I think that I will need to spend more time expanding what I really want from student self-guiding reading instruction and help via technology. I suppose I had really hoped to find one piece of internet-based tech that was going to change reading instruction in the classroom. What I found instead were gobs of websites that have a jump on one section of instruction, but not ever niche. Also, I did not explore many websites that charged fees for use, and perhaps these would have better resources. Either way, I found some activities that I'm sharing with other remedial reading instructors in my district. If nothing else, that helps dramatically.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Reflecting on my GAME
As I reflect on this part of my education, I have to admit that overall the GAME lesson for myself has given me more time to interview teachers about their own classrooms. Since so much of this project revolved around having my own chance to grow and change with my students, I was sort of at a disadvantage (because I have no class!). Regardless, I think it gave me the chance to hear from other more mature and respected teachers about their own experiences in our district and with technology.
I think that I will need to spend more time expanding what I really want from student self-guiding reading instruction and help via technology. I suppose I had really hoped to find one piece of internet-based tech that was going to change reading instruction in the classroom. What I found instead were gobs of websites that have a jump on one section of instruction, but not ever niche. Also, I did not explore many websites that charged fees for use, and perhaps these would have better resources. Either way, I found some activities that I'm sharing with other remedial reading instructors in my district. If nothing else, that helps dramatically.
I think that I will need to spend more time expanding what I really want from student self-guiding reading instruction and help via technology. I suppose I had really hoped to find one piece of internet-based tech that was going to change reading instruction in the classroom. What I found instead were gobs of websites that have a jump on one section of instruction, but not ever niche. Also, I did not explore many websites that charged fees for use, and perhaps these would have better resources. Either way, I found some activities that I'm sharing with other remedial reading instructors in my district. If nothing else, that helps dramatically.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
GAME PLAN: Scene!
As I look back on my peer editing crisis, I have decided to create a system. I have spoken with my old department and have compiled a list of things that teachers want their students to be able to do with online/technology-based peer editing.
Basically the list boils down to five things:
(1) Students need a checklist with a stated purpose for their editing. This should be interactive somehow. Students need space to either tick a box/fill in a number on a rating scale, and be forced to use a comment. The comment section should ask for a good sentence/example from the text and one that could be improved.
(2) Students need a highlighting tool for their peer writer's paper.
(3) Students need the ability to comment on specific pieces of text.
(4) Readers need to be able to suggest fixes without correcting the paper itself.
(5) Writers need to be able to access their peer's comments quickly and be able to work from the comments easily-- flipping between screens is not going to work.
From this project I have decided to proposition someone to create this as an app for Google docs. I think that this program has the most usability because it's free and it's educationally friendly. I have decided to write a friendly email to my Google gurus and suggest something like this... we'll see!
Basically the list boils down to five things:
(1) Students need a checklist with a stated purpose for their editing. This should be interactive somehow. Students need space to either tick a box/fill in a number on a rating scale, and be forced to use a comment. The comment section should ask for a good sentence/example from the text and one that could be improved.
(2) Students need a highlighting tool for their peer writer's paper.
(3) Students need the ability to comment on specific pieces of text.
(4) Readers need to be able to suggest fixes without correcting the paper itself.
(5) Writers need to be able to access their peer's comments quickly and be able to work from the comments easily-- flipping between screens is not going to work.
From this project I have decided to proposition someone to create this as an app for Google docs. I think that this program has the most usability because it's free and it's educationally friendly. I have decided to write a friendly email to my Google gurus and suggest something like this... we'll see!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The sadly neglected GAME Plan Part 2!
When I revisited my GAME plan I noticed that I had totally forgotten about my second goal. I am supposed to be finding a new, technological way to facilitate peer editing.
My first clear plan comes from a tutorial I took on Turnitin.com. There students can post papers anonymously and the teacher can assign groups/partners/etc. Students are given a points scale rubric and allows to offer comments after each scaled point. For instance, students could be asked about "a strong thesis" on a scale of 1 to 10. Then they could comment. Sadly, students cannot actually comment line for line, so if they see a grammar error they cannot point it out. This is a tool, but it still needs tweaking to be super useful.
There is of course, a wiki, where students could use the Google docs edit function to offer suggestions, but it saves the file with the changes, so students would not be self-editing, just saving the solutions that they already have.
I intend to interview others about my dilemma.
My first clear plan comes from a tutorial I took on Turnitin.com. There students can post papers anonymously and the teacher can assign groups/partners/etc. Students are given a points scale rubric and allows to offer comments after each scaled point. For instance, students could be asked about "a strong thesis" on a scale of 1 to 10. Then they could comment. Sadly, students cannot actually comment line for line, so if they see a grammar error they cannot point it out. This is a tool, but it still needs tweaking to be super useful.
