Commenting

[I submitted this comment to a post at David Warlick's 2¢ Worth blog: http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/2007/08/25/in-defense-of-education-blogs/. Mr. Warlick suggested that his daughter might ask her new professors if they read any blogs and which ones. Some readers took offense at placing any importance on whether teachers and/or professors read blogs.] Here's my response:

I am a high school English teacher, and when I was a teacher of content (literature and compositions about literature), it didn't matter to my students whether or not I was technologically savvy. I was teaching them the past, so they expected me to use my own college texts and notes. Those printed texts were vessels of Truth about my subject area, and I shared that Truth with my students.

But now, I am a teacher of skills (literacy, research, communication), and my students need me to help prepare them for the future. Do I have any credibility with my students if I am not part of the great (internet-based) public discourse? My students and I know that the act of publishing does not guarantee Truth, and we must critically read any text. Our school library provides so much more texts electronically than physically. When my students publish their own papers, they can publish to an audience of one (me) or they can share their work with many. I am learning with my students, and they know that I am highly motivated to move forward into the 21st century with them.

I began my Web 2.0 journey just this summer, and my school, SILSA, the School of Inquiry & Life Sciences at Asheville, just began its first year of IMPACT model implementation. I look forward to the support that this model will afford me as an educator.

Everything I know about any of this I have learned from reading a blog. My mentors are classroom teachers who blog, and, even though I have never met them, they have taught me much. From the big dogs like David Warlick, I get inspiration and encouragement. From all of them, I get a sense of belonging.

I'm just waiting to be able to add an RSS feed from a blog written by a teacher at my school. That will be cool!

Who Has Time to Blog?

Between lesson planning, assessing student work, blogging on mrsrudd.net, and all the rest, I just haven't had any time to blog here. I admire teachers who can do all they do and keep a professional blog. I'm struggling.

I will report, though, that I attended my first MTAC meeting on Thursday. Our MTAC group serves both SILSA and Asheville High. I came away from the meeting feeling especially thankful for some of my technology, especially my LCD projector. I have been using my projector every class period. In fact, I make an inelegant PowerPoint which serves as a visual lesson plan. So far, the PowerPoints are completely bare-bones, just black text on the white screen, but I appreciate not having to write the same notes over and over. I also appreciate how easy it is to share a day with a student who missed it and to develop CLOZE notes for students who can't do all the transferring or writing for themselves.

The MTAC meeting highlighted all the exciting things that are happening with learning and collaborating and integrating technology on our campus. We are going to have access to ePals, and I signed up to pilot the blogging feature for SILSA. I can't believe that blogging is now within reach for my students and me. It's so basic, but so powerful. My students and I will be able to offer written feedback to one another's work fairly effortlessly. There will also be email for students which I think will be helpful for kids since they aren't allowed to use thumb drives on school computers. For my part, though, I am much more interested in the public discourse.

I am somewhat puzzled by a comment that I hear repeatedly from various school leaders that IMPACT is about teaching not about technology. They really seem to want to downplay the tecnology component. I think I understand the point, that the IMPACT model is about collaboration between teachers, media specialists, literacy coaches, and writing coaches. I know that it's about collaboration, but, since we are getting a huge grant for technology, then I think it's obvious, to all parties, that access to technology will facilitate collaboration and innovation in teaching and learning. I don't know if the comment hopes to soften the blow for those who won't receive an LCD projector the first go-round or what.

My mission is clear. I must do all I can with what I have.

Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?

What squeeze?

I should have live-blogged the conversation. Yesterday was the first day of our SILSA retreat. After lunch we had a lively conversation about technology in the classroom. Apparently not everyone is as eager to push Web 2.0 into the classroom as I am. Some people may think that others of us might be using technology egregiously, technology just for the sake of technology. Others seem to worry that teachers may devote too much instructional time to teaching how to use the technology, rather than spending those instructional minutes on subject-specific content.

I am afraid I became rather bombastic. At least I was among friends! For example, I accused one friend of being a Luddite. (He is a history teacher friend, so he then attempted to teach me about the mills and why they were dismantled in the first place.) At another point, I responded to a friend by saying, "Well, we could have them write on slates or use quill and ink!"

