Collaboration Canvas

          When looking for a canvas to remix, I spent some time trying to find something that could easily be transitioned into an English class. As a result, I found the canvas of a history unit on the Russian Revolution. I thought this was a perfect fit because it is important that when students are learning about a historical event they get a chance to see what writers were writing about during that time. Therefore, I expanded on what my classmate had in his history canvas and decided that students can analyze the speeches of the famous Russian leaders of the time (Lenin and Stalin). Then as a counterpart, they could read Animal Farm by George Orwell and see how an author can manipulate (by using a satirical element) the language and the perspective of the citizens.  This novel also shows other world leaders of the time and how their actions were affecting their people.

            I did not remove anything from the original canvas because the canvas did not carry over and I thought the original unit was a great tool for my unit. History and English complement each other very well and can be a great tool for students to see the connection so that they can learn how to organically make the connections in the future.

Remix Canvas

Using Hyperstudio in an English Classroom

            A big part of the Common Core Standards is to get students to participate in discussions and use technology in the classroom. Why not incorporate both into one assignment? Using hyperstudio, a computer software which is used to make visual presentations, would incorporate both standards.  This software allows students to make presentations and then use their voice, or a video of them talking to narrate or to explain what they've created.

            In my class my students can use this resource for creating character analysis presentations. For example, if they are reading a Shakespearean play, they can do a visual presentation on each character. They can find pictures online, or draw their own to create a visual image according to the details and descriptions that the author provides in the play of the character. This way the students can share their presentations and compare each other’s take on the character analysis. Often students find it easier to relate to what their classmates interpret rather than the teacher because their perceptions may be similar.

            If I was teaching middle school, I can have them do their book reports on this software. They would incorporate pictures or visuals of the following: characters, setting, plot, climax, resolution, etc. Then they would narrate each element on their video presentation. They could even include parts where they read episodes from the book that they feel are important to their report. It would be a fun assignment where they get to be creative as a way of introducing to the class the book they read. They can even, if they choose to go outside of the box, create an “advertisement” for that book. They could create a presentation that will “sell” the book to their classmates and get them to read it as well. Then instead of having students present the videos in class, I could post them on the classroom website where each student has to comment on at least three of their classmate’s reports. This is a fun way of getting participation points and giving their classmates positive feedback on their work.  

Check out their website: http://www.mackiev.com/hyperstudio/index.html

Evernote in an English Classroom

             I believe that using Evernote in an English classroom, or any classroom, is a great tool for the students and even for the teacher. My students can use this website as a means of keeping their notes organized and sharing information with their classmates for projects. For example, if they are working on a debate, students can use Evernote as a means of keeping track of their evidence and all members can access this information. There are also different tools on Evernote that students can use to keep statistics and create charts that can also be used for the debate.

            On Evernote, students can keep notebooks, images, graphs, links, etc. There are endless tools that can be used on Evernote and that’s what makes it special. I was first exposed to this website in my co-op’s classroom. Since her classroom is a “paperless” class, she needs to use Evernote for students to keep notes. Students can type up notes while the teacher gives her lesson, and then they can even share their notes with a classmate to make sure they captured the correct information. Evernote makes it easier to share notes because students can just copy and paste the notes and send them to their classmates. This technique would be appropriate if a student was absent or missed class. The students do not need to worry about copying them over or trying to figure out each other’s handwriting. It is a functional tool for students who may have a hard time organizing their notes.

            On the other hand, Evernote can turn some students lazy and unorganized. For example, some students might not take notes and instead expect their classmates to share the notes with them. In this case, I would have to first go over certain rules of using the technology and Evernote. As well as doing a routine notebook check. This will motivate students to keep their notebook up to date and will count as a participation grade. Another issue with Evernote is that it relies on the internet alone. What happens when the internet is down? What if the school does not have a computer for each student, or can’t afford that amount of technology?

Unit Plan Canvas

          Creating the playground canvas was not as hard as I thought. In the beginning, I was confused as to which widget represented what, but once I started creating my canvas it all made sense. The canvas widgets are a great tool for teachers to use and for students to reference before a unit or during a unit.

