Texas Bluebonnet Writing Project Blog

Aloha Bluebonnets

2008-07-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I miss you all. How are you? I'm sure you've heard by now that Janelle had Baby Issac and he's in the NICU at Medical City. He was born at 28 weeks and is doing so well. I'm in Hawaii on the Big Island teaching at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and really enjoying it although Bill and I miss the mainland a lot. Kelly is married to Steve Hastings and is an AP at Martin High School and living in South Lake. Joyce is starting her doc program at TCU and is a literacy coach at FWISD. Scott Floyd has a special tech position in his district of Whiteoak.

We want to hear from all of you and need your help as well in filling out a short survey to help us understand the part the blog played in helping us stay together as a community. Would you take 5 mintues and fill out this survey? If so, click the link below:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=FHbA4vVMe1aNPUB4ztExNw_3d_3d

Barbara Ganley's Sessions at TXBWP MidWinter

2008-03-07T13:34:00.001-08:00

I apologize for not getting these podcasts up sooner. I thought I had posted them already. Enjoy!

Session 1

Session 2

Mid Winter Conference

2008-02-03T20:32:00.000-08:00

Hi, Everyone! My thoughts were with you during the Midwinter Conference. How did it go? Who came? How was Barbara? I'm down in Houston with Jessica. Her baby is going to be born tomorrow! We needed all weekend to get prepared and have mother/daughter time together so I couldn't be with you, but you were all in my thoughts! Fill me in!

The Learning Ecology of Authors' Workshop Blogging

2008-02-02T08:13:00.000-08:00

Here is my Powerpoint and and a copy of the handouts of my presentation for the MidWinter Literacy Conference: Digital Literacies in the K-12 Classroom.

learning_ecology_workshop_blogging.ppt

learning_ecology_workshop_blogging.pdf

Joyce Jacobs - Bibliotherapy Teaching Demonstration

2008-02-01T19:03:00.000-08:00

Please follow this link http://kinderbeaniejournal.blogspot.com/ to my teaching presentation from the Bluebonnet Writing Project's Midwinter Conference on February 2, 2008.

Check back often as the materials and links will be updated!

Joyce :)

MidWinter Conference is upon us!

2008-01-23T18:38:00.000-08:00

Click on the image above to see the larger flyer.

Technorati Tags: txbwp, scott_s_floyd, bgblogging, barbara_ganley

Online Photo Sharing in Plain English

2008-01-10T07:42:00.000-08:00

I am double posting this here and here.

To piggyback my previous posts about design and photography and Flickr usage, I would like to offer this short tutorial video about online photo sharing. Thanks to the folks (Lee LeFever) at Common Craft for once again making this an easy to understand topic. So don't let a little fear of a software program slow you down from joining the fun and learning of photo sharing.

Technorati Tags: scott_s_floyd, flickr, lee_lefever

Art and the Art of Writing

2008-01-09T21:26:00.001-08:00

For those of you combining art and writing, I thought I would share this blog with you. Natalie and the Big Picture. Natalie is an art professor at Colorado State and also is a student teacher facilitator. She is blogging hard but not getting much in the way of comments. Here is one section I found very interesting from a post called "Sometimes you have to hide the carrots":

Writing in the artroom is kind of the same way. Seems like the most effective writing applications are fully integrated and 'hidden' in the content of the class. A lesson taught by one of my students at the Lab School brought this idea home. Students made a dwelling and then wrote a story about who might live there. But what filled the assignment with artistic goodness was the way the student did it. It wasn't just a story, it was a story that had to reference how the dwelling came to look the way it did. It had to address the visual elements and not just be a story. YES! Full integration - veggies in the sauce!

The added bonus for me as the observer was that this particular student had been reticent to the whole writing process. When we met in the computer lab for our final assessment she lamented "But you told us we were done with the writing part!" And now here she is, hiding the writing so well I don't think kids were aware they were doing it. The room full of 6th graders was totally silent and fully engaged. The best part was they were all thinking about their artwork. What a delicious lesson.

Natalie really brings home the point that writing is a part of a much larger process of learning in all subjects and not just English. If only we could get that across to all of our student teachers and current teachers. Go read what she has to share and then let her know you are there. Gotta help keep those professors blogging, you know. Thanks to Bud Hunt (CSU NWP) AKA Bud the Teacher for sharing the link via a Twitter post.

And while I am on the topic of art, I have been trying to keep up with the 366photo group on Flickr. The object of these educators and students is to take one photo a day for the whole year. Tag your photos on Flickr with the 366photo tag so we can find them. Also do a tag search for that tag to see what other educators are posting. Pretty cool idea to help us focus on design and storytelling. Here is one of my latest photos of my son (the one above is one of mine as well):

Technorati Tags: scott_s_floyd, txbwp

BGBlogging is coming to BWP's Mid-Winter Conference!

2008-01-08T07:45:00.000-08:00

Barbara Ganley, in her blog post, announced her intent to present at Bluebonnet Writing Project's Mid-Winter Conference on February 2, 2008. Thanks to Pete Smith we are excited to be able to host her. Folks, you don't get opportunities like this every day. Take advantage of it and plan to attend. Stay tuned to this blog for more information as it comes available about this wonderful FREE professional development event.

