My favorite work! and other important final thoughts...

My Giver Book Trailer

Although I think it could be better, of course, I am MOST proud of the work I did on my book trailer for The Giver.  I worked really hard on this, and I even showed it to my classes this term (REALLY) as part of our anticipation for the book.  The students LOVED it, and from this trailer, they were able to make really great predictions about what the book would entail.  Considering I was a complete computer idiot before this class, I feel like I've accomplished quite a bit by making this video.  I plan to do a lot more of these, actually, for future books and poems I teach my students.  It's a fairly easy thing to do, and it helps SO much in the classroom ;-*

What do I feel is the most useful technology (or teaching approach) I have learned this semester?

Well, I think that learning to use blogs and wikis has been really helpful for two reasons.  First, it  helps me as a teacher learn how I can better collaborate with other teachers and other professionals so that my teaching can improve and I can be kept up-to-date with the latest things going on in the teaching world.  Also, I think that using blogs and wikis allows me to stay on top of my students' work better.  By using a wiki for a class website, I can post homework assignments, class announcements, upcoming events, and even readings on the page and expect that students will have things done before class the next day.  Parents will be kept up-to-date with what we are doing, and students will have no excuse for not doing homework when they are sick and absent.  I can also do a lot of my grading--checking students' understanding and helping them to collaborate with one another--by allowing  them to have their own online conversations through blogs and wikis.  This is often much more comfortable a setting than the face-to-face classrooms, especially when students are addressing harder issues that are brought up in literature.  Students, once they have felt comfortable online and have thrown out several issues on their own, will then be able to have in-class discussions more fluidly and more comfortable.  Maybe even using these sites will help me with teaching students to back themselves up when they make arguments because they have all the resources in the world right here at their fingertips.

How do I plan to use this or other technologies in my future teaching?

I've described pretty well how I want to use wikis and blogs as a classroom material--they would actually be used more as an outside-of-class website for extra collaboration.  I would probably assign the students two days a week where they would have to respond to something on the website, and they'd be graded for each response.  This could count for their weekly reading logs, like we do now.  I would use the wikis also as a tool to help me stay very connected to parents and to allow the parents access into what their students are learning.  I wonder, though, how much privacy I should give the students.   If they know their parents will have access to their conversations, they may hold back a lot of their strong opinions, even if they wouldn't be "offensive" to parents.  But I really want the students to feel comfortable enough formulating their own opinions and responding to the arguments in the way that they would feel more natural, without influence of anyone else.  Maybe I could just give parents limited access or something?  I don't know, maybe it doesn't matter that much.  I would like the parents to see these kinds of conversations, though.  I think when parents are able to see the deeper discussions their children have at school, the more respect these children gain in their parents' eyes and the more trust they earn at home.  They seem to move into adulthood a little more, and that bond between parent and student grows so much closer.  While I am a teacher, I am also doing my best to strengthen family relationships.


How can I use technologies (the ones we learned or others) to engage my students in ACTIVE learning?

Again, I think as I use wikis and blogs to allow the students to collaborate, discuss, and argue about major elements, themes, heavy topics, etc. we cover in our English class, the students will find so much more fulfillment in their books.  Technology should never be used just to waste time or to fill students' minds with thoughts of high-tech sweetness (This is me gagging all over myself).  But instead, it should be used to enhance learning and allow for deeper use of the knowledge students have gained.  So, if the students learn something in class that they're not able to talk about as long as they need to, I should make it an assignment to get online that night and continue discussing on the wiki.  Each person should have their own argument, find someone else's opinion that backs them up, or find scientific (or other) evidence to support themselves, and go from there.  They should be able to use the website to make their arguments more detailed and more in-depth than they can do in a 45-minute class period.

