I love RSS feeds. Bloglines is my reader of choice, although I teach the kids how to use Google Reader because it's more accessible and most of them already have an account. My seniors (college comp 101) are encouraged to set up a reader feed. It's very heartening to see them doing their research and checking their feeds before they go off into the jungle that is the web.
edited to add:
Haven't done much with the gadgets on this page, so played around some. Added the Google +1 button and the blog list. Don't forget to check out my book for sale on the CF Duprey site!
:)
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Thing 2
I've been on Twitter for many years, in both my professional lives. Not only am I a teacher, but I'm also an author with over twenty books published. Since the majority of those, however, are pubbed under a pseudonym, my writer social media platforms are separate from those I use as a teacher.
So yes, I have a Facebook account as myself (Cindy Duprey) and I keep in touch with several graduates that way. In years' past I've also allowed current students to friend me, but I've gotten a bit paranoid in recent years. Not all the things posted to my wall are kid-friendly and I don't need a parent yelling at me because someone posted an off-color joke and their kid saw it.
I do not have a FB account as my writer-self, however. The dual logins can get to be a pain in the neck. I have a writer Twitter account that I use on occasion but I've found I didn't use my teacher one very much, so I let it go.
Tweetdeck is my Tweet manager of choice. It allows me to have several "streams" of tweets that are tailored to specific interests. I recommend it if you're overwhelmed by too many updates.
As for other social media platforms, I've been a resident of Second Life since October 2006 and have used it both to teach classes (a series of writing workshops for people all over the world) and as a design course for high school students. Unfortunately, some decisions on the part of Linden Labs, the company that owns Second Life, made it impossible for us to continue to use it at the high school level. :(
CD
So yes, I have a Facebook account as myself (Cindy Duprey) and I keep in touch with several graduates that way. In years' past I've also allowed current students to friend me, but I've gotten a bit paranoid in recent years. Not all the things posted to my wall are kid-friendly and I don't need a parent yelling at me because someone posted an off-color joke and their kid saw it.
I do not have a FB account as my writer-self, however. The dual logins can get to be a pain in the neck. I have a writer Twitter account that I use on occasion but I've found I didn't use my teacher one very much, so I let it go.
Tweetdeck is my Tweet manager of choice. It allows me to have several "streams" of tweets that are tailored to specific interests. I recommend it if you're overwhelmed by too many updates.
As for other social media platforms, I've been a resident of Second Life since October 2006 and have used it both to teach classes (a series of writing workshops for people all over the world) and as a design course for high school students. Unfortunately, some decisions on the part of Linden Labs, the company that owns Second Life, made it impossible for us to continue to use it at the high school level. :(
CD
Thing 1
Three of us at the high school signed up for an online learning class examining the use of social media in the classroom. The first activity is all about creating a blog. Took me a bit to remember my login, but I did and here I am again!
The virtual world course shut down (you can read about it here) and I pretty much stopped blogging at that point. If you look at past entries on this blog, you'll see I actually played around with the concept of a teaching/learning blog for a while. It's a reflective learning piece for me, though, not really a useful tool in my classroom. I prefer wikis for classroom interaction, but I think that's a future lesson?
In any case, I'm finally getting started on the course. Welcome to my world! :)
The virtual world course shut down (you can read about it here) and I pretty much stopped blogging at that point. If you look at past entries on this blog, you'll see I actually played around with the concept of a teaching/learning blog for a while. It's a reflective learning piece for me, though, not really a useful tool in my classroom. I prefer wikis for classroom interaction, but I think that's a future lesson?
In any case, I'm finally getting started on the course. Welcome to my world! :)
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Teaching methods -- Hamlet
Tried something new today with Hamlet. We're winding down, having finished the cold reading of the play and now having finished watching Zefferelli's filmed version. Along the way, just to keep it interesting, I've been playing clips from YouTube that the kids have sent me (the Animaniacs version of Hamlet is their favorite so far, but I'm partial to the Gilligan's Island clip). If nothing else, they've come to understand just how pervasive Shakespeare's work is in our culture.