Technorati Tags: scott_s_floyd, txbwp, bgblogging, barbara_ganley

My Favorite Photographs of 2007

2007-12-31T23:15:00.001-08:00

While we focus on design being important in educating our youth (or their learning), I have begun to pay particular attention in how things look around me. I think that giving our students the opportunity to understand and appreciate the elements of design will allow them to create better finished products to display their learning. Photographs will also allow them to generate tons of writing. Have your students share their photos with the rest of the class. Give them time to create a storyline about what is happening in the photo. Then allow the owner of the picture to divulge the truth. Vote to see which storyline is the favorite. You can even create a bulletin board out of this project. The kids will love it!

While I am at the earliest stages of caring what my photographs look like, I am at least trying to get better. Following the tips of others, I think I will show some improvement over the next year. I am getting to the point where I can visualize what I want the photo to look like. Now I just need to get the skills to adjust the camera accordingly. If I start this post as an annual event, it will give me a little inspiration to get better as well.

I had the opportunity to play with several different digital cameras over the past year. I have many favorites of family members, yet they (the family members) remain shy about Internet exposure. Following the lead of educators such as Dean Shareski, David Warlick, Brian Genier, D'Arcy Norman, Ewan McIntosh, and others, I thought I would join the "sharing" group. So with that being said, here are the photos I have chosen. Feel free to give me suggestions to make them better. I generally use an Olympus E-Volt 500 now.

My son anticipating the waves at Gulf Shores, AL, USA:

My son enjoying the rodeo in Gladewater, TX, USA (my personal favorite of the year):

I took this one at a church camp during a men's retreat outside of Tyler, TX, USA:

This photo was taken while picking strawberries in Hallsville, TX, USA:

Of my nature photos, this is one I really liked because of the different perspective. Taken in my front yard:

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, photography

Top Web 2.0 Tools for ESL/EFL and More

2007-12-23T20:53:00.001-08:00

Larry Ferlazzo shares his Best Web 2.0 Applications for Education from an ESL/EFL educator's point of view.

I decided to start putting together various “Best Of” lists for this year, and am starting out with my picks for the best Web 2.0 applications for education. I’m taking the broader view for this list, so I think these sites are the best ones for students across the board — not just for ESL/EFL students.

I think this list is a great start for those in education looking for some unique tools to incorporate into their curriculum. Take a look, give them a try, and then post your own list to your blog and share the link here in the comment section.

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, web20, txbwp

Google Reader and Sharing the Love

2007-12-20T11:47:00.001-08:00

My Twitter bud @ijohnpederson created a tutorial for sharing your Google Reader finds with others (among other nuggets of Google info in there). Thought you might find it handy to help you build your own personal learning network. Enjoy.

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, google_reader, ijohnpederson

Why have a blog?

2007-11-30T09:14:00.000-08:00

Lee Lefever and the folks at Common Craft are at it again. Here is their latest video on the why's and have's of blogs. Check it out (on TeacherTube if it is blocked at school):

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, blogs, commoncraft

Now SnagIt is free!

2007-11-28T09:00:00.001-08:00

Earlier in the week I shared that Camtasia was giving away their older version of screencasting software for free. Now they have added SnagIt to the list of free offerings.

Here is an update from Miguel:

UPDATE: 11/28/2007 - Free Screen Capture program

SnagIt Pro is now giving away retail editions of SnagIt screen capture software for free. Follow these steps to download SnagIt for Free:

1. Get the demo version of SnagIt 7.2.5 via FTP at ftp://ftp.techsmith.com/pub/products/snagit/725/SnagIt.exe
2. Request a SnagIt 7 Software key

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, camtasia, snagit, screencasting

Camtasia for FREE!!

2007-11-26T06:25:00.001-08:00

If you have ever wanted to be able to record what you were doing on your computer screen for either archive or playback at another time (think tutorials, review, video, etc), then this is the software you need. Camtasia has long been recognized as the leader in screencasting software. The only downside is that they do not have a Mac version yet, but you never know. I heard rumor it might be in the works.

So, thanks to a post by Miguel Guhlin on this offer, you can go download Camtasia's last version (3.1) for free. Considering the newest version (4.0) runs around $100 or so, this is a great deal. Take advantage of it. It is an awesome tool to use in the classroom.

Download here.
Get your software key here to unlock it.
Check out some tutorials here.

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, camtasia, education

NCTE 2007 Presentation... The Ecology of Learning a la Web 2.0

2007-11-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

Here's the Powerpoint for our NCTE presentation in New York.

bluebonnet_ncte2007.ppt

Persistent Pondering

2007-10-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

SO I've started my own site. It's called Persistent Pondering so its address is persistentpondering.com

I will still keep up Suzie Q's Whirled as well, but Persistent Pondering is for my educational stuff.

I just posted some cool stuff about a thing called Trailfire. Check it out! Leave me comments please.

Janelle

Can you ToonDoo?

2007-10-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

This is a ToonDoo. (Go to www.toondoo.com) Please scroll over it to see if it makes you chuckle in the slightest. I just learned it from the K-12 Online Conference... it's so fun to play!

PS. Blogger is acting funny with my linking so you'll have to do this one manually. Sorry.

