 9th and 11th grade. So.
Our media specialist is a very active participant in our students' lives as researchers. She does a great presentation at the beginning of 9th grade talking about good research methods, data bases, etc. and in our 9th grade English non-fiction unit, we spend a great deal of time discussing what makes a good website, how to research, emotional appeals, types of persuasion, etc.
We teach our students to examine a website critically: who funds this website? who wrote it? what might they have to gain? how can I tell if this is trustworthy information? They get a great baseline knowledge of how to be a smart researcher.
Now, the part we haven't done so well is demonstrating smart organizational methods while researching. I'm just not as up on electronic ways to do this. If kids have their own computers, that's one thing, but most of our research takes place in the media center on school computers. If they are going to maintain online records of their good hits, I need to figure something else out.
As for RSS feeds, I'm still a little confused. Don't RSS feeds just work for blogs? If that's so, how does that help my kid who is researching thematic relationships between 2 short stories? Anyone can have a blog. It's harder to judge the validity of a blog author than, say, the New York Times staff. I'm not seeing a way to use RSS feeds to help them with research if this is so.
Google Reader. What is this again?
Overall, however, I am all about helping my students develop stronger researching skills. It's an easy sell--it really is a valuable life skill.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Jet Lag
http://mefeedia.com/entry/3487995/
So I'm greeted with this burly, hairy, fairly scary bear-like man holding a cellphone in front of his face, and oddly, am immediately charmed. I like this vlog because I like this guy. He's real. He's suffering from jet lag, which sucks. It especially sucks going from the east to the west, but he lives in London, and was in Canada, so it really shouldn't be so bad, but he isn't strong enough to stay up all day to sleep normally at night. And I like that. I guess I like the human frailty of it.
We're all supposed to be so strong, you know? Or at least maybe I feel I'm supposed to be so strong. Do what's right. Follow the rules. And this guy doesn't, even though he knows it's best. He hates the dark outside. He calls it, "post-apocalyptic." He's very dramatic, which I also like. I like people telling me what's going on in their heads and not making me guess. He's all out. And a little crazy. I like that, too. In fact, he's happier to be back online than he is to be home. Interesting the comfort online can bring. I felt that, too, when I came home from Europe. I was connected again. Thank god. Sigh.
Who is the audience for this vlog? Good question. His friends, other fellow jet-laggers (that's what caught my eye--I had some hard core jet lag coming back from Ireland this summer). Maybe night owls, insomniacs.
His techniques are very basic. He shoots himself in the mirror with his cellphone, then swivels around to just himself without the reflection. No editing, no fancy camera work. It's raw. Raw footage, raw emotion. Indecision. "Should I go for pizza? I can't go outside and face these people..." The filming techniques are an effective choice because they parallels his state of mind. Them: raw, basic, unadulterated. Him: raw, basic, very hairy.
I took a look at a number of blogs, but the personal interest ones attract me the most. I think the political ones can be important, and the whole citizen reporter thing is intriguing. But I'm a trained actor first, and I'm drawn to the study of humans and how they tick.
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