Presidential My Space--Day One

Yesterday we started the Presidential My Space Pages.

One of the common complaints, of course, is that we aren't using real My Space pages. I should probably rethink/rename this project so that kids are not left thinking that they would rather do real My Space pages.

For the most part, the teacher went through directions with students. As a time saver, he went through how to navigate through the page to the student pages while kids were still booting up their laptops. Since the student laptops do take so long, I agreed with this decsion. However, a lot of students didn't pay attention. It led to problems later. I had to help about half the students 1-on-1 to find their pages. I had to explain to many students that there was already a page, and not to create one. And, one students edited the front page, and another deleted and edited over the rubric.

The rubric is fairly simple:

For this project, you will create a mock 'My Space' page for one of the former Presidents. You may choose any former President you wish. Barack Obama is not a former President. You will create this page as if you are that President, living today. That means you should write in the first person, using 'I' instead of 'George Washington said...'. The page should contain mainly biographical information about that President. You should include at least the following sections:

Title: 'George Washington's page' The title should include the name of the President. (3 pts.)

Pictures: Include at least two pictures of the President on the main page. (2 pts.)

Background: Include Dates of birth and death, and dates the President served. Include place of birth. (5 pts.)

Biography: This should be 2-3 paragraphs about the President's life, from birth until they became President. You can include information from 'Background' instead of making a separate section for it. Be throrough. Include educational background, military experience, and any previous political experience. Talk about why these experiences prepared the man for the Presidency. (15 pts.)

Presidency: Include 2-3 paragraphs about what happened while this person was President. Include any important events, wars, scandals, etc. You can talk about what life in America was like during this Presidency. Remember, write as if you are this person. If something negative happened, try to explain why. Include at least 2 events and how the President handled that problem. (15 pts.)

Retirement: Include a brief description of the President's life after the Presidency. (5 pts.)

Creativity: A more creative page will receive additional points. (5 pts.)

Total points: 50

When picking your President, be careful to look at when they served. Picking a President who died after 2 days in office is a bad idea. You don't have to pick a famous President, like Washington or Lincoln, but skim through the bios to find someone who did something interesting, or served during an interesting period of history. Remember to make this a first person account, and use your own words. DO NOT COPY AND PASTE. That is plagarism, and will result in a zero for the entire project. This project is due Tuesday, February 24.

Most students didn't have much trouble navigating to their pages. A few got confused because, although I had provided links, they still had to click on a "create page" button after clicking the link. Many students immediately went to the "create a page" button from the home page, and started creating and editing pages there were not linked from anywhere. It was pretty easy to find and correct those students (they would loose their pages, since they weren't linked from the home page) and have them copy and paste their work onto the appropriate page. In later classes, I made every watch as showed the difference between the "create page" and "create a page" buttons. I think this should have been a more predictable problem.

The teacher has even provided three approved web sources for researching info (although a small handful of students went directly to google anyways.)

Students only worked on the project for about half of class for the first day. Everyone had picked a president, and most had a picture and a little bit of info by the end of class. Some only had a picture.

There is definately a large varience of comfort and ability when doing web based projects. Some students understood right away when I suggested they open the rubric in a seperate tab or window, so they didn't have to keep using the back arrow. Others were very confused and needed to be shown multiple times. Others needed to be shown only once before catching on.
And some students have trouble just navigating a single web page.

I was able to teach students the short cut key for pasting (ctrl + v) because the right click they are used to doesn't work in a pb wiki. One thing almost all students seemed very good at was finding a google image.

Sight Project

Another new English Project.

I always complain about my "office" having the only printer on the hall. I should stop complaining about that. I think this is the third project I've gotten by talking to a teacher who was waiting for something to print.

I was just making small talk, and the teacher was leaving. But, I had been working on a wiki that was up on my screen. She actually started to leave, and then said that she wanted to ask me something.

Her kids have been reading about Helen Keller. One of the things the read was what Keller said she would want to see if she could have three days of sight. The teacher than was going to have the students put together a poster/scrap book page about what they would want to see if they only had three days of sight left. She wanted to know if there were any programs like that.

Of course I instantly thought of glogster. But, I wasn't 100% sure about if students could make their glogs private. And, I think we were both a little leary about having the kids have to give the teacher permission to see the project. And, the teacher was not that comfortable with putting pictures of students online (most will likely use pictures of family as part of this project.)

I then thought of Photo Story as a possible offline option. I explained that it was very easy to use. Also, I had just made printable directions at the request of another teacher. She decided that Photo Story fit her needs well.

The students will bring in photos and/or search for photos online. I will show the class the basics of using Photo Story. Students will then create Photo Stories using their pictures, describing them, and explaining why they are significant things and why they would want to see these things if they only had three days of sight left. This allows students to work at their own pace. Those who learn Photo Story more quickly will have the oppurtunity to use more advanced features, or use photo editing software to make their stories more visually interesting. At the end of the project, students will share their projects with the class.

