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.