Week 5: Link of the Week

The link I chose for this week is Richard Beach's Digital Writing Link: http://digitalwriting.pbwiki.com Not only does the link offer up-to-date information on digital writing, it also includes examples of teaching activities, student's digital writing samples, and links to other great resources.

Week Five: You have been invited to Facebook list of "Friends of Technology"

With my fondness for technology, it's probably no secret that I thought this week's readings ROCKED! As a cohort we have debated back and forth about the use of technology; when should it be used? to what extent? does it take away from the traditional teaching of text? etc. As a future teacher of the English language, I would never want to fully abandon the tradition "book in hand" reading and learning. I too, enjoy curling up to a great novel. I love the smell and feel of a book in my hands, the sense of adventure turning each page, the bliss in completing the adventure with the characters I so deeply get involved with.

However, I do agree with Jenkins in that we are in the "Napster generation" of young people. Students simply learn differently that they did in the past. And I don't think it's been a sudden shift. I think the change has occurred somewhat gradually over time. Being a little older than most in my cohort, I have witnessed that change. For example, I have had to chuckle to myself a few times in our cohort's "technology debates" when, while in the midst of arguing that we need to get back to the traditional teaching of text and learning, students are checking cell phone messages and giggling at Facebook messages on their computers. When I was in the undergrad program some years ago, I don't recall anyone using laptops or needing to check cellphones near as much as they do today. I think technology become such a part of peoples lives, that they don't even realize how much they rely on using it.

Another reason I am so fond of technology is that I've had the experience of teaching it and watching how students interact with it. When I first introduced students to a lesson on chat rooms and IM's, I told them that they could write whatever they wanted to with the exception that, at one point in their discussion, they needed to talk about the assignment we just completed, which was formatting a research paper on a famous author. When the bell rang 50 minutes later, not only were they still pounding away messages on the computer, they actually complained about having to leave. When I looked over what they read I was absolutely amazed at the content. Sure there were a few, "Hey, are you going to Sarah's party this weekend..." but even those conversations at some point came back to the requirement; "Oh, we better quick talk about the author thing... so who did you write about? I did Mark Twain... hey did you know that really wasn't his name..." These conversations were not only engaging and informing, they were genuine and authentic in tone and understanding. I would have never got the students to talk this much about authors in a standard discussion group or a free write. By using the technology, the students were comfortable, they were in their element.

Jenkins argues that "Minimally, schools should be teaching students to thrive in both worlds," which I completely agree with. I think we'd doing an injustice to students by not teaching the tradition text and learning methods, however, in this day of age, I think we'd be doing an equal injustice not allowing them to explore technology. I think Richard Beach's article offers some great explanations for why teaching technology is important; communication with multiple audiences, fostering social relationships, extending and elaborating on their viewpoints; an engaging in a "participatory culture", to name just a few. Even as I write this, I think of the "participatory culture" I'm involved in by blogging. I'm not sure about the rest of the cohort, but I feel much more comfortable writing on a blog than I would in a traditional paper style. I feel I can be more expressive and creative, and by having a immediate, large scale audience, I feel my writing has more value and purpose. In other words... technology ROCKS! (Lame ending, but I'm tired :)

Week Four: Is this going to be on the test????

Oh ... I think this video sums it up...



This weeks readings focused on dialects, language, written word, and the assessment of those. In the article “Dialects in Schools and Communities” by Carolyn Adger, Walt Wolfram, and Donna Christian, makes the statement “The classroom teacher is probably in a much better position to assess student writing development than the scorer of a large-scale test –both because of being able to track individual progress across time and because of knowing precisely which dialect differences the student is managing” (123), which makes me really wonder the role state standards play. Below is a video of president Barrack Obama's view on No Child Left Behind, where he identifies the need to change the process of assessment.Even the Dornan book addresses the issue of high stakes testing, stating "Randy Bomer goes as far as to suggest high-stakes is a failure of democracy; it presents unequal structures of opportunity, it closes off inquiry, it allows the corporatization of education, it disenfranchises the people most affected by it because the public sphere is no longer available, and it creates an oppressive school environment" (213). I agree with Barrack that this issue really needs to be looked at in detail.



These two videos address the idea of the state standardized testing process, but in the Dornan book, she identifies and addresses means for us, as teachers, to alter our means of assessment within the classroom. Dornan talks about self-assessment, peer assessment, and finally, teacher assessment. In the increasingly social atmosphere of schools and jobs, I think a variety of assessment is essential. I don't think the teacher always has to have the only say in grading.

When grading, however, I think Dornan makes a strong statement in that "Rubrics should be tied to the goals of the lesson(s)" (213). When grading essays and papers, interpretation of the student and teachers may differ. I think rubrics offer a structured expectation. I also agree with the idea of using portfolios to grade students progress and improvement. Writing, to me, is a process and is a constant state of improvement by all authors. By grading a students portfolio over time, we can better assess their progress and improved writing abilities.

