Texas Bluebonnet Writing Project Blog

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

SI 06 Lit Reviews as examples

Hi Bluebonnets!

Look at the blogs of SI 06 for more detailed examples of previous SI participant Lit Reviews:

Barbara 06
Catherine 06
Stacy 06
Teresa 06

Joyce :)

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Books That Help Kids Cope

What books do you use that help kids cope?

If you could give us any of the following information that would help:

Title
Author
Suggested Grade Level
Short Description

Finding Article Resources

Dear Bluebonnets,

Thanks to Janelle, I found this site @ UTA, VERY helpful and user friendly to find full-text, peer reviewed articles.

1. Go the UTA's main library page, click on link to "Find Articles",
2. Then scroll down and click on library data full text articles
3. Click on Academic Search Premier
4. Check boxes (full text) (peer reviews)

You can also add the article to your folder by clicking on the top right side. After saving the articles to your folder you can go back and e-mail them to yourself.

Good Luck Navigating!
Chrisitna

Beyond Constructivism: Pete's Presentation on Ecologies of Learning

Which one are you?

I was especially excited today to hear you all articulate a pretty profound shift in thinking. We discussed so much about being the "different" educators. Who are we as educators? Who are our students? How can we meet their needs?

Read this article that explains where the gaps are... (we know there are many).

Share your thoughts, ideas, connections, or disconnections.

Innovator's Dilemma: Discussion

The Innovator's Dilemma

The Innovator's Dilemma When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail ..... The established firms were, in fact, aggressive, innovative, ...
www.businessweek.com/chapter/christensen.htm - 75k - Jul 25, 2007 - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

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Data Managment Systems to Support Collection of Your LIt Review Research

About RefWorks

RefWorks is a web-based bibliography and database manager that allows users to create their own personal database by importing references from text files or online databases. These references can be used in writing bibliographies for papers and to automatically format the paper and the bibliography in seconds. Various writing styles are accommodated.

For help with RefWorks, see UT Arlington Help Desk RefWorks Support, the RefWorks tutorial or Quick Start Guide (in PDF).

The RefWorks Write-N-Cite module requires the UT Arlington Group Code -- login with your UT Arlington NetID to obtain the Group Code. For help with your NetID, contact the UT Arlington Help Desk at helpdesk@uta.edu or (817) 272-2208.

RefWorks is available to current UT Arlington students, faculty, and staff only. Use RefWorks.

Pete's Learning Ecology Presentation

See George Siemens (http:www.elearnspace.org/) defines an ecology as "an environment that fosters and supports the creation of communities." More traditonal definitions of the term highlight the "distribution and abundance of living organisms and how the distribution and abundance are affected b interactions between the orgnaisms and their environemtns" (Wikipedia 6.27.07)

Metaphors of Education

Teaching and learning as:
Journey
Gardening
Kindling
Flame
Filling a vessel

www.connectivism.ca
Yashin-Web/The New Teaching of Russian?


Learning Ecology

Informal Fomal

Communities
Intent of Learning
Touch of Learning

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Reminders for Reviewing the Literature.

Hi--Just a reminder here to fill in the information we posted for you in the Literature Presentation for each lit review article you read. Please make sure that the majority of your articles are researched based. In other words, they will have a literature review in them, be peer reviewed, and present original research. If you use the site I gave you: http://www.ncte.org, most of the articles will meet this criteria.

You may use one or two books in your lit review, but we want the majority of your work to be articles.

It would be helpful if you would post on your blog:

I. Your inquiry question (Please have Janelle, Jeannine, or Joyce coach you and approve your final question.) If you need to e-mail me, you can e-mail me at jeanninehirtle@gmail.com or hirtle@hawaii.edu

2. Descriptor words you are searching to help you find articles to answer your questions.
3. 10-15 article analyses (using the format we worked on together in class)

Once you have this completed (and remember you are doing one to two articles a day for 7 days) then you are ready to move on to writing your literature review.

Reread your question.

Reread your articles analyses.

At the end of each article analysis, ask yourself, "What have I learned from this article that will inform me so that I can better understand my question so that I may design a research study?"

You should have a list of sentences that pull out emerging "themes" from the literature.

For example, if my question were "How might I better support children who have limited literacy in their homes?"

The articles I read might cover a range of issues surrounding this question. I pull out these issues and then write a justification for conducting the study that I want to conduct. I would support the arguments in my justification with points from the literature review. I would make sure these points were synthesized and cite the authors who provided the synthesis.

To get good models for these literature review, study the research articles you are reading. They have been peer-reviewed and will have excellent literature reviews.

If you would like to look at some of my articles for the lit reviews, please find them at http://www.aace.org.

