Jessie's Blog

PLN's Again

2007-10-18T07:45:00.000-06:00

My freshmen are now on week five of their Personal Learning Networks and I see a huge improvement-not just on their writing, but their thinking. I will say this process has been weighty for me to grade; it takes me about three-four hours to read, grade and give feedback. Each week, I give the students feedback about what they do well and what needs to improve. Students are really seeing the buy-in and I love watching them develop and see their selves in relation to the world. I think they appreciate that they are allowed to view the world through their own eyes, taking it in, and showing WHAT MATTERS (here are those two words once again). It's fascinating to see their conceptions about the world. Each week, they are furthering their thoughts and elaborating more. They pose intriguing questions and there are so many skills they are acquiring by doing this. I want to share a few of the student blogs, so you can see for yourself. I can't wait to continue to further this process and dive even deeper. I can't think of a greater gift to give them than that of opening themselves up to the world around them.

Hannah G.'s Blog posts

Jeremi G.'s Blog Posts

Aaron H.'s Blog Posts

Brett R.'s Blog Posts

Dillon G.'s Blog Posts

Kelsey C.'s Blog Posts

We have a long way to go and hopefully we will be able to start commenting on each other's blogs and on the original posts. I also wanted to comment on the formal presentations. We do these every Friday about 5-6 students per week, twice a semester. I have asked students, as an audience, to do two things: 1) give positive feedback to the speaker and 2) ask questions of the speaker, start a discussion about what they are seeing or agree/disagree with and what they think about the speaker's topic. I have had some extremely poignant and striking conversations. The great thing is is that the student's focus determines the direction of the conversation. There have been times where we don't get to the last two speakers because the discussion has taken off; the students want to speak and let their voices be heard. They feed off each other; they ask questions of the presenter and they are extremely knowledgeable and articulate. I know public speaking is a fear and a challenge for some of these students, but they are challenging themselves and seeing that their voices DO MATTER and they ALL have something to say. The only thing I would like to see is the students start the conversation without me kind of leading them first. I see them starting to take initiative, but sometimes I have to model my thought processes and show them what's going through my mind when a speaker is presenting their blogs and how I can throw that out to them for discussion purposes. I LOVE IT! I look forward to Friday's and I feel a great passion for it.

Personal Learning Networks: How Sweet It Is!

2007-09-25T14:44:00.000-06:00

During the past two weeks, I have also ventured out into the great wide open, implementing Personal Learning Networks with my freshmen classes along with fellow teachers, Anne Smith and Michele Davis. I believe that this may transform my student’s thinking about the world around them. I wasn’t quite sure what to think when we first started. However, they seemed to take to it quite easily. I feel that I have had to give purpose numerous times so that they understand the relevancy and importance of what they are about to dive into. To make one open to the world and to inquire and connect with it can be difficult, especially for freshmen, who sometimes lack in critical thinking skills.

I set the bar high. I expect a great deal from them. Each week, the students are to use Google Reader, a feed site, to search, read, and reflect upon various news/blogs regarding education, the world, and local happenings. I then have them post a thoughtful response on their own personal blogs. Again, we always come back to the What Matters? piece where they really show me what THEY THINK about the text. They are to also connect the pieces to their own lives, the world around them, question, show what intrigues them, and write a formal response. The skills they are acquiring and practicing with these blogs are so rich: reading strategies, critical thinking, personal reflection, summary-response, writing techniques, editing/proofreading, strong diction and fluency, the art of questioning-all of these skills have merit in what we are doing.

I was giddy, for the most part, upon reading their first two blog responses. Students really showed a discerning voice through their writing, and more importantly, allowed these articles and blogs to influence their thinking. Although there is much improvement to be made, I am looking forward to more. I told the students that writing was a work in progress-they have to work at it. They have to be passionate about the world around them and look to find their place in it. I also wrote my own example.

Here are some other great examples from my classes- the only thing we didn’t do this time around was link the original blog or article-that is something standard from here on.

Hannah G. posted on K. Fisch’s blog (The Fischbowl) entitled “Thought for the Day”
I came across an article entitled, 'Thought For The Day 7-12-07'. This article contained an exerpt by Daniel C. Dennett from the book, 'What Is Your Dangerous Idea?', from The Ficshbowl posted by Karl Ficsh. This article asks a thought-churning question of, "What will happen to common knowledge in the future?". As of today, our common knowledge is constantly expanding. Our technology is one major example of our increasing apprehension. We interact with technology everywhere, whether we're at home checking our e-mail, listening to our i-pods, or even going to Kings Soopers and using the self-checkout. I believe that in the future the idea of common knowledge will still be what it is, a basic understanding of things, but it will have grown just as our knowledge has. I agree with the article that our ancestors may have had it easy, and that there wasn't that much to know, but two things cross my mind as I began to think about this statement. Of course our ancestors did not know what we know today, but was there that much to know? This is a difficult question, and I understand that it could have several different interpretations. But as I read this, the first thing I said to myself was, "Well of course there was a lot for our ancestors to know. Look at us today, look how far we've come since then". But I can kind of understand the meaning of what the writer was trying to get at. There is only so much one generation can know. These people are from the same age in time and don't know more than what they know. That's an odd way of saying it, but what I mean to say is that people have certain customs and know certain ways of doing certain things, until one day theres the beginning of a new generation. New people, new minds, therefore, new ideas.
Another part of me began to compare our past to the present. Is there more for us to know? I could answer this question for myself. As unbelieveable to me as it is to say this, looking at our world and seeing our progression through time, I do think the world still has much, much more to learn about itself and everything around it. I almost can't believe the heights technology has reached and how it has impacted my daily life. Just going to school and looking up to the projector for a power point that the teacher has prepared, or using the laptops for research. The world is so dependable on what it has created, that without it, nothing would be the same. So from that, I suspect the world will only progress as time goes on. And as time goes on, our knowledge will expand, and once again, the world will have out-done itself.