There is of course, a wiki, where students could use the Google docs edit function to offer suggestions, but it saves the file with the changes, so students would not be self-editing, just saving the solutions that they already have.
I intend to interview others about my dilemma.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Oh dear, more GAME updates
Research continues into what other great teachers are doing in their classrooms to promote reading and book engagement. Today's update brings up to another lad's class where he is forcing his low socio-economic remedial reading students to work on logs with self-selected novels. As a students finishes a large chunk of text (50 or 100 pages, as far as I could determine) she or he completes a half-page book log that answers basic questions about plot or character development and reader expectations for the next chunk of novel.
From there, the teacher scans the book logs into an image-hosting website. Once every month, the classes go to a computer lab where they search through the log updates and comment on the "photographs" of their book logs. Students are given a specific task with each visit to the computer banks. For instance, the students could be asked to make plot predictions based on the book log. At the end of the period, students go back to their own book log and reply to the comments provided.
The teacher hopes to see that the students' descriptions improve the more they get honest feedback from their peers. In the reading realm, students are looking for clues about predictions. Nice!
From there, the teacher scans the book logs into an image-hosting website. Once every month, the classes go to a computer lab where they search through the log updates and comment on the "photographs" of their book logs. Students are given a specific task with each visit to the computer banks. For instance, the students could be asked to make plot predictions based on the book log. At the end of the period, students go back to their own book log and reply to the comments provided.
The teacher hopes to see that the students' descriptions improve the more they get honest feedback from their peers. In the reading realm, students are looking for clues about predictions. Nice!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
GAME Plan Update--Week 4
I am behind on my update this week. I have to honestly reflect on my work for this class... it isn't happening. Mostly, this is because I do have my own classroom this year. The Colorado education world is not a pretty place to be, and, due to reforms with budgets, 40 or so teachers were laid off this year. I'm substituting and working at a retail store. Not much fun... and not really conducive to finishing one's Masters in Education.
REGARDLESS!
I have started talking to teachers in the buildings that I sub at and asking these teachers about the technology links they have for implementing reading comprehension into their classrooms. One middle school teacher I interviewed has joined forces with her school's power library and begun a really neat reading buddy project. Two (or so) students read the same novel. So far, this teacher has students reading class novels so that she can monitor the progress. The higher ability student spends some time blogging about what she or he enjoyed about the book. They then research the themes of the novel and create blog posts about these topics. The lower ability reading student also blogs about his or her reading experience, using specifics from the novel, and then goes and does research about more concrete details from the novel. The buddy project I was shown as an example dealt with a kid who was selling cocaine, and eventually leads to his brother's death due to the drug. The higher level reader did his research on sibling trust (as a theme) and the lower level reader did his research on cocaine and preteens. Their blogs were linked together and people could look between the two to get a better understanding of the novel. The teacher and the librarian are in the process of creating new ways to start the conversation about the book.
Now, I am concerned that this project has some holes. For one, the lower reader is not actually stretching himself to become a better reader. And while I see the ability pairings as potientally good, they do not allow the lower reader to learn "good reading skills." If I decided to implement this project into my classroom, I would force the higher ability reading student to do a think-aloud every so often and have the lower ability reader begin to copy the same skills. Also, the kids would need some sort of rubric to explain these blogs and think alouds. It seems like the project has a good framework, but is missing all the structures that will make it a surviving deal.
REGARDLESS!
I have started talking to teachers in the buildings that I sub at and asking these teachers about the technology links they have for implementing reading comprehension into their classrooms. One middle school teacher I interviewed has joined forces with her school's power library and begun a really neat reading buddy project. Two (or so) students read the same novel. So far, this teacher has students reading class novels so that she can monitor the progress. The higher ability student spends some time blogging about what she or he enjoyed about the book. They then research the themes of the novel and create blog posts about these topics. The lower ability reading student also blogs about his or her reading experience, using specifics from the novel, and then goes and does research about more concrete details from the novel. The buddy project I was shown as an example dealt with a kid who was selling cocaine, and eventually leads to his brother's death due to the drug. The higher level reader did his research on sibling trust (as a theme) and the lower level reader did his research on cocaine and preteens. Their blogs were linked together and people could look between the two to get a better understanding of the novel. The teacher and the librarian are in the process of creating new ways to start the conversation about the book.
Now, I am concerned that this project has some holes. For one, the lower reader is not actually stretching himself to become a better reader. And while I see the ability pairings as potientally good, they do not allow the lower reader to learn "good reading skills." If I decided to implement this project into my classroom, I would force the higher ability reading student to do a think-aloud every so often and have the lower ability reader begin to copy the same skills. Also, the kids would need some sort of rubric to explain these blogs and think alouds. It seems like the project has a good framework, but is missing all the structures that will make it a surviving deal.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
GAME Plan work Part 1
My first goal was to begin to integrate more mini-thinking skills into my lessons. Upon rereading this goal I am surprised just how vague this sounds. My first step in reaching this goal is to determine what sort of tools my students need.