Score



New Horizons in Distance Education: Re-mapping the Pedagogical Terrain
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) 2000:1

This paper presents a case study of an online block of four courses leading to certification of secondary teachers who are presently teaching in middle and secondary schools on an emergency certificate. The courses were taken by sixteen post-baccalaureate students over fall semester 1998 and...
View Abstract/Citation




Online Assessment: Door Knob Medicine or Meaningful Exchange?
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) 2005:1

Feedback and assessment in social constructivist web-based instruction is a key component of learning. But often web-based learning, which is sometimes characterized by large class sizes, does not lend itself to the personal feedback, the dialogue, and the collaborative assessment that one would...
View Abstract/Citation




Spanning the Accountability Divide: Using Digital Portfolios to Connect Standards to Theory and Practice in Web-Based Teacher Education Course Work
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) 2003:1

TThe question whether digital portfolios can be used by students to span the divide between (1) theory, practice, and reflection within teacher education course work and (2) national, state professional development standards led to the development of this research case study. The study uses...
View Abstract/Citation




Conducting Education Methods On-Line to Teachers on Emergency Certification
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) 1999:1

This paper is a mid-project report of a study being conducted of a block of education methods courses for post-baccalaureate students teaching on emergency certification. Qualitative analysis techniques were applied to field notes, transcripts of computer-mediated discourse, project...
View Abstract/Citation




Site 2004 English Education Section Introduction
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) 2004:1

View Abstract/Citation




Default User.com: Preparing Preservice Teachers for Constructivist Classrooms
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) 2000:1

The purpose of this article is to present a model for integration of technology into teacher preparation. A four-course block of elementary teacher certification courses serves as the context for this study, as well as a university-based summer camp for the requisite field experience component...
View Abstract/Citation




Computer-Mediated Communication, The Infosphere and the Virtual Learning Community
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) 2000:1

The Infosphere represents a global resource that can be applied to the teaching/learning environment and utilizes the computer as a mediator of communication. How can such resources be incorporated into the classroom? What are the effects of computer-mediated communication on the teaching and...
View Abstract/Citation




Evaluating the Impact of Computer-Mediated Communication on Learning and Teaching
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) 1999:1

View Abstract/Citation




A Constructivist Approach To Technology Literacy For Preservice Teachers
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) 1999:1

This paper is a report on the findings of a study conducted during an undergraduate computer science class for preservice teacher educators which was restructured using constructivist principles. Qualitative analysis techniques were applied to field-notes, transcripts of computer-mediated...
View Abstract/Citation




Constructing the Online Learning Community: An Examination of Reader Response as a Mechanism for Scaffolding
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) 2002:1

Studies on the pedagogical implications for integration of technology within teacher preparation courses are emerging in a time when national surveys (Milliken 2000, ISTE 1999) decry the lack of adequate teacher preparation in this area. This study examines the pedagogical implications for the use...
View Abstract/Citation




New Horizons in Distance Education: Charting New Territory
World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (EDMEDIA) 2000:1

In a time when modern culture is linked by telecommunications technologies in ways never before possible, people transmit and process information, conduct business, collaborate in research, and engage in social and political discourse in dramatic new ways (Kapor, 1998, Wriston, 1996). Amidst...
View Abstract/Citation




The New Four R's: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic and the Internet-Teaching Teachers to develop Web-Based Units of Instruction.
World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (EDMEDIA) 2002:1

The New Four R's: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic and the Internet-Teaching Teachers to develop Web-Based Units of Instruction is a case study examining an online secondary methods of instruction course which requires students to develop web-based unit plans. The authors posit that in order for...
View Abstract/Citation



Please make your literature review three to four pages or 750-1000 words.

Document with APA style. There are excellent directions and good models on this site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

You must use internal documentation (not foot notes) and provide a reference list at the end of your literature review.

Due Date: August 2, 2007

Please consider using RefWorks to manage your data: http://library.uta.edu/refWorks/

About RefWorks

RefWorks is a web-based bibliography and database manager that allows users to create their own personal database by importing references from text files or online databases. These references can be used in writing bibliographies for papers and to automatically format the paper and the bibliography in seconds. Various writing styles are accommodated.

For help with RefWorks, see UT Arlington Help Desk RefWorks Support, the RefWorks tutorial or Quick Start Guide (in PDF).

The RefWorks Write-N-Cite module requires the UT Arlington Group Code -- login with your UT Arlington NetID to obtain the Group Code. For help with your NetID, contact the UT Arlington Help Desk at helpdesk@uta.edu or (817) 272-2208.

RefWorks is available to current UT Arlington students, faculty, and staff only. Use RefWorks.



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Tuesday, July 24, 2007

The Bluebonnets Visit River Legacy

Please enjoy the film. It's my first so please be kind.


Online Videos by Veoh.com

River Legacy Experience

http://voicethread.com/view.php?b=3667

Here is my first attempt to use Voice Thread, which doesn't have any voice, but...well, I'll improve!

Give it a try!

Joyce :)

Monday, July 23, 2007

Signature Recipes

Please post your signature recipe for the dish you will bring to the Wednesday Luncheon with River Legacy

Daily Work on Reviewing the Literature

For each article you read from "the literature" which will help you answer your inquiry question, please fill out the following information on your article:

I. Title

II. Author

III. Author's Purpose for Writing


IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?

V. Author's Inquiry Question/s

VI. Author's Methodology
A. Who is being studied?
B. Over what length of time?
C. What data is being collected
D. How is it being analyzed
E. Any other interesting or pertinent data

VII. How the author collected information,

VIII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications

Soon you will have all the information necessary to write a literature review. Please post these to your blogs.