Beautiful Belize

2007-10-21T11:57:00.001-07:00

Check out Scrapblog.com Another wonderful resource from the K-12 Online Conference.

Free VoiceThread Pro Account for Educators

2007-10-16T09:03:00.001-07:00

Remember at SI '07 when we all made some really nifty VoiceThread presentations? Well, not they have made them better by giving educators some great free features that they are charging others for. Check it out here.

Also, check out the Educator Guide.

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, TXBWP

In Some Schools, iPods Are Required Listening

2007-10-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

Read this article...what are your thoughts? Will you allow iPods in your classroom?

By WINNIE HU

UNION CITY, N.J., Oct. 8 — A ban on iPods is so strictly enforced at José Martí Middle School that as many as three a week are confiscated from students — and returned only to their parents.

But even as students have been told to leave their iPods at home, the school here in Hudson County has been handing out the portable digital players to help bilingual students with limited English ability sharpen their vocabulary and grammar by singing along to popular songs.

Next month, the Union City district will give out 300 iPods at its schools as part of a $130,000 experiment in one of New Jersey’s poorest urban school systems. The effort has spurred a handful of other districts in the state, including the ones in Perth Amboy and South Brunswick, to start their own iPod programs in the last year, and the project has drawn the attention of educators from Westchester County to Monrovia, Calif.

The spread of iPods into classrooms comes at a time when many school districts across the country have outlawed the portable players from their buildings — along with cellphones and DVD players — because they pose a distraction, or worse, to students. In some cases, students have been caught cheating on tests by loading answers, mathematical formulas and notes onto their iPods.

But some schools are rethinking the iPod bans as they try to co-opt the devices for educational purposes. Last month, the Perth Amboy district bought 40 iPods for students to use in bilingual classes that are modeled after those in Union City. In South Brunswick, 20 iPods were used last spring in French and Spanish classes. And in North Plainfield, N.J., the district has supplied iPods to science teachers to illustrate chemistry concepts, and it is considering allowing students in those classes to use iPods that they have brought from home.

“It’s an innovation,” said Frank Belluscio, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association, which selected Union City educators to speak about the iPod classes at the group’s annual conference in Atlantic City Oct. 24-26. “Most people think of the iPod as just entertainment.”

At José Martí, the silver iPods, with built-in video screens, cost about $250 each and are passed out at the beginning of class along with headsets and Spanish-to-English dictionaries. The iPods are collected at the end of class, and school officials said that none have disappeared or been broken.

In one recent class, eighth-grade students mouthed the words to the rock song “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White T’s as they played the tune on the iPods over and over again. The braver ones sang out loud.

“It speaks to me,” said Stephanie Rojas, 13, who moved here last year from Puerto Rico and now prefers to sing in English. “I take a long time in the shower because I’m singing, and my brothers are like, ‘Hurry up!’”

Pedro Noguera, a sociology professor at New York University who studies urban schools, said that more districts were using new technologies like iPods to connect with students. For instance, he said, teachers have designed video games around history lessons and assigned students to re-enact novels and plays on YouTube.

“You know the No. 1 complaint about school is that it’s boring because the traditional way it’s taught relies on passive learning,” Mr. Noguera said. “It’s not interactive enough.”

In many affluent communities, iPods have evolved into an essential accessory for students. In 2004, Duke University led the way by outfitting its entire freshman class with iPods that were preloaded with orientation information and even the Duke fight song. While Duke no longer gives away iPods, it maintains a pool of them that are lent to students for classes. Last spring, 93 of the 2,000 or so courses at Duke required iPods.

The Brearley School, a private girls school on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, has used iPods to supplement foreign-language textbooks and its music, drama and English classes. Every Brearley student in seventh through ninth grades is required to buy or rent an iPod.

Here in Union City, the iPods are a splurge for many of the immigrant families who live in this densely packed urban center, once known for its embroidery factories. About 94 percent of the district’s 11,000 students qualify for free or reduced lunches.

The Union City district, which has a $197 million annual budget, places a priority on bilingual classes because more than one-quarter of its students are learning basic English skills. District officials said the stakes are high; 4 of the district’s 12 schools have been identified as needing improvement under the federal No Child Left Behind law, largely because not enough bilingual students have passed the state reading and math tests.

Grace Poli, a media specialist at José Martí, said that she approached district officials about buying 23 iPods for an after-school bilingual program in 2004 after being struck by students’ passion for them. Spanish-speaking students seemed bored by their English-language textbooks, she said, which they found outdated and irrelevant.

The program became so popular that it was added to the regular school schedule the following year, and in 2006, Ms. Poli received 60 more iPods. Last May, the district decided to buy 300 iPods to expand the program to other schools this fall.

Ms. Poli scoured the music charts for songs that appealed to students, compiling an eclectic mix of tunes by Shania Twain, Barry White, U2 and the Black Eyed Peas. She downloaded their songs to the iPods and typed out the lyrics. Then she deleted all the nouns — and in turn, the verbs and adjectives — forcing the students to fill in the missing words and learn their meaning.

In class, they sing or recite the completed lyrics back to her.

“A lot of our bilingual kids are very shy, and they feel like outsiders,” said Ms. Poli, whose parents immigrated from Ecuador. “You have kids who never said a word in English, and now they’re singing Black Eyed Peas. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it.”

