Ruining Movies

Today was a good day.  I got to "ruin" yet another movie for my students.  You see, one of my jobs is to make the literature I teach relevant to today's culture and today's young people.  Since, according to Thomas Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor, there is really only one story, this is much easier to do than people think.

The movie I ruined today was "Roxanne," starring Steve Martin.  My gullible students believed that, yet again, I was just tired of teaching and had decided to show a movie.  Alas, as usual, they were wrong!  Today, I informed them that they, in fact, had just expressed their enjoyment about "Cyrano de Bergerac."  I had previously shown "10 Things I Hate About You" before we began our Shakespeare Through the Ages Unit.

I asked, "How many of you loved that movie?"  All hands shot in the air.

I replied, "That's fantastic.  It's so much easier to teach Shakespeare once everyone has decided how much they enjoy his work."  All faces then fell.

After today's pronouncement, one student told me, "The trust is gone."  They told me they'll never believe me again when I tell them we're "just going to watch a movie."  My work is done!

Yes, today was a VERY good day!

Carry the Message Project

Unit Overview:  Assignment attached.  In short,  students were asked to ascertain what characteristics people must possess in order to "Carry the Message" in the 21st Century.
Carry the Message Assignment

Lerner-Centered:  Students were completely in charge of the outcome of their projects.  They first had to determine what characteristics they were going to feature, how they would determine if someone possessed these characteristics, and how they would train people if they didn't possess the characteristics.  They were graded on the attached rubric, which I later determined they did not bother to read!.
Carry the Message Rubric

21st Century Skills: Since the ultimate goal of this project is to train 21st Century workers, it was essential to use 21st Century technology.  After the students set up their Google accounts, they were free to use any tools available.  Chris Goodson spoke to both classes involved in the project and introduced them to several possibilities.

Student Achievement:  I found myself having to explain the criteria for the project several times.  I finally decided that having this much "freedom" related to a project was difficult for my students.  I wasn't telling them WHAT to think, I was telling them to THINK.  I didn't give a "number of slides," or any specific instructions.  In fact, I did quite the opposite.  I told them they could do this project any way they wanted as long as the proved their points.  I was asked, "Is this right?"  My response was, "Did you prove your point?"  It wasn't a popular answer!  Students did seem to learn to work well together and, finally, to think without being told WHAT to think.

Student Example 1
Student example 2

Pedogogical Change:  I believe that Communication is the Key to Success - now and always.  The study of Language Arts is all about the study of communication.  I want to continue to incorporate studies of classic literature and necessary grammatical skills with the ongoing question of "How can we best communicate?"

Reflection:  The first problem I encountered was a lack of desire on the part of my students to read the essay assigned and a lack of ability to comprehend and analyze said essay.  I had to reword the initial 3 questions due to the ridiculous responses I received.

Students are very uncomfortable without very specific instructions.  I can only assume this stems from too many years with bubble sheets and "one right answer."  Unfortunately for these students, they are heading to a world the offers more questions than answers.  These students must not only be able to answer questions but also be able to develop more questions.

It took several days of explanation to get the message across to the students, but I believed I had finally succeeded.  Sad to say, I was wrong.  Nearly every project was missing some part of the project - either assessment or training modules.  Although, one group had not even done a presentation in Google Docs or made us of any Web 2.0 tools.  I have ascertained that no matter how many times an explanation is given, students just don't want to follow instructions.

When I was on my 4th or 5th version of the instructions, trying to simplify, I asked people who had witnessed these explanations to offer any suggestions they had.  I mean, really, I'm not proud.  I'll take anything.  My friend shook her head and said, rather sadly, "Short of doing it for them, I can't think of one other thing to do."

I would have to say my project was only moderately successful, but I did try.  Following instructions is a constant problem.  They could be successful, if they choose to be.

