Sunday, June 21, 2015

Blog #3 Authors, Apps, and Activities

After two full weeks of your first Summer Institute, discuss what has been most impactful, what you have learned that you will definitely take into your classrooms, and something you want to do a bit more with. Also consider how you will balance all of the digital demands while still maintaining the integrity of writing (and what we know works). Blog by Tuesday June 23rd, respond by Friday, June 26th.

22 comments:

  1. Most impactful - getting to work with my writing group. Both hearing many forms of writing and about my group members as well!
    Use in own classroom - Clayton's music and poetry lesson. I think my reading students will be very engaged with this and will find connections in their own lives. Which hopefully motivates them!
    More with - poetry. I still need to find the guts to try this!

    Balance of digital demands and writing integrity - handwriting and no "delete" button! Students should be in a writing flow as much as possible and the overuse of the delete button can stop that flow with self-editing. By stopping self-consciousness in writing with times writings and putting pen to paper we can help keep the integrity of writing in a digital age.

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    1. YES! I want to learn how to write non-kitschy poetry. I'm terrible. Truly terrible.

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    2. What is a "non-kitschy" poem? I've never heard or seen that word before.

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    3. Ali, I agree with the over usage of the delete button. I find myself deleting my writing as I type on my laptop. This is definitely something I need to work on! I also need to work more on poetry!

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    4. Haylee,
      It MIGHT be a made up word. Ha ha. But kitschiness is, like, cuteness. Tidiness. I can only write cute, tidy, cliche poetry.

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  2. Most impactful- obtaining information on lessons that I could use with my future students during the Round Tables.
    use in own classroom- I see myself using Clayton's lesson on relating classical poetry with modern song lyrics. I thought this lesson was very interesting. I also liked Haylee's lesson on writer's notebooks. I personally want my students to use writer's notebooks in the classroom.
    More with- I want to work more with abstract writing. I struggle with writing in abstract, I am more of a concrete writer

    Balance of digital demands and writing integrity- I personally like writing on a laptop over writing with pen and paper. My thoughts flow better when I am typing instead of writing by hand. I think we need to keep this in mind with our students. We should allow them to use what kind of mode they want to use when writing so that they feel the most comfortable. If I was asked to write a paper by hand, it wouldn't be nearly as good as if I was allowed to type it out. This might be the same way with your students.

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    1. Taylour, I'm glad my roundtable gave you some more tools for your tool belt. That was the goal. I agree to a degree about writing on a laptop, but I also think that, at least at the beginning of the school year, it is important to have kids write both digitally and by hand. Sometimes spell check and the backspace key can make students more self-conscious. Whereas putting their thoughts on physical paper can allow students to write more freely and quickly.

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    2. I thought that your comment about wanting to work more with abstract writing to be a great idea. I believe there is wisdom is seeking out to become better at things that we feel we are not comfortable working with and/or do not have experience with. As I said at "The Berg," I myself do not feel comfortable writing novels and prolonged human interactions. This is something that I am purposefully going to work with because I do not consider myself to be very adept at that form of writing. Your comment is great and really suggests the possible benefits of getting outside one's comfort zone.

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  3. Most impactful-being able to meet with our writing groups has been great. It has pushed me to continue writing and it's great to see what everybody brings to share with the group.

    Use in own classroom-I have really enjoyed hearing everybody's book recommendation and I look forward to incorporating them into my class.

    More with-Perhaps writing a bit more out of our elements? I have really been trying to incorporate fictional elements (something I am not comfortable with) into my writings and I feel I am starting to see some benefits.

    Balance of digital demands with writing integrity-the first thing I will make sure to implement is the idea of writing with whatever device you are comfortable with. I personally prefer writing with a computer because I have terrible handwriting and I feel that I can get my ideas out faster with a keyboard. I will allow my students to have this same freedom. However, when it comes to meeting certain requirements, I will make sure they are utilizing the appropriate method i.e. not turning in a handwritten research paper.

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    1. Missed you today! Hope you feel better!

      I agree with you that I would like to be pushed to get out of my comfort zone a bit more. When given the choice, I either write something memoir-like or something argumentative (an essay with a clear argument, though often in creative form). I wonder what else I'm capable of?

      It's funny that you prefer to type. I type pretty quickly, but if given the choice, I prefer to hand write. There's something therapeutic for me about the movement of pen on paper. I think choice is ALWAYS key--your students will love that.