Ms. Poli has also downloaded audio books, including the Harry Potter series, and added recording devices to the iPods so that students can listen to their pronunciation as they read poetry or talk with one another.

While the iPods have been used mainly in bilingual classes, the district plans to try them with students who have learning disabilities and behavioral problems as part of the program’s expansion, which is set to begin next month. Last year, Ms. Poli helped an alternative education class create podcasts of test-taking tips that were shared with the entire school.

Ms. Poli said her Spanish-speaking students — known around the school as Pod People — have been able to move out of bilingual classes after just a year of using the digital devices, compared with an average of four to six years for most bilingual students.

Geri Perez, the principal at José Martí, said parents have requested that their children be enrolled in the iPod-equipped classes. Ms. Perez, who does not speak Spanish, said that bilingual students who once shied away from talking to her have gained self-confidence and now come up to her in the hallways.

Dianelis Cano, 13, who moved here from Cuba less than two years ago, said that she had learned so much English that her mother, a saleswoman in a clothing store, bought her an iPod over the summer as a reward for good grades. Dianelis loads her own songs onto the iPod to practice English outside school, though she also includes Spanish music.

“I’m going to check your iPod to make sure there is English music there,” Ms. Poli teased her. “I’m going to make home visits.”

Check out this book - it is a must read!

2007-10-06T15:52:00.001-07:00

Technology and Literacy in the Twenty-First Century: The Importance of Paying Attention
Author(s): Cynthia L. Selfe

Foreword by Hugh Burns

Part critique of existing policy and practice, part call-to-action, Technology and Literacy in the Twenty-First Century explores the complex linkage between technology and literacy that has come to characterize American culture and its public educational system at the end of the twentieth century.

To provide a specific case study of this complex cultural formation, award-winning educator Cynthia L. Selfe discusses the Technology Literacy Challenge, an official, federally sponsored literacy project begun in 1996 that has changed—at fundamentally important levels—the definition of literacy and the practices recognized as constituting literate behavior in America. Selfe tries to identify the effects of this new literacy agenda, focusing specifically on what she calls "serious and shameful" inequities it fosters in our culture and in the public education system: among them, the continuing presence of racism, poverty, and illiteracy. She describes how the national project to expand technological literacy came about, what effects it has yielded, why the American public has supported this project, and how teachers of English, language arts, and composition have contributed to this project, despite their best intentions.

A primary goal of this study is to make teachers of English and composition increasingly aware of the new literacy agenda and to suggest how they might positively influence its shape and future direction, both in the classroom and in the community. This awareness is an integral part of educators' larger professional responsibility to understand the way in which our culture thinks about and values literacy. Perhaps even more important, argues Selfe, this awareness is part of teachers' ethical responsibility to understand how literacy and literacy instruction directly and continually affect the lived experiences of the individuals and families with whom teachers interact.

Studies in Writing & Rhetoric (SWR) series. 182 pp. 1999. College. NCTE/CCCC and Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 0-8093-2269-2.

Why do you blog?

2007-09-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

What a great question with some equally interesting responses.

Here are some of my faves from a discussion posted on Sandhill Trek.

"Anne Mathewson of Fishbucket says,

Herman Melville put it best when he said, "We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results." A perfect description of blogging, don't you think?

I started blogging some years ago largely to pass time and share experiences. A small part of me, however, was selfishly hoping for admiration and affirmation; a shallow attitude I've long abandoned. Eventually, I discovered the joy found via "invisible threads" and "sympathetic fibers" - those human connections made along the way. Blogger tend to be a lovely comfort of strangers.

Dervala Hanley says,

When I set up my first Blogger account three years ago, the form asked for a tagline. For want of anything better, I put "A love letter." By the time I had fifty thousand words on the clock, it got a bit clearer what I'd meant by that.

It's all about lurve, baby.

I blog for the same reasons that Alistair Cooke read those Letters From America until he was ninety-six or seven. I'm an emigrant. My family is thousands of miles away, and my friends are scattered around the world. Each entry is a letter home, wherever that is, and it's also a letter _about_ home, wherever that might be.

It's a love letter to some kid not yet born, and to the friends, strangers, sisters, exes, and former classmates who might stop by. (Funny how those circles overlap.)

And it's mostly (even when I'm cranky) a letter about the things, people, and places that I love. I could store up enthusiasms until I burst, but writing them down is a better way to absorb and share them.

I haven't much interest in the debates that seem to go on--that weird A List thing, the blogging-versus-journalism angst, the schism between warbloggers and cat diarists. I'm not much of a linker or an argufier. I still hate the word 'blog'.

My blog is a message in a bottle with a FedEx tracking number. Hello World."

So why do you blog?

More Ideas with VoiceThread

2007-09-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Miguel Guhlin for your ideas on this. We actually started playing with VoiceThread this summer, and I love having this tool.

Here's Miguel's post:

Digital Storytelling with VoiceThread

Technology Applications:TEKS (TA:TEKS) teachers attending The Power of Comprehension workshop were some of the first teachers to see VoiceThreads, an exciting digital storytelling tool. The power of VoiceThread is that it can be used regardless of what type of computer you have since it is web-based. VoiceThread describes itself in this way:

A VoiceThread allows every child in a class to record audio commentary about the ideas and experiences that are important to them. Whether an event, a project, or a milestone, children can tell their story in their own voice, and then share it with the world.

