Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Updated Summer Goals
Work in Progress....
Level 1 (ten hours)
1. Examine and reflect on the World Language Seminar model and tweak it. We did a survey, and sixty kids gave us feedback we will use.
2. Specifically, re-organize the Seminar to be a list of tasks instead of calendar-based. Started this. Done!
3. Create project sheets for each task and make them into .pdfs for the wiki (ETA we created these as we went along last year--not a huge timesucker) A lot of this has to do with me cleaning out my laptop before it gets re-imaged.
4.Isolate the essential skills. Here they are.
5. Create a metalanguage master definition page with tons of examples. I plan on making them like this: Kirsten's page.
6. Create Google sites for each student.
Level 2 (ten hours)
1. Create a metalanguage list
2. Create a task-based list to meet Maine Learning Results. (Worry about project sheets as we go--at least create the first few).
3.Isolate the essential skills. Here they are!
4. Create a metalanguage master definition page with tons of examples.
5. Create Google sites for each student.
Level 3 (ten hours)
1. Make a list of units by semester.
2. Make project sheets for each one. WIP
3. Isolate essential skills.
4. Create a metalanguage list.
5. Create Google sites for each student.
Level 4 (ten hours)
1. Create list of potential tasks for students to choose from. Each task must incorporate reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students will choose one task for each quarter and the last quarter will be student-created task based on my model.
2. Isolate essential skills.
3. Create a metalanguage list.
4. Create Google sites for each student.
Tech skills for 2010-2011
1. Learn to use Audacity
2. Play with Voki
I think I am done with Ning. I saw an awesome example of Google sites for World Language portfolios. I am going to keep the wiki with syllabi, though, as that is a great parent portal. I wish I knew how to use Moodle.
Level 1 (ten hours)
2. Specifically, re-organize the Seminar to be a list of tasks instead of calendar-based. Started this.
3. Create project sheets for each task and make them into .pdfs for the wiki (ETA we created these as we went along last year--not a huge timesucker) A lot of this has to do with me cleaning out my laptop before it gets re-imaged.
4.
5. Create a metalanguage master definition page with tons of examples. I plan on making them like this: Kirsten's page.
6. Create Google sites for each student.
Level 2 (ten hours)
1. Create a metalanguage list
2. Create a task-based list to meet Maine Learning Results. (Worry about project sheets as we go--at least create the first few).
3.
4. Create a metalanguage master definition page with tons of examples.
5. Create Google sites for each student.
Level 3 (ten hours)
2. Make project sheets for each one. WIP
3. Isolate essential skills.
4. Create a metalanguage list.
5. Create Google sites for each student.
Level 4 (ten hours)
1. Create list of potential tasks for students to choose from. Each task must incorporate reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students will choose one task for each quarter and the last quarter will be student-created task based on my model.
2. Isolate essential skills.
3. Create a metalanguage list.
4. Create Google sites for each student.
Tech skills for 2010-2011
1. Learn to use Audacity
2. Play with Voki
I think I am done with Ning. I saw an awesome example of Google sites for World Language portfolios. I am going to keep the wiki with syllabi, though, as that is a great parent portal. I wish I knew how to use Moodle.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
in memory
A beautiful and lovely student has left us all for good. I weep today because she is loved and will be missed by so many. Rest in Peace.....
Monday, June 14, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
thanks Seth Godin
via the Brazen Careerist, a comment by Seth to Penelope Trunk:
This is my hope...that school can move out of the industrial model and become more about environmental learning, hands-on problem solving.
And yes I know we need to teach reading, writing, the basics! I don't have a non-industrial answer to that. But I am thinking.
My take is that [generation Y] is the last one that will be as totally brainwashed by the system, by the schools and by companies and by society to believe that the industrial age (and compliance) is their ticket to the carnival. The smart ones will see that and play a different game, and the sooner they realize how bad the scam is, the faster they'll recover.
This is my hope...that school can move out of the industrial model and become more about environmental learning, hands-on problem solving.
And yes I know we need to teach reading, writing, the basics! I don't have a non-industrial answer to that. But I am thinking.
Friday, June 11, 2010
tech narrative 09-10
This is a reflection on my technology usage this year.
Woo-hoo, started the year on a high--we are now one-to-one!
Decided to use Ning for levels 2, 3, and 4. Got them on there with little trouble. Had a chat, took it out. Made groups for each class. Started putting the work of the day on the group pages. Had students update their status every day. Was not consistent with the technology because it seemed "extra" to the kids. Want to have more paper and pencil activities so that I can edit their work better. Now that Ning will cost, it's out. Quite frankly I hated the ads--double quite frankly the kids did not buy into the social network part. However for my DR2010 trip, Ning was perfect.
