Reflection

Looking back at my previous posts, I feel I have come a long way as a digital writer and observer of digital media. I also feel very much that I have so much more to do and to learn. The assignments in class were wonderful opportunities to explore and use countless tools for digital writing but because of time I was only able to briefly play/experiment with most. The exposure is great but I would like to take the class a second time and do the assignments again at a deeper level. I feel my posts show that the surface was scratched - and I feel they show growth. Then I read Jen's blog - which I became a tad addicted to this course - and I am blown away by her depth and exploration and am envious of her growth - it is impressive.
I am excited about the things I have become comfortable with - voicethread, flickr, youtube exposure, vlogging - only did it once but loved it and feel like I could do it again (and I can't wait to do it again but for selfish reasons - my personal family blog). I really like some of the resources we have been shown and used. Teachers teaching teachers is great as is TappedIn (still trying to figure it all out on that one). I am excited about the many things I have brought to my little school because of this class - the 7th grade teachers now have a wiki using pbwiki which I helped build; I have two blogs approved; have put our newspaper online; and have taught my students and the multimedia teacher some things (we teach each other really). I have come a long way. I thought I was advanced because I knew how to blog but there is so much out there that can be used (and should be used) in the classrooms.
If I were to have students create a portfolio - I would like them to contribute to a wiki. On that wiki I would like them to have a chat and advice area. I would like them to contribute to the vocabulary and grammar sections. I would really though love for them to include role playing activities using various identities and lenses in reflection to a novel or story we are working with. I think about the work we do with Les Miserables and to have some of that on a wiki would be great. There are so many conversations in the classroom that are exceptional that podcasts of those would be wonderful to add to a portfolio. The idea of a group proposal/paper (for example on the locker change situation I mentioned in an earlier post) is very interesting to me. My future hypothetical class would create something like that that has many contributors to one common final goal.
Reflection is great as well - having students do the very assignment we were ask to do for this blog could be powerful for the students to complete. Everyone, even those afraid of change, like to see progress, and I think a portfolio could do that in a very concrete way.

Editing digital writing

Since last January I started having students turn in all papers to me online. This year I began blogs in my junior English class. Both options require different means of editing. In both areas I am still trying to find the "right" way to edit and comment in their papers.

For my students that turn their papers in to me online, I attempt to be quite thorough. I try to keep all grammatical/spelling errors highlighted in yellow and all content comments in a red font. I don't always adhere to this rule (sometimes I also make grammar comments in red just because of habit) and though I tell my students that is how they should read my remarks, I am not sure who all listens to that. I think I would like to make grammar and spelling corrections with the highlighter and red comments and perhaps have content comments in some thought provoking color like green or purple. Not sure why I am hung up on color right now but I think if students understand that they can look at it and have things make better sense to them. I do not give them the answers in the grammar/spelling portion - I don't want to do the work for them. Instead I will highlight something and write (spl?) next to it. I do the same with grammar; I will write "run on sentence" or "not a sentence - what is the subject/predicate/action..." Usually, if I read something that does not make sense or is awkward I write, "awkward sentence - have someone read this to you and see if what you wrote is what you intended" Not sure if anyone EVER does that but I like to hope and think that at least a few do this. I must say though, especially the spelling errors, there are so many times that I think - it would be much easier to just correct that myself. Of course I never do that but the thought is there.
For content on the papers I try to pose questions. I play devil's advocate or I throw an idea or thought that was overlooked at them so they can consider that as well. I also, content wise will explain things that they misunderstand so that they remove or alter and strengthen a weak or misguided claim/argument.
I always take rough drafts well before final drafts so that I can go over these things with them. I want them to see that writing is a process (sounds cliche but is true). The students (especially the struggling writers) see that even the "smart kids" are rewriting and it makes them 1) nervous b/c they think "If so-and-so can't get it right then how am I" and 2) relieved because, "Hey, everyone is doing it again to get it right so I am not any different"

In student blogs I keep grammar and spelling completely out of my comments and focus solely on content. I do as I stated above, I pose questions, play devil's advocate, clarify in misguided areas, and just try to make them think at a higher level. I like to keep asking "why" and though they get sick of it - many come to conclusions they would not have reached without probing in the editing.

