RCWP Tech AI 2008 - Recently Updated Pages

Richardson Book Review

johnbishop19 — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:26:06 CST

Richardson Book Review

As our writing project tech team, “The Army of Dorkness,” began experimenting with technology via Web 2.0 tools, we (somewhat ironically) chose a powerful little book to help ground and guide us--Will Richardson's Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Tools for Classrooms. This choice emerged from our familiarity with Richardson's blog at weblogg-ed.com and his bi-weekly podcasts at edtechcoasttocoast.com, both which contribute to his notoriety and somewhat guru status among “techies.” For those of us new to the world of wikis and other online tools, Richardson's book provides a pragmatic and accessible description of the "Read-Write Web." Richardson explores both the tools and the potential impact these tools have for our classrooms, our teaching and society at large.

In the early days of our tech team, many expressed varying levels of skepticism towards Web 2.0. Some of this grew from a fear that these tools might be inherently unsafe for young learners, some from a difficulty to re-imagine the way learning and classroom teaching might look with new tools, and even from theoretical and ideological stances that position technology with potential to further homogenize class structure and reproduce consumer culture. This skepticism worked in our favor however, generating inquiry among a group that included elementary school teachers, a Montessori kindergarten teacher, a middle school Special Ed teacher, doctoral students in the field of language and literacy education, a high school history and psychology teacher, and a writing project university professor. As we ventured further into the book and our own explorations, we began to key in on what we considered one of Richardson’s main points: technology brings with it the possibility of collaboration, construction of knowledge, and empowerment through self-publishing. In other words, enthusiasm grew as our apprehension lessened, or as Richardson wrote, "the tools discussed in this book have just as much chance of closing the gap as widening it" (p. 7).

For our team, Richardson's argument that we can no longer deny the far-reaching impacts of technology on our literacy practices was indeed compelling. First, Richardson argues that although Web 2.0 "may not seem well suited to a climate of standardized test scores and government accountability," pedagogies that foster literacy competencies related to understanding of digital communications and social networking will better prepare students for their post-education lives (p. 5). According to Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Tools for Classrooms, we are experiencing a shift in information and communication, from the way we receive our news and who writes it to how we communicate on a personal level with friends and family. This shift is transforming the kinds of literacies we use outside of schools, and in turn, is highly relevant for teaching and learning in our classrooms. Throughout the text, Richardson explores ways that teachers, schools, news agencies and others are using Web 2.0 to increase the sharing of information and ideas. One common example is Wikipedia, which according to Richardson "is the poster child for the collaborative construction of knowledge" (p. 61). After seeing examples of online collaboration and ways people are navigating the digital landscape, we were inspired to join the fray.

As Richardson challenged us as teachers to "try on" Web 2.0 tools and develop our own familiarity and competence, we began by using these tools in our own personal lives and with our own personal teaching inquiries. We blogged together with a group blog; we shared photos on Flickr; and ultimately, we designed a Writing Project Advanced Institute that explored a multitude of social networking and multimedia sharing tools we believed had potential to enrich our teaching and classroom learning environments. We participated in a new kind of authorship, "where every teacher and every student, every person with access will have the ability to contribute ideas and experiences to the larger body of knowledge that is the internet" (p. 5). There were certainly challenges in our experimentation (i.e., school district filters, accessibility issues, learning curves); however, with some persistence and a tech team providing community support, we pushed our own boundaries a bit and implemented blogs, wikis and social networking sites in a variety of ways in our classrooms, including digital filmmaking projects in secondary content area classrooms and international pen pal projects in elementary classrooms.

Although many of us abhor reading directions and following manuals, it was useful that Richardson provided the “how-to” for several Web 2.0 tools. Just about anyone with basic knowledge of computers can pick up Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Tools for Classrooms and within a relatively short time be posting to their very own blog. Richardson is precise and thoughtful about how to use these tools effectively and safely. As one team member stated, “Technology is a tool, and you can take it into your classrooms and use it badly, like other tools, or you can use it well.” With Richardson’s advice, you can be sure you will use these tools well.

If you are ready to demystify the world of blogs, wikis and podcasts, this book can help you along. You can explore the basics (i.e., What in the world is a wiki?) and appreciate, as we did, how Richardson grounds the use of these tools with theory and arguments that both advocate and trouble the use of these tools in our lives and more specifically in our classroom teaching and learning.

Warlick Book Review

johnbishop19 — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:12:40 CDT

As a budding new writing project technology team, we found David Warlick’s Classroom Blogging (2nd Ed.) to be an accessible and productive text with which to read and think together about using new “Web 2.0” technologies in our personal and professional lives and more specifically in our classroom teaching. Within the first few chapters of the book, Warlick makes some pedagogical assertions regarding intersections between new technologies and literacy that aligned philosophically with our approach to teaching and learning. For example, the increase in potential for generating multimedia content online, rather than simply consuming it in previous paradigms, positions online technologies with potential to amplify voices often hidden in traditional forms of media. This notion carries with it a profound possibility to impact democracy as we know it, and Warlick makes mention of “citizen journalists” and the pedagogical responsibility for educators to help students become skilled thinkers regarding the authority and accuracy of online content, both in its consumption and production.

As the title suggests, Warlick foregrounds blogging as a literacy practice that enables what he calls a “new publishing paradigm,” the benefit to education he argues allows for an environment in which learners can dialogue together, “observe, reflect, and share, and where the reader has the right, and the skill, to make his own decision about the information he uses” (p. 14). Admirably, Warlick actively practices what he writes about in Classroom Blogging, and several of our tech team members followed http://2cents.davidwarlick.com/, an noteworthy example of blogging within a community of individuals who seem to strongly value the type of dialogue regarding technology in education that invites conversation, constructive criticism and respect.

Online information is continuing to increase at an astonishing rate, and Warlick uses statistics from the Pew Foundation to help foreground the call for teachers to foster literacy practices among students and teachers that both evaluate blogs and utilizes this new publishing paradigm to write, market ideas and participate in conversations relevant to school curricula or other specific learning communities.

Warlick doesn’t suggest that blogging is changing the existence of hierarchies of information and knowledge, but does argue that the blogosphere and Web 2.0 applications have changed using the web profoundly, stating that “the relevance and importance of a piece of information should be based not on a single authority’s judgment, but by the practices of many authorities” (p. 38). Warlick, commendably, brings attention to both the potential benefits these applications have to enhance teaching and learning and the simultaneous cautions these applications bring with them regarding issues of Internet safety, copyright, content authority and accessing public versus private audiences. In addition, Warlick gives practical resources for those interested in exploring blogging platforms (i.e., http://www.blogger.com) and blog search engines (http://technorati.com), which ranks blogs based on tagged key words, links and frequency.

The middle section of Warlick’s book is helpful, although we concurred it becomes somewhat how-to-ish, an arguably paradoxical format for exploring these online technologies. On one hand however, it’s valid to balance the needs of those who prefer a book description of procedures detailed step-by-step; on the other hand, on the other hand we found ourselves skimming those sections and diving into the applications themselves. We relied on the variance of each other’s familiarity and application help buttons to troubleshoot questions that arose. As a team, we pondered if Warlick’s how-to sections in the book might prove more effective formatted online, allowing changes in the technologies to require online how-to updates, rather than new book editions.

That said, Warlick packed a lot in a small book and we greatly appreciated the attention he pays to applications other than blogs—RSS feeds, RSS readers (http://bloglines.com), and wikis for example. When talking about RSS feeds and aggregators specifically, our connections to how these applications might impact literacy education grew dramatically, namely with the ability to create a personalized “newspapers” that, as Warlick describes, allows people “to train the information to find us. It is radical and dramatic, and it adds one more element to what it means to be literate within a networked, digital, and overwhelming information landscape” (p. 59). In other words, we no longer have to spend time going to a site we value; instead, new information dynamically updates to our RSS reader instantly for our access. For an entertaining and informative description of how RSS works, along with other Web 2.0 online applications, visit the folks at Common Craft (http://www.commoncraft.com).