Invitation to Presentation for River Legacy and Teaching Demonstration



You are invited to a

Luncheon and

Special Multimedia Presentation

To the Faculty of the River Legacy Science Center

By the Bluebonnet Writing Project

UTA Planetarium

Top Floor

Planetarium Drive

11:00 AM -12:30 PM

Wednesday

July 25, 2007

Please RSVP: jhirtle@uta.edu by Tuesday

July 24th at 5:00 PM

Response to Teaching Demonstration

Lens 1: Describing affect for teachers and learners. This lens puts the spotlight on those often seemingly invisible cues that give students important information. Does the teacher respect us as learners? Does the teacher care about what she is teaching? Does the teacher work to involve us in the learning?

While these are questions that students in any classroom could legitimately ask, the “us” here consists of the teacher audience that participates and responds to the demonstration.

Said Janet Swenson, “Since this first lens invites participants to consider their affective responses, teachers generally have little difficulty beginning their letter. The opening sentences often celebrate some aspect of the demonstration and then name the affect or feelings the demonstration evoked from them.”

Lens 2: Articulating best practice. Letter writers consider what “best practices” they see in the teaching demonstration.

Sample Practices from: Best Practices in Writing http://homepages.wmich.edu/~jbush/bp/

AllChildren Can Write

Real Audiences, Real Purposes

Student Ownership and Responsibility

TheWriting Process

Getting Students Started

Supporting Students as they Draft and Revise

Grammar and Mechanics in Context

A Classroom of Shared Learning

Writing Across the Curriculum

Evaluation and Assessment

Lens 3: The Texas language arts standards and benchmarks.

From: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/teks/110toc.htm

Adopted New 19 TAC

Chapter 110. TEKS for English Language Arts and Reading

Subchapter A. Elementary

· §110.1. Implementation of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading, Elementary.

· §110.2. English Language Arts and Reading, Kindergarten.

· §110.3. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 1.

· §110.4. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 2.

· §110.5. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 3.

· §110.6. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 4.

· §110.7. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 5.

Subchapter B. Middle School

· §110.21. Implementation of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading, Middle School.

· §110.22. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 6.

· §110.23. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 7.

· §110.24. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 8.

· §110.25. English Language Arts and Reading, Reading (Elective Credit).

· §110.26. English Language Arts and Reading, Speech (Elective Credit).

Subchapter C. High School

· §110.41. Implementation of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading, High School.

· §110.42. English I (One Credit).

· §110.43. English II (One Credit).

· §110.44. English III (One Credit).

· §110.45. English IV (One Credit).

Lens 4: Extensions and adaptations. Consider ways you and others can put the demonstration to use. Show how an idea from a demonstration can be represented in many ways, applied to many skills, and adapted to different grade levels.

Lens 5: Questions arisen. Ask questions about the demonstration, referencing your own teaching practice. (The primary purpose of this section is to ‘say back’ to the presenter how your or your group as a whole internalized and theorized the demonstration so the presenter might think through again all parts of the demonstration

Writing the Letter
Now, starting your letter writing to the teacher demonstrator; group members usually begin by sharing oral observations and reactions to the presentation. After that, each group finds a process that works for them in drafting the letter. Some work through the “lenses” one at a time; others find a theme in the demonstration and construct their comments around that theme. Of course, as each group will be going through this process several times, the groups have many chances to polish and tweak their response strategies. And as the group coalesces, members find their individual strengths. One person usually takes on the writing, another has a knack for coming up with a succinct expression, and still another has an advanced understanding of content areas.

Teaching_Demonstration_Response.doc

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Report on T Cubed Webcast

Yesterday (18 July 2007), I was fortunate to sit on the Webcast of Teachers Teaching Teachers. We were able to talk to an incoming Freshman named Victoria (participant in Youth Bridges) and an Australian Senior named Danielle. You know, we all know how honest kids can be. Well, it was great to hear the perspecitives of these two articulate young women.

In many ways, what they said clearly supported the Compelling Communications theme of the day. Victoria shared with us how much she enjoyed being able to use Web 2.0 apps and that these served for jumping points to further discussions and connections with peers. She admitted to spending more time and putting forth more effort in her class where these apps were used because she realized that her connections and communications with these peers were contigent upon them. That was powerful for me.

Conversely, although Danielle loved the creation of Comic Life projects, the assignment to create a metaphor based on two texts did not hook her. She wondered when she would use that skill. She was not enthused because the assignment did not mean anything to her. She did, however, admit that she would much rather be doing the Comic Life project than writing an essay. She raised a good pondering. She wondered if she was missing something from not writing the essay? Have we or has our educational system trained our students so well that they, too, are under the impression that writing an essay will equip them with everything they need for a job in the real world?

The discussion continued. This is where it got good. Both students began to complain about teachers. "Why don't they know how to do that? Is it MY job to teach them? Why doesn't everyone teach the way I was taught last year?" These were some of the challenges we heard. They also feared that teachers were resistant to learning these tools, and even more alarming, many would not accept or invite help from students because it would show that they did not, in fact, mean everything. (Insert sarcastic gasp here).

So I was left with this: Compelling Communication does not only need to be reflected in the work we ask our students to do. We need to also engage in these types of meaningful interactions WITH our students. Maybe, there should be a Students Teaching Teachers?

BWP SI 07 at River Legacy

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Our Flickr Slideshow from TM07

All work and no play makes a tech team dull(er).


