Still Kicking and Screaming?

It’s not what you think. I entered the world of 21st century learning willingly. Of course, in the beginning, I was reluctant; I admit that. Now, thanks to some amazing mentors, I thirst for what tomorrow may bring. I embrace what technology has to offer as a means for differentiated instruction. I experiment with 21st century tools. I challenge traditional attitudes about learning. I no longer send, I share. I am cognizant of thinking globally. I get the buzz words. I understand the need to move beyond basic literacy. I even own a smart phone. So, why am I still kicking and screaming?
I find such behavior a perfectly reasonable reaction to passion and frustration. Though my enthusiasm for a 21st century curriculum knows no bounds, I am held hostage by the yoke of inadequate assessments, backward beliefs and misunderstandings, outdated practices, unreasonable expectations (often my own), apathetic students, and parental roadblocks.
The only way this little fish can keep from drowning in a large, stagnant pond is by kicking and screaming. 1/24/11

Image licensed under Creative Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hikingartist/4041547465/

Tags: 21st_Century_Learning, Education, Technology

What An Impact A Post Makes…

Last year, the Jewish Museum of Florida sponsored a state-wide essay contest, “A Military Portrait”, to complement a new exhibit, “Florida Jews in the Military”. The exhibit explored “the sacrifices and accomplishments of Florida’s Jews in every conflict from the Seminole Wars to the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and the battles of the 21st century.” The writing contest was open to all middle school and high school students in Florida, the essays to focus on the accomplishments of someone they knew or had researched who had served in the military.

The writing contest seemed tailor-made for my 7th grade language arts class, encompassing research skills, interviewing, expository writing, personal narration and reflection. Every student in the class participated, and I submitted the best essays to the Jewish Museum of Florida for judging. Rachel, one of my 7th grade students, wrote about a fallen soldier, Major Stuart A. Wolfer, killed during a rocket attack in Iraq. Her essay placed 3rd in the state. She traveled to Miami to accept her award, and while attending the reception at the museum, she happened to meet a soldier who was with Major Wolfer when he died. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and when she returned home, I asked her to blog about her trip.

I have always encouraged my students to embrace the power in words, and sharing increases that word power exponentially. There is a certain vulnerability in sharing your writing on a blog. It’s not easy to put yourself out there for the world to read; as a relatively new blogger myself, I spend countless hours editing and re-editing before I have the courage to publish. How, then, should I motivate my students to take the risk and blog? I knew they would be inspired if they could experience the impact that just one post can make. So, I shared Rachel’s story, hoping that it would merit some thoughtful comments, and the amazing happened. The family and friends of the fallen soldier, having received Google alerts re: Rachel’s post, made contact with her via our blog. And, like a stone skipping on the water, the ripple effect began.

Coincidentally, I found out about the museum’s writing contest as we were evaluating 7th grade projects for the Day School’s biennial Jewish History Fair. The essays became springboards for power-point presentations about the veterans each student chose to honor. The power-points, having been looped, were continuously projected on a large screen. The American flag and Israeli flag, and a poster display explaining the project flanked the screen. A small viewing gallery of chairs completed the set-up. As Fair visitors filed past, it was heartening to see how many took a seat and stayed awhile. The slides were powerful, bringing tears to some eyes, inspiring hushed and respectful conversation, continually drawing others to the exhibit. I observed my students answering questions and engaging guests in conversation, pride in their accomplishments evident.
https://docs.google.com/present/embed?id=dd6w33x3_160cw2cktgb

The ripple grew as Silvia Tolisano, Langwitches, referred to Rachel’s essay in her blog post “What Have You Got To Lose?”. And continues still…

Recently, I had the pleasure of being asked by Rachel, now an 8th grader, to critique an essay she wrote as a requisite for acceptance to a high school honors/IB program. It is a good essay – reflective, self-confident; written in her own voice, it captures her hopefulness and enthusiasm. She wants to be a writer, to quote “an extraordinary writer”, and she believes she will. She cites her experience writing an award-winning essay, a life-changing experience when she shared it on our classroom blog. What an impact a post makes…

Tags: 21st_Century_Learning, Blogging, Commenting, Language_Arts, Middle_School, Technology

Be a Giraffe and…

photo © 2008 Martin Pettitt | more info (via: Wylio)

Giraffes are known for their towering height and their long necks. Their favorite meal consists of the tender leaves that grow on the crowns of acacia trees. Giraffes use their height to graze in treetops that few other animals can reach. Thus, one might infer that to be a giraffe is to ascend to lofty heights to attain one’s goal. Yet, I must add that regardless of its height, the giraffe cannot accomplish its goal and grasp the choicest morsels without extending its neck. Therefore, I conclude, metaphorically speaking, that to be a giraffe is to stick one’s neck out!

