some final 2010 musings.

Just a short entry to say that today I (and DeeGee and Lynda) finished the flyer to advertise the online teaching circle.  I sent it on to Richard Jewell.  Now I have to think about when the first meeting will be, where, how much food to order, etc.   Oh decisions, decisions!  Still, I hope it will all be fun.

I also finished editing Daryl Parks's paper for MEJ today and sent it back to him.  I have only one more paper to finish editing--and hopefully I will be able to work on it tomorrow, when I get my flash drive back from my sis (yeah, I left it in Michigan...............silly me!!!)

I wish the many readers of this blog a happy and prosperous new year.  :)

Peace,

Brian

12/16---mid-december musings.

Well, if I were at school this term, it'd be the end of the semester.  It's strange not to be caught up in the frenzy of grading papers and such.  Quite peaceful and relaxing, actually. 

I want to include some reflection here about what I've done so far with my sabbatical and what I still need to do.  But before I do that, I want to mention a site that caught my eye on cnn.com yetserday called http://www.crowdrise.com/.  It's an online philanthropy site and operates very similarly to facebook.  People can start their own donation pages, donate to other pages, and even "earn points" for their invovlement.  I have not yet joined (apparently it's easy to do so), but I was thinking that this would be an interesting service learning project for an online class, especially.  Perhaps for GLBT studies?

Okay, what have I done so far on my sabbatical:

• Updated syllabi for 1021, 0090, 2011.
• Updated all Class Plans for 2011 (Summer 2011).
• Updated some handouts/assignments for 1021 and 2011.
• Created new Week 1 Agenda for 1021 online (Summer 2011).
• Worked on Pearson custom readers for 0090, 1021, and 1022.
• Learned how to use a lot of online tools, including the following:  Google Apps (including Reader, Calendar, Docs, and Talk), WebEx, Yodio, Wordle, Mapskip, Vocaroo (for online voice messages), TitanPad (for online collaboration), Diigo, Delicious, and others.
• Read/skimmed several books to facilitate the learning of these tools and others involving social networking and collaboration (such as Facebook).
• On the basis of these new tools I've been learning, I created a new "Group Technology Project" to use in my composition courses (and possibly in my literature course as well).
• Prepared an ad and grant application for an online teaching circle on "Digital Technologies," to be completed next term on my sabbatical.
• Attended TYCA Conference in Des Moines.
• Along with an editorial committee, selected pieces to be published in MEJ (Minnesota English Journal) and worked individually via e-mail with selected authors to revise/edit their work for publication.
• Worked on and revised Precious/Push article for publication in MEJ (it was selected pending minor revisions).
• Worked on article on use of avatars in online/hybrid classrooms.

Here's what I need to do next term:

• Update Agenda, materials, and handouts through (at least) Week 3 in English 1021 online.
• Update Agenda, materials, and handouts through (at least) Week 3 in English 0090 online AND English 0090 ftf (for Fall 2011).
• Update syllabi, schedule, materials, handouts through (at least) Week 3 in WGST 1071.
• Post all materials to D2L that I can for 0090, 1021, 2011, and WGST 1071.
• Attend CCCC in Atlanta and MCTE in Brainerd; also possibly attend Computers and Writing Conference in Ann Arbor, MI in May.
• Submit proposal for MCTE (by Jan. 1, 2011)
• Continue working with authors to revise/edit their work for MEJ.  They must send me revisions by Jan. 15, 2011.
• Get MEJ DONE AND POSTED by Feb. 1, 2011.
• Update Google website and personal e-folio to reflect sabb. work (by May)
• Complete avatar article (end of Feb.)
• Perhaps start article on Writing Centers and/or book review(s).
• Facilitate the Online Teaching Circle through the CTL.

I don't think I need to spend as much time next term on looking for classroom tools, nor will I need to spend as much time on MEJ.  However, I think more of the focus will be on using and applying the information I've learned so far.  It'll be nice to have MEJ done in February (I hope).

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all who read this humble blog.  :)

Brian

12/6--A possible research essay rubric for amer. lit.

I know that one of the first things I'll have to grade when I return to teaching is an essay on my American Literature midterm. So today I tried to develop a rubric that I thought might fit well with that essay. (It is written here below.)

