Peaks and Canyons

I would have to say that our reading blogs are going very well.  Students have gotten into the routine of getting their iPods at the start of class, silent reading and blogging their inner voice.  Stephanie and I have gotten into the routine of providing feedback on their blogs weekly.  This has become a well oiled machine.  What hasn't become routine, is students posting feedback to each other.  We have set each student up with a blog buddy.  They are to be posting a star (something that student is doing well) and a stair (something that student can work on) using the class rubric that we created earlier in the year.  However, not everyone is posting.  Students are to be posting on their blog buddy's blog during the first few minutes of tech class twice a week.  I wonder if Stephanie and I need to incorporate time in our class to ensure that this happens more regularly.  At least until it becomes routine.  

The Social Studies Wiki has yielded some AMAZINGLY deep thinking from the 6th grade.  I am blown away by it.  But I am disappointed by the lack of student involvement.  It seems to be a select few who continue to post.  So we are not reaching every student with this Wiki.  I wonder why - is it because some students fear posting because of spelling, or is it more of a technological issue and they can't remember their log in?  Or are they done with the topic?  We are about to launch into our next investigation - Mexican Immigration - a highly charged topic that may elicit more comments.  Any suggestions on how to reach all students with the Wiki?

We may try Survey Monkey and take a climate/readiness survey.  Will keep you posted...

Chapter 6 Review

I like how it was suggested in Chapter 6 of Reinventing Project-Based Learning that teachers should "Take time to inspire interest and learning what students already know and care about (95)" before launching a project.  Creating an immersion into a project helps to inspire and excite students about the upcoming work.  It may also help to aleviate student concern over the project as well if they aren't thrust into the project. 

I agree one hundred percent that teachers should teach "the fundamentals first (100)."  From experience, it is important to front load students with knowledge to give them the self confidence that they will need to perservear through a project.  It is difficult to, when first starting off, to identify what the fundamentals are, and easy to overlook things - especially with new technology.  Therefore, it is essential that you be transparnet with your students.  When you find you have made an error, and you need to take a few steps back with your students, you have to be able to swallow your teacher pride and take those few steps back with your students in order to move them forward.

There are a few things I would like to investigate further:

• I would like to see examples of Project Logs of Project Journals - sometimes I need to see examples of things before I can move forwad with them.  
• I would also like to further check out Screencasting - I have not heard of it until reading about it in this chapter. 

 

Cool Site - TodaysMeet

Last week Stephanie and I attended iPod training from Apple.  This was set up by the district for the recipients of the classroom sets of iPods.  We learned about a website called TodaysMeet.  It is a really neat site.  It acts somewhat like a Twitter account, but it is less binding -  to add comments, you don't need to create an account, and you don't need an email account.  But, you are limited to what you can post - you can only include so many characters.  A teacher can create a TodaysMeet address, and can open it for a day, week, month, whatever.  Students can access it during class time, and it can act as a way to post as a ticket in/out the door, as a way to post questions, comments during class, as a way for teachers and students to provide feedback and a way for teachers to adjust instruction based on student posts.  Teachers don't even need to have iPods or iPads...if you are in the computer lab for the day or whatever, create a TodaysMeet site for that day.  One drawback is that you can't delete posts once they are posted, and therefore, if you post without spell checking, you can't change it.  It is a free site...I think it has been up for about 2 years now.  We have been using it for a week now, and almost daily.  Students love it, we love it.  Feel free to check our posts out - be warned though that we use it in a variety of ways.  It's a constant feed, and jumps from topic to topic depending on our prompts, but the thinking is good.  http://todaysmeet.com/falk-gallegos

Noel

Suggestions?

Anyone out there have experience with Voice Thread?  What have been your successes and failures?  I have had great success with blogging and wikis and my class is about to start their photo essay product.  So I am not sure if adding voice threads would be a burden or add to the curriculum...voice threading would not happen until spring...  Any thoughts out there?

