The famous Americans project was redirected because of curriculum concerns. In order to fill a curriculum requirement, the teacher has to have the students give a speech. I remain optimistic, though, that another project will happen with that teacher.
The blog project is moving ahead. The teacher involved is being more independent of me than others. He is also having students do most of the work outside of class. I helped him set up the initial structure. The students will be presenting in class as usual, and blogging about it outside of class. I will keep in touch and discuss how to evaluate the blog entries, but I think he has a pretty good idea of what he wants for that as well. I am most curious to get his feedback after the project is complete/once it has gotten started (the structure is set up but the first blog entry probably won't happen til after the break). In past years, students have given feedback to the presentations via a worksheet. I am curious if they will find this method more engaging, and if they will participate in more back and forth as a result of the more interactive nature of the medium. I am inclined to think that they might not, being that they are given only a 24 hour window in which to comment. I plan to suggest that in the future the teacher requires students to comment within 24 hours but gives some motivation (aka extra credit or such) for students to continue the conversation after the first day.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Creating Relationships
Part of the job of a CFF coach is forging relationships. It's a challenge when I've only been at the school for three months. I have found that it really is the small five minute conversations that do best for making those relationships. Even those are a challenge at times. Many of the teachers see me as the Tech Coach, and assume all I have to talk about is computers or making them do projects. I need to recreate their image of me as someone who is a teacher and also happens to be a coach.
I have also found it's a benefit to be of help whenever possible. A few times teachers have wanted to do projects with short notice and no time to prepare for them. I think that jumping in and doing what I can will show that I'm reliable and, if it helps the project go well, will encourage that teacher--and other who hear of the success and how I can be helpful--to do more CFF projects.
I just need to make sure to keep a balance between being useful to help build those relationships and not becoming a crutch for teachers who will remain afraid of the technology.
I have also found it's a benefit to be of help whenever possible. A few times teachers have wanted to do projects with short notice and no time to prepare for them. I think that jumping in and doing what I can will show that I'm reliable and, if it helps the project go well, will encourage that teacher--and other who hear of the success and how I can be helpful--to do more CFF projects.
I just need to make sure to keep a balance between being useful to help build those relationships and not becoming a crutch for teachers who will remain afraid of the technology.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Managing Resources
So I've finally decided to copy all of the resources from my other wiki and create a new wiki that will be organized in similar fashion.
My first wiki was set up as a private space for my teachers to have access to resources while being free to collaborate, experiment, and discuss without feeling they were being watched. That way, they will be able to more freely brainstorm and more accurately discuss what has and has not worked wand why. It's important for us to be able to fail so we can learn from it, after all. However, that put the depository of all of the resources I have found behind a password. A few CFF colleagues asked for access, so reposting everything in a public spot seemed to be the best solution. My teachers still have a private workspace, and I can share the resources I'm gathering. I haven't been able to use even a small fraction of these resources yet, and I haven't even been able to fully evaluate a significant chunk. But there's a lot here that can probably meet the needs of a variety of people.
My first wiki was set up as a private space for my teachers to have access to resources while being free to collaborate, experiment, and discuss without feeling they were being watched. That way, they will be able to more freely brainstorm and more accurately discuss what has and has not worked wand why. It's important for us to be able to fail so we can learn from it, after all. However, that put the depository of all of the resources I have found behind a password. A few CFF colleagues asked for access, so reposting everything in a public spot seemed to be the best solution. My teachers still have a private workspace, and I can share the resources I'm gathering. I haven't been able to use even a small fraction of these resources yet, and I haven't even been able to fully evaluate a significant chunk. But there's a lot here that can probably meet the needs of a variety of people.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Cell Project--Day Five
I really was going to post about the project every day--but I got busy with actually doing stuff. I haven't gone through all of the finished wikis yet, so its too soon to say if this was a success or not. So I'll just talk about things that went well and things that need to be improved.
This was my first large scale wiki project. So a predictable problem was that I didn't have all of the answers. Not that much of an issue in my opinion. The teacher gets to see that I don't know everything--which hopefully is encouraging (in that all this stuff if learnable). Also, the kids had to see me work through things. I tried as often as I could to let them actually do as I thought (although I'd say I did all the doing more often than not). But I would try to at least explain what I was doing, or why, or why something would or wouldn't work the way they wanted.
The project went better in some classes than others. I think that's always the case. Children did work on dividing up work and working collaboratively. They had to deal with issues of finding information and media resources. I'm not sure how well they did on review or evaluating media resources, though.
We hit some massive snags along the way--including the wireless going down and wikispaces going down.
The teacher and I both have thoughts on what to do differently next time. She thinks it would be a good idea to provide key words that kids have to include--because they didn't really come across them all in their research. She wants to add more structure to the project.
I want it to be more interactive. Students were "posting comment" on the "my space" page by editing their own pages and pretending to be multiple parts of the cell. I think it would be good to have groups post to one anothers pages--that way you have to know your own part well enough to be it, and read someone else's page and learn their cell well enough to talk to it. I think I understand logistically why we didn't do that. Maybe next time, maybe not.