One thing I have found - this method takes a lot more time. For one - the students like emailing and writing knowing that they will get fast feedback. Also, email and blogging conversations CAN be much more private than a discussion in the classroom. So, since more students like this, I spend more time online responding to students. Also, many of my students use their parent's account to email stuff so I am very aware that parents will read my comments - makes the audience quite different (and again takes more time).

The effectiveness of feedback for my students when they online edit - I think they like getting in to their classmates papers with a different font and making comments. Students don't know who did the purple font versus the green font so the anonymity is safe. When I have students online edit they have certain guided questions (restate the thesis) that they answer on paper that the author can see and I eventually get and score. Then they also comment in the paper. Most students walk away from this with a better picture of where they are. They have read several classmate's papers and can see if they are on the right track or completely missing the boat. When they see several papers it can give them the guidance or reassurance they need to get to work on theirs. I think they get more out of the reading of other's papers than they do the actual comments on the written paper. I do feel though most use the comments in their paper in the other color font to improve their paper. Overall I really enjoy this activity and see improvements in writing as a result of the activity.

Good blogs part II

As a scrap booker (yes, I am a huge geek) I have a good idea (or at least I thought I did) about colors and layout. A blog is not that much different than a scrapbook page except in scrapbooks (like yearbooks) the emphasis should be on the pictures and the pictures should tell the story (with some support from text boxes). A blog is different in this respect because the bulk of the material - the emphasis is on the writing with pictures, videos, and links there to support the text. So, the emphasis in a blog is different. I really like that with blogs and all the technology changes taking place that so much more is being written (and recorded, shared, and saved) than ever before.
When I try to think of activities that incorporate all we have learned and all we see in blogs the first I thought of, and one I keep going back to, is having students view various sites online and determine for themselves what makes a good site and what makes a bad site. From this activity they could create sites of their own using the very guidelines they created. Also through doing this, students could easily ascertain how their eyes move and what catches their eyes - they could then use this information to build guidelines for how to develop power points.
I would also really like students to begin adding links to various assignments. Many do not know how to do this so it would not only be a good practice in and of itself - but it would (I think) deter plagiarism a bit if they are putting the actual site in their work. Their PowerPoint's are pretty flat so it would be great to get students to incorporate other skills into their power points. It would be great to have them find examples of great power points/vlogs/photostory and other medias and then create the same story using a few options/tools to determine which works best for what information as well as personal preference. There are a lot of options but I think i all seeing is believing so the first step is to get the students looking and determining what works and what doesn't and why.

The good and the bad

OK - I wasn't going to go here, but I have to. I have one guilty blogging pleasure - I love to read a gossip blog called Pink is the New Blog( http://www.trentsblogspot.com). The writer is entertaining and he is obsessed with celebrities (most notable Brittney Spears) and I just get a kick out of reading his semi-newsworthy portrayal of Hollywood (is there such a thing?) Not only do I like to read his blog but I think his design is very easy to follow and actually adds to his posts. The only colors on the blog, other than the pictures, are black and pink. His heading is catchy and the only part of the blog that he occasionally changes (the rest of his layout remains the same and has for quite some time) Each post has a title in the same pink, but a bigger and bolder font. He even sets apart "spoiler alerts" so that if he is commenting on your favorite show and you haven't seen it yet - you know not to look at that portion. His right side has his archives as well as advertisements. He comments on several topics in each post and simply separates them with an extra return. He includes pictures in the appropriate places and occasionally has links on the pictures that direct the reader to the original publication. At the end of a day's posting he has a list of "news worthy" items that the reader can click and these links again send you to various sites on the web with more information on that particular topic. His linear, structured setup, minimalist approach on color, and simplicity make his blog fast and easy to navigate through.
On the other hand (and I feel I should stay in the same smutty Hollywood drama category to fairly compare) sites like "The Superficial" (http://www.thesuperficial.com) and "Hollywood Tuna" (can you believe I just put that in here)(http://www.hollywoodtuna.com) are not so fun to navigate through. First of all - how can you name a site Hollywood Tuna and then have fancy vines in heritage colors as your background - it doesn't fit. The one, the superficial, will start to tell a story and then not give you all the details but writes, "More after the jump..." which apparently you are suppose to click on something to get the rest of the juicy details. Well, you know what, that is too much work for me to find out what Brittney Spears wore/said/did. If I am on the site I am brainlessly surfing through things for down time and I don't want to have to work at things. Also, the background (Holly Tuna) is distracting and both sites have one good picture and then a bunch more related pictures small and at the bottom of each story. If you want to see them large enough to discern what you are actually looking at you need to click on them and wait for them to load...again, too much work for me.
I prefer simplicity. Going through my favorites and also playing around, I find simple color and heading patterns work the best. Too much color or change in font distracts the reader. Also, things should be very easy to get to - your eye should be able to fly across the page and quickly see something worth looking at. With easy sites a click away, more difficult sites need to simplify to attract more readers.
Looking at all this I think about my own family blog (www.comfortablechaos1.blogspot.com) that has several colors and fonts...back to the drawing board I guess (at least it is festive for this time of year...).

