Thing #16 Research Tools

I have used databases in my classroom for several years for my AP Language and Composition class. I knew from my own kids' experiences colleges and universities required students to use databases for research and I wanted to mirror that as much as possible for my AP students. Last year I also began to require my regular ELA students use databases for their research projects. I found that they balked--preferring instead the ease of simply  googling their topic--or, worse yet, they would resort to Wikipedia until I had to play "bad cop". The real issue with using the databases isn't the tool itself--it's teaching the kids how to use the tool and, most importantly, how to set their search parameters. 

1.) MEL databases:
SIRS Renaissance  
appropriateness: good level for high school research; a boon that I can sort by lexile score!
usability: good once you get the lay of the page; I neglected to sort by date at first and was frustrated that the hits were articles from 2005, etc.
content: ok--I know the topic I tried has some new research out and I don't think Renaissance is the right option--again, something to relay to kids
credibility: this is my #1 reason for using databases in the classroom--the resources are already vetted
 SIRS Discoverer Deluxe 
appropriateness:a better choice for my topic--more science and psychology articles
usability:confusing at first until I figured out how to search for magazines and newspapers, rather than reference.
content: more articles on my topic but when I looked closer, the articles were from publications written for kids. I really like my kids to use publications not filtered for students. I tried to sort by lexile score, but couldn't get anything
credibility: see above

Here is one of my searches:

 Unfortunately, the first listing is a no-go for my purposes, but there were other good articles listed below. Our research in ELA 11 this year will (attempt to) answer the question "Does technology help or hinder communication?"

 2.) General Reference Gold
This database proved to be a little more difficult to navigate and search in--I kept getting error messages re: my search parameters. I do tlike the fact that the articles are not filtered for student reading. My students have used Gale Virtual Reference Library with success.

3.) The MEL citation for one of the articles is as follows: 

Ross, Jenna. "Toughest College Test: No Cell Phone, No Facebook." Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN). 14 Mar 2010: A1. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 30 Oct 2011.

[I do not like that this pastes single spaced and there is no hanging indent.I'm also not sure why the city and state is italicized--this isn't standard.  It is easy for me to recognize the citation needs some formatting, but kids would be less likely to fiddle with it any further--SIRS said I could cut and paste the citation, right? It must be ok.]

4.) Citation using Easy Bib:
 Ross, Jenna. "Toughest College Test: No Cell Phone, No Facebook." Star Tribune [Minneapolis] 14 Mar. 2010: A1. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.

Aside from my bracketed reservations above, one of the main reasons I haven't liked using citation creators with kids is that if they don't know/aren't analytical enough to put the right info in the right field, they'll have a citation that is just as messed up as if they wrote it themselves using OWL or some other style guide.

Thing #15 Staying Informed

I hesitate to put my RSS feed screenshot here as it is pretty obvious I use my feed for personal reading and I'm sure not putting my best "professional foot" forward! As I've said before, I am an avid blog reader and sometimes blog writer. I do a lot of surfing around sites that relate to home life, decorating, and cooking. For news I'm a pretty big NPR listener, so I don't subscribe to any news sites--and I read a couple magazines on my iPad. So if apologies are needed, here is mine! I've read a number of blogs for years and they are my "decompression" reading.

Could this be beneficial for my teaching? Absolutely. I do read some sites on a regular basis for school. I just wish there was some way to segregate personal from professional a little easier. I sometimes feel like I'm "on" as a teacher too much already--

Perhaps even better for this Thing, though, was that I made iGoogle my homepage. I LOVE IT! (All caps might not even say it forcefully enough!) I don't know how I missed this, but how great to have all my Google stuff at my fingertips.even added my Google calendar to my iGoogle--how's that for productivity--now that's what I'm talking about. The one thing I don't like is that I use my Gmail exclusively for student assignments--and so I've got work reminders staring me in the face whenever I go to my homepage. 