We had to pull together a PBwiki for one of the classes when wikispaces went down. The commenting feature would have been great for the groups to interact, but they cluttered it up with nonsense before the teacher and I had time to regroup and replan.
This was my first large scale wiki project. So a predictable problem was that I didn't have all of the answers. Not that much of an issue in my opinion. The teacher gets to see that I don't know everything--which hopefully is encouraging (in that all this stuff if learnable). Also, the kids had to see me work through things. I tried as often as I could to let them actually do as I thought (although I'd say I did all the doing more often than not). But I would try to at least explain what I was doing, or why, or why something would or wouldn't work the way they wanted.
The project went better in some classes than others. I think that's always the case. Children did work on dividing up work and working collaboratively. They had to deal with issues of finding information and media resources. I'm not sure how well they did on review or evaluating media resources, though.
We hit some massive snags along the way--including the wireless going down and wikispaces going down.
The teacher and I both have thoughts on what to do differently next time. She thinks it would be a good idea to provide key words that kids have to include--because they didn't really come across them all in their research. She wants to add more structure to the project.
I want it to be more interactive. Students were "posting comment" on the "my space" page by editing their own pages and pretending to be multiple parts of the cell. I think it would be good to have groups post to one anothers pages--that way you have to know your own part well enough to be it, and read someone else's page and learn their cell well enough to talk to it. I think I understand logistically why we didn't do that. Maybe next time, maybe not.
We had to pull together a PBwiki for one of the classes when wikispaces went down. The commenting feature would have been great for the groups to interact, but they cluttered it up with nonsense before the teacher and I had time to regroup and replan.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Cell Project--Day One
I went down to the Bio class for day one of the cell project. Some of it didn't go well, some of it did.
An overview of the project--we are having students create "my space" type pages using a wiki. Each group will create a page for a certain part of the cell. They will have to include bffs (the student names) hangouts (where its found in the cell) links (resources used) pictures, etc.
Today the kids signed on and began basic editing. In the first class for some reason creating pages didn't go very well. I would have liked to have tried a different method of page creation, but the teacher said she wanted to create the pages. It didn't take long to do. I think that had I been the teacher, that is the route I'd have taken, too. The first failure was a hassle, although we did overcome it. However, in that situation, with limited time, the last thing you want is to waste more time in another class trying to do the same thing in a slightly different way that might also fail when you have a perfectly valid fool-proof alternative.
I spoke with the teacher who is a little of the opinion that the children are more focused on editing things to make them look nice than on the actual research and info involved in the project.
Its a valid concern.
I've done projects with a fun or "irrelevant" element to them. I think I've found that even though kids will focus on the fun bits, they will get to the information and "meat and potatoes" of it. They just do the fun eye catching stuff first.
She has expressed that she originally wanted to have the students do the research--with old fashioned pen and paper--and then have them create the wiki from it. She has also said that perhaps next year she would have them fill in a pre-created format--with the information--and then let them play with and edit the visuals.
I also think that the "irrelevant" part of this project is not so irrelevant. Teamwork, collaboration, communication, basic computer literacy skills such as editing text and saving often, introduction to wikis, taking responsibility for their own learning, multitasking. None of this trumps the actual biology, but is it on the same level?
And more importantly, is this helping? Is anyone going to get anything out of this project? Are any of the above skills going to be taught or strengthened by this project. Will the biology info be conveyed? Will it be conveyed more effectively, or will children learn it any better, or even at an equal level, than if it had been done in the form of notes?
An overview of the project--we are having students create "my space" type pages using a wiki. Each group will create a page for a certain part of the cell. They will have to include bffs (the student names) hangouts (where its found in the cell) links (resources used) pictures, etc.
Today the kids signed on and began basic editing. In the first class for some reason creating pages didn't go very well. I would have liked to have tried a different method of page creation, but the teacher said she wanted to create the pages. It didn't take long to do. I think that had I been the teacher, that is the route I'd have taken, too. The first failure was a hassle, although we did overcome it. However, in that situation, with limited time, the last thing you want is to waste more time in another class trying to do the same thing in a slightly different way that might also fail when you have a perfectly valid fool-proof alternative.
I spoke with the teacher who is a little of the opinion that the children are more focused on editing things to make them look nice than on the actual research and info involved in the project.
Its a valid concern.
I've done projects with a fun or "irrelevant" element to them. I think I've found that even though kids will focus on the fun bits, they will get to the information and "meat and potatoes" of it. They just do the fun eye catching stuff first.
She has expressed that she originally wanted to have the students do the research--with old fashioned pen and paper--and then have them create the wiki from it. She has also said that perhaps next year she would have them fill in a pre-created format--with the information--and then let them play with and edit the visuals.
I also think that the "irrelevant" part of this project is not so irrelevant. Teamwork, collaboration, communication, basic computer literacy skills such as editing text and saving often, introduction to wikis, taking responsibility for their own learning, multitasking. None of this trumps the actual biology, but is it on the same level?
And more importantly, is this helping? Is anyone going to get anything out of this project? Are any of the above skills going to be taught or strengthened by this project. Will the biology info be conveyed? Will it be conveyed more effectively, or will children learn it any better, or even at an equal level, than if it had been done in the form of notes?