As a writing project technology team, we honed in on how these applications might also foster productive practices of professional learning. Although Warlick spends less focus here, he alludes to the potential, “If teachers in a school are encouraged to blog about what and how they are teaching, then educators who teach at the same level or the same subject area will be more aware of the happenings in their part of the school” (p. 121). While several members utilized blogs in their classrooms with students, and as a tech team we used a private community blog to discuss readings and classroom explorations, it was a wiki that we found extraordinarily productive when working with other educators during workshops about technology and literacy with educators outside our team (http://satbrownbag.wetpaint.com, http://www.redclayai08.wetpaint.com). Though Warlick distinguishes between purposes for wikis, blogs and discussion forums, we found wikis to overlap his differentiation scheme and provide a space for us to achieve a collaborative learning setting, as well as, albeit with more limited capacity than blogging, a place to individually publish and receive feedback. Perhaps the most recent example of this potential for us is the collaboration on this very book review, a process that included penning thoughts to our Advanced Institute wiki site and one that involved multiple readers. Much like using Googledocs, this wiki approach differed from passing a Word document around via email, allowing us to keep our revisions and suggestions in one location. Undoubtedly, Warlick’s Classroom Blogging jump-started our thinking as well as our exploration of online applications as they apply to our classroom teaching, our personal and professional lives, and our professional learning goals as a technology team and local writing project chapter.

Aaron Benator

ABenator — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:15:29 CDT

Students Using Technology to Learn About the Holocaust

http://8thgradeethics.wetpaint.com/

Abstract:

This project will address the issue of technology and its uses in the classroom. There has been a massive proliferation of Web2.0 programs on the Internet, and these media have changed the way that people interact with each other. Students use programs such as MySpace and Facebook to interact with the world around them. In doing so, they become technologically literate. It is very important for teachers to incorporate these media into their classrooms and this project will show how it is possible for teachers to effectively include Web2.0 programs into their classrooms.

Rationale:

In Chattanooga, Tennessee, I taught an ethics course that was based around the textbook The Holocaust and Human Behavior, which was created by the Facing History and Ourselves Foundation of Brookline, Massachusetts. There was very little technology in the course aside from two videos shown each quarter. Students were required to read and annotate multiple readings each night. During class we would discuss those readings. The students would answer short essay questions in their journals. A discussion would follow, and we would read together and discuss the material. I graded how well they contributed to the class discussions, their journal entries, their annotations, and the four to five essays that were required each quarter. While I would have enjoyed incorporating more technology into the class, the principal who had taught the course for the past eight years, did not recommend it, and I followed his lead. While I do believe that the class was successful as it was conducted, and I am convinced that the class would have been more beneficial had I incorporated these Web2.0 programs into the curriculum. For one, students would have become more proficient with them. Secondly, using technology during the class day would have narrowed the division between those students who have and a computer and Internet connection in their home and those students who lack do not have access to the Internet in their homes and can only use it in the schools. Students will connect the Web2.0 websites they visit and create on their own, such as MySpace and Facebook with the ideas of education that we propagate in the classroom. In other words, they will see the similarities between MySpace.com and their Wikis, for example. By doing this, they will see the overlap and will remember using the websites for an academic project every time they use the Web2.0 programs for their social networking. The class was designed to answer questions of power and responsibility, as we understand those terms in light of the Holocaust. While a lot can be learned from the Holocaust, I believe that even more can be learned when we open our inquiry to include members of those victim groups which are sometimes overlooked. Students will focus on the experience of the Roma and Sinti, the communists, homosexuals, Jews, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, among others. In this project, students will become more proficient in using technology; they will address issues of racism and classism, and they will take an active role in their own learning.

Proposal:

In this course there will be two primary assignments. The first assignment has much in common with the typical assignments that teachers assign and students complete year in, year out in many classrooms all around the world. It will be a very typical assignment

Holocaust Studies:

Project One (Created with Meghan McNeeley):

The Holocaust occurred in Europe between 1939 and 1945. However, much of the discrimination began earlier. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, they passed many laws that sanctioned discrimination against Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, members of the Roma and Sinti communities (Gypsies), Jews, and communists.

You are invited to explore books, articles, movies, and other resources that you find helpful and interesting.

- Consider the ways in which the Nazi’s used the ideals of democracy against the German citizens.
- Apply your knowledge of civics and psychology to better understand how the Nazis maintained power in spite of protest.
- Find current examples of discrimination against homosexuals.
- Consider the two Supreme Court cases: West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette and Minersville School District v. Gobitis.
- Research any one of the numerous treaties that the United States has broken with various American Indian tribes.

For each of these issues, prepare a short summary of what you find most interesting, create a PowerPoint presentation, and, with a partner, create a 3:00 minute news story about it.

Suggested resources:

Books:

One Survivor Remembers (Teaching Tolerance)
Triangles, Badges, and Stars: Remembering the Mosaic of Victims of the Holocaust, 1999 Teacher Resource Guide (The Holocaust Remembrance Project)
Stars, Triangles, and Markings (Picture and Information)
Railway Car (Picture and Information)
Shoes (Picture and Information)
Hollerith (IBM) Machine (Picture and Information)
Who Was the Woman Who Wore the Red Hat, by Nancy Patz (Dutton)
Salvaged Pages, by Alexandra Zapruder (Yale NB)
Witnesses to War, by Michael Leapman (Scholastic)
Tell Them We Remember, by Susan Bachraach (Little, Brown)
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow (Scholastic)
The World Must Know, by Michael Berenbaum (USHMM)
Holocaust, by Angela Gluck Wood (DK)

The Internet:

