- Using www.glogster.com to create a new, modern-day cover of The Great Gatsby (SOL C/T 9-12.5: Students will "respectfully collaborate with peers, experts, and others to contribute to an electronic community of learning")
- (SOL 9-12.2: "Students will demonstrate proficiency in the use of technology"): Students will use video software to create "documentaries" about The Great Depression and its connections to Of Mice and Men.
- (SOL C/T 9-12.5: Students will "respectfully collaborate with peers, experts, and others to contribute to an electronic community of learning"): Students will participate in an ongoing online community like Blogger or a Wiki in which the teacher will give prompts and students will respond to the teacher and to each other.
- (SOL C/T 9-12.9: "Students will use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences"): Students will use Podcasts to discuss themes and issues in various novels, a la MuggleCast.
- (SOL C/T 9-12.9: "Students will use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences"): Students will record themselves reciting poems and then discussing meanings, themes, and different aspects of poetry (as the AP test would ask), then publish those discussions via Podcast.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Possible Lesson Plans
Here are some ideas I've thought about for possible lesson plans that integrate technology:
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Parent Communication
· What factors do you think are most important to keep in mind in communicating with parents?
Kathleen Casson (“Communicating with Parents”) makes the point that “the most important reason to stay in touch with parents is that children are more committed to learning if they feel that their teachers and their parents are on the same page. This is true in middle and high school as much as in elementary school, no matter how "grown" students might think they are.” I would also add that this is true no matter how “grown” parents might think their children are.
I agree with Kathleen Casson that to communicate successfully with parents, it is important to “be caring, professional, open, and organized”. She also notes the importance of establishing regular communication which begins on a positive note, rather than starting the relationship by conveying a problem, especially one which should have been conveyed earlier.
Communication is, of course, a two-way street, so I think it’s important to have systems in place so that you are accessible to parents. Tell parents at the beginning of the year how you can best be reached, and tell them how quickly they can expect to hear back from you.
· How do you think technologies may support or inhibit these factors?
I think that technologies can support these factors by making communication possible across conflicting schedules. In the days without e-mail or cell phone voicemail, parents could only reach teachers through notes (and one might wonder if they got delivered) or well-timed calls to the classroom (before or after classes). This would be especially difficult for working parents, as Kathleen Casson mentions.
However, certain technologies are more personal than others; it is easier to read a person’s tone and feelings through voice inflections in a phone call than it is through e-mail. So, if a teacher relies solely on e-mail and doesn’t connect with a parent by phone, he/she may run a greater risk of being misinterpreted.
· What technology(ies) do you think are most promising and realistic to help you to communicate with parents?
As a parent, I rely on cell phones, e-mail, and Edline (a website which gives parents access to their children’s grades as well as important notes from teachers) as the most promising and realistic technologies for communicating with teachers. Class web pages, such as the one described in Sydney Brown’s article (“Using a Classroom Webpage to Communicate with Parents”), are a great idea and a potentially valuable learning experience when done with the students, but speaking from experience, I am skeptical that a large percentage of parents check a class web page on a regular basis (without prompting from their children).
· What issues might you need to keep in mind in using technologies to communicate with parents?
One very important consideration is that not all parents may have access to the Internet. In such cases, hopefully you can rely on phone communication and the efficient delivery of notes if needed.
As noted previously, e-mails need to be written very carefully to convey their intended messages and tones. And, as discussed in David Walbert’s article (“Writing for the Web”), there is much to consider when writing for the web. “Different types of communication require different types of writing and design,”, and in his opinion, “the biggest problem with most content on the web is that it’s just poorly written.” Ask yourself if you want to convey information (the details of an assignment) or ideas (your philosophy of teaching). “If you’re writing for parents, consider their level of education. You may need to make your writing accessible to parents with a high school diploma while still giving those with advanced degrees the level of content they’ll expect from a fellow professional.” He emphasizes the importance of “good, strong, clear writing” no matter what you are writing, and I would add efficient proofreading – spelling and grammatical errors are always bothersome, but they are especially bothersome in a teacher’s writing. (Note to self: don’t forget to run spelling and grammar check.)
The teacher using the classroom web page in Sydney Brown’s article suggests “Don’t forget to obtain parental permission to post student pictures and work.” After a year’s experience with a classroom web page, she found that parents were much more willing to give permission.
The article by Rhonda Bodfield (“Should Teachers/Kids Be Digital “Friends”?”) explores the question of whether or not teachers and students should communicate through social networking tools such as Facebook or texting. “Because the issue isn't clear-cut, it's often a topic of conversation in ethics classes taught by Sheri Bauman, the director of the school counseling program at the University of Arizona. Her university students have said they could see educational uses for using networking sites. Teachers might discover interests or hobbies that could help them engage kids in the classroom. They might be able to see whether there's anything going on outside class that's affecting academic performance.” My reaction to this is that discovering interests, hobbies, or asking what’s going on in a student’s life outside class can and should be achieved through methods other than Facebook and texting.