Our tech facilitator/lead teacher sensibly suggested that we should all incorporate technology at a level with which we feel comfortable.

As always, I wasn't nearly as eloquent as I wished I were. I was surprised to find myself on the defensive. I wasn't the enthusiastic, well-versed English Teacher 2.0 that I hope to be. I have much work to do!

From Theory to Practice

Now, this is the tricky part! All summer I have been learning and dreaming and researching and thinking. I enjoy all of those tasks immensely, and summer break is such a welcome opportunity to reconnect with the theories of education. Also, I love being in the classroom with my students, never a dull moment. But, this transitional part is hard for me. I have one and a half weeks until the First Day of School. Out of all of that enjoyable learning and dreaming, what will get translated into practice in my classroom this year?

Right now I must make important decisions about year-long planning and assessment and classroom design and what to say the first fifteen minutes. And, in the spirit of digital literacy issues, the concern is an abundance of information, not a scarcity of information. Out of all of this sound educational research, what makes most sense to me? What resonates with me so perfectly that I can seamlessly integrate it into my own teaching? What gives me such anxiety that I know it is an issue I must tackle in my own practice?

Our school's retreat begins on Tuesday. We will meet from 8:30-3:00 in the media center. Afterward, in pairs, we will go and visit the homes of our new students. I admit that, on some level, I felt closer to the students whose homes I visited last year. When I looked at them, I knew exactly where they came from. And, I know that their families felt more comfortable contacting me because they had spent some time with me in their space. It takes some extra effort to have home visits, but I think the benefits are substantial.

A Great Introductory Article

In GLEF's recent Technology in Education Newsletter, there's an article by Josh McHugh called "Synching Up with the iKid: Educators Must Work to Understand and Motivate a New Kind of Digital Learner." McHugh offers a thorough explanation of how today's often media-saturated students need technology-rich learning environments. This article also presents information about current classroom technologies. It's a good introduction to current educational technology issues. I plan to link to this article from my website so students and parents may understand more about my own ed tech goals. (The image is credited to David Julian.)

On Your Mark, Get Set!

This morning I read some great reminders about starting the school year off right at the Cool Cat Teacher Blog. I have about four educational technology blogs that I am currently reading. They are listed on this page. I LOVE my real life teacher friends, but I am also really diggin' reading blogs from teachers in other places.

I just learned yesterday that I will have an additional preparation this year. I am extremely excited about the opportunities for the Student Leadership Academy class, but am also feeling just a bit overwhelmed. I think that adding more technology to my teaching will make some things easier this year.

I am very eager to get started with it all.

Whew!

A whole lotta help is on the way for my students and me, and I am feeling so reassured and energized! I decided to go looking for those digital literacy standards, and then I remembered a big word from school administrators last year: IMPACT. Now, IMPACT hadn't made its way into the classrooms much, but I knew there was great buzz about it among administrators, tech facilitators, and librarians. So I went looking and this is what I found:


If you don't know about NC's implementation of the IMPACT model, click on this picture!!


Last year, my school principal attended several meetings about this program, and my school has been awarded an IMPACT grant. We begin implementing the model this school year. WOW! Please follow the link to learn more, if you want.


That reminded me that there were a group of people I hadn't told about my summer study of Web 2.0, my school librarians. I emailed one, and she emailed right back with lots of encouragement and good news about how IMPACT would help make my dreams a reality. I feel so very reassured. I also asked her if I could serve on the MTAC committee (Media and Technology Advisory Committee). It is quite clear to me that educational technology is a real passion for me.


(Have I mentioned yet that I am married to a Manager of Engineering Services?)


Oh, I can't wait to share with all my dear readers (currently there are none) how I grow as a learner and teacher with Web 2.0!

Digital Literacy Diagnostic Assessment

The goals and objectives for digital literacy aren't in my English standard course of study. I have a feeling that some organization has already published these. Maybe there is already a pre-assessment. I am going to look for that, and then come back here and try to work this out.

What do I want students to be able to do with a computer and an internet connection by the end of the school year? How can I assesss those skills at the beginning of the year? What is the essential vocabulary of digital literacy?

I would appreciate your comments.