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Friday, July 20, 2007

Quote of the Day

During our Articulation time, David Warlick's name came up. I thought I would share a quote out of the 2nd edition (released a few weeks ago) of his book "Classroom Blogging: A Teacher's Guide to Blogging, Wikis, and Other Tools that are Shaping a New Information Landscape." I can personally recommend this text as a valuable resource for both personal and instructional needs. And David always seems willing to step in to comment on blogs wherever he is mentioned (your students would love that). Just don't take his picture with the camera built-in to your laptop while he is on stage doing a presentation. :)

Anyway, his quote from the book:

"We should no longer assume the authority of information we encounter, but, instead, prove the authority."

Good stuff! Pertinent.

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Students Teaching Teachers

Yesterday, after a long, first day of learning, Janelle and I joined the Teachers Teaching Teachers podcast with Paul Allison. It was an incredible experience to be a part of this very diverse group of folks. I can't say teachers because we had the benefit and privilege of two students joining us.

One, a ninth grader, was about to become the most connected student in her county. Out of need, she is being given a loaded laptop that will allow her to be a seamless part of the classroom. Her goal in life is to be a writer. Good for her. Her district seems to be doing what needs to be done to help her in every way possible. I can’t wait for her to start honing her skills on her own blog.

The other student, an eighteen year old from Australia, was not shy in the least bit. She was asked hard questions about what teachers need to do to engage students with new tools. She fired back answers that made us pause and reflect about our own actions in our instruction and how they alter the learning environment. While she says her teacher, Jason Hando , is the best, she discussed how it was not an across the board feeling in all of her classes. Then she asked what it would take to teach teachers how to be more in tune with technology and integrating skills. Ouch. Can anyone say, PD Bingo?

Overall, the six of us that joined together here in Chico, CA, were very impressed with the student input. The chat room, as usual, provided some great questions and running commentary about the conversation. It bounces me back to the reflections from Karl Fisch and others about NECC: Where are the students at these events? Bravo to Paul and the TTT folks for including them in the webcast. We should all strive to include these most important voices in our tech planning.


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My Wiki Lies Over the Ocean

Having used wikis with my middle school students, I can say the transition is not a difficult one. They enjoy the opportunity to share use technology, but they appreciate the opportunity to work on a document from anywhere with the help of others regardless of being together or separate.

I remember my last project this year. I specifically told this troublesome bunch of students I had this year that I was subscribed to the wiki via RSS and received all updates and changes. Furthermore, the wiki would tell me who changed what and when and also allow me to revert to previous versions. Anyone caught defacing others pages would be using School 1.0 to get his or her project finished. I had not seen any issues with the wiki through the first week, so I thought I was home free and the world was a happy place (my world anyway).

Then late Saturday night happened. I started getting notifications hand over fist about edits occurring on one certain site. Instead of looking at the changes in the feed window, I quickly navigated over to the wiki to shut down access to whatever terrible thing was taking apart one of my group’s hard work. I knew the offender had logged in with a student ID, and I was sure to confront him about it on Monday. So I get to the wiki and start looking around the pages being reported as edited. Nothing. They looked fine to me. I could not see the difference from what I would have expected at this point.

So I went into the history to see what the kid was up to. And then it hit me. Editing. He was editing. This ESL, only in the country three years, never talks in class, speaks broken English kid was editing the work of his peers (one of which was one of my top students). He cared enough about his group’s work and its appearance to the public that he wanted it right. Were all of his corrections accurate? No. But most were, and he was doing English VOLUNTARILY on a SATURDAY night. That is what wikis and collaborative work is all about. I shut my machine down to go to bed knowing that my work had been a success. Even if he was the only one who chose to go the extra mile, he CHOSE to do it. That made it all worth it.

My students used the wiki to aide each other in weak areas. They found missing parts in their own work and asked others to help them by adding to it. Some took the initiative, others did not. But the all favored the Web 2.0 version over the School 1.0.

Online collaborative word processing sites (wikis, docs, etc) allow people to share and mold and create and recreate information and ideas. It is an awesome opportunity. These people may never meet, but their ideas will. Their intellect will collide and combine in a virtual environment that will change the real world. This is powerful. Our students deserve to at least learn how to harness this power on a local basis, because after high school they will run into it on a global basis.

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Thursday, July 19, 2007

CEUS for Technology Compliments of Capt. Computer

Hi SI07! Scott Massey sent this message about the CEUs. Post a comment if the $5 is ok for you.

I spoke with Continuing Education; we can get 8 hours of CEU’s for your students technology (PowerPoint) units. The cost will be $5 each. Will you discuss with your class and I can get names and money to have Certificates printed out. Let me know if this is what they would like to do. Also: http://txbwp.edublogs.org

Publish Post

Analyzing Articles from Working Toward Equity

Post your analysis here please.

Don't forget the wikis!

Janelle shared the RSS video. Hilarious, informational, and valuable all at the same time. Just the way I teach (cough..cough).

Well, Lee also made one of these high tech videos for wikis. Check it out on TeacherTube (which is not blocked by school filters):


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RSS in Plain English

Here is an easy to understand, helpful, and more importantly, entertaining, video of what RSS is and how to do it.

There's a lot of good stuff out there. Let's make it easier and have it come to us.