Used Skype in the class a few more times. Diversity Day was a highlight. Used it to communicate with my Dominican contacts and Skyped Luis into two meetings with the parents and students before my trip.
Via Skype, conferenced with a teacher in Arkansas. Exchanged written letters in the mail, 35 of my kids, 26 of hers. The kids loved having real pen pals. We did not do Facebook or anything at all online and we explicitly taught not to make online connections with people we barely know. Real old-fashioned letter writing was a great exercise and Skype helped the Arkansas teacher and I communicate about the project.
Used Wordles--they still rock. Will use it to reflect on level 2 vocabulary by having each student make a Wordle of their final essay and then making one big mother of a Wordle to see frequency of vocabulary.
Participated in a national internet message board for language teachers....which led me to discover Actualidades and Zachary Jones. Started using it as the first activity of the day in my level 3 and 4 class. Communication improved dramatically around listening to music and discussing.
Used online flashcards. Do these work? It seems like a painful way to learn vocabulary. I know, I am spoiled by having learned language in context, via immersion.
Used Quia to make online quizzes and tests. I love it, it is not free, therefore...yeah I will probably pay for it :) I was able to record for assessments (I recorded saying the date and time and students listened and wrote what they heard). This was such a timesaver for me! Especially if a student was absent the day of the assessment. Just need headphones.
Used Google forms all year long, and LOVE them. The survey dumps data into a spreadsheet. Made this type of assessment a breeze to grade!
Used two wikis for source information in classes. I created them with content from summer curriculum work with Madame K, the kids and parents used them.
Got pro accounts on Vimeo and had one already on Flickr. Also, Picnik--but that is mostly for personal use. Vimeo was perfect for student video projects. Made grading them "Do-able", one-stop shopping for 70 videos!!
Got a pro account on Wix but had to cancel since my school BLOCKED them. I must have spent a hundred bucks before we resolved that they would not unblock Wix. Frustration led to contemplation which led to...Magcloud. And people, our photojournalism final project is not a mere website but a real magazine--paper, ink, lovely!! (soon for sale, too.)
Tried unsuccessfully to get internet Radio unblocked. This after surveying students to see learning styles. Aural was #2. It is my weak link a teacher--literally, I scored less than 5% aural learner--which made me think, I NEED MORE MUSIC AND IT HAS TO BE FREE (hence internet Radio). Thank God for Zachary Jones!!!
Used SAM which is an on-line video series from Discovery Education, the one I use is hosted here. Also available for French classes but I have no free link to SAM in French.
Professionally I presented to the staff in the first semester a few times, about wikis and Google. Second semester I was hired by the Maine DOE to lead World Language teachers in research of Open Educational Resources. The official site for that is here. We are currently on Goal 2.
Heard about Google sites from two sources--they are my next Thing. If you know about them, do tell in the comments.
Leave me a comment on tools you've used, or what you may have learned, and/or goals for next year...
and have a great summer!
Woo-hoo, started the year on a high--we are now one-to-one!
Decided to use Ning for levels 2, 3, and 4. Got them on there with little trouble. Had a chat, took it out. Made groups for each class. Started putting the work of the day on the group pages. Had students update their status every day. Was not consistent with the technology because it seemed "extra" to the kids. Want to have more paper and pencil activities so that I can edit their work better. Now that Ning will cost, it's out. Quite frankly I hated the ads--double quite frankly the kids did not buy into the social network part. However for my DR2010 trip, Ning was perfect.
Used Skype in the class a few more times. Diversity Day was a highlight. Used it to communicate with my Dominican contacts and Skyped Luis into two meetings with the parents and students before my trip.
Via Skype, conferenced with a teacher in Arkansas. Exchanged written letters in the mail, 35 of my kids, 26 of hers. The kids loved having real pen pals. We did not do Facebook or anything at all online and we explicitly taught not to make online connections with people we barely know. Real old-fashioned letter writing was a great exercise and Skype helped the Arkansas teacher and I communicate about the project.
Used Wordles--they still rock. Will use it to reflect on level 2 vocabulary by having each student make a Wordle of their final essay and then making one big mother of a Wordle to see frequency of vocabulary.
Participated in a national internet message board for language teachers....which led me to discover Actualidades and Zachary Jones. Started using it as the first activity of the day in my level 3 and 4 class. Communication improved dramatically around listening to music and discussing.
Used online flashcards. Do these work? It seems like a painful way to learn vocabulary. I know, I am spoiled by having learned language in context, via immersion.
Used Quia to make online quizzes and tests. I love it, it is not free, therefore...yeah I will probably pay for it :) I was able to record for assessments (I recorded saying the date and time and students listened and wrote what they heard). This was such a timesaver for me! Especially if a student was absent the day of the assessment. Just need headphones.
Used Google forms all year long, and LOVE them. The survey dumps data into a spreadsheet. Made this type of assessment a breeze to grade!
