Received an email this afternoon from an AP teacher interested in creating podcasts of lectures.
That gave me the push I needed to finally figure out how to convert an audacity file into an mp3. That was not nearly as daunting as I had anticipated. The needed file was already installed, so I didn't have to have the tech guy install it. Once I had located the file I was able to export as an mp3.
I then created a gcast account. I know there are other programs out there, but that is the one I am most familiar with, so it is the one I will be using. I found it to be very easy to use.
I now just need to find a time to meet with the teacher to go over how to use audacity and gcast, and to discuss whether to embed the podcast in a wiki or a blog.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Kite Runner Blog Project--set up
We've hammered out the last of the details to go with the Kite Runner blog project.
Unfortunately, I now have to make sure that at least the four blogs being used are unblocked by tomorrow. I had forgotten that students cannot access blogs. I find that fact frustrating, yet understandable (our current fair use policy is in the process of being re-written). I've come up with plan B and am working on a plan C. Hopefully neither is needed.
We hammered out the details of the initial project. Each student has to respond to the teacher and at least one other student. The question is a multi-parter, so the initial response has to be five sentences. "Additional discussion is encouraged."
I'm going to walk the kids through signing up with google. Then, I will remind them that all in school conduct/behavioral rules (including language and bullying) rules apply. Then I will remind them to post twice (using a mock entry that I will mock respond to). After that, I will strongly encourage students to write their response in Word (where it can be saved often). Then, I will direct them to the blog in question.
The English teacher has said she wants to have at least one more blog entry for this project. She's taking a wait and see approach before deciding if this is a two entry project, a once a week entry project, etc. We discussed having students blog in the lab again, or having them responsible for blogging within a given time frame.
I agree with her decision to not decide until she sees how tomorrow goes. I hope it goes well. I anticipate the mechanics going well, and I hope that the students are able to generate engaging discourse.
Unfortunately, I now have to make sure that at least the four blogs being used are unblocked by tomorrow. I had forgotten that students cannot access blogs. I find that fact frustrating, yet understandable (our current fair use policy is in the process of being re-written). I've come up with plan B and am working on a plan C. Hopefully neither is needed.
We hammered out the details of the initial project. Each student has to respond to the teacher and at least one other student. The question is a multi-parter, so the initial response has to be five sentences. "Additional discussion is encouraged."
I'm going to walk the kids through signing up with google. Then, I will remind them that all in school conduct/behavioral rules (including language and bullying) rules apply. Then I will remind them to post twice (using a mock entry that I will mock respond to). After that, I will strongly encourage students to write their response in Word (where it can be saved often). Then, I will direct them to the blog in question.
The English teacher has said she wants to have at least one more blog entry for this project. She's taking a wait and see approach before deciding if this is a two entry project, a once a week entry project, etc. We discussed having students blog in the lab again, or having them responsible for blogging within a given time frame.
I agree with her decision to not decide until she sees how tomorrow goes. I hope it goes well. I anticipate the mechanics going well, and I hope that the students are able to generate engaging discourse.
Reading Project--Day One
I got into the classroom with the reading project for the first time today. All in all I think things went really well.
As the teacher said, each of her classes has a very different personality.
The project, in my opinion, is really worthwhile. And that is largely because of the reflective element that the reading teacher based it off of.
Yesterday, the students did a pair reading. They listened to one another and gave each other feedback. Based on the feedback, they had to reflect on APE (the things you need to not sound like an ape when you read)--accuracy, pacing, and expression.
She wasn't entirely pleased with their reflections from yesterday. She revisited what directions they had been given and created a writing assignment for today. After the students recorded themselves, they had to listen to themselves at least twice. While listening, they had to read the article and find miscues and errors. Then, taking that information, they had to reflect on APE. She gave students specific directions. For each letter, they had to find two things they did well, two things that need improvement, and two ways they can work on improving them. They have to find specifics from their recordings.
This is of course in preparation for the next project where everyone will hear them read. This way they get a chance to hear themselves and a) realize how important it is to practice and b) figure out what they need to work on.
