Thing Nine – United Streaming
United Streaming has been frustrating for me. First, it has been more trouble than helpful. What I mean by this is that I have spent an exorbitant amount of time trying to find things that would be useful and helpful to a lesson. When I finally did find one (a pretty lame one on grammar, but I figured I’d give it a shot), I couldn’t actually get it to work in front of the class. Frustrating, to say the least. I’ll give it another go, I think, but I don’t’ know how useful it’s going to be to me. Navigating to find things that are useful seems like it should be much easier than it actually is.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Thing Eight
Thing Eight – Dribbling Lessons for Information Literacy
Yesterday, we began our research unit and I used a number of “dribbling” lessons together to create a packet of material from which to jump off of. I ended up using the teacher guide to plagiarism proof assignments in a slightly different way. Since they were nearly all good ideas anyway, I read over all sixteen of them with my students and had them rank the top five most important to them if they were creating their own assignment. Overwhelmingly, number two was the top vote getter, telling me that students want choice and some control over what they are doing. One that surprised me by making the top five, at number four, was that they want to stress higher level thinking skills and creativity. They know that means more work for them, but they want that anyway. To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised by the results.
The rest of the dribbling exercises will be used throughout the week in an attempt to slowly come up with what Doug Johnson calls level three or four questions. For me and for the students, I explain them as being questions that make the subject personal (level three) or a matter of policy change (level four). Also, I decided to make this an I-search paper instead of traditional research. This is for multiple reasons. First, it will give the students the ownership and choice they asked for (They are also able to pick any topic they like as long as they can make a level three or four questions for it). Second, it will make it virtually impossible for them to effectively plagiarize. Third, it focuses more on the process than the product, which is the point, by my estimation. Personally, I am ready for this assignment to fail as I have never done anything like it before, though I think the level of investment I’ve seen in the students so far is promising that it may succeed. Perhaps, I just mean that I am not setting expectations as to how the final product will turn out.
Yesterday, we began our research unit and I used a number of “dribbling” lessons together to create a packet of material from which to jump off of. I ended up using the teacher guide to plagiarism proof assignments in a slightly different way. Since they were nearly all good ideas anyway, I read over all sixteen of them with my students and had them rank the top five most important to them if they were creating their own assignment. Overwhelmingly, number two was the top vote getter, telling me that students want choice and some control over what they are doing. One that surprised me by making the top five, at number four, was that they want to stress higher level thinking skills and creativity. They know that means more work for them, but they want that anyway. To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised by the results.
The rest of the dribbling exercises will be used throughout the week in an attempt to slowly come up with what Doug Johnson calls level three or four questions. For me and for the students, I explain them as being questions that make the subject personal (level three) or a matter of policy change (level four). Also, I decided to make this an I-search paper instead of traditional research. This is for multiple reasons. First, it will give the students the ownership and choice they asked for (They are also able to pick any topic they like as long as they can make a level three or four questions for it). Second, it will make it virtually impossible for them to effectively plagiarize. Third, it focuses more on the process than the product, which is the point, by my estimation. Personally, I am ready for this assignment to fail as I have never done anything like it before, though I think the level of investment I’ve seen in the students so far is promising that it may succeed. Perhaps, I just mean that I am not setting expectations as to how the final product will turn out.
Thing Seven
Thing Seven – Get to Know the Research Project Calculator (RPC)
About a month ago, I started a research project with the students. Yesterday, the day after Spring Break, I finally introduced the RPC to them. I gave them an extra three weeks to gather information. This was a judgment call based primarily on few of my students having done any sort of authentic research based assignment. I wanted to give them room to try, fail and try again as needed without rushing them with deadlines. To this end, I allowed them to select their own due date for their project (essay) within larger parameters that I set. There is some (minor) extra-credit incentive for turning the project in sooner rather than later, but I wanted the students to have time to do their authentic research.