So what did I do new? I gave them a 3x5 card and told them to put their names on the card and then told them they had the opportunity to ask any question of any character in Hamlet. Just ask it --don't try to answer it (my goal was to get true questions...ones they really didn't have an answer for).
And true questions they gave me! From the truly perplexed came questions addressed to Ophelia (why didn't you just tell Hamlet your father was behind the arras?), and Gertrude (you knew Claudius was a murderer, why did you drink the drink when he told you not to?). From the curious came the questions to Claudius (was getting the throne worth killing your brother) and Hamlet himself (did you really love Ophelia or were you just using her?).
Of course, we have the light-hearted questions as well (to Hamlet: what's your middle name? to Rosencrantz: why do you hang around with Guildenstern all the time?). But each one shows their curiousity and ability to go deeper into the text with questions.
Tomorrow comes the fun part. Well, I think it's fun, anyway. I've typed up all the questions they asked on a separate sheet. Each student will be required to choose FIVE of the questions and give it their best shot at answering as if he/she is the character. This will (theoretically) force them to think about character motivations and desires. Once I've collected their answers, I'm planning a simple cut and paste of the answers back to each of the original questioners. It should be as if they asked the character the question...and the character answered back.
Okay, lol, that's the plan. I'll let you know if it works!
CD
So what did I do new? I gave them a 3x5 card and told them to put their names on the card and then told them they had the opportunity to ask any question of any character in Hamlet. Just ask it --don't try to answer it (my goal was to get true questions...ones they really didn't have an answer for).
And true questions they gave me! From the truly perplexed came questions addressed to Ophelia (why didn't you just tell Hamlet your father was behind the arras?), and Gertrude (you knew Claudius was a murderer, why did you drink the drink when he told you not to?). From the curious came the questions to Claudius (was getting the throne worth killing your brother) and Hamlet himself (did you really love Ophelia or were you just using her?).
Of course, we have the light-hearted questions as well (to Hamlet: what's your middle name? to Rosencrantz: why do you hang around with Guildenstern all the time?). But each one shows their curiousity and ability to go deeper into the text with questions.
Tomorrow comes the fun part. Well, I think it's fun, anyway. I've typed up all the questions they asked on a separate sheet. Each student will be required to choose FIVE of the questions and give it their best shot at answering as if he/she is the character. This will (theoretically) force them to think about character motivations and desires. Once I've collected their answers, I'm planning a simple cut and paste of the answers back to each of the original questioners. It should be as if they asked the character the question...and the character answered back.
Okay, lol, that's the plan. I'll let you know if it works!
CD
Friday, November 9, 2007
Went to a workshop today...
...and after introducing the speaker, the teacher in charge then said, "And all of you with your laptops up, put them down and listen."
And that pushed a button.
DON'T tell me to put my laptop down. Why the heck do I have it if not to take notes and make connections? Shouldn't she rather be ENCOURAGING the use of the laptops to make connections between his presentation and our own learning???? Shouldn't she be telling us to feel free to access his site and bring up questions we have for the speaker based not only on what he tells us, but on what we discover?
Until we change the attitudes of the teachers, we will NEVER catch the attention of the students. Teaching to a room full of laptops is a reality teachers can no longer ignore. It's time to stop living in the 19th century. The 20th century saw the introduction of the filmstrip, the slide projector, the overhead projector, the 16mm film projector. All ways of projecting information onto a static surface. Passive education. Watch, but don’t touch.
Today’s education no longer has those tools. Filmstrip projectors gather dust. The slide carousels are relegated to the top shelves of department centers, their slots filled with faded artworks and broken cassette tapes. Video cassettes have replaced the 16mm projector, but the concept is still the same. Be quiet and watch the movie.