We didn't get as many kids recorded as I had hoped. However, that was largely do to some house keeping that needed to be taken care of. We'll still be able to finish most if not all of the recordings tomorrow. My biggest worried--the microphones picking up too much background noise from other kids reading--was not a large problem. Its low level buzz, but students can still make themselves out clearly on their own recordings.
I think the teacher is currently pleased with how the project is going. She also said that, especially now that it is started, she's very happy to have a second person.
I am anxious to see how much the students improve between the first round of recordings and the second. In other words, I'm anxious to see if the students are taking advantage of the reflection and learning from the work they do.
As the teacher said, each of her classes has a very different personality.
The project, in my opinion, is really worthwhile. And that is largely because of the reflective element that the reading teacher based it off of.
Yesterday, the students did a pair reading. They listened to one another and gave each other feedback. Based on the feedback, they had to reflect on APE (the things you need to not sound like an ape when you read)--accuracy, pacing, and expression.
She wasn't entirely pleased with their reflections from yesterday. She revisited what directions they had been given and created a writing assignment for today. After the students recorded themselves, they had to listen to themselves at least twice. While listening, they had to read the article and find miscues and errors. Then, taking that information, they had to reflect on APE. She gave students specific directions. For each letter, they had to find two things they did well, two things that need improvement, and two ways they can work on improving them. They have to find specifics from their recordings.
This is of course in preparation for the next project where everyone will hear them read. This way they get a chance to hear themselves and a) realize how important it is to practice and b) figure out what they need to work on.
We didn't get as many kids recorded as I had hoped. However, that was largely do to some house keeping that needed to be taken care of. We'll still be able to finish most if not all of the recordings tomorrow. My biggest worried--the microphones picking up too much background noise from other kids reading--was not a large problem. Its low level buzz, but students can still make themselves out clearly on their own recordings.
I think the teacher is currently pleased with how the project is going. She also said that, especially now that it is started, she's very happy to have a second person.
I am anxious to see how much the students improve between the first round of recordings and the second. In other words, I'm anxious to see if the students are taking advantage of the reflection and learning from the work they do.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Kite Runner Blog Project
So excited, another project.
Before break, I had a teacher ask me a question about the online course I facilitate. While I was in her room helping her, we somehow got on the topic of blogging.
She didn't know what it was, exactly. So I explained it and showed her a few examples. Her kids were in the room, so I did a quick, informal survey of how many blogged or read blogs. Not many hands. But quite a few when I asked about myspace.
After so follow up conversation, she decided she wants to do a blog for the kids for their current book, The Kite Runner.
We're going to use blogger because it is what I'm most familiar with. I tried to encourage her to use a ning, but she really seemed more comfortable with blogger. That being the case, I didn't want to scare her off by pushing ning. So, we're going with blogger. That is probably easier all around since I'm more familiar with it. It also tells me I ought to set up a ning so teachers see that as a viable option in the future.
On Wednesday we'll be in the computer lab. I'm going to walk her kids through setting up a google account (most probably don't have one). The current plan is to have an initial start up question already on the blog so that the kids can start commenting right away.
The project has a fairly simple structure. She will maintain four blogs (one for each class). That is logistically easier for her to keep track of since the students will have a requirement for commenting at least x number of times per post. We also talked about having her participate in the discussions in the comments, and she seemed to like the idea. After all, a teacher doesn't start a conversation in class and then leave.
I asked her if the kids tend to interact with each othe in class discussions. They don't. She told me it is mostly her asking a question and then one student responding, and no one responding to that student. I'm hoping this project will create more dynamic discussions. I predict that at first, students will be annoyed with the posting requirements and try to get all two or three out of the way at the same time. But, since this will be an on-going assignment throughout the book, I'm hoping that the conversations will have a bit more back and forth as the book progresses. That will be most likely to happen with more engaging questions.
We haven't talked about assessing the project yet. I'm a fan of rubistar, though, and will most likely suggest that.
One of the other important parts of the project will be online citizenship. I don't think I'll use those words. I'll just point out to students that all school rules about language, conduct, bullying, etc., apply online. And, with the teacher involved in the discussion, she will most likely be able to redirect if things get too off topic.