1) A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust
http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/Holocaust/
“Amazing...simply amazing. Student activities, timeline, links, and much more. "A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust" offers an overview of the people and events of the Holocaust. Extensive teacher resources are included.”
2) Nuremberg War Crimes Trials
English Version:
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/imt.htm
“One of our most important projects is mounting the full proceedings of the Trial of the Major German War Criminals. We have so far mounted volumes 1-4 as well as numerous supporting documents.”
3) Books and Websites about the Holocaust For Young Adults
http://www.euronet.nl/users/jubo/holocaust.html
“I have just recently put up a website for young adults which you may want to list in your excellent site. The URL is: http://www.euronet.nl/users/jubo/holocaust.html It is a joint project between myself (a children's librarian and book reviewer in Chicago, Illinois) and Jurren Bouman, my friend in Holland who was inspired to put something on the Net after visiting the US Holocaust Museum here.”
4) Shoah-Projekt
http://homepages.muenchen.org/bm374879/holocaust
“On our site Shoah Project we provide, besides a huge range of commented links, information about the concentration camp in Dachau, about the Resistance group "The White Rose" and others.”
5) Holocaust Teacher Resource Center
http://www.Holocaust-trc.org
6) "Women and the Holocaust."
http://www.interlog.com/~mighty/home.htm
7) Literature of the Holocaust
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/Holocaust/holhome.html
8) I*EARN's Holocaust/Genocide Project
http://www.igc.apc.org/iearn/hgp/
“Plus visit Project Advisor David Dickerson's Page for the following: Holocaust/Shoah”
9) Holocaust Education in Germany
http://members.aol.com/SMHeyl/index.htm
10) Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
http://www.catholicleague.org
“This Web Site has the entire text of the book "Pius XII and the Holocaust" A Reader which contains documentation on the Catholic Church's role in the Holocaust. About 50% of this volume was written in 1963 by Dr. Joseph Lichten, a Jewish Polish lawyer who served as the Director on International Affairs Department for the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai N'rith.”
11) The Beast Within
http://www.fred.net/nhhs/html/beast.htm
12) Social Studies School Service Holocaust Learning Materials at: http://www.socialstudies.com/holo.html
“They announce: "We have just developed a web site with social studies educators in mind. Part of what we offer is an online catalog from which individuals can order charts, posters, books, videocassettes, cd-roms, etc for teaching about the holocaust."
13) Berkeley Student's Research on Survivors
http://garnet.berkeley.edu/~hzaid/studentindex.html
14) Life Unworthy of Life: A Holocaust Curriculum for High Schools:
http://www.holocaust-curriculum.org
”This curriculum, for high school students, is a member of the U.S. Department of Education's National Diffusion Network, a program recognizing and supporting the dissemination of exemplary curricula. The Life Unworthy of Life curriculum is a flexible, self-contained, innovative program that engages, challenges, and guides students through the historical and ethical issues surrounding the Holocaust. It addresses issues of prejudice, racism, and democratic values. The 18-lesson program incorporates a 62-minute videotape, based on interviews with survivors, used with 5 of the lessons. The authors of the curriculum are Dr. Sidney Bolkosky, Dr. David Harris, and Betty Rotberg Ellias.”
15) "Women Writers of the Holocaust"
http://129.79.33.36/Projects/Group7/Default.htm
“I created a multimedia resource guide for a Digital Library project this past semester.”
16)"Reach & Teach" Holocaust Education:
http://www.rio.com/~holcaust
17) Dickinson State University's Internet Holocaust Course
http://www.dsu.nodak.edu/course/artscience/socbehav/holocau.html?
An excellent online education resource center.
18) Anne Frank Exhibit New Mexico Home Page: http://www.viva.com/nm/anne1.htm
Anne Frank in the World: 1929-1945, a nationally renowned exhibit, comes to New Mexico.

Taken from: http://remember.org/educate.htm

Project Two:

Throughout this course, we will rely on resources that use technology. Technology is becoming newer, better, and more advanced; it is important for all of us to learn how to use it to our benefit. This is a natural progression, and it is not dissimilar from the technological invention of writing. After all, in the distant past, there was no writing. There was simply speaking and listening. Once writing was developed, teachers incorporated reading and writing into their curriculums. Then with the advent of video, teachers and students incorporated movies and documentaries into their classrooms. Now we have so much more technology, and it is very important for us to remember that the technology we use is not unrelated to the use of writing. They are quite similar. Technologies are developed, and it is important for teachers and students to stay up-to-date.

In this course, the students will be required to establish an RSS feed, a social bookmarking account, an online photo sharing site account, an online video site account, a blog and a Wiki (website). They will be required to share some videos and pictures on the Internet. I would be sure to inform the students that they will find this difficult and that I too found it difficult when I first attempted to do these things. I would strongly encourage them to collaborate with each other.

These are the following deadlines:

• By the end of September, students should have established an RSS feed that aggregates information from blogs about modern European history.
• By the end of October, students should have established a social bookmarking account.
• By the end of November, students should have established an online photo sharing account.
• By the end of January, students should have placed at least twenty (fair-use) photographs that are historically appropriate for Europe between 1900 and 1950.
• By the end of February, students should have established an online video site account, which includes at least two videos that they made for the first project.
• By the end of March, students should have made and posted a online video about the Holocaust.
• By the end of April, students should have established a blog that includes at least twenty pieces of their writings.
• By the end of May, students should have established a website that includes (or hyperlinks) to all of these other Internet sources.

(I set the due dates according to the difficulty I experienced while learning about these tools during the RCWP Technology Institute.)

Final reflection:

The Red Clay Writing Project Advanced Institute for Technology and Literacy was extremely educational. I learned so much about technological resources that I had heard about quite often. I had, however, never taken the time to use them. I thought about this many times throughout the week. I would hear of these technologies but not think that they were worthwhile. While I did not doubt my abilities to use them, I was loath to make the attempt. Now however, I realize that these tools can both make my life so much easier. Beyond that, these technologies can greatly benefit classroom teachers and their students. While my curriculum did not allow to use much technology in my own classroom, I now realize how much my students were missing out on. I remember watching the video Paige’s two students made about their family’s heritage. It was great, and it would be so much powerful if an entire class had a Wiki where each student could publish their work. So many people talk about the depersonalization of technology but, in light of these Web2.0 tools, that particular threat seems to be more reminiscent of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Now, teachers can use these Web2.0 tools to increase the connectivity between the students and the teacher, the material, and the other students. And students will become proficient in this new technology.

Your Name

sujai — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:59:32 CDT

Sabreen's Final Project. Please disregard previous submission.

Final plan submissions

sujai — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:47:04 CDT

Final project attached. Sorry I'm late. I've been trying to send it since 3:30.

Embry, Angie

aembry — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:43:21 CDT

http://embrycolts.wetpaint.com will access my classroom wiki.

Angie Embry

aembry — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:38:59 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

leirama -- Ann LoCicero

leirama — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:05:35 CDT

leirama's Reading, Writing, Technology Wiki
(still under development... I expect to be done asap)

My final plan is attached. (see below)

Monica Pereira

pustakawan — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:57:07 CDT

Reference Librarian
Science Library
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 20602-7412

Library As Presence: A wiki for library instruction and support
http://tandl.wetpaint.com/

Statement of Purpose
1. Provide a container for library instruction materials, including links to supporting materials and technologies.
2. Encourage learner feedback.
3. Share new concepts on teaching and learning.

Abstract
Library As Presence (LAP) is a wiki designed to support my library instruction classes.
The wiki will contain handouts and other resources, links to a social bookmarking site and a blog and links to other materials. Learners introduced to this site will be able to interact with each other transparently via the blog, and indirectly through social bookmarking. Feedback is expected to support and encourage learning on a wider scope than just the one classroom. My intent is to provide instruction in research techniques, and to assist in finding solutions to obstacles as they arise.

Educational Context
Learners at the University of Georgia (UGA) include undergraduates, graduate students, faculty,staff, and the occasional member of the public.There is no required course on the research process at UGA. Library instruction relies on invitation. I am invited to teach a 50-75-minute session once a semester to a class or individual. I use an agenda of critical skills, rather than a curriculum. Usually students are not tested on retention of what I share. Learners may initiate further contact; a few do. Every so often I am invited to teach more than one session, or a learner will ask for extended sessions so they may understand how and why their research is enhanced. In those cases, I can provide in-depth examinations of the relevant resources, and help in troubleshooting problems.

The World Wide Web (WWW) has altered the tapestry of research options. It is no longer pedagogically sufficient to distribute subject pathfinders in print and online. Print resources are now only one option in an expanding universe of possibilities. Journal indexes represent only one method of collecting sources. Online journals, web bibliographies, social bookmark sites, audio and video files introduce a glut of information which must then be sorted, ranked and put to use. Undergraduates, who uses the WWW, and older researchers unfamiliar with the potential of the WWW, may each be missing important additions to research in their fields.

Rationale
LAP allows researchers to find the help they need to expedite their research after they have attended an instruction session I have taught. The impetus to use one-stop-shopping web sites of aggregated citations can be answered by posting more systematic approaches for all learners to share. LAP intends to provide a full frontal encounter with these resources, tips and techniques for searching. Other Web 2.0 tools, social bookmarking and a blog will provide support and scaffolding in this encounter.

Library As Presence (http://tandl.wetpaint.com/) is a wiki that aims to provide a perspective that values all avenues of research, print and digital. It will focus on describing and demonstrating efficient and effective finding skills. It will serve as a base camp for these operations. The wiki will include, or link to text, audio and video instructions for using the UGA Libraries’ resources.