Amazing Children

My 14-year-old daughter continues to amaze me.  She had to complete a project for Algebra and she decided to use Animoto.  While I am familiar with the program, I have not worked with it to any great extent. She has never used it, yet she logged in and was able to create an excellent project just by watching the tutorial!  I looked in on her as she was creating, rearranging slides, adding pictures, etc.  She was completely comfortable and had no problems.  It was something to see.  In many ways, she is more comfortable with technology than my 17-year-old son.  These digital natives have no fears.  Most likely, I'll be learning from her from now on!

7 down, 178 to go!

This is a familiar refrain for both students and teachers.  I'll admit, I've even been guilty of the "counting game."  I can honestly say that this year has started off better than most.  We have a new principal who is making every effort to put procedures in place for smooth transitions between classes and at the beginning and end of the school day.  There has been some grumbling, but for the most part, students are adapting and even thriving!  My new SMARTboard is up and running with really LOUD speakers.  I can see we're going to have lots of fun with that.  I can't wait for some of the action scenes we'll watch together!   Students willingly run the Board and even fight over who gets the job.  We're going to keep this high energy going and have a great year!

Google Apps for Education - Exciting and Scary

As I sit in extended training to be a part of the pilot program here for Google, I feel both excited and scared.  I'm excited because I have used various Google Apps in my classroom already and it has been VERY successful.  I'm scared because the more we can do, the more we have to do to prepare students to use these tools effectively, efficiently and responsibly.  Personal responsibility it not always at the top of the priority list for today's young people.  Personal responsibility is a MUST as we embark on our technological journey in this new century.

I am excited and I see great potential.  However, it's definitely going to be a wild ride!  I'll let you know how it goes.

Staff Development

Vocabulary is critical across the board.  To make this staff development more effective, I would probably request those attending to bring a vocabulary list they use.  There are lists available for ALL disciplines, even if teachers have to pull them from a textbook.  When showing the Word List tab, teachers can also participate by suggesting words and checking the list.  I will have teachers search the Shared Lists for key words relating to their disciplines.  This lesson definitely needs to be done in a lab.

Professional Development

I'll not lie.  I have been known to cringe at the words, "You will need to attend this professional development session on...."  I know, too, that there will be "cringers" in the crowd when I announce my professional development.  However, I promise to do my best to help my coworkers see that what I am teaching has a direct impact on their classrooms.  I won't just "throw it out there" and hope they "get it."  I will teach only what I believe truly works, for if I believe it, then they will believe it.  As adults, we have had enough education to want to see the "bottom line" in all that we do.  I'll be up front with the uses and benefits and, hopefully, my coworkers will respond positively to my message.  Teachers need to continue to study and train.  We must keep up with what is going on.  However, we must respect the knowledge our teachers already have.  In the end, it will all be good.

Transforming my Classroom

I have to admit, I've pretty proud of how far I have come in my classroom with technology.  Like many teachers, I tend to be a control freak and I don't like to share my "toys."  I've moved away from that attitude and tried to let the students take over the learning.  One of the ISTE standards speaks to Personal Responsibility and that is big item for me.  I tell my students from day one that they have to take ownership in their education.

This coming fall, I intend to do even more.  I like to move the furniture around.  It keeps students guessing, since teenagers aren't really too fond of change. Students will collaborate on a daily basis, if at all possible. Communication is the key to success in the 21st Century and I want my students to take advantage of all the possibilities available to them.  It's my job to make sure they do.

All of my vocabulary lessons on online at vocabahead.com.  Many of my students, and the class pictured here especially, loved completing the online quizzes to study prior to taking my test.  They would shout answers, argue about the correct answer, etc.  It was my favorite part of the week!

Life Long Learner

As a Pinnacle Leader in Gaston County, one of the main expectations is that we commit to being life-long learners.  To that end, I have joined my Pinnacle counterparts for the second summer to learn more and more about integrating technology into our classrooms.  It is a great, if exhausting, experience!

In a way, it's a lot like summer camp.  We are enjoying catching up with our friends from last summer, renewing friendships, and sharing secrets to success in our classrooms.  Our "counselors" know their subject and we are in information overload.  Again, not a bad thing.

Being a life-long learner is a challenge but, in the end, a true benefit both to me and my students.