Wikis have rocked my socks.  I am loving them.  And I plan to use them FOREVER.  What a wonderful invention.  My only struggle now is teaching students how to use them. ;-*

I finally made my first Glog...I feel pretty excited about this ;-*  It was fun to do, and though it took a little while to get myself situated and to get things down, I think I've figured it out well enough now to be able to explain things clearly to my students.  I made two different Glogs, both dealing with ideas for Giver, but one following the instructions I'll be giving students.  They will really be encouraged to express themselves through this and to express their own views of "The Giver," so I expect to see a lot of really different, creative things.  Because I view this story my own way, my poem is really unique to me.  My students will have set list of requirements for an A, but the poem will be open to any interpretation they'd like.  So I'm pretty excited to see what they come up with.  This unit has been absolutely phenomenal so far, and I just LOVE hearing their ideas.  They are really just blowing my mind.  I think this project will be perfect for them ;-*

Here's the link for my Glogster poster!

Glogster

So here's my thought: I love art and I love poetry.  I love the way that each person looks at art differently and I love ho each poem speaks to individuals in a new way.  When I look at art, my initial feeling is a desire to curl up with a notebook and pen, to grab a mug of hot cocoa, and to write all the emotions in my heart.  Writing it all out helps me vocalize, I think, the overload of images I am seeing.  Even when the painting appears, at first, to be only a simple red square in a sea of blue, I am immediately pulled into a deeper thought process.  I always want to question where that painting came from--not the date or the place, but the emotion and the situation.  I want to know what inspired the painter, and I want to feel the same thing myself.  Because I am no good at creating visual art by myself, my method for expression of emotions is the written word.  Through my writing--particularly through poetry--I can bring out all the wonders and beauties of the earth.  I can recreate a memory of happiness.  I can frighten anyone burdened with guilt.  I can ecompass all the glories of a serene life.  I can do anything I want with my words...just like an artist can do with his paint.

Here's the connection: I've been working quite a bit with my students this term on poetry and on expressing emotions through poetry.  My students are astounding me with their depth and vision.  We did one activity two weeks ago where students were able to look at six different pictures (some, photos of people, others, modern art, others, paintings of nature) and write poems to describe the scenes and the emotions they feel as they look at those particular scenes.  They loved it!  So for my final project in IP&T 286, I want to have the students create another poem, applying their own art to the background.

I have really enjoyed the things that I've seen on Glogster thus far, and I think it's a really neat website that allows students to be creative in a myriad of ways.  Because we're reading "The Giver" right now, I'd like the students to create a poem about the novel.  The poem will need to describe the emotions and feelings of the community, and it will be accompanied by some equally descriptive artwork.  The poster, then, will be the final project for the novel.  Students will need to have paid close attention to the emotions and sentiments in the story, and by the end of their reading, they will compile their findings into a freewrite. That freewrite will then be transformed into a poem with accompanying artwork.  We will take the time to review figurative language, sensory writing, and the importance of answering W-Questions.  Poems will need to be 14 lines long (5 for the 5 senses, 6 for W-Questions, and 3 for figurative language).  With the length of their poems filling the poster, artwork can either be a background scene or can be a picture put around the bottom or on the side of the poem itself.  Some students may choose to keep their posters plain black or plain white or plain red, as simple color has been a focus in our class the last few weeks.  However, they will be required to justify their decisions in a written reflection turned in with their Glogster posters.

I'm really excited about doing this kind of project.  I've never used Glogster, and even now I feel a little unsure about how well it will go for me.  However, I'm willing to try it all out, just like I'd expect the students to do.  I'm nervous about how easily it will come for some students, but I feel confident that with help from one another, the students really will understand and be able to complete the assignment.

Internet Safety

I've been focusing quite a bit on the idea of internet safety for the last month or so, and I'm so glad this was our topic for this week.  I think so much of the reason that I have tried to not let myself become too involved in technology--specifically, internet technology--over the past few years has a lot to do with all of this.  I watched several of my closest friends fall into the traps of the internet, letting MMOGs, pornography, and other social networking take over their lives and rule their thinking processes.  I knew too many people who let the internet world become their reality, and thus, their family relationships were deeply strained.  I always felt annoyed with the computer games some of my friends played, and I felt like I was always coming second with them...not second to a person, but second to some ridiculous, cyber reality.  I swore I would never let my life become like that.  So here I've been for the last few years, trying to avoid games and blogs and other things like that on the internet: anything that would destroy my sense of reality and what really mattered in life.