Boys in a box

I am quite cognizant of all the troubling images thrown at girls in the media. I remember feeling fat as I slipped on my jeans in high school, wishing I could lose those last ten pounds and be thin and beautiful. At the same time I was a huge tomboy – involved in sports all three seasons of the year and traveling teams in the summer. I was athletic and struggled between femininity and competitiveness – I am glad the competitive edge always won and I never decided it was better to be pretty and silly - a giggly-girl in order to draw men to me. My images were very conflicting and I understand completely the struggles girls face. As I raise my two daughters, ages 7 & 3, I feel ready to answer the tough questions and ready to encourage and support which ever path they take – hopefully educating them enough to see all their choices and allowing them the freedom to make their own decisions about what makes them happy - not just what makes me happy. What I am not ready for, what I do not understand and am repeatedly frustrated with, is what to tell my two sons. There are so many conflicting views in society of the role men are to play in their lives. My husband jokingly says that life was easier in the 50’s when everyone knew their role. His parents, he continues, never argued about who did the dishes, took out the garbage, changed the diapers, or paid the bills-no, the roles were very clear and everyone knew what was expected. Again – he is joking- but there is some truth in his thoughts – the truth being that roles today are unclear for young girls and boys.
The difference with boys, in my mind, is that there isn’t as big a push to change the portrayal of men in media. Not only this, but most homes, at least those I am accustomed to, are changing in their views of what it means to be a female, what options there are for females, but are holding tightly to what it means to be a male as well as male options.
Are my two sons supposed to be tough? Confident? Competitive? Gentle? Considerate? Self-sufficient? Doers of cooking and laundry and changing diapers? Are they supposed to save the world? Be heroes? Fight? Turn their cheek? Are they supposed to hunt? Kill? Kiss their baby’s boo-boos and wipe their wives tears? Are they supposed to cry?
What is a young man expected to do in today’s world? There are so many conflicting views. This subject was so big I decided to begin with images males see at a young age. I looked at toys for young boys and found a few categories:

Vehicles – cars, trucks, tractors, fire trucks, tanks
Heroes – firemen, police officers, military Action Figures – He-Man, Power Rangers, GI Joe, Transformers
War/Guns – Army figures, uniforms, grenades, guns, light sabers
Fighting – Star Wars, Pirate ships, swords, light sabers
Building – Leggos, Kinetix,
Sports – Football, Baseball, Basketball
Strategy/Competition – Stratego, Battleship


Four of the top ten toys for boys in 2007 included Power Rangers and/or Transformers. These figures are strong, faceless, heroes that save the world from evil. Their muscles ripple through their get-ups, their faces covered, so perhaps it could be any person – perhaps even the young child who holds the toy, and they always, in the end, prevail over evil using both brains and brawn. One trait that these action figures (as well as GI Joe) have that seems to contradict with some societal views of males is these action figures work as teams, seldom alone. Other action figures – Spider Man, Super Man, He-Man, Green Lantern, Bat Man (obviously before the Boy Wonder joined him) worked alone.
And then we are appalled and shocked by the amount of fighting, recklessness, competitiveness some young boys display. At the same time, those boys who are not displaying those traits are considered by some to be weak.

