view from the attic

What a lot of questions!

What did you like about the class? Favorites?
I liked being exposed to many of the techniques, tools, and applications that I had heard about but really didn’t know or use. Something as simple as adding a link was new to me; such skills are essential to know and to teach. I certainly feel much more technologically informed and capable than I did prior to the course.

I also enjoyed creating. That would include anything from playing with a slideshow on MixBook and SnapFish to designing a puzzle on Puzzlemaker. Included, too, are my Sandbox page and my blog… though I really wrote that more for me than for others to read. There were actually a couple of entries that pleased me. Creating the class Wiki was fun and especially rewarding when I saw the student response to the activity.

Additionally, I both enjoyed and learned from a number of websites… the videos on techhnology use (“Shift Happens” and “A Vision of Students Today)) and a blog I have been following (“Science Teacher,” written by an impressive writer, thinker, and, I imagine, teacher).

What didn’t you like? Least favorites?
As always for me, technological difficulties produce feelings of frustration, and being new to most of this certainly elicited that reaction a number of times. Fortunately, the technology crew was always available and ready to help!

Some of the tools sites seemed either irrelevant or inefficient as well as time consuming. I found “Delicious” especially frustrating. I find the RSS unnecessary and social bookmarking/ tagging too encompassing. I prefer entering a site when interested rather than having a list of unvisited sites accumulate.

Time spent on computers and technology often seems to compete with time spent relating directly to my students, so I have been particularly cautious about avoiding that conflict.

If you could change the class, what would you do?
I think what I missed the most was the personal interaction that is found in a class where people are actually talking face to face. I realize that technology has it own method of providing this (as in blogging or Wiki responses), and that is wonderful when distance makes personal interaction difficult. However, I think it would have been beneficial to have those taking the course meet at least once, perhaps midway, to talk and share. I think the personal element would add a lot. At least I got to talk to the tech crew with my weekly cries for help!

Where do you plan to go from here? Will this class influence what you do in the classroom?
This class has definitely influenced my attitude about technology starting with an increased awareness of the need to be technologically proficient (powerfully demonstrated in such videos as “A Vision of Students Today”). I will definitely be using more technology than in the past. I feel more up to the challenge, and I realize the importance it can have for stimulating and producing capable, informed, expressive students. I am learning how to deal with the fear/ threat that technology will separate and distance me from my students; rather, I try to think of it as a joint venture where both students and teacher benefit. I will, hopefully, continue to avoid being found buried in a computer rather than interacting with students, but I will also ideally deepen my students’ pleasure in learning with these tools and skills.

Specifically, I doubt I will ever become a blogger. I will, however, know how to create and use a blog, and that information I can now pass on to the interested. My students may enjoy many of the sites that I personally choose not to use, so it is essential that I am informed enough to lead them.

I will definitely continue to explore the use of classroom Wiki pages, which I found particularly relevant and engaging. Additionally, we will certainly be using Writeboard as an interactive tool for creative and expressive writing. Having finished this course, I will now undoubtedly return to experimenting with the new Actiboard in my classroom… yet another technological tool that is both appealing and instructive to my students.

There’s always something new to explore in technology!

I get to write in future tense for this one because I actually won’t be sharing until some time in January. The best part first, then… the reactions! Obviously, everyone will love the presentation and will rush to try the same!

In any case, I plan to share our class Wiki, Attic Voice, at the elementary faculty meeting focusing on technology sometime in January. Rather than getting into the “how to’s” of creating a Wiki, (the technology department is plenty helpful with all that), I would prefer focusing on benefits and uses in the classroom. The essence of a Wiki is its interactive element. Our class site currently has 3 pages all designed to elicit student engagement: “Political Voice,” “Voicing Human Rights,” and “Science Voice.” Each page differs, of course, on subject matter, but more importantly, in the purpose of its creation, thereby impacting the nature of the elicited student responses.

“Political Voices” was designed to generate student response and interaction. The political cartoons created by the students as well as the expressed student opinions and questions openly invited both reactions and additional comments from fellow students. Dialogues began, and one can tell the students were both hearing the voices of their classmates as well as using their own. What I loved most was hearing the voices of many who are quiet in our classroom discussions. I also enjoyed the intensity of many responses.

