Gotta say goodbye for the summer

As the school year comes to a close, I took a look at my past posts. I never thought I would enjoy writing a blog as much as I do, especially a blog about my classroom and how I incorporate technology in the classroom.

If I had to sum up this experience I would say it has made me more reflective on how I use technology in the classroom. It has also pushed me to look for new ways to use technology. Let's face it, if I don't try something new then I have nothing to write about.  My goal, going forward, is to continue to push forward with technology.  I have already asked to pilot a program next school year using e-portfolio's.  My coordinator loves the idea and is going to see if we can get funding.

I am also writing a Java program to help me calculate final averages for my classes. I teach 3 different preps and they each have different requirements. If I am successful I hope to share it with my colleagues.

So there is still much for me to learn and to explore.  However, as the days get longer, my mind drifts to vacation and the stack of books I want to read before it all starts up again. But stay tuned, I'll be back in September with more on the English Classroom 2.0. Until then I leave the blog sealed with a kiss.

A Classroom in Your Pocket.

For all of the criticism technology, and especially social media, gets for dividing us as a society, I feel that it does quite the opposite for a classroom.  For my AP classes I set up a Twitter account.  This way students can communicate with me, and with each other, when they feel stuck.  Most of the time they just want reassurance that they are on the right path with an assignment.  Instead of being anxious, or not doing the work, they can reach out to me.  

Another thing I do for all  my classes is set up classrooms through Google Classroom.  We all download the app and when I post assignments and announcements, students are instantly notified. Students can also turn in assignments through Classroom and leave me messages.  The use of Classroom has diminished the number of students who ask for assignments after being absent, or who fail to turn things in because they left their notebook at home.  Of course this means that I might have my phone sounding off with alerts from students while I'm walking my dog, but the ability to fit my classroom in my pocket it worth it.

Why Quiz When You can Kahoot?

Quizzes, students hate taking them and I hate grading them.  I didn't think there was a way around it until a student introduced me to Kahoot, an online platform that allows students to take quizzes while competing with each other all from their smartphones.

After creating an account, you can create a multiple choice quiz.  Each quiz is given a pin number.  Students create accounts of their own and then enter the pin given to take the quiz.  They are able to see who else is playing, and try to enter the correct answer before someone else.  On my end, I am able to see who is participating and their results.  Students also are given their results at the end.

At first I was skeptical.  Would students want to take a quiz this way? Yes, they sure do.  They enjoy being able to use their phones, as well as having the instant satisfaction of knowing their grade the minute they are done.  For me, it eases the paper load and gives me time to focus on more great lessons.  Now, if I can only find an app to grade all the essays on my desk.

The Best Laid Plans...

     The best part of being a teacher that began teaching before there was so much technology in the classroom is that I'm not overly dependent on it to get my work done.  Yes, there are times when the SmartBoard doesn't work that I have a mini meltdown inside as I scramble to figure out what to do, but for the most part I have a back up.  However, when you get really excited about doing something, and write about it in your blog, and have technology conk out on you, you can feel really devastated.
     Last week I was to begin my video blog with my students.  I should have known something was amiss when my colleague next door warned me to be careful with the outlets because one of her students went to charge his phone and received a shock. I opened the Chromebook cart and noticed that the indicator lights were off on all the books.  When I opened one, the battery had been drained. As it turns out, there was some sort of short.  This is my explanation of whatever happened, which was explained to me but that I couldn't grasp.  I'm sure I could grasp the reasoning, however, all I heard was, "This will take a while, therefore your project has been derailed."
     My students will go a different route with their poems, we've decided to have a class slam.  Students will work in groups to prepare each other to read their poems with style. Every poem will be read in front of the class, instead of recorded.  I was concerned my kids would be disappointed, but they took it in stride.  "That's what happens, Miss," one student said, referring to technology. Yup, that's what happens.  Thank goodness for being able to fall back on the "old-fashioned" classroom.