Thing #14 Productivity Tools

1.) & 2.) What a usable tool! I took a Word doc and could convert it to a PDF, jpg, tff, wav, or mp3. I am curious about the thumbnail--I know I can use it to spiff up my Moodle course--iI wonder if this is how Ron makes those cute little icons instead of the standard Moodle icon? I often find a PDF on a site and want to make one or two changes. Zamzar offers me the opportunity to do that. Of course, I am guessing that attribution and Creative Commons licensing would apply here as well. I plan to try the mp3--see how it sounds. This application would be a boon for ELLs and students who work better with aural guidance. I have a big problem, though, knowing exactly what all those files even are. Is there any place, I wonder, that has a tutorial on which files are what and how to save them? I hate it when my computer asks me how I would like to save the file--and I have NO idea. I've saved files as text and get gobbeldy gook; I recently saved something as a WAV file and I can't play it. I can manage my way around most of these 21 applications, but it would be beneficial to have a little more technical knowledge. Like a Files for Dummies book!

3.) I have a Google calendar and love it's use in our home. I nagged my husband for the first 10 years of our marriage to write things down on the calendar in the kitchen, but he did so about 5% of the time, causing scheduling grief and frustration on my part. About a year ago he turned the tables on me and asked me to start using a shared Google calendar. Now it was my turn to grumble and procrastinate, but I gave it a try ... now I am the convert! I absolutely love the color-coding features, the "yours, mine, and ours" aspect. I also have a great app for my iPad that syncs with the Google calendar but puts it in a planner format.

I have to admit, though, that while I tried putting assignments, etc. on a Google calendar for my classroom I don't like the fact that I just can't write enough explanation. I have to short-hand so much I don't feel I'm getting across the info I want to convey. I can create a Google calendar, I just haven't found it usable for my purposes so far. Instead, I use a free online calendar creator, which is really just a text file--I copy that monthly to my Moodle course for parents and students. On that calendar, if I add assignment details, the text is right there--unlike Google which just has the event label.

Thing #13 Online Interactive Learning Tools

Okinawan coastline

1.) Once again, I get lost in 21Thingsland--and instead of efficiently honing in on a spot, taking a screen shot and moving on, I spent an hour trying to find a specific Budhist temple and dojo in Japan! I changed my mind figuring I could go about this assignment quicker and went to the Vatican because we plan to go there some day--then I went back and took a screenshot of Okinawa because that will be my first retirement trip in a few years--my husband has studied Goju Ryu karate for years and wants to go to it's birthplace. There is also Budhist temple on Mt. Karamu that we would like to see because it is the home of a teacher we respect.

2.)  Here is a place that has become very near and dear to me in the last few years--my middle son lives in San Francisco and we stay at this vacation rental when we visit him. A couple from Washington owns the apartments and rents them weekly. It is right in the bustling Sunset neighborhood and we live and shop and catch the BART just like real city people. Considering the price of hotels in SF it is a deal and the apartment is cute as a button. This is my advert for VacationRentals.com  A couple times a year 1257 9th Ave. is our home away from home.

3.) I used Quizlet for flashcards for Lord of the Flies, the next novel we'll read in ELA 11 at CPHS. I am going to email my colleagues this resource first thing Monday--I LOVE this resource. I especially appreciate some of the ready made resources that are available. Quizlet will be a great fit for my Moodle lessons (next hurdle in my tech life is to create these lessons that you've used for 21 Things--they are SO much better organized, I think, than even the book resource.) I can't wait to add some of this stuff. My biggest gripe is that I'm so busy with daily teaching tasks I can't seem to incorporate all these ideas. I feel like my brain is a sieve--I keep working through the modules, but I've got ideas leaking out all over. Frustrating. You didn't ask for a screen shot of the Quizlet, but this is what I found.

Thing #12 Assessment

1.) Until this Thing I thought of Google forms as an information gathering tool. (See my use in the classroom below.) I never thought of using it as an assessment or survey of students. Last week I printed kids a "fill in" work progress handout so I could check up on their progress on the marking period assessment. And now I think, "I could do this easier in Google forms!" I never thought of using a Google form for a quick check, survey, or quiz. I've included the form template here--it will go out tomorrow. Since I want to get this posted, I've included further down a screen shot of the Google form I have results for from an earlier use, so you know I can use it!
NEW: work progress survey

I wrote about Google forms in another post and I am including here the form I sent out to students this year, so I could record student contact info--we started the year without our new student management system being fully functional and I needed to make some parent contacts. In the past, I've had kids record personal info on an index card which I now snub as being so old school!

