"Grade Angst?"

I know I am late to the conversation, but I admire Terry Sale's efforts to challenge the ingrained, grade mindset. Tomorrow morning, I should receive an e-mail from one of my students regarding his inability to score well on a writing assignment. He said there is "so much pressure to obtain points or a grade in school that it takes away from everything." He felt as if he could not orate his grade angst. So he agreed to e-mail me about wether the writing grade should be suspended, enhanced, or ignored. He said he wants to learn, revise, and work on the writing so that he can improve his skills, but he is so disenchanted with his own outlook regarding grades. We will see what transpires and if his suggestions will impact his class. Thank you Terry Sale, Mr. Fisch, and others for challenging the grade tradition. I echo Terry Sale: there is always next semester in the educational field.

Willingness To Explore Or Least Resistance Possible?

My freshman students in my English 9 classes had the opportunity to create a document using googledoc. that would allow them to create a culminating project that would demonstrate their idea of "what matters?" regarding several short stories that were read for class. In September, the students labored for three days with the googledoc document. The comments within the googledoc document were limited and lacked direction. As a teacher, I tried to restrain from suggesting anything except that the students had access to podcasting, wikis, photostory3, etc... One class seemed to investigate the stories using some technology, but the other one decided to create boardgames.

For the most part all of the groups of students were proficient, but many of the groups of students did not want to use the technology as a way to discover and enhance their investigation of the subject matter. I am not suggesting that the students are unintelligent or that they don't like to explore, but I was amazed to view their willingness to shun technology in order to experience the "least resistance possible". To this point, I have failed in my ability to excite them about the use of technology versus the completion of a list of questions. However, this experience has forced me to think. As stated by a prior employer, "Failure can lead to success."

"Googledocs Galore!"

Recently, one of my English 9 classes (out of two) completed a "student centered" project addressing several short stories that we read for class. The students created a googledoc to manage their ideas and decide upon what they should investigate with the short stories that addressed more than plot summary. Powerpoint, photostory, collages, boardgames, and wikis are the mediums desired by students for the project.

This sixth hour class decided to create boardgames that address a host of ideas and issues. It was very difficult for me to, as Clint Hurdle states, "Get out of the way." But, I felt like I was able to do so. For me, the final product netted mixed reviews. Individual, group, and teacher evaluations are still out; however, they will provide insight and feedback that will help me make sense of this "student centered" experiment. Hopefully, quality synthesis and inquiry will abound.

"Mathletics?"

Last week, it was so wonderful to observe Barb Stahlhut teaching students about derivatives. Barb inspired me to think about experiential activities within my classrooms. My experience in her classroom made me say, "dump trucks to all." I must use personally relevant activities, objects, and scenarios to build student investment. Barb demonstrated how to put the "student back in teaching", and I really admired her use of technology, verbal validation, collaboration, and self-assessment. Also, the derivative activity focused on the learner. For me, Barb's words resonate beyond the walls of the classroom, "We know what it looks like, but what does it mean?"

"Gardening?"

Classrooms, gardens, and Franklin come to mind. As Ben Franklin proclaims in his Autobiography, "...And like him who, having a garden to weed, does not attempt to eradicate all the bad herbs at once, which would exceed his reach and his strength, but works on one of the beds at a time, and, having accomplished the first, proceeds to a second, so I should have, I hoped, the encouraging pleasure of seeing on my pages the progress I made in virtue..."(94). The Teacher As Network Administrator article forced me to contemplate the aforementioned Franklin quotation. Am I creating an "...open and malleable set of connections..." for my students to explore their voices and the voices within the world? Am I teaching "info scarcity?" I know that Brian Hatak started using RSS feeds several years ago after the summer technology class in the ESC building. By using RSS feeds, information will, like David Warlick states, "find me." I need to take the time to learn of Hatak's successes and challenges in order to implement this option for my students.

Hopefully, my exploration regarding using googldocs and photostory3 for collaborative assignments and projects can help begin to construct an improved Learning Network for my students. In my freshman classes, many students are using googledocs to design rubrics and projects in order to establish personal relevance while synthesizing information regarding short stories. I know many other teachers have experienced great success with these programs, and I hope that my students will too. Gaffney and Smith helped me with the introduction of Photostory3; I think it will be interesting for those students that choose to use this option.

It may not be apparent, but I am trying to think about my students, "Info Portals", "Voice Responsibility", the assigned articles, my colleagues' success with technology and other practices. I am impressed by all that are attempting, challenging, succeeding and believing in learning continually.

Narcissus And My Reflection In The Pool

My dear colleague,Marlys, blogged so eloquently about the newspaper articles from several weekends ago. I happened to read the articles as well, and her words synthesized my own thoughts about my nearly six year old son, my 2007-2008 students, and their expectations our shared courses.

As my classes began with "Big Picture" ideas and expectations, the students were reticent with wonder. On the second day of one course, the students remained silent for six minutes during a hybrid Fishbowl discussion. I could have been the cause, but it seemed to stem from the fear of speaking foolishly. Consequently, the use of blogging allowed the students to voice their thinking and converse with each other. It was empowering to share some of their words from the class blog with their parents on "Back To School Night." The students were wondering. I know I am late to the 21c table and limited in my 21c growth, but the students have helped me wonder again like my nearly six year old son who dares to "..ask the questions that we are afraid to ask..."

Furthermore, Mrs. Comp aided and encouraged me to explore and employ the use of del.icio.us social bookmarking in my transfer from the old to the new webpage, and it is extremely helpful.

Thanks 21c2!

Thanks for the 21C2 Session today. As I venture into each unit or text within my deignated curriculum, I am influenced to rethink how the technology I am exposed to in 21c2 can increase student quality, investment, and production. Vision, Google Doc, and Podcasting seem like logical first steps to validate students and allow them additional forums to react with purpose. It was inspiring to see other's strategies (Kitch, Smith, Kleeman, etc...) and pedagogy regarding the aforementioned items.