For teachers, VoiceThreads offer a single vessel to capture and then share all the diverse personalities of an entire class. You will hear the pride and excitement in their voices as the students "publish" their work.A VoiceThread can be managed with little effort, creating an heirloom that can be shared by students, parents, and educators alike.
Read More

In addition to using VoiceThread for digital storytelling, you are able to use it for a variety of purposes. Some of those include (note the links to examples):

Poem book: In this activity, participants share their favorite poems to create an audio poem book.
Great Book Stories: According to Wes Fryer (SpeedofCreativity.org), The idea is basic: Narrate five pictures to share why you love a specific book, and why other people should read it. If you’re interested in contributing, please check out the site and the guidelines. The password to edit the wiki is “share” without quotation marks.
Online Literature Circles: Wouldn't this be a neat way of having literature circles online? Still looking for examples.
Social Studies/Geography Applications
Using Moodle in Technology Applications Classrooms: This was created by TA:TEKS teachers as a way to explore VoiceThread while at the same time share ideas about using Moodle, an online discussion forum and teaching tool in their classroom. Note that someone Allanah King, a New Zealand teacher was able to leave an audio comment on one of the "slides."
Teaching Chemistry Lecture
A Book Review by the GED Book Club
A student presentation regarding The Invisible Children

There are many more VoiceThreads available online, spanning a variety of media genres including poems, self-portraits, lectures, book reviews, multimedia presentations, and digital stories. Why not add your students

Want to use VoiceThread in your own classroom? Consider these resources to get you started:

The SAISD Office of Instructional Technology Services is happy to work with you and your students. Please feel free to contact Miguel Guhlin at mguhlin@saisd.net or by phone at 210-527-1400.

We're here!

2007-09-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

Here's the first pic from the NWPTX meeting at Texas State University.

Shelley and Dianna drove, and we got here safely despite the crazy traffic.

We are discussing NWPTX's mini-grant to discuss Web 2.0 to sustain and increase capacity for our state network.... Scott, why aren't you here?

We miss you all!

Free. Quality. Self-selected. Your pace. Your place.

2007-09-26T06:42:00.001-07:00

What else can I say about the technology sessions offered in the k12online conference? Check out the poster below, and then check out the site. This is your chance to learn new technologies and the pedagogy behind them without having a class full of people sitting around you. No pressure to move on until you are ready. Yet, there is a ton of free support offered in this as well, so you are not left stranded. The conference is one I highly recommend.

Oh, did I mention it is free?

If you need help getting an RSS feed reader set-up so you can follow the conference happenings easier, let me know. I am always more than happy to help out.

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, k12online07

Oh My Gosh!!! This site is awesome!

2007-09-25T06:42:00.001-07:00

Now, we all know there are several great resources out there, but this one is SOOOOOO valuable to upper grade educators.

Hippo Campus has videos, both instructional and informational. These things ROCK! I realize you may not be as excited about it as I am, but cool, free, awesome resources are so needed with our curriculum these days. Kids can access these from the house for help with homework. They can use them to enrich current lessons or presentations. You can use them to give a twist to your lessons while letting the students know they are out there for reference. Your students will love it.

You are in luck if you teach one of these courses:

US History (AP and regular)
Algebra (Elementary, IA, and IB)
American Government (AP and Regular)
AP Biology
Calculus (AP I & II, General, and Intro)
Environmental Science (AP and Regular)
Physics (AP B & C, College Prep, General, and Intro)
Religion

Please check this site out. My post cannot do it enough justice for the value of the content found here. (Or am I just too PBS or something?)

Technorati Tags: curriculum, Scott_S_Floyd

The Bump

2007-08-28T09:59:00.001-07:00

Miguel Guhlin recently blogged about the Nancy Atwell book The Reading Zone. One paragraph jumped out at him as it pertained to blogging:

In fact, a more useful lesson about the connections that story readers make, as we're reading, is one that helps students decide how to respond to them. I ask my kids, "When you're reading a story, do you ever bump yourself out of the zone because something in the book sparks a thought or memory?" and follow up with, "If so, how do you respond to the bump?". . .these occasions when we read like writers: we pay attention to the way a text is written, and we enjoy an efferent moment as we observe something in someone else's writing that we might choose to carry away, and put to use, in writing of our own.

Miguel's direction on this is one that poses the question of how we handle this in connection with blogging inspiration, but mine is how we handle it with our students when they hit the "bump." He leaves us with these parting comments paraphrasing a Scholastic article on the subject:

Every day, smart, well-meaning teachers erect instructional roadblocks between their students and the personal, digital communication tools.

So are we overlooking the teachable moment in the haste of curriculum delivery and test preparation? I know I have. Man, I hate it when I realize my shortcomings. Thanks, Miguel. Just thanks.

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, TXBWP, literacy, reading, Miguel_Guhlin

Science Practice

2007-08-28T06:24:00.001-07:00

For all of you science teachers out there, here is a chance to get some TAKS-style science practice in while using (not really integrating) technology. This site has questions of the week, so check it out regularly.