Before break, I had a teacher ask me a question about the online course I facilitate. While I was in her room helping her, we somehow got on the topic of blogging.
She didn't know what it was, exactly. So I explained it and showed her a few examples. Her kids were in the room, so I did a quick, informal survey of how many blogged or read blogs. Not many hands. But quite a few when I asked about myspace.
After so follow up conversation, she decided she wants to do a blog for the kids for their current book, The Kite Runner.
We're going to use blogger because it is what I'm most familiar with. I tried to encourage her to use a ning, but she really seemed more comfortable with blogger. That being the case, I didn't want to scare her off by pushing ning. So, we're going with blogger. That is probably easier all around since I'm more familiar with it. It also tells me I ought to set up a ning so teachers see that as a viable option in the future.
On Wednesday we'll be in the computer lab. I'm going to walk her kids through setting up a google account (most probably don't have one). The current plan is to have an initial start up question already on the blog so that the kids can start commenting right away.
The project has a fairly simple structure. She will maintain four blogs (one for each class). That is logistically easier for her to keep track of since the students will have a requirement for commenting at least x number of times per post. We also talked about having her participate in the discussions in the comments, and she seemed to like the idea. After all, a teacher doesn't start a conversation in class and then leave.
I asked her if the kids tend to interact with each othe in class discussions. They don't. She told me it is mostly her asking a question and then one student responding, and no one responding to that student. I'm hoping this project will create more dynamic discussions. I predict that at first, students will be annoyed with the posting requirements and try to get all two or three out of the way at the same time. But, since this will be an on-going assignment throughout the book, I'm hoping that the conversations will have a bit more back and forth as the book progresses. That will be most likely to happen with more engaging questions.
We haven't talked about assessing the project yet. I'm a fan of rubistar, though, and will most likely suggest that.
One of the other important parts of the project will be online citizenship. I don't think I'll use those words. I'll just point out to students that all school rules about language, conduct, bullying, etc., apply online. And, with the teacher involved in the discussion, she will most likely be able to redirect if things get too off topic.
Reading Project Update
I think working with the English teacher on the reading project is one of the easiest to manage. Because I share an office with her, it is really easy to find time to collaborate.
We made a few more tweaks to the project and have set down a timeline. To give the kids practice using cueprompter, she is giving them a pre-project reading. Every kid will have the same article, will have time in and out of class to practice reading out loud, and will be recorded with audacity. Then the kids will have to listen to their own recording and do a reflective activity. Basically, the teacher feels that the kids are unlikely to actually take her seriously when she tells them they won't do well if they don't practice. She wants them A) to have more than one out loud reading and B) listen to themselves with the first reading and realize they really are going to be embarrassed reading in front of the whole class if they don't practice. I thought it was a brilliant plan.
Also, this will help her determine about how long the final project articles ought to be. She wants the kids to read for a significant amount of time--3-5 minutes I think. But, she doesn't know how much they need to fill up that time. So, we're going to look at how long the recordings are and make length requirements for the articles based on that.
Instead of having kids loose on the internet looking up articles about vague, broad topics, we decided to confine them to four broad topics and point them in the direction of some resources. I created a very basic wiki with links to new sources and to sample articles. This way, the students have an idea of where to search, and the sample articles can give them a visual of about how long we want the articles to be.
I wanted to get the entire site set up for the teacher to see, so I did that yesterday. I let her know that I can swap out the articles easily. That way, if the ones I picked are too short/too long, we can fix that. Also, she can look through them and let me know if they are at an appropriate reading level. The students are allowed to use the samples, but I didn't go out of my way to find the most interesting articles (although some of them are pretty interesting.) That way, students are encouraged to find their own. Either way, students will have to read a few articles to find one that they want to read.
We made a few more tweaks to the project and have set down a timeline. To give the kids practice using cueprompter, she is giving them a pre-project reading. Every kid will have the same article, will have time in and out of class to practice reading out loud, and will be recorded with audacity. Then the kids will have to listen to their own recording and do a reflective activity. Basically, the teacher feels that the kids are unlikely to actually take her seriously when she tells them they won't do well if they don't practice. She wants them A) to have more than one out loud reading and B) listen to themselves with the first reading and realize they really are going to be embarrassed reading in front of the whole class if they don't practice. I thought it was a brilliant plan.