Research Essay Rubric

Grade	A	B	C	D	F
Introduction ·         Captures audience’s attention. ·         Transitions well to main purpose. ·         Thesis works: is clear and makes sense.
Body ·         Consistent focus on topic (theme, character type, and/or symbol). ·         Makes use of specific, descriptive detail consistently. ·         Effective transitions exist within and/or between key sections. ·         Makes strong use of evidence to prove its points. ·         Uses AT LEAST TWO authoritative secondary sources to prove its points. ·         Uses quotes correctly. ·         Evidence is well-analyzed—significance of evidence/detail is explained within each paragraph of essay.
Conclusion ·         Effectively summarizes discussion ·         Explains significance of topic. ·         Contains an effective clincher that engages the reader.
Additional Issues ·         Contains few, if any, mechanical errors. ·         Proper MLA format used. ·         Word count met.
Totals/Final Comments

Eventually, I will likely assign point values to each blank space (except for the last row, of course, which involves totals). 

I notice that this rubric is pretty similar to old ones that I've done.  The only difference is that it's a bit more streamlined: in a table, with the categories more clearly defined, with fewer point values popping up for each individual criteria.  It seems to be a bit more holistic over, which is perhaps a good thing.

11/30--WebEx and Google Talk practice reflections

Monday Lynda and I talked on both WebEx and Google Talk, mainly for practice. We used a webcam and microphone for both sessions.

First I logged into WebEx using the link that was sent to me....I also was sent a phone number to call for the audio, but I was able to simply use the audio on my computer. Lynda showed me some of the main features of WebEx. They included a chat, sharing of desktops, passing of "a ball" to give control to a different presenter, and even a Whiteboard. I'm still not sure how I'd access WebEx for Century, though--it's not a public site.

After trying WebEx, we tried Google Talk. It took a bit longer for me to get into Google Talk because I downloaded both the Google Talk software AND its video app to my computer. Turned out, all I really needed was the video plug-in for Google Chat. I learned that Google Chat could be used in either iGoogle or Gmail--we tried to use it in Gmail. On the left hand side of the Gmail options, I noiced a "Chat" option. Once Lynda was logged on, I could "call" her by clicking on her name and then the video screen option.

Then we started working with GoogleDocs. I found my file about the Teaching Circle Announcement that we were working on and uploaded it to Google Docs. Lynda pointed out that I should have opened it as a "Google Docs" file by checking the necessary button when uploading it, and I did that the next time. Opening a .docx file as a Google Docs file enables shared editing....so both she and I could talk about the document and edit it. In doing so, Google marked who had done what, which was good. But we sort of forgot about the video aspect in the meantime.

Lynda and I will meet at the CTL at 2 pm Thursday to discuss the teaching circle announcement further.

11/29--some thoughts about asessment rubrics.

Here's a question I've been thinking about: if I am assessing students on a series of objectives, how much credit do I give them if they don't accomplish a certain objective. For example, say that a student does not use habitually use specific evidence to prove her point in her essay. Evidence as a criteria in my rubric is worth 10 points. Does she earn (a) zero points or (b) partial points? And if the answer is (b), how do I justify the point deduction? It seems like an "all or nothing" rubric would be easier to justify.

Perhaps I could have something like a grid explaining what type of evidence earns an A, what earns a B, and so forth. And then the explanation that best fits with what she's done in her paper corresponds with the grade that she earns in that part of her essay. Maybe this is what I can do; to me, it seems more fair than what I've been doing, which is to give either full credit, half credit, or no credit at all. Perhaps I need more gradations in my rubric--and not just more gradations, but more explanations.

Any thoughts?

11/18--Vocaroo....my latest toy....and WebEx

I just got done trying Vocaroo, a site that lets you record voicemails online. All you have to do is have a microphone plugged in. The messages can be as long as you want.

It seems to me that these could be used like podcasts--streaming audio. They can also be posted as links or embedded onto sites using HTML code.

The link for my test post is above--click on the Title of this blog entry.

After talking to Lynda today about WebEx, I decided to explore it a little bit. Apparently it can be found at http://mnscu.webex.com. But apparently I need a username and password...where do I find these things???

11/18--a change of heart.

Okay, I'm going to talk about why I changed my mind about something. I guess that's what blogs and sabbaticals are for: thinking things through. It's remarkable to have time to really give thought to what I do. Normally, I have only 2-3 weeks between terms to hurriedly prep for 2-3 classes.