Finding Your Voice

     The end of the school year for my seniors means one thing, spoken word.  Part of being able to communicate effectively is being able to use words not only in essays, but also in dialogue and debate.  Of course whenever anyone mentions spoken word, thoughts go immediately to poetry. Therefore, poetry is where we start.  Some of the best examples of excellent spoken word poets can be found on YouTube.  I particularly like poets featured on, the now defunct show, Def Jam Poetry. The students connect with these poems in a way that they don't with older, classic, poems. Throughout my lessons I have students play with words, to see how each word can be seen as a larger piece of a puzzle they have control over.  I must admit that these lessons are some of the most fun that I do all year.  The students know each other, and me, by this point and can let go a bit. The problems start when I mention that they have to recite a poem that they have written.
     Many people blame technology for the fact that students have a hard time interacting face to face. While texting, instead of calling or meeting, might be contributing to this, I believe many people, regardless of generation or age, have difficulty speaking in front of others.  I decided that instead of blaming technology, I would use it to help my students overcome their fears. This year I will attempt to create podcasts with them.
     The idea of podcasts might seem contrary to my goal of having students speak in front of others, but I believe the reason so many students have difficulty speaking in public, is that they've never really heard themselves.  They are used to hearing others, and then deciding that they aren't good enough.  The podcast process will have them recording, and rerecording themselves.  Students can listen to their tone and inflections and record again until they feel as though their piece is exactly how they want it.  This will also help English language learners, who are still trying to figure out how some basic words are said.
     Each student will have his/her poem recorded, and played for the class, but then she/he must speak to the class and discuss the writing process.  The class will have an opportunity to ask questions.  My goal is that if every student has a polished piece recorded, they will feel empowered when they present. The class will run as a writers workshop, where they can discuss the process of writing and performing their poems.
     My district has us work with Google as much as possible, therefore the challenge will be in working within the parameters available to make it happen. But I'm getting ahead of myself.  I've got to get them to write the poems first.

Fun with Concept Maps

When I mention to my classes that we are going to read Shakespeare, a collective groan emanates from the students.  I get it. The language is difficult and it is hard for them to relate to the characters. The only classes to get excited right off the bat are my AP classes.  Therefore, it is my task to drum up excitement prior to reading. This week it is my college class that will begin reading Othello, and I needed to tap into their prior knowledge before tackling the play.  I decided they should work on a concept map for this task.

I created a map with one bubble titled: relationships.  My goal was to have them discuss the types of relationships we encounter every day.  They worked in groups, on Chromebooks, and then we discussed the results as a class.  During the class discussion they were free to go in and modify the concept map.  My goal during the discussion was to get them to talk about the points I know will come up in the play such as romantic love, jealousy, envy, and the role of close friends.  A livelier discussion I couldn't ask for.  Students were engaged, debating their views, and open to hearing other points.  This took them two days to complete, and we had class discussion at the end of every day.  We ended today's discussion with the concept of abusive relationships.  I will ask them to research information on this topic and add facts to their concept map tomorrow.

Research is another topic that normally gets the class to groan, but not today.  Today they left interested in the subject and, dare I say, looking forward to researching tomorrow.  Technology is not always the answer.  With my senior classes we worked on word choices and used sticky notes on the blackboard.  This class was just as enthusiastic using paper as my college level class was using Chromebooks.  The key is to use what we, as educators, think is the best tool that will work to get them engaged.

I'm not positive I won't hear a groan when I actually say the word Shakespeare to them, but at least today they were smiling.

Students in a Technological Community

My AP students spent part of last week uploading their sections of the study guide onto the website. It is far from being done, but at least most of it is functional.  They still need to go in and tweak the format of the sections to make it visually appealing to the user.  There is one section that is still a work in progress, the adventure game.  I have two AP literature classes and each one has worked on the components of a game, however, the techies in my district are still trying to determine the best platform for those games.  I'll write about that in my next post, since someone is coming into the classes this week to work with them.