These toys promote power, strength, fighting, killing, competition, a challenge, thinking (about how to win/succeed/beat the enemy/outsmart) being smarter, faster, better, and winning. These traits all fit the stereotypical male role, but they are scary and lead me to a few questions)
What if a young male is not these things, or are not at all interested in these things? Where do they fit and what are they suppose to do?

Where are the images of men being responsible, supportive, forgiving, patient, loving, and understanding?


Where are the images of how to treat a woman? A child?

Where are the males in non-traditional roles? The male nurse? Dancer? Secretary? Teacher? Flight Attendant? Hair dresser? Manicurist? Can you picture them? Are you smirking? Are they homosexual? Metro-sexual? Are they middle/working class?

Here is where I began to look at older males in advertising and on television. Most males in advertising were not wearing much clothing as they displayed their sculpted arms and abs. They were attractive, sexy, charming, clean, smiling or determined looking men. On television, the males of the upper class are suit-clad professionals with impressive bodies, more impressive homes/cars/pocket books, and gorgeous wives.

Middle class men were usually portrayed as a bit clueless, out of shape, working class, struggling men with…gorgeous wives(exception being Rosanne). There were no lower class men on television that I could find – but I bet their wives are hot.

We are outraged by the media as they splash pictures at young females that are unhealthy and create negative body images – what about the images young boys see – are they healthy? The image to the left is titled, "the three body types" but I know a lot of men that do not have any of these body types - where do those men fit? How does a young man who does not fit any of these "types" place himself?

I have dreams for my sons and daughters, I have concerns about their body-image and self esteem, I feel equipped to help my daughters-only because I feel I have been there- I haven’t a clue what to tell my sons.

Podcasting - doesn't sound too scary...

Over three years ago I was a part of a summer program at the UofM - a BestPractice technology seminar. At this seminar there were several teachers that spoke about PodCasting. The teachers from my school that I went with all agreed that something like PodCasting owuld never be accepted in our school. We went to the session on PadCasting though and there were several good tihngs I got out of it. Forst, I wasn't quite as intimidated by this unknown tool as I was previously. Second, I could, for the first time see some valid uses for PodCasting. Lastly, I realized that though I felt "up" on the current technoligy I was, in fact, not - and by the time I caught up to what I had missed, there would be much more to learn. Even with this knowledge, there were no links or places suggested to go to experience podcasting so I pretty much left it there.
This class has reintroduced me to the tool of podcasting. I can see several great instructiinal purposes for podcasting. There seems to be and iPod in the hands of nearly all students so you would think that schools woudl want to utilize this as a tool for education - but mine has not.
On a personal note - what is my experience with podcasting...I started by listening to some podcasts on teachers teaching teachers. To be honest I was a little bored - only becasue I was choosing topics that I wasn't that interested in listening to and there was nothing for me to look at while I was listening> I tried to think like a student during this time and quickly realized that the idea of teaching this way would be difficult. Though the information would be there - it would be terribly hard to keep the students engaged unless images were incorporated. I think I could use podcasting of my lectures and for class discussions so that if students want to go back or if a student is absent - everything that was said is recorded. This could be posted on a class wiki so students and parents could have access. I would include images or diagrams otherwise the podcasts could be tuned out even more easily than a classroom lecture. Just because you hear something doesn't mean you absorb or really listen...
After awhile I found some more interesting podcasts. For some reason I enjoy the semi-personal ones and I definitely prefer those with accompanying images (should I state this some more - I like pictures). I began finding so many I really liked that after over an hour and a half of listening to podcasts I realized I got swept into it. One problem - I didn't listen to a single podcast all the way through. We are used to things happening so quickly that some of them just seemed so long...even the ones I enjoyed - I wanted the to go faster.
Production quality-perhaps I do not have the greatest ear, but I really didn't notice a huge difference in the sound. Some people spoke so monotone I couldn't listen for more than 30 seconds or so. also, other speakers did this breathing thing that really threw off my concentration on what was being said. It was like listening to a speech when your students says "umm" or "like" every few words - after awhile that is all you heard. I felt (here I go again) that those with images were better. Now I know that most people would actually listen to these on their iPods, but I was listening to them on my computer so I had this big screen in front of me that did nothing. Our brains (or at least mine) likes to multitask so if I am listening but there is nothing stimulating to watch while I am listening - I get lost. I think my students would run into this as well. If I could listen while I drove my car or went for a run on my elliptical or folded laundry I would like the podcasts more. The way I listened made the listening difficult and I was easily distracted.
How could I use podcasts in my classroom - I already mentioned recording lectures or discussions and making them available to absent students or students that needed to hear things another time (or two). Another option I like is having students read their own writing or someone else's writing. hearing what they wrote, I feel, could greatly improve their writing. Many of my students think they wrote one thing but really wrote something quite different and then try to explain by, "What I meant to say..." would perhaps get them to write what they thought they were writing. I think in this case I would have students read work other than their own for the writer to listen to at a later time.
Other than these ideas and possibly a guided "tour" of a place, interviews for my media course, or some other secluded activity - I don't see other uses. I liked reading Jen's blog about the student who was showing their work to everyone who would look. If a podcast can bring that much enthusiasm and pride about an educational creation then I am all fore finding ways of implementing podcasts in my classroom.