Generally speaking, the RPC was a huge hit. The students love having the steps laid out for them, assistance at each step if I am unavailable for some reason and the e-mail reminders. As a whole, they felt as if any tool that can assist them in their organization is a good one. We were unable to get all e-mail accounts to work though, which was odd. Still, it was a small hitch in what was otherwise a very successful day.
About a month ago, I started a research project with the students. Yesterday, the day after Spring Break, I finally introduced the RPC to them. I gave them an extra three weeks to gather information. This was a judgment call based primarily on few of my students having done any sort of authentic research based assignment. I wanted to give them room to try, fail and try again as needed without rushing them with deadlines. To this end, I allowed them to select their own due date for their project (essay) within larger parameters that I set. There is some (minor) extra-credit incentive for turning the project in sooner rather than later, but I wanted the students to have time to do their authentic research.
Generally speaking, the RPC was a huge hit. The students love having the steps laid out for them, assistance at each step if I am unavailable for some reason and the e-mail reminders. As a whole, they felt as if any tool that can assist them in their organization is a good one. We were unable to get all e-mail accounts to work though, which was odd. Still, it was a small hitch in what was otherwise a very successful day.
Thing Two
Thing Four – Get to Know Your Public Library
I felt like something of a hypocrite asking the students to become acquainted with the public library when I didn’t even have a card myself. So, I went to both the Minneapolis and St. Paul libraries and signed up at each. Incidentally, the Central Library in downtown Minneapolis is absolutely breathtaking. You should all go if you haven’t yet.
I ended up checking out several books from the library. They were mostly plays I am considering directing at school in the future. It was great to have all of these plays at my fingertips compared to Barnes and Noble (what has basically become my library since there is coffee as well as comfortable chairs there – though, to be fair, the Central Library has both of these amenities as well).
I have found that my students fall into one of two categories: One. The have no idea what a library could be used for, are scared of it and feel like getting a library card must be the equivalent of climbing Everest using toothpicks. Two. Use it all the time and are savvy at all of the options that libraries give one. I ended up offering extra-credit to any student who could show me a library card, and I would say about 15 of my 120 students brought them in.
I felt like something of a hypocrite asking the students to become acquainted with the public library when I didn’t even have a card myself. So, I went to both the Minneapolis and St. Paul libraries and signed up at each. Incidentally, the Central Library in downtown Minneapolis is absolutely breathtaking. You should all go if you haven’t yet.
I ended up checking out several books from the library. They were mostly plays I am considering directing at school in the future. It was great to have all of these plays at my fingertips compared to Barnes and Noble (what has basically become my library since there is coffee as well as comfortable chairs there – though, to be fair, the Central Library has both of these amenities as well).
I have found that my students fall into one of two categories: One. The have no idea what a library could be used for, are scared of it and feel like getting a library card must be the equivalent of climbing Everest using toothpicks. Two. Use it all the time and are savvy at all of the options that libraries give one. I ended up offering extra-credit to any student who could show me a library card, and I would say about 15 of my 120 students brought them in.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Thing Twenty-One
Thing Twenty-One - YouTube and More
I have used YouTube for years (I'd guess four, maybe more), but it was usually just to view a funny home video I had heard about or a music video or the like. I never thought to use YouTube in the classroom, which is good because apparently it was only recently allowed as a viewable site from school computers. Now, however, I see something on T.V. I like and think could be useful in the classroom and instead of having to TiVo or record on VHS (I don't have a DVD burner hooked up to a television), I can simply bring up the streaming video in my classroom and pipe it over my LCD projector. I've only done this once so far, but it worked out well.
Oops, now that I think about it, that wasn't from over YouTube, but rather the site that owns the rights to the show. I am certain, however, that I could have gotten the same thing from YouTube.
I checked out some of the videos on TeacherTube and Yahoo! for Teachers and, while they are interesting, I am not sure how I would bring them into my classroom. That said, there are, I'm sure thousands more videos to view and something would be bound to work.
