Vatican at Night

Vatican at Night
Originally uploaded by kroisum

Ced0535: Week Three Reflection

So... I've established my license from Creative Commons; I've created a Flickr account and have finally posted my pictures from my trip to Rome; I have set up my Google Reader with RSS feeds and am checking in as often as I think of it. How can I have done so many things and still feel like I haven't completed anything?

This is the first week in a very long time where I feel slightly out of my league. I get the concept of everything, but I'm used to instant feedback and seeing things finished. I feel like the things we've done in the past two weeks have been a little like fishing; I have baited my hook and now am waiting for things to come my way. The problem is that I feel a little like I've dropped many different lines all over the place, and I'm spending time trying to make my way around to check to see if anything has nibbled yet. Let me make my list, so I can visualize what I've been doing:
1. Twitter
2. Flickr
3. Google Reader
4. Creative Commons
5. Facebook
6. Plurk

Is it any wonder I'm confused? I think part of my confusion is the fact that I feel like there's so much to keep track of now. I have a difficult enough time managing my four email accounts, let alone all this other stuff. In addition, as I stated, I understand the concept of things like RSS feeds, but I still don't quite understand how I can make the most of them. For example, I see Twitter has the RSS feeds, but when I clicked on it, I was asked to enter an admin username and password. That confused me, so I exited out. I love the concept of having everything come to me instead of going to all these various locations. So clearly I have more studying to do.

In terms of my students and what I can use this week in my classroom, I have more thinking to do. I like the idea of students uploading their photos to photo sharing sites, such as Flickr, but again I know I'm going to run into trouble with their age. Even when I had them establish their Ning accounts, the minimum age was 13. I have to admit that I had them agree to the age so that we could work the Ning. I am feeling the same way about Flickr, Twitter and others. I'm not sure what the age requirement is or if there is one, but even if there isn't, the site asks for name, etc. At what point can my students honestly answer the questions that they are asked when registering to all these different places? Currently, I don't envision incorporating sites like Twitter into my curriculum. I don't think any of them "tweet" as yet, and I'm not sure if they would really get into it. They enjoy the more personal feedback they get with emailing or chatting. I think sites such as Twitter might actually bore them after a time. I know, on the other hand, they would love it if I let them open Facebook accounts, but then I'd feel obligated to constantly monitor their usage, and that challenge is way too big for me. I do, however, like the idea of teaching them the RSS feeds. I agree with some of the articles we read that with so much info on the Internet, we have to teach students how to find the info they need without overloading them. RSS feeds would really help them keep track of reliable sources and information. The challenge would be walking through Google Reader with them and finding sites they'd like to watch. I think I would begin by having them locate info of their own interests and adding them. Then we could move into sources for classes. Another must would be teaching them how to organize their sites.

CEd0535: Session Two - Wikis at Work

It would be amusing to go back through my blogs and count the number of times I made comments, like "I never realized..." Seems I'm repeating myself constantly. This week is no different, and once again, I'm on a totally new path in my curriculum. I'm quickly discovering that when it comes to the stuff we learn, I'm not content to wait til next year to include them. Instead, I stop everything I'm doing now and shift totally.

Like many others in class, I'm sure, I had understood wikis and how they are used, but I never considered actually incorporating a wiki for my school where students could go and add information. I have created a Ning, but really I'm only using it as a blogging tool, not a place where student research could be posted and where other students could go and add to or make corrections. I guess I just never thought about the potentials of a wiki. Now that I'm aware, my mind is exploring all sorts of wikis we could create. For one, I could create a wiki that focuses on saints. One of my big complaints with our curriculum is that each grade level explores saints and often repeats the same activities over and over again. Too redundant. If I created a wiki, however, the students could do their initial research in Grade 3 or 4 and then when they have to repeat their saint research, they could explore further and simply modify the wiki. Or perhaps they will select a new saint and then check their saint on our wiki to see if the information is accurate. In addition, they might find more interesting pictures or video on which to expand. This project could really be cool. There are lots of websites out there that focus on saints, but most of them are geared toward an older age level. There's not much there that is directed towards kids. Our wiki could fill that niche.