Dianna's Haiku's: Reflections from River Legacy

Dianna's Haikus from River LegacyLinkhttp://www.writersrock123.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Haiku Log for July 18th

Haiku Log for July 18, 2007
Lourdes finds herself
Inside a secret forest
Mingling with nature


Asserting itself
A shimmering dragonfly
Self-discovery


An urban grown-up
Heather, a child in the woods
Sees life with new eyes


Vines strewn in the woods
Bobcat tracks in the fresh mud
Handwriting of God


Removed from nature
Nature Deficit Disorder
An urban malaise


Mel, an awesome guide
Phyllis, so knowledgeable
Susie, a teacher


Newly found friendships
More natural bonding
Fun like in 3rd grade


Glistening with dew
Spider webs in the sunlight
No manicured lawns


River Legacy
Might help us raise our TAKS scores
Nature helps again



Wednesday, July 18, 2007

VoiceThread

Looka here! Here's something new I learned. Of course, Sensei Floyd has used this numerous times.

This is a VoiceThread. Mine is entitled Fairy Tales Really Do Happen.

Tech Talk Information

On this weeks Teaching Teaching Teachers webcast (#60), we were joined by four National Writing Project teachers who were selected last summer to participate in Tech Matters — a 4-day summer institute sponsored by the Tech Liaison Network of the National Writing Project. Joe Bellino, Bonnie Kaplan, Kevin Hodgson, and Donna Bragg discussed moments they remember from Tech Matters`06, and they talked about five issues they faced after they returned from Tech Matters. These teachers talked about learning to turn these separate challenges into strands of a web of support for change in their teaching and in their local Writing Projects:

  • creating a personal learning system to continue learning about important new technologies
  • bringing personal learning and experiences with Web 2.0 technologies into their classrooms
  • working with other teachers in their buildings and in other schools in their area to them to begin their learning about Web 2.0 as well.
  • staying connected with other teachers in the National Writing Project's Tech Liaison network, developing projects for their own learning together
  • working alongside the leadership team of their local Writing Projects, helping these leaders to take their own personal next steps with important technologies.

Thats an outline of what these teachers learned last summer. What did you learn last summer? Did it make a difference in your classroom? How are you learning this summer? Join us to share one of your memories about summer learning.

For example, here is a part of Cynthia Calvert's story:

Being at TM 06 was one of the best things that ever happened to me both professionally and personally. If I had not been invited to TM06, I would not have met Jason, Tracey, and Paige–my fellow Common Threads collaborators and my life would not have been as full. I now count them among my closest and dearest friends. Then I wouldn't have met Kevin who inspires me to take risks and try new technology tools that until TM06 I did not know existed. I could go on about each and every person who was involved in TM06. I am a better person and a better TL for having been a part of the institute. I know this sounds corny, but it's true. Finally, I have a better handle on what my job as Alcorn WP's TL is. I have more confidence and speak with more authority when I talk about technology. I've learned to take baby steps, thanks to Peter and Betty, and not try to do everything at once, so I'm less overwhelmed.

Tech Matters`07 starts within hours. We have already invited all former TM participants to join the Technology Matters website (a DrupalEd site that Bill Fitzgerald and Will Banks have been helping us to build). If you were a Tech Matters participant in `03, `04,`05, or `06, and we missed you. Please register on our site now: http://nwptechmatters07.org/user/register
We would also like to invite anybody who is reading this now to subscribe to the work of Tech Matters`07. We want you to hear the podcasts, see the videos and pictures, and read the texts published by this years invited participants of Technology Matters.

Subscribe to Technology Matters in a reader (and receive all text, audio, and video that is made public.)

Add Technology Matters Podcast (audio only) to your iTunes

Subscribe to Technology Matters Videocast (video only).

Finally we want to invite you to join us live on webcasts that we will be streaming from Chico, California through the help of Susan Ettenheim, Jeff Lebow, Dave Cormier and others connected with http://edtechtalk.com. Here are the times when we want you to join us. All you need is Skype, a microphone, and a headset of ear buds to join us on any of these afternoons:

  • Tuesday, July 17 - 4:00-5:00 Pacific / 7:00-8:00 Eastern
  • Wednesday, July 18 - 4:00-5:00 pm Pacific / 7:00-8:00 pm Eastern
  • Thursday, July 19 - 4:00-5:00 pm Pacific/ 7:00-8:00 pm Eastern
  • Friday, July 20 - 4:00-5:00 pm Pacific / 7:00-8:00 pm Eastern
  • Saturday, July 21- To Be Announced

Please join us at http://edtechtalk.com. Help us to widen the conversations we are having at Technology Matters `07.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Suggested Homework for Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Please read Chapters 2 & 3 in your text and post to your blog your reaction ASAP.

July 18, 2007

Wedneday, July 18, 2007 we will gather at the River Legacy Science Center. Please check their blog for the address and directions. You might want to "mapquest" the directions from your home to River Legacy.

Wear comfy clothes, bring bug spray, and sunscreen. Also bring a couple of water bottles, your cell phone, and a digital camera if you have one.

Our goal will be to learn about the mission of the River Legacy Science Center and some of its programs. We will take pictures of evidence of their programs and come back to class to write scripts about what we have found.

Our schedule tomorrow is:

9:00 Meet in the Lobby of the River Legacy Science Center

12:00 Lunch Provided by Dr. Pete Smith

1:30 (or earlier, depending on how long we stay at RL) return to campus.

Using the 5W Graphic Organizer create a script to go along with the podcast you will make Th, July 19th in our Tech Time in the DMS.

Who:
What:
When:
Where:
Why:

Have a restful evening and a great learning experience tomorrow.