Week 4: Link of the Week

Link of the Week...
Free software: Google Sketchup
http://sketchup.google.com

If you're into using technology and are looking for a unique way for students to get "into" literature, you may want to consider Google Sketchup, a free program that allow users to build 3 dimensional buildings and objects. Here is one example... and in Google Sketchup you can zoom and look inside the building, complete with furniture and characters. Here is the description of this model, the house from Wuthering Heights. Amazing if you ask me :)

"This is a model of Wuthering Heights created for my website on the book. It was created after research into the design and layout of the house from the book and contains separate rooms, fireplaces, windows, and true thickness walls. This version has improved textures (the walls, for instance, are of millstone grit, the local stone) and more interior objects."

Post 3: Link of the Week

The link below goes to a download page for Pivot Stickfigure Animator.

Pivot Stickfigure Animator is a unique software, that allows you to create stick figure animations easily and without any artistic skills. You can move the sections of the sick figure and easily create a chain of animation frames that can be previewed as you go. You can use more than one stick-figure in the animation, and even create your own stick figures using an easy to use visual editor that lets you assemble objects out of lines and circles. In addition, you can optionally set animation size, speed and more. The result can be saved as animated GIF file. Fun and easy to use, surprisingly well featured.

I think this would be a great way to engage some students in their reading :)

http://www.snapfiles.com/GeT/sTiCkFiGuRe.html

Here's a sample of a hilarious stickfigure animation created by a student:

Post Three: Grammar ... that what it be Dawg!

Even if you do learn to speak correct English, whom are you going to speak it to?
-- Clarence Darrow

First of all, check out this video.... hi-ˈler-ē-əs :)



Grammar... yikes... I remember looking forward to studying this in high school and middle school as much as having root canal work done. It actually pained me to go to English class when we were spending day after day on prepositions, articles, clauses, blah, blah, blah. But, (as opposed to nevertheless, the formal conjunction) I do think there is some benefit to the repetition of learning grammar. Although the text got dry in some parts, I was actually engaged in reading Dornan's perception of teaching grammar. I was particularly fond of her passage: "... studying Standard English usage, and doing workbook exercises is NOT as effective as we'd like to believe. Instead, students need to be immersed in a writing and reading environment in which language study has a direct application to their own composing, where the usage skills they are taught are immediately applied to the papers they are writing, and where the grammatical structures they study help them become responsive readers and flexible writers" (Dornan 82). I think this statement offers much enlightment and application of all the teaching theories we have learned and discussed. First, it offers the students a purpose for learning. If they are using it in their writing, then it has purpose, opposed to filling in worksheets on grammar. Second, the cognitive overload of students in managed. By having the students learn through mini-lesson and during their writing, I think they can better manage the daunting rules and norms of grammar structure. And third, I think having the students learn grammar within the content of their writing keeps the students more engaged and motivated to learn.

Another part of Dornan's Within and Beyond the Writing Process was her metaphor of the pendulum in teaching grammar. I think it's important that we don't overemphasize grammar, however, we should overemphasize plot and storyline either. I think there needs to be a careful balance between the two. Besides, good writing needs both elements!

What I enjoyed the most about Dornan's writing was the applicable methods for teaching grammar. She did a great job offering tools and strategies for teaching, such as what should be taught and why, how to use editing workshops, and different helpful checklists. Even the idea of an "editor's corner" was intriguing and something I'd like to use in my classroom. This idea of offering tools ties in well with the next article I read, The Writer's Toolbox: Five Tools for Active Revision Instruction by Laura Harper.

In Harper's article, she offers a unique and fun way to approach editing. Although the article seemed to be geared for a younger student audience, elementary and middle school, I think the tools could be applicable to high school as well. I really like the idea of leaving visual symbols on the page as opposed to the conventional "red-ink markup". Not that I'm opposed to marking up a paper, or overtly sensitive to using red ink, I do think the symbol idea has some validity. First of all, many times when I have seen a paper marked up students will simply go and fix everything they see in red, many times without re-reading the paper at all. This seems to contradict the whole idea of revision. Yes, you want the students to fix the grammar and punctuation, but you also want them to re-read, edit, and modify the work to be a "better read".

Aside from the symbols used in marking up a paper, I thought Harper's tools of Questions, Snapshots, Thoughtshots, Exploding a Moment, and Making a Scene were very detailed and useful in teaching students. I think students will have a much easier time altering their work when you use a tool like a Snapshot as opposed to simply writing, "I need more detail." I also think students will think more when you ask for revisions in this manner versus a cluttered markup of text.

The last text I read was Toby Fulwiler's article, A Lesson in Revision, which I found somewhat boring and unentertaining to read. I did, however, like the "narrowing of the edits" concept and the focus writing ideas, such as limiting their story to "a single day or less... [and] ... the setting be limited to one specific place" (270). I thought these were valuable tools to be used in the classroom. I guess I just felt the article to be more of a pat on the back to himself than an educational tool for us. Just my opinion. Well, that be bout it... chk ya l8r.

Post Two: Did I remember to restate my thesis???