On Friday, as I was giving them their assignment for the weekend, I reminded them that they needed to go on the site and use it as a study guide.  Each student needed to choose one or two sections to explore and take notes on.  The goal was to have them come up with feedback on the section.  After weeks of working on this guide I was excited to finally have them go one there and use it.  This week I read about community building with technology and it got me thinking about this study guide the classes are creating.  The platform we are using is a Google site since my district is very keen on everything going through Google whenever possible. This has made it easy for my students to work together since they are able to share and work on documents with each other.  By going "live" with the site, both of my classes will be merged and each student will now have an opportunity to work with the students from a different class. While I teach the same material to both classes, each class is unique.  The conversations on topics will vary based on students' questions and observations.  Up until this year I only taught one section of AP, therefore I have not had the opportunity to have classes share their knowledge with each other.  I am curious to see if there are any fundamental differences between the information posted by the two classes and whether or not students will be able to pick up on them. I'm hoping that they will be able to learn from each other.

As I reflect on my reading on the benefits of building a community of learners using technology, I realize that it might have been a good idea to find a way to connect both classes before now.  I use Twitter with my classes to allow them to ask questions and have myself, or other students, respond. What I have noticed is that most of the time they choose to private message me, instead of asking the entire group.  Perhaps Twitter doesn't make them feel connected since it is a public forum.  If I have the opportunity to teach two AP classes next year I will look into perhaps creating a Wiki for them so that I can post some assignments with the intention of having both classes work with each other.

In the meantime I have the website, and a Hamlet adventure game that has yet to materialize.

Hitting the Digital Wall

     My struggles with helping my AP students create an adventure type game to review the seven soliloquies in Hamlet continue.  Since I am not he most tech savvy person, I am quick to ask for help. First, I ask the students.  I recognize that many of them are well versed in the 2.0 world, and they can often be counted on to have an answer.  When that fails I reach out to my colleagues.  At the end of the road are the "experts" in our technology department.  It is to these experts that I went to in my quest for the Hamlet game.  The result was disappointing to say the least.  My tech person had nothing for me. But more surprising than that was the fact that I got the distinct impression that he didn't want me to pursue it any further.  However, instead of feeling defeated I assigned him the task of asking his superiors what ideas they might have to make the game a reality.
     His concern is that, apart from not knowing how to create the game, he doesn't want to give my students a template. He feels that they should be able to create the game from scratch.  While I see the value in this, I also expressed my concerns.  If he, the expert, is having difficulty how will my students be able to complete the task?  Especially since I feel the hardest task, of extracting how ethos, pathos, and logos is used in each soliloquy, is a difficult job in and of itself.  Not only do the students need to recognize how this rhetorical language is used in each soliloquy, but also how it shows Hamlet's development throughout the play.  This task is one that they chose to work on, and I feel it is a meaningful higher learning activity.  The game, and the programming of it, is secondary. They obviously still need to know how to insert their knowledge into the game so that the user can learn from it, but is it really necessary that they learn all of the coding to make it possible? Is this ultimately beneficial to their learning?  Personally, I feel it is a stall tactic.  If it is, it's not going to work.
     The most frustrating part is that I have to depend on others to help me help my students.  On a positive note I am now working with Flippity.net, which turns a Google spreadsheet into flash cards. This is a tool my students can use to work on literary terms.  The best part of using tools on the Google platform is that it works well with their Chromebooks in school, which makes it easy to include on the school's website.  I may have not won the war yet, but I am determined to get there, one Google app at a time.
 

Being a Technology Immigrant

There is nothing that can frustrate you more than thinking you have a handle on a piece of technology just to find yourself hitting a wall.  Having grown up in the 1980s, I recognize I am a technology immigrant.  I did not grow up with a computer in my home, much less a smartphone, and at times I feel this to be a disadvantage in the classroom.  My AP students are working on their websites, and my job is to guide them through the process so that they can be successful.  For the most part, everything is going smoothly, but this week it has been a real challenge trying to create an adventure style game.  My students were ready to give up.  I, however, refuse to give up, especially since they have an amazing idea that I believe will help them immensely.

The idea they came up with is to have Hamlet go through his castle.  In each level he will be faced with one of his soliloquies.  We have discussed in class the importance of his seven soliloquies, both to the development of the play, as well as to the development of his character.  In each soliloquy Hamlet will be prompted to find examples of rhetorical language, specifically ethos, pathos, and logos.  If he finds them all he will get a prize and move on to the next level.  Identifying the language is no small feat, and I loved that they chose something challenging to work on.  This will be a great study guide for the class.  However, when we found a website that can create the game (scratch.mit.edu) we realized we'd met our match.