The social bookmark site will highlight relevant and appropriate research resources. It will use publisher and vendor web site tutorials and help screens, other libraries’ instruction resources, and podcasts (audio and video) that can assist understanding of key concepts. It will also include links to key organizations’ web sites where practical and constructive.

The blog will provide opportunity for feedback of all kinds, including complaints and suggestions for further instruction. It will allow me to improve my teaching. Perhaps the most useful element of the feedback is that it will allow learners to communicate directly with each other to ask questions and compare solutions.

Support of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
The main purpose of this site is to support my library instruction. It is expected that this site will help sustain students in healthy research practices, and serve as a springboard for other ideas to extend research. The blog will provide a site where complaints, suggestions and other exchanges can be shared among the students who use the wiki. While is it not anticipated that ever student will use the site, it is hoped that the use of dynamic ingredients on the site will entice some, and that those students will bring their research friends to the site as well fulfilling the promise of social networking.

The wiki, blog, and social bookmarking site are not intended to be private spaces. Consequently interactions could occur among all levels of researchers at UGA and non-affiliates as well. The wiki will be restricted to invited contributors only, so additions and adjustments will be made that directly address research pathways and techniques. Regular backups will be made. I believe this can have the effect of boosting critical inquiry and encouraging dialectic, especially in the blog. The blog and social bookmarking site will be more accessible, and benefit from intellectual cross-pollination.

Philosophical Underpinnings
Inquiry Stance
The best search strategies arise from probing the angles of a topic and approaches to searching it. It presupposes a willingness to rethink and rework topic continually in order to improve relevancy.

Educational Equity
Beginning researchers will have a chance to interact with more experienced researchers purely on the basis of their research problem. It is hoped that between library instruction and this wiki the playing field is leveled for researchers at UGA.

It is not intended that the wiki will be made private. While some aspects of research at UGA (e.g. IP authentication) remain exclusive, search strategizing is transferable. Similarly, understanding how research can be expanded and finessed is the domain of all, and should be accessible to all web citizens.

Professional Development
It is expected that collaboration with other instructors who share these philosophical stances will be a large part of the creation of this wiki. Since there is no one best way to teach a concept, the variety of approaches can support multiple literacies, and learning styles.

Weekly Timeline
Note: The educational context in which LAP will be used does not depend on, or use, traditional markers to indicate the depth of a learners’ understanding. Consequently, this timeline lists the activities in which I will engage in order to implement the project.

• June 23:Learn about Web 2.0 tools and their affordances. Consider ramifications of each tool for projected web site.
The week of the Red Clay Advanced Institute for Technology and Literacy. The backups leave something to be desired. Text only, and scant formatting retained.
• June 30: Assemble and design components for EndNote modules.
Unable to anchor links on a page. Consequently, the EndNote module is linked to my personal web site. Complete.
• July 7: Assemble and design components for RefWorks modules.
The RefWorks modules are linked to the UGA Libraries web site. Complete.
• July 14: Create section on Library Jargon.
Could have used anchoring to link within the page for see also references. Page is a simple list of terms. Using a browser’s Find function will locate
terms. Complete.
• July 21: Assemble, create, and update materials for Search Strategizing module.
• July 28: Assemble, create, and update materials for Using a Library module.
• August 4: Script and create modules for podcasts: Citation management systems, GIL Express, UGA ID, etc.
• August 11: Design and create necessary multimedia to illustrate research concepts

Web 2.0 Tools Used
• Wiki constitutes the base web site from which other tools are linked. All tools will be interlinked as necessary.
Wiki site: http://tandl.wetpaint.com/
• Blog conversations will be linked to the wiki for feedback and support.
Blog site: http://tandlstickies.blogspot.com/
Categories will be set up to channel feedback appropriately.
• Social bookmarking will be linked to the wiki for support (tentative)
Social bookmarking site: http://del.icio.us/
Links will be to organizations, or institutional web sites and materials. As appropriate, individual items may also be linked through the wiki. This is
intended to enable those who do not want to create a social bookmarking account.
• Audio and video instructions will use audio and screen capture files as demonstrations.
These tools will probably include Audacity, CamStudio, and VoiceThread, and other tools as appropriate. A full investigation is underway to
examine and systematize this process.

Reflections on Advanced Institute
Advanced Institute (AI) introduced me to wikis, blogs, social bookmarking, photo sharing, RSS feeds, citation management, and videosharing. The affordances and pedagogical possibilities of these tools were considered and discussed.

A week ago, I would not have considered using any Web 2.0 tools. The array of tools seemed long and their affordances blurred as a result. I have used this week to set aside my fear of the unknown, and begun examining them with a mind to extending my instructional reach.

Perhaps the most engaging elements of the AI were the opportunity to create accounts at once and dive into a tool (or two!) without worrying about what I would do with the tool in any final analysis. I also enjoyed the video segments we watched. I have since watched them on my own and recommended them to others.

Perhaps what is most exciting is that I finally have an opportunity to help learners appreciate that:
• Research is not a linear process.
The back and forthness of a blog, and the variety of alternate resources through the social bookmarking site will illustrate this much better than I can
articulate.
• Even armed with logical operators and truncation, search results can disappoint.
Multiple examples and illustrations can help temper the excitement of using operators and truncation. Focusing on the process of turning topics into
strategies can also highlight that the tools are just that. They cannot compensate for a dearth of keywords.

The AI has given me a much better appreciation of the allure of Web 2.0 technologies. I am better able to understand their appeal. Armed with that appreciation, I feel I can use my growing understanding of such technologies to garner attention when I teach. The fact that I’m using the tools will probably elevate me in the eyes of faculty and instructors who stand where I stood before this week began!

I am already talking to other faculty about these affordances. I am hoping some of those I share this experience with will accept my invitation to join me in learning more about Web 2.0. I learn best by doing, and having others working on their own projects alongside mine encourages me to keep on learning in order to become a better teacher and learner.

Christa Naylor

christa511 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:49:43 CDT

Naylor's Wiki Space

Naylor's Website

Interactive British Literature: Not Just What “A Bunch of Old White Guys” Have To Say

ABSTRACT
Using Web 2.0, the texts of British Literature will be taught thematically. Themes will build upon each other, from Tradition and Reform to Experiences of Time to Beauty and Mortality to Absence to The Sublime to Carpe Diem. These lessons will be broken up into approximately three week time periods and will incorporate lessons in the technology along with the traditional reading, writing, and discussion, though approached in a non-traditional format.

RATIONALE
British Literature is typically perceived as intrinsically traditional by its very nature. The point of this Web 2.0 project is to reform that perception. The traditional approach to teaching this subject matter is to read the texts chronologically and relate them to the development of the English language and western culture and society. In a non-traditional classroom this approach can be not only non-engaging, but also threatening.

By altering the order and reason that different texts are approached, a more engaging atmosphere can be created. Teaching the texts thematically and interactively can do this. Doing this brings the texts into the students’ context. Conducting the classroom through a wiki allows for greater classroom collaboration by tying the class to the students’ natural interests in things that are relevant to them, such as music, video, and social networking.

Bringing this technology into the classroom also helps create educational equity for those who do not necessarily have access to computers, internet, or other technologies at home. These students are able to gain knowledge about technology under guidance of educators and their peers. By exposing them to new ideas and skills, new avenues are opened for these students that they would not necessarily be exposed to without the use of interactive technology in the classroom, allowing them to become more competitive for college and job opportunities.