“Voicing Human Rights” was developed in response to a classroom debate when the students were brainstorming a list of human rights while trying to distinguish between “rights” and “privileges.” Elisa and I were impressed with the breadth of ideas generated by the students. Unfortunately, time ended the discussion prematurely, and we felt that many students still had unvoiced ideas. This page, then, allowed them to finish verbalizing their unspoken ideas. The nature of their responses was, therefore, less interactive than when reacting to others’ comments.

“Science Voice” (just created but not yet presented to the students) was designed to revisit and review the concepts studied in the recently finished unit. It is meant to insure that the concepts behind many of the activities were not forgotten or ignored in the process of “playing” with the science. Again, these responses will be less interactive in nature but should restate many of the key concepts and facts that I want the students to take from the activities. Application and analysis as well as recall should be apparent in student contributions.

I anticipate additional pages in the near future. One will be “Poetic Voice” which will give the students the opportunity to “publish” while hearing specific reactions to their creations. Another will be “Service Voice” where they can share responses to their community service project. Others might focus on literature or yes, even math (“How would you spend a million dollars?”).

Any problems encountered? Yes, we had a few. Initially some comments were deleted or lost until we clarified that only one student could log on at a time and specified that they copy and paste their comments from a document they had previously written. Editing should be done at home rather than as a group at school.

A few suggestions reflecting my personal preferences:
–I like pages that are short lived rather than ongoing over a long period. It’s easier to maintain interest and engagement. Our pages are active for about a week.
–I like a visual component such as a cartoon or picture on each page. It catches attention and makes the appearance of all those words less intimidating, more welcoming.
–I want the students to regard their comments as “published writing” which should reflect proper mechanics. I am reluctant to “correct or edit” their writing since the page should be “theirs,” but I will reward those who use proper mechanics in their responses.

Possible uses of a Wiki page:
–publish student creations (as in poems, writing, art)
–share information (as in notes, summaries) making it readily available to all students
–review previously presented material
–generate ideas, reactions, responses
–engage… encourage active involvement
–verbalize, express
–encourage higher levels of thinking: interpret, analyze, apply, evaluate

Enough said. Do try your own!

“Political Voices” is the first page of our class Wiki, Attic Voice, and I am very excited about it. We anticipated that it would become a forum to accompany our Central Subject of Government with its current focus on the election. To begin with, simply setting up the Wiki was fun. However, what has been really exciting is seeing the students respond to it. I knew they were intrigued when we first introduced the idea and they spent an entire period asking questions that ranged from procedural to ethical: “How do I access the page?”… “Who can read the page?”… “Can people change what I have written?” We spent some time discussing the responsibility of honest but considerate input when tactfully expressing opinions, disagreements, and questions. (I found myself returning to this issue as we discussed contributions on several following days, not because boundaries had been crossed but to emphasize its importance).

Then the fun began. The students had researched 7 election issues in small groups and presented their information to the class. The first week we asked them to summarize that information along with a brief statement about each Presidential candidate’s stance and then to post it on the page. The following week the students were asked to add a comment to any issue of choice. I was impressed to see thoughtful responses contributed and even some dialogues developing. I have to admit that leaving mistakes unedited was at first hard for me, but I wanted the page to be theirs… written by and for them. I found students returning to the page to read and respond to their peers’ ideas considerably more than the minimum required. As in classroom discussions, some voices dominated, but what I loved was hearing the voices of many students who are more reticent in class. This became a vehicle for them to be heard. I was surprised by the passion in their voices, especially in the abortion and the Iraq War issues, and by the depth of understanding in such areas as economics. All in all, I am impressed by what these 6th graders think, know, and value. They may even know more than many adults voting in this election, and I am really proud of them for caring!

What worked? The kids’ wholehearted response. What didn’t work? Some technical difficulties probably due to our beginner status. Some of the students complained that their comments were deleted or lost which we suspect was due not to sabotage but to someone trying to add a comment before another person had signed off. What would I do differently? Possibly simplify, try to make it shorter. I also need to learn how to make images digitally smaller since they take forever to download!

All in all, I learned a ton by doing this, and I think my students did, too. I am looking forward to future pages on new topics… “Science Voices,” “Art Voices,” “Literary Voices,” “Poetic Voices.” In a sense, I hope Attic Voice has become their ever-evolving class page.