Here's what I changed my mind about since my last entry: I decided to cancel the Group Technology Project for my American Lit. course. Why? A couple reasons: (1) I kept thinking about that question from *Effective Grading*--"Is this really assessing what I'm trying to assess?" And, honestly, I think the exam that I devised is a better measure of assessment for these students. An individual and/or group project (esp. a group project) would not be as fair. (2) I'm really not comfortable with these students having one group projecst representing 65% of their course grade. I think it would be best if it were broken down for them (Midterm 20%, Final 45%). This is because they really need and crave feedback. In the writing classes, this is not a problem. They do a lot of writing. However, in the literature classes at Century, writing is not set up to be a primary focus. Still, on my exams, THEY WILL BE DOING ESSAYS ALONG WITH MULTIPLE CHOICE AND SHORT ANSWERS.

So, exams it will be for the American Lit. students. I'm okay with this. Again, I think these exams get at what I really want to measure: their overall competency in the field. The exams better measure whether the students have met the objectives of the class.

11/15--lectures and rubrics.

So I've been reading Walvoord and Anderson's *Effective Grading*, which I borrowed from the CTL library. One chapter that really appealed to me was the one on "Fostering Motivation and Learning." We can see the real disparity between a lecture-based class and a more active learning class on exhibit 4.2 on page 56, called "Two Versions of a History Class Session." In one version, the prof simply states the topic for the day, asks the students if they have any questions about it, and then drones on with the lecture. In the other version, though, the students play more of a role. The professor asks more questions of the students to get more of a sense of what they know or don't know. I like this version better because, to me, that's what learning is about--having the opportunity to figure out what you know and what you don't. I always tell my students that asking questions is a part of the learning process.

When I return from sabbatical, I plan NOT to lecture in class; instead, my students will read the lectures on D2L (many of which are done in Power Point with voice-over) and then take quizzes on these lectures to assess their learning. To me, this makes the learning more active, and the students come to an understanding of how well they know the material even before they come to class. I do believe that lectures sometimes are necessary, but I'd rather use class time for discussions. We'll see how this works out.

Today I worked on developing a grading rubric for my technology project for English 2011 (the American Lit. class I am teaching this coming summer). I began work on it by thinking of key questions posed by *Effective Grading*--What do I really want students to learn? And how will this means of assessment measure that learning?

As a result, here's the rubric I've come up with (so far):

ENGLISH 2011: GRADING RUBRIC FOR PROJECT.

Pre-final draft work (80 points)

A one-paragraph prospectus (one per person or group). 10

A conference with me in which you review your rough draft work with me and ask questions. 20

A presentation of your work in front of the class
(8-10 minutes for individuals; 13-15 minutes for groups) 40

Evaluations of self and/or others in group (NOTE: If you earn all positive evaluations 5
from others in group, 10 points will be added to your grade.
For every negative evaluation you earn from someone in your group, 20 points will be deducted
from your grade.)

Evaluations of other students' projects. 5


Final Draft work (180 points)

Introduction captures audience’s attention and transitions well to main purpose. 15

Purpose and audience for project are clear. 15

Consistent focus on topic (theme, character type, and/or symbol). 15

Project discusses approximately six primary sources (3 pre-Romantic and 3 Romantic). 15

Makes use of specific, descriptive detail consistently. 15

Effective transitions exist within and/or between key sections. 10

Makes strong use of evidence to prove its points. 20

Uses AT LEAST TWO authoritative secondary sources to prove its points. 15

Uses quotes correctly (if necessary). 10

Evidence is well-analyzed—significance of evidence/detail is explained somewhere within project. 20 .

Conclusion effectively summarizes discussion, explains significance of topic, and
contains an effective clincher that engages the reader. 15

Contains few, if any, mechanical errors. 15


OVERALL GRADE: ________/260 POINTS


COMMENTS:

The numbers at the end of each category indicate the point value of the item.

I may make some adjustments on this. 260 points still seems like a lot for one project to me....65% of their course grade. Perhaps I need more and/or small assessments. But then again, I have those incorporated into the project with things like the conference, the rough draft review, and the presentation to the class. Even the self-assessments (and/or group assessments) should help produce some accountability.

11/7--I made a Yodio.

Tonight I created a Yodio for the first time! A Yodio is a combination of image and sound; it's possible to do a whole presentation with Yodios, apparently. I must say that I didn't succeed with this until the third attempt, but I finally managed to do it.

Here it is:


Pretty cool, huh? I could see my students using this for their Group Technology Project--perhaps even instead of Prezis. They are really quite easy to produce. All you have to do is find an image, record a phone message, put the two together online, and voila--that's a Yodio! Fun stuff! Now that I think about it, it might be a cool way to have students introduce themselves in my online class (at least, the more advanced Comp 1 students).