  

2.) I actually checked out Rubistar a couple weeks ago and tried to create my own rubric descriptors--I ended up thinking it was not helpful and just created a table in Word and wrote my own. For this assignment, I used the rubric parameters that were provided on Rubistar and I have to say I think I will use this again. If anything, it can give teachers some great categories and project/assignment descriptors. I wonder  if these rubrics are specific enough--some of the category descriptions seem rather subjective.

3.)  We are at a bit of a disadvantage this year without student management system because it wasn't functional for grades or student information until about 3 weeks into the school year. From what I hear Powerschool will be much more data friendly than Skyward--I've heard that we can record which standards students have reached proficiency. Unfortunately, I don't see where this info can be recorded. In our old system we had access to student test scores, etc. and schedules. This isn't available yet in Powerschool, but it was very helpful. For some students whose class grade seemed off from what I intuited was their potential I would look up MEAP or PLAN scores--that info could give insight into whether or not the kids were truly struggling with difficult content, or maybe just underachieving. I do think it's not always a good idea to look at test scores as it can influence how a teacher views a student.  In my own department, we kept track of students' baseline writing score, their post-instruction writing score, and then compared it in 11th grade with their ACT writing scores. We did this by just collecting data and I put it in a spreadsheet--it would actually be great information to include in Powerschool if there was the possibility to do this. Overall student management systems are an invaluable tool for teachers.

Thing #11 Presentation tools

I liked the idea of creating a Prezi because I figured I could start it and finish it for a unit introduction. Hah! Fat chance. I got lost in Preziland and nearly three hours later I finished. Not only did I start the intro, I searched for You Tube videos, got out my unit notes and "pathed" the silly thing a number of times. The good news is, it's finished. The bad news is I'm not going to only include a screen shot here--I'm also including a link to the Prezi for easy viewing (link). I so went overboard on this. I think the kids will love the videos--both humorous and a great way to use multiple means of representation. Powerpoint seems "flat" compared to Prezi, if that makes any sense. I know kids like using Prezi and I like presenting content in a format they find more appealing. Here's my screen shot ... but don't neglect viewing that Argument Prezi!You won't want to miss out.

Zoomit
I am having trouble getting a screen shot. When I zoom and mark a page, when I go to Jing it all the cursor does is continue to make little red markings instead of opening Jing. I'll get help on a forum and edit my Thing 11 to include a screenshot of Zoomit.

Thing #10 Digital Images

I used Picnik (link) to edit my school profile photo. Included below are the before and after. I have never really investigated Photoshop, to be honest--it seemed a bit too technical for my taste. I'm a bit embarrassed that Picnik is so easy to use--and also that I've paid big bucks for someone like Walgreens to add elements to photos to use for cards, invitations, etc. Goodness--I can create and save a jpeg and have copies made for pennies.

I'm also very interested in using a photo storage site for my yearbook photos. I have an email in to our tech guy to see what he thinks. Our yearbook is created using an online design program by Jostens. In the past we've saved our photos to a network drive and staffers upload photos from there. The sticking point to this is that students can work from home on their pages--but if they need an extra photo uploaded, they are out of luck until they can get back to school. This would solve that problem and also free up some network space (although I admit I have NO idea if our few thousand high rez photos are a drain on our network or not). I also wonder about security, since these are photos of students--is that a legal/safety issue?

I have to admit that I had a BIG surprise when I went to Picasa and saw that I already HAD ALBUMS! The photos that I've used on my blog (Blogger) and some photos my brother shared with me of my daughters wedding were already neatly filed in albums, unbeknownst to me! Now, they are private albums, but still--I had no idea that those photos were "out there". Although I guess that's what the "cloud" is all about, right? It sure does give fuel to the fire of those who are wary of Google's reach (*cough* my husband *cough*). See my albums here (link).

[Please note: many of the images I have saved in the "B209" album were saved before I started using photos that were shared via fair use.]

AFTER

BEFORE

Thing #9

(I am awaiting results of the quiz and will post here when students have completed) I also posted the video "A Fair(y) Use Tale" on Moodle and asked the kids to respond whether or not they feel the video is fair use and why.


