Group items tagged

This article describes how to set up blogs in an educational format. It gives a step by step instructions and even gives a few blogging websites to try. It discusses different ways in which to integrate the blogs into existing curriculum and also states set backs and alterations that were made after students had worked with the blogs for some time. The blogs themselves are not whats necessarily engaging, its the way in which they are used and how they promote community student centered learning.

This website is a tool for people wanting to incorporate blogging into their classroom. The site offers that writing should be a collaborative process, which is exactly what blogging offers. In response to critics, "Blogging is about reading and writing. Literacy is about reading and writing. Blogging is about literacy"

This is an informative YouTube video that looks at the way Dr. Christopher Long uses blogs as writing in his philosophy classes. The video explains how the blog can be used as a way to bring web 2.0 writing into the classroom with a number of benefits. Some of the benefits that Dr. Long discusses refer to "blurring the boundaries between the teacher and the student" and making a "community" within the classroom.

This blog post by a teacher may not be the most credible source, but it defiantly seems to give some very good information about teaching and how to use different methods for discussion. In this blog article we see three different ways of how to lead class discussion,, all dealing with small group activity. The teacher describes rotating, jigsawing, and snowballing threads that all help with student group work. I thought the ideas in this blog were very interesting because they show how there is not just one way to teach to a large classroom. Having the students learn for themselves and with each other is crucial. But, the problem I have with the article is this: What if not all of the students wish to learn in groups? I feel that there could be a very fine line between group work and working by ones self. Where does this prove problematic?

If you're studying for a test, putting on background music that you like may seem like a good idea. But if you're trying to memorize a list in order -- facts, numbers, elements of the periodic table -- the music may actually be working against you, a new study suggests. I want to find information on listening to music in the classroom, specifically the English 30 classes. I find the constant playing of Pandora to be distracting and I want to know if it's detrimental to the English 30 students learning, etc. So far I've found issues with listening to music and memorization, but not necessarily as it relates to writing workshops like the one I'm interning in now.

Let