Which brings me to Mrs. K’s Blog.  No doubt about it, I was sticking my neck out here.  Overwhelmed didn’t begin to describe how I felt.  The kicking and screaming started right after the meltdown that was preceded by themes, sidebars, widgets, headers, posts, pages, categories, tags, links, plug-ins, media, HTML, URL’s, comments, authors, users, tools, settings, meta, dashboard (for driving me insane!), privacy, avatars, RSS feeds, trackbacks, and pings (no pong).  How could I ever master the blog’s technology to the point where I could teach my students?

A blog is a tool. A TOOL!!! It is NOT about teaching the tool. It is about allowing teachers to integrate all subject areas (if desired) by addressing multiple skills and literacies. … I fear that teachers might give up too early on classroom or student blogs before the initial learning curve for teachers AND students has been overcome. http://langwitches.org/blog/2010/03/06/taking-student-blogging-to-the-next-level/

How true!  So, how committed to creating a classroom learning community was I?  Was I up to the challenge of setting the bar to what a classroom blog could be?  If not, what was the point of sticking my neck out? If not, how could I convince my colleagues to do the same?  Kicking and screaming, I determined that Mrs. K’s Blog would become the first classroom blog for middle school language arts. Whatever the learning curve was, my students and I would overcome it together.

We spent the first few weeks learning the basics and deciding what our blog should be. This involved reading other classroom blogs, and taking note of writing and commenting etiquette (of which there was little to be found). Though this was a collaborative effort, I set the guidelines re: content and quality. First and foremost, I made it very clear that we were creating and maintaining an academic blog, not social networking. Once the distinction was understood, the students prepared a list of what they considered to be acceptable “netiquette”.   Included was the importance of using good writing practices.

Commenting was a lesson unto itself. All of us concurred that the primary purpose of our blog was to communicate; however, we were not in agreement about what “communicate” meant. Most students viewed communication and telling as synonymous. They seemed baffled by the concept that blogs are conversational; that their [the students'] comments should prompt, in turn, others to respond  – to which the students could then reply, etc.  Though I compared the process to texting, instant messaging, chatting and the like, I reiterated that in this context, only academic comments were appropriate. Textspeak and social comments, like “luved it” or “:-)”, were unacceptable because 1) they don’t reveal what the reader is thinking, and 2) social comments don’t stimulate conversation. We concluded that an academic comment should:

• Acknowledge the author of the blog post;
• Politely let the author know why you agree or disagree with him/her;
• Encourage dialogue by offering a different perspective or by expanding on the author’s point-of-view;
• Be coherent, content appropriate, and grammatically correct;
• Critique, not criticize; be respectful of others’ feelings.  (i.e., Don’t write anything you would be ashamed to say to someone’s face.

We were ready.  We were  on-line, we had our name and our theme.  I felt it important that, initially, I guide the academic commenting.  I reviewed remarks and we discussed them as a class; however, I made all final publishing decisions (editorial privilege).

As it has been my experience that young adolescents have opinions about everything, I figured that any controversial topic/current event would provoke the type of conversation that would make for interesting commenting.  Currently, as it so happened, we just had been discussing an unfortunate Sea World incident that resulted in the death of a trainer.  Since the students were familiar with the scenario, I wrote an editorial blog post titled “Do Killer Whales Belong in Captivity?” I was thrilled with the results.  The students’ comments were contextual and well-written. I had previously shared with them a list of comment starters. (from Langwitches - from Youth Radio blog Netiquette – which in turn was adapted from Excellence and Imagination) One of the requirements for this first assignment, was that in addition to commenting on my post, students had to read and respond to each others’ comments, as well.  When I saw students’ replies with “@” in front of user names, I knew they had exceeded expectations – mine and theirs.

The best was yet to come.  We received responses from readers outside our classroom community.  When revelation dawned, when my students first became aware that the world at large could and did read what they wrote, and that what they had to say was worthy of authentic comment … it was truly wonderful to behold.  I live for moments like these – moments when learning is life-changing – moments when self-confidence and pride in accomplishment are palpable – moments that are sure to lead to other such moments.