I hope I'm not going copyright crazy, but I put a Creative Commons widget on my 21 Things blog (see above) and also on my AP Language weebly.  Here's the screen shot for my weebly:

Thing #8

Bubbl.us  
Ok, so that was ridiculous. I spent way too much time on creating a mind map that doesn't map much of anything. I thought Bubbl.us was unwieldy and not very user friendly--I dragged and made baby bubbles (which sounds rather salacious), tried to connect bubbles, and changed background and text color. I wouldn't use this myself, I don't think. I might offer it to students as an option, but I'm not sure they'd like find it any more usable than I did. See link here. 
I might try my hand at Gliffy for a research project--but I'd definitely try it before handing it off to the kids. It would need to be a lot more intuitive than Bubbl.us for me.

Wordl
I love using Wordl and it appeals to kids, as well. I think I'm going to have them create a Wordl using the writing rubric we use--they could title it "Good writing is ..." I think this would be much more student-friendly because of the "Wow!" factor. Here are some of the words from the rubric and a sample Wordl.
specific
logical

organization
transition
precise words
transitions
introduction
clear
ideas
focus

Thing #7 Digital Citizenship

1. http://www.idiotica.com/cranium/encyclopedia/index.htm
Credibility and accuracy: There is no visible authorship. The email address linked is "shankhead@gmail.com", not quite a professional address. A check of the author revealed no credentials" and no "About us" or "FAQ" is offered.  The truncated URL leads to a homepage that also links "Fishkill2004" about a fishing trip. The page "Facts about the Civil War" contained many errors. Among them that the U.S. fought the Swiss, Union states included Oregon, Lincoln flew to Camp David--I need not go on! A link check turned up the site linked on numerous school websites about evaluation of web sources--a dead giveaway. 

http://zapatopi.net/bsa/
Credibility and accuracy:
. This site did have an FAQ and link to author info, one Lyle Zapato whose motto is Ex demento scientia. In addition, the site includes other bizarrare "facts" about Zapato including his religion, which he lists as "KELvinism"! There was a guestbook that had a number of entries, among them some cursing. The site offered aluminum reflector beanies for sale .... need I say more?

2. Before my students began their first PBL assessment, I created a mini-lesson about Fair Use, Public Domain, and Copyright, in addition to some info about design and color. I included some print resources from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a great video called "A Fair(y) Use Tale".  The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a whole unit for teachers to use. I don't think I'm going to stop kids from cutting and pasting images willy-nilly, but I hope to at least raise awareness. Tomorrow, we talk about Creative Commons (since they need a number of images for their assessment) and some of the resources on the copyright friendly wikispaces (Thanks, 21 Things!) Because I've become an absolute Jing junkie (nice alliteration!) I've included a screenshot of my "Effective Presentations" book:

Thing #6 Differentiated learning

Assignment requirements are numbered according to Thing 6 assignment; quoted material is from the lesson reading. 
1.) "Access to the content is seen as key." I think having an online presence is one way of making sure kids can access content when and where they will best be able to focus on their learning. I think our school day time frame is one of the reasons kids don't interact with the material--I don't think this is what's meant by differentiated learning, but I think it does impact student learning.

I posted mp3s of short stories from Libravox to my Moodle course this year--something I NEVER thought I'd do. I have more ELL than ever, as well as 'non-readers' in the sense that reading is not something they are practiced at and so it is slow going. My impression, however, is that not a lot of kids used the recordings.

"The instructional concepts should be broad-based, not focused on minute details or unlimited facts." Common Core makes this much more possible with it's focus on driving questions and PBL. My department began to realign our instruction using the CCS and I love the focus. Kids are a bit wary--"When's the test? What do I need to know? Are there any study questions?"


"Flexible grouping is consistently used."  My teaching colleague at the same grade level didn't want to do our unit assessment in groups, and I capitulated. I really think it would have been a better for the kids if we had--and, truth be told, I fudged and told kids if they wanted to do one of the parts of the assessments with a partner, they could.