An interactive on-line classroom should lead to greater classroom collaboration by providing students with some comfort in breaking out of their traditional peer groups. The tie to students’ natural interests should also make a subject area that is often perceived as “boring” more engaging. Discussion forums and the ability to relate texts to students own ideas and current issues will bring the subject matter into their context. While there is a large amount of upfront time in design of the wiki, after implementation in the classroom, it should allow the teacher more one-on-one time, teaching time, and the chance to become more of a guide.

PROPOSAL
Language arts teachers have the task of promoting the skills of reading, writing, and composition, otherwise known as promoting literacy. Literacy has going beyond just the skill of reading and writing, however; it also incorporates education in particular fields of study. One of these fields is computer literacy, and considering the amount of reading and writing that occurs on-line today, this makes teaching computer literacy very much a part of the language arts teacher's job. Today's students will be expected to not only be competent in today's technologies to be competitive, but also comfortable enough with technology to quickly acquire and incorporate new skills.

In order to provide students with this literacy, language arts needs to be approached differently. While all of the traditional skills, reading comprehension, grammar, spelling, composition, formatting, research methods, are still needed, their real life applications are changing. Reading comprehension of traditional texts still provides students with necessary cultural literacy, but comprehension of modern media, news sources, web sites, movies, television, are just as important. Grammar, spelling, and formatting still allow consistent communication, but knowing how to use the tools out there that assist in learning and perfecting these skills is also important. Basic research methodology remains the same, but access to sources has increased dramatically, making selecting the best and most accurate source a challenge.

During their senior year, students are planning and making steps to achieving skills and independence necessary for taking the next step in their lives, be it college, tech school, or a career. This is an ideal time to introduce non-traditional literacy skills into the curriculum. Ideally, as this becomes more seamless, these skills would be introduced at an earlier time in students' high school career, and senior year would be a time for perfecting and moving beyond the basic skills.

Traditionally, British literature provides the reading comprehension texts for twelfth grade language arts. These texts will still be used in order to provide students with the necessary cultural literacy, but will be supplemented by non-traditional texts, such as movies, current events, web sites, social networking, and blogs. To achieve this the traditional literature will be approached thematically in order to seamlessly incorporate the non-traditional texts. By choosing literature that has themes that appeal to what these adolescents are going through as they prepare to move into the real world, not only do the traditional texts become more approachable, but it also puts the text into context for the students.

To help provide this context, students will be introduced to new technology with each thematic unit, starting with more basic skills and moving on to more complex skills, culminating in a multimedia presentation at the end of the class where students will incorporate both the technology, literature, and themes that have been taught throughout the class. Basic skills will begin with introduction to the class web site, providing e-mail addresses, and basic internet etiquette and safety. While this may be somewhat basic for some students, many students do not necessarily have access to computers or internet in their homes. With resources for more advanced skills being provided on the web site, students who are more advanced can move beyond the basics at a pace that is appropriate for them. This formatting provides a sort of educational equity by introducing those students without the resources at home to technology and skills they do not have access to, as well as providing the opportunity for advancing to those students who have already acquired basic skills.

After basic comprehension lessons would traditionally move into composition. While teaching standard composition skills is still a necessity, teaching students etiquette, safety, and proper use of technological tools is also necessary. Writing has moved beyond paper and pencil, beyond basic word processing into an interactive format that provides students with nearly immediate response and feedback.

Due to the fact that students' work will be immediately accessible on the internet, it is necessary to educate them in etiquette, safety, and proper use of tools available to them. Etiquette comes into play, by demonstrating to students what is appropriate to post and what is not. It also comes into play in teaching them the difference between formal, essays, letters, research papers, and informal writing, such as blogging, texting, and social networking. While tools that aid in grammar and spelling are available, students need to learn how to appropriately use them. Many teachers complain about a decline in editing skills, yet in reality there should be improved editing if students are taught appropriate use of these tools.

Safety and etiquette are tied together when it comes to teaching students what is and is not appropriate to post follows the same basic rules about what is and what is not appropriate to say in the classroom; the online classroom should feel just a safe as the physical classroom. Rules and standards need to be set and followed with appropriate rewards and punishments for behaviors in the online classroom just like in the physical classroom. Safety also comes into play because students need to realize that what they put online is immediately accessible. When they move from the online classroom into the real world, they need to be careful about information provided to protect themselves from identity theft and other crimes.

The next step beyond basic composition is teaching proper research methodology. This is something that has become both easier and more difficult. Students have access to innumerable resources allowing them to research many topics that typically were not available to them due to limited resources in their media centers. The internet has changed this. Difficulties come in teaching students how to find reliable resources, avoid plagiarism, and how to properly cite different sources they use in their papers. Again, access to lists of resources in the class web site will provide students with access on how to or how not to do different citations and avoid plagiarism. Students with higher comfort levels with technology will be able to access these resources and move ahead at their own pace, while step by step procedures can be provided with those who need more help.

Students will be practicing these skills throughout the class using the web site and wiki space. Wiki is a new format in the classroom for most students, though many are familiar with many of its capabilities because of their participation in social networking sites. This will allow students to use and practice their technology skills in a safe environment. It also allows students the opportunity to actively participate in their own education and classroom. Students can discuss on a blog, or discussion forum, what is being done in the classroom. They can provide immediate feedback to each other regarding what they are thinking and writing, allowing them to take more ownership of their thoughts and works, rather than having only teacher feedback a few days or weeks after they write something.

This online interaction in the wiki space will be monitored by the teacher, but will be run through cooperative student groups. These groups will be determined based on technological skills, common interests, or other criteria. Students will learn self-monitoring skills in this way, but will also be monitoring those within their group, teaching them valuable skills that will make them competitive. Almost daily access to computers and internet will be necessary in order to fully implement this plan to increase the literacy of these students.

David Forker

davidf — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:30:42 CDT

Forker's ESOL WIKI - follow this link to view my WIKI Space

Comment on my plan - follow this link to "David Plan" to make comments on my plan

Title – Forker Goes Virtual

 Abstract

Through my work at the RCWP Advanced Institute I have started moving my ESOL classroom closer to a Web based environment. Through this transition I will be able to implement higher expectations for my students and offer them a greater level of independence.

 Rationale

I engaged in this project because I feel digital voice technology and Web 2.0 will be particularly useful and applicable to my students. My students are 6th-8th grade ESOL students that range in English proficiency levels from new comer to fluent. My students love to use computers, and tend to be rather proficient with various tools and programs (both good and bad). By using things like voice threads and Wiki spaces I plan to challenge my students to post their work to my Wiki space and review/critique it together, individually, at school, at home or anywhere an Internet connection is available.

During my first year teaching I felt in adequate with my use of technology and how I applied it to my students. I knew a little about Wiki spaces, and was learning more about voice tools available or the Internet, but I was never quite able to put my students to work on independent (or group) projects that challenged them to use the Internet to create work and share it with their peers. I was also never quite able to employ any of the various voice tools effectively to challenge students to confidently practice speaking English. I hope to have students post work to my Wiki Space and incorporate voice tools such as Wimba or Voice Thread to actively engage my students.

These projects will impact my classroom immensely by creating a space on the Internet that students can use to share their work and productivity with people in their lives. I hope students take the time to share their work with their families, friends, teachers, and maybe even people in other countries. Rather than filling in the blanks on a piece of paper, my students will now be able to post their work to the Internet and share with people all over the world.