Meeting with the Technology Facilitator

I did it! I met with the technology facilitator briefly yesterday afternoon. I went to school to drop off something, and she was there working. I described what I wanted to do with blogs, wikis, and podcasts. I assured her that I had safety concerns that I knew we would need to address, but I thought the right person would know how we could handle those concerns. She made good notes and said she would speak to the central office person who would know how to proceed! A victory!




I know that some teachers manage these new technologies for themselves, and I absolutely admire their determination and pioneer spirit. In my district, though, we have a clearly defined Instructional Technology organization. Usually technology integration happens when technology facilitators present new technologies to teachers.




I must acknowledge that I am going through this process almost backwards. I am sure that the person just above my own technology facilitator has spent a good bit of time thinking about Web 2.0 in the classroom. That's why I am so glad my technology facilitator made notes and said she would put in a call. And, while all of this may seem very cumbersome, as a teacher I absolutely appreciate our Instructional Technology structure. I am not a technologist. I appreciate that this structure means I won't set off on a virtual field trip to SL's Globe Theatre without someone else making sure this is a safe Internet use for teachers and students.





As soon as I get another paycheck, there are a few things I am going to buy. I want a copy of David Warlick's book:

and I would like to join ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). There may be a few other things I add to my wish list as I learn more, but, for now, those seem like the two must-haves.

[Added 07/28/07: a digital camera. I desperately need to add photos to my blog and website!]

I wished I already had a copy of Warlick's book yesterday. I would have given it to my technology facilitator, and I am sure it would have described what I am hoping to accomplish much more eloquently than I did.

PS Sometimes the paragraph spacing in my posts changes without my asking it to do so. For the sake of clarity, I am not trying to emphasize certain passages with my spacing! ;-)

What Do I Teach?, Part III

It's three weeks before school starts, and we are still working out the teaching schedule! I left a meeting at school on Thursday of last week having learned about the third proposal. It was ambitious, and it seems now that we will probably revert to the second plan. Ah, the second plan, I had actually begun some thinking about that one!

The reality of teaching at a small start-up school is that few people must wear many hats. This year our enrollment is such that we have three grades and only two teachers per discipline. We will each work with an enviable number of students, but, with electives, some teachers will have a different prep every period. That isn't ideal.

I feel confident about the content part of what I teach. I have a good understanding of my discipline, and I hope and expect to learn new things along with my students. I don't seem so bothered about these changes in the schedule, and that's because my summer efforts have focused on the "how" of teaching, not the "what."

After eight and a half years at home, though, it was the "how" that seemed different last year. I didn't know about tri-fold vocabulary and Cornell notes. Even though I feel behind, I am so pleased to work with colleagues who know current educational research and whose teaching is driven by the best practices this current research highlights. As summer began, I read or re-read books by Marzano, Wiggins, McTighe, Tomlinson and books about project-based learning. I wanted to be more confident with the "how" of my teaching.

So, I am very happy that I spent the remainder of my summer learning more about Web 2.0. What I have learned will map to whatever I am teaching this year.

There are lots of uncertainties. I don't know if our network's SharePoint will easily allow us to create wikis. I would like students to start the year with their own blogs, but I haven't heard that this is possible. I wonder how long it will take to make these technolgies a reality for my students? I have wonderful support from my technology facilitator and my principal, but it seems like I might be the first at my school to use Web 2.0, and it may take a while.

In the meantime, I am a Web 2.0 learner which is a great thing to be.

Second Life

I have heard that some people are learning and teaching through Second Life. But, I hadn't paid much attention to Second Life until I found a blog entry that showed me a picture of Second Life's Globe Theatre and its Leaky Cauldron. Wow! Wow! WOW!! So, I considered trying to determine how I might take my students there on a virtual field trip.

I signed up for a Second Life account and installed the software. Then, I spent the next hour trying to learn how to make my SL avatar look like me in real life and then debating whether or not she needed to look like me. Then I wandered around for an hour trying to learn how to fly and get myself off of orientation island. I don't think I have enough time to learn how to live in a foreign country with no money, no guidebook, and no friends!