Dillon G. wrote about Dave Warlick’s blog, 2 cents Worth entitled “Classrooms of the Future”
In my article "Classrooms for the Future" by Dave in 2 cents worth, a high school in Pennslyvania is getting a taste of future technology in classrooms. Each core (math, english, social studies, and science) classroom will receive one laptop per student, infrastructure, a scanner/printer, webcam, projector and much more.This gift in technology they are receiving will hopefully open up new ideas and paths for learning not only for these students but for the U.S. and world. It may provide so much information that textbooks, learning strategies, and other methods will become obsolete."It may start up some school/district wide recycling programs," a. woody delauder posted, which is a very possible idea.I know I can relate somewhat to this because our school classrooms have some of this technology such as projectors and technical support. This also relates to the world because if it were to get its hands on this, the world would be a much more efficient, imaginative, and successful learning evironment. I hope someday schools around the world will posses this technology to make learning a whole new experience.
Kelsey C wrote about an essay in The Fischbowl
"The only question is how long one can postpone the inevitable." Mr. Karl Fisch asks a simple yet thought provoking question: "In the case of some countries, life spans can be very long, so it is worth asking whether the United States is in adolescence, middle age, or old age. Do science and technology accelerate or offset the demise? And finally, how many stars will be in the U.S. flag in fifty years?" To begin, I do think that the United States will add more states but only about two such as Puerto Rico and Cuba. Since both have already come into consideration in becoming states, I believe they eventually might. I think the United States is adolescence because of all the new technological advances that are being invented everyday. This question is important and matters to everyone, because if we add more states, that adds more population and new ideas, and even raw materials. Having new states could add and bring great things to our country but it could also bring disease, crime and much more. This question connects to our class, because our general question is "what matters" and this is a question that people should worry about and why it matters. Finally, this is important to our world but mostly our country because we would be adding to what we already have, bringing in new land, people, ideas, and the way society may be run. Obviously, this question poses many opinions and no right or wrong answer, but is a question everyone should take into consideration.
Sami M. wrote about the Fischbowl as well
I read "GOAL: Change how kids learn." by Karl Fisch. I think this is a strong piece because it shows that people are out there working and changing the way kids learn. People all over the world are sending money to help and something is getting done. These kids look greatful to be able to have their very own lap top. They are going step by step to making their education the best. They want these kids to be curious with these computers and explore the different things these computers can do. They are planning to send another 100 million this year. I kind of dont like that they are giving each kid their very own lap top because there are also kids in that same area that haven't eaten in days. Yes, it is a great way to start bringing up their intelligence and show them different ways to explore things but should this really be the top of people's priorities. It may not be but it seems to me it is. I love the way they are helping underprivaleged kids but the ones that arn't eating should be taken care of before they get a lap top. Even though I argued against the logic of the lap tops I really do like the idea of them being able to expand their minds through their very own laptops.This is going to make so many kids happy and will be one more step closer to having a higher test score or higher intelligence level in that area.The U.S. has everything it needs and more. I think we should become more active with helping the people that are less fortunate then our own. We have strong educations and are able to go to a stable and dominate school each day. Most take it for granted. We shouldn't, we should all realize that not to far away kids younger than us are working to feed their family. The U.S. helps and sends help, money, and food but not everyone is aware of the disadvantages other places have. Education is the main key of being successful. WIthout education I wouldnt't get anywhere and netiher would anyone else I know. The U.S. should get going and start helping more and more eachday. We might already be helping alot, but I dont see it. People are more concerned about buying the designer clothes or that expensive car, etc. We all take education for advantage. We dont even notice how big of an aspect it is in our lives.

Jeremi G. wrote about Dave Warlick’s 2 cents worth blog
I just read an article entitled “Shhh! I’m Googling My Facts…” from the blog site 2 cents worth by Dave. The article is about a large issue that goes on today with teenagers all over the world, including me. Internet resources found through the “trustworthy” search engine Google. The writer said that teachers used to teach from text books, encyclopedias and other sources printed on books. Wake up people! It is the 21st century, and the online resources are so multiple and easily available, that people are using them much more than books. From a kid’s point of view, it is easy and extremely simple to do. A kid can get his research done in a few minutes online. But teachers look at it with not so positive a view. They prefer their textbooks and maps.When I read this article, I decided to blog about it because it intrigued me and I could relate to it. I use Google all the time for researching papers and tons of other things. It is my home page on my computer. From Google I can go to any website. But, I should apply some techniques that I have learned in my English 9 class (woo-hoo Mrs. Komp!): questioning what I find. When I click on a website with information concerning the topic I typed in up top in the search bar, I automatically assume it’s true. It’s taken for granted that the information searched and the websites that appear on Google are, well, valid. But I need to learn to question what I read, and research it and back it up more thoroughly. When you search something, and the list of websites that come up, they are not arranged from true to incorrect, they are arranged randomly. Anybody can write anything on any website and have it appear on Google. A student researching his paper, or an inquirer just searching for the answer to a question, should either check more than just the first website on the list, to back up the information, or should go to a trusted website. Another website that is largely popular is Wikipedia. Everyone trusts Wikipedia, but it is not always true. The articles can be edited and therefore anything can be changed or put into that article. The validity of resourceful websites, such as Google and Wikipedia, should be challenged and questioned. Don’t always trust the first thing you read on the World Wide Web (www). Always be inquiring and questioning and validating everything you read and see…
To conclude: Friday was the first day for four students from each class to present their blogs to their classmates through formal speaking. I did not do podcasts; I’m not there yet. I did do something a little different. I told the students from the get-go that they must be attentive and respectful to the people speaking, as they will be nervous and possibly scared to stand up in front of their peers and put themselves out there. This went off without a hitch-no problems. I also asked students to watch the person speaking and provide them with feedback as to what went well in their presentation. At the end of each presentation I asked five people to comment on what went well. I was amazed how honest and positive the students were. It also opened my eyes to what they catch on to when watching a person speak. I began to think to myself, as a teacher, that I could learn a few things from their critiques and try to improve in my own verbal instruction-how enlightening! I also asked the students in the audience to ask questions or respond to the comments of the person. Now some of the presenters automatically asked the audience questions (what do you think-how do you see it?). I loved this aspect of the presentation because the students were able to have a dialogue with one another regarding the issues that were presented. Some disagreed constructively; others just talked about how they perceived things to be. To me, this is the ultimate! To see a class start to wonder and think about each other’s responses and then verbally discuss it, is ideal! I want more of this. I don’t want my students just sitting there; I too want them interacting. And it happened! I don’t have them responding to one another on their personal blogs, but we will get there. The fact that these presentations took off into discussions is a plus.