I had fun with this task. The question arises, was I using it to procrastinate my preparations for upcoming parent conferences or did I just get too involved in the technology play to switch gears? Hmmm, wonder which is more fun?

I began by embedding a jigsaw puzzle from Jigzone into my Sandbox Wiki page. I liked the notion of using my own digital photos and the choice each person has of selecting a difficulty component by choosing the number of puzzle pieces. I can see using this during my puzzle activities periods. The kids will particularly enjoy the personal component of classroom photos and will like creating as well as solving the puzzles. I can see possibly doing a puzzle page on our classroom Attic Voice Wiki.

One of the tools I thought most useful in teaching was Gliffy, an Internet flowchart tool. Such a tool would be valuable, for example, with science when trying to explain how one event impacts another and in turn a third as with chemical reactions or the forces. The visual element makes the cause and effect relationships readily apparent. The visual element certainly simplifies the complexities of relationships and the ambiguities of language. The flow chart approach can also be used in writing as a student preplans the events of a story or the relationships and impact on characters. Finally, sequencing of historical events can be visualized. Of course, one can certainly create these flow charts manually. I have frequently done so, and to be honest, the points are just as clearly made, but I think the students would enjoy the technology element once they had mastered it.

Writeboard seems especially applicable to the teaching of writing whether for creative or expository expression. I can see children responding to others’ drafts with both revision suggestions and mechanical improvements. Writing is meant for an audience, and this vehicle provides not simply an audience, but also a responsive one at that.

LetterPop is another vehicle to encourage writing in a fun way with a simplified, published result. Students would enjoy the technological ease of producing a class newsletter, and parents would love being the recipients. We’ll definitely try this one. We could also use it for the creative reading project that accompanies our historical fiction requirement when the student create a newspaper page appropriate to their book, time period, and character.

Our students will enjoy using Mnemograph for time lines in response to historical research or to biographies they have read. This visual component renders another expression of the sequential and is applicable to so many areas.

MixBook, a digital photo album/scrapbook is another tool creating an easily publishable product. I played with the photos of our class camping trip and created a mini book similar to our annual class yearbook made with Iphoto… a nice souvenir of a memorable time. I like the additional writing component to the program

The tool I would like to add to this list and recommend to others is Discovery’s Puzzlemaker, a crossword puzzle maker that I have frequently used. Images can be added as a puzzle component. It can be used as a review for almost any subject area or book. However, it is not infallible, and hard copies need to be checked.

The greatest benefit of many of these tools is the fact they encourage creating and producing. Many times, the process is just as important as the product. I like the fact that these tools are designed to be shared, thereby removing the isolation often associated with computer work. My one hesitation concerns artistic creation. I want my students to learn how to use these tools to enhance rather than replace their creative expression… whether it involves visual elements or verbal.

Enough said. My conferences call me.

I find the delicious task intimidating. Each time I attempt to get involved in it, I become overwhelmed and quit. Even though the Anatomy of a Delicious seems helpful with its designations and labels, all that information just doesn’t want to stick in my brain! I did visit a variety of sites… once searching “elementary science” (the most helpful resource was one I already use), another time searching “Ancient Greece,” and still another time “American government”… yes, I know, big topics (or should I say, “tags?”). I couldn’t believe that some people had over 500 bookmarks! No wonder they need this service! I hate to say it, but my current bookmarks probably amount to 25 at the most… and I can simply categorize them quite nicely by putting them neatly into folders like “science” and “puzzles” and “Ancient Greece” or “internet shopping.” If I ever get to the point that I have that many bookmarks, I will know for sure that I am spending too much time on a computer and need to be talking to people more!

My goal at this point is simply to incorporate my current, very small list of bookmarks into my account so they are accessible from any computer. I don’t think anyone else wants them. However, I find that actually doing this is not as easy as it should be. First of all, surprisingly, the username “linawessels” has already been taken. I find that hard to believe! In my entire life I have only met or even heard of one other “Lina.” She was in my 6th grade class. “Lina” has also been taken, as has “Wessels.” Even my middle name has been used, and I didn’t think anyone would ever choose that! When I finally did get an account, my bookmarks wouldn’t transfer. Then, the promised email telling me this never came. In fact, it never came a number of times. Quite obviously, I have done something wrong… and sadly, more than once.