So education, without these tools, must go one of two ways. Either is must slide back to the 19th century with a dependence on books, chalkboards and paper…or it must embrace the NEW technologies: the computer, the Ipod, the cellphone, email.
Too often we have slid to the familiar rather than challenge ourselves to the difficult. How can we expect our students to accept the minor daily challenges we throw at them if we are too scared, too complacent, too stuck-in-our-ways to take on a challenge ourselves?
Critical thinking skills are vital. But how should those skills be taught? Therein lies the issue. Understanding the ins and outs of a mathematical construct or being able to analyze and synthesize information found in textbooks are needed skills. But so is the ability to determine the validity of a website or information gathered from a variety of sources, the Internet included.
*****
In reading back over this, I see in my rant that I have actually touched lightly on several subjects and dealt with none in detail. Will post again later and show what I'm doing in the classroom to challenge both myself and my students and you'll see...they really ARE responding. And yes, responding positively ! :)
And that pushed a button.
DON'T tell me to put my laptop down. Why the heck do I have it if not to take notes and make connections? Shouldn't she rather be ENCOURAGING the use of the laptops to make connections between his presentation and our own learning???? Shouldn't she be telling us to feel free to access his site and bring up questions we have for the speaker based not only on what he tells us, but on what we discover?
Until we change the attitudes of the teachers, we will NEVER catch the attention of the students. Teaching to a room full of laptops is a reality teachers can no longer ignore. It's time to stop living in the 19th century. The 20th century saw the introduction of the filmstrip, the slide projector, the overhead projector, the 16mm film projector. All ways of projecting information onto a static surface. Passive education. Watch, but don’t touch.
Today’s education no longer has those tools. Filmstrip projectors gather dust. The slide carousels are relegated to the top shelves of department centers, their slots filled with faded artworks and broken cassette tapes. Video cassettes have replaced the 16mm projector, but the concept is still the same. Be quiet and watch the movie.
So education, without these tools, must go one of two ways. Either is must slide back to the 19th century with a dependence on books, chalkboards and paper…or it must embrace the NEW technologies: the computer, the Ipod, the cellphone, email.
Too often we have slid to the familiar rather than challenge ourselves to the difficult. How can we expect our students to accept the minor daily challenges we throw at them if we are too scared, too complacent, too stuck-in-our-ways to take on a challenge ourselves?
Critical thinking skills are vital. But how should those skills be taught? Therein lies the issue. Understanding the ins and outs of a mathematical construct or being able to analyze and synthesize information found in textbooks are needed skills. But so is the ability to determine the validity of a website or information gathered from a variety of sources, the Internet included.
*****
In reading back over this, I see in my rant that I have actually touched lightly on several subjects and dealt with none in detail. Will post again later and show what I'm doing in the classroom to challenge both myself and my students and you'll see...they really ARE responding. And yes, responding positively ! :)
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
using wikis...or not
Taking the plunge into Wiki-world this week with my college-level seniors. Why them and not the younger kids? Because these seniors are a fun group that want to play with technology and are willing to take risks. I've discovered the sophomore class I have is really risk-adverse. They're afraid to try anything new because they have no previous understanding as to how it works...or how it will affect their grade. That class also has trouble with access. Several of my sophomores have no computer at home and/or few skills when it comes to technology. While the media likes to make it seem as if every student carries a cell phone, Ipod or an MP3 player, the reality is far from the truth.
I'm a lover of new technologies and am often looking for ways to use them to my advantage in class. But there's no advantage if the kids don't actually HAVE the technology available. Comfort comes only from familiarity. How can I expect my kids to get excited about using a new way of commuication when, for so many of them, it's simply another slap in the face with something they don't have and aren't going to have for the forseeable future?
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project is promising...but I wish I could find a rich benefactor that would be willing to buy them for this rural American district. No...that wouldn't work. Those little green machines are designed for little fingers, and I have high school students with adult-sized hands. Hands that hate pen and keyboard alike because they've already been beaten down so many times, they no longer wish to try.
