Kajder, S. B. (2007) “Unleashing potential with emerging technologies”. In K. Beers, R.E. Probst, and L. Rief (Eds.) Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into practice (pp.213-229) Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Using the wikibooks.org website, we were able to so set up an annotated text to work alongside our study of the novel…. Our work include[d] various kinds of aids for reading, understanding, and teaching the text, including but not limite to explanatory notes, introductions summaries, questions and answers, charts, lists, indices, references wikilinks, pictures and audio. (p. 223)
Kajder noted that she got the idea to use this in her class when she saw her kids pull out CliffNotes on the class reading. This reminds me of how I sometimes refer my students to Sparknotes, and how they are all very familiar with the site. I checked out Wikibooks and, as described, all these features are available and available for classroom use. I am really excited about this use of technology since this is a format the kids are familiar with, and it engages them because now their knowledge and production would have a legitimate, authentic audience. Students now become teachers and dispenser of information through this medium. The technology is relatively simple so there is little if no explanation to how to use it – the kids have all read Wikipedia, and the same principles apply. My only concern (and surprise) is that this website is not very populated. I searched for popular books and came back with very little information. It is apparently only 5 years old, but I’m hoping more teachers would pick this up as a resource for the classroom. NOTE TO DR. GEORGE: please consider adding this component to next year’s technology class!!!
Kajder, S. B. (2008) “The book trailer: engaging teens through technologies.” Educational Leadership. Volume 65, Number 6: 4 pages
What worked well about Sam’s trailer was his ability to leverage each of these modes to create an effect that speech alone could not have conveyed. (p. 3)
In putting together my own book trailer I engaged on one of the most powerful modes of expression –using a combination of sound and image…. While putting together this one image of people being hanged, I could not articulate in words a viable emotional reaction. (More likely my eyes would skim over it and block its effect.) When I paired it with the cry of a cantor and an animated emphasizing effect, I amplified the emotional content of the image, and I was viscerally affected. These trailers give students the opportunity to see and create emotional texts, emotional expressions. And I do not think there is enough educational emphasis on the Literacy of images and emotion.
However, Kajder mentions that she does not work on tinkering with the applications with the kids, showing the “wows” of the product, I think this may be a mistake. Part of the process (for me at least,) of creating an emotionally expressive film is the affective dimension in its creation – that is, the discovery of the technology, the tinkering, the obsessive tinkering…. These are all an essential part of the learning process that should not be given short sh
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Response to Kauer article on censorship
When the topic of book censorship arises – particularly in response to a parent who does not want their child to read a specific novel in school – a common reaction is to see the parent as somehow “crazy” and/or “close-minded.” Frequently, the assumption is that the parent has some sinister motive for wanting to “protect” their child from great works of literature and, as a result, is allowing the young person’s worldview to remain as narrow as possible.
However, as Suzanne Kauer (2008) explains in her article, “A Battle Reconsidered: Second Thoughts on Book Censorship and Conservative Parents,” parents usually have genuine reasons for their concerns and the best way to address their hesitations about a classroom book is to simply speak with them (p. 57). She notes parents’ concerns are typically limited to their individual children alone – not the entire class (p. 56, 2008). So it’s not as though there are thousands of fanatical crazies out there trying to get every copy of “The Chocolate War” pulled from school shelves. Instead, there are simply cautious parents trying to make decisions in the best interests of their children.
Kauer’s article is meant for teachers and she poses many excellent questions for K-12 educators to consider. For instance, she writes, “Do we choose books because they are what we were taught? Do we just choose what’s available, what the school bought? This may be our reality. But we have a responsibility, nonetheless, to thoroughly interrogate our curriculum and to make sure we know why we are arguing that a few damns and hells are worth reading to get to the heart of Steinbeck, and why little English boys murdering each other on an island is worth discussion” (Kauer, p. 59, 2008).
It is important for any/every teacher to know the answers to Kauer’s questions about the books they teach. It will help them lead classroom discussions about the texts, but to also have discussions with concerned parents as well.
Kauer, S. (January 2008). A battle reconsidered: second thoughts on book censorship and conservative parents. English Journal, 97(3) 56-60.