 An explicit account of how your project meets the following criteria
My project will most likely incorporate at least two Web 2.0 tools. I hope to incorporate my Wiki Space into my daily classroom activities by posting daily journal entries for the class to post their responses to; similar to the way we had open discussions in the Advanced Institute. I also plan utilize Voice tools to have students listen to, respond to, and demonstrate their live voices. This will enable them to critique themselves and hold themselves accountable for their own progress.
These projects will further my curriculum, instruction, and assessment needs/goals by diversifying the way I approach my Georgia Performance Standards. I will now be able to implement curriculum, instruct, and assess with more than pencils and paper. The use of Web 2.0 will allow me to explore my students’ abilities from different perspectives. As there are multiple types of intelligences, students excel in expressing themselves in multiple modes. Thus I will be able to access more students, in more ways.
Linked to this wiki – see hyperlink above
I plan utilize Red Clay’s philosophical lens of standing by my morals and continually trying to instill morals in my students and peers. In addition, my inquiry stance is to be open to all new possibilities. I pride myself on evaluating something fairly and thoroughly before making a decision. Furthermore, I will do my best to continue to evaluate things in order to always stay current and keep a tab on myself on my opinions.
A timeline that shows the following information:

Activities, anticipated dates of completion, tools that will be used

Although these are vague, I plan to solidify them as the school year develops.
1st Month of School – Give students explicit instructions on use of Wiki space, such as how to use, add documents, where to find assignments, editing, and acceptable/unacceptable behavior
2nd-3rd Month of School – establish comfort level using voice tools to begin having students utilize various tools independently. Create self guided lessons and goals. Monitor progress from remote locations and have dialogue such as on-line journals/discussions with students.
4th – 5th Months of School – Move towards students creating their own Wiki spaces that show off their work, act as a place where they keep their resources, create tools and activities to use to teach other students the things they have learned.
This week's work at the AI has really helped me to get the ball rolling toward my goal of utilizing the vast resources and programs available on the Internet. I have been thinking about moving in this direction (Web 2.0) for about a year but was intimidated by the complexity of the programs that I wanted to use. Thanks to the AI, I now feel much more comfortable using, and exploring many of the programs I had been thinking about using, such as Wiki Spaces, and Voice Tools.
After participating in the AI, I am currently checking my RSS feeds almost everyday, socially book marking for convenience (Delicious), and using Windows Movie Maker to post media on youtube.com.

Thanks Red Clay!!!

Joni Gabriel

jonidawg — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:46:14 CDT

P.E. Wiki (note: you can access my teacher blog from this wiki as well.)

Title: Physical Education Classroom Wiki and Teacher Blog

Abstract
I plan to use Web 2.0 tools in order to create more efficient ways to communicate effectively with students, parents, and teachers. My plan is to create a physical education wiki for Oglethorpe County Primary School and a physical education teacher blog for P.E. teachers in our community to share ideas. My wiki will let parents, students, and other teachers know what is happening in P.E. while also allowing them to contribute to the learning process. The wiki will also provide an opportunity for the children to participate in learning activities outside of P.E. with their parents, siblings, and/or teachers.

Rationale
I teach Physical Education at Oglethorpe County Primary School. I see somewhere between 500-600 children every week. I feel like I do a pretty good job of getting to know my students considering that I only see them twice a week for forty five minutes, but I have always wanted to be able to talk to my students more than that time allows me to do. As I participated in the Red Clay Project I got very excited about what I could do with Web 2.0 tools. I immediately decided that I was going to create a P.E. Wiki to increase the dialogue in my classroom. By using a Wiki all of the students in my classes could talk to me in their own homeroom classroom, during their computer time at school, or at home without interrupting our short and valuable classroom time.

Parents almost always come to school during open house to meet their child’s homeroom teacher in order to begin building a relationship with him or her, but it is rare that a parent comes down to the gym to meet the P.E. teacher during open house. I believe that I could use a Wiki as a way to build a relationship with parents in our school.

There is one last problem I have as our school’s physical education teacher. I often get jealous of other teachers in our school because they have colleagues that teach the exact same thing as them in close proximity. For example, the 1st Grade teachers often collaborate together about the 1st Grade Curriculum. Since I am the only physical education teacher at my school I do not have this luxury, so when I heard about blogging I couldn’t wait to start a blog with other physical teachers to discuss lesson plans, strategies, and other commonalities.

Furthering Instruction & Goals
My main goal as a physical education teacher is to encourage children to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. I plan to use the classroom wiki to further my health and physical education instruction. I have a place on the classroom wiki where children can play interactive games to learn about keeping their bodies healthy. They can also find out information about sports happenings and activities that will encourage them to stay active even outside of the physical education classroom. There is also a place where children can talk with me and each other about activities that they find enjoyable and even post pictures of themselves playing games, sports, or participating in healthy activities.

I constantly strive to increase my ability to be successful in teaching concepts and skills to my students. I hope that the teacher blog I have created will assist me with this goal by allowing me to collaborate more effectively with other physical education professionals.

Philosophical Lenses
I think that my project incorporates at least two of Red Clay’s philosophical lenses. I want to use literacy to allow students to have a voice in what we are doing in P.E. because children need to be able to participate in activities that they perceive as enjoyable in order to continue living an active lifestyle outside of the physical education setting. I want them to realize that they have a choice with activities and with their eating habits and the capability of designing and implementing their own regimens.

As a teacher I also want to be a leader to my students and amongst my colleagues. I have created the wiki and the blog in order to enable me to communicate with a wide variety of people in order to constantly share, improve, and reflect upon my teaching practices.

Timeline
June and July 2008 – I plan to create a classroom wiki and a teacher blog.

August 2008 – During pre-planning I plan to ask the representative who maintains our school’s website to advertise that the physical education department has a wiki space and encourage people to take a look at it. I also plan to ask the classroom teachers to encourage parents to view the P.E. wiki through their conversations and/or newsletters. I also plan to teach my paraprofessional how to update and maintain the classroom wiki. I also plan to talk to my technology department and Principal about getting computers in the gym and find out about internet access in the gym.

September 2008 – I plan to ask at least a few classroom teachers and the media specialist to begin introducing and utilizing the physical education classroom wiki during their writing and/or computer time.

October 2008 – I plan to advertise the classroom wiki at our SWING Festival.

November 2008 – I plan to have worked our technology department with getting computers and technology set up in the gym.

December 2008 – I hope for my classroom wiki to be fully operational and be using it as a station during center time at least once per month.

I know I will encounter problems along the way and I hope to use the teacher blog I set up to talk with others about what will be the best way to handle those. Throughout this entire year I plan to continuously be finding ideas to facilitate discussions with other physical education teachers about our curriculum and practices.

Red Clay Writing Project
To be perfectly honest I took this course to learn more about current technologies that would mainly benefit me personally, but what I gained was something much more beneficial. I had never heard of Web 2.0 before this course, but now that I am familiar with it I love the concept. I think that the tools that were introduced to me through this project can really improve my ability to teach my students. I love how these tools allow students to take part in the learning process.

Rikki Chandler

RikkiC — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:43:36 CDT

My wiki:
http://zone502.pbwiki.com/

Attachment below

Stephanie Baker

stephaniebaker — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:15:57 CDT

Stephanie's Classroom Wiki

LLORD FINAL PROJECT

llord — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:39:25 CDT

To view my proposal, please click on the attachment below. This is a work in progress and I would still appreciate anyone's feedback! Thanks. Linda

Sharon Purucker

puruckers — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:47:13 CDT

Link to Coile Reads Wiki

Plan for the Coile Reads wiki

Abstract
The Coile Reads wiki will promote reading with a focus on the Georgia Children's Book Award Nominees and READ 25 at Coile Middle School. The Georgia Children's Book Award (GCBA) Nominees, http://www.coe.uga.edu/gcba/award/about.html, are an important part of the media center's program. With the Coile Reads wiki, students, teachers, and parents will be able to see and review the current Georgia Children's Book Award Nominees. They will also be able to have a dialog about the books by posting comments. READ 25 is a Georgia Department of Education program requiring students to read 25 books during the school year. The wiki will allow the Coile community to have a forum to discuss the books they are reading. To help promote the GCBA and READ 25, eighth grade students will make Voice Thread book talks that will be posted on the Coile Reads wiki. The books talks will be part of Unit 1 - Reading and Writing Narratives in the language arts curriculum. The eight grade classes will be provided with a lesson on Voice Thread, and students will be guided as they create their own Voice Thread book talks in computer labs.

