TN Student Speaks Out About Common Core, Teacher Evaluations, and Educational Data

Great speech showing a TN student’s point of view on the CCS! Check it out!

Good Reads

Last week I was able to do a book share with the students in the class I’m observing to help them find new texts to read for their independent reading assignments. I created a list of titles and a Prezi about a few specific books that I have read and enjoyed, and had the class discuss the books they have read and enjoyed as well. The students marked a few books from the list I created that they were interested in,  but in planning the lesson I wanted to offer them a larger resource for finding books they might want to read.

On their list and in my Prezi, I told the students about goodreads.com, which is a great website for readers of any age. On this site, you can look for books based on a variety of categories, such as genre, and can read reviews and ratings left by other people. 

An account is free, and while it is not a requirement for using the site, choosing books that you’ve read in the past and rating them based on how much you enjoyed them will enable the website to make you personal, individualized recommendations. This is great for students who loved a certain book and are looking for similar reads. 

You and other users from the site can create and vote on lists based on some kind of categorization that includes whichever books you choose. There are a wide multitude of Young Adult Literature lists, for example, and can be a great way to keep up with current popular literature that you may be able to read or recommend to students. 

Directing students to goodreads.com is a great way to help them find their next texts on their own rather than just going over a list with them as well. It makes them an active participant in the selection of the material they wish to focus on and empowers them through choice and research. 

I recommend goodreads to anyone who loves to read!

First Days of Observation

I’ve recently begun observing in a nearby high school with a teacher who runs a variety of English classes and is eager to help me learn. I’ve really enjoyed my time there thus far, and have truly relished the interactions I get to have with the students. I’ve even been given the privilege of helping to perform some of my teacher’s duties–conducting a quiz, helping the students with their group work, and even teaching a small part of a lesson for one of the classes.  

My host teacher is already talking to me about the content he would like me to plan lessons on in the coming weeks. The students in his Honors and Regents classes have a book review due about every seven weeks over the course of the year. They are permitted to pick whatever book they want to read, and then get to write a review that contains a summary of the book’s plot and their opinion on what they have read. My host teacher likes to keep his students progress updated by passing around his “Book Tracker” once in a while, where students will record their name and how far into their book of choice they are.

This independent book assignment seems like a nice break from the complicated free modifier diagrams that the students have to learn for about the first month–if not longer–of school. After this extensive grammar study is over, the students will be moving onto short stories, so the first book review also seems like a good literary warm-up.

My host teacher would like for me to conduct a lesson or book share, where I can recommend different pieces of literature that I think the students would enjoy. He admitted to me that this current body of students was already reading more than many others in the past, but sometimes some of them have trouble figuring out where to start. I plan on creating a list of all sorts of literature, especially various Young Adult books, and giving it the students so they can mark which ones they feel interested in as I do my presentation. I will show any book trailers or other helpful medias I can find, and will likely try to use a platform like Prezi to present what I want to share with them. 

I truly want to find out what sorts of books each of the students enjoys reading; I’ve been trying to observe which ones they carry with them already, and hope for some sort of discussion within the class when I teach this first lesson. My teacher would also like for me to teach another lesson, centered more on how to write a proper book review. I can’t wait to work with my host teacher and my students to make this experience even more valuable for my future as an English Educator. 

Does anyone have any specific pieces of YA literature that they enjoy or would like to suggest I include? I would love for my list to be as comprehensive as possible!

Discourse Development

Over the summer I was fortunate enough to find a writing job with a company that creates and maintains an online presence for various medical practices. The company creates websites, blogs, advertisements, and various other technical aspects of building success online. We worked for plastic surgeons, dentists, orthopedists, and a long list of other specialists. One of our clients was even a cosmetic dentist for stars like Kanye West, the Kardashians, Miley Cyrus, and more.

I’m a part-time writer in the office, so most of my work consists of writing blog posts, press releases, social media posts, and creating landing pages. It was great experience for many reasons, but what I want to focus on is how this job relate’s to James Gee’s idea of a liberating discourse.

We have our primary discourses, which are the language and customs we develop first (from our homes). And anything after that is a secondary discourse–the way we learn to speak in school, at work, with certain friends, et cetera. The more discourses we develop, the less restricted we are. We grow more adaptable and more free from the restrictions of  a single discourse.

For example, I started this blog in a college class last semester. I learned how to use WordPress, how to act, interact, post, speak, and more, creating a new discourse on blogging. The office I worked at over the summer just so happened to use WordPress to create its websites and to edit them. My blogging discourse using this site helped me get the job.

In the job, I also developed more discourses. I learned how to communicate with my various coworkers (most of whom were older than me). I learned how to speak in a blog post for all different sorts of medical specialists, how to formulate my words in a press release, how to format and organize a landing page. One secondary discourse gave me the opportunity to find employment and to develop further discourses that may help me in the future.