Frustration abounds! I think this is just something I need to revisit when I am feeling less pressured by so much new technology. Oh, well. At least I now know what that little checkered icon means.

Really enjoyed the Sandbox Wiki. Making my own page was fun. I like incorporating images, and I had fun with the content… maybe because people are usually pretty interested in themselves! I am looking forward to starting a Wiki with my students.

Having visited a number of Wiki sites, I have found several appealing characteristics that my favorites seem to have in common. Foremost, they are kid produced. Secondly, they seem to incorporate kid generated or gathered information. Finally, they invite kid responses. I also enjoyed the cross curriculum, interdisciplinary nature of some.

The student component of these web sites seems essential. Foremost, it gets the children engaged both by required input but also through a sense of ownership. I think the students realize the site is essentially by and for them. Additionally, it not only encourages the search for information but also requires and stimulates reflective thought. These responses are certainly just as significant as the initial input. The fact that all students can or must respond assures that all voices are heard: none dominate and quiet kids cannot hide behind the ideas of others… events which happen all too often in discussions.

One of the Wikis I enjoyed was “Schools in the Past.” If it hadn’t been concluded, I would have added the comment that, when I was in school, we had separate entrances to and from the playground, one for the boys and one for the girls! Girls were also required to wear skirts, so we just wore pants underneath our skirts on very cold days. I also remember “bomb drills” where we all had to crowd into the basement hallway with all the coats! As you can tell, I went to elementary school a long time ago! I liked this Wiki because it gave me the idea and format for sharing the voting and political interviews that my students do with their parents and grandparents.

I particularly enjoyed the “Salute to Seuss” Wiki. Moving from an initial requirement of reading (and hopefully enjoying) a number of Dr. Seuss books, the students then chose from an extensive list of possible responses that varied from written to artistic to verbal. The variety of choices was stimulating and certainly activated involvement, requiring students to move beyond the initial reading into connections and applications. Final projects usually reflected interdisciplinary aspects.

I definitely feel inspired to attempt a Wiki in my own teaching and have found myself pondering several possibilities. As my first, I know I want it to be short-lived… one that will start and finish within a few weeks. I want it to incorporate a visual component (pictures or photographs) as well as written responses. I think it will center on some Halloween science. We’ll see if I… or rather, I should say my students, can pull it off! Keep watching!

Investigating the suggested technology tools proved for the first time disappointing for me. I did enjoy the TeacherTube videos, but I had previously seen many, and I can’t see me rapping for my students (of course, I’m sure they would love the spectacle!). Although I am certainly reliant on “to do” lists, mine are transitory… scribbled and spontaneous. I do not want them tying me to yet another program that will pull me into a computer and away from people interaction. I don’t teach much that works with flash cards… (maybe vocabulary, but the old fashioned, hand written method seems to suffice). The Quizlet tests Scatter game would be fun for the students but limited in scope since I think they incorporate only five terms. The comic strips, ToonDoo and Pixton, while seemingly amusing, seemed to lack application except in conjunction with our political cartoons study. Finally, Natalie’s excellent advice and interaction seems vastly superior to the impersonal recommendations of Library Thing. I don’t see why one needs to inventory personal reading. A tool I do like but not mentioned in this list, is Discovery’s Puzzlemaker, crisscross word puzzles. Although this tool can make mistakes and therefore needs to be checked in hard copy, it is a good tool for using a multitude of terms.

Maybe the tools in Task 11 will seem more pertinent and applicable to my classroom. I’ll be interested to see how others apply these tools to Paideia teaching.

I know nothing about clams. In fact, I don’t even eat them. I think I remember once during a camping trip to Sapelo Island wading knee deep into mushy, gooey mud and feeling horrified as I precariously trod across beds of the sharp shelled critters. I still shudder recalling the fact that I actually walked on these live beings! Like Mr. Doyle, if I found the recently discovered 405-year-old clam, I too would “chuck it back into the water” rather than find it a new home in garlic butter. Why, then, do I so enjoy the blogs of this stranger fascinated with clams?