11/1---Google Talk and trying a podcast.

Happy November to all.

Okay, today I used Google Talk for the first time (with Dee Gee's help...thanks Dee Gee!).  I downloaded to my computer and discovered that it's a lot like any IM service.  Although other users have to have Google accounts (and be in Google Talk) in order for "chat" to happen (and then you have to "Invite" them to use Google Talk with you--just click on the + button to add them).  What's nice is that I discovered that Google Talk enables voice chat as well--all you have to do is click the "Call" button when a fellow Google Talk user is online (noted by "Available"), and you need a headset with a microphone plugged in, and then a conversation can begin via the computer.  That's pretty cool. Dee Gee tested this out with me and it worked.

I also tried a test podcast in Audacity today.  Just a five second one.  Then I saved it to my Desktop as a .wma file.  The good news is that I was able to upload this .wma file to Desire2Learn and it opened just fine.  So Windows audio files open just fine in D2L--this is good to know.  However, the bad news is that I can't seem to open the file anywhere else or convert it to .mp3.  I know now that it IS possible to post podcasts on this blog (I found a site to describe how to do so), and I found another site (http://www.podbean.com/) that hosts podcasts.  I just wasn't able to get an .mp3 file up on a hosting site.  I may work on this later.

I just wanted to quickly mention that last Thursday I was able to start creating a Google website on my sabbatical work.  It's at https://sites.google.com/site/sabbaticalwork/ if you want to see it.  It's still pretty open-ended as of this writing, although I plan to add more to it later.

I discovered another intersesting site today, Yodio (http://www.yodio.com/), that I may talk more about later.  It's a site that combines images with words.  We'll see.

10/25--Google Groups (short entry)

Today I played around with Google Groups a bit.  Although I couldn't find a Google Group that I actually wanted to join--most of them seem pretty specific or restrictive--I did create a sample Google Group for my American Lit. class.  The group is called American Literature 2011, and its e-mail is amlit2011@googlegroups.com.  I restricted the enrollment, so people have to be invited to join.  So far, I'm the only member.  :)

I am not yet sure how I'd use this in the classroom.  Perhaps as an alternative to Discussion Boards?  Perhaps as a means to facilitate project group conversation?  I need to give this some thought.

10/24--time away from technology.

Okay, this post has nothing to do with using digital technologies in the classroom, but it does concern a teaching technique that I wanted to think about.  In face-to-face classes, it's sometimes difficult to think of a good, relevant icebreaker.  So last Thursday I explored the Internet for ideas, and this one was my favorite:

• “Stranded on an Island.”  Get into a group of 3-4 people.  Each person should answer the following questions:  (1) What one item would I bring if I were to be stranded on a desert island?  and (2) Why would I bring this item?  Then, as a group, decide how your group could combine your items to improve your chances of survival.  Each group will report its results to the class.

I like this idea for two major reasons.  To begin with, it gets the students talking to each other.  Secondly, I like it because it gets the students in the position of THINKING TOGETHER to come up with a response, which is something that they're going to have to do during class discussions all semester long.  I know that the "desert island" idea may seem a bit dated, but I do think it will get them thinking in creative ways, which is particularly important for a writing class.

10/19--MapSkip

I learned about this site at the TYCA Conference and today I decided to explore it a bit more.  At first it seemed a bit hard to use (I'm not sure if the site was completely functional), but I see this as a site for REAL possibilities for "writing about place."  Students (and teachers) register for the site, identify a place they want to "write a story about" (a hand icon clicks on a map, showing the place you're writing about), and then you may write the story right there on line.  It's that simple.  And what's nice is that students can add photos, sounds, and videos to the stories as well.  Another good feature is that students can comment on the stories of others, not unlike with a blog.  

I think I will likely make this site an option for my Group Technology Project--the site is http://www.mapskip.com/.  Check it out.

10/18 TitanPad and Wordle possibilities.

TitanPad

On one of the sites I found through Diigo, I came across TitanPad, which is a collaborative writing sharing program.  Students can peer review with each other online in real time, one document at a time.  In fact, it's easier than Google Docs in some ways because all you have to do is go to http://www.titanpad.com/, click "Create Public Pad," and then the system immediately assigns the entering writer a URL to work at.  I could see using this in English 0090 or 1021 online classes; perhaps what I would do, though, is assign the URLs in advance to groups of students, rather than have them self-select their own URLs.  With Dawn, I tried to e-mail her the chat room link we were assigned, but it didn't work that well.  But when I sent it to her via Facebook, it was fine.  So what's nice is that we could collaborate on a document (with different colors showing different individual contributions) and also chat about that document simultaneously.