Used two wikis for source information in classes. I created them with content from summer curriculum work with Madame K, the kids and parents used them.
Got pro accounts on Vimeo and had one already on Flickr. Also, Picnik--but that is mostly for personal use. Vimeo was perfect for student video projects. Made grading them "Do-able", one-stop shopping for 70 videos!!
Got a pro account on Wix but had to cancel since my school BLOCKED them. I must have spent a hundred bucks before we resolved that they would not unblock Wix. Frustration led to contemplation which led to...Magcloud. And people, our photojournalism final project is not a mere website but a real magazine--paper, ink, lovely!! (soon for sale, too.)
Tried unsuccessfully to get internet Radio unblocked. This after surveying students to see learning styles. Aural was #2. It is my weak link a teacher--literally, I scored less than 5% aural learner--which made me think, I NEED MORE MUSIC AND IT HAS TO BE FREE (hence internet Radio). Thank God for Zachary Jones!!!
Used SAM which is an on-line video series from Discovery Education, the one I use is hosted here. Also available for French classes but I have no free link to SAM in French.
Professionally I presented to the staff in the first semester a few times, about wikis and Google. Second semester I was hired by the Maine DOE to lead World Language teachers in research of Open Educational Resources. The official site for that is here. We are currently on Goal 2.
Heard about Google sites from two sources--they are my next Thing. If you know about them, do tell in the comments.
Leave me a comment on tools you've used, or what you may have learned, and/or goals for next year...
and have a great summer!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Summer Goals
It's four days of school, and four days of finals, and one day of housekeeping, and 2009-2010 school year is ovah (remember I am in Maine--we say such things).
I'm giving 40 hours to summer work--exactly 40 hours--and these are the goals. All of these imply web-work, and revised syllabi.
Level 1 (ten hours)
1. Examine and reflect on the World Language Seminar model and tweak it.
2. Specifically, re-organize the Seminar to be a list of tasks instead of calendar-based.
3. Create project sheets for each task and make them into .pdfs for the wiki (ETA we created these as we went along last year--not a huge timesucker)
4. Isolate the essential skills done!
5. Create a metalanguage master definition page with tons of examples
6. Create Google sites for each student.
Level 2 (ten hours)
1. Create a metalanguage list
2. Create a task-based list to meet Maine Learning Results. (Worry about project sheets as we go--at least create the first few).
3. Isolate the essential skills.
4. Create a metalanguage master definition page with tons of examples.
5. Create Google sites for each student.
Level 3 (ten hours)
1. Make a list of units by semester.
2. Make project sheets for each one.
3. Isolate essential skills.
4. Create a metalanguage list.
5. Create Google sites for each student.
Level 4 (ten hours)
1. Create list of potential tasks for students to choose from. Each task must incorporate reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students will choose one task for each quarter and the last quarter will be student-created task based on my model.
2. Isolate essential skills.
3. Create a metalanguage list.
4. Create Google sites for each student.
Tech skills for 2010-2011
1. Learn to use Audacity
2. Play with Voki
I think I am done with Ning. I saw an awesome example of Google sites for World Language portfolios. I am going to keep the wiki with syllabi, though, as that is a great parent portal. I wish I knew how to use Moodle.
I'm giving 40 hours to summer work--exactly 40 hours--and these are the goals. All of these imply web-work, and revised syllabi.
Level 1 (ten hours)
1. Examine and reflect on the World Language Seminar model and tweak it.
2. Specifically, re-organize the Seminar to be a list of tasks instead of calendar-based.
3. Create project sheets for each task and make them into .pdfs for the wiki (ETA we created these as we went along last year--not a huge timesucker)
4.
5. Create a metalanguage master definition page with tons of examples
6. Create Google sites for each student.
Level 2 (ten hours)
1. Create a metalanguage list
2. Create a task-based list to meet Maine Learning Results. (Worry about project sheets as we go--at least create the first few).
3. Isolate the essential skills.
4. Create a metalanguage master definition page with tons of examples.
5. Create Google sites for each student.
Level 3 (ten hours)
1. Make a list of units by semester.
2. Make project sheets for each one.
3. Isolate essential skills.
4. Create a metalanguage list.
5. Create Google sites for each student.
Level 4 (ten hours)
1. Create list of potential tasks for students to choose from. Each task must incorporate reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students will choose one task for each quarter and the last quarter will be student-created task based on my model.
2. Isolate essential skills.
3. Create a metalanguage list.
4. Create Google sites for each student.
Tech skills for 2010-2011
1. Learn to use Audacity
2. Play with Voki
I think I am done with Ning. I saw an awesome example of Google sites for World Language portfolios. I am going to keep the wiki with syllabi, though, as that is a great parent portal. I wish I knew how to use Moodle.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
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