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  4. The most impactful thing that I have gotten out of the MWP is also working with my writing group. I have really enjoyed being able to share my ideas, have them heard, and getting feedback and critiques from my peers in a valuable and inclusive way. It has been wonderful being able to have conversations with other teachers who have such great ideas for the classroom.
    I will be able to use certain things from every roundtable we've had so far. I've found everything extremely relevant and practical for the most part. I loved Barri's idea of using mentor texts as often as possible in the classroom, Julie's roundtable about the ladder of abstraction, Ali's use of slam poetry in her lesson, and Clayton's connection from old to new and bringing in modern songs and lyrics to a poetry lesson. These are things that I will be using in my own classroom.
    Something that I want to do more with is branch out of my own comfort zone as far as content goes. I've always found it difficult to draw the line between what is appropriate for students to be learning about, especially at the middle school age, and what is not, so I've tended to stay on the more conservative side of instruction. But thinking about these lessons and ideas that have been presented in class, I've realized that these students have experienced some of the more mature content that I tend to stray away from, and they need to learn how to deal with it in a positive way, specifically through writing.

    Education is taking a step toward the digital, and we need to adapt ourselves to that more digital and technological way of thinking. I love the idea of having a classroom blog that students can contribute to. This is something that I would also like to use more in the class. When it comes to balancing these digital demands with integrity, I think it important to discuss with students the necessity of citing their sources and not plagiarizing work to keep students honest. But at the same time, it is interesting to me what Christy said about her brown bag piece that once an idea is written down, it is out in the universe and there for anybody to use.

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    1. It's a weird contradiction, isn't it? I'm still struggling with this idea of the universe owning thoughts and not the people (especially since academia is SO MUCH about intellectual property). But I really think there's something to this idea of being unable to hold onto language once it's released into the world.

      And, I know we've talked about it in class, but you'll soon get a feel for what content your specific group of students can handle. It's funny that I've shown movies one year that I would never be able to show the next--teachers are amazing at adapting! :)

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    2. I'm glad you enjoy our writing group time! I have enjoyed helping you with your pieces of writing.

      I think a classroom blog would be an awesome idea! I think students enjoy the use of technology to do things since this generation has all been born in an age where technology is everywhere!

      I think discussing the need of citing sources is also important. In the fourth grade class I was in, students would just write word for word from the resource they were using for their research paper. I think teaching students at a young age about plagiarism is important.

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  5. Overall, I am constantly surprised lately at how much easier writing comes for me. I've been preaching at my students that they have to write more to be better writers, but I didn't ever really practice what I preached. Now that I am (thanks, MWP), I am seeing the words come more easily and my voice become more obvious in my writing, even in my scholarly writing.

    Since I mostly teach future teachers, I am finding an application for everything we're talking about. I think the biggest impact, though, will be in my teaching of composition and introduction to literature this fall. Intro to Lit is a class that so many non-English majors hate, and I have decided to make it a mashup of classic and contemporary as Clayton showed us. I *know* this will be an excellent modification to increase student engagement. Additionally, the daily warm-ups by our group members have been incredibly useful for my own thinking and my teaching. I'm amazed by the creativity of all these new teachers around me--humbled, actually.

    It's hard because we're all English teachers, but I know that many non-English teachers have taken the MWP and found it useful, so I think I'd like a little more about how to apply some of our activities/ideas to non-English classrooms. I can easily see the application of freewriting and writing workshop in other content areas, but I wonder if the creative aspect can also be applied in more ways than I've considered.

    I look forward to the rest of the round tables, and I can't wait for more time with my writing group for critique and sharing. I really like the organization of the Institute. I hate wasting time (you've probably seen me multitasking during down times), and I don't feel like any conversation/lesson/activity is wasted time. I've loved it!

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    1. Apparently I can't read directions, so I didn't discuss the last point re: balancing digital demands and the integrity of writing. Whoops!

      After teaching at Ozark during a 1:1 implementation, I really had a lot of time to think about this concept. I was astonished that my high school students were TERRIBLE typists. I think we assume that students are good at manipulating technology--which is true--but we forget that they aren't good at some useful skills like typing speed and Microsoft Word/Google Docs settings. For that reason, I was always cognizant of when I required the technology to be used. I never wanted their laptops to be electronic notebooks (unless that's what the students preferred). When it came to notes/writing time, I let them choose paper and pencil or computer. Again, I think student choice is key. It did make the grading a bit of a mess, but it was worth it to get students to produce more effectively. If I were to go back and teach high school again, I would integrate even MORE choice--something that the new digital environment makes easy.