Wordle

I also wanted to write down an exercise that I learned about Wordle (again, inspired through a Diigo site!).  As an means of introducing themselves to the class, I could have 0090 students create a Wordle--just have them write words that describe themselves and who they are.  If certain words mean a lot to them, they can mention those words twice or more.  Even for non-online classes, maybe they'd be willing to use them to introduce themselves to the class.

Cool stuff!  

10/11--More on Google--Google Reader, Google Docs

Today I figured out some things about Google Reader and Google Docs. 

Google Reader is a good way to organize blogs; it serves as an RSS feed that constantly streams in new materials to read.  Apparently I'm already subscribed to some blogs, but I learned how to subscribe to some more "bulk" RSS feeds, so I subscribed to one on News.  This Google App seems mostly like it's about reading; it reminds me mostly of Diigo and Delicious.  Like those apps, I think it'd be most useful in preparing the student to write a viable research paper.

I also learned more about using Google Docs.  Apparently, it's a word processing program, not just a place to read and collaborate on documents.  An author can create a Google Doc, just as one can create something in MS Word--even a spreadsheet or a presentation.  People may collaborate on Google Docs in several ways--but the people with whom you collaborate HAVE to have a Google account and MUST be e-mailed (invited) in order to collaborate.  The collaboration may be done asynchronously or together, at the same time, even by Publishing the Doc to the web.  I could see my students using this for online peer review, even the English 0090 students, a couple of times.

I think I need to explore Etherpad a bit more because it seems pretty similar to this collaboration in Google Docs.

10/7--Beginning Google

Today I began to play around with Google applications.  The first place I went was Google Calendar, which seems pretty user friendly.  It enables the user to add events on a daily basis and connect with other Google Calendars as well.  I think I'm going to start using it!  I then moved to Google Reader and did some searches with it, but I need to experiment with this more.

I also went to Barnes & Noble today and purchased *Google-pedia*, 3rd edition, by Michael Miller.  It discusses pretty much every Google application one could ever wish to know about:  Google Reader, Google Talk, Google Chat, Google Docs, and even how to use Blogger and YouTube with Google.  I plan to look into this book more as well. 

10/4--an additional post about Audacity.

I thought I'd make one more post because I discovered something interesting this evening about Audacity, a site for creating podcasts:  the URL for it is actually http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ and not http://www.audacity.com/, as I always thought it was.  I have not yet tinkered around with Audacity or made a podcast, but I plan to in the future.  But I have now downloaded the latest non-beta version of Audacity to my desktop on my home computer.

I'm still a bit confused about where these podcasts can be posted for RSS access, but I'm sure I'll figure this out in time.

 

10/4 at the ctl--Diigo and Delicious

Today I worked on Diigo and Delicious, mostly.  Primarily I learned about how to do bookmarking on Diigo.  I had signed up for the "Education" privileges on Diigo, so I have been receiving a stream of educational websites sent to my e-mail each day.  Today I went through those websites and decided which ones I wanted to bookmark to Diigo using the "Diigolet" function.  You can see which ones I chose at http://www.diigo.com/user/briandivine.

What's nice about Diigo is, in addition to the websites being sent to me free via e-mail, I can do searches for key articles/topics using tags-either ones that they suggest or that I create.

I set up an account at Delicious as well.   It's at http://www.delicious.com/BrianCLewis.  This site also involves bookmarking; I don't know as much about it yet, but it seems like the sites for Delicious come up right for the reader on the website, and the reader can pick and choose.

I could see my 1021 and 1022 students using Diigo or Delicious as a means of accumulating possible research sites for papers.  Not sure it would be as helpful to my English 0090 students.

thursday 9/23 at the ctl (rainy day!)

Today I worked on learning Diigo a bit--it's a bookmarking system that people can use online.  Apparently it has classroom applications, too, but I need to learn more about these.  I applied for "educator status" for using Diigo; we shall see if they give it to me.