I was deeply touched as I watched the Frontline video about children growing up online in today's world.  Besides the experiences I had in my own teenage years, the experiences of several of the featured youth and parents added to my firm stance against various internet activities.  For example, one mom talked about how her son would become completely zoned out whenever he was on "Facebook," as he claimed, but that he was often very jumpy.  Sometimes she would just walk over to the refrigerator, and he would jump and flip the computer screen off.  When families--the people who, together, create the most fundamental unit of society--cannot even be open with each other, there is a sure problem!  I can't believe this mother would stand for some of the behavior of her son as it related to the computer.  He would never give her his passwords, and he continued to push the idea of "what's mine is mine, leave it alone."  She just seemed to give up...is that the norm?  I get the feeling it is sadly becoming the norm in today's world.  Parents who don't understand the internet as much as their children do are turning away from the old-fashioned ideas of disciplining and monitoring children's behavior and activities!  How many parents let their children have their own computers, kept in the children's bedrooms?  Too many, if you ask me.  There are so many horrible stories--like a few from this video--about children who let themselves become lost in these internet identities and worlds they have created for themselves, but they keep it all up in their rooms.  Their parents only find out about major issues going on with their children--like eating disorders, pornography use/creation, and suicidal thoughts/actions--AFTER something major happens and someone from the outside calls the home to tell the parents about the situation.  Is that how it's supposed to be?  Absolutely not.  My heart just went out to the poor parents of Ryan, the 7th grader who, because of cyber bullying, decided to commit suicide.  The parents had NO idea anything was wrong with their son until he was gone...

However, one of the biggest problems I see in all of this is that parents are wimping out, to put it bluntly. We live in a world where that just isn't an option if you want your family to be safe.  Parents seem to give up when their children zone out or lock themselves up in their rooms or refuse to give passwords, etc.  My parents, in similar situations, I'm sure would have dragged me downstairs to be with the family. They would have taken off my door.  They would have contacted all my friends' parents and demanded I not be allowed to use computers at their houses.  They would have grounded me from all sorts of computer activities.  They would have kept the computer in an open space of the house--well, they did.  And they would BE THERE for my life.  No matter how stubborn children can be, a parent is a parent only when they teach and love.  What kind of message are we teaching if we just allow children to rule their own lives before they fully understand the consequences of their actions?  What kind of message are we sending if we allow the internet and its use to become more important than time spent with the family and with REAL, live friends?  It's sickening to think about all that is happening in the world as parents give up on their parenting responsibilities.

Now, I don't think everything on the internet is bad.  And I'm glad we talked so much about balance with our voicethread this week.  The benefits to using the internet far surpass the negative consequences.  I think that the best support our children can receive in life will always come from human, live interactions and relationships.  But at the same time, I think several children feel an added piece of acceptance and confidence as they engage in internet activities, games, and social networks.  I think in families, computers need to be used as tools for good, not as escape engines.  They need to be kept in public places and open to parental guidance.  But when our children are not home, we have to trust them to behave appropriately and to use the internet wisely, even if we're not there.  That aspect all depends on how we teach them and how we love them.  As we show them they are not alone, that they belong somewhere and they have incredible value as human beings, just as they are, we free some of the spirits of our children.  We allow them to be more open in real life, causing them to see more clearly "the things that really are."  As they do this, they become more prone to avoiding the poisons that exist around them.  It all comes down to parental love and guidance.  If we are not there for them, who else will be?

The Giver Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YgaND73-rY

So here is the movie trailer I made for the book, "The Giver," by Lois Lowry.  I'm pretty excited about it.  I'll be showing this to my students next week as we start our Giver Unit.  We're using this as one of our anticipatory activities, and the students will be making predictions about the book based on what they see here.  I hope it goes well.  Things didn't turn out exactly how I had planned with the video, but several things I hadn't known I could do, I found to be SO fun and so much more appealing.  I loved playing with iMovie and I really enjoyed learning all the little tricks to movie making.  I will definitely be using this program in the future!  It's so easy to use and it was so much fun making this trailer! ;-*  I can't wait to show my kids!