Now, at the start of my junior year and my formal educational training, I can’t help but to relate my own experience to my future classroom. The more discourses a student can develop, they better off they will be in the world. Social interactions, employment opportunities, and more all depend on the discourses an individual possesses. As teachers, it is our job to facilitate the development of these discourses.

Read more about Gee’s ideas on discourses here.

Blogging and Microblogging

This past semester at SUNY Cortland, my ENG 307 class required me to create and manage a blog and a twitter account that both center around technology and education. Over the course of this class, I learned that these two accounts are great resources and networks for teachers, especially those that are teaching in the Digital Age. This semester-long assignment taught my classmates and I how to create our own posts, short and long, and how to respond to the posts of others to teach each other various educational values.

Personally, I enjoyed the blogging assignments given to us. It was a simple, fun, and effective way for us to engage each other in a hybrid course, and a great way to reach those outside of our school. Posts and tweets were always a great relief compared to longer and more complex assignments as well.

Blogging and tweeting are something I will likely return to in the future, as they are invaluable to educators. Twitter and sites like WordPress are full of teaching accounts that other teachers can follow and learn things from constantly. There are ideas constantly being exchanged and shared among the education and ELA community, and places like this on the internet allow for this.

Blogging and tweeting can be used in a multitude of ways, for students, teachers, and parents alike. I think any educator who wishes to truly expand his or her knowledge on how to better their students should create at least one account on a website like this. Whether you join to post or just to sit back and learn, blogging and microblogging are a great idea for any educator.

Say Cheese!

 

When people think about technology in the classroom, their minds tend to stray towards iPads, computers, computer applications, or other complex tools. But one device that is often overlooked (perhaps for its simplicity) is the digital camera. When you think about it, a digital camera is typically easy to use, effective, and fun for people of all ages. So why not makes use of them?

The main issue, of course, is what teachers can even use digital cameras for in a classrooms setting. Sure, they’re entertaining, but what educational value do they serve?

Firstly, cameras provide a level of hands-on engagement that written assignments simply do not have. Getting students involved in their own education is always a benefit; you can’t teach those who aren’t interested in learning.

As for the school-related use of digital cameras, teachers of all subjects could easily integrate them into a new or pre-existing assignment. Here is a great list of uses from various educators and an explanation as to why digital cameras are so beneficial in the classroom.

Digital photographs are great as an addition to projects, or as a project themselves. The visual representation of things always helps in teaching children, and students of all ages could use a digital camera for educational purposes.

Most families typically own cameras already. If they don’t, cameras are not as expensive to provide students with as many of the other devices the school might buy. Digital cameras may also be a type of technology, but traditionalists are less threatened by them as they have been around longer than many other tools.

When it comes down to it, digital cameras are obviously not a necessity in classrooms. But what they stand for–providing a creative outlet, engaging otherwise disinterested students, holding interest in a typically boring subject–is important. Even if it is something as simple as a digital camera, classrooms need to be aware of the role digital devices can and will play in education.

Out With the Old and In With the New

Many ebook providers, like Amazon’s Kindle, have been expanding their demographics into classrooms all across America. The use of tablets and other electronic reading devices for education has been studied extensively for the past few years, and companies like Apple and Amazon have created various initiatives to introduce the devices into schools.

But the question many are still wondering is: will ebooks replace physical books?

It’s true that using tablets rather than textbooks may be more efficient in certain ways. Students would not have to lug around pounds upon pounds of heavy books in their bags, the school may save money, and the networks for the devices can be monitored and restricted, maintaining a safe learning environment.

Maybe students will even engage in the literature more. Tablets are cool, right?

But what about the detriments of introducing ebooks as a replacement? Schools cannot sell their textbooks back anymore, so they may lose money with a Kindle or Nook. Children may lose something in their education without the tactile advantage of physical pages, and if ever presented with a book later on, they may lack the knowledge necessary for comprehending it. Looking through multiple texts is also next to impossible on these devices; a task much simpler when done with textbooks.

Many may turn this debate into a competition between the traditional and the progressive thinkers. Do we prefer the weight of a book in our hands and the texture of printed pages, or do we prefer to keep with the Digital Age and organize ourselves with technology?

The truly important factor in making this decision must be the welfare of the students, however. It must be decided which medium will most benefit their education, and which will most harm it. Our values and beliefs are being placed in the forefront when it is the future of students that we must consider.

This also leads to the point that the reason companies like Amazon and Apple are pushing the integration of their tablets into classrooms is for profit. Schools would have to buy their products in bulk, as well as their applications and ebooks. School is primarily a market to companies like this, and this may alarm many educators and parents. Yet at the same time, textbook companies likely view schools in a similar way.

The truth is, the debate between ebooks and textbooks will likely last for quite a while. Everyone has something different to say about it, and there are still a large amount of studies that must be done to figure out what will most benefit students, teachers, and education as a whole. As of right now, all we can do is keep an open mind and await the final verdict.

Collaborate with Colleagues!