2. I was really surprised that there were some software features in Word to support text-to-voice. But when I tried finding it on my 2007 version, there was no option listed as described in the 2003 version. Some of the features described--showing comments, highlighting text--are also doable on Google docs, so I'll stick with that.  The digital books site is a wonder. I've "caught" kids doing their reading  that I've posted on Moodle on their Smart Phones  and I just give them the go-ahead. I suppose I'm breaking the rules, but they're reading, for goshsakes! I am going to check to see if our district has paid for any text-to mp3 converters. If not, I think I might as for a grant from our Ed Foundation to pay for one.

3. I chose to browse the UDL Strategies wikki. Never in a million years would I have suspected I'd use some of the multiple means of representation like I have started to--I was a pretty conventional teacher, known for having high standards and making kids work. The funny thing is, even using multiple means of representation and expression, I can still have the high standards and make kids work ... but the focus is different. I love the ideas of incorporating some of the comic creators (http://www.printradar.com/2009/12/09/19-places-to-make-comic-books-and-strips-online/) and did offer kids the opportunity to use one for their class intro. I chose makebeliefscomix and did have a couple students try it out--now to incorporate a comic as an assignment. A couple kids also shared with me comic creators they liked better.  Another idea that just  came to my mind is to somehow incorporate Wordl into vocab. I started doing self-selected vocab this year and I'm pretty wobbly on how to manage it--I'm thinking because Wordl is so cool, it might be an interesting way to incorporated multiple means of expression.

4. Text-to-audio--quite frankly, after I opened vozMe and played with it, I wanted to scrap the rest of the thing 6 assignment and focus on this! I hate the voices, I must admit, but I find the idea intriguing. I'm guessing it would be really difficult for ELL kids to understand the reading, right? Is there a limit to the size of the mp3s? Like could I cut and paste a whole short story? I think maybe a paid recorder would be better, but this was fun to explore and think about. I cut and pasted part of one of our Articles of the Week to vozMe to get the recording.

Thing #4 Communication Tools

I'm not sure there's a parent of adult children who hasn't wondered how parents survived before the advent of Skype. My son has lived in California for 6 years and when I finally got Skype I was overjoyed--a couple visits a year just doesn't do a mom's heart justice. I've seen his new apartment, we Skyped with my husband when I visited Andy over Thanksgiving. My daughter and son-in-law "visit" with us from Indianapolis (although less frequently since I see them more often!)  It is wonderful.(You'll also see on the screen shot that my niece loves her boyfriend! Sheesh.)

I thought of using Skyp for parent conferences, but haven't used it yet. I'd have to do it at home (no access at school) so that is an issue. It might be nice for weekend conferencing with parents who have demanding schedules or shift work.

I can see the possibilities of author "visits", although as a former book store worker, I know those are few and far between. Most contact with authors goes through a publicist or agent. It might be more viable for a "visit" with a business person chatting about skills employers want to see--or a local college instructor about what skills kids will need in college. I think the 'author' thing is a bit pie-in-the-sky. Other more "mundane" uses might be more accessible.

Thing #5 Content

I am always looking for new ideas--and with the implementation of the Core Curriculum Standards, we have taken the opportunity to turn our curriculum and instruction on it's head. Everything is new this year--the organization of our units, our use of technology, our instructional strategies. I've browsed Thinkfinity before and my biggest gripe with sites like this are 1) secondary lesson plans are often too few 2) ELA plans take second-seat to science and math. I've been able to find a few ideas in just a bit of searching (although those two issues still are evident in Thinkfinity. I do like that standards are often linked and the lesson plans are based on best practice and offer citations. This year we started with short stories and I wanted short stories available in the public domain so I could link text and mp3s on my Moodle course. I'm not sure if these stories are available, but I like the critical thinking skills in this plan (link). A Raisin in the Sun is also new to me this year. This plan by NCTE should prove helpful (link).