Friday, December 5, 2008
A Few Classroom Projects
I am currently working on three projects with three teachers.
Two of them are very similar.
English--One of the English teachers wanted to update a project that ends with a speech on a famous American. Students spend several days in the library learning research skills and finding information about a famous American. The project usually ends with every student giving a speech. Instead of having students sit through speeches, they are going to take their research and create "MySpace" pages for their Americans in a wiki. They will have to give a bio including what the American did that was significant, and why they are still important today. We are going to include some fun categories that will require some creative thinking from students--blurbs, friends, favorites, etc. After creating the wikis, students will then have to read three classmate's wikis and, in first person of their own American, "post" to the other person's "wall." This will require them again to be creative and decide how people from different time periods who never met might have reacted to one another.
Science--somewhat similar to English. Instead of famous Americans, we are having students create "MySpace" pages for parts of the cell. This project is replacing a poster/PowerPoint assignment. They will again have to use real research and information. They will have to be creative in coming up with favorites. Students will have to collect pictures and create a gallery, and will have to link to their online info sources. They will be required to write one blurb about a cell they met that was lacking their part --i.e the nuclues groups has to write about meeting a cell without a nuclues and what that cell was like. Hopefully, they will also be posting to one another's walls.
Social Studies--this teacher came to me wanted to add a blog for a reflective part of a project. Students have to research a country, and then create and deliver an inclass presentation trying to sell that country. In the past, they have been required to also create a worksheet for others to follow along. At the end of the worksheet, the students in their seats had to explain why they wouldn't buy the country. Now, instead of filling out a worksheet, the students will have to blog about why they wouldn't buy the country. They will have one day after the presentation to post. This gives students more time to reflect, and hopefully the chance to actually interact with one another. We are using a wiki discussion board because a) the teacher liked the organization of doing each country with its own page and b) I'm more familiar with wikis, so I was able to give him more info on how they work and function, etc.
I'm very excited. I'll post updates as they go.
Science is next week
English is the following week
Social Studies is sometime after the break.
Two of them are very similar.
English--One of the English teachers wanted to update a project that ends with a speech on a famous American. Students spend several days in the library learning research skills and finding information about a famous American. The project usually ends with every student giving a speech. Instead of having students sit through speeches, they are going to take their research and create "MySpace" pages for their Americans in a wiki. They will have to give a bio including what the American did that was significant, and why they are still important today. We are going to include some fun categories that will require some creative thinking from students--blurbs, friends, favorites, etc. After creating the wikis, students will then have to read three classmate's wikis and, in first person of their own American, "post" to the other person's "wall." This will require them again to be creative and decide how people from different time periods who never met might have reacted to one another.
Science--somewhat similar to English. Instead of famous Americans, we are having students create "MySpace" pages for parts of the cell. This project is replacing a poster/PowerPoint assignment. They will again have to use real research and information. They will have to be creative in coming up with favorites. Students will have to collect pictures and create a gallery, and will have to link to their online info sources. They will be required to write one blurb about a cell they met that was lacking their part --i.e the nuclues groups has to write about meeting a cell without a nuclues and what that cell was like. Hopefully, they will also be posting to one another's walls.
Social Studies--this teacher came to me wanted to add a blog for a reflective part of a project. Students have to research a country, and then create and deliver an inclass presentation trying to sell that country. In the past, they have been required to also create a worksheet for others to follow along. At the end of the worksheet, the students in their seats had to explain why they wouldn't buy the country. Now, instead of filling out a worksheet, the students will have to blog about why they wouldn't buy the country. They will have one day after the presentation to post. This gives students more time to reflect, and hopefully the chance to actually interact with one another. We are using a wiki discussion board because a) the teacher liked the organization of doing each country with its own page and b) I'm more familiar with wikis, so I was able to give him more info on how they work and function, etc.
I'm very excited. I'll post updates as they go.
Science is next week
English is the following week
Social Studies is sometime after the break.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
So I have a blog now
Its not that I avoided blogging for fear or lack of knowledge. I just don't think I'm particularly interesting. I guess its just my opinion that if you have nothing interesting to say, don't blog.
But I'm a CFF coach and one of my teachers wants to use a blog in an assignment. I figure its my job to feel my way around for functionality. Blogger seems to be very popular (or at least all the blogs I find useful tend to be on blogger), so I'm starting here.
I suppose now that I've had a reason to start a blog, I'll try to use it. I seem to have a lot of resources that other CFF coaches thought looked neat, so I'll try to post those. Maybe I'll share some stories (and woes) if they seem interesting enough.
But I'm a CFF coach and one of my teachers wants to use a blog in an assignment. I figure its my job to feel my way around for functionality. Blogger seems to be very popular (or at least all the blogs I find useful tend to be on blogger), so I'm starting here.
I suppose now that I've had a reason to start a blog, I'll try to use it. I seem to have a lot of resources that other CFF coaches thought looked neat, so I'll try to post those. Maybe I'll share some stories (and woes) if they seem interesting enough.
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