PLNs (Personal Learning Networks) and PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) are necessities for any successful teacher or educator. These learning networks have always existed in some shape or form, but can now focus more on convenient social medias. PLNs are the way in which teachers socialize and exchange information, whether it be over the internet or face-to-face.

(Click here or here for more information on Personal Learning Networks.)

The reason PLNs are, and always have been important is that they are constantly growing as various forms of communication grow. At first, teachers had to meet in person within schools and at conferences. Slowly, as phones and email expanded, so did the networks; today there are endless possibilities for creating a PLN with colleagues from all over the world.

One of the most popular ways to create a network is via Twitter and TweetDeck. Educators can easily find and follow one another and send out messages with a 140 character limit. Twitter is simple and easy to use, and allows the use of hash-tags, which can be more easily tracked in TweetDeck. Many teachers from across the world participate in Tweet Chats, where they discuss specific topics within a single hash-tag.

Another great resource for making a PLN is Facebook. Educators can create a page with ease, where they can post various sorts of media and information. Most people are already familiar with this medium as well, making the learning process far easier. 

Blog sites are also a great resource for teachers, like Blogger or Edublogs. Educators can make longer posts with easy formatting; links, pictures, information, videos and more can also be shared. Teachers can follow one another and search through specific tags to find posts on  certain topics. (WordPress is a great resource too of course!)

There is a long list of other resources educators can use to create Personal Learning Environments or Professional Learning Communities. Ning, Diigo, YouTube, and Wiki’s are only a few of the numerous options to choose from (for some more options, click here). 

Collaborating using these networks creates a more well-rounded teacher with unlimited information at their fingertips. Social media sites, like those listed above, are free and easy to use. With all of these possibilities at your disposal, why not make use of them?

 

My First Radio Show

This week I had the privilege of creating a radio show online with two of my fellow classmates. After hearing about the project, I was curious as to how it would be done and how well it would turn out. I’ve had to do plenty of collaborative projects with other mediums, like video or PowerPoint, but never a project that was solely audio. 

At our first meeting over Skype, Kim, Ryan, and I went through the proper preparation steps and came up with the idea of creating a show that centered on something all college students could relate to–late night homework sessions. We left the meeting with plenty of ideas so that we could create outlines in time for our next meeting. I already felt a lot better with this unfamiliar project.

The next time we met in person, after Spring Break, and immediately got started. We decided to use GarageBand to record our show, which we would later upload to Soundcloud. 

Everything went well that first time, although creating an introduction took longer than one would expect. We each created separate personas, and came up with the name “What the FM I Still Doing Up Radio.” 

Of course, as with any assignment, we hit our fair share of bumps. None of us had used GarageBand extensively before, so we lost recordings multiple times and were forced to re-record. Kim especially put a lot of effort into learning how to work the program, watching a 30-minute instructional video to edit our project as well as possible. 

We all worked well together, creating scripts, characters, commercials, and transitions with ease. Everyone kept busy and the process took a few days at the library. We were all happy with the final product.

We decided to format our show as a sort of competition between callers so we could vary voices and keep it interesting. We included several relevant songs and commercials to break up the radio show hosts and the callers. Our callers included two stereotypical late-night students and one professor.

Overall, this was a fun and interesting project. It could definitely be utilized by either teacher or student in a classroom, and it was a very useful skill to learn. 

You can listen to “What the FM I Still Doing Up Radio” here.

TV Land

Television is usually a technological medium kept at home rather than at school. Children and adults alike are typically glued to this device for hours every day, except for while they are supposed to be learning or working. But it is important to realize that TV can be a useful tool for teachers, especially those in ESL classrooms.

First, teachers planning to use some form of television for their students must view what they are showing beforehand, and must pick something appropriate for a classroom setting. They should make sure the links, DVDs, flash drive, or whatever other method they will use to find the program or movie are functional and compatible with the classroom technology.

Teachers, while showing any sort of TV, should always remain vigilant for any students using this assignment as a means of using a cell phone or taking a nap. Television also should not be used out of laziness, meaning students should be expected to do at least some small form of assignment after viewing what the teacher picks.

Television will work in any classroom because it is entertaining, holding the interest of students who are familiar with this medium and keeping them amused. It can break the monotonous routine of books and worksheets, and will relax educators and pupils alike. Simultaneously, shows and movies can present the same old boring information in a new and interesting way.

Television can also improve listening skills, especially in ESL classrooms. ESL educators can also teach culture using news programs like CNN or BBC. Some programs can even help teach students how to speak English.

Another way TV can be used in the classroom is as a means of introducing other course work and as a clear visual representation. The visual aspect is greatly beneficial to ESL students, as is the simple English often used on television shows.

There is no denying how fun television can be outside of school, but it is using it inside of the classroom that will simultaneously educate and delight students. Here is an article that explains some of the many ways TV can be used in an ESL classroom. Countless programs and websites grant us access to infinite shows, movies, and programs from all over the world, and it would benefit both teacher and student to learn from the ever-expanding medium of television.