Digital Learning Reflection

Digital Learning Reflection on Prezi

Photo Project

I am still working on Crime and Punishment with my English 10H class. This week, I am making them get out of their comfort zone by being creative, but not with writing.

I tasked them to create a picture that represents a theme of the book, not a scene, through computer software, such as Photoshop or the free program GIMP. They would have to use at least three pictures to make up their original, final picture. In class students are unable to use a computer, download this program, or struggle with it, I am also allowing them to use scissors and glue to make their piece.

I gave them this presentation to explain the basic features and functions of GIMP, since it is a free program that it fully loaded. Feel free to borrow/modify it if you want to try something different.

This project is due Monday May 7th. I will update and share their reflections and possibly some of their artwork!

I made my class use Prezi

In my English 10H class, we are reading Crime and Punishment. In order to give students context to this expansive book, I had groups of students explore people, concepts, and historical events related to, but outside of the story. They had to make a 10 minute presentation. And I asked them to try Prezi.

None of them had tried this tool yet, but they really got a kick out of my demonstration and all attempted it. I explained the value of having a tool where multiple people could work on it and not have to worry about only having it saved in one place. For those who were having difficulty or frustration, I implored them to try Google Docs presentations, so they could get a similar experience of having something they could work on simultaneously and saved in a "cloud."

Most of the presentations have gone, and they have been really great to watch. I asked them to reflect on the Prezi process, and most said it was somewhat frustrating, especially with the schools laptops having low quality trackpads making it difficult to use. Despite this, most said they would try it again and saw the value of having a more involved presentation tool.

So find some way to squeeze it into your class. I highly recommend it.

Just use Prezi

Today, I had the need to teach using some direct instruction before letting the students work in groups on projects. I borrowed some material from my CT, and I made a Prezi. Seeing the results and interest from the students I cannot recommend this enough.

While PowerPoint and other presentation software used to be and exciting change from overhead projectors, they lack the excitement and inherent engagement they had in the past. They zooming effects of Prezi, set to a picture of the Crab Nebula, got students "oohing" and "ahhing" a somewhat dull topic. They even laughed when the big picture was revealed, and I made the pun- now you can write thesis statements that are out of this world. You may view it here. English teachers, feel free to steal/adapt.

So use it. Go to the website and play around with the blank template. (The remanufactured templates don't leave much room for customization.) This is no so much instructions, though I could make those, rather this is a technology recommendation, a tech-ommendation, if you will.

Exponential Laziness?

One of the things I debate as an English teacher is the use of SparkNotes, or simliar book summary products. While they are not a substitute for reading the novel, I can see the value as a review tool and a way to revisit something already read.


Videos and film also have mixed, though mostly negative, impressions as an educational tool. It is a shame, but not my argument in this post.

I bring this up because I just found this.

Video.
SparkNotes.
Video SparkNotes! My brain is struggling to cope with this.

In less than 10-minutes a viewer can passively absorb a text. At the moment there are nearly two dozen of these summaries. I am still reviewing these cultural phenomenon, so I will not pass swapping judgement of their usefulness.

As it is, SparkNotes are typically a tool for students who do not want to read. Now Video SparkNotes can enable kids who are too lazy to read the SparkNotes!

I will be the first person to defend appropriate use of video of films in class and the validity of the artfulness of the medium. But this has some unsettling implications. Can you reduce Romeo and Juliet to a 9 minute and 18 second clip and still appreciate the value of the story? Probably not. Viewers may get the gist of the plot, but they miss the heart of the story: the themes, the linguistic intricacies, and the build-up that make this a classic piece of literature.

They may be a good tool for review, but there is no way to regulate that. To allow students to savor the creations of these great authors requires, I need to employ thoughtful instruction on how to approach a piece and look for more than plot. This is a call for attention as to how to get student to appreciate a novel in a world where tl;dr* is becoming a ubiquitous term. (*too long, didn't read)

EDSS 531 Journal #5

•Looking back at your teaching last semester, what did you discover about the needs of students in your classes? What kinds of “needs” surfaced that surprised you?

•To what degree do you think you really understand the needs of your students? How wide is the “gap” between them and you?

•What might have surfaced in the reading or in your teaching (about the realities of students’ needs) that triggered a negative response in you? Try to identify why this response was triggered and how it relates to your biases.

The two things that come to mind are: students need to write more and students need to know class in an environment to take chances and make mistakes in the process of learning. Writing is something that is learned by doing and receiving feedback. It is about taking chances and pushing oneself. This relates to my second concern. I am surprised that students are so concerned looking for the one right answer or are afraid of being wrong that they do not make attempts in the creative process.

This is a difficult thing to teach because I cannot get caught up in my thoughts on a piece that I squash the chances of a student formulating their own thoughts. And when they do, I have to be positive and constructive so that if what they said was not completely accurate, they can learn without being afraid of trying again in the future.

I have thought about these things and I will take more thought, observations, and experience until I get a better understanding of their needs. Through college, writing has become a natural process and I have elevated my skills in this area. While I want to hold high expectations to motivate the students, I need to “recalibrate” my thoughts on writing levels in high school versus college.

In all subject areas, there is a difference between the levels of work in high school and college. I have been accustomed to one way, but high school students are not at this level. It was a stark realization, but it comes with the duty as a teacher to get them to this level. I had to confront the notion that adolescence today are less capable of critical thinking because of the Internet and television. Fundamentally, they are no less capable than any other generation, it is a matter of presenting them with relevant and engaging challenges to inspire this activity.

I also recognize that in the 6 years since I was in high school, culture and generations have changes, so I do not know everything about student academic, emotional, physical, and social needs. But with this knowledge, I can be open and receptive to there needs as they arise so that I can respond. I do not know everything, but this is not an invitation not to try. Rather it is a challenge to help every unique student.

EDSS 531 Journal #4

What are your biases and how do you mitigate your behavior when working with students?

This is a difficult question. I am not sure how to answer it without sounding either insincere and oblivious or ignorant and prejudiced. I do not know if I could discern and post specific examples, but I know I have a limited perspective as a young white male. Growing up in a primarily white middle-class area outside of Buffalo. My high school consisted of the same demographics, thus I grew comfortable with people like myself.

In California, things are much different. There is more diversity, which I have tried to actively open myself up to, but this process will never be complete. Every student, parent, and colleague I work with is a unique person who has a perspective different than my own. These are the things I need to keep in mind, not surface judgements and assumptions.