Thing #3 Collaboration

I preach Google. After I took the Google Docs for Educators class last fall, my life changed. Seriously. I started slowly, just barely dipping my toe in the Google ocean by uploading many of my Word files and folders. (I was tired of looking like a geek with my flash drive lanyard around my neck.) And then I tried one essay with my kids and I was sold. It literally changed my teaching life--and I know that sounds over-the-top but it's true. I am more efficient and organized: no more stacks of essays paperclipped together. I make student comments Ctrl+Alt+Del that are much more detailed ... and legible! This year I took it a step further and had my AP kids comment on my comments--a bit of dialogue about their writing that was easier (I think) for them so early in the year. I can check on student revisions. . I had kids pair up and write a Twitter feed for characters in a novel. I actually discovered the templates last year and used a newsletter template for a project. I know I'm cheating a bit by not using a template myself, but I have, and above is a great example of the first page of one student's project. I personally found the template easier to use than Word templates.

I ventured out this year myself with the 'form' function--I got kids' gmail addresses so I could make groups for class communication and assignments. Then, it dawned on me I could try a form to get parent and student info (name, email, cell, etc.) I was a little worried it would be too techy. Pshaw! Nothing to it. I quick emailed a few teachers to evangelize--but they were already collecting index cards with student info ... arrrgggghhh.
I sent a form to some of my 21 Things classmates--hopefully, they'll use them in their classroom, too.

Thing #2

I've used Moodle for a year, now. Last year I simply had a long list of resources by units. This year I'm trying to organize it better, based on the fact I've now taken three Moodle classes myself. I've seen a lot of what to do and what not to do (mainly, link and activity overload in the 'what not to do' category). The organization is the single-most frustrating thing for me to wrap my head around. I can't figure out how to differentiate between my flex kids and my in class kids--how to give assignment directions, etc. After a month of school and prepping my course in August, I am just giving myself permission to let it develop more organically. I will try a lesson (I like those a LOT) and keep with what I have--it will all work out as I learn and get some feedback from the kids' expediences. I'm not sure how to link to my Moodle, so I've included a video here (link).

I have an online presence for my ELA 11 (see above) and Yearbook. However, I didn't have anything for my AP Language and Comp class--and one of the main reasons I've taken 21 Things is because I knew it would force me to do projects and I needed a "face" for my AP kids and parents. I want to create a website because I've used Moodle and wanted to try something different. So this is the beginning--to be updated as I go! I'll post the agenda, handouts and resources, helpful links, etc.(link).

Getting Started

[SO--let's see if I can start going in order with Thing #2! I read some other class blogs and realized I needed to do a post in addition to creating the blog.]

What makes a good blog? 
I am actually a very avid blog reader and have been for several years. I follow a number of blogs for a number of different aspects of my life. I follow two friends to keep up with them, a couple book blogs because I'm an avid reader, some decorating/lifestyle blogs, and a couple weight loss blogs. All the blogs I follow on a regular basis post regularily and also have great photos. The writing is excellent--in fact, one of my blogger "friends" recently changed the focus of her blog from weight loss to "life" and I still read her because she's such a great writer.


I also have a list of education/tech blogs in my RSS feed, but some of them don't post on a regular basis or are "projects" (I'm guessing) and not kept current. They've got great stuff--just not a lot of new posts.  

How could a blogs enhance your classroom? 

I have actually blogged for parents for about a year, now. I took a Google Tools class at the ISD last fall and Ron suggested we blog daily to give parents a glimpse into our classrooms. I thought it sounded a bit much at the time (I mean, daily?!), but I tried it for a month or so to see if I could keep up and then told parents about it! Surprisingly, it is not a burden--and it's one more tool I can use to communicate with parents. I open the "new post" at the beginning of each day and add a few thoughts when I can, often finishing it on my prep hour. I always include a photo (now from Creative Commons Search). If a parent email or conferences and asks what they can do to help their student, I always suggest they start at the blog--it's a great way to "talk the talk". If they can even say, "Hey, show me the draft you started today" it gives kids the impression their parent is on to them. I also think it's a great tool to give the public a glimpse into the life of a teacher--we are constantly denigrated today and this is  great PR.  See RoomB209

Are blogs an easier way for people to self-publish?

I started my own blog a few years ago and it IS the outlet for a frustrated writer and bookseller (I worked in a book store for several years before teaching). I blog every book I read--and, unfortunately, I violate one of my own reasons for following a blog. I am not a regular poster in the school year. I blog a couple times a week in the summer, but not the rest of the year because I don't read as much. I've thought about ways to broaden my topic, but I've not yet taken any steps to do so. See This is my symphony.