Quiz-Stacks

August Blogger of the Month Part III: Teacher Appreciation

2007-08-27T18:23:00.001-07:00

I thought it would be fitting to wish you all well with your first week with students----for many of us, at least.

I found these inspirational quotations in appreciation of teachers. I just wanted to take a moment to thank each of you for all you do. Share this with a teacher you appreciate as I do you.

Which one touches or speaks to you? Please respond in your reply.

The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate "apparently ordinary" people to unusual effort. The tough problem is not in identifying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people. ~K. Patricia Cross

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. ~Henry Adams

I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework. ~Lily Tomlin as "Edith Ann"

The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book. ~Author Unknown

I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well. ~Alexander the Great

It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference. ~Tom Brokaw

Teacher appreciation makes the world of education go around. ~Helen Peters

A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others. ~Author Unknown

The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called "truth." ~Dan Rather

He who opens a school door, closes a prison. ~Victor Hugo

What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches. ~Karl Menninger

If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job. ~Donald D. Quinn

I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you my heart has no bottom. ~Author Unknown

I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks. ~William Shakespeare

None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody - a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns - bent down and helped us pick up our boots. ~Thurgood Marshall

A teacher is a compass that activates the magnets of curiosity, knowledge, and wisdom in the pupils. ~Ever Garrison

No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another. Thank you. ~Author Unknown

Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition. ~Jacques Barzun

In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years. ~Jacques Barzun

No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. ~Author Unknown

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. ~Cynthia Ozick

There are three good reasons to be a teacher - June, July, and August. ~Author Unknown

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone. ~G.B. Stern

Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions. ~Author Unknown

Often, when I am reading a good book, I stop and thank my teacher. That is, I used to, until she got an unlisted number. ~Author Unknown

Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well. ~Voltaire

The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind. ~Khalil Gibran

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. ~Eric Hoffer

Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths pure theatre. ~Gail Godwin

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. ~G.K. Chesterton

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ~William A. Ward

No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks. ~James Allen

The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you. ~John E. Southard

I've seen and met angels wearing the disguise of ordinary people living ordinary lives. ~Tracy Chapman

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. ~William James

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William Arthur Ward

One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. ~Carl Jung

Let's go make a difference!

Try out Animoto!

2007-08-23T06:34:00.001-07:00

This is sweet! It does the transition work for you and has free music to add as well. Enjoy.

Violence in Writing

2007-08-22T14:00:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Cool Cat Teacher for this link.

With the fallout of the Virginia Tech event, creative writing teachers are trying to figure out just how to handle writers who write about violence. Ed Falco, director of Tech's creative writing program, came up with the idea of creating guidelines for writing teachers. The article suggests:

Frequency of violence in student writings can be a sign that a student may be troubled, though the guidelines, which have not been approved by the university, caution that violent behavior cannot be predicted by writing alone. The document encourages professors to follow their instincts and take a measured and conservative approach to dealing with disturbing writing.

It goes on to say:

The document suggests faculty concerned about a student's writing follow a series of steps: speaking to the student, encouraging the student to seek counseling and involving university administrators.

So what do you think as writing teachers? Do we sacrifice writing freedom for safety? Or do we "follow ... instincts?" Is there some happy middle ground? Are we all too worried about an isolated incident?

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, literacy, writing, violence

August Blogger of the Month Part II: YackPack

2007-08-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

This is a very nifty application. How might you use this in your classroom?

Thanks, Wes Fryer!

Attention all Kindergarten (and primary) Math Teachers

2007-08-17T13:01:00.001-07:00

Need an online, collaborative math idea for your kindergarten students? Here is a post for primary school teachers (mostly K) from the Class Blogmeister List Serve:

I am looking for teachers to add to a Math Trail wiki for kindergarten students. Each month a new problem will be posted that can be investigated in your school, playground, or surrounding neighborhood. Teachers will lead the investigation with their students and add their data to the wiki. At the end of the month teachers can go to the wiki with their students to make comparisons and conclusions about the problem of the month. Email me with your questions or ideas for future investigations.

This is the link to the Wiki
http://kindermathtrails.wikispaces.com

She already has the first math problem posted. Expect more great things to show up on this wiki!

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, txbwp, math, classblogmeister

Social Bookmarking in Plain English

2007-08-17T11:44:00.001-07:00

Lee Lefever and the folks at Common Craft Blog have added yet another (insert term here) in Plain English video to the series. This time they take on social bookmarking. Janelle showed you Furl. I use Del.icio.us for my own browsers. They are both great.

Social Bookmarking in Plain English shows you how to use Del.icio.us to tackle your favorites so they are easy to sort through, share with others, and even access from any internet connection.

These are great tools to share with students that do any type of research, so do not think it is just for you. My middle school students loved using it for collaborating on Model United Nations research.

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, commoncraft, del.icio.us, txbwp

Podcasting

2007-08-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a EdTech Talk Webcast on Podcasting. It was interesting to hear advantages of podcasting not only in terms of students but also for teachers along the lines of professional development. It also features some great information from Wes Fryer. See his notes on podcasting here.

