Blogging About Blogs

Even though we already had to read the selection from Beers, Probst, and Rief by Kajder in Kristen’s class, it was nice to revisit it after having time to reflect on our technology classes that we had last semester.   Integrating technology into the classroom is a great idea to get students to engage in something that is worthwhile to them, but I sometimes feel as if I have so many different resources that I’ve learned about and it can get kind of overwhelming.  Not only does using technology interesting and exciting for students, it is a tool that they need for success in the future.  Just today I was putting the final touches on my resume and cover letter to send them in to an employer.  But no, this wasn’t the type of sending that you slap a stamp on and make sure you write the correct address on using ALL CAPS. This whole applying for jobs process has moved online, much like a lot of resources and processes.    

I like the idea of weblogs.  Much like facebook, this is a space where a student creates an identity that they want internet-users and blog visitors to perceive of them.  That being said, upkeep and awareness of what and how the student writes will be important factors to the student.  Giving students ownership of an identity that will be visible to more than just the teacher’s eyes will be more inviting than the traditional paper-based essays that only the teacher sees.  I would also encourage student blogs to be a space where they share more than just academic postings.  I want to have my students create a blog identity that they can take ownership over and are proud of, and to me, this means allowing for students to share that individuality by posting whatever they want (school approps) when they feel they have insights to share.  I recently told my boyfriend that I have a blog. After a little chuckle and a roll of the eyes he finally admitted he wanted to read some of my postings.  After finishing, he said, “Nicole, you’re kind of funny on this thing!”  Needless to say, he was really impressed by my blogging skills and my ability to portray a sort of blogging persona.  I’ve known this kid for three years, and here he was learning something new about me that I was good at. I can only imagine what doors this would open for a student. 

Blogs also create more of a dialogue, whereas paper essays are finished as soon as the bell rings.  Students can comment on the thoughts of their classmates and analyze other opinions. No longer is it just the teacher that is doing the teaching, students can teach each other in a mode that they are comfortable using and that is relevant to their success in the future.  In this class, (and in Rick Beach's class in the past) I enjoy reading what my classmates have to say about the topics we are talking about in class. They challenge me to expand and rethink my own opinions, and I think some of the most valuable things I have learned in this program have come from my cohort members' mouths... You masterminds, you:)

Unfortunately, my excitement for using technology takes a little jab when I think about student access to these tools.  After talking with students at Edison, it would be safe for me to say that not all of them have access to a computer at home.  Blogging kind of loses its effect when the students are brought into the media center and forced to write in the 45-minute slot they have with me. This is where technology can be an issue because as a teacher, we cannot assume that everyone has access to the tools we are requiring them to use. 

I came across this gentleman's blog and he gives some really awesome sites for integrating technology into writing classes. Take a look!

Another day, another post.

In working with students, it is so important to ask the right kinds of questions to get them thinking about their thoughts and opinions- or in the case of writing, their work- without giving them the answers that the teacher thinks are correct.  This is why I liked Atwell’s reading on conferences.  It was simple and straightforward, just how I like it.  Atwell’s work gave names to the type of strategies I see Tara and Elizabeth using at Edison, and they proved their worthiness to me as I work at the Minneapolis Writing Project at the Young Writers Conference. Today, at MWP, the students worked on their piece drawing from inspiration they have acquired while at the Bell Museum.  During quiet writing time, I offered that if the students would like to talk to me about their work that I would be more than happy to do so. Three of the five students wanted to talk with me. However, I unfortunately only got to the first student.  Although I had read this article this morning before going to the Bell Museum, and was excited about potentially using some of its tactics, the space provided did not allow for the particular one that would have been helpful.  Atwell suggests going to the student’s desk to do a writing conference because if they come to you, it may be difficult to get rid of them (I mean that in the nicest way possible).  I found this to be true today at the conference. Seated at a table with the five students surrounding afforded no opportunity for me to circulate. Although I was completely content discussing Eleanor’s paper, it was hard for me to move on because there was nowhere else for me to go. At Edison, I see Elizabeth and Tara doing these types of conferences and I am excited to have this strategy in my toolbox! Leigh, since you are my blog partner and I know you will be reading this, I find this a good opportunity to tell you how good you are guiding students through asking open ended questions that allow for the students to elaborate and expand on their thoughts with more than just a “yes” or “no.” Kudos to you! Sometimes I feel that I may ask students questions that are too closed-ended or leading.  I was happy to see Atwell list some of the questions that would be helpful in dealing with me closed-ended question conundrum.

I also really appreciated VanDeWeghe's article (mostly because his last name is fun to type) because he touched on a point that I think some teachers fail to realize all too often--that students know how to critique and give useful feedback on peer papers.  At Edison on Monday, the students were to write down their thesis statements in regards to an essay question on "Lord of the Flies" on a a worksheet and pass it to a partner who then had to check off that it contained certain phrases or words. Included at the bottom was a space for students to leave any other comments--and they were told that this was mandatory.  The check off boxes went well, it obviously wasn't that difficult to see if their partner's  thesis contained the words "Lord of the Flies, book or novel, William Golding, Imagery and Mood" but I found that the comments that students wrote in the space at the bottom were things such as "Good Job" (with a smiley face and heart next to it, of course) or "You forgot the word Imagery."  The comments were never specific to the content.  I wonder, though, is this due to lack of understanding on how to critique, or just laziness? I think that peer editing is only effective when you have a committed editor that is genuinely concerned about the success of another students paper, rather than being concerned with getting it over with.  Your thoughts???

