Generally when I look for resources I go to the Edina media center website and log on to the databases provided by the school. Sometimes you need passwords, but you can pick them up at the media center. This is also where I direct my kids to go. I generally use proquest or gale. For example, this week I have used those two resources to find articles to accompany our reading of The Things they Carried. I am also using them to find an article on censorship and Catcher in the Rye.
I really only try to have kids research with the media center sites because it saves me a lot of headaches.
Hmm....I am still trying to figure out how to do my mixed genre retelling of one of the stories in TTTC. To be honest, I just have not had the time. I am going to do my project for this class by creating a wiki myself about one of the stories.
I find this topic kind of dull, but it is necessary to have. I remember when Wikipedia first came out, and we were all horrified by it, and now, well, we let kids use it with restrictions.
Multi Genre
So I read about blogging, but what I really want to share is an idea I have. I am teaching The Things They Carried which is a collection of basically short stories about the war. What I'd like to do is have the kids, in groups of three, create some kind of digital product in which they take one story and tell it in six different ways. For example, how would the story of Norman Bowker who hangs himself after the war be written in a newspaper? How would it be written in a poem or song? How would it be written in an analysis? An obituary? What would be a visual way his story would be told? I want the kids to create a website that other students would then visit and link to these examples.
I really don't know what digital form would work best. Ideas?
I think a blog is to long and not set up for this purpose. A Wiki? A web page? This is what I'd really like to do (the web page) but I have no clue how to set one up.
I am also really feeling like conventions (grammar and spelling) need to be taught. I was getting frustrated when peopl were saying that kids should not get hung up on punctuation and the such. However, I think the best writers are those who manipulate the punctuation and the sentence structure.
Thoughts?
See you soon!
I really don't know what digital form would work best. Ideas?
I think a blog is to long and not set up for this purpose. A Wiki? A web page? This is what I'd really like to do (the web page) but I have no clue how to set one up.
I am also really feeling like conventions (grammar and spelling) need to be taught. I was getting frustrated when peopl were saying that kids should not get hung up on punctuation and the such. However, I think the best writers are those who manipulate the punctuation and the sentence structure.
Thoughts?
See you soon!
Post #1: In an Ideal World
Alas! I am one of the last to set this space up.
Things I want to do:
1. Teach students how to create multimodel products
2. Podcast in an efficient way
3. Learn about the actual technology that is available to us
4. Engage students in authentic writing
5. Develop a unit that requires students to collaborate online
6. Find another teacher in an Edina school and create some type of collaborative student project
I do not want to sound pessimistic, but our media center has been closed for the first two weeks of school because staff hours were cut, and the staff has had no time to get the center ready. We have two labs for the entire school, and they are already booked for the first quarter. I have to race up to the center as soon I hear that new sign out sheets are out.
I fear that our media experts (who are GREAT!) are already overwhelmed with basic maintenance of school equipment; I think they would love to help do the things listed above but finding the time to is an obstacle. I hope this class can give me some confidence in doing these things on my own.
I work with kids who I think would benefit most from using technology. However, MANY of these students only have access to the Internet at school. I definitely believe that "students are often not engaged in their writing in school, particularly because they perceive little value or purpose in...writing five paragraph essays..." (Beach, 5). I think that creating projects that involve digital literacy, and linking them to Edline would provide some authenticity. I would also love to publish student writing on the District's site.
However, I am going to go to the lab tomorrow, search for time, and make a commitment to get my kids into the lab for a new project.Perhaps I will try podcasting again.
Things I want to do:
1. Teach students how to create multimodel products
2. Podcast in an efficient way
3. Learn about the actual technology that is available to us
4. Engage students in authentic writing
5. Develop a unit that requires students to collaborate online
6. Find another teacher in an Edina school and create some type of collaborative student project
I do not want to sound pessimistic, but our media center has been closed for the first two weeks of school because staff hours were cut, and the staff has had no time to get the center ready. We have two labs for the entire school, and they are already booked for the first quarter. I have to race up to the center as soon I hear that new sign out sheets are out.
I fear that our media experts (who are GREAT!) are already overwhelmed with basic maintenance of school equipment; I think they would love to help do the things listed above but finding the time to is an obstacle. I hope this class can give me some confidence in doing these things on my own.
I work with kids who I think would benefit most from using technology. However, MANY of these students only have access to the Internet at school. I definitely believe that "students are often not engaged in their writing in school, particularly because they perceive little value or purpose in...writing five paragraph essays..." (Beach, 5). I think that creating projects that involve digital literacy, and linking them to Edline would provide some authenticity. I would also love to publish student writing on the District's site.
However, I am going to go to the lab tomorrow, search for time, and make a commitment to get my kids into the lab for a new project.Perhaps I will try podcasting again.
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