I also worked with Lynda today on my Group Technology Project assignment.  She give me some very helpful suggestions.  These included narrowing the purpose of the topic for students a bit---for example, don't just have them write on Lady Gaga, but on something controversial Lady Gaga did within the last week or so.  She also suggested that I refine by text and e-mail assignments a bit to make them not so much about the technologies themselves.  I can see this point.  But then again, it's difficult because the books that I've been reading don't offer that many suggestions about how texting and e-mail can be used in writing classrooms.  Lynda also suggested that I clarify my purpose of the assignment; I think this well help. 

I will be in Monday of next week, but not Thursday--I will be going to TYCA then.  I plan to explore Diigo more, Delicious, RSS, and Google stuff in the near future.

last week or so--working on the tech. project assignment

Here's where I'm at with things: about a week ago, I decided not to work technology by technology, but instead focus more on my "Group Technology Assignment" as a whole.  I plan to do this assignment in all my composition courses, with some variations.  I think I'm going to have the students do TWO "Group Technology" assignments and then revise the best one (with their group) for their term-end portfolio.  I'm not sure yet how I'm going to get all the group members to decide to revise the same project, but I will leave that for later.

Lately I have been reading Teaching Writing Using Blogs, Wikis, and other Digital Tools by Richard Beach et al. and Lesson Plans for Creating Media-Rich Classrooms by Christel and Sullivan.  Both books are helpful in terms of giving me ideas of what to do with my students.  They're really quite inspiring.  After looking over both, I have decided to create a separate "Explanations and Ideas" sheet for my students talking a bit more about what blogs, wikis, etc. ARE.  The original assignment sheet that I constructed doesn't really do this.  So what I've been doing is explaining the different possibilities that students can choose from a bit more.  I've been making an effort to (1) define the technology, (2) give students guidelines as to what to do with it, and (3) give examples on ways to use it.

Here's some of what I have so far:

TECHNOLOGY PROJECT: EXPLANATIONS AND IDEAS

·         BLOGGING PROJECT.  A blog is an online journal that enables students to engage in conversation with each other.  Students need to create a blog at a blogging site (such as www.blogger.com), make postings, and comment on each other’s work. Blogs may (and should) also include other means of visual appeal, such as links, colors, and even videos.  Examples of blogging projects could include the following:

o   Carry on a conversation in your group about a social/cultural/political topic.

o   Create a fictional blog in which your group members adopt different characters’ voices and construct an ongoing story. 

·         WIKI PROJECT.  The purpose of a wiki is to create a collaborative space where everyone may contribute and change the text.   As with blogs, you may comment on each other’s work, add links, colors, and even videos.  (For a short explanation of wikis and how they can be used, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY and view the YouTube video called “Wikis in Plain English.”)  Examples of wiki projects could include the following:

o   Create your own wiki (for a purpose and audience of your choice) using http://pbworks.com.  This website contains directions—and even videos—for how to create an effective wiki.

o   Create your own new wiki entry on Wikipedia (it must be on a person, place, or thing NOT previously mentioned in Wikipedia).

·         VIDEO PROJECT.  Video allows people “to dramatize people’s verbal perceptions” (Beach 152).  Create a video script, film a ten-minute video on a topic and purpose of your choice, and then post the video on YouTube.  (1021—12-13 mins., 1022—15 mins.)  These may include the following:

o   A music video.

o   A short film.

o   A public service announcement.

o   An interview and/or panel on a particular topic.

·         SOCIAL NETWORKING PROJECT. Use either Facebook or Twitter to…...

·         PRESENTATION PROJECT.  Create a brief presentation using either PowerPoint or Prezi (www.prezi.com), and include no more than twenty slides. (1021 and 1022—include voice-over).  Be sure to define a specific purpose and audience for your presentation, and include effective use of colors, links, and even videos.  Examples could include the following:

o   A presentation to parents explaining why current MPAA movie ratings need to be more harsh on animated films.

o   A presentation to fast-food consumers on the dangers of eating at McDonald’s.

o   A presentation to your student organization on how to use social networking to promote its mission.

·         TEXTING PROJECT.  According to a recent study of first-year composition students, students do texting more than any other type of writing.  This result points to “the importance of hand-held devices like mobile phones as a writing platform” in the 21^st century.  Discuss a particular popular cultural topic with your group using texting for at least one hour.  Then write a paper in which you consider this question: How does the texting medium itself affect how you communicate? 

·         E-MAIL PROJECT.  Discuss a particular popular cultural topic using e-mail.  Consider this: does the e-mail medium itself play a role in your message and how you convey it?