Upon some reflection, I know that my students are always remedial reading students, so I need to begin looking for technology that is going to engage them. Still sounds vague, right? So I continue to think... my students do not do well with self-led reading. Why? Engagement? Interest? Or is it really skill based? Well, that sort of determines my next move.
If it is an engagement issue: I need to look for a program that will allow students to preview a book and get excited about it. I need to find some way to force students to engage the text-- more than just fix up strategies.
If it is an interest problem: Could I find a way for students to preview books (see above) but without losing the aha moment of the plot? A review site for uninspired readers? I've introduced Shelfari to them before, but it only caught on with some students. Could we reintroduce the site with new plans?
If skill based: Oh geez. Where can I find skill exercises? Is there something out there with Artificial Intelligence to work with them?
Second major goal: work more with collaborative learning.
I have a great way to work this into my senior class. Students there work with a senior Capstone project which includes a mentor ship, a fifteen hour project, and research paper. I would like to model the collaborative methods before I let them loose with their mentors.
Perhaps I could choose my Capstone topic with some sort of tie in to education and then begin by showing them the way mentor ship works in class. Also, perhaps we could look at some more multicultural items from different perceptions (science, social science?) and allow these teachers come offer some opinions on these ideas.
It's a work in progress, what can I say?
Upon some reflection, I know that my students are always remedial reading students, so I need to begin looking for technology that is going to engage them. Still sounds vague, right? So I continue to think... my students do not do well with self-led reading. Why? Engagement? Interest? Or is it really skill based? Well, that sort of determines my next move.
If it is an engagement issue: I need to look for a program that will allow students to preview a book and get excited about it. I need to find some way to force students to engage the text-- more than just fix up strategies.
If it is an interest problem: Could I find a way for students to preview books (see above) but without losing the aha moment of the plot? A review site for uninspired readers? I've introduced Shelfari to them before, but it only caught on with some students. Could we reintroduce the site with new plans?
If skill based: Oh geez. Where can I find skill exercises? Is there something out there with Artificial Intelligence to work with them?
Second major goal: work more with collaborative learning.
I have a great way to work this into my senior class. Students there work with a senior Capstone project which includes a mentor ship, a fifteen hour project, and research paper. I would like to model the collaborative methods before I let them loose with their mentors.
Perhaps I could choose my Capstone topic with some sort of tie in to education and then begin by showing them the way mentor ship works in class. Also, perhaps we could look at some more multicultural items from different perceptions (science, social science?) and allow these teachers come offer some opinions on these ideas.
It's a work in progress, what can I say?
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
My GAME Plan
I must admit that anytime I read "GAME plan," I mentally do so as a Southern football enthusiast. I think it adds to the adventure.
However, with or without the accent, here is my own plan:
Goal: (1) To integrate more "mind-tools" to engage student learning. (2) To allow more time in class for collaborative learning.
Action: (1) Begin researching possible computer and technology-based options to integrate into the classroom to allow for more self-directed learning. (2) Research a new peer edit strategy that better incorporates collaborative learning.
Monitor: (1)Are these programs and items hard to get access to? If I introduce a certain mind-tool, will I have consistent access to computer to allow students to grow at its use? (2) How do I introduce new lessons about good writing into the peer editing system? How can I encourage these self-guided groups to teach themselves?
Evaluate and Extend: (1) Honestly, what do I want to focus on with these mind-tools? Will the newly acquired tools lend themselves to multiple tasks and lessons? Where do I find these mystical tools? (2) Does the collaborative learning stop when the papers are edited? How do I transition this new working skill into other parts of the class?
Football?
However, with or without the accent, here is my own plan:
Goal: (1) To integrate more "mind-tools" to engage student learning. (2) To allow more time in class for collaborative learning.
Action: (1) Begin researching possible computer and technology-based options to integrate into the classroom to allow for more self-directed learning. (2) Research a new peer edit strategy that better incorporates collaborative learning.
Monitor: (1)Are these programs and items hard to get access to? If I introduce a certain mind-tool, will I have consistent access to computer to allow students to grow at its use? (2) How do I introduce new lessons about good writing into the peer editing system? How can I encourage these self-guided groups to teach themselves?
Evaluate and Extend: (1) Honestly, what do I want to focus on with these mind-tools? Will the newly acquired tools lend themselves to multiple tasks and lessons? Where do I find these mystical tools? (2) Does the collaborative learning stop when the papers are edited? How do I transition this new working skill into other parts of the class?
Football?
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