But, first, I had to be a giraffe.
photo © 2006 Jackie Bucci | more info (via: Wylio)

Tags: 21st_Century_Learning, Blogging, Commenting, Language_Arts, Middle_School, Student_blogs, Technology

Blogging, an Action Verb

In my last post, I wrote about taking baby steps with Character Blogs. I mentioned that as my students became more tech savvy, they outgrew the project on Think.com. As Andrea Hernandez, the school’s Technology Integration Coordinator, tossed around the idea of initiating a classroom blog, my class and I were busy with mind mapping on Inspiration, power point presentations, and pod-casting (worthy of its own post).  I was a willing guinea pig for whatever Andrea suggested.  She became my teacher and a trusted friend, with whom I never tired of learning and collaborating.  In fact, it was through Andrea that I reconnected with Silvia Tolisano (Langwitches).  Though Silvia and I were acquainted, I was not aware of the extent of her talent and her reputation in the blogoshpere. But, I digress.

While Andrea and I revisited the idea of a classroom blog, Silvia joined our faculty as a 21st Century Learning Specialist. I am honored to count Silvia among my colleagues. She is an adventurer, a blogger extraordinaire, a cheerleader, a font of knowledge, and a believer in all things possible. One of her on-going goals, in her own words, ” …has been to see students become members of a classroom learning community with the blog as the virtual hub of conversation, collaboration and dissemination for their work.” (see her post Taking Student Blogging to the Next Level? by Silvia Tolisano ~ March 6th, 2010). She continued…“I have learned that it is up to the teacher to set the bar to what the classroom or student blog can be.

Hmm…I was that teacher. The time had come for me to redefine “blog” the noun as “blogging”, an action verb. Now, I was fully aware that every new venture has its own teacher learning curve; however, I underestimated what was involved in establishing a classroom blog and actively blogging. I was overwhelmed by the workload, as were my students. There were lessons on the nature of blogs, online safety, formatting, writing, commenting, publishing. The benefits: I was learning alongside my students, and both Silvia and Andrea were our teachers. The downside: I had to relinquish control (yikes!) because 1) my learning “curve” was fast approaching a 360° circle, and 2) I have been known to be a perfectionist – a trait that defies the blog’s conversational style and fluidity of thought, to say nothing of the multitude of hours spent fine-tuning themes and images.  Oh, and did I happen to mention  3) that I tend to be somewhat verbose?

What about the benefits for the students?  Again I quote Silvia Tolisano: “Many benefits of blogging seem to become apparent over time. … It is the reflective nature and the timeline of a blog, as well as the growing connections with readers that will reveal growth as a writer, [and] the benefits of being a member of a network and a contributor to a global community.”

Obviously, the benefits of persevering outweighed the alternative, so I agreed to be the test case; the assumption being that if when our class blog was up and running, my fellow middle school teachers would follow suit. How difficult could it be? In math class, the kids had already created a wiki. The fourth and fifth graders had already started their classroom blogs. It was definitely time for me to be a giraffe…(you complete the metaphor).
2009

Tags: Blogging, Language_Arts, Middle_School, Writing

Baby Steps

For several years I included a novel study of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton in my 7th grade curriculum. It is one of my favorite books to teach, and lends itself to a variety of differentiated assessments: traditional book reports, free-form character collages, editorials about gang behavior, analyses of the book’s authenticity as realistic and historical fiction. I recall that one year, I even had students compare and contrast The Outsiders with the musical “West Side Story”.

It was once again time to begin our novel studies, and I had decided to use The Outsiders to teach characterization as a literary element. Enter teacher Andrea Hernandez, a technology integration specialist and a welcome addition to our faculty.  Having just made a commitment to venture outside my comfort zone, I approached Andrea to see what ideas she had for integrating technology with our study of characterization. The result was Character Blogs – in retrospect, one of my favorite projects. But at the time, I had no experience with blogs; truth be told, I was just learning the concept. Andrea encouraged me to jump in with both feet; I opted to proceed with baby steps…

The Process
Step 1: Having read and discussed the novel with my students, Andrea explained that each student would assume the identity of one character in the story and blog about that character. Chaos ensued. “I want Pony Boy!” “Who gets to be Johnny?” “I don’t want to be Darry-he’s boring!” “Cherry is the only girl character who has a real part in the story.” “Where do we blog?” “How do we blog?” “What is a blog?”

Step 2: In the spirit of collaboration, I took on character assignments and Andrea proceeded to find an appropriate blogging site. First, I constructed an in-depth character list and presented it to the class. We discussed perspective and point-of-view, and how even minor characters shape and develop a storyline. Next, students wrote persuasive essays, describing the character each one wanted to portray while presenting arguments to convince me why they should be granted their requests.  Their submissions, which were assessments in and of themselves, showed amazing insight, understanding of characterization, and elements of persuasive writing.
Meanwhile, Andrea set up an educator’s account at Think.com and taught us (the students and me) how to set-up our blogs. I thought the site was perfect for taking baby steps; however, as the kids became more savvy, they became frustrated with its limitations. (For more on the technology pros and cons, see Andrea’s Feb.5, 2008 Character Blogs post on EdTech Workshop.)