I'd like to start this immediately. As stated above, I don't like to delay long when I have an inspiration. The difficulty this time, however, is that I think I do need to first develop a policy for publishing on the Internet. If we want this wiki to be useful, we're going to have to go public, and doing so without getting parental permission first may send some of my parents into orbit. I will also need to take necessary measures to ensure that my students don't disclose personal information. This means not only monitoring them but also making sure they really, really understand why they should not do so. I also then need to get talking with my teachers to see how we could make all of this gel. Ideally, I'd like to create the wiki and monitor it and then have the actual religion teachers in charge of its use. Since Wikipedia is about the only wiki my teachers are aware of, I'll need to spend time inservicing them.

Ced0535: Week One Reflection

Just when I thought I had thought enough about blogs and wikis, I quickly discover I know very little. Obviously because of the blogging we do for this program, I thought I had a pretty good handle on blogs and how to implement them for my school. I never realized, however, the can of worms I would open after reading the first three chapters of our textbook. Now my mind is reeling from all the different ways I can use blogs at my school. I really only considered the educational application and in fact jumped right in and created a Ning for my 5th and 6th graders which is going very well. The students are now excited about writing and exploring the blog. What I am finding most helpful this week is how to sift through the details. Clearly it's not enough to just create a blog space; now I need to consider the best ways to use it and how to create guidelines for its use. Prior to this week, I was very hesitant to let students roam freely around our Ning. Almost immediately upon its creation, I had numerous students wanting to post their own pictures and personalize their page. My first response was "no" of course, fearing that they might post things that reveal too much personal information or might not be educational. But after reading the first three chapters, especially chapter 3, I see that it is important for students to take ownership of this space. Also, I have to remember, as the creator of our Ning, that I have ultimate control and can eliminate anything that crosses the line. I think also, as the safety section of the textbook reveals, that I need to get a policy together that assures parents and administration that our social network will be monitored no differently than their email and Internet use. I think the biggest challenge is that the majority of my parents and principal have no idea what a Ning or wiki is all about and so automatically assume they're recreational and danger zones. This is what will take the most time to overcome, but perhaps if I invite my parents and principal to join the Ning, the fears will be alleviated some. It also might be a great way to open the communication between all of us. I would love having parents comment on the same things that their kids are. And if I post regularly, regarding the things going on in class, then it would be another way to keep parents informed and updated. Finally, I would also like to establish a Ning for our faculty and staff as a way to share ideas and stay informed. Right now, there's way too much paper floating around with redundant messages. I would like very much to go paperless, and I would have a much easier time keeping track of things, as opposed to all the papers I now have to sift through. So what I once thought was a purely educational tool is now expanding in all sorts of directions.

Week Five Reflection

The two main activities this week, the pecha kucha and rubric, were challenging for me, and it was the first time that I felt the pressure to finish my work on time. I have typically been a procrastinator for most of my life, so what I've discovered most about these projects is how much prep time goes into being well prepared. Yeah, I know; it's obvious, but I have been a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda girl and have never minded last minute preps, even when teaching classes at times. So when I created my rubric for one of my projects I have my fourth graders do, I found myself exhausted at all the thinking that went into creating just one rubric. My brain was tired! Despite this mental workout, I have to say I was very pleased with the outcome and plan on continuing creating rubrics for many of my other projects. It is such a great way to communicate my expectations to my students. I can't count the number of times way back when I taught high school that students complained that my expectations were vague. Or the number of times where I went to grade their stuff and THEN decided on what my criteria were - so not fair to my students. No wonder they occasionally got crabby with me! Once I finished my rubric for my fourth grade, everything just fell into place, and not only did it give me something for the end result, creating the rubric really forced me to examine why I'm doing this project in the first place. Yeah, this is a real DUH moment for me people!

As for the pecha kucha, it took a very long time to create it, but overall I'm very happy with the result. I appreciate the motivation behind this presentation style, but I was a bit confused about the speaking aspect of it. I know it's 20 slides, 20 seconds, but does that mean you have to talk for 20 seconds on 20 slides? I had a hard time finding an answer to this and never really got one. All the samples we saw were really based on recorded live demos so the speaker spoke the whole time. I have to agree with what someone said in my group; talking for 20 seconds on 20 slides is too much verbal busyness. I think it sounds like you're cramming in a ton of info. Maybe I feel that way because unlike a live presentation, a recorded one doesn't allow for audience feedback and participation. I think it might be more fun to do one live although I think it would be incredibly challenging for me. I'd be too tempted to stray from my script.