My unit is on Hamlet by William Shakespeare and throughout the unit students will learn how to analyze text, depict certain elements within the play, and understand Shakespeare’s verbal usage. This unit is for a 12^th grade English class focused on British Literature. In my canvas I have various elements that students can use as an introduction to my unit for Hamlet. I added pictures of the author, different book covers, and of a movie version of Hamlet so that students can have a visual before reading the text. I also added a movie clip of a movie version done in 1990 of Hamlet’s famous speech “To be or not to be”, so that students can have a reference to what the play looks like once it’s actually performed. During the unit the students will have a chance to watch different movie productions of the play so that they can compare and contrast the difference between reading the play and then seeing it live.

http://www.play.annenberginnovationlab.org/play2.0/challenge.php?idChallenge=2239&mode=view#network6

Edmodo in an English Classroom

        I have recently been exposed to the website Edmodo by my cooperating teacher. This website is a great resource for students and teachers. Its interface is similar to Facebook in that the teacher and the students have a profile and there are certain apps you can use for your classroom activities. The teacher can post a “status” on her profile and the students will receive the post. These posts can be anything from homework assignments to links and other resources. The students can then comment on the teacher’s page as well. For example, if the student has a question at home about a homework assignment, they can ask on Edmodo. This way the teacher or other students can answer the student’s questions about their homework.

            There are certain apps on Edmodo that can be used for everyday classroom instruction. For example, there is an app called Storyboard where students can literally create an online story board. It is a very fun app because students can customize the setting background, choose characters and customize their appearance, and then add text bubbles to incorporate writing. This app can be used for students to create comic strips by using dialogue, or create a visual story. Not only is this app an educational promoter for online instruction, but it resembles apps and software’s that students are already familiar with.

            Before being exposed to this sort of technology I was slightly adverse to the use of technology to teach, because I felt that in high school teachers used technology to solely make their lives easier instead of catering to the students needs. But now that I’ve been exposed to it and seen it happen live I think it’s a great idea. The first time I saw students use this app I was astonished by how many students were actually engaged in the lesson. It is really difficult to engage students effectively in a classroom because they are so used to moving around and multi-tasking. However, during this specific lesson 100% of students were engaged because the technology that was being used was not only complementing their learning, but complementing their interests. Our students are born into a world full of technology and start using technological devices at such a young age. So why not cater to them? Witnessing this has changed the way I view the use of technology in education.

Technology & Pedagogy

         I chose this lesson plan because I liked the way it introduced Hamlet to the students. The lesson is a pre-reading lesson and I believe it to be very important to engage the student before reading because this ensures that they dive into the text with interest and not with despise.

        The curriculum goals, teaching strategies, and technologies were aligned. However, the video that is indicated in the lesson explains both critiques of Hamlet as a hero or anti-hero. But the teacher, in the original lesson plan, only wanted students to explore what a hero is. The reason the author of the lesson did that may be because Hamlet is most often portrayed as a tragic hero. However, I changed it so that students had the opportunity to pick which “type” of hero they wanted to use. This way they could see how their classmates interpreted what the video explains.  

        The technology that was already integrated in the lesson plan is a way to show the students that there are multiple critiques to what Hamlet’s heroic qualities embody. This video was essential for them to learn what a hero is made of. However, that was the only technology integrated in the lesson. Therefore, I decided to use the avatar website in order to allow students to further their imagination. This would allow students who are afraid to speak in front of a large group to express themselves through their avatar. They can also create visually what their hero or anti-hero would look like; performing it in class wouldn't give them this opportunity. I also added the smart board because the definitions are really important to use for the rest of the curriculum and having them displayed allows students to see what they originally thought. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhS4CL5Y_Nu3dDkxOUlFeFRFOXVjUExTenV0YU1RdUE&usp=sharing

Using Voki Avatars in an English Classroom

Before writing this blog post, I really did not know what I wanted to write about. Therefore, I Google researched what the latest technologies in teaching were. I came across this website called Voki, on this website students and teachers can create an avatar and give it their own voice

I first came across this innovation through the Lexington Institute website. They had a whole presentation about different technologies available to teach English Language Learners. Even though this is not my concentration, I do believe that students in an English class can benefit from Voki avatars. Students can create their own and give them a voice. This helps students who are shy and do not like to participate, to participate and communicate with the teacher via the Voki avatars. It is also an innovative way to get students to interact in classroom activities. For example, they can create avatars for characters in a novel they've read and then use the “voice” of the avatar to analyze each character. Once they've created their avatars, they can then present in front of the classroom and instead of using their own voice they can use their Voki’s voice.

Voki’s are also a good way to get to know students. The teacher can create her own avatar and use the avatar to show her interests, expectations of students, and even create lessons. She can then have each of her students create their own Voki and then they can interact with each other on the website. Each student personalizes their avatar; therefore, the teacher can capture each of her student’s interests through their own creation of themselves. Also if the teacher is going to be absent, she can create a lesson through her avatar and the students can all join in and participate. This enables the teacher to be “present” even though she is technically not.

Creating Voki’s is a very interesting way of getting students interested in the material of your content and in your class. It will give them a different view of what learning is. These avatars help them understand things in a non-traditional way.

Resources:

http://www.lexingtoninstitute.org/library/resources/documents/Education/TechnologyInnovations.pdf

www.voki.com