Instantly I ruled OUT Second Life as a viable learning tool for my students. Until I know more about it, I am not taking anyone there on a virtual field trip. There were lots of strangers walking and flying around. What if one of those folks flashed me or said something lewd? Maybe I expected to type in "Globe Theater," to appear there instantly, and to visit it as I pleased without having to interract with others. I am pretty sure that experience is called, "Watch a Filmstrip!"

Over and over again I am coming back to the same basic safety concerns. I am reminded of Maslo's Hierarchy of Student Needs. My students and I won't feel comfortable with this new learning environment until our basic needs are met. So, I am stuck on the second tier. I don't feel that I know what to do to ensure student safety and security.

When I think about Web 2.0, I try to reference my questions against how I would handle those same situations in real life. I know how I will handle inappropriate language in blogs, the same way I do in other classroom writing. I know how I will handle plagiarism in wikis, the same way I do in research papers.

And, while I can't prevent a stranger walking into my classroom and saying or doing something horrible, we have all considered that possibility and have done our best to prevent it. We have School Resource Officers who monitor the entrances to our school. We have staff and students who are trained at spotting something unusual and reporting it. We have lock-down drills and evacuation drills. So something horrible might happen at my school in real life, but I have been taught how to respond, and I have even practiced doing so. And, my students' parents know that we are doing our best to keep their kids safe.

I need to know that we have all of this in place for our work online as well. We have a good acceptable use policy. I need to review that and see if it answers all of my questions. I need to think about how I can include parents in what we are doing so that they see the benefits for their kids. I need to know that I have been trained well in how to use these tools in my classroom.

It feels like everyone else in ed tech has moved beyond this. Is that accurate? I will go looking and report back!

What Do I Teach?, Part Deux

Writing! Web 2.0 makes high school writing so much COOLER! Now my students will have an authentic, broad audience. Now my students will receive timely and varied feedback on their writing. Now writing can be ever more about communicating ideas and ever less about doing an assignment for a grade.

Last year we began English I with a look at communication in the 21st Century. We read an article from Wired, "The Blogs of War," and explored the blogs of soldiers stationed in Iraq. We didn't have a way to blog online, so I created a worksheet and we did "Blogging on Paper." My students were as adventuresome and as easygoing as ever. They chose cool blogging names and blogged and posted comments. Some students already had a username, and some students created their own username for the first time. We all hoped that we would soon have a chance to blog for real. Our school considered one blogging program?platform?, but there were some security issues we couldn't adequately address.

I have been looking at many different school and teacher websites this summer, and I still have lots of safety-related questions. I don't know how other teachers and administrators have moved past these issues. I am afraid to email any of the educational technology leaders whose blogs I am reading. What if my concerns are so newbie, and what if a true English Teacher 2.0 wouldn't ask such naive questions?

But, this is my blog, and I will post my questions here. Then I will go in search of the answers and report back to you, dear reader (which is me only at this point, since I am quite sure no one else is reading my blog!).

1. Isn't it illegal for me to publish a student's name on the Internet?
2. Isn't there a concern that students will be targeted by predators?
3. Am I responsible if students are using our classroom blog to write about illegal activities?
4. How do I teach about, discourage, and discipline cyber bullying?

I guess I need to find an educational technology forum. I do plan to join ISTE as soon as I get another paycheck. I bet they have forums on their website.

Leaving the safety questions for a minute, I would like to dream about how I would use Web 2.0 in my classroom. First, every student would have her own blog and would use it to write reflectively about her experiences in the classroom. Students would also be expected to post comments to one another's blogs. Hey, if each student had his own website, then he could have a different page for each subject and publish his work there and then link to his blog for reflection! Aren't blogs mostly reflective writing, with a more thoughtful, less authoritative tone, while a website is a place to publish major work? That's how I think of it, at least.

Also, I would like to create a wiki for each unit we study. I might make individual or small group assignments for different sections of the wiki. Then, perhaps, each section would have specialists in each of those areas, so that students could experience having the wiki created across space and time. We could share our wikis with other classes, maybe even invite them to edit them, too. I think we may be able to use our school SharePoint to make wikis. I have done some research on wikis, but I am still unclear about how to create a wiki.