I'm speaking in generalities, of course. With a room filled with laptops (caveat: laptops that WORK) I could move them from their apathy. I'm a teacher, which means I'm also a cheerleader and I can make them all feel good about themselves while doing difficult work.
Oh, dear. This turned into another rant. Sorry about that. I will try to post again later today and put up something that's actually USEFUL!
CD
I'm a lover of new technologies and am often looking for ways to use them to my advantage in class. But there's no advantage if the kids don't actually HAVE the technology available. Comfort comes only from familiarity. How can I expect my kids to get excited about using a new way of commuication when, for so many of them, it's simply another slap in the face with something they don't have and aren't going to have for the forseeable future?
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project is promising...but I wish I could find a rich benefactor that would be willing to buy them for this rural American district. No...that wouldn't work. Those little green machines are designed for little fingers, and I have high school students with adult-sized hands. Hands that hate pen and keyboard alike because they've already been beaten down so many times, they no longer wish to try.
I'm speaking in generalities, of course. With a room filled with laptops (caveat: laptops that WORK) I could move them from their apathy. I'm a teacher, which means I'm also a cheerleader and I can make them all feel good about themselves while doing difficult work.
Oh, dear. This turned into another rant. Sorry about that. I will try to post again later today and put up something that's actually USEFUL!
CD
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
A Rant
This article caught my interest, not because I'm any great fan of Sting's music (although I don't mind it), but because of the headline "Sting tops list of worst lyricists." Bad lyrics? From such a popular musician? But the headline did what it was supposed to do...catch my attention and make me read the article, which I did.
The top five worst lyricists, according to Blender, place Sting at No. 1, "Rush drummer Neil Peart at No. 2, Creed frontman Scott Stapp at No. 3, Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher at No. 4, and soft-rocker Dan Fogelberg at No. 5" (Yes, I cut and pasted that list from the Reuter's article).
Dan Fogleburg? a bad lyricist? I've often thought his songs read more like poetry than song lyrics, mostly because they include a level of literacy that is generally lacking in most popular music. And why was Sting on the list? Because he name drops Russian novelists and makes allusions to Chaucer and Shakespeare in his songs. Shame on him! Literary references in a mass-market offering? What are these men thinking?
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised in an era where the obsenities of rap are glorified and the language itself is undergoing a massive shift with the rise of 'netspeak. I supposed I shouldn't wonder that lyricists who reference literature in a day of informality and deliberate ignorance are considered "bad" and "unimaginative".
(Led Zepplin's Robert Plant also makes the list...his crime? Making mention of Tolkien's character Gollum in one of his pieces)
Sorry there isn't a link here to the original article on Blender. I can't seem to find it at the moment. When I do, I'll fix that.
In the meantime, I think I'll put on a Dan Fogleburg album and relax to some poetry...
The top five worst lyricists, according to Blender, place Sting at No. 1, "Rush drummer Neil Peart at No. 2, Creed frontman Scott Stapp at No. 3, Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher at No. 4, and soft-rocker Dan Fogelberg at No. 5" (Yes, I cut and pasted that list from the Reuter's article).
Dan Fogleburg? a bad lyricist? I've often thought his songs read more like poetry than song lyrics, mostly because they include a level of literacy that is generally lacking in most popular music. And why was Sting on the list? Because he name drops Russian novelists and makes allusions to Chaucer and Shakespeare in his songs. Shame on him! Literary references in a mass-market offering? What are these men thinking?
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised in an era where the obsenities of rap are glorified and the language itself is undergoing a massive shift with the rise of 'netspeak. I supposed I shouldn't wonder that lyricists who reference literature in a day of informality and deliberate ignorance are considered "bad" and "unimaginative".