Here's a cool link that I am totally jacking from Jack (haha). He showed me this yesterday in Tracey's class--it has a Teaching Writing sub tab that includes a plethora of teacher-suggested activities for writing! Check it out!

Resource!

I forgot to include a resource in my last post!

I spoke about peer review sessions not being used effectively and efficiently. Here is a resource from ReadWriteThink on what resources to give students during peer review as well as teacher resources for what they should go over with student regarding peer review!

Here's the link!

Post Three!

Harper touches on the importance of revision and the fact that few students actually know what it means/how to do it.  I see this to be very true in looking at my past experiences in high school and undergrad.  In high school, peer review sessions were always a time to chitchat.  In college when I did them in my Spanish classes, they became a time of anxiety; not quite understanding what your partner wrote but being too ashamed to admit to it.  I agree with Harper that we need to give our students the tools to understanding how to revise. I really loved the snapshot tool and the visual representation that Harper gave her students to understand how to add more detail to a scene that didn’t just include adding more adjectives.  To be honest, I can definitely see this technique affecting my future writings! I think it would also be beneficial to hand students a drab description of a scene and ask them to write down what emotions were evoked during their reading.  Then, to show them the power that an effective description has I would hand them a description in which the writer was showing, not telling.  I would hope that the students would learn that in well-written pieces, the reader can almost feel the emotions of the writer.  Additionally, I like the snapshot tool because sometimes a writer can feel so blocked that it is almost frustrating to describe a particular occasion. Drawing it out gives them another means to describe their experiences without being so focused on coming up with an astonishing word that conveys what they want. 

I think we need to change the mindset of students in what they think revision is.  It’s not-add a couple words, delete this sentence because it is awkward (seriously, what does that even mean?), fix your choice of words-and BAM a perfect piece of written work! Gosh, that even sounds boring to me! Now I see why I just wanted to chat the whole time while we were supposed to be doing “peer revision” in high school! The techniques that Harper talks about even SOUND fun. I would really enjoy reading some one else’s paper searching for moments that they can expand on, and, as a writer, I would love to hear that feedback—much more than I would love to hear that my sentence is awkward.

I also really liked Fulwiler’s article because his first opening sentences got me thinking about how we put limits on the number of drafts a student’s work includes. Although I completely agree with him that you can’t put a time limit on perfection, I question if students will really be able to take their drafts seriously (no matter how many there are) and eventually turn in a polished piece of work.  Also, when there are standards to fulfill, how do you spend such an enormous amount of time on one piece of writing? Fulwiler also gets into a little bit of what we talked about last week—the importance of not exposing EVERYTHING to the reader in the first paragraph--It made me think of the inductive vs. deductive discussion we had.

Ahh the art of argumentation. What a GREAT way to have students access higher-level thinking! "[Kuhn] believes that thinking as argument reflects 'real-world intelligence' and that 'no other kind of thinking matters more-- or contributes more-- to the quality and fulfillment of people's lives both individually and collectively'"(Dickson 34).  I couldn't agree more.  Being able to present an argument, recognize conflicting sides and still provide evidence as to why one feels the way they do not only accesses higher order thinking, but also reflects the characteristics of an intelligent member in democracy.  However it may be difficult for a teacher to grade arguments that conflict with their own without being biased. I often wonder about grading student writing--For example, what if a student argues something that is just plain wrong. Not wrong in the sense that they didn't provide evidence, but the way of thinking that they created shows hints of racism, sexism, or other such things.  I understand that student voice and opinion is important, but when is it up to the teacher to step in and declare the when something is wrong?  

Drama in the industry

Wow! Who knew the five-paragraph essay was such a controversy?

So what are my thoughts, you ask?  I think that there is a time and a place for the good ol five paragrapher, and also a time and a place for students to step outside the box. Ok, I know I am being extremely diplomatic and nebulous, but seriously, it’s true!  I think that presenting students in middle school with this format will give them a fundamental understanding of how to argue a point, and it also provides a springboard for students to develop and modify this fundamental understanding as they progress through their education. Besides, I suspect that we’d be picking a lot of 11-year-old jaws off the floor if we said to them, “Ok, kids, today we are going to learn about the 13 paragraph essay!”  We don’t tell a beginning runner that they are going to run 10 miles right off the bat; it’s all about the baby steps. 

Is it the number five that is scaring us? Is it putting at definitive number on the amount of paragraphs that an essay has to be? Come on, guys, that’s an easy fix! I think that we need to be lenient on the definition that we give it and on the rigidness of its structure.   In the Wesley article she states, “Students' mere awareness that they must mold a topic to the FPT style inhibits their learning.” While I agree with this statement, I partially think it is because of the way we defining it.  I mean, what if we didn’t put a limit on the amount of paragraphs it should be and we focused on staying clear, and on point?  I can see how the five paragraph essay can be limiting, but I also value a student finding and discerning pertinent information to make an argument. 

Although I think multi-genre papers are great, and offer a chance for students to exercise their creativity, it is not an accepted form of currency here in Collegeville.  I have talked to a number of people that didn’t even know what a mult-genre paper was, let alone were asked to write one in college.  For the simple fact that students are more likely to be expected to write a five paragraph essay-or some variation of it-in college, I think that it would be fruitful to focus on them in high school.  Sorry to be such a buzzkill.