Also, this will help her determine about how long the final project articles ought to be. She wants the kids to read for a significant amount of time--3-5 minutes I think. But, she doesn't know how much they need to fill up that time. So, we're going to look at how long the recordings are and make length requirements for the articles based on that.
Instead of having kids loose on the internet looking up articles about vague, broad topics, we decided to confine them to four broad topics and point them in the direction of some resources. I created a very basic wiki with links to new sources and to sample articles. This way, the students have an idea of where to search, and the sample articles can give them a visual of about how long we want the articles to be.
I wanted to get the entire site set up for the teacher to see, so I did that yesterday. I let her know that I can swap out the articles easily. That way, if the ones I picked are too short/too long, we can fix that. Also, she can look through them and let me know if they are at an appropriate reading level. The students are allowed to use the samples, but I didn't go out of my way to find the most interesting articles (although some of them are pretty interesting.) That way, students are encouraged to find their own. Either way, students will have to read a few articles to find one that they want to read.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
An Unexpected Project
I share my "office" with the reading and study skills teacher. She's not a CFF teacher, but I tend to share useful tools and articles with her all the time. And she will often tell me how classes went or what she's working on--thinking aloud while making lesson plans.
Just through conversation, we started talking about what to do after Christmas. She planned on having the students practice reading out loud. I tried to convince her to have them record themselves on audacity so they could hear what they sounded like. She was pretty wary of the logistical issues of trying to pull it off.
And then I found an online teleprompter, cueprompter. She thought it looked really neat, and I saw her typing things into it from time to time. She saw potential for it in her class.
And so we're going to do a project.
She's decided she wants to have the students read from the teleprompter, record themselves, listen to themselves, and look for miscues. I'm very excited.
And this really was a joint effort at creating the project. I got as far as read "something." That isn't nearly good enough. She decided that they are going to pretend to be news reporters--for news, sports, celebrity gossip, or anything they want. That is much more of a hook.
At first she was going to have the kids write their own script, but then decided, since the focus of the project is on reading, and time is an issue, she's going to have the kids look up a script. They do plenty of writing activities in class, so I think not using the writing aspect this year will not be a detriment to the project. Then, if it goes well and she wants to do it next year, she has to option of setting aside extra time so the students can write a script.
She's asked me to find resources for the students based on what type of news they want to do--she'll have them sign up for that in the next few days. I think I am going to suggest having them go to a related news site (e.g kids wanting to do a sports story will find an article on SI.com, kids interested in reporting on celebrity gossip can go to the entertainment section of cnn.com). That way, there is one more step in the reading. Students will have to read through the article and see if it is something they want to read (no one here will pick an article about how the Steelers will be out after the first playoff game) and if it is something they can read (someone doing the project without a partner shouldn't be reading an interview).
She also suggested that if we give the students the recording on a CD, many of them will be proud of their work and maybe even post it to youtube.
Just through conversation, we started talking about what to do after Christmas. She planned on having the students practice reading out loud. I tried to convince her to have them record themselves on audacity so they could hear what they sounded like. She was pretty wary of the logistical issues of trying to pull it off.
And then I found an online teleprompter, cueprompter. She thought it looked really neat, and I saw her typing things into it from time to time. She saw potential for it in her class.
And so we're going to do a project.
She's decided she wants to have the students read from the teleprompter, record themselves, listen to themselves, and look for miscues. I'm very excited.
And this really was a joint effort at creating the project. I got as far as read "something." That isn't nearly good enough. She decided that they are going to pretend to be news reporters--for news, sports, celebrity gossip, or anything they want. That is much more of a hook.
At first she was going to have the kids write their own script, but then decided, since the focus of the project is on reading, and time is an issue, she's going to have the kids look up a script. They do plenty of writing activities in class, so I think not using the writing aspect this year will not be a detriment to the project. Then, if it goes well and she wants to do it next year, she has to option of setting aside extra time so the students can write a script.