(Led Zepplin's Robert Plant also makes the list...his crime? Making mention of Tolkien's character Gollum in one of his pieces)
Sorry there isn't a link here to the original article on Blender. I can't seem to find it at the moment. When I do, I'll fix that.
In the meantime, I think I'll put on a Dan Fogleburg album and relax to some poetry...
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Teaching the Ramayana
That's the literature-of-the-moment in my sophomore class. I used to teach it in conjunction with the Odyssey in the freshman year. Had a curriculum that I'd developed then that really worked. But one can teach that age-level for only so long and after twenty years, I asked to be moved. Now that curriculum isn't taught much by the new 9th grade teachers and so the Ramayana has been relegated to the untaught pile.
Why? Because the curriculum already contains one ancient epic and most teachers barely want to teach the Odyssey. They'd rather bring more modern literature into the classroom and I totally understand that. But for me, tossing ALL the classics would be equivalent to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There needs to be a balance...and so I'm determined to bring that to my sophomore students. Hence, I tell the story of the Ramayana.
Yes, you read that right. The epic is a great story and one that has been expounded upon for generations. In fact, expounding on the basic outline and making the story your own is a part of the tradition. So I stand before the class and tell them a story. A long story. A really, really long story. Takes me several days (all told, about 3 hrs worth) to give just the basic plot. And I leave out a lot! Whole sections.
And I never tell it the same way twice. That's the beauty of storytelling. It encompasses the audience, plays with and on them. As they are bored with a section, I skip over it or embellish with enough detail to engage them again. Or if they're really excited about a part, I'll dwell on it...drag it out a little and give them more of what they want to hear about the characters or the setting at that point in the story. We have fun and they think they aren't working.
Of course, they are. They have to listen. And I give them a character and place name cheat sheet so they can write down who is who and where is where as we go along. So they're taking directed notes as they listen. And believe me, it's active listening. I describe Shoorpanaka's ugliness after Ram gets through with her and they all make faces. Or we get to the point where the monkeys have all picked up Sita's jewlery and they all want to yell at the monkeys.
After they've heard the story, I give them a short written version (you can find it here) and they read that one on their own. Invariably I get the "but this isn't what you told us in class!" complaint and it gives me a chance to explain again the Hindu proverb: There are as many Ramayanas as there are grains of sand on the seashore." Larry T's work is different from mine, because he is different from me. His purpose is different, his audience is wider.
And that leads me into their own expoundings. I have them choose a VERY small piece of the story to retell in their own words. VERY small. The descriptions can get out of hand very quickly (I once had a student write two typed, double-spaced pages on the description of Ayodyha). So keep the plot point tiny. This is a great exercise in getting them to write descriptively, whether describing Laksman getting hit with Ravena's arrow or Sita's reunion with Ram or the appearance of Ravena's palace. Each of those are plot points or locations, but their details? That's up to each reader/expounder to decide (click here to learn more about this idea).
So...teaching techniques discussed today? Using storytelling to improve listening skills. Reinforcing plot points by showing differing versions of the same story (I often begin this unit by having them tell me the story of the Three Little Pigs...in as many permutations as I can get out of them. Then ask, "which one is the right one?" They begin to understand that ALL versions are "right"). And writing descriptively by creating an expounding of their own.
Have fun!
Why? Because the curriculum already contains one ancient epic and most teachers barely want to teach the Odyssey. They'd rather bring more modern literature into the classroom and I totally understand that. But for me, tossing ALL the classics would be equivalent to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There needs to be a balance...and so I'm determined to bring that to my sophomore students. Hence, I tell the story of the Ramayana.
Yes, you read that right. The epic is a great story and one that has been expounded upon for generations. In fact, expounding on the basic outline and making the story your own is a part of the tradition. So I stand before the class and tell them a story. A long story. A really, really long story. Takes me several days (all told, about 3 hrs worth) to give just the basic plot. And I leave out a lot! Whole sections.