Podcasts

Zooee Mama, I feel spectacular.  I've been thinking so much this week about how much I love listening to Podcasts on NPR.org and other news stations.  Even tonight I was listening to several podcasts as I followed the election business around the country.  I have never understood how to create a podcast, but now I'm feeling a lot more excited about trying that.  I loved the ideas we were given on our class voicethread; Brother West talked about using podcasts to enhance book clubs and dramatic elements of Language Arts.  I am SO excited to use this idea as I meet next month with my book club students.  We are all reading Dystopian novels, and I am really pushing toward individual understanding of the qualities that, together, create a perfect society.  If I were to have the students create podcasts FROM that perfect society, as though they were news reporters, I think it would just add so much to the project and so much more depth to their reading and understanding of their novels.  I'm already very impressed with the computer know-how my students have, and I think this assignment would be one they would go crazy over!  In terms of using podcasts for reader's theatres, I think this would help to make some of our novels much more interactive.  I'm so excited to try all of this out.

So it's kind of hard for me to be an English teacher and to have to deal with copyright issues.  I know, it sounds like such a joke, right?  I teach English, I should be all about citations and bibliographies and all of that.  Well here's the thing: with copyright laws, I never really know exactly HOW MUCH credit I need to give in order to not break the law.  And now that we're talking about it, I'm sitting here going nuts and getting paranoid, thinking I've broken the law already fifty thousand times in the last week! ;-*  Hopefully it hasn't actually been THAT bad.  But really, I get worried sometimes.  Anyway, I decided to post a few videos I found interesting, and I'll show what I liked about them and didn't like--me, being the teacher who hates copyright infringment of any kind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBHkQZHSiZE&feature=related

In this video, the creator gives credit for each of the song titles and tells where each song comes from (as in which movie they're from).  However, there's no credit given to the singers, songwriters, movie producers, or anyone else who took part in making that clip that she has just used.  It's assumed she is showing all Disney films because of the title of her video (Top 10 Favorite Disney Songs), but after that, there's no more credit given.  Shouldn't there be more somewhere?  Shouldn't there be someone else who receives some benefit from this?  She really is only using the video to entertain other people, and I don't see much educational value in it as it stands now.  Therefore, it's breaking copyright laws for not giving credit and for posting this footage online in a non-educational or benefitting societal way.  But who knows, maybe she did actually pay someone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_soUdHNwFgk

I love this student group's video for The Giver, and I thought it was a fabulous representation of something I could actually use in my classroom--I might have my students do this same kind of project, actually.  I really liked the original photography and cinematography the group used, but I noticed one major problem.  They had a song playing in the background (from Coldplay, I think) that they never cited.  Probably that should have been mentioned somewhere in their video, just giving a little bit of credit.  It fit really well with the video, but when they don't give credit, it breaks copyright laws.

My Class Website!

Today I finished my class website.  What a huge project! It's been so fun getting things together, though, and actually planning it all out for a real class.  I'm excited to go back to school on Monday to tell my kids that I have a website just for them! ;-*  Here's the link for the page:

https://sites.google.com/site/mrssingersclassroom/

I decided to add a few Google Gadgets to this, so I think I should explain.  I have a translator because I have several students whose parents speak only Spanish in the home.  If I want those parents to be connected with me, with their students, and with the classroom, they need to be able to translate the information on the page.  I also have a 60-second news clipping because I really like to emphasize to my students the importance of staying up-to-date with the things going on in the world.  Whenever we are sharing stories or talking about stories we've read, I remind them that "stories" are happening all around us, every single day.  I also included the weather because I like to follow the weather.  It's a weird quirk I have, but weather and the beauty of nature is just important to me.  I want my kids to know that it's important for the things they choose to do.  There are several writing assignments we do throughout the year that center on the type of weather we are experiencing at the time.  Also, we have just had a big unit focusing on "setting" where we spent a great portion of the time emphasizing weather.  I also included GoodReads on my About Me page because I wanted my students to see that I love to read and that books are part of who I am.  From that montage of books, students can simply click and find themselves at the GoodReads website.  It is almost impossible to ignore the color and creativity in that mural of books, and I think drawing kids in to the website that way is a little sneaky, but it will help them recognize that books are not scary--rather, they are exciting and sometimes even worth picking up!