Jeannine's PM presentation: So Just What is Teacher Research

Learning Through Reading and Discussing
Wednesday, July 18, 2007


1:00-2:00

Learning Outcome: Students will be able to define and describe the elements of teacher research.

Modeling:

Students and teacher will read together: New Horizons in Distance Education: Mapping the Pedagogical Terrain

Students and teacher will analyze this article for the following elements of teacher/action research:

I. Title

II. Author

III. Author's Purpose for Writing


IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?

V. Author's Inquiry Question/s

VI. Author's Methodology
A. Who is being studied?
B. Over what length of time?
C. What data is being collected
D. How is it being analyzed
E. Any other interesting or pertinent data

VII. How the author collected information,

VIII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications

Guided Practice

Each student will self select one article to read from Writing and Resources from the Teacher Research Collaborative (National Writing Project, 2006)

Students will "discover/uncover" the following information about their article and post it on their blog:

I. Title

II. Author

III. Author's Purpose for Writing

IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?

V. Author's Inquiry Question/s

V. Author's Methodology
A. Who is being studied?
B. Over what length of time?
C. What data is being collected
D. How is it being analyzed
E. Any other interesting or pertinent data

VI. How the author collected information,

VII. What the Author Discovered or Conclusions/Implications

Report Back to Class.

2:00-2:45

To Think About: What project would you like to investigate for your own inquiry? Think about your critical incident? What questions have arisen that you would like to investigate further?

Stay tuned for more about the Literature Review

Teacher Research: The Big Picture

Please look over my notes on "Teacher Research: The Big Picture" if you would like an overview of teacher research.

Teaching Demonstration

Hi Bluebonnets!

My lesson can be found here: Joyce's Teaching Demonstration.

Have a great day! Don't forget to send me my response letter!

Joyce :)

Monday, July 16, 2007

July 16th Reading UPDATE!

The article for tonight's reading is an item that will have to be retrieved from the UTA library. Disregard the link...it won't get you there.

My suggestion would be to either copy and paste these directions into a word document or write them down and then sign into www.uta.edu.

From there, go to the Library Database.
Go to "J" at the top and pull up JSTOR.
Click on the link to JSTOR.
At the bottom of the next page, click on the link to JSTOR Archives.
Click on Search. Enter: Joyce Armstrong Carroll.
The Article’s name: The Language Game: Ratiocination and Revision or Clues in the Written Draft (Item 10 on the search items).

This is the article you are assigned to read tonight. So sorry for the confusion!

Due to technical error, huh-hum—okay, I left the list at the office—the Teaching Demos will be posted on the schedule tomorrow.
Have a great evening!
Joyce

Good Health Habits as Part of Our Learning Community

Hi! Try not to laugh at this but I think we need to each bring antibacterial handwash (little purse or backpack size) to use at school. We're sharing close quarters and we want to help each other and ourselves stay well so let's really keep our hands clean! Also, please dip a paper cup in chips, pretzels, nuts or anything else we share. This will keep the hand germs down! And a gentle reminder, as Joyce says, please clean up the common eating area as you go along. The snack bringer, please clean up at then end of the day!!!!

Here's to Our Good Health!

Editing the Critical Narrative

Editing the Critical Narrative.
Editing%20the%20Critical%20Narrative2.doc

Teaching Demos

Please look at your SI Schedules this evening (after 6:00pm) at Google Docs to verify that:
  • We have your snack and logging dates posted
  • We have your teaching demonstration date posted

If you do not see your name, or something needs to be changed, please let Joyce know as soon as possible.

Thank you,

Jeannine, Janelle and Joyce :)

Monday, July 16th (for homework)

1. Please read this article, Monday, July 16th for homework.

http://www.jstor.org/view/00138274/ap030683/03a00330/0


We will apply the principles of this article to your narrative on Tuesday, July 17th. Make sure your critical narrative is on your blog. Post comments to your blog.

2. Please read Chapter One of your course text. Post comments to your blog. Please try to read the comments of someone else who is reading the same text as you. Reply to their comments as you can. We are striving to begin dialogue with people within the same grade level. This is similar to a "book club."

3. By Wednesday, July 18, finish your edits for your group and make corrections on your own paper.

4. Please write your "letter" to Janelle in response to her teaching demonstration. Post in follow up comments. Please get this finished by Wednesday.

5. Think about what you want to do for your teaching demonstration. You will need to sign up for "coaching" with the instructors. Think about a time that is good for you. We can coach you using SKYPE (from home) Yahoo Messenger, Google Chat, phone, face-to-face or via your blog. Let us know what is best for you. We just want to visit with you about your idea before you get too far into the planning.

6. Remember tomorrow to bring your Power Point presentation (digital story) and your cell phone or digital camera and/or recorder.

THANKS!

Thanks,
Jeannine/Janelle/Joyce

Back Home Questions

Back Home Questions
Back%20Home%20Questions.doc

Back Home

Lesson Plan for Back HomeBackhomejeanninesteachingdemo.doc

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Teaching Demonstration Response Protocols

We will be using this format for responding to teacher demonstrations. Perhaps, you all could save a copy either on a drive or Mavspace? I usually just outline the 5 lenses and respond to each so I do not miss one.