And I never tell it the same way twice. That's the beauty of storytelling. It encompasses the audience, plays with and on them. As they are bored with a section, I skip over it or embellish with enough detail to engage them again. Or if they're really excited about a part, I'll dwell on it...drag it out a little and give them more of what they want to hear about the characters or the setting at that point in the story. We have fun and they think they aren't working.
Of course, they are. They have to listen. And I give them a character and place name cheat sheet so they can write down who is who and where is where as we go along. So they're taking directed notes as they listen. And believe me, it's active listening. I describe Shoorpanaka's ugliness after Ram gets through with her and they all make faces. Or we get to the point where the monkeys have all picked up Sita's jewlery and they all want to yell at the monkeys.
After they've heard the story, I give them a short written version (you can find it here) and they read that one on their own. Invariably I get the "but this isn't what you told us in class!" complaint and it gives me a chance to explain again the Hindu proverb: There are as many Ramayanas as there are grains of sand on the seashore." Larry T's work is different from mine, because he is different from me. His purpose is different, his audience is wider.
And that leads me into their own expoundings. I have them choose a VERY small piece of the story to retell in their own words. VERY small. The descriptions can get out of hand very quickly (I once had a student write two typed, double-spaced pages on the description of Ayodyha). So keep the plot point tiny. This is a great exercise in getting them to write descriptively, whether describing Laksman getting hit with Ravena's arrow or Sita's reunion with Ram or the appearance of Ravena's palace. Each of those are plot points or locations, but their details? That's up to each reader/expounder to decide (click here to learn more about this idea).
So...teaching techniques discussed today? Using storytelling to improve listening skills. Reinforcing plot points by showing differing versions of the same story (I often begin this unit by having them tell me the story of the Three Little Pigs...in as many permutations as I can get out of them. Then ask, "which one is the right one?" They begin to understand that ALL versions are "right"). And writing descriptively by creating an expounding of their own.
Have fun!
Monday, October 1, 2007
the beginning
So I go out to search Google blogs for all the blogs that deal with the teaching of English. Why? Because I want to show my seniors how to use RSS feeds to their advantage. I've created a "dummy" Bloglines account that I can use to demonstrate with and then I decided a feed from the various English teacher's blogs would be a good addition for demonstration.
What do I find? None. Nada. Zippo. Several blogs that mention they ARE teachers of English, a TON more that are for ESL teachers (and the accompanying list of acronyms), and several decrying a program that has defaulted on paying their employees who were teaching English in different countries.
But not one on the tips and techniques (methods? anyone remember their methods course? Mine was two hours a week during our student teaching where we got together and chatted about stuff we'd tried. I think we managed to stay on task for about the first 45 minutes...). But no one out there in the blogsphere talking about the best way to teach the Odyssey or how to get the kid who hates writing to actually write a single sentence? Blew my mind.
And like any good teacher...when one sees a lack, one must try and "fix" the problem. So...this is my beginning.
Caveat: Although I've been teaching for 27 years and have used blogs in the past for other purposes, this is my first time with the "new" blogspot.com. Have patience as I set everything in place. Thanks.
C.D.
What do I find? None. Nada. Zippo. Several blogs that mention they ARE teachers of English, a TON more that are for ESL teachers (and the accompanying list of acronyms), and several decrying a program that has defaulted on paying their employees who were teaching English in different countries.
But not one on the tips and techniques (methods? anyone remember their methods course? Mine was two hours a week during our student teaching where we got together and chatted about stuff we'd tried. I think we managed to stay on task for about the first 45 minutes...). But no one out there in the blogsphere talking about the best way to teach the Odyssey or how to get the kid who hates writing to actually write a single sentence? Blew my mind.
And like any good teacher...when one sees a lack, one must try and "fix" the problem. So...this is my beginning.
Caveat: Although I've been teaching for 27 years and have used blogs in the past for other purposes, this is my first time with the "new" blogspot.com. Have patience as I set everything in place. Thanks.
C.D.
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