“On the other hand, Bauman said, there are risks.”The kind of interaction that often occurs on the site [Facebook] is more personal than the average teacher wants to be with a student," she said. "And with no facial clues or voice clues, that kind of communication is just much easier to misinterpret."” I think that heeding the wise advice “be friendly with your students, not friends” means not going to your students’ Facebook pages and not texting them. As Kathleen Casson pointed out, being a reflective practitioner means being clear in your mind about the purpose behind everything you do as a teacher. This should translate into being able to explain everything you do to parents, and I personally wouldn’t want to risk upsetting parents by crossing a boundary into space they consider inappropriate when my goals in doing so could be achieved through other methods.
Kathleen Casson (“Communicating with Parents”) makes the point that “the most important reason to stay in touch with parents is that children are more committed to learning if they feel that their teachers and their parents are on the same page. This is true in middle and high school as much as in elementary school, no matter how "grown" students might think they are.” I would also add that this is true no matter how “grown” parents might think their children are.
I agree with Kathleen Casson that to communicate successfully with parents, it is important to “be caring, professional, open, and organized”. She also notes the importance of establishing regular communication which begins on a positive note, rather than starting the relationship by conveying a problem, especially one which should have been conveyed earlier.
Communication is, of course, a two-way street, so I think it’s important to have systems in place so that you are accessible to parents. Tell parents at the beginning of the year how you can best be reached, and tell them how quickly they can expect to hear back from you.
· How do you think technologies may support or inhibit these factors?
I think that technologies can support these factors by making communication possible across conflicting schedules. In the days without e-mail or cell phone voicemail, parents could only reach teachers through notes (and one might wonder if they got delivered) or well-timed calls to the classroom (before or after classes). This would be especially difficult for working parents, as Kathleen Casson mentions.
However, certain technologies are more personal than others; it is easier to read a person’s tone and feelings through voice inflections in a phone call than it is through e-mail. So, if a teacher relies solely on e-mail and doesn’t connect with a parent by phone, he/she may run a greater risk of being misinterpreted.
· What technology(ies) do you think are most promising and realistic to help you to communicate with parents?
As a parent, I rely on cell phones, e-mail, and Edline (a website which gives parents access to their children’s grades as well as important notes from teachers) as the most promising and realistic technologies for communicating with teachers. Class web pages, such as the one described in Sydney Brown’s article (“Using a Classroom Webpage to Communicate with Parents”), are a great idea and a potentially valuable learning experience when done with the students, but speaking from experience, I am skeptical that a large percentage of parents check a class web page on a regular basis (without prompting from their children).
· What issues might you need to keep in mind in using technologies to communicate with parents?
One very important consideration is that not all parents may have access to the Internet. In such cases, hopefully you can rely on phone communication and the efficient delivery of notes if needed.
As noted previously, e-mails need to be written very carefully to convey their intended messages and tones. And, as discussed in David Walbert’s article (“Writing for the Web”), there is much to consider when writing for the web. “Different types of communication require different types of writing and design,”, and in his opinion, “the biggest problem with most content on the web is that it’s just poorly written.” Ask yourself if you want to convey information (the details of an assignment) or ideas (your philosophy of teaching). “If you’re writing for parents, consider their level of education. You may need to make your writing accessible to parents with a high school diploma while still giving those with advanced degrees the level of content they’ll expect from a fellow professional.” He emphasizes the importance of “good, strong, clear writing” no matter what you are writing, and I would add efficient proofreading – spelling and grammatical errors are always bothersome, but they are especially bothersome in a teacher’s writing. (Note to self: don’t forget to run spelling and grammar check.)
The teacher using the classroom web page in Sydney Brown’s article suggests “Don’t forget to obtain parental permission to post student pictures and work.” After a year’s experience with a classroom web page, she found that parents were much more willing to give permission.
The article by Rhonda Bodfield (“Should Teachers/Kids Be Digital “Friends”?”) explores the question of whether or not teachers and students should communicate through social networking tools such as Facebook or texting. “Because the issue isn't clear-cut, it's often a topic of conversation in ethics classes taught by Sheri Bauman, the director of the school counseling program at the University of Arizona. Her university students have said they could see educational uses for using networking sites. Teachers might discover interests or hobbies that could help them engage kids in the classroom. They might be able to see whether there's anything going on outside class that's affecting academic performance.” My reaction to this is that discovering interests, hobbies, or asking what’s going on in a student’s life outside class can and should be achieved through methods other than Facebook and texting.
“On the other hand, Bauman said, there are risks.”The kind of interaction that often occurs on the site [Facebook] is more personal than the average teacher wants to be with a student," she said. "And with no facial clues or voice clues, that kind of communication is just much easier to misinterpret."” I think that heeding the wise advice “be friendly with your students, not friends” means not going to your students’ Facebook pages and not texting them. As Kathleen Casson pointed out, being a reflective practitioner means being clear in your mind about the purpose behind everything you do as a teacher. This should translate into being able to explain everything you do to parents, and I personally wouldn’t want to risk upsetting parents by crossing a boundary into space they consider inappropriate when my goals in doing so could be achieved through other methods.
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