Teaching_Demonstration_Response.doc

Stuff for Janelle's Teaching Demo

No peeking! Just remember that you need to being a copy of your favorite song. It would also be helpful but not necessary to have a copy if the lyrics.



mythology_and_music.doc

Mind_Map.doc

Myth_Reading_Log.doc

See you tomorrow!

Lesson Plan Template for Teaching Demo

Here's the template for the Teaching Demonstration Lesson Plan.


lesson_template.doc

Let us know if you have any questions... Smiles!

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Since You Asked

Janelle asked me in the comment section of another post about my blog recommendations. I posted this in the comment section, but I thought it might be missed and others would be interested (not that I am an expert or anything). My blog feeds are eclectic in some areas because of my sense of humor. While I love the in-depth blog posts about education and pedagogy, I also like to read what teachers and administrators truly feel about situations. Those folks are generally anonymous, but they are funny as all get out.

I also read a lot of political feeds, mainly to keep up with education and leadership topics in Texas. Make sure you read the warning below in the comment repost about those.

Anyway, I hope you find these useful. If you want specific recommendations, shoot me an email and I can find something to fit your needs (maybe). Click on the link below to my Bloglines account. You can expand the folders in the left hand side to see the specific blog names and links. Post questions about this in the comment section. If you want to set up your own Bloglines account, do a Google search for "Bloglines videos" to find some how to stuff that will help out.

I am working on setting up a new school blog to go with my new job. I will post it here in early August. Maybe I can be your Wes Fryer.

As for what I read, look here:
WOScholar's Bloglines Blogroll

There are 105 feeds right now. Let me know what you think. There are administrators, teachers, education specialists, and even the political links. WARNING: The political blog list has some bloggers that sometimes use foul language. I keep them on my list because they provide valuable insight while Austin is in session. And the way they use voice to write posts is just amazing. Those folks have some writing talent (and sarcasm). While I do not agree with their views on everything, they do offer a different perspective I need to consider at times.


So, let me know what you think of this list. There are some really good Texas feeds in here as well. Miguel Guhlin, author of A Flowing River and Around the Corner, is a good read from the technology side of things. Wes Fryer (former Texas 4th grade teacher), author of Speed of Creativity, is wonderful on pedagogy plus technology plus literacy all tied together.

Have a good week. Janelle and I are flying out to Chico, CA, Tuesday morning. Keep us in your prayers (and those who have to deal with the two of us working together). If allowed, I plan to have iChat and Skype up and running if you need us.

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Thursday, July 12, 2007

Homework, Thursday, July 12, 2007

NWP Publications

The Quarterly, Vol. 27, No. 3-4, 2005


Mozartians, Beethovians, and the Teaching of Writing
By Diane Christian Boehm
In this essay from 1993, Diane Christian Boehm directly confronts the myth of the sequential writing process, finding that writers create as "Mozartians" or "Beethovians," or sometimes a little of both.

Skeletons Out of the Closet: The Case of the Missing 162%
By Bob Pressnall
A Quarterly article often reveals a teacher’s mind at work, providing readers a ringside seat as the teacher observes, changes, rearranges, and fine-tunes classroom practice.

Getting Real: Authenticity in Writing Prompts
By Patricia Slagle
Writing teachers often strive to develop exercises so that students will write "authentic" pieces for an audience beyond the teacher, but in this 1997 article, Patricia Slagle demonstrates the next step: sending student writing to people outside the classroom.

The Parallel Universes of Theory and Practice: One Teacher's Journey
By Beverly Paesano
Beverly Paesano began her teaching career frustrated that the traditional approaches she'd been taught “did not help children write more fluently and look at [their] writing more critically."


Homework, Monday, July 16, 2007

The Only New Thing Under the Sun: 25 Years of the National Writing Project
By Sheridan Blau
In this 1999 article—originally delivered as an address at the 25th anniversary celebration of the California Writing Project—Sheridan Blau recounts the core idea of writing project founder Jim Gray that the most reliable and credible solutions to the problems of learning and teaching are to be found in the wisdom and knowledge possessed by experienced and successful classroom teachers.

Tolerating Intolerance: Resisting the Urge to Silence Student Opinion in the Writing Classroom
By Sarah Rider
As Sarah Rider butts up against the white supremacist views of one her students, she comes to understand that “the value of diverse opinions in the classroom should not be restricted only to those that please the instructor."

Theory, Politics, Hope and Action
By Carole Edelsky
In recent years, with the influx into American schools of many thousands of students learning English, the National Writing Project and The Quarterly have given increasing attention to the concerns of these learners and their teachers.

The Big Picture

Hi! We want to take a moment to talk through our products we will be creating as a result of this institute or to be politically correct, our learning outcomes!

As a result of this course you will use reading, writing, listening, and speaking in a digital and face to face environment to create:

Critical Incident: Narrative (writing/revising now)

  • Digital Storyboard & Digital Story (written and tweaking now)
  • Practice Podcast & Podcast for River Legacy (working on practice now and will make one for RL next week)
  • Literature Review on Topic Emerging from Critical Incident (Begin working on at the end of next week--topic will emerge from your critical incident narrative--we've already begun discussing those with you.)
  • Teaching Demonstration (Will work on next week; will model on M/T and explain)
  • One Piece of Writing for the E-Anthology (Your choice)
  • One piece of course writing taken through the Writing Process for Publication in the Anthology (Your Choice)
  • Reader Response Postings to Blog--22 posts (Working on now--four will be done at the end of this week. Each day's posts count as one.)
  • Multimedia Retrospective (Scott will help you put this together toward the end of the institute. It's your thoughts and reflections, sights and sounds of the SI. We may do something like have each of you create a page and pull that together into a Digital Story (including pics and sounds of the institute) We could have theme music playing in the background and you all could vote on the music. You can organize it by theme, by person's memories, or another method you might decide on. This will be posted on the Mother Blog and you will each have access to it!