However, as Suzanne Kauer (2008) explains in her article, “A Battle Reconsidered: Second Thoughts on Book Censorship and Conservative Parents,” parents usually have genuine reasons for their concerns and the best way to address their hesitations about a classroom book is to simply speak with them (p. 57). She notes parents’ concerns are typically limited to their individual children alone – not the entire class (p. 56, 2008). So it’s not as though there are thousands of fanatical crazies out there trying to get every copy of “The Chocolate War” pulled from school shelves. Instead, there are simply cautious parents trying to make decisions in the best interests of their children.
Kauer’s article is meant for teachers and she poses many excellent questions for K-12 educators to consider. For instance, she writes, “Do we choose books because they are what we were taught? Do we just choose what’s available, what the school bought? This may be our reality. But we have a responsibility, nonetheless, to thoroughly interrogate our curriculum and to make sure we know why we are arguing that a few damns and hells are worth reading to get to the heart of Steinbeck, and why little English boys murdering each other on an island is worth discussion” (Kauer, p. 59, 2008).
It is important for any/every teacher to know the answers to Kauer’s questions about the books they teach. It will help them lead classroom discussions about the texts, but to also have discussions with concerned parents as well.
Kauer, S. (January 2008). A battle reconsidered: second thoughts on book censorship and conservative parents. English Journal, 97(3) 56-60.
Webquest Review for Maus
Cited for 11th and 12th graders. This webquest assignment was very interesting to me but I have some doubts as to its appropriateness for high school students.
The quest jigsaws the class into several groups and asks each group to evaluate the book according to the groups’ field. The groups are: Art teachers, English teachers, Social Studies teachers and Holocaust Survivors. The three teacher groups must decide if Maus is appropriate to teach and the survivor group must decide if Maus is respectful or offensive to survivors.
Students in the groups are further jigsawed to read one of five web based and library based articles that support a position for the group. In the end the group comes together and puts together all their arguments that support or oppose a decision on a provided graphic organizer.
What I like about this webquest: The question seems rather simple but the reading content is rather sophisticated; it tackles everything from textual criticism, aesthetics, historical narrative, classroom standards – college level stuff. I guess that is also why I don’t like this webquest. The reading material is very sophisticated, in some cases the links are no longer there and in other cases the connection between the arguments that students need to make and the reading is a bit disconnected, students would have a hard time extrapolating.
I would appropriate some readings and perhaps one or two questions from this webquest, but I would NOT assign this to a (typical) 10th grade class reading Maus.
Since this is a core book for my curriculum I really wanted to explore everything available. I was surprised to find this is the ONLY webquest available! If anyone knows of an additional one Maus, please let me know!!!
The quest jigsaws the class into several groups and asks each group to evaluate the book according to the groups’ field. The groups are: Art teachers, English teachers, Social Studies teachers and Holocaust Survivors. The three teacher groups must decide if Maus is appropriate to teach and the survivor group must decide if Maus is respectful or offensive to survivors.
Students in the groups are further jigsawed to read one of five web based and library based articles that support a position for the group. In the end the group comes together and puts together all their arguments that support or oppose a decision on a provided graphic organizer.
What I like about this webquest: The question seems rather simple but the reading content is rather sophisticated; it tackles everything from textual criticism, aesthetics, historical narrative, classroom standards – college level stuff. I guess that is also why I don’t like this webquest. The reading material is very sophisticated, in some cases the links are no longer there and in other cases the connection between the arguments that students need to make and the reading is a bit disconnected, students would have a hard time extrapolating.
I would appropriate some readings and perhaps one or two questions from this webquest, but I would NOT assign this to a (typical) 10th grade class reading Maus.
Since this is a core book for my curriculum I really wanted to explore everything available. I was surprised to find this is the ONLY webquest available! If anyone knows of an additional one Maus, please let me know!!!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Webquest of Monster
I discovered a webquest for Monster that I will definitely refer back to next year when I use this text in literature circles. The webquest can be found at: www.garfield.sparcc.org/Middle/special_ed/Cozad/monster/MONSTER. I was particularly fond of this webquest, as opposed to the others that I reviewed, because I thought the webpage was easy to manage and the task itself to be worthwhile and thought-provoking for students. The page, that is, is easy to navigate with five sections that guide students through the assignment at hand. The project is centered on investigating juvenile delinquency and the death penalty and asks students to consider several higher-order thinking questions as they search related links and look to write their final essay on the topic. The attached rubric is also conveniently provided and clearly defines the expectations for the project. I will definitely use this webquest as a reference for next year and think it is a worthwhile site for anyone else teaching 8th grade to check out as well.