I am so excited about these PLN’s; I feel that my student’s are beginning to see the value of their thoughts and that their voice, even as young teenagers, really do matter. I am deeply intrigued by what they have to say. I appreciate that I have been introduced to this and I can't think of anything better to really have them dive into the issues that MATTER.

I did end up giving them a new handout that I just typed up quickly regarding things to think about when they reflect and the various errors they need to fix in their writing. The beginning paragraph is touchy feely, but I think there came a greater understanding of what I want them to get from this journey.
Personal Learning Network Writing Expectations and Suggestions

It amazes me...the joy of freshmen!

2007-09-04T15:01:00.000-06:00

I love teaching them. I love that they are open and spontaneous and everything done in class is so unpredictable. I love that they get into things and really want to learn from you. Yet, they lack so many skills that I expect them to come in with. What happened? Did they lose everything they learned in middle school? Was their knowledge replaced with the crap on MTV? Did they forget what responsibility is?
I don't know about any of you, but I'm frustrated. Obviously, each year is a challenge with freshmen because we have new students with new problems and behavior issues. I'm not saying that all freshmen are placed into this rant; but, COME ON! I assigned their first writing pre-assessment, which was not assigned a grade. I asked them to think reflectively on what they were passionate about in their life. They wanted me to tell them how to do it. How many pages, what it should be on, etc. Blah, blah, blah. I said, "Just go with it." I really don't think posting my expectations on my web page, which they supposedly read, did anything for them. There is one full page telling them what I expect of written compositions. They don't follow directions. Half of the class wrote a paragraph, that's it?! You only had eight sentences for your paper. How is that possible? But Mrs. Comp, "we were told that a paragraph is only 6 sentences." "I'm not passionate about anyting in my life." "I don't really have deep beliefs or ideas that I live by." Plus, many didn't double space, or type it, when I said numerous times, every day, to do that. Today, going over literary terms, some of them can't even define setting or a theme; yet, they got this years before.
It amazes me what skips out of their head. It amazes me that they lack the skills to write a personal narrative. It amazes me that I want them to take learning into their own hands and define themselves and what matters, but they have had their hands held all through their schooling. No wonder it's confusing. they haven't been taught to think (at least, may of them haven't). Maybe it shouldn't amaze me anymore. I feel like I could really challenge these students, but I have to focus a lot on their skills to get them up to par. I'm still not going to underestimate them. But, if this is the best freshmen class possibly to go through AHS, I might cry. All I ask is that some of these freshmen start to LISTEN! I think that is the biggest problem I have. All of the above can be fixed with time and practice and application. It's just they all have something to say and will do their all to get that out, but they don't know how to listen and take it in and process it. I'm tired of them playing the game of school. They will either own it, or won't. Many of them seem to value their education, as this was our first blog together. Maybe some of them aren't writing what they truly feel; but a loud wake up call is coming and with freshmen, we still have to guide them and hold their hands at times. It's amazing how they change from freshmen year to junior year. I know developmentally, their brains are still developing critical thinking processes. But, to learn in my class and have it stick is so valuable to me. I don't want my kids learning for learnign sake. I want them competnet and knowledgable going into their future years. I don't want to be just another class. I have to trust that they will find their voice and begin to grow. But, what's coming out right now is not acceptable.

The beginning... once again

2007-08-30T08:57:00.000-06:00

Thus far, the new school year has proved to be the best one yet. I have great freshmen, who supposedly are to be the best fresh class ever and juniors who are willing to LEARNand take action by DOING-not once have I heard about grades...yet. I must say I feel good about the year and where I am taking my classes. I attribute a lot of that thought to our group and our fearless leader, Fisch. I love where this has taken my teaching. The panel of "real-world" professionals, at the end of last year, got me thinking over the summer about these students and their place in the future. They talked a lot about skills one should acquire and even more so those interpersonal relationships and professional networks that must be established. I began to think of my class in these terms, although Cris Tovani (sorry to quote Tovani again...but this just sticks out in my head) would say, "if you're solely teaching content, you aren't teaching them skills to help them succeed." In literature, we tend to hammer away at it, evn though it stands as the foundation of most English classes. But, I began to wonder if I could let go of one novel that we may read per semester, so I could focus on skills that they actually need. I'm not saying that it isn't important to read, analyze, thinking critically about literature and connecting our lives to it. But, we, as a group, have talked about the question: What can I let go?

Karl talked about students acquiring personal learning networks, networks that can expand. He said they need to be able to find information and know how to evaluate it. How many of us are really teaching them this skill? He said that they needed to form relationships, talk to people, make connections, but also contribut to them and be a bigger part of the community. The question was asked-what is our role in this? Further, it was said that if we want our students to be able to learn on their own, we have to commit to using tools of the 21rst century. Also, we have to model those skills and how we have learned about it. We have to share.
It seems that in my former years, trying to work outside the education realm, networking wasn't about what you know , but more about WHO you know. But, I really see these kids stepping up to the plate and taking charge and more importantly wanting to learn these skills. I have to be the guiding force behind that. What they do know still does make a difference. I had a student blog that basically said schools doesn't teach students what they need to know for the real world. This struck me big time. So I asked him, what do you need to learn for the real world? What can I do to make that relevant for you? I haven't heard back yet. But, I do constantly think about what I am doing in class to get my students ready and to allow them to enjoy it as well. What's going to make them better for the future?
Also,I really do wish that Karl Fisch would win the powerball jackpot, so that he could donate laptops to us all. Maybe Oprah or Bill Gates will donate. Maybe I'll ask Santa. Maybe they will magically appear one day in my classroom. Until then, I will keep plugging away at the lab signups, where time slots are full and availability is short. If only...