** You will need to put together your own anthology or e-anthology (one piece of work per student and one for each instructor.

K-12 Online Conference 2007

The theme of this year's K-12 Online Conference (Pre-Conference Keynote by David Warlick) is Playing with Boundaries. This year's conference is Oct 15-19 and Oct 22-26. The keynote will take place the week of Oct. 8.

Let's gear up. There's some great stuff here... get ready to subscribe! This might be some great content for Fall Continuity. 

Here are some topics:
Web 2.0 and PD
Using Technology to Tell Stories
"Learn to Blog:Blog to Learn"
Cell Phones as Classroom Learning Tools
.....AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

See link below for more information:

Exploding the Moment (Based on Barry Lane)

Put Your Before and After Exploded Moments in Comments to this Post.

Cracking Open Sentences (based on the work of Georgia Heard)

Post your "cracked" sentences here as comments.

SI Forecast Podcast

Please take a listen... this one's for Scott M. and Sensei Floyd. Macs ROCK!!!!


 forecasting_SI.mp3

Log for July 12, 2007: Team Weather Forecasts

Create a "weather forecast" a la Elbow and write a script "showing" what happened yesterday at our SI. Use weather terms and discourse. Also predict the weather today. Give your writing team a name (city name--be creative) and create a forecaster personna which represents the writers on your team! Have fun! Be creative, whimsical, funky, but "show" what happened yesterday and what you expect to happen today!

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Wednesday, July 11th Homework

Becoming Your Own Expert—Teachers as Writers
By Tim Gillespie
In this 1985 piece, Tim Gillespie argues that teachers need to write so that their teaching of writing can be “based on knowledge we have earned ourselves."

"Whose Writing is it Anyway"? Kids Love To Write...Don't Wait Until They Read
By Diane Borgman
In this article from 1986, Diane Borgman describes the joy of working with kindergarten writers entirely unburdened by the bogeyman of first-draft correctness.

Computers and English: Future Tense...Future Perfect?
By Stephen Marcus
In 1990, Marcus made some predictions about what might happen with technology in the classroom during the next 15 years—prophecies that are interesting to examine in hindsight.

Re-entering Our Critical Incidents

Let's re-enter the "heart" pieces you wrote yesterday which centered around a heart memory of your interactions with a student. Today (and probably into tomorrow) we will:

  • Create a snapshot (Lane, p. 30)
  • Create a thoughtshot (Lane, p.45 )
  • Explode a moment (Lane, p 71)
  • Shrink a century (Lane, p. 76 )
We will do these activities together, pausing to share and debrief with our small groups after each activity.

A snapshot creates sharp physical detail (Lane, p. 45) It is like using a magic camera that one can point at the world and create snatpshots that contain smells and sounds as wella s colors and light (Lane, p. 30)

A thoughtshot is simplay a look at what a character is thinking and feeling. Thoughtshots often draw frames around stories and essays; they place events in a context and give the reader and the writer a reason to be interested. (Lane p. 45)

Exploding a moment is zooming the camera lens in on special moments that stand out in any event or memory. Your "camera" had the ability to see multiple spaces at any time, thoughts are in sharp focus, as well as the other senses. This is much like what you feel in times of extreme stress or momentous events in your life. (Lane, pp. 71-73). Events are slowed down and you see everything in slow motion, very clearly.

Shrinking a century is just the opposite of exploding a moment. Time is truncrated--much time is compressed into just a few words. (Lane, pp. 77)
Please read the following article about the Bluebonnets contribution to supporting people affected by Hurricane Katrina. Please note the format of the lesson plans. Thanks.

helpingkidscopearticle.doc

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Tuesday, July 10, 2007: Reading at Home

Please read and respond on your blog to the following article:

Teacher as Reasearcher

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

Getting to the Heart of the Matter: So many times we have little idea of how much difference we've made in our student's lives. Patricia Polacco gave a beautiful tribue to the difference Mr. Falker made in her life with the writing and publication of her book Thank you, Mr. Falker.

Today, we' d like to ask you to go deeply in your memories and picture your students' faces.
Who do you see? List their names in a heart you have drawn on your own paper or in a graphic organizer.

Now, choose a student's face. Write the memory that the student's face prompted. Were you able to help this child learn? If so, describe how/ Was there a learning problem you still could not solve? Describe that memory?

Write for 10 minutes.

Choose another face. Write the memory that the student's face prompted. Were you able to help this child learn? If so, describe how/ Was there a learning problem you still could not solve? Describe that memory?

Write for 10 minutes.

Choose another face. Write the memory that the student's face prompted. Were you able to help this child learn? If so, describe how/ Was there a learning problem you still could not solve? Describe that memory?


Share one of your with your group.
Point out (Elbow pp85-86) the ideas, words, or phrases which stood out.

Now:

Loop back into this writing.
What learning questions, issues or strategies does this memoire bring to the forefront.