Challenges for Writing Teachers

In the article, Challenges for Writing Teachers, Herrington and Moran explain that teenagers are not only reading/writing printed text, but also email, text messaging, and online gaming.  While this statement has the date 2005 following it, we can now add online social networking, blogs, and the never ending world of the internet.  While there is a benefit of students reading and writing more than in the past, because there are abbreviations and different slang being used, is it really benefiting them academically?  There have been times when students use these abbreviations or terms in papers or other work in the classroom, so we as teachers need to make sure that they understand it is not “proper” language for classwork unless it is appropriate for an online project using a teach web 2.0 site. 

I definitely agree that teachers should be using technology in the classroom.  And not just by using computers or projectors.  We need to be using relevant videos, blogs, wikis, images, and more to maximize their exposure to resources they can learn from.

I agree with the quote included of Kathleen Yancey; “Writers use digital technology to write… Helping writers develop fluency and competence in a variety of technologies is a key part of teaching writing in this country” (7).  We should be weaving technology into our writing classes and be using portfolios in order to assess the students improvement, not solely an on-demand writing assessment.

As a student having learned about more technologies than I knew about before this class, I am excited to teach my students about them and show them how to use them.  I feel that I have grown as a writer and reader by responding on this blog; something I wouldn’t have done without it the guidance of my professor.  I can’t wait to pass on the knowledge to my students!

Georgia Standards and school district sites

Many websites can be found on the internet to be used as a resource for the classroom or as a tool to educate yourself as a teacher.

The Georgia Standards site is a great place to find resources and videos, as well as the Georgia Performance Standards.  Videos for English/Language Arts can be found to show ideas for teaching an 8th grade Expository Writing Lesson or a Response to Literature Writing.

The Cobb County School District and Cherokee County School District websites have technology policies and district-level digital and online resources.  Both school districts place importance on integrating technology into their students’ education.

The da Vinci Academy creates instruction to be interdisciplinary, and with an emphasis on international education, world languages, and technology.  This type of learning supports developing a lifelong learner and contributing citizen to society.  The article states, “It is the goal of The da Vinci Academy to instill in young people lifelong intellectual curiosity and commitment to learning by building an extraordinary educational foundation on their strengths and interests.”  Hopefully this is the goal for all educators!

Podcasts

Other people’s thoughts and experience can help us become better teachers.  Podcasts give us the opportunity to be in their classroom learning from them, without actually being in the classroom.

The Teachers’ Podcast: The New Generation of Ed Tech Professional Development is an audio podcast that provides news, views, research and resources teachers can use in their own classroom.  It is a place for educational resources and professional learning.

TechTalk4Teachers – A Podcast For Teachers About Teaching, Learning, and Technology  is for educators wanting to keep up with the latest advances in educational technologies and their practical applications in classrooms.

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing is a useful audio podcast for teachers and students alike.   In under five minutes, you’ll get a fun and friendly dose of writing advice. Grammar Girl covers everything from punctuation and grammar to style and voice.

CNN Student News is a great video podcast for students.  CNN Student News utilizes CNN’s worldwide resources to bring each day’s top news stories to middle and high school classrooms. The 10-minute, commercial-free program encourages student participation and provides classes with context for understanding current events.  This is important because most of our students aren’t paying attention to what is happening around them.

I look forward to learning from these podcasts and using them in my classroom to teach my students!

Making a difference!

Dr. Tim Tyson used digital integration at Mabry Middle School and now assists schools and school districts in empowering students, parents, teachers, and administrative staff through technology.  The site, now archived as an example of best practices, was self-sustaining and kept active by every staff member.  MabryOnline.org is really a collection of about 100 blogs that include podcasts, video, pdfs of class work on the interactive whiteboards, homework assignments, review activities, learning extension activities, etc.

While the principal at Mabry, he and the faculty strived for educators to move to meaningful significant connectedness in becoming a contribution for the students. 

In his Keynote Presentation video, I love Dr. Tyson’s statement of, “Why do we want to stick it on the bulletin board when we can share it with the world?…  What do our students have to say that is so important for the world to hear?”  This gives our students an opportunity to have a voice and take pride in their work, while learning that they matter and can make a difference.  They will keep learning and keep working hard to be authentic in their work.  This type of project will be meaningful and memorable to students because it is something they are truly interested in learning about.  For example, the 7th graders film “Frankengenes” shows that they are truly interested in educating themselves, as well as others about the unknowns of today’s food.  It definitely educated me and what I should be aware of when buying food.

I am truly impressed that these young students ar so creative, knowledgeable, and talented to make these films!  It shows that any of our students can do this if we are willing to teach them and let them explore!

Wikipedia is Wicked!

Compared to Encyclopedia Americana and Britannica.com, Wikipedia wins first place for the most cumulative and extensive resource. It provides several categories of information for each particular entry including pictures, maps, external links, resources, and more! In fact, it offers hyperlinks that are easily accessed if a reader has a question about a particular term. Even though Britannica. com is online, it is not as current; it was last updated four years ago! Wikipedia, on the other hand, was last edited four days ago!

As a lover of books, it is getting easier to forgo the familiar paper pages of the encyclopedia for the bright light and knowledge of wikis!  Who knew?!

Wiki-Wiki… What?!?

I’m not sure when it started but every time I entered a search word into the Google bar, Wikipedia was the first link to knowledge.  It wasn’t until this past week that I finally know what it means… besides being a free encyclopedia (which I knew), anyone can edit it!  I honestly had no idea.

Richardson explains Wikipedia as, “From the hands of people just like us with the concept that everyone together is smarter than anyone alone… Each entry is the group’s best effort, not any one person’s” (57).  I can definitely agree that this concept is important to teach our students.  I’m already a fan and using this always up-to-date site to learn from is a great resource.  And to watch students contribute their findings to Wikipedia would be a great lesson for the entire class!

I believe that using a wiki in my classroom would be beneficial to all. Collaborative work is important for learning and for teaching, as well as making the students feel as though they had a voice and contributed to the class.  I also like the idea of using this with other teachers; both at my school and from other places.  If we use each others knowledge and resources, we can only grow into better students and teachers.

Top 10 Things You Didn’t Learn about Teaching in College

Enjoy!

Cambodia, here I come!

                    

On July 22nd, I will be flying 22 hours to Cambodia with a team from Buckhead Church.  We will be spending a week with kids that live at an New Life Missions Ministry Orphanage in Phnom Penh.  We will be holding a Vacation Bible Camp for the kids with the “Superhero” theme.

The founder of New Life Missions is Pastor Vek.  He wrote a book Ordeal in Cambodia in which he describes the horror he and his family lived thru when the Khmer Rouge took over.  There are several reasons he shouldn’t have survived but the repeating theme of God intervening shows that there was more to come.  He has three orphanages in Cambodia and gives children a loving home where they know Christ’s love.

I can’t wait to see what I will learn in Cambodia because any experience with kids is an experience that makes me a better person and essentially a better teacher!

My First Video Debut

In 2006, I was in this video for the promotion of Passion Conferences.  I never thought in a million years that I would ever attend something like this… you couldn’t have paid me a million dollars.

A totally amazing experience… one that changed my life and I will never forget.

Me…

A classmate in 2006 wrote this about me…

…”whose heartbeat is a love song for her Savior, who knows love and translates divine wisdom into a smile…” -Chris Martin