Week Four Reflection

I'm very excited about everything that we have discussed this last week. What amazes me is the common sense approach to presentations. It's so funny how I can go along, thinking and practicing one method and then suddenly realize that all that I've been doing has been wrong.

In terms of presentation, I would guess that most, if not all, of us who teach practice the casual approach and the "living in the moment" delivery method. I don't know how you couldn't and be an effective teacher, especially if one teaches elementary or high school. There's no way I could be effective with my students while spending my whole time behind a lectern or reading from my notes. At the same time, it's amazing how many teachers do lecture at students instead of engaging them with narratives. In addition, how many classes have we taken, or how many presentations have we seen where the speaker doesn't know when to quit? I know I can be guilty of babbling on and on, but I have sat through some lectures where I thought I was going to have to throw myself out the window. I think much of it has to do with what Garr says about connecting with your audience and knowing your audience. Also, many of those speakers come across as arrogant and clearly don't care about me, just one of many in the crowd. I'm thinking of one particular presentation I went to of a rather famous author. Although he was entertaining, it was clear that he meant to be center-stage only, and so as he solicited questions from the audience his arrogance became clearer and clearer. By the end, I was completely unimpressed. On the other hand, I would love to see some of the speakers Garr mentioned because I love nothing more than to be completely invigorated by a good speaker.

It's funny and ironic that Presentation Zen's emphasis seems to be to create presentations that are minimal in order to bring out and highlight the speaker, rather than glorify the presentation itself. As I have mentioned elsewhere, I think I have relied heavily on my presentations, not feeling adequately prepared or even knowledgeable, and so have loaded my Powerpoints with bullet points for that reason. How much easier it is to just read from my slides, rather than rehearse and develop an interesting narrative.

On a similar note, as my students learn Powerpoint and other storytelling software, I'm emphasizing the same minimalist approach. I have always told them that when creating a show, they shouldn't read from their slides, but now I will stress the less is more and even stipulate how many words on each slide they're allowed to have. It'll be interesting to see how this approach goes over with 3rd and 4th graders. Something else I'm still struggling with, however, is how to incorporate all these great resources when they require registration. I'm still not sure how parents will feel about their children being registered to all these sites where others can comment or view work.

Week Three Reflection

I'm really finding the material all coming together this week. The section we read in our text has been extremely helpful, and I can begin to envision how my presentations might look from now on. I like Garr's common sense suggestions and the stress on simplifying and streamlining. I can see how my past presentations have fallen victim to the mistakes that many make. I have spent a lot of time filling my slides with words and taking up every space imaginable with clip art so that the slides look busy. I think I will have much more fun creating my presentations from now on.

On the same note, as I attempt to remake my uploaded show, I'm finding that focusing on the central message is not as easy as it sounds, nor is it necessarily obvious. I think I have been guilty of just spitting out information without considering what I want my students to actually know. What knowledge do I want them to gain from my introduction to the Internet? I already know that I need to cut out a lot of my content - actually break it down into separate presentations - but until I can figure out my central message, that will be a challenge. As I re-examine my presentation, I'm also referring greatly to the NETS on Digital Citizenship and trying to incorporate those standards into my discussion. It feels a bit overwhelming. Perhaps it would be helpful to actually create my handout first and work backwards. I'd be interested to know if that's the process others are following. And speaking of the handout, that's another area I'm pondering. Since my presentation is directed at the 3rd graders, I have to question how I want my handout to appear. Is a one-page typed worksheet the best format for 8 and 9 year-olds, or will that be too much for them? Would it be better to list ideas in an outline form so that it appears more organized? I think to answer this, I'll speak to the 3rd Grade teacher. I'm sure she could suggest the best format.

I also am finding the Digitales chapters and especially the 7 steps extremely useful. As I have mentioned, my students do create digital stories and both I and they have found discovering their stories to be difficult. In the past I had them gather photos and then work on their stories, but what typically happens is that they start simply describing what's in the photo instead of using the photos to complement their stories. I guess the obvious solution is to have them create the story FIRST and THEN gather the media later, as the 7 steps worksheet maps out. Clearly, I have placed the cart before the horse in the past.