Hello, again...finally

2007-02-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

I decided to finally kick the dust off of my personal blog and write something. Now, I don't feel like I have been slacking, not blogging, yes, but slacking, no. I am currently finishing my master's and my entire final culminating paper/project has to do with consturcitivism in my classrooms. Now, I haven't been as creative with technology; however, I believe that constructivism has led to great things in my classes. I can't say, as of now, that everything is constructivist based, but I do feel that my students are more excited about their learning and the things that they do. Now, this may be a lofty assumption, but I just collected surveys today regarding this method of instruction and how students learn and most students are seeing its value. I don't know about anybody else, but this has been a truly hard year. I feel that I'm learning more as a teacher now than I ever did in getting my education licensure, and that I am constantly trying to make and do things better. I really feel that we have some of the most difficult jobs and the fact that we are coming together as a group and trying all of these new things, has weighty influence in our professional lives and the lives of our students. When we first started this process, I never thought that my teaching would change like this-and for the better. I have collaborated more, tried more new ideas, and challenged myself more than I thought I could. Really, we are doing wonderful things as a faculty. you know by just talking to students. I think we have a special situation at this school and really don't know how lucky we are to teach most of the students we have each day and more importantly, the staff we have. However, I still worry about whether or not how to write a thesis statement will stick with my freshmen. I worry in how to make something like Dickinson poetry applicable to student lives. I think the biggest worry is that I may be overestimating my students. What i see them doing and accomplishing might be bigger in my own mind. I really, honestly, truly do beleive that our studnets are capable of amazing critical thinking and application of what they are learning to the world around them. I truly beleive that they are capable of deep thought and looking at something with a more discerning eye. Is overestimating them bad? I expect a lot out of myself, thus I expect a lot out of my students. If I can't challenge myself, I can't challenge them.

Freshmen with Constructivism

2006-10-04T07:48:00.000-06:00

Recently, I have been having a difficult time with my 6th hour freshmen; things are turning around slowly but surely, but it made me think of some things. I have tried to make the classroom environment theirs as much as mine. I gave them freedom to determine some of the class expectations and to give them a voice in their learning. These are great kids, but there are some who haven't bought into the school mentality yet. What I wonder is, are freshmen capable of a constructivist method in class? I find that just inexperience, immaturity, and the fact that skill base is so low, that even if I try to get them to create meaning, they have a difficult time. Everything is hard for fresh! I am helping them in that process because I can't just turn them loose and say go...but I'm not sure they are old enough for that kind of thought and thinking process yet.
Now, it is something we can teach and try to bring out of them, but it's nowhere close to the level it could be. I guess I feel that I highly overestimate my students abilities sometimes and maybe I expect too much, thus leaving me frustrated; I suppose that's better than the latter. But I feel like kids should have some of these skills coming into high school; and truly they DO NOT. I am having to teach things that were basic skills (like common literary terminology and thesis statements) that they either didn't learn or forgot. Then, when I ask them-what matters to you? What do you think? What are you seeing? How does that make you feel? What questions do you have? How can you relate that to real world applications?-most just stare blankly, like they have nothing to say. I know this is a lesson in patience for me, and I haven't given up on them. But, essential thinking skills lack within these students, and they only look at what is on the surface. Trying to get them to think for themselves is something that is new to them-I don't have all the answers, I don't want to provide all the answers. I have made it known that I want them to dive into the literature, or text we are reading, and find what matters to them for their own purposes. Sometimes, constructivism fails me in this regard. Like Brett Favre, I can lead my team down the field so many times, but nothing works if their is no one behind me to receive or catch. Sometimes I throw interceptions. Nice analogy, eh? But that's how I feel sometimes. Anyone seeing similar problems? Don't get me wrong, I am still pushin'-but when we want to place emphasis on students' learning and getting them to think of their learning differently, there are problems surrounding this method. I have to hold a lot of hands, as I should at times, but I feel like I'm carrying a lot of the weight most of the time. I also speak in terms of MOST of my freshmen. There are some students who are extraordinary, and can learn wholheartedly with this method. I'd like to hear what you guys think!

Some thoughts...

2006-09-14T12:39:00.000-06:00

First things first-I really like the ideas of wikis-but I am still confused to how to it-I would have like time to tackle it together, ask more questions, etc. But, I feel as if we rush through some of these great pieces of tech. integration too fast, because we have to get to the next thing. I would haveloved to maybe collaborate and talk about how we could use them and it would have been benficial to get the how-to's. I know people just go and try it themsleves, which is great, but I am a person who needs a little more concrete when it comes to something that is foreign to me. Just a little thought.
But, on the plus side, I really feel like my students are buying into this thinking for yourself idea and allowing themselves to decipher meaning. I have had richer discussions and they are beginning to see the implications of "thinking" instead of just sitting back passively. I feel like the class has been more constructivist based as the students have been running the discussions and they are annotating constantly-partially because I'm making them; but I want them to see that there is real world application in interacting with what they read. So many students don't do this. They just get a piece of text, are assigned homework to read and then they just expect the ideas and answers to fall from the sky. I think the purposes are easy to grasp, but complacency and apathy take control, and the buy- in just skips out of the brain. It's easier to settle and just do it to get it done, which is a conversation I have had with my kids. I have been talking to my students about my intentions of what I want them to do and grasp, and how my teaching will affect that. I think they appreciate my honesty, even if I'm preaching the importance of what I want them to be able to do and know, especially when it comes to their thinking and doing. I have appreciated their interaction with me and taking the time to see things through my lens, which in turn, becomes reciprocal. But, i can't have a great class, and learning can't occur without their buy in. I think it is important to have these discussions with our kids-reflecting, going back to it, calling them out on the things that they are underperforming in, and really having them take a look into their own education. I keep telling them, I can't tell you what to think-you have to ask those questions and find what is applicable for your own purpose. I just want to note also, across all content areas, that my hope is that despite content, we all buy in to the idea that we are all teachers of literacy. I think our classrooms could be som much richer, if we taught kids how to think using some strategies. Most people do this anyway, even if they don't know it; but reading is a complex process that involves thinking. We have to give our kids the chance to succeed despite our content and the text we read. I found that just using a few strats. have enriched my kids thinking and it helps them with future preparation in education.