I have used YouTube for years (I'd guess four, maybe more), but it was usually just to view a funny home video I had heard about or a music video or the like. I never thought to use YouTube in the classroom, which is good because apparently it was only recently allowed as a viewable site from school computers. Now, however, I see something on T.V. I like and think could be useful in the classroom and instead of having to TiVo or record on VHS (I don't have a DVD burner hooked up to a television), I can simply bring up the streaming video in my classroom and pipe it over my LCD projector. I've only done this once so far, but it worked out well.
Oops, now that I think about it, that wasn't from over YouTube, but rather the site that owns the rights to the show. I am certain, however, that I could have gotten the same thing from YouTube.
I checked out some of the videos on TeacherTube and Yahoo! for Teachers and, while they are interesting, I am not sure how I would bring them into my classroom. That said, there are, I'm sure thousands more videos to view and something would be bound to work.
Thing Eighteen
Thing Eighteen - One Student Thing
My students ove Smart Boards. Once they got over the initial shock of how much they cost, students are enamored with the idea of an interactive screen and willingly admit that proper use of a Smart Board helps them learn a great deal. I, unfortunately, do not have one in my room, but I know several teachers who do and do marvelous things with them. Some of our math and science teachers, in particular, have done great things. For instance, Lee Barnett, a math teacher of ours, was actually able to flip a fraction upside down to show what a reciprocal is. Students that we share actually offered that information, unsolicited, saying that they had never understood what a reciprocal was despite the fact that they had learned about them every year since 5th or 6th grade (10th graders now). Plus, many of them expressed that they enjoy being able to use the Smart Board themselves (i.e. it's not just for teachers).
My students ove Smart Boards. Once they got over the initial shock of how much they cost, students are enamored with the idea of an interactive screen and willingly admit that proper use of a Smart Board helps them learn a great deal. I, unfortunately, do not have one in my room, but I know several teachers who do and do marvelous things with them. Some of our math and science teachers, in particular, have done great things. For instance, Lee Barnett, a math teacher of ours, was actually able to flip a fraction upside down to show what a reciprocal is. Students that we share actually offered that information, unsolicited, saying that they had never understood what a reciprocal was despite the fact that they had learned about them every year since 5th or 6th grade (10th graders now). Plus, many of them expressed that they enjoy being able to use the Smart Board themselves (i.e. it's not just for teachers).
Thing Sixteen
Thing Sixteen - Using MnLINK
I have used ILL in the past on many occassions, though I have never used MnLINK. While I was in college, I used ILL for research often and occassionally for fun as well. For instance, I went through a big 60's acid rock phase, but didn't want to actually go buy all of the albums. Instead, I borrowed them from the library and by the time they were due back, I was kind of over that phase anyway.
On a more academic note, I have found so many books I thought impossible to get to be available through ILL and have taken advantage of the service many times. I think that MnLINK could be helpful to my students, particularly once they start their research projects (starting March 10th, by the way). We have a good number of books at our school and we all know how much information is available on the internet, but to do actual in-depth research on something will require specialty texts which I doubt that we have or are available on the 'net. Given that it oftentimes does take a while for ILL to come through (at least, in my experience it did), if I get the students on the idea fast enough, many of them should get their books in time to use them on their papers.
I have used ILL in the past on many occassions, though I have never used MnLINK. While I was in college, I used ILL for research often and occassionally for fun as well. For instance, I went through a big 60's acid rock phase, but didn't want to actually go buy all of the albums. Instead, I borrowed them from the library and by the time they were due back, I was kind of over that phase anyway.
On a more academic note, I have found so many books I thought impossible to get to be available through ILL and have taken advantage of the service many times. I think that MnLINK could be helpful to my students, particularly once they start their research projects (starting March 10th, by the way). We have a good number of books at our school and we all know how much information is available on the internet, but to do actual in-depth research on something will require specialty texts which I doubt that we have or are available on the 'net. Given that it oftentimes does take a while for ILL to come through (at least, in my experience it did), if I get the students on the idea fast enough, many of them should get their books in time to use them on their papers.
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