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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Digital Practices and Media Education in my Classroom

A few weeks ago I posted a picture on my sidebar. I titled it "A Hatched Rock". This picture was taken two years ago in one of the State Parks on the shores of Lake Superior. Thanksgiving up north is one of my favorite times of the year. Nothing is what it usually is. A rock is not a rock, and leaves leave the strangest impressions on ice. It seems that I went back in time into an ice age or sorts. Or maybe exploring an alien planet.
"A Hatched Rock" was the most amazing sight: the warm sun pushed the thin ice off the rock that it was covering creating the most amazing shell - beautiful in shape and color. Exceptionally unexpected right in the middle of a path. Created collaboratively by the rocks, water, sun, and cold temperature. Nature's multitasking and appropriation at its best. On top of it, ice managed to adopt a completely alternative identity. Normally brittle, it looked exactly like a rock. And yet, I couldn't pick it up, couldn't touch it or possess it. I did actually manage to keep it - in my memory - after I admired it and took a its picture.
Digital literacy, I think, is in many ways like my hatched rock. It is collaborative in nature, and it creates things that are exceptionally unexpected. I hope that one day I will be able to create a hatched rock of my own - walking with my students on the path of digital literacies and experimenting along the way.

Voice Thread Reflection

I really LOVED voice thread. And that means a lot! I usually don't just love something right away. It takes me a while to warm up to it. But here - I just love the possibilities. As an alternative to Power Point presentation in the classroom. Or any kind of presentation. Particularly with expository non-fiction type of text. I think it would work really well with social studies (sometimes students need to research and present a person in history, for example). That would work really well with voice thread. I am going to try it with my students next quarter.
As far as my own little project goes, I did not want to record voice. I really don't like my own voice too much. Typing is a better friend of mine, so I just typed. Recording voice would be no problem with my students because we already use microphones for some other language software that I use in the classroom.
I will write about the chapters that we were supposed to read later.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Thursday, October 22, 2009

One more role play reflection

Well, here I am again. Trying to process things - late as usual. Somehow I can't process things in a scheduled format.
Anyway, I was just reading my students' postings in our role play. Lots of chuckles... They are so very interesting! My students, I mean. They seem very casual and relaxed in this form of writing. Maybe because I am one of the participants and taking on a role of a student. One of the kids told me today that it is really cool to be able to call me by my "first name". And having me call him/her Mr. or Ms. I think that they are so used to chatting with each other on face book that it is hard to let that piece of it go. But then all of a sudden, they would post a real gem. I am not sure that I want to shut down the playful side of the "play". I think it is OK for them to enjoy it in their own way. As long as they are trying to work on the actual assignment...
Well, so far students are really enjoying this form of writing. They were really animated and involved. And I think that this is the most writing they produced on a prompt...

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Role Play reflection

I feel that it is a little bit too early for me to write a reflection on the role play... I need to have it "settle" in my brain...
For now I can say that I have been using the learning and experience happening during the role play in my own classroom. We have started a "Homework - Friend or Foe" (the favorite subject and gripe of my 9th graders) as a role play. We are using a wiki (Moodle turned out to be too complicated with lots of outside people involved in setting it up). The students have really enjoyed writing up their own little personas. The set-up itself provided a lot of opportunities for teaching, and I hope that the momentum will carry us through the debate itself.
I feel like I should link my wiki here, but somehow I feel squeamish about sharing that with "the world". So, if anyone wants to look at our masterpiece, please email me and I will gladly share a link.
As far as our own role-play is concerned, I can say that I did not particularly enjoy the format of a Ning. It is a bit too confusing for me. So I have no regrets about the Ning being blocked on the district server. Other than that I loved the experience. But like I said earlier, I need to let it stew for a while...

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Role Play in my classroom

My classroom is a perfect place for playing with language and voice. I really like to use reader's theatre a couple times a year. Sometimes we set up TV interviewes or write our own scripts/plays. It is perfect for writing assignments using different voice and practicing roles and language that is not normally "your own".
This week I decided that I would like to practice what I am learning in this class right away. I am afraid that the role play will get left behind and forgotten. So I have set up a Moodle course for my own role play: "Homework - friend or foe". My 9th grade students came up with the idea of debating the homework issue. Ninth grade is very different from the rest of the middle school experience, and right now my students really have a lot to say about the issue. We'll see how it goes. They are really excited to take this on, and I am thrilled to play a student who really hates homework. I will keep you posted on our developments...

My ning profile

Meez 3D avatar avatars games
I kind of like this picture of my fictional character. Ursula Trustworthy, proud mother of three children.