Lit Discussions and YA Lit
After taking the Adolescent Literature course, I have new ideas about how I will teach literature in my classes. Last school year, I was disappointed in the number of students who became excited about reading and books. I was overcome by fighting illiteracy, low efficacy, and low motivation in most of my classrooms. Probst’s experience of a classroom discussion session is what I want to see happen in my classroom literature discussions. “There was a first a lot of talking (this in itself is sounded good); very little listening. It was as if the reading had filled them with a passion and energy they could discharge only through speech. Gradually, however, the monologues became dialogues and kids began to hear what others were saying and to pause long enough to actually listen and reflect." (2000, p.9) Probst then goes on to talk about overly-guided discussion that occurs in many classrooms and its potential to suppress students’ urges to reflect on and discuss what they think about the literature. I felt in many ways this had occurred in my classroom, and was even encouraged by administrators as a way to maintain control of the classroom. Since literature discussion is what I want in my classrooms, I plan on attempting a freer structure with in-class reading time, free-write time, and class discussions. I don’t really like literature circles as they have been proposed to me, so I will try Probst’s suggestion of small group share in which each students speaks about what they free-wrote, and then large group share where conversation can take its own course. We’ll see what happens.
Probst, R. (2000). Literature as invitation, Voices from the Middle, 8 (2). pp. 9-15.
I had some strong reactions to the article, “It’s the THAT teacher.” I agree with some of arguments such as the one against fixations on classics and the traditional cannon of literature taught in secondary schools. I also agree that YA literature has a place in the secondary classroom and can lead to good thinking and good discussions, especially since many students are not prepared to read adult literature. However, I feel that adult literature should be the goal. I feel like Hipple’s argument, “enjoyment is what we’re after, at least at the secondary school level, where our students are going to grow up to be pediatricians and politicians, carpenters and car mechanics….but only very rarely English majors who need this early lit crit training.” (1996, pp. 16-17) I feel like the equivalent of the high-school student’s argument, “When are we ever going to have to use this?”
Which, actually, is a pretty good argument, as every teacher knows. Who needs physics or geometry proofs? What fun are they? I’m an English major, and I don’t ever have to use them, but I have an appreciation for them, understand that some people need them when designing a bridge or vehicle or theory about how the world works. What if we said “that” about math? “It’s not what kind of math students are doing, it’s that they’re doing math!” I somehow don’t think that argument would fly.
I feel like students should know higher literary ideas, symbols, extended metaphors exist, or they probably will not enjoy literature beyond a certain caliber. I happen to know a 7th grader personally, who attends a public school in a middle to lower class neighborhood, she plays video games, chats online, text messages, and loves to read. Her mother took her to the bookstore where she purchased adult-level books of her choice and read them each in a day. I gave her Speak and The Chocolate War to read, and after a few chapters, they languished on the couch, un-read. My theory is, they were too easy. The craft was not at a level that challenged her. Enjoyment is key, and no one enjoys learning something they are not ready to learn, but the opposite is true as well; no one enjoys being taught something they already know. Like I said before, YA lit has a place in the classroom, but as soon as students are able to move to adult literature, teachers should be ready to as well.
Hipple, T. (1996). It’s the THAT, teacher. English Journal. 86 (3). pp. 15-17.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Webquest: Drown by Junot Diaz
I explored webquest resources for Drown, a collection of short stories by Junot Díaz. The stories are set in both the Dominican Republic and the US, and they focus heavily on Dominican culture. To help my students understand the background of the country as well as the protagonist, I would suggest http://exploredominicanrepublic.com/links.html. This site provides links to statistical data, traditional music, history, travel information, and more. Also, some of the links are in Spanish, which could be extremely useful in my classroom. Unfortunately, some of the links do not work, but enough of them do that this site could be a great tool to introduce students to Dominican history and culture. The teacher would have to supplement the resources with questions or assignments, because the site is more information-based than activity-based.