The readings for this week offer some good debate both for and against the five paragraph essay, as well as offering more insight into the realm of multigenre writing. Interestingly, I recently finished an interview with my cooperative teacher, Eric Holsen,regarding teaching philosophy, theory, and so on. In one part of my interview, I queried him about the five paragraph essay and the whole “teaching to the test” debate. Eric, a 17 year veteran of teaching language arts, thought the five paragraph essay was a necessary component of the curriculum, “It’s just something we have to do,” he stated. “I know a lot of teachers get annoyed with the standardized tests, but it’s not like we need to do them every day. There are really only a few a year, and if I need to take a few days / weeks to go over concepts like the five paragraph essay, then so be it. In my opinion, the students are still learning valuable tools and I am still teaching them writing. And really, the five paragraph essay does not have to be stale and boring like many assume, I have read many that are quite elegant.” This perception would match the view of Tracy Novick as she wrote, “Taught with creativity and variety, it gives our students a useful tool with which to face business meetings, testimonies before public officials, and letters to the editor” (Novick 12).

After listening to Holsen’s reply and reading Novick’s opinion, my perception of the five paragraph essay changed. Prior to the experience of this reading and my interview / observation of a veteran teacher, I would have been inclined to think more along the lines of Kimberly Wesley, although my opinion was never as harsh as her statements of the five paragraph essay “stunt[ing] the growth of human minds” (57), or that it “encourages writers to produce ‘bland but planned essays’” (58), or that the “primary objection to the five paragraph theme is its tendency to stunt students’ critical thinking abilities” (59). In my opinion, the five paragraph essay is just another genre of writing, no more or no less important to learn than say, free verse. Could I argue that poetry directs the writer away from the given point of a novel, reading, or research and that the writers of poetry are simply writing “fluff” and not understanding or expressing what they have learned? Perhaps, but I, as well as most language arts teachers, I think would tend to disagree. I think most of us agree that poetry, when written well, expresses an understanding on a deeper level, articulating the writer’s thoughts and emotions.

I think this argument over the five paragraph essay ties well into both the Romano and the Dornan text. I really like how Dornan structures chapter 5; going into depth the definition and process of the essay, including how to generate topics, collect data, how to shape the structure, how to cite resources, and how to write effective conclusions. I also like how Dornan approaches the assessment of the essay, stating that “students should be rewarded handsomely for participating in the process of research and writing” (145). Personally, I think if the process is done well, the final product should reflect that. As I begin teaching, I’ll need to decide how I weight the value of the process with the value of the product. Reverting back to the argument, Dornan makes an interesting statement, “Although we consider the essay the bread and butter of writing in the English classroom, we soon realize that it is only one of the many forms of written expression, and not necessarily the best assignment for teaching writing” (147). I would tend to agree, however, I do still feel it’s a form that should be taught.

Finally, I think the argument against the five paragraph essay is biased by Romano’s multigenre approach to writing. Why, you may ask? For the simple reason that I, as well as many other readers of Romano’s, get excited over the idea of a multigenre paper. This excitement is because we can envision a personal, interesting, humanistic driven product. Let’s face it, reading a multigenre paper where a student expresses opinion, offers insight, and perhaps even shares a personal moment with the reader is touching… romantic even. It offers a “story”, one of the most beautiful parts of literature… we all like a good story. This is why are book shelves are crammed with Whitman, Austen, and Dickens, because we love the human side of literature, the raw emotion… the “story”.This style contrasts the more “write-to-learn” (to steal from Dornan) style of the essay. Romano boasts the multigenre paper by stating; “Bright, indelible moments exists in our multigenre topics, too. When we render them, we show that our subject values, we show what lasts, what has positive meaning that buoys those characters through life” (123). Even the verbiage describing multigenre writing has an elegant appeal. My rambling, I guess does have a point. What I’m trying to say is, although essay writing tends to be drier, and less favorable to read, I think it still has an importance to be taught. Similarly, every spring I dread filling out tax forms and to be honest, I’m not looking forward to articulating cover letters and resumes, but these are components of writing that I need to use in life, much like the essay form we need to teach to students.

Post 2: Link of the Week

Link of the week: One of my favorite sites to use as a resource is www.howstuffworks.com, especially the video center. The site offers a plethora of information about just about anything, but the section I believe to be of the most value is a series of high quality videos entitled "Great Books." To get to the page, type in Great Books in the Search Box, then click videos on the left hand side. Currently, there are 127 book related videos. In addition to the book videos, there are other resources to compliment literature, such as interesting articles and videos on topics such as: "9 Surprising Banned Books", "18 Memorable Character Names from the Works of Charles Dickens", "17 Unusual Book Titles" and "14 Best-Selling Books Repeatedly Rejected by Publishers", just to name a few. A perfect resource for us eccentric literature nerds! :) In lieu of our recents readings on multigenre writing, I think these videos and resources offer a means to excite students about a text, where "student's inventiveness is triggered" (Romano 5). Below is a video I'll be using during student teaching on The Red Badge of Courage. Notice the quality and historical component of the video.