Philosophy of Education

2006-08-15T10:07:00.000-06:00

I enjoyed the conversation about our philosophies of ed.-I think the most important idea that came out was our ability to facilitate and let the students pull meaning. I also thought that being able to show them how to navigate the networked world was important. I think the greatest thing we can also give our kids is the purposeful relevance to everything we teach. Again, (coming from Jeff Wilhelm) kids must see that what they are learning has immediate function and application in their lives, that they are socially invested in it. Otherwise, we lose them. We must teach our students to think for themselves, to think critically to take on that accountability for their education. We must also teach kids the skills that they will need for the future. There are still life skills, despite the constant change and outsourcing, that they are still going to need (literacy and their ability to relate and communicate to people being most valuable). I find it exciting that we, as a group, are thinking and doing these things to change education-but it does scare me that there is so much out there that we do not know, things that we aren't doing, and ideas that we haven't yet touched on. I can only hope that our kids start to open their eyes with a fresh new look, start thinking about their futures and the world that surrounds them, and see that the future happens whether they want it to or not and they are going to have to live in that world (even though as Karl stated on his powerpoint, that world is changing and becoming outdated every minute). I know it's a stretch from the world of gaming, MTV, movies, music, and play (so all the fun)-but isn't it time that we make our kids aware of these issues beyond their everyday existence?

Reflection

2006-05-10T13:01:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to note that in my last mentor meeting we discussed what went well and what challenged us during school year and what we needed for next year. And one of my answers was that I needed my students to continue to have open minds regarding their learning and the way I approach them to teach. My kids have been great this year letting me try new things and I truly appreciate their willingness to let me try out methods that may or may not work. I feel grateful that we have such wonderful students who can take on some challenges. I hope it continues.

Subscription Services

2006-05-10T12:53:00.000-06:00

I really hope that these services do not go away. I use these consistently with my classes and they have been extremely beneficial. I will continue to introduce my students to them at the beginning of the year and make them practice finding information for summary responses and using it for their ALIS and position papers. I think I will have them use it more regarding finding relevant information that is reliable instead of just solely ofcuing on search engines like google. Overall, I feel like I have integrated these into my classes, but I need to do it more frequently so that it becomes imbedded in their heads.

surveys

2006-05-03T11:55:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you guys, but I am very nervous for these surveys-at least the response portion of them. It will be great to receive feedback and see if any of the changes I have made in my class made a difference in how my kids learn and comprehend the units. I truly beleive that my kids were open to the new techniques I was trying, even if some of them failed. But, I guess that's what practice is for and we move on and improve upon what we can. I am hopeful that at least one student will have seen my purpose and have benefited from it; if there are more, then so be it. Either way, I feel like it's a success. At least I tried new things.

opening the mind's of students

2006-04-19T11:17:00.000-06:00

Recently, I have loved the blogs of my students in my American Lit. class-extremely intriguing and perceptive and they have been commenting on one another's. We are currently reading the Great Gatsby, and I have posted some prompts on certain ideals that we will encouner later. Needless to say, their reponses are very subjective,honest and they make some good points.
The reason I am writing this is that I never thought a blog repsonse from a student could get under my skin so much. I felt cheated, I felt inferior, I felt betrayed in a sense. And not that it wasn't valid or I didn't respect the kid's opinion-as the saying goes, to each his own, right?
To make a long story longer, the essence of his thoughts were that in order to be successful you had to make a lot of money and if you didn't, then you weren't a success-and that in terms of wealth or being wealthy you had to have the mentality that you were better than others, and sort of a snob. Money being necessary, it is the only thing that makes you who you are.
So, I went to class and I wanted to share different perceptions about the topic because they did such a great job and to play devil's advocate. So I went through a couple of kids' ideas and we talked, then I asked the one student if I could ask him a question. I asked," So let me hear your response before I can claim my own defense here: am I-a TEACHER-who doesn't make an incredible amount of money less successful?" He responded, "Yes." I asked, "So because I don't make over 100 grand a year, I am not a success?" "Yes," he said. At this point, I was sort of blown away-a few kids rebutted against that,and I think most were shocked and didn't know what to say or how to rebut. Then I felt like I needed to prove something-and now that I'm thinking of it I question myself-was it necessary for me to prove myself? Did I have to jusitfy my defense? How could a blog piss me off so much? And I'm calm now-but the main thing I said to these kids was: "I want you to remember one thing-there will always be greater and lesser persons than you." Another kid asked if I was happy and I emphatically replied, yes-and he said then you are successful. It just amazed me that opening a can of worms such as this, could make me feel so great and yet so belittled and then I thought about my own accomplishments and I know I can wlak with my head high, feeling satified because of what I have done in my short life. And I hope kids think about this discussion inthe future when the real world strikes and it's claws are reaching out. It also made me think of some kid's attitudes today. It looks as though I took this personally, and at some level, I did, but at the same time, I was just happy that I got my student's to think and make these universal themes that encompass this great novel so relevant to them! These should be the kinds of discussions we are having, and I think many of us are.

Progress of Goals

2006-04-05T10:43:00.000-06:00

I would say that I have grown and accomplished a lot this semester-with regards to my goals, I will honestly say that some have slipped and not deliberately. As far as keeping up with assignments, I have done them, but in the latter relam of time. I have not been consistent with my blogs, but truly, I have not had much to elaborate on. I haven't wanted to sound redundant. I have truly embraced, in my eyes, a more constructivist approach in specific classes, and I have continued blogging with my American Lit. class. I have incorporated other teacher's ideas or methods (i.e.-the fishbowl) but I changed it a bit to adapt to the needs to my students by doing more socratic methods. I feel as though I am getting my kids to think more critically and beyond the mere surface. In my last units, with fresh and A.L. I will be doing inquiry based unit where the unit is derived off of one essential question and they will go through a process where they will evaluate, question,and create a socially significant group project on a topic they research. It gives the students more power in their learning and I get to facilitate more. I am looking forward to it and the kids seem to be excited, or they're just faking it. I really want these units to be relevant and exciting to the kids' lives. I will say that my goals were reachable, but not all attainable. But I do feel that the ways in which I ahve approached my teaching has been in large part due to this cohort, and for that I am thankful, even if I don't consistently blog.