I like this project because it allows students to connect with the class content in a meaningful way. They will also have chance to not only be creative, but show something about themselves. I believe that students do want to feel like they matter as people in school. This project gives them the chance to show who they are to their teacher and their classmates. It will also force them into self reflection. They won't have to write a formal reflection, but they will have to consider what is important to them and why, and what life would be like without sight.

Creek Project

One of the science teachers is having students create a creek project.

This is based on year long research that the students do in this class. The collect data on the creek, and do research based on it.

In April, students from all over the state meet to share and discuss their data, research, projects, and experiments. The Science teacher takes several of her classes every year.

This year, she wants to have the students have a little more freedom in what types of projects they do. She has given them the option of creating a photo story, running an experiment, creating and recording music, making a website, or coming up with their own project.

I like this project a lot because it involves creativity and student choice. It also has a ready made audience that students know they will be sharing their work with.

I'm starting working with the teacher today. I will be visiting her classes at the end of the period today, after she has given the assignment. Students will be working with their groups and discussing what types of projects they want to do. By being on hand, I'll be able to help students come up with ideas, understand the work involved in using certain tools, and recommend tools that they might not be familiar with.

This is a long term project that students will mostly be doing outside of class. Because of that, I will not be working with the students much during class. However, the teacher asked if I would work with them during their study hall. I feel that I'm supposed to be working more with the teacher than the students, but this is a way to help students strengthen their tech skills. Also, because there will be so many different tools being used, I'm hoping for the chance to work with the teacher, so she will have a better grasp of those tools, and how to assess these projects.

Presidential My Space

This is a project that has two teachers.

The first teachers was a bit more independent about using it. He wanted me to help him learn the technology, and I helped do some of the time consuming behind the scenes stuff to help set up. After that, he was more content to conduct the project himself. He sent one student to me with a technical issues, but did not ask for any help other than that.

Another teacher is starting this same project tomorrow. He is comfortable with the technology, but also more than happy to have an extra person around the room to help students out with the project.

We worked for the last two days on the same pre-project set up that I did with the first social studies teacher. The wiki in use is set up almost the same way. The teacher created a class wiki that he will create pages on for each project. Each project will be divided by period, and each student will be given his own page.

The teacher posted directions for what information must be contained on the page. Then, students are free to arrange the layout, and add "fun" elements such as friends, interests, heroes, etc. This sort of project seems to help in research type assignments. Students are not overwhelmed with having to write a paper. And, because they get to do something more engaging with the information, they are more willing to find it. However, as all the teachers I've worked with know, it is a fight to keep a balance between letting students be creative, and making sure they accurately, and sufficiently, produce the subject-related material needed. After all, many students would be happy to create a my space page with all sorts of funny friends, music, and movies for George Washington (and most of it would be funny because it would be based on something real) without ever caring to do the biography section.

I'm going to be in the classroom to help with the project tomorrow. Mostly, the teacher is concerned that he won't be able to answer questions that the students have about using wiki spaces. I personally think he would be fine, but part of my job is building relationships. I think it is a far better idea to think he'd be fine, but to help him as much as I can, than to send him out on his own.

Independant Novel Project

I'm very excited about this project, because it involves a lot more student choice than anything I've been involved with yet.

One of the English teachers has her students select a novel to read for class. Each student picks his own novel. Then, instead of having them do book reports, she wants to have them do projects to show that they have read and understand the main points of the book.

We worked together to bring some of her projects into the 21st centurty. By the end, we had a list of about ten options. This seemed a bit much--too many choices will overwhelm some students, and it certainly would have made grading far more difficult and time consuming. So, the teacher too my suggestions into consideration, and narrowed the list down to five projects that the students can do. This way, students have a chance to play to their strengths and be creative, while being as out there or as conservative with the assignment as they want.

As part of making this assignment more 21st Century, the teacher wanted to let students use web 2.0 and other technology tools. I showed her some options. Some of these tools are things she is very unfamiliar with. Others she is more comfortable with. I suggested that students who know these tools, or feel comfortable learning them on their own, have the option to choose them. She is a little more conservative, and does not want students to be left to their own devices of learning these tools as they go. However, it would have been unreasonable to have me take as much class time as I would have needed to show all of these tools, when kids will be using only one or two at most. As a compromise, I am providing typed overviews with images that will help students learn the basics (I used word and screen captures to create these). My hope is that students who are ambitious or creative will be able to take the basic instructions I provide and then discover some of the more advanced functions of the programs.


The current five projects are:

*Storyboard: You will choose three different, important scenes
throughout the novel that represent your story. You can either take
still-life pictures or create still-life photos in an online program
called bitstrips (like a comic-strip) to show the progress of the
action. You will then write two paragraphs why you chose those scenes
and their significance. The other paragraph will be a reflection on the
process.


*Day-in-the-Life: You will pretend you are the protagonist in the book
in the situations that he/she encounters by creating a "My-Space" type
website. One section will be posted journal entries in the perspective
of that character. You will also include necessary "wall updates" to
show the protagonist's experiences.
The written component will be a two-paragraph "extra ending" or "where
are they now" to your novel.