She's asked me to find resources for the students based on what type of news they want to do--she'll have them sign up for that in the next few days. I think I am going to suggest having them go to a related news site (e.g kids wanting to do a sports story will find an article on SI.com, kids interested in reporting on celebrity gossip can go to the entertainment section of cnn.com). That way, there is one more step in the reading. Students will have to read through the article and see if it is something they want to read (no one here will pick an article about how the Steelers will be out after the first playoff game) and if it is something they can read (someone doing the project without a partner shouldn't be reading an interview).
She also suggested that if we give the students the recording on a CD, many of them will be proud of their work and maybe even post it to youtube.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
PLN
My current goal is to get my teachers--or at least some of them--involved in a PLN.
I would like to see my teachers using Twitter and/or Shout'em. Both are valuable communication and networking programs with different advantages. I'm not sure how many of my teachers would be willing to juggle two networks at the moment. And, if each teacher was only willing to use one, I'm not sure which would be the better choice.
I am personally a fan of Twitter because I find it to be a dynamic PLN. I have for some time been following blogs of other educational professionals and finding a plethora of information, resources, and ideas. However, I find that I'm more likely to contribute via Twitter. I'm more likely to post to my micro blog than comment on someone else's blog. Its simple and, I think, non threatening, even for the least tech savy. It's very user-friendly.
Another tool I have recently come across shout'em.com. It is similar to twitter in form and function, but it is a micro blog where an administrator (in this case me) can set up a private community. This tool would be useful in different ways than twitter. For one thing, it would be private, which might be more encouraging to some of the teachers. However, it would lack access to the huge pool of teachers on twitter.
On Twitter, teachers would likely find and talk with others who teach similar classes to create and share ideas. They would be able to find resources and share what they know. On Shout'em, they would be in a community with other teachers within the school that they know and see on a daily basis. By being able to see and read all of the communication--from science, social studies, math, and English teachers--they could start conversations, that might take place online or offline. By creating a community in which all of the teachers could communicate in a forum, as frequently or infrequently as they want, teachers who are eager to create 21st Century classrooms could inspire and learn from one another, and teachers who are slower to move forward could sit back, read what others are doing, and come into it at their own pace.
I would like to see the teachers use both, but I know that for some (perhaps many) that might seem too overwhelming. I would like to present both as options for all, and help anyone interested set up one or both.
I would like to see my teachers using Twitter and/or Shout'em. Both are valuable communication and networking programs with different advantages. I'm not sure how many of my teachers would be willing to juggle two networks at the moment. And, if each teacher was only willing to use one, I'm not sure which would be the better choice.
I am personally a fan of Twitter because I find it to be a dynamic PLN. I have for some time been following blogs of other educational professionals and finding a plethora of information, resources, and ideas. However, I find that I'm more likely to contribute via Twitter. I'm more likely to post to my micro blog than comment on someone else's blog. Its simple and, I think, non threatening, even for the least tech savy. It's very user-friendly.
Another tool I have recently come across shout'em.com. It is similar to twitter in form and function, but it is a micro blog where an administrator (in this case me) can set up a private community. This tool would be useful in different ways than twitter. For one thing, it would be private, which might be more encouraging to some of the teachers. However, it would lack access to the huge pool of teachers on twitter.
On Twitter, teachers would likely find and talk with others who teach similar classes to create and share ideas. They would be able to find resources and share what they know. On Shout'em, they would be in a community with other teachers within the school that they know and see on a daily basis. By being able to see and read all of the communication--from science, social studies, math, and English teachers--they could start conversations, that might take place online or offline. By creating a community in which all of the teachers could communicate in a forum, as frequently or infrequently as they want, teachers who are eager to create 21st Century classrooms could inspire and learn from one another, and teachers who are slower to move forward could sit back, read what others are doing, and come into it at their own pace.
I would like to see the teachers use both, but I know that for some (perhaps many) that might seem too overwhelming. I would like to present both as options for all, and help anyone interested set up one or both.
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