Step 3:  I learned that successful blogging involves not only writing and sharing one’s own thoughts, but also reading the blogs of others and leaving comments.  So, we agreed that reading and commenting would be required.   Andrea proposed that the students  comment on each others’ blogs in character.  Why not!  As Andrea created a rubric, I compiled a student’s “slang” dictionary.  Our 21st century learners were using expressions like hot rod, dolly, and fuzz – and it was wonderful!  The students were motivated to launch their own research about fads and fashion of the times, and the excitement was palpable.

Step 4: While our students were actively blogging, Open House was fast approaching and we needed to showcase student work.  Enter the old, reliable bulletin board.  (Remember, I said “baby steps”.)  I prepared a synopsis of the assignment, the kids created construction paper replicas of their characters, Andrea printed two favorite posts from each student, and we all played a part in designing the board.  Though the end product was impressive, I was disappointed that it couldn’t fully reflect the students’ mastery of both subject matter and technology skills.

Reflection Always lead with the positives, and there were many.

• Collaboration – I had the pleasure of experiencing team-teaching at its best, setting the stage for future collaborative projects.  Andrea and I were in sync throughout the project’s development, instruction, student assessment, and post-evaluation.
• Interaction – The class interacted on several levels: with each other, with us, with students/faculty outside our school community on  Think.com., and with The Outsiders.
• Learning and Assessment – I was delighted with the kids’ overwhelming positive response to trying something new (no “baby steps” for them!).  I was impressed with the quality and creativity of their writing, as well as the depth of character development. A student who chose to portray a character killed early in the story, blogged from beyond the grave.  Taking what they knew about their characters, inferring what they didn’t know, and maintaining their personae throughout the assignment, added a new dimension to their literature analysis.  All this, plus learning a new technology skill; I had to deem the project a success.

I regret the absence of parent involvement once the project was in full swing.  At the onset, we sent home a  letter explaining the nature of blogs and why we felt the experience was worthwhile.  The letter was accompanied by a release form, requiring  parental consent for their child(ren) to participate.  Though Think.com is a vetted site, there were still some parents’ concerns and anxiety to deal with. I came to realize that this was but the tip of the iceberg. The journey continues…
2008, 2009

Photos courtesy of EdTech Workshop

Tags: Hinton, Language_Arts, Literature, Middle_School, Student_blogs, The_Outsiders, Writing

What's So "Smart" About 21st Century Learning?

What is it about “Smart” boards, “Smart” phones, “Smart” tools, that makes me feel anything but?

This was how I felt at the beginning of my foray into 21st century learning, 2 years ago. I had convinced myself that I was intimidated by technology. I used to refer to myself as “technologically challenged” – a moniker that provided me the excuse to take shameless advantage of my family, my colleagues, even my students. It is not in my nature to erect barriers to learning, so why did I? How many times in my teaching career had I spouted the adage that the #1 benefit of teaching is learning?! Without spending too much time on introspection, I concluded that I was afraid of appearing incompetent. I should have known better. What would I have said to one of my students who was afraid to recite a poem, write a personal narrative, answer a question in class?

While I can’t pinpoint the exact moment when I decided to put aside my misgivings and tackle the unknown, I can state with certainty that the credit for my doing so belongs to my colleague Andrea Hernandez. Andrea is known in the Blogosphere as EdTech Workshop, and I have had the distinct pleasure and good fortune to collaborate with her on several projects. Whenever I expressed hesitation to venture outside of my comfort zone, Andrea challenged me with her favorite quote:
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”

And so, I decided that I owed it to my students, my profession, and myself to be 21st century literate. And the journey continues…
2008

Image licensed by Creative Commons, attributed to flickr.com/photos/krossbow/4385490981

Tags: 21st_Century_Learning, Middle_School, Technology

Once Upon a Time…

photo © 2009 Tom | more info (via: Wylio)
Once upon a time…  It’s the traditional introduction to most fairy tales, and though my narrative isn’t really a fairy tale, the mere fact that I am blogging borders on fantasy.

I have experienced many Once upon a times…, not to be confused with ‘aha’ moments or major milestones.  Inherent to the phrase is a that-was-then-this-is-now mentality, such as: “Once upon a time,  I chronicled my thoughts in a hand-written diary/journal.  Once upon a time, I depended on one of our three sons to turn on the computer and get me into a word document.  Once upon a time, I was happily ignorant of terms such as blog, wiki, podcast, digital portfolio, ning, and apps.  Once upon a time, I was perfectly content to remain in the 20th century…”
2008

Tags: 21st_Century_Learning, Blogging, Technology