*Event Location Map: You will use the Inspiration program to represent
the different, essential locations and events in the novel. You should
have ten-twelve selections. You will choose images and labels with a 3-4
sentence description about the location/event.



*Brown Bag: You will choose eight to ten "items" to place in the bag to
represent significant events, situations or characters from the book.
You can use either PhotoStory in which you can take pictures or use
stock images or Jog the Web in which you would select web-sites/images
online. You will provide a 3-4 sentence description of the objects.



*Interview: You will write and record an interview with the protagonist
in your story. It must have ten-twelve in depth questions/answers to
demonstrate all of his/her major situations and experiences. You can
complete this with audio or video.

Reading Project--End

I haven't had a chance to update on this project.

With snow days, conferences, and trainings, I was out of the building for the very end of the project. The Reading teacher told me that she had very little trouble finishing up the recordings. She had a few absent kids that she had to record after the official end of the project. She had one student who refused to read in front of the class, but agreed to be recorded after school.

We had some time to discuss the assessment for the project. Most of that was decided early on, because she had to give the students a rubric. The whole project was 75 points, with 5 points each given for meeting deadlines along the way. Twenty points were given for creativity in selecting the article and modifying it for speaking. And, 15 points each were given for accuracy, pace, and emotion. So, the bulk of what was assessed was the three main goals that she had for the read aloud. We were a little worried about having so many points for the creativity with the assignment, but it did end up being a large part of the WORK involved. The teacher took notes while the students read live, and then used the recordings to be able to revisit and look at specifics. So even grading this assignment turned into a large time commitment for her.

Throughout this assignment, we've talked about changes that we would like to make for next year. After having started the recordings, I was made aware that several teachers have actual video cameras, so I would like to use those next year. Also, we talked about using monologues that would be performance ready, to cut down on the prep time and frustration for students, and allow the project to be more clearly focused on reading out loud. I think this year, the students could very easily come away from this project feeling like it was an internet search and writing project. We are still not in agreement about having the same reading being used for the initial recording/reflection and the second recording, or having part of the grade based on the improvements listed in the reflection. i think it is important for me to try to be practical. These are not my classes, and I am not ultimately responsible for grading their assignments. Partly, I think this might be a matter of not having high expectations--the Reading teacher does not feel that the students are able to write good reflections and therefore to get much out of them. My main goal for next year will be to get the teacher to model writing a good reflection. If the reflections improve, perhaps she will see value in adding that as an assessment component in the future.

All in all I think this project was successful. The students all had to read aloud in front of the class, focusing on accuracy, pace, and emotion. There are aspect of the assignment that can, and hopefully will, be improved upon to allow the students to learn more from it in the future.

Taking Oppurtunities

I had some unexpected visitors to my room today.

I had no idea why they where there to begin with. I share my room with another teacher, who suddenly showed up with 4 students. They didn't seem to be her students (because she had to ask each of them their names.) At first I thought it was some sort of in school detention (I had to hope my room was not suddenly suitable for in school suspension). But then the students started talking among themselves, which I didn't think the other teacher would have permitted in a detention setting.

I didn't want to embarrass anyone, or provoke anything, so I didn't want to ask the other teacher the obvious question: who are these kids? So I sent her an email. Sure enough she checked it and got back to me quickly. She was supposed to be covering their class, but the room was locked when she got there. Since there were so few of them, and we have enough space, she brought them back. Probably the best decision in the situation.

So, four kids with forty minutes, and nothing to do. There probably is a sub plan, but its locked away in the classroom for now.

So I went to my bag of web 2.0 tricks and thought about what to pick. I wanted to give the kids a tool they might be able to use, and something that would keep them engaged for at least most of the period.

I settled on voki. It is simple to use. It can be used for school or merely entertainment. Its interactive, audio, and visual. In short, perfect for this impromptu lesson.

My pitch, "who wants to see something cool on the computer." Ok, so that could have been better. Two of the four came over. I walked them through it. I asked which character to use, and what clothes, accessories, and background to use. We ended up with a Turkey in a Santa suite with a pilgrim hat in a night club.

At that point I decided the students had had enough instruction. The best way for most of us to learn is by doing, or by showing. I let those two each create their own. I then invited the other two, who were by now laughing at the silly things being said by odd looking talking faces, to make one. Instead of going through my instructions again, I asked one of the first two students to show them how. I think one student out of the four was the most interested in the website. I made sure to have him repeat it to me on the way out, so that he'll have it at his use in the future.

I don't know if I advanced the education of anyone today. But I introduced four students, with nothing to do, to web 2.0. They now at least know they can make talking cartoons. Maybe they will want to add them to a future school project. Maybe they will find a personal use for them. Maybe they will wonder what else they can do so easily on the web. Or maybe, hopefully, they will realize that a lot of these "web tools" are really easy to use if you take two minutes to try them out.