Like I said, I'm admittedly an immigrant to technology, but my students are not.  When they couldn't figure it out, I saw their enthusiasm wane.  This is the last thing any teacher wants to see.  I'm lucky that my district has wonderful people working to help students and teachers work with technology.  I called on one of them and his suggestion was to work with the exact website we were having difficulty in.  Not only is he going to figure out what the problem is, he has promised to come to my class this week and work with the students.  

It can be frustrating to navigate the 2.0 world as an immigrant, but as other immigrants in the past, we can't run from the challenges.  The best way to achieve success in this new world is to reach out to the natives or to those with more knowledge.  Only by collaborating will we reach success.  I am looking forward to being able to have my students achieve their goal.  And, let's face it, as an English teacher I really want to play this new Hamlet game.

Technology as a Partner

Like most English teachers I have used technology as a tool to deliver information to students, or house information for students.  I have used the Smart Board in the room to show snippets of films that are related to our reading.  I have also created websites for students to reference class notes and find assignments.  In the past I created Web quests for younger grades to help them do research.  However, how much of the technology in my room is a real partner for students in their quest for meaningful learning?

            Most of my reflection this week is focused on my 11AP Literature and Composition class.  One of the theories of meaningful learning states that teachers need to be able to articulate how students need to think in order for them to truly learn.  This is one of the biggest obstacles in teaching.  Teachers need to teach students to think to learn, and not for the purposes of giving the teacher the “right” answer, but to have students become more analytical thinkers. To this end, the first thing I teach them is how to annotate.  Only by being active readers can they effectively analyze text and be able to express themselves in their writing.  I emphasize that annotations are personal, with no right or wrong answer. That being said, I also emphasize that they need to be able to support their theories with examples found in the text. Since the majority of the works we use can be found online, through Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org), students have the option of using the website Scrible.com, which allows them to add sticky notes to an online text.  Students like that they can color coordinate their notes for easier referencing.

            The AP classes are also working on a website of their own.  It will be their study guide and will be housed within our class website.  The students are using Weebly to construct the site and are working in groups.  I don’t tell them what needs to go on their study guide; instead we brainstorm ideas of what they might like to see there.  They then work in groups to create the materials while one group works on the creation of the site.  The work is done in my room with Chromebooks.  This is really handy since each group is able to work on the same document at the same time.  I am also able to see what they are working on and comment in real time as they work.  The one requirement I ask of them is that each segment of the study guide needs to be interactive. I don’t want pages of notes, but rather tools to help them check their understanding of the material.  So far the groups have created vocabulary quizzes, Jeopardy style games based on some of the novels read, and one group is working on a quest type of video game using Hamlet and the use of ethos, pathos, and logos in the play. The students are using a tool that requires no coding, and they are enjoying the process. The website is scratch.mit.edu.         

My twelfth graders recently had to write a research paper.  I broke up the assignment into various parts.  The first part was all about them.  I wanted this paper to mean something to them, so I asked them to think about a social issue that they cared about.  They needed to write down everything they knew about the subject and then write eight to ten questions they had on the topic.  These questions drove their research. My school district subscribes to various databases, and I chose SIRS by ProQuest to have my students begin their investigations.  Articles are arranged by subject and date on the database, making it easy for students to find the latest information on their topic.  However, they were allowed to use Google, and I spent time reviewing how to discern which websites were reliable. Using Google docs students were able to help each other through the various editing stages of their research and, later, of their paper. I believe that my having students choose their social issue, and create their own guiding questions makes the research a more authentic task.

            I also used Google classroom to have the students turn in their assignments.  Docupus and Goobric, both additions to Google Sheets, work with Google classroom to allow me to attach a rubric to the assignment, grade the work, and then share it with the student.  The students receive my comments, as well as the rubric, and a grade.  I haven’t experimented with allowing students to use Docupus as an editing tool yet, but it is something I will attempt soon.

            Overall, I believe that I am making strides in having technology be a partner in my students’ learning, however, there is still more that can be done.