pbwiki Yack Pack

Although I really like the idea of YackPack and feel it has a place in certain settings - I don't think my school, or the students at my school, would use this program. Most of the students are much more comfortable with writing conversationally (text messaging, IM'ng) than they are with something like YackPack. Also, not all students would have access to this (where all have access to texting) so those that did would (I am guessing) feel limited that they cannot access all their classmates/peers/friends. Again, though I really like the idea of YackPack and discussing things "digitally" I cannot yet see it working until all students have access all the time and buy into the technology as well as the idea. Not only do I see a problem with the students wanting to buy into the idea, I cannot see the administration (the tech coordinator) allowing this to be used in our school. Unfortunately, those things that are not familiar are not really allowed. This is frustrating but something I have come to terms with - trying to incorporate a few new tools here and there with little pushes but I have to prioritize technology tools otherwise I will be met with constant disdain and nothing will be allowed. Unfortunate reality of my district. (Now I strongly support my district but truth be told - they are quite hesitant when it comes to students utilizing technology).
Tapped In seems like a wonderful tool. I can't tell exactly how it is that different from a wiki other than the fact that others from all over can contribute/comment where as a wiki for the classroom would remain more private. As I tried to navigate through TappedIn it just seemed like there was so much stuff. I really enjoyed the project Hillcrest High School put together - it is truly inspiring what some schools are doing with technology.
As far as how I might use one of these online discussion sites...on a local level, there has been much controversy about a recent locker change. The administration and the 7/8 grade teachers did some research and decided to create a middle school within our K-12 building. As a result of this change, the beloved "senior hall" will disappear as the younger kids will be moving in. I have already started online discussion about this topic. We discussed traditions, did some work with Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and also incorporated role playing. The class used classroomblogmeister.com as their blogging tool for discussion. Unfortunately they were greatly discouraged b/c the tool was repetitive (in passwords and log ins) as well as slow and at times simply refused to log in certain students. They became frustrated and some shut down b/c of the technology tool being used. Using something liked a wiki or tappedin would allow for more open discussion (blogmeister has individual blogs) as well as faster communication. Also, a wiki or tapped in allows for collaboration where as what the students were doing on blogmeister was simply discuss - but the tool didn't allow them to take things further.
I could definitely see using TappedIn - but for some reason, one I am not yet sure of, I see using it more in collaboration with another course than solely for English. Maybe I just view it as so large that my little English classroom doesn't feel like enough. Anyhow, regardless of my topic, I would mostly be concerned with first setting up the proper procedures. My students simply do not have experience in this type of thing for educational purposes - which means I don't really either. They would have to learn what is appropriate and what is not but I wouldn't want to completely bog them down with rules and procedures that they feel they have no freedom of expression. Definitely a set of expectations that all agree upon (teachers, students, admin, parents) would have to be in place before any of this can be used. Things are amazingly different when they become public - that is true in so many places besides the classroom but even more concerning inside the classroom.