PLN Assignment

Well, here's my Google Reader Page:

I chose to subscribe to 7 different websites/blogs.  So let me explain!

1. Chalkdust--this is actually just the blog for Web English Teacher, one of the sites I have posted here on this blog.  I love this website because on it, teachers post some of their greatest and some of their most difficult experiences in teaching.  They post good teaching ideas, and the latest news and political movements are always posted here.  This site helps me keep in touch with what's going on in the world without feeling too overwhelmed with the enormous amount of information some other sites have.

2.  Best Content in English Companion Ning--this is the blog site I found that connects me to English Companion Ning, my very favorite site as a teacher.  I love this blog because it allows me to connect with teachers in my same situation.  For example, I can be part of a blog for new teachers, those teaching literature circles, those doing writing units, those working on poetry, etc.  When I join or follow those separate blogs, I never feel like I'm hurting for ideas.  The website has been created by Jim Burke, the well-known author and teacher of English, and with his intuitive mind, he's created a whole community of teachers willing to share anything and everything.  The times I am on this blog site are those times I really feel I am struggling for good ideas.  But every time I leave the site, I feel like I've feasted, as though I could teach all day long, every day, and still not run out of lesson ideas.  It is simply fascinating.

3.  HuffEnglish.com--I loved this blog because it integrates teaching with technology.  This young English teacher shows the importance of incorporating technology in your classroom, and she gives good advice for how to keep things simple, yet engaging for the students.  She shares news stories and books she has enjoyed, and I found it to be a very helpful, you're-already-doing-it-so-I-can-learn-from-you kind of a website.

4.  View from Room 308--this is a site created by an older English teacher.  He seems to know quite a bit, and he's not afraid to move forward with the technological advances of today.  That impresses me.  The things I find on his blog are things I already plan to use in my classroom.  For example, he has short stories written and great book-talks giving basic, but fascinating, summaries of his favorite books.  He also includes poems--those written by famous authors and those his friends and coworkers and he write himself.  They are not only entertaining, but I think they will be helpful as I show my students the importance of looking around you in the world and finding inspiration from little things.  It's easier to prove that can be done when I have more than just my own examples to share, and I am grateful that this site has a good archive of personal and famous examples to share.

5.  The Teacher's View--I really was quite struck by the intelligence of the writer on this blog.  He clearly knows a lot about the world and is well aware of the major political issues surrounding education.  I am impressed with the simple things I was able to learn from him--for example, that a movie/documentary had just been made to show America what education has become over the years and what power it must have in changing our world.  His thoughts and comments on such ideas are so powerful that I feel moved to keep myself more involved in the politics and in the technology that helps our students grow.  I feel a rush of pride in the occupation I have chosen...is that crazy?  One blog can do that to me... 

6.  Unwrapping the Gifted--I love this blog because it talks about the major issues surrounding gifted/talented students in our schools today.  Should they be separated from the rest of their peers?  How does a teacher work with them to keep them energetic, motivated, and on an exponentially growing path of learning?  I have felt a lot of frustration regarding the diversity of my students in my classrooms, and I think this blog will help me so much with figuring out better lesson plans and better ways to incorporate knowledge from all my students.  I was really impressed to find a webpage dedicated solely to the gifted and talented, and I am excited to keep reading more about their needs and how to assist them.