Conference Teachings

2006-03-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

My last blog went off on a little tangent, but now I wanted to talk about the conference-These are not my own comments-think about some of these things:

"Self discipline is a better indicator of ability than IQ"-how a kid sustains thought and takes information over a period of time is what counts.

Giving a test every unit is not teaching-think about it-how long does a kid retain that information? Not long-how are you engaging kids to sustain thought? School shouldn't be about, "Guess what the teacher already knows."

We are passing up kids because we have not enlisted kids' energy in learning-we keep going by them. We want kids to buy into the system of learning. We underestiamte what kids can do.

Why can't you give up content to focus on teaching kids how to think about content?

If I do not express care or interest in students, EVERY student, they will not learn from me.

We need to model every skill we want kids to learn-we need to be writing with our kids, showing them our own thoughts, giving them Background knowledge, setting purpose-

We the teachers are the chief interrupters that takes students away from that long-term thinking that they may be forming.

CCIRA Conference

2006-03-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

I went to the CCIRA conference this year, a conference on literacy. There are some things I will be sharing in ournext meeting, but i wanted to throw out some ideas for oyu to ponder. I really want more people (especially in other content areas)to come to this next year. It is truly valuable and has changed the face of my teaching in some ways. Karl asked me to share some ideas. One major presumption I want to address here: We talk about "READING"! OOH, scary word, I know. But, I do not know how to teach phonics, decoding, etc.; but I do know how to teach my kids to THINK! Literacy is everything: reading, writing, speaking, listening and more importantly, THINKING and being aware of your own cognitive processes. I do not think there is one teacher who could refute that they don't do these things. So, maybe, we need to change our language. I teach Reading Strategies; I don't teach kids how to read or to decode words; I teach them how to think more engagingly, thougtfully and actively about texts they are given so that they can create meaning to utlimately understand what they read. I'll be honest, I've heard all too many times that, "I have too much curriculum to cover to teach reading." I too have certain content that I must cover, but I'm going to teach my kids how to think about it more. The one response is just an excuse and people think that they have to have a background in literacy or reading to get the big picture. YOU DON'T! We need to engage our kids and if you are just leaving them out there assuming that they can create menaing from the information you want them to learn, without giving them the tools or secrets to be successful, you are setting them up to fail and to be mediocre. By passing this by, we are defeating our kids; we aren't creating these kids that we all want to be thoughtful, questioning everything, coming up with their own conclusions (you know, the whole constructivist approach). I'm not meanign to sound cynical, but I am not a literacy expert; but I had to learn new ideas/concepts/strategies that were going to help my kids become successful. I think we all need tobe doing this, and we all proabably are, if we are going to make and create change. I guess all I am asking is for our group to keep an open mind, and not sluff off the idea because you have too many other things to cover. Sometimes, the skill is more important than the content. So, get READING out of your head; think about how teaching kids how to think more thoughtfully about the reading you give in your content area will benefit them in the long run. If you're doing just one thing, then you are setting your kids up to be more successful and not feel defeated by the reading given to them.

The Life of a Teacher

2006-03-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you guys-but I have hit the time of the year where everything has come to a pinnacle of mass stress, grading, teaching,conferencing and everything that we do day in and out that continues to compile-So, for those of you who are keeping up with your blogs, answering prompts and so on, I applaud you. I know these are excuses, but to me they are pretty good ones. Yet, I am still blogging before we meet-better late than never I guess. Anyone else feeling extreme stress right now?

Goals

2006-01-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

My goal for this semester is fairly simple:

1)To continue to learn and question how technology and constructivism will help strengthen my classes and my student's learning. How you ask?

a) I will continue to do my homework, readings, and blogs
b) I will continue dialogue with my colleagues
c) I will continue to use blogs in my American Literature class
d) I will, with baby steps, work to incopoarate a more constructivist setting and learning in my classes
e) I will try to use ideas from other colleagues to strengthen my classes.
f) To be an active learner who works with and experiments with the ideas given to me
g) To challenge myself to ask the difficult questions and struggle with certain ideas to better my knowledge and thinking.

Comprehension

2006-01-23T14:15:00.001-07:00

This may be something that we touch more on in our March meeting, but it is amazing to me that when I get a new batch of students for the semetser, it's like information has skipped out of students' brains. I spent three weeks doing literary anaylsis step by step and half my students I had last semester are oblivious going into other papers; and some tell me that they never learned certain concepts when in fact I know they spent time doing it with other teachers. I am so frustrated. Am I not teaching it effectively? I know I did, because most did great work when it was assigned, but why does it just go in one ear and out the other? Why are students "learning" to just finish the end product (i.e. test, project, paper)? Is it something I'm doing or have they been taught that the "moment" matters, not the life-long learning or necessity for the future? I have changed some things in my class to make this seemingly boring process informative and fun; but process with anything is tedious, repetitive, and can be a little dull. Most of these kids have never learned the writing process and I feel like I'm having to cover ground that should have (just in the very basics) been covered prior. It's those essential learnings that these kids lack and yet it's info. that they get "now"-I'm not saying that all students are like this, but some see it as a means to the end, and I have not stopped stressing the importance and setting purpose for everything they do in this process. Any thoughts, any of the same frustrations?

