Shifting Literacies – A Learning Conversation February 21, 2009
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Conference Sessions.trackback
http://colearning.wikispaces.com/Shifting+Literacies–A+Learning+Conversation
Make use of the discussion tab on the wiki to collect the back-channel.
Starts with a change on the part of the teacher, shifting from teaching classes to teaching students. The next step was teaching critical thinking. Staff development (pedagogy and methodology) on 21st Century Learners set the stage for the conversation that allowed for the shift to happen. Once you take this on, the classroom becomes transformational and the students won’t want to go back.
Examples of the tools, and more importantly, why they are used.
* Blogs – Extending the classroom, writing experiences, growing the audience, removing barriers between classes, grades, borders, age groups. Blogs are asynchronous, so time is a different challenge (time zones instead of bell schedule). Take opportunities when they happen to learn about what is appropriate or not instead of just removing the outlet. Fishbowling – inner circle participates face-to-face, outer circle reflects, live-blogs, also called back-channel (http://smith9h0708.blogspot.com/2007/10/fahrenheit-fishbowl-25-40-period-2.html) 238 comments from the fishbowl on a blog, or use coveritlive, moderated by the group because they establish the conversation norms previous to the class.
Practice parts (tools) before they are used independently. Captured fish-bowls provide evidence to assess after the conversation. Reflection is also important, posted publicly so they can respond to each others’ reflections. All students are added to tbe blog with ability to post. Scribe posts are done on laptops and students ‘post’ the notes or work of the class for that day. Students sign up ahead of time so all dates are covered.
Personal learning networks replace book reports. Set up Google Reader with feeds from the world around them. Students reflect on the feeds in their reader on their own blog with reporting out to the class on Fridays. Example of students raising funds to help a school in another country as a result of a response by a student to a feed about a school with a tire iron to call students in to class.
* Wikis – Previously organized around a central question for each book. How to capture every student instead of just those interested in the question posed by the teacher? The questions have to come from the students. Shifted from a question to a personal philosophy statement and the use of a wiki. PPS is an idea from a student that they truely believe in. Can be from anything, a book, movie, or whatever.
PPS becomes lens to view any contenct for the class. Seed PPS development with broad philosophical statements. Example of a student (photorapher) who experienced difficulty with reading and writing, but communicated through visual expressions. First page of each students’ wiki is an explanation of their PPS. Previously contained in a notebook. Wiki page with a letter to the reader about the PPS. Page about text connections. Page for a creative project expressing their PPS. Wikis added to throughout the year.
Not much technology teaching. Can be done as a collection in one wiki, or each student keeping their own wiki. Can be used as a bridge for Internet Safety. School working toward cross-curricular opportunities. Elementary teacher uses these tools with third through fifth graders. Make use of stdents as teachers when there is a need to show how to do something technical with the tool.
The PPS is done along with formal (traditional) assignments. Rubric evaluation didn’t really fit whit PPS. Used 10 minute individual interviews with students. Discussed positives, opportunities for improvement. Conference with every student 3-4 times each semester, minimum of once each semester. Conferences (mandatory) come at the end of the semester, option conferences at any time.
Create a free edublog to get your own comment avatar (and more!)
Comments»
no comments yet - be the first?