7.  Good Reads--This is a pretty basic website for anyone who loves to read.  The site is filled with books and connections and recommendations, and based on what you have read and what you have enjoyed, the site can help you find other books you may not have tried.  I use it for my own growth, but it is so convenient for finding books for my students as well.  Sometimes I just can't think of a "perfect-for-you" book off the top of my head, but if I can quickly get to a website with a thousand pictures of books and quick descriptions of what happens inside them, I feel so much more able to recommend these books to my students.  On top of that, this blog page gives access to all the latest news with authors and writing circles and book clubs, etc.  Because I am able to access this site, I have access to several hundred other English resources and I am much more in-the-know with what's going on in the world of books.  I have also found it helpful to be on this site because there are often news/event postings of things happening in my area.  For example, Scott Westerfeld is coming to the Provo Library at the end of October, and that is something I learned through Good Reads.  These are huge events that I need to know about in order to be successful in my career and in order to help my students with their extra-curricular learning.

This is my Twitter Page:

I subscribed to about FIVE BAZILLION publishers.  I want to know when their new books are coming out and I want to be able to get quick news on what our favorite writers are working on.  These publishing companies post some really fun things, like the news announcing Stephen King's new thriller.  I'm pretty excited about it.

On top of that, I decided the Library of Congress, the Library Journal, and Room to Read would be good twitters to follow because they post news about books, book signings, guest speakers and writing contests.  I want to have access to all that information at the tip of my fingers.

I also felt pretty excited about following Kevin Smokler, CEO of BookTour.com.  His Twitter is riddled with news, exciting book events, and thoughts of an author.  These things inspire me, and I feel so much more pumped up about keeping myself fully immersed in the world of books because of how he talks about them.  He goes to several shows and book signings and debuts, and his news about these events is both entertaining and informative. So, he's a keeper.

PS

Oh, and I added a bunch of cool gadgets at the bottom.  I want to know your opinions on the books I should teach my 7th graders this year.  We've already actually gotten mostly through Freak the Mighty, and we'll be starting The Giver soon.  But for second semester, I'm wondering what would be the most beneficial for the students.  We could do some really neat computer/technology research project with "history's mysteries" for The Westing Game, but then we could also do some pretty deep social injustices talk with Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.  There's just so much to do!  What are your thoughts?

I thought the list of websites was fitting because we are focused on teaching English.  These two websites are my favorites for good teaching ideas and for emotional and mental support of others in the same boat.  It has been FABULOUS to be a part of these various websites and blogs and to stay connected with teachers all over the nation.

I also have Google News posts--that is simply because we must absolutely stay informed.  If we don't know what's going on in our world, how can we ever expect to be educators to others?  We must know something of the world, like President Hinckley always taught.  Just like with technology, it is important to stay caught up and able to voice an opinion about what is happening.

Lastly, I added a video link.  Mostly I want that because it shows us a little bit about what is going on in the world outside of formal news stations.  This is the real life of real people--sometimes acting like total dorks, but mostly showing their true colors.  I have found that YouTube is actually my favorite technology tool in my classroom because it gives me quick and easy access to those videos and musical performances I want to show to give background or scaffolding knowledge to my students.  Not only can this be entertaining, but YouTube can really help our teaching sky-rocket.

WOWEE MAMA

Well, I've been messing around a little bit, and I've found some pretty neat things on this blog site.  I uploaded a picture of my husband and me because I do everything with him and he's one of those people that just makes me feel the best.  My whole blog site is a place where I want to be able to go to feel good, to explore other people's ideas, and to describe my own in a positive, uplifting way.  I want it to be the feel-good thinking-spot of the century.  ;-*  So, there you have it.  I also put a search bar on the top because I'm always wanting to look things up and explore new ideas, and so hopefully, as I post my ideas on here, it will also spark my readers to search things out for themselves.

Today I started my blog...

I've never had a blog before, but I used to write on websites like Xanga and MySpace, so it's kind of like that, right?  I have to admit I wasn't really too excited about doing this, but now that I'm here and looking at all the things you can do to your blog to create and design it to fit you, I feel pretty good about the whole process.  I'm calling this page "Jen's Thinking Spot" because I'm pretty sure I'm just going to let out a lot of stuff I'm thinking about.  Maybe it won't make much sense.  We'll see.  But I love having a little place to go where I can get out the things in my mind.  I think this class is going to be pretty fun, and I'm getting really excited to teach my students about blogs.