Rationale for Project
Creating a Coile Reads wiki on wikispaces accessed from the Coile Media Center Homepage will allow students, teacher, and parents to read about books and discuss books that are promoted at the school. The media center promotes The Georgia Children's Book Award Nominees. These nominees are a selection of 20 books chosen by a committee of media specialists and teachers chaired by a member of the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia. Throughout the year students are encouraged to read the GCBA Nominees, and in March they are able to vote for their favorite. Having the Coile Reads wiki, will give students access to GCBA Nominees' book reviews, author sites, and book talks.

The book talks will be created by eighth grade students as a part of the Language Arts Unit 1 curriculum. Students will be using Voice Thread , a digital storytelling program, to produce the book talks. Voice Thread will allow students to create original works using their images and voices. It will also allow students and teachers to collaborate by commenting, questioning, and changing the book talks creating an organic work. The book talks will be available for the entire school to view, but only the class making the talks will be able to comment through Voice Thread.

The discussion thread enables all students, teachers, and parents to post questions, thoughts, and comments on the GCBA nominees or any book they are reading. The wiki will allow the Coile community to discuss any reading related topic, and others can reply. Students can communicate with the media center and others about books. They can discuss what they are currently reading, and see what others are reading. They can even request new books for the media center. Hopefully, the Coile Reads wiki will get students excited about books and encourage them to meet their READ 25 goal.

Web 2.0
There continues to be a demand for technology integration in the K-12 curriculum. Web 2.0 technologies meet this demand and also contribute to collaboration between students, teachers, and parents. Learning happens when people actively participate and become involved in the learning process. Web 2.0 tools enable learners to take an active role. The school media center can promote Web 2.0 tools by integrating the technologies in the media center program. Introducing a wiki that promotes the reading programs will let the Coile community become familiar with Web 2.0 tools. Also, using the online media album, Voice Thread, for students to create book talks will allow for collaboration between students and teachers. With the Coile Reads wiki, https://coilereads.wikispaces.com, and the Voice Thread book talks accessed on the Coile Media Center webpage, the school community can share information about books, and develop conversations that will enhance their learning.

Furthers Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
The wiki with Voice Thread book talks will further the curriculum, instruction, and assessment needs by promoting reading with new technologies that allow for collaboration. Promoting reading in this format allows students to become an essential part of the process. The wiki and book talks will enhance the curriculum by meeting the technology requirements that are embedded in the instructional guides. Instruction will be more meaningful when students can share and create work that is dynamic. Web 2.0 tools like Voice Thread let students and teachers work together during the process. This gives students an opportunity to make comments, get feedback, and edit the work. With the Voice Thread students can create works that are an integral part of the reading program. Using the wiki and Voice Thread, allow students and teachers to comment and assess the books and book talks.

Red Clay's Philosophical Lenses
The Red Clay Philosophical Lens being utilized with the Coile Reads wiki is the first lens that takes an inquiry stance. The school community can contribute to the process of learning by taking an active role. The wiki with Voice Thread book talks will allow students, teachers, and parents to inquire about books and the reading programs at Coile. The inquiry will contribute to further exploration and experimentation with Voice Thread book talks. As students learn about Voice Thread, and other digital storytelling tools, they will transfer this knowledge into other projects across the curriculum and into their private lives.

Coile Reads Wiki Timeline
July 21 Coile Reads Wiki Linked to RCWP AI wiki
August 11-29 Media Center Orientation with Smart Board Presentation of Coile Reads Wiki
August 18-29 Eight Grade Classes Check-Out Assigned GCBA Nominees
September 15-30 Eight Grade Classes Presented with Smart Board Lesson on Voice Thread
September 15 thru October 9 Eight Grade Classes Schedule Computer Labs to Work on Book Talks
October 10 Final Submission for Voice Thread Book Talks
October 13 Eight Grade Voice Thread Book Talks Linked to Coile Reads Wiki

RCWP AI influence on project
The RCWP AI helped me to better understand Web 2.0 technologies. Many of the tools introduced during the workshop are programs I am familiar with, but I did not fully realize the potential of social networking. The important thing I learned about the different Web 2.0 tools is the organic (yes, organic) nature of the tools. The workshop provided me not only with the guidance in using the tools, but it also gave me the time to implement them. I have created a wiki that will be connected to the Coile media center homepage that can be accessed by the entire school to discuss books and provide feedback. During the first semester of school, I will be working with eighth grade language arts classes to create Voice Thread book talks that can be accessed on the wiki. I have worked with Photo Story in the past, but Voice Thread is a better choice for this project because it can be edited. Voice Thread is one of the tools I have focused on, but I plan on using and sharing other tools at my school such as some of the social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us and scribd. I enjoyed the workshop and will enjoy teaching and exploring the new Web 2.0 tools during the school year

Matt Hicks

hicksma — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:32:39 CDT

Of Mice and Men Thematic Unit- Wiki Style
http://ofmiceandmenhicks.wetpaint.com/

Abstract:
Through my work at the Advanced Institute, I have transformed one of my American Literature Units and moved it into the twenty first century. In order to make this trek, my students will use Web 2.0 tools like wikis and blogs to expand class discussions of theme and create a stage for their writing to reach a greater audience. I truly believe that the use of these 2.0 tools will motivate my students to do more than just read and write. I believe that it will set the stage for my quieter students to enter class discussions, it will build community by empowering the students with the ownership that comes with a class wiki, it will push them to polish work that will be posted for a larger audience, give them the opportunity to learn new technological skills, and most important, it will give them the opportunity to gain the sense of pride and satisfaction that comes with being a part of creating such a large collaborative product. Through our work we will achieve the following:
1. Post Thematic Log Entries for each of our reading chunks in individual blogs.
2. Respond to other students' entries within their blogs
3. Work in groups to create electronic, multimedia collages for each theme
4. Post individual Thematic Collage Analyses in their blogs
5. Compose a 2-4 page thematic/persuasive essay over the novel (To be posted in their blog)
6. Participate in online scoring of sample papers with a partner. And participate in revision/writer’s workshop online (Blog style)

