Monday, February 28, 2011
Visual Literacy Using Comic Strips
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sharon G. Flake Internet Workshop Example

1. Go to http://www.sharongflake.com/ and click on the "bio" tab to find out why she writes books about young adults.
2. Now click on the "4U" tab and tell how her message makes you feel as a young adult.
3. How many books has Flake written?
4. Now go to www.nypl.org/author-chat-sharon-g-flake to read the text from an Author Chat with Sharon G. Flake. What inspired Flake to create Maleeka Madison?
5. What advice does Flake give about teenagers interested in writing a story?
6. After researching Sharon G. Flake, are you excited, semi-excxited, not at all excited to read "The Skin I'm In"? Why or why not?
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As an English teacher, reading novels is an important part of the curriculum but rarely do we provide students with background knowledge about the author to specifc themes presented in the novels. We tell them we are reading a novel because 'we have to', or 'I said so' when we should be saying, 'I cannot wait for us to read this novel' or "This is one of my favorite novels and I cannot wait to share it with you'. Utilizing an Internet Workshop is a “simple way to integrate the Internet into the curriculum” and to focus student use of the Internet on important information” (Leu, Leu, & Coiro, 2004, p. 106). Today's students use technology on a recreational level, but focusing their attention with specific structured activities can help prepare them to devleop critical literacies to participate in a “highly competitive global economy” (Leu et al., 2004, p. 105). Leu (2004) explained that Internet Workshop is a powerful instructional method because it supports collaborative skills by sharing and exchanging information about a topic, provides strategies for navigating information on the Internet, further enhances content knowledge. The instructional framework of Internet Workshop integrates the new literacies of the Internet, such as evaluating Internet sites and information, that are "essential" to our students success in this information age (Leu et al., 2004, p. 99). Internet Workshops have the ability to transcend literacy learning because we can "thoughtfully guide students' learning within information environments that are richer and more complex" (Leu et al., 2004, p. 99). Students can still use the library and traditional methods of researching information, but incorporating the Internet supports the acquistion of new literacies (critical thinking and evaluating information) and the social construct "requires us to learn from one another since no single person can be expected to know everything that exists" (Leu et al., 2004, p. 105). Teachers and students need to work together to figure out how to take advantage of such expertise provided by the Internet.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Just Vocabulary Podcast
Check out the Education Podcast Network for more podcasting examples! Great site!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Do you wiki?
Wheeler et. al. (2008) also stated that wikis have the potential to “transform the learning experience into student-centered” where all students contribute fostering a sense of community (p. 990). However, physical editing one another’s documents in this particular course was rarely done. Instead, we’d offer (type) suggestions in a polite manner to improve a sentence or question. Perhaps the lack of discussion around the wiki and the potential for developing a community of practice caused me to be weary of such a technologically interactive environment. (Perhaps I’m a BlackBoard snob?)
In reading the research surrounding the use of wikis in the (educational realm, I do see how such technology could support and enhance collaborative learning as long as students are familiar with the features of the wiki. Wikis should also be a part of the regular classroom routine to have the complete effect of “developing communities of practice, within which they can store their treasure house of knowledge about their specific interests and learning” (Wheeler et. al., p. 990, 2008). However, I wonder if students will become bored with constant use of technology for educational purposes when they are primarily used for social interaction. It seems (we) I have come to the great divide in education and technology.
Reference:
Wheeler, S,. Yeomans, P,. & Wheeler, D. (2008). The good, the bad, and the wiki: Evaluating student-generated content for collaborative
learning. British Journal of Educational Technology. 39(6) 987-995
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Podcasting in the Classroom
Resource guide on creating podcasts in the classroom, including educational value, teacher applications, and educational podcasts.
Step-by-step tutorial guide for creating a podcast using Audacity on a PC
Download Audacity here
Lesson plan for creating a persuasive podcast from Read/Write/Think
Example Podcasts:
Radio WillowWeb produced by elementary students and teachers in Nebraska
Podcast Alley
Education Podcast Network
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
On my nightstand....
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Does social networking have a place in education?
Classroom applications of social networking sites, such as Facebook, allow students to combine written text with pictures, hyperlinks, and other relevant websites as well as “remix” print texts to allow interaction among popular characters (Alvermann, 2008). In this light, instruction shifts from teacher-owned to student-centered because students are able to tap into more primary sources beyond subject areas to enrich and broaden their understandings (Alvermann, 2008). Check out this Creative Writing Lesson Plan using Facebook
Social networking sites transform literacy by changing the way we read and write text. The individualized paper and pencil days of writing can be enhanced with shared writing, editing, and critical thinking. Adolescents already have an online identity and educators need to remain open to the changes in literacy to help fortify and extend the literacy practices students already possess and value (Alvermann, 2008). In this light, teacher education programs need to restructure, or include, literacy training that allows teachers to feel comfortable using social networking sites in their instruction. The shift from the normative school culture has begun. Are you in or out?
I am in the middle. I do see how Facebook could be used to provide a voice to characters within a print text, post classroom updates and assignments, and provide school-home connection, but I worry about safety and the mundane that could potentially develop among students who just want to check on (or stalk) their friends and photos. Explicit explaining and modeling would have to be present in all aspects, as well as constant monitoring. As an English teacher, I do feel that reading and writing is becoming a dying art form with the explosion of the Internet and digital media but there is nothing like picking up a book to get lost in the pages or writing a heartfelt letter. I do not want my students to lose that. I am in the middle.