Also, I want us to use podcasting in the classroom. First, I want to have podcasts of me reading difficult texts, so that some students can listen as they read or study. Also, I want to use podcasting on my website for mini-lectures that only some students might need. Then, I want students to explore podcasting as a means of sharing what they know with others. Finally, how hard would it be to podcast a lesson, so that students who were absent could hear what they had missed? (Again, security issues. What if someone said someone's whole name by mistake?) Incidently, I wonder if students would be any less spontaneous if they knew that an audio of the class was archived online?

There are a few books about educational technology that I would like to get, and I am quite sure that either they debunk some of my ideas about how to use Web 2.0 in the classroom, or they offer answers, not just suppositions. Still, this is the record of where I am on my journey as English Teacher 2.0.

What Do I Teach?

I teach students, of course! But, I identify myself as English Teacher 2.0, so it's clear that we still make those discipline distinctions in high school. Last year I was asked to help make a video for the New Schools Project, an introduction to our work to share with state legislators, universities, and the like. In that video, I said that I was more a teacher of skills than of content. That statement's still true for me, but all summer, as I have studied Web 2.0, I have continued to ask the question, "What do I teach?"

The North Carolina Standard Course of Study eloquently describes the skills my students should master at each grade level. Our most recent Language Arts NCSCOS was approved in 2004, and it is very well-written. I appreciate the hard work that went into preparing it, and I find it very helpful as I begin to teach an unfamiliar class. I also appreciate that it is skills-based and, thus, gives me a great deal of freedom as a teacher to find literature and writing prompts that my students will find engaging. So, I teach communication skills: reading, writing, and speaking. Of course, these are the skills students need to confidently engage with others using Web 2.0.

The reading skills my students need for Web 2.0 are, in some ways, different from the reading skills I focused on with students in 1998. First, let me clarify: I define text broadly to mean not just written words, but also words spoken or performed and visual images in film and art. Today it is crucial that I teach students to identify credible sources of information on the web. Research is so much different when it happens in the Internet. I must teach students to validate texts for themselves, and to backtrack information to more valid sources when possible. Therefore, I am responsible for helping my students acquire a general knowledge of my discipline, so that that they may read critically the information they encounter on their own.

It remains important for me to model reading for my students by reading aloud in the classroom. I think individual students need me to help them learn how to read certain texts. In doing so, I am responsible for teaching the essential vocabulary of English class. And, I must expose my students to a variety of texts, so that they may identify their own passions as readers. Also, we must read different texts to ensure that students have a broad sense of the history of literature and the evolution of the art of writing through the ages, to help students organize their knowledge of literature. So, I still think there is something very valuable about the teacher who shares her own passion for learning by modeling for her students.

I have only thought about reading this morning. I hope to discuss the impact of Web 2.0 on teaching writing later.

Catching Up

I want to bring myself and my teaching into the world of Web 2.0. I plan to chronicle my journey in this blog.

I left teaching in 1998 to start a family. I returned to teaching with a half-time English position in August, 2006. I will be a full-time English teacher this year. I teach at the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville (SILSA). I am incredibly proud of my school district, my school, and my administrators and colleagues. SILSA begins its third year next month. We are in the first cohort of redesigned high schools with the North Carolina New Schools Project. I feel incredibly lucky to have this position.

Last year my students and I shared a wireless, mobile laptop lab with six other classes. This year, we are adding two teachers and another mobile lab, so only four classes will share a lab. Last year our faculty talked about Web 2.0, but safety issues prevented us from implementing any tools. This summer I am studying how other schools are using Web 2.0. I still have concerns, but I am asking for help creating wikis, blogs, and podcasts. I would like to begin with publishing only to our classmates within our secure school network.

I have created a very simple website for my students and their families. You can find it at http://www.mrsrudd.net/. In the classroom, we used the website as a starting point when we accessed specific sites for specific units. I also posted information about long-term projects and uploaded pdf's of my handouts there. I linked to sites I thought my students might find helpful.

I teach some students who are immersed in technology wherever they are. I teach other students who have little access to personal technology outside of our school. I must help prepare every one of them for a future I can't even imagine. Daunting? Yes. Exciting? Incredibly!!

Getting Started

I am going step-by-step through the 23 Things website from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library to learn more about Web 2.0. This is step 3, creating a blog.