Quite simply, he makes me think… and wonder… and question. Sometimes I like his language… the way he says things. Sometimes I am not sure I really understand which side of an issue he is on, and I have to reread as he seemingly vacillates between sides. Sometimes I am drawn to his methods for teaching science or to his perspectives on the current economic crisis or to his affinity for the simple things in life… play on a beach, the beauty of a tree, the satisfaction of planting.

With “The Cost of Tools” I find myself, like Doyle, both excited and frustrated by a new Actiboard / SmartBoard. “October Again” touched me with a sensitivity hidden beneath a gruff exterior in a quiet rant against the hopeful naivety behind pink ribbon campaigns. “I am a molecule, I cannot stop moving” readily brought amusing images of chaos as his students (and my own, for I have done the same activity… minus the lit candle which I will now certainly incorporate)) became molecules in motion ricocheting into any object or person in the immediate path. Some of his gems:

• Science is not about content–the content is ephemeral; it’s the process that matters.

• I am not trying to convince them (the students) of anything, just trying to get them to think… Until someone doubts me, I cannot teach science…

• We have doubt in the classroom now–not blind faith… Do not trust your teacher. Make him show you evidence. Make the teacher work.

• October again. Daylight shrinks, shadows return… Beaches are good places for playing. Every low tide reminds us of mortality–you can smell death. Every high tide reminds us of redemption… Back at the shore, the sweet stench of death alternates with the fresh flood of life, twice a day.

• Today’s learning objective? Ultimately everything of value is connected to the ground, the sun, the air, the water. Some call it Creation, some call it nature, some call it God, some call it Gaia. There are a lot of words used by a lot of cultures that recognize the mystery. What you won’t hear it called is money.

• Trusting several zeroes after an integer trumped up by speculation, greed, ignorance and a faith that it represents true wealth is the kind of hubris that can kill a civilization.

• And when the students start to pick up on the fears of the generation that mortgaged their futures, as another cycle of greed ends, maybe they will find solace when their bean plants flower in January.

• A bean plant never loses its value, no matter what the market’s doing. And by late winter, even Wall Street might not amount to more than a hill of beans.

• Where did that matter come from? Go ask your local physicist, priest, or street pharmacist. It’s all a mystery to me. Some things are unanswerable, or rather unknowable.

• If you want to know the answers to the mystery, ask a clam.

* When I was younger, the October garden frightened me. Honeysuckle buds that would never open, basil flowers beckoning bees that were too chilled to care saddened me. When I was younger, I suspected I was immortal… the garden whispered otherwise… It’s not winter yet. I am not ready for winter. I am starting to love autumn, though.

* Only humans can “waste” time. I know I do. Every moment I spend reading about what the ocean feels like when I can be standing in it is wasted time.

If ever I meet Mr. Doyle, I don’t know if I would like him; he speaks his mind pretty freely which can be unsettling to me… but, I suspect I would learn a lot from him. One thing I know for sure… I sure would like to visit the clams with him!

I’ve always felt a little guilty about “doing nothing” because there was always so much I needed to do and so much I wanted to do but never found the time. Somehow the “needed to’s” always pushed aside the “wanted to’s.” I would then find myself retreating into the “doing nothing” just to recuperate. Letting my mind and emotions wonder, wander, ponder, digress, brew, and cogitate has always been a treat, but I can’t help questioning the productivity of such time since no viable “product” is produced… or, if it is (as in thoughts), it can be quickly forgotten.

After reading “Nothing’s Important” and “Never Stop Doing,” blogs that present both sides of “vegetating,” I feel somewhat liberated. Apparently, I can now spend my nothing time actually achieving the impossible! That sounds pretty impressive, right?…. even if it is actually doing nothing! Additionally, I can justify my down time by realizing that I am actually doing something. No longer need I feel compelled by a Puritan work ethic. If nothing else, I can ponder the logic behind these seeming illogically statements, thereby meeting the expectations of an achievement oriented world. Does “nothing’s important” mean meaningless and insignificant or just the opposite… of great value, and if so, how can nothing be of great value?

Question: Has the time (yours and mine) spent on this blog been “nothing time” or “doing time?”

Loved the ambiguities and contradictory logic of these blogs!