Phonics Posters

2007-08-14T10:31:00.001-07:00

For those of you in the lower grades (and maybe some ESL), here is a site from Adrian Bruce. He has posters for phonics. These would make great printouts for the walls around your class. I am sure you creative types can find even better uses for them. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, phonics, TXBWP

Blogger of the Month- August Part 1...Did you know?

2007-08-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

Check out this video by Karl Fisch.

Wow, think about it. What shift are we talking about here? What does this mean for us as teachers? How can we prepare our students for this? How can we prepare ourselves?

Please join the discussion.

RSS Review

2007-08-14T06:16:00.001-07:00

David Warlick is doing a presentation in Florida this week and has posted his notes for it. He has one section on RSS with several article links and a few slideshows. I thought it might help those of you who were in the Summer Institute and set up Bloglines accounts and/or blogs.

Agenda for Thursday, August 9th

2007-08-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

I. Introductions (9:00-9:15)

II. Log – Heather Haagen (9:15-9:30)

III. Invitation to Write – Kia Greenwood (9:30-10:00)

IV. Teaching Demonstration #1 – Pat Huster (10:00-10:45)

V. Bluebonnet Writing Project Showcase (10:45-11:15)

Group 1: Pat Huster, Leslie Hancock, Sugey Villareal, and Christina Castruita
Group 2: Jolyn Redden, Heather Haagen, and Rachell Boyd
Group 3: Lourdes Perez, Kia Greenwood, Christine Kohl, and Dianna Trang
Group 4: Ginny Thomas and Sherry Neaves

VI. Teaching Demonstration #2 – Ginny Thomas (11:15-12:00)

VII. Time permitting… SI Voicethread Sharing – Janelle Quintans Bence

Aloha Bluebonnets!

2007-08-08T03:02:00.000-07:00

I have a journal post on my blog I'd like to share with you. Have a great day everyone. It is so strange that I am just going to bed as you all are just waking up! Yes, Janelle, I stayed up late (midnight) exploring new technology as well!

Check this out....

2007-08-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

What do you think about this? Share your thoughts...

SI 06 Lit Reviews as examples

2007-07-31T09:29:00.000-07:00

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 :)

Books That Help Kids Cope

2007-07-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

Ecologies072407.pdf

Which one are you?

2007-07-26T08:47:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-26T08:46:00.001-07:00

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

Furl It: Another Digital Data Management System

2007-07-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

http://www.furl.net

Get Started · Furl Features · Latest Headlines · Most Popular · Others' Archives · Tell a Friend

An easier way to save and share your online discoveries.

With Furl, you can:

Find Web sites that others have Furled
Save a copy of any web page with one click
Share anything you've Furled -- or keep it private

Furl also lets you store and organize all of your bookmarks.

Start Furling Now!

Data Managment Systems to Support Collection of Your LIt Review Research

2007-07-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

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

Reminders for Reviewing the Literature.

2007-07-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

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
Jeannine Hirtle & Robin McGrew-Zoubi, Sam Houston State University, USA; Christopher Scofield, St. Martin's University, USA

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
Hirtle Jeannine, The University of Texas at Arlington, USA; Kelly Frankum, Icenhower Middle School, USA; Janelle Quintans, North Dallas High School, USA

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
Jeannine Hirtle, The University of Texas at Arlington, USA

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
Robin McGrew-Zoubi, Hollis Lowery-Moore & Jeannine S. Hirtle, Sam Houston State University, USA

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
Jeannine Hirtle, The University of Texas at Arlington, USA

View Abstract/Citation

Default User.com: Preparing Preservice Teachers for Constructivist Classrooms
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) 2000:1
Robin McGrew-Zoubi & Jeannine Hirtle, Sam Houston State University, USA

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
Peter Cooper & Jeannine Hirtle, Sam Houston State University, USA

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
Peter A. Cooper & Jeannine S. Hirtle, Sam Houston State University, USA; Larry Walker, Oak Ridge High School, USA

View Abstract/Citation

A Constructivist Approach To Technology Literacy For Preservice Teachers
Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) 1999:1
Peter A. Cooper & Jeannine S. Hirtle, Sam Houston State University, USA

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
Kelly Frankum, The University of Texas at Arlington, USA

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
Jeannine Hirtle & Robin McGrew-Zoubi, Sam Houston State University, USA; Christopher Scofield, St. Martin's University, USA

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
Jeannine Hirtle, The University of Texas at Arlington, USA

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

OR recommendation by Janelle tryFURL IT! http://www.furl.net/

Get Started · Furl Features · Latest Headlines · Most Popular · Others' Archives · Tell a Friend

An easier way to save and share your online discoveries.

With Furl, you can:

Find Web sites that others have Furled
Save a copy of any web page with one click
Share anything you've Furled -- or keep it private

Furl also lets you store and organize all of your bookmarks.

Start Furling Now!

Today's Popular Items

The Bluebonnets Visit River Legacy

2007-07-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

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

Online Videos by Veoh.com

River Legacy Experience

2007-07-24T04:52:00.002-07:00

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 :)

Signature Recipes

2007-07-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

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

Daily Work on Reviewing the Literature

2007-07-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

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

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

Report on T Cubed Webcast

2007-07-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-22T15:39:00.001-07:00

jeannine_river_legacy.ppt

Our Flickr Slideshow from TM07

2007-07-21T14:31:00.001-07:00

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

Technorati Tags: tm07, Scott_S_Floyd, TXBWP

Quote of the Day

2007-07-20T09:46:00.001-07:00

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.