I came across some additional websites that focused on the lives of Dominican immigrant children and Dominican writers, but I found problems with links and other technical issues. Overall, I did not have much luck finding webquests for Drown. A great class activity requiring critical thinking and technology would be to have the class create a webquest after reading the book. They could work in groups to create several different options, approaches, and themes.
I came across some additional websites that focused on the lives of Dominican immigrant children and Dominican writers, but I found problems with links and other technical issues. Overall, I did not have much luck finding webquests for Drown. A great class activity requiring critical thinking and technology would be to have the class create a webquest after reading the book. They could work in groups to create several different options, approaches, and themes.
Book Trailers and Literature Circles
Book Trailers
“But technology is not the goal. Student writers and readers are at the center of our instruction. And we, as mindful teachers, must thoughtfully and deliberately prepare all of our students for success by critically exploring the new technological tools and then using the ones that can help us and our students to powerfully convey what we think and know” (Kajder, 2008, p.4).
Kadger (2008) makes an important point about not using technology for technologies sake, a concern I have about utilizing it in the classroom. Technology cannot be used as a substitute for good teaching. If the technology or the way the technology is used does not supplement the students learning then it has no place in the classroom. “Student writers and readers are at the center of our instruction,” and the technology is only an element of this overarching goal. When used probably, technology can be a valuable component, especially in this technological era when students need to be able what they “think and know” in increasingly complex and innovative ways.
Kajder, S. (2008). The book trailer: Engaging teens through technologies. Educational Leadership 65 (6), pp. 1-4.
Literature Circles
“In our own Chicago schools, teachers rarely use role sheets, but instead have kids capture their responses in reading response logs, on sticky notes (the favorite tool by far), on homemade bookmarks (great for nonfiction), by using text coding, in drawn and graphic responses or written conversation” (Daniels, 2006, p. 12-13)
Though Daniels (2006) decries the overuse of role sheets for literature circles, it might have been my inexperience but I still found that assigning students roles was a significant part of my success with them. Due to the low skill levels of my students I felt that the role sheets truly helped them focus on the skills that I wanted them to practice. The more free response avenues that Daniel’s seems to want to implement would have been to confusing for my students I think. In that way role sheets I think are least an important early phase implementation for literature circles. Perhaps early in the year in the first literature circles role sheets can be used to teach the students the skills. As students increase in skill level then “reading response logs, on sticky notes,” etc. would work well to continue challenging the students.
Daniels, H. (2006). What’s the next best thing with literature circles?. Voices from the Middle. 13 (4), pp. 10-15.
“But technology is not the goal. Student writers and readers are at the center of our instruction. And we, as mindful teachers, must thoughtfully and deliberately prepare all of our students for success by critically exploring the new technological tools and then using the ones that can help us and our students to powerfully convey what we think and know” (Kajder, 2008, p.4).
Kadger (2008) makes an important point about not using technology for technologies sake, a concern I have about utilizing it in the classroom. Technology cannot be used as a substitute for good teaching. If the technology or the way the technology is used does not supplement the students learning then it has no place in the classroom. “Student writers and readers are at the center of our instruction,” and the technology is only an element of this overarching goal. When used probably, technology can be a valuable component, especially in this technological era when students need to be able what they “think and know” in increasingly complex and innovative ways.
Kajder, S. (2008). The book trailer: Engaging teens through technologies. Educational Leadership 65 (6), pp. 1-4.
Literature Circles
“In our own Chicago schools, teachers rarely use role sheets, but instead have kids capture their responses in reading response logs, on sticky notes (the favorite tool by far), on homemade bookmarks (great for nonfiction), by using text coding, in drawn and graphic responses or written conversation” (Daniels, 2006, p. 12-13)
Though Daniels (2006) decries the overuse of role sheets for literature circles, it might have been my inexperience but I still found that assigning students roles was a significant part of my success with them. Due to the low skill levels of my students I felt that the role sheets truly helped them focus on the skills that I wanted them to practice. The more free response avenues that Daniel’s seems to want to implement would have been to confusing for my students I think. In that way role sheets I think are least an important early phase implementation for literature circles. Perhaps early in the year in the first literature circles role sheets can be used to teach the students the skills. As students increase in skill level then “reading response logs, on sticky notes,” etc. would work well to continue challenging the students.
Daniels, H. (2006). What’s the next best thing with literature circles?. Voices from the Middle. 13 (4), pp. 10-15.
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