my slideshow

How I do my slideshows

I use imovie for slideshows, though I might actually have to use moviemaker and flickr, and voicethread in the future because my school is on PC's. Usually, I do the narration in garageband, another Mac program, because you can put music to it, which you can fade in and out. I have used podcasting, but not slideshows, in my classroom. I do use powerpoint slide shows when we read stories in class. I try to find pictures of things that relate to the stories so that the students are stimulated both visually and aurally. I would probably use Flickr to do the same things; perhaps I would use Picasa, as I am a google person. Right now, I am so excited about my podcasting for disabilities idea, I don't know what to do with myself! Slideshows do help with those kids though; they are more engaged when they know what we're talking about.

I KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO DO FOR MY FINAL PROJECT

Ok, scratch everything I've talked about already. I am going to make podcasts for my kids with reading disabilities. I will either post the podcasts online, or I will make cd's that the kids can check out and take home to listen to (or of course, come to my room to listen to). This way, not only can the kids have the stories we read in audio, but they can also have my notes, and things I say! This might be more difficult than I think, but I have so many kids who have processing or reading disabilities, and they need a way to study for tests that doesn't involve writing or reading. I'm so excited about this!
Also, I will post my non-narrated collage in a little bit. I need a wi-fi signal. For a better example, refer to my digital writing project, which is already posted.

Right now, I don't like Macs

Hello loyal readers!

I am currently trying to post a new little collage that I have made with narration and music, but unfortunately, my garage band is having a little problem. First my podcast mic wouldn't work, then when I recorded it using the built-in, it won't export to itunes. I have done this a lot, even with students, so it's frustrating. For proof that I do actually know how to do this, please see the post entitled "Digital Literacy", which should be from last February or  March. That was for a different class, but I spent more time on it, so it should be better. Until then, I will try to get some movies and podcasts up here, if my stupid computer will behave. Thanks for patience.

Inspiration

Zero Inspiration

I can't figure out how to get my Inspiration document up here yet, so I will probably post it during class. Sorry to all my loyal readers. Thanks.

Blog on Blogs

When I need to search for something, I typically use Google. I teach research methods to students, and when I teach it, I am forbidden from telling them to use Google. I don't know why this is, but I suspect it is because most people don't know how to use Google properly. They don't know that when you search in Google, you are given a variety of different types of material related to that search, including academic articles. As an aside, I also use Google to fight plagiarism, as I can just type in the words I believe were plagiarized and they come right up. Of course, a student could plagiarize from a book, but the chances of them actually using a real book for research are low (why would they when they could use the internet?).

I usually use ERIC when I have to search for academic articles, or Google Scholar, an extension of the wondrous search engine mentioned above. I find that most databases are unwieldy and just not as easy to use as Google. Why do I always have to limit my search terms? Can't the database figure out that I want articles about baseball when I type that word in the search field? Google can.

If I am forced to use a database, it usually takes me many trys to find what I am looking for. I will start by just typing the most important part of what I am looking for in the search field, for instance, an unusual word in the title. Then, when that returns nothing, I try putting that in quotes. When that returns many un-useful, unrelated articles, I usually try the author and the unusual word. Sometimes that works, but for the most part, I just type the entire title into the search field on our old, good friend, Google.

I determine the validity of information on a website first by the appearance of the website and the last time it was updated. A good website should be updated almost every day, if not several times per day. Further, I look for the level/style of writing on the website; many grammatical errors or usage errors means I won't be using this information. Lastly, I cross-reference the information with other websites, usually found by using Google Scholar.

Thus far, I have taught students to use the clunky databases. They generally hate it because the databases are so hard to search compared to what they are used to. I also teach them to look for sites from newspapers or other news outlets, to check the date the site was last updated, and to look for neatness and grammatical mistakes. Also, I teach the students to look for funding information on the website, and then research the group that funds it. This becomes extremely important, especially when students are researching controversial issues.

Digital Writing

This is my second blog. When I traveled to Ecuador, I used a blog to relate stories to my friends and family scattered throughout the world. I found that it was a great way to communicate with a large number of people at once, and I avoided the impersonality of a mass email. I like blogging because I like writing, and I think that blogging is a practical way to have a written conversation.

I've just started teaching at South St. Paul Secondary School (7th grade), and I am looking forward to using blogging in my next unit. I plan to have the students do a blog role play for various novels that we will be reading. I tried to do this during my student teaching, but I met resistance. I found that students did not have the necessary technology skills to complete a blog project and that the school did not have the resources. I would have had to monopolize one of the school's two computer labs for 4 periods per day for about 2-3 weeks. Anyone who knows the reality of some schools' technology resources knows what I am talking about.

I was, however, able to complete a creative writing podcast with one of my classes. I found this to be very rewarding, motivating, and helpful. Though I haven't heard much student feedback after the project, I can report that the students were very engaged and focused when creating the podcast itself. I also used this medium during my practicum last year at Crosswinds, and I found the same results: kids get very excited by the thought of recording their own voice reading their own work. Unfortunately, I have typically used Mac computers to complete this project and I have handled most of the technical side of things (I use my computer and my podcast microphone). If I continue to teach here at SSPPS, I would like to apply for a grant to purchase these things for my classroom.

I think that digital writing can enhance communication, but I am skeptical of the notion that digital always improves communication. I think that sometimes speaking and old-fashioned pen-and-paper writing is sometimes useful in that it's familiar, and also necessary for "the real world". I am a little taken aback by how infrequently issues of access are mentioned amidst the zeal in English Education for all things digital. There are students who don't know how to use a computer, who don't have a computer at home. Also, digital writing is still a bit controversial in actual school settings because it challenges knowledge that older teachers might not have. I am interested and willing to try a variety of digitally-based projects, but I am careful to consider the caveats along the way.

In all, I look forward to this class and what it will teach me so that I can pass that knowledge on to my students and perhaps even my colleagues.