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    2. Christy,

      Seriously though, typing is an issue. When are most kids taking keyboarding classes anymore? Are they even taking them? I had a keyboarding class in middle school, and that class made the rest of my schooling far easier. The more we implement technology in schools the more this is necessary. I would like to see it at least in fifth grade, if not earlier.

      I definitely agree about our fluency as writers increasing. It seems so obvious, that writing teachers should be writing, but for some reason it's abnormal these days. I feel like I'm on a reading and writing high this month and I hope it doesn't fizzle out come November.

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    3. Clayton,
      I'm so glad you've noticed it too. It never ceases to amaze me. I, too, took a typing class in middle school, so I learned how to type correctly. Of course, I understand that I have a lot of years of typing experience they don't, but still.

      You've made me curious. I really want to do some research now regarding the teaching of typing skills. I read an article a few weeks ago about how typing won't be as necessary with all of the touchpad devices we now use, but I don't buy it at all!

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  6. Most impactful - At the risk of sounding too broad, I think the overall notion of writing vigorously is what will stick with me long after this summer. My love for composition has been rekindled after, ironically, being snuffed out during undergrad. I am feeling refreshed about reading and writing altogether going into next year.

    Use in my own classroom - The list of books I have compiled in the last two weeks is overwhelming. I plan to pick at least one young adult novel we have discussed, read it, and book talk it with my students next year, allowing them to hold me accountable to read as I also hold them accountable for the same. Last year, there were several times we went to the library when my book suggestions were not something in which seventh graders were interested. I need to broaden my knowledge in that area, and I have a solid launching point now. I will probably start with Cathedral Stories by Raymond Carver, as suggested by Ali.

    Do More With - This may be unpopular, but I actually would like to talk a bit with everybody about grading practices. I got seriously bogged down with stacks on stacks of papers to grade this past year. With grad school and other obligations on top of lesson planning needs, sometimes it felt impossible to get started on those stacks of papers. I am very curious to hear how much feedback people prefer to leave for their students, what kind of feedback they leave, how often should teachers give written feedback, should we use conferences more than written feedback? etc.

    Digital Demands vs. Traditional Writing - I feel fortunate that Nixa will not be 1:1 until the 2016-2017 school year, meaning I will get to walk through that process with the rest of the staff. To me, it is a bit intimidating to be thrown into a 1:1 school that already has policies, procedures, and routines that are well established. That being said, I want to use a class blog in the future. We used a blog for our personal writings in Dr. Gilles's class, and I thought it was impactful. Requiring students to comment on these types of personal writings builds community through technology. I still like the idea of a writer's notebook, however, and would like to preserve that tradition, especially decorating it how Haylee showed us. Those are two ways I hope to balance the two in the future. Since next year I will still have to schedule computer labs and all that jazz, I may have to have students hand write initial drafts before typing final drafts, as I had to do last year.

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    1. In regard to feedback for papers, did you have most of them print off papers or submit digitally? I know we used Google Classroom, and it was very beneficial. It is directly linked to your google drive, so the student's paper will show up in your drive, and you can add comments, save it, and then send it back electronically and all directly to that student alone (so that gets rid of the anonymity issue). If you didn't use it before at Oakland, I would suggest looking into it because it is incredibly useful and user-friendly.

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    2. Clayton,

      I'm so glad that you get to experience the 1:1 implementation at Nixa! I really enjoyed being a part of that at Ozark, and I felt so much less overwhelmed that the teachers who came to OHS a year later, after it had already started. It's so powerful, but it can be so overwhelming. I did enjoy never again having to read handwriting. Ha ha.

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  8. The most impactful thing for me so far has actually been the random conversations we have during class, even things that aren't technically what we meant to cover in class. But I find myself writing down things that everyone says, things that I definitely want to remember this year. Obviously, we just talked about grading, but there are several other conversations that stick out in my mind - things that were unplanned but I appreciated the honest conversation between people that love education and love students. I love this! I have to monitor how much I talk about education with my friends and family because you can only talk about it for so long, but it's been amazing to just talk with you all.

    Something I want to take in my classroom. The idea of reading aloud to my students and establishing a routine - things I learned through discussion and our reading. I also really did learn a lot about grading practices that I want to use as well.

    Something I want to do a bit more with - probably the digital stuff. I still feel a little overwhelmed by technology. I want to use it to help my students, but I want to make sure its beneficial for everyone.

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