·         PODCASTING PROJECT. (1021 AND 1022 ONLY)

·         GAMING PROJECT. (1021 AND 1022 ONLY)  Create and define the parameters of a particular game for others to play online.

I will continue to work on this on Thursday.  I meet with Lynda on Thursday at 4 pm, too.

my 4th day at the ctl--a (semi) epiphany

Today when I woke up I thought that I'd focus my CTL work today on Facebooking. After some consideration, though, I realized that I think I need to spend some time looking at "the bigger picture." I can't just go about my work here by looking at one technology at a time and playing with it. Really, it's not about the technology, ultimately. Technology is a means to an end; technology will help me and my students fulfill our objectives for our composition courses, but technology in and of itself will not make my students better writers.

 

So I decided to think more about my use of technology in the context of my course syllabus for English 0090 and decided that, instead of having several different technology assignments, have a couple "Group Technology Projects" in the class and give students some choice about which ones they want to do. I would allow them to choose their purpose and audience for the projects, as they did this summer. That seemed to work well.

So here's how I readjusted the grading portion of my English 0090 syllabus:

Final Portfolio—140 points—35% of course grade
The grading on the Final Portfolio is broken down as follows:

• Two Revised Formal Essays AND One Revised Group Technology Project 100 points (33 points each +1 at least 500 words per person) point for completion of all 3)
• Overall E-folio (500 word minimum) 20 point
• Reflective Letter (300 word minimum) 20 points

Six Major Writing Tasks (Paragraphs and Projects)--120 points--30% of course grade. Six paragraphs/projects, about 250 words per person (20 points each; best 6/8 count)

• Individual Paragraphs: Narrative, Descriptive, Comparison/Contrast, Process, Visual Analysis, Definition. (best 5/6 count in grade)
• Two Group Technology Projects (best 1/2 counts in grade)

And here's how I readjusted my "Group Technology Project" assignment:

Group Technology Project(s) on Popular Culture
(must complete two; best one will count—x points)


Directions: In groups of three, I want you to complete a project on some aspect of popular culture. Genres of "popular culture" include television, the Internet, music, videos, games/gaming, sports, computers, fast food, toys, comics, films, and/or DVDs. Try to be specific in your focus (exs: Lady Gaga instead of "music," or the film Avatar instead of "films").

You and your group will define the main PURPOSE and AUDIENCE for this project. The audience may vary greatly: it may be children, mothers, fathers, professionals, co-workers, academics, teenagers, the elderly, people outside the U.S., etc. (Somewhere in/on your project, you will need to state clearly its purpose and audience.) Once you choose an audience, you should be better able to think about your major purpose--what, exactly, are you trying to accomplish with this project?

After your purpose and audience are settled, choose ONE of the following to work on:

• BLOGGING PROJECT. Take turns blogging on a particular topic.
• WIKI PROJECT. Create your own wiki using pbworks.com and/or your own wiki entry on Wikipedia.
• VIDEO PROJECT. Create a ten-minute video. (1021—12-13 mins., 1022—15 mins.)
• SOCIAL NETWORKING PROJECT. Use either Facebook or Twitter.
• PRESENTATION PROJECT. Use either PowerPoint or Prezi, and include no more than twenty slides. (1021 and 1022—include voice-over)
• PODCASTING PROJECT. (1021 AND 1022 ONLY)
• GAMING PROJECT. (1021 AND 1022 ONLY) Create and define the parameters of a particular game for others to play online.

NOTE: FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE FOR THESE TECHNOLOGY CHOICES. NO MORE THAN ONE GROUP CAN DO ANY ONE OF THESE CHOICES.

 

I also thought I'd order some books about classroom techniques and social networking. Here are the ones I ordered off Amazon.com today:

 

• Teaching With Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts & More: Dozens of Easy Ideas for Using Technology to Get Kids Excited About Learning  Kathleen Fitzgibbon; Paperback; $7.91
• The Socially Networked Classroom: Teaching in the New Media Age.  William R. Kist; Paperback; $24.01
• Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.  Willard (Will) Richardson; Paperback; $26.20.

I also ordered the following from NCTE:

• What Works in Writing Instruction, Dean (not ready until October)
• Lesson Plans for Developing Digital Literacies, Christel and Sullivan (not ready until November)
• Lesson Plans for Developing Media-Rich Classrooms, Christel and Sullivan (ready now!)

So what do you all think of all this?