The difficult questions

2006-01-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

I had responded on one of the Fischbowl blogs about how I think it is amazing that wer are asking the difficult questions. I think it is courageous and enlightening that we can take on some of these topics and struggle with them individually. I guess, one of my big qualms as of new (and this may contribute to me having a bad day)is that there aren't always answers. To me that's okay. I try to teach my students that actively thinking and enagaing in the thinking process and asking questions is sometimes more beneficial than the final content or product. I tell them that not every question has an answer and that we must struggle with new ideas and various perspectives to increase dialogue. I tell them that it leads to problem solving and further propells their thinking in a whole new light; as hard is this, the answer is not always balck and white. I find my self struggling with sooo much gray since I've been involved with this cohort and I'm finding it hard that there are questions that aren't answered. But, I think it's okay. It makes me better, and i have shared my frustrations with students and teachers alike.

value of learning and grades

2006-01-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hey compadres-
Nice to hear and see you all again. I just wanted to throw something out there that absolutely blew my mind today. I had asked my freshman and American Lit. classes to write a one page narrative answering these questions: What is the value of learning? What are the value of grades? and What did they want to learn or take away from my class? Today, I had an amazingly open and candid conversation with the AL kids,and they let the cat out of the bag, so to say. After our conversations about grades and the article we just read,I found these students had many similar takes. They had such honest and perceptive insight into grades and their purpose. For the most part, students felt that grades took away from their overall learning and they were just a system of determining rank and order. For the most part, their feelings weren't too positive, but they understood that they were here and must be given. They want their focus to be more about the learning than the grade. I will share with you all, at the next meeting, my findings, and possibly share their narratives about this topic. I was open with them about my philosophy with it, and I even asked them to give me input as to how I could still give them grades, but have learning be more of the main element, and to allow them some input for me in how to grade certain things. Some were funny, some were serious. I also had a student who came to me after class and said what do you think about pass/ fail? Could we do that? I'll share more later, but I wanted to tell you guys what I found out briefly. I am really struggling with this and I'm seeing more as I teach and try to engage students in their learning how important this may become in the future. If we are going to be the catalysts for change, isn't this an isssue that should be supported from above? Can it be supported-will it ever?

failing kids

2005-12-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you guys-but as we get on to the end of the year, I start to see the writing on the wall to the idea that some students aren't going to pass. And I started thinking to myself. Are we failing students who are failing? There are so many factors to this; but I start to wonder if there was something else I could have done. For the most part, these are students who didn't come to class, never made up work, or particiapted or did their work. I know it's not me for the most part, but I can't help but think of this. I give the grades, they earn them; and for some students I know that it isn't me-I find that many of our students, do not advocate for themselves and I do feel like I shouldn't have to run around and chase them so that they do their work. I also always tell my kids to come in for help if they require it; I am not telepathic, and when I ask for questions or clarification during a lesson and no one raises their hands, I assume that we are golden. It's just frustrating. Any other opinions on the matter?

Blogging

2005-12-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

I have had such great blogs lately. I love this forum for communication within my classroom. For those students who have been doing them, their thoughts have been much more thorough and the level of response has heightened. This has been great thus far and I plan on using it next semester. Hopefully, I can start adding freshmen, God help us! Freshmen blogging-watch out!

grades

2005-12-12T11:04:00.000-07:00

We are currently studying transcendentalism and I had a long reading over the weekend where I asked students to react to it in the margins so that they could create their own menaing. Today, we had a great class discussion over the reading and everyone gave their two cents.I had a student come up to me and say are we receiving any points on this? I said no. He said, "I was really counting on this." My response was, "so you need a point value to this in order to learn?" He said, "Yeah, it would have helped." I then patted myself on the back because it was more important to me that each student make their own connections and get their own individual sense of the reading than me rewarding them with a grade for doing something that I thought was important for LEARNING, not to give them more points so that their grades would rise! It's that time of year-where they are concerned about where they'll end up-funny how this wasn't an issue 15 weeks ago.

Take 5-#12

2005-12-01T07:02:00.000-07:00

I have a student in my reading strategies class-a kid who is very low-he probably should have started with workshop, but that's beyond the point. He came to me the other day crying that he didn't understand anything and was having a hard time with the strategies. They had a huge project due, and he did none of it. I told him that I was upset that he waited til the last couple of weeks to come see me about his problem (considering that I always ask for clarification or questions when we are doing somehting in class, and he never said a thing-and has never come in for help prior to this). However, with reagrds to our last "grade" meeting and the idea that the learning is what we should emphasize, I told this student that I didn't care about the project; I cared more about him being able to walk out of the class having learned and feeling confident that he can use at least two of the strategies proficiently. To me, it is vital that he take something away, especially when he has such a hard time with comprehension. Nevertheless, I have been meeting with him individually (Anne listened to me talking to him for a whole hour the other day)and helping him little by little with understanding the strats more. It's very frustrating, but to me a project is worth much less than the knowledge he will take away in the end.

Week 6-Take 5-#1

2005-11-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Michele and I were talking yesterday about the ALIS project, and how our students seem to not remember the writing process when they come into the next level. She had said that students aren't owning their learning with their writing, and we fly through it so quick that it's hard to retain. Do we give up other curriculum aspects and replace them with these slower, more detailed writing lessons? I see it across the board in all classes and all levels. Does it just slip out once the summer hits? Are they not putting in the effort to establish good habits? Or do they just not get it?

Week 5-Take 5-#2

2005-11-08T13:23:00.000-07:00

Let me just say I'm overwhelmed. If I lay any responsibility in the hands of my fresh, most of them have no clue what to do with it. It's taking a lot (but well-needed) time to get them to see the big picture in taking charge of their own education. I let them have free reign in creativity and what they want to present-I tell them,"Make it your own" and they still look at me like I'm nuts. It's like Terry Sale always says, "Nothing is easy for freshman." But, I will not give up; they are all capable of individual thought and thinking and I continue to tell them that!

Week 5-Take 5 #1

2005-11-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

Well-
The class is blogging! It's funny though, some kids are excited about it, others aren't-I had one student comment that he thought this was "girly". I'm not sure what that means, but I hope they see later how this could be useful and that tech integration is something new and could benefit their thoughts and skills in the long run. I think some of them beleive it's torture and I am trying to punish them. However, it's Friday-sometimes school is just not cool! But, I think it went more smoothly than I had anticipated, even though they were chatty. Their responses to my prompt (which was about how the class ahd been going) was an eye opener, yet made me feel good. Majority of it was positive, but I know there are always things I can work on, and I guess becoming a better teacher starts with trying new ideas and strategies and improving upon the past-and here it has begun! I'm still trying to figure it out day by day!