Technorati Tags: blogging, David_Warlick, quotes, authenticity, literacy, information_literacy, Scott_S_Floyd, TXBWP

Students Teaching Teachers

2007-07-20T09:35:00.001-07:00

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.

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, TXBWP, Teachers_Teaching_Teachers, Paul_Allison, teaching

My Wiki Lies Over the Ocean

2007-07-20T09:28:00.001-07:00

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.

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, wikis, TXBWP, TM07

CEUS for Technology Compliments of Capt. Computer

2007-07-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-19T12:44:00.001-07:00

Post your analysis here please.

Don't forget the wikis!

2007-07-19T12:10:00.001-07:00

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):

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, wikis, video, TXBWP

RSS in Plain English

2007-07-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-19T07:26:00.001-07:00

Dianna's Haikus from River Legacyhttp://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

VoiceThread

2007-07-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-18T02:02:00.000-07:00

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.

Suggested Homework for Tuesday, July 17, 2007

2007-07-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

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

July 18, 2007

2007-07-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-17T10:22:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

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

Teaching Demonstration

2007-07-17T05:22:00.002-07:00

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 :)

July 16th Reading UPDATE!

2007-07-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

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

Teaching Demos

2007-07-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

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)

2007-07-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

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

Back Home

2007-07-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

Lesson Plan for Back Home Backhomejeanninesteachingdemo.doc

Teaching Demonstration Response Protocols

2007-07-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-15T17:22:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

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

lesson_template.doc

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

Since You Asked

2007-07-14T19:37:00.001-07:00

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.

Technorati Tags: Scott_S_Floyd, Bloglines, blogs, blogging

Homework, Thursday, July 12, 2007

2007-07-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-12T12:46:00.001-07:00

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:

K-12 Online Conference 2007

Exploding the Moment (Based on Barry Lane)

2007-07-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

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

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

2007-07-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

Post your "cracked" sentences here as comments.

SI Forecast Podcast

2007-07-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-12T07:14:00.001-07:00

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 11th Homework

2007-07-11T12:48:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

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)

2007-07-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

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: Reading at Home

2007-07-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

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

Teacher as Reasearcher

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

2007-07-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

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.

Texas Bluebonnet Writing Project Blog

Aloha Bluebonnets

Barbara Ganley's Sessions at TXBWP MidWinter

Mid Winter Conference

The Learning Ecology of Authors' Workshop Blogging

Joyce Jacobs - Bibliotherapy Teaching Demonstration

MidWinter Conference is upon us!

Online Photo Sharing in Plain English

Art and the Art of Writing

BGBlogging is coming to BWP's Mid-Winter Conference!

My Favorite Photographs of 2007

Top Web 2.0 Tools for ESL/EFL and More

Google Reader and Sharing the Love

Why have a blog?

Now SnagIt is free!

Camtasia for FREE!!

NCTE 2007 Presentation... The Ecology of Learning a la Web 2.0

Persistent Pondering

Can you ToonDoo?

Beautiful Belize

Free VoiceThread Pro Account for Educators

In Some Schools, iPods Are Required Listening

Check out this book - it is a must read!

Why do you blog?

More Ideas with VoiceThread

Digital Storytelling with VoiceThread

We're here!

Free. Quality. Self-selected. Your pace. Your place.

Oh My Gosh!!! This site is awesome!

The Bump

Science Practice

August Blogger of the Month Part III: Teacher Appreciation

Try out Animoto!

Violence in Writing

August Blogger of the Month Part II: YackPack

Attention all Kindergarten (and primary) Math Teachers

Social Bookmarking in Plain English

Podcasting

Phonics Posters

Blogger of the Month- August Part 1...Did you know?

RSS Review

Agenda for Thursday, August 9th

Aloha Bluebonnets!

Check this out....

SI 06 Lit Reviews as examples

Books That Help Kids Cope

Finding Article Resources

Beyond Constructivism: Pete's Presentation on Ecologies of Learning

Which one are you?

Innovator's Dilemma: Discussion

The Innovator's Dilemma

Furl It: Another Digital Data Management System

An easier way to save and share your online discoveries.

Start Furling Now!

Data Managment Systems to Support Collection of Your LIt Review Research

Pete's Learning Ecology Presentation

Reminders for Reviewing the Literature.

An easier way to save and share your online discoveries.

Start Furling Now!

The Bluebonnets Visit River Legacy

River Legacy Experience

Signature Recipes

Daily Work on Reviewing the Literature

Invitation to Presentation for River Legacy and Teaching Demonstration

Response to Teaching Demonstration

Adopted New 19 TAC

Chapter 110. TEKS for English Language Arts and Reading

Subchapter A. Elementary

Subchapter B. Middle School

Subchapter C. High School

Report on T Cubed Webcast

BWP SI 07 at River Legacy

Our Flickr Slideshow from TM07

Quote of the Day

Students Teaching Teachers

My Wiki Lies Over the Ocean

CEUS for Technology Compliments of Capt. Computer

Analyzing Articles from Working Toward Equity

Don't forget the wikis!

RSS in Plain English