 

my third day at the ctl

Okay, today I finally finished what I think is a viable Prezi for my English 0090 class on "Writing a Paragraph."  I'm not completely satisfied with it, but here it is:

Writing an Effective Paragraph on Prezi

Here's what I like about Prezi:

• I like the idea of working with a whole canvas, not just "slides."
• I like being able to move the slide order easily, and even move the position of the slides up and down, or in and out.
• It seems to me that one can fit more on a Prezi "grouping" than one can on a PowerPoint slide.
• I think Prezi would be good for a presentation with videos and/or a lot of images.  (The one I'm working on just happened not to require any; it seemed to me that the information was pretty straight forward.)

Here's what I don't like as much about Prezi:

• I really loathe the limited font and color options.  For example, Prezi lets you change fonts and colors ONLY from their limited style options (fewer than ten).  In this respect, PowerPoint is much, much better.
• On the whole, I think PowerPoint is more user-friendly.  It's really easier to develop a PowerPoint than it is to work with Prezi, in my view.

I am still thinking of the possibility of doing a PowerPoint instead for this class--perhaps one with a voice over?  I think more color options might be more appealing to the viewers (in this case, the students).  But then again, perhaps it really doesn't matter.  What matters most is their mastery of the content, and would a PowerPoint make THAT big a difference.  Truthfully, I still prefer PowerPoint, but I don't think it's THAT superior to Prezi.

One thing I want to investigate in the near future is how to insert quizzes into Power Points--Mike Mendez from Century sent me some info about this, so I want to look into it in the near future.

second day at the ctl (8/30)

Day 2


The day began with me trying to figure out how to use my USB drive—turns out that I just had to turn the computer off and on again. Problem solved! I also looked over some of my old English 0090 presentations; fortunately, I don’t see any more that I have to work on other than just the ones that I mentioned last Friday.

Today I worked a lot on a Prezi on “Writing an Effective Paragraph.” Mostly, I added a lot of written content from my old “Effective Paragraph” PowerPoint. I learned more about zooming and working with the Zebra tool. I still have to master “grouping,” though, and I really haven’t done much with color or design on this particular Prezi at this point. It’s a work in progress. Again, you can find this Prezi at http://prezi.com/o_wyng8tij2u/writing-an-effective-paragraph/. Near the end of the day, I realized that I could just click on the frame and hit delete, and that would delete frames. So that’s a step in the right direction.

first day at the ctl

Today was my first “official” day at the CTL. I learned how to use the Meeting function in GroupWise and saw the CTL library. Also got familiar with the voice mail. They had a computer all ready for me when I got in at about 12 today.

I decided to start by exploring Prezi a bit. I looked over some of their presentations on how to use it. It seems to be pretty dynamic and I’d like to at least try to use it for my own presentations, in some way, shape, or form.

POSSIBLE PREZI ASSIGNMENT--
Possible introductory assignment for English 0090 students (and maybe even English 1021 students): based on http://prezi.com/gco-vb9vvvy2/30-things-about-me/ (“30 Things about Me: All About Brooke Ahrens”). Have each student present a Prezi on his or her life. (Although I think 30 is a bit much…10 is probably sufficient.) It could even become the basis for a narrative essay or paragraph.

Here are presentations on grammar that I have already completed for English 0090—
• Parts of Speech/S-V Review
• Missing Comma Errors
• Misplaced Commas and Fused Sentences
• Fragments and Modifiers
• Verb Errors
• Pronoun Errors
• Apostrophes
• Wrong Words and Capitalization

Here are presentations on grammar needed for English 0090—
• Achieving Parallel Construction
• Active vs. Passive Voice
• Punctuation Info

For grammar pres.---either (a) add in more exercises in PP or (b) change them to Prezis.

Other English 0090 presentations needed (most likely)—these could use Prezi
• Writing a Paragraph
• Writing a Brief Essay (before revision part of course)

I am going to be teaching English 0090 both in person and online, most likely, in Fall 2011. So I’d like to have the grammar presentations be done in such a way that I don’t have to have two different versions. I do think that my grammar presentations could use the following: (a) voice over, (b) more examples, and (c) additional exercises with answers.

Because I want consistency for both my online and FTF classes, I don’t think I’ll be using the “clickers”. I should ask M. Mendez if he has found a way to embed quizzes within PowerPoints….

At the end of the day, I played around to try to make my own Prezi on “Writing an Effective Pargraph.” (http://prezi.com/o_wyng8tij2u/writing-an-effective-paragraph/) I didn’t get too far but I get the jist of it. Remember: double click=text. Still a lot to learn.