To be brief, I have used some of the Web 2.0 tools that I learned in the RCWP Tech AI to transform one of my American Literature units. This has always been a unit in which my students have been expected to do more than just participate in oral classroom discussions. My students were also expected to share the exploratory writing that they did in their thematic logs. They would trade their papers back and forth and be given time to compose written responses to one another’s ideas. Through the use of a classroom wiki and links to individual student blogs, I hope to up the conversation(s). These two tools will not only increase the volume and number of conversations, it will also make it possible for my students to access all of the small group discussions and work to bring them back into one large, class conversation.
Our wiki will provide kids with many opportunities that my old paper and pen unit could not. In previous semesters, I have spent countless hours redistributing copies of the log assignments, helping kids hunt for their lost responses, and dealing with the fallout of group members being absent on trade/response days. Hopefully, these shall be problems of the past. Under this new design, my kids will have access to all of the assignments at any time. I have posted assignments under each chapter, given a full explanation for both of their final assessments, and even provided some samples for them to look through. In addition to the class time that we will spend looking at all of these, the kids will now be able to access lost assignments, access the work assigned during an absence, and even go back to post late work online whenever they get a chance.
In my original plan, I had hoped that our wiki site could be a place for the kids to post the individual analyses of their group’s thematic collage, upload the thematic discussion logs for each chapter, and use the discussion thread as a place to respond to the work of their peers. After some work with Wetpaint, I soon learned some of its limits. Since much of our work will involve my students working simultaneously in the lab, I need to make sure that large numbers of student are also able to simultaneously post their work. If that isn’t possible on our wiki, then enter the blog. For this unit my students will not only become members and writers of our class wiki, they will also become authors of their own blogs. I think that this addition to my project has a threefold advantage.
First, it will allow my students to draft, revise, and upload their work as others do the same. Secondly, I have learned that the discussion thread part of the wiki is hard to keep organized. If students go directly to one another’s blogs to make comments, then their responses will not get jumbled or lost in the fold. Last and most important, I believe that my kids will enjoy the ownership and empowerment that comes with creating, owning, and authoring their own blog. What I have done is created two sample blogs; one of them is a sample thematic log entry for two chapters and the other is a sample analysis of the thematic collage that I created. I uploaded a link to each of these blogs under the appropriate sections of our wiki. When we begin work in the classroom, my students will create these two blogs and be expected to upload additional links under my own. From there each of my students will have access to their peers’ work whenever they need it.
The final bit of transformation that has occurred in my unit is the addition of the thematic collage. Although I have done something similar before, it is now digital. As we explore John Steinbeck’s treatment of the themes of the American Dream, power, and companionship in Of Mice and Men, I always work to help them better understand the concept of theme. One way to do this is to step outside of the novel and explore these themes in a larger context. For example, we explore the American Dream throughout the semester and look at how its definition changes across time, culture, socioeconomic status, etc. We do more than just use pieces of literature as our vehicles. We also read nonfiction articles, look up statistics of success in America, discuss the lives of Americans who fought for the dream, and dissect the images and messages about this theme that we find in popular culture such as movies, rap songs, television shows, etc. From this work, the kids are expected to write an expository essay that discusses their own opinion of some part of the American Dream.
After some thought, I realized that I wanted to move some of this work into the digital age. Thanks to the power of Web 2.0, I have decided to have the kids use images from the internet, movies, rap videos, etc. to create a collage that represents their idea. During this unit, my students will get into small groups, come up with a central thesis, and create a digital collage that they believe speaks to their idea. These collages (see my sample on the wiki now) will be posted to our wiki under the page “Thematic Collages.” From this work, each group member will then be expected to write their own analysis of the American Dream and discuss how it fits their collage. These, of course, will be done through a second blog that is linked directly to the collage page (see my sample collage and link to my corresponding blog analysis).

Web 2.0 Tools to be used:

Wiki (Wetpaint)
Student Blogs (Blogspot)

Timeline- I don’t work well with these, but here is my best estimate:
(*Note-The order in which our work is to be done is self-explanatory if you browse through the wiki.)
Week 1: Introduce the novel, thematic log expectations, and basic Wiki skills
Week 2: The students will have read and completed logs for Chapters 1 and 2.
In addition to this, they will also have a day in the computer lab in
which they must read their partners’ entries and respond to one of
them. This will require a day at the beginning of the week to create
blogs, familiarize them with the site, and have a practice entry and
response activity.
Week 3: This will be a busy week. The students will be expected to understand
the routine by now. They will read chapters 3 and 4, upload their
thematic log entries, and respond to their partner(s). In addition to this
work, we will also begin to discuss the thematic collage. (*Note- We
will be about ten weeks into the semester at this point, so the students
will have participated in many, many discussions of the American
Dream.) We will dissect my sample collage, and then discuss the
analysis of my collage that I posted on my blog. From this, the students
will form small groups and begin discussing how they want to tackle
this work.
Week 4: Students will complete all work for Chapters 5 and 6. They will also
have opportunities to meet with the collage groups and be ready to give
me an outline of their proposal.
Week 5: We will discuss the expectations for their essays, look at sample essays,
and revisit the writing rubric (all on the Wiki!). Rather than chalk talk
our thesis ideas for each theme, we will pull these directly off of the
wiki/blog responses, use them to guide our discussion, and possibly
create some digital chalk talk. From here, I will divide the 90 minute
periods up into essay prewriting/drafting time and digital collage pasting
time.
Week 6: Essays will be done, uploaded to their blogs, and scored online by
partners. Their collages will be done at the beginning of this week, and
the students will spend the rest of the week completing their individual
analyses, posting these on their blogs, and responding to the work of
other groups.

“How has my participation in the RCWP Tech AI influenced the development of this project? What am I doing now that I would not have done a week ago?” Are you kidding me? I feel like I just went through all of this. I signed up for the advanced institute as soon as I saw the words RCWP and Tech. I could go on and on about how important it is for me to keep up with my kids and the world of technology that they are born into. Unfortunately, I could also go on and on about how much I have secretly worked to avoid all of the headaches that I know would come with combining my teaching practice with this world. But I won’t do that. You will just have to trust me on this and believe me when I say that ultimately it was guilt that drove me to participate in this AI. I knew that I was doing my kids and myself a terrible disservice by this, and I couldn’t go on with it any longer.
So when I look back at the first question to this section, I still find it absurd. The RCWP Tech AI had everything to do with this project. It created a time and space where I felt supported and had fun doing what I had been resisting for years. When I walked in on that Monday I didn’t know what a wiki was. I had no clue how simple it could be for my students to create blogs. Heck, I was scared to touch the Mac in front of me as it gave me the one-eyed stare. But I soon learned that this was only a built-in camera lens, and that I kind of like Macs. Do I really need to go on here?
The second question here makes me chuckle. (What am I doing now that I would not have done a week ago?) Well, that answer is simple. I am trying to hammer out this assignment so that I can go back to working on the three other wikis that I have started over the past two weeks. I created one wiki for my son’s grandparents, aunt, and godmother to view and then use to upload their own memories of him. I also came home from my annual camping trip in Utah only to begin something similar. Three families have been getting together to do this for thirty years now. Through marriages and births, this has grown quite a bit. The wiki that I have created for this experience will probably have about fifty members over the next week or two. And just as important, I have started to play around with some new ideas for incorporating these tools into a third wiki for the freshmen that I am set to teach in a couple of weeks. Trust me, I wouldn’t have been doing any of this before the AI.

Follow this link to the Wiki. Inside of the Wiki are all of the directions that you will need and links to the blogs.
Of Mice and Men Thematic Wiki

Jodi's Final Project

jlsorr — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:31:20 CDT

The wiki space I created can be found at
http://sorrells.barrow.wikispaces.net/

It is still "a work in progress" as I continue to get feedback from other teachers at my school. It will become a private site soon though, so if you are interested in checking it out do so now.

I have added the final project proposal document at the bottom of this page.

Trevor's Final Project

ttstew — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:05:28 CDT

Here's the Link to My Wiki

I have also attached my proposal to this page, please let me know if you have trouble accessing it.

Thanks for a great week of learning. It was very organic ;)

Friday

parrhesiastes — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:33:21 CDT

Bob "The IA" Fecho

8:00 - 8:30 Morning Conversations (make sure you have a VoiceThread account with your photo)

8:30 - 11:30 Critical Friends Groups: Participants will share their project plans using the Charrette
Protocol

11:30 - 12:00 Dialogue with SI

12:00 - 1:45 Lunch/Exploration/Reflection
Reconvene in Place to be announced

1:45-2:45 Addressing the Limitations: Ways to Work Within a Frame with Bob

2:45-3:30 Tech & Red Clay: How Can the Tech Team Best Serve Teachers? John and Paige/Tech Team

3:30-4:00 Final & NWP Feedback with Scott and John

4:00-4:30 One Final Meaning Making Activity with Eric