Week 4-Take 5 #2

2005-11-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

I was thinking...imagine that! Anywho, doesn't constructivist theory kind of contradict state mandates and tests? If we want kids to create their own learning, aren't we going outside (or selling them short) of what they are expected to know,even if they are the one's ultimately deciding what that is? Does that make sense? I still think you can follow curriculum, but I can see this theory as conflicting with certain entities for student performance(i.e tests) or what the state wants students to learn. Is testing just another facet that gets in the way of this kind of learning? If I confused anyone, then great!

Week 4-Take 5 #1

2005-11-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

I am going to start blogging with my American Literature class here soon on Friday, and I'll admit, I am nervous to how it will turn out. I think the students are excited to go beyond the realm of the classroom. I did let them know that I am new to this process and that we would all be learning together-they understand. So here I am, totally vulnerable to the tech gods, and I am stepping outside my comfort zone to try something new. Here I go...I'll let you know how it goes.

Week 3-Take 5 #2

2005-10-31T07:33:00.000-07:00

I am finding that when I try to put learning into my own kids' hands, many don't know what to do with it.With a couple of assignments, I have set just a few parameters and said, "I want you to make this your own." Yet, they really struggle with how to create their own learning. I try to give them tools, but they would rather have the easy way out and have me tell them what to do. Anyone else have this problem? Our kids are so conditioned to us bailing them out when they don't have the answers or questions, and I am constantly telling them that sooner than later, the ability to think for themselves and create their own meaning, will be right in front of them, and they need to start now. This is not to say I won't guide them, but they know that I am not looking for right and wrong, I am looking for them to THINK-and they know I'll sit and wait in silence till someone voices their opinion.

Week 3 Take 5-#1

2005-10-27T14:37:00.000-06:00

Well, I just had a breakthrough with my freshman-they ran with a constructivist teaching approach and nailed it! I have had a teaching moment! I asked my students to do a double entry diary for the most difficult scene in Inherit the Wind. They were to write quotes on one side then repsond to those quotes on the other. Briefly, the purprose is for them to hold their own thinking and create their own menaing. They came to class with their responses and did the whole discussion on their own. I sat back, said nothing and scored the responses. The students loved it! I'll admit, I didn't know if I could do this with freshman, but they followed the parameters set, reacted off one another, asked questions, clarified ideas, created new background knowledge, had questions answered that they may have been confused about or wondered about- and they did it in a socractic method where they took their time, didn't bash anyone, took turns, and made relevant, poignant comments. Instead of giving all the information, they created their own reactions and responses and they loved it! They thought it was fun, and when we debriefed, they were in tune as to what relevancy and purpose it had on the class in general and what it did for them subjectively.

Week 2-Take 5-#2

2005-10-19T07:45:00.000-06:00

I will be honest from the get-go and say this post will be brief-but I am currently finishing up a boys and literacy class and the inforamtion talks a lot about what we as teachers an do to help in the classroom. They talk about authentic assessments frequently,and lately, I have started to ask myself if my assignments create authentic learning? Can students individually pull out meaning that is beneficial to them? I don't ever give an assignment without purpose. I have to give them rationale, otherwise it's busy work-and I HATE busy work. Sometimes we just do things to do it and fill some time; but I'm beginning to realize that everything I do in the class directly affects what my students take away (obviously)and I'm excited to learn new strategies to help me toward that constructivist approach.

Week 2-Take 5-#1

2005-10-17T10:51:00.000-06:00

I was thinking about the constructivist approach and I was wondering if I currently implement some of these techniques in the class; and I found that I do do many activities where the studetns are creating their own meaning and taking charge of their own learning. I never wanted to be the teacher who stood up in front of a class and just lectured and the studetns sat there never responding, just listening.
However, in order to get what we desire from students, I beleive we have to lead them the way first. We need to give them the skills and tools to use in order to create authentic learning. Teaching reading strategies, I always tell my kids that many of them truly don't know how to think for themselves, questioning ideals and issues, showing curiosity. So, I have to show them how. Creating meaning isn't done in isolation. We have to model the how-to's. Yes, I want my students actively thinking about my content, but they have to learn HOW to think about it. I think the ultimate goal of learning is to create meaning so that we better understand/comprehend subjects/topics/the world around us and how that fits into our own world. Students need the proper guidance to get them to that place.

Week 1-Take 5-#2

2005-10-17T07:50:00.000-06:00

With regard to implementing these tech. pieces into the classroom, it's not so much the issue of what I can do it for, as it is the problem of WHEN. I'm not sure I'm comfortable to just give up some of the things I do in order to implement these strategies. I'm still, as I've said before, still trying to figure out how to teach. However, I am hopeful that when I DO, I will be touching on a new teaching style that will spark a fire under my students. For now, I just need to figure out where it will work and the time frame it will take. I would be lying if I said it doesn't intimidate me a bit.

Week 1-Take 5-#1

2005-10-14T08:02:00.000-06:00

I'm finding that I'm still trying to get down the little things of being a teacher. I feel like the whole teaching profession is still new to me, and it is kind of. The time crunch is always something that plays on my mind; how am I going to get this done? But, I think being new to all of this is only going to make me better and more compentent in my own skinwith what I teach. When it comes to my classroom, I have taken on new strategies to apply them to constructivist ideals. In my American Literature class, I had students ask questions of their reading, having them pick out what was important and we did a fishbowl for 2 of the acts. It was tremendous for me to sit back and watch my students interact with one another, feed off each others' comments and questions, taking their own notes that were relevant to them, holding each other accountable for what they say, and responding to the discussion in their own way that gave them their own individual meaning to the story. The greatest part of it was that they did all the work; and I just scored them. Thanks Ann Smith!