Reflections on Management Strategies for Teachers and Learners (Chapt. 5)

The idea of using a "project calendar" as suggested in Chapter 5 of Reinventing Project Based Learning seems like a simple suggestion...but it is a MAJOR element to a successful project and therefore, a suggestion that is worth its weight in gold!  Our 6th grade team has a website that we maintain together.  Each content teacher has their own "page" with a calendar of due dates.  So students and parents can access homework and due date information whenever they need it.  It has been successful, and having this website truly allows us (the teachers) to mold our students into becoming more responsible for their learning.  This chapter discusses using a web based calendar, or a paper calendar, or magnetic calendar...but I suggest you use them all.  Not all students have access to the internet at home, and all students should have equal access to important due dates.

The power of autonomy

Our social studies Wiki and our reading blogs are up and running.  We had them up for 2 weeks before Christmas break.  And the mood in the classroom has changed.  Students are asking Stephanie and I, "Can we add to the Wiki at home?"  "Can I post a blog on what I am reading over the weekend?"  "Be sure you check my blog tonight and leave a comment!"  Students are starting to become more proactive in their learning, and expecting us, as teachers, to provide them feedback.  I am beginning to feel that students in our class have truly begun to see that learning is journey...they feel that their thoughts and comments are meaningful.  They have a voice, and people are listening....  This is powerful.  

Our road bumps now:

• ensuring ALL students are able to access the wiki and blog (some have had difficulty becoming a member of the wiki)
• once all students have access to the wiki, ensuring ALL students have a voice
• mentoring students on how to be critical "colleagues" - teach them how to push back on each others' thinking with civility and without hurting feelings
• keeping the excitement and the momentum of the wiki and blog going throughout the rest of the year
• setting up the reading blogs so students provide each other with feedback using our reading rubric that the class created
• ensuring that each student has another student to provide feedback

I am confident, with more thinking, the above can be accomplished...

Noel

The Think on Pink!

Today we saw a TED excerpt with Daniel Pink, the author of Drive The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.  As I was watching, I couldn't help but think how his talk can be mega applied to the classroom.  Pink talks about the 3 things that motivate people in business.  

1.  Autonomy

2.  Mastery 

3. Purpose

Next, I started thinking...OK, what is already in place in my classroom?  Or, what is becoming the new standard in my classroom?  This is what I am finding.

What drives a student to remain engaged in a self-directed activity? What are some elements that you think need to be in place? 

I think a lot of it has to do with what Pink calls Autonomy - or in other words CHOICE - more specifically, offering choice in the way students process information.  This can be a slippery slope if it is not understood that the target needs to be clear, remain the same in all choices and be tasks that are EQUALLY respectful and demanding.  Choice I think is the first step in motivation.  Second, I do think that students become engaged if they feel they are capable of mastering the activity/content.  We need to load our students with schema on the content in order for them to feel that they can reach success even before they start the assignment/activity.  If students feel that they can't achieve success, there will be no self-direction in the activity.  Schema and their ability to think metacognatively, "Yes, I know this"- is key to self-direction.  Students need to be able to know themselves as a learner - what their strengths and weaknesses - to be self directed, and it is the role of the teacher to be coaching them through this before you can start self-direction.  Students also need to be very clear on the intended learning and outcome...it is the role of the teacher to ensure that the targets are clearly and demanding.  

What are you doing in the classroom:  I think that we (Stephanie Gallegos and myself) have those respectful tasks that include the element of choice.  Using the 3 Modes of Intelligence, we differentiate processing assignments.  This allows the element of choice for students.  We have also, this week, set students up with a Social Studies Wiki.  I am amazed with the buzz of excitement.  Here, students are given guiding questions and the final targets to "report" out on.  All opinions are valued...and though we only started it yesterday (December 2) students were already online last night adding their thoughts and opinions.  We have given students the knowledge to think critically and give their own opinions, and they are taking off with this idea!  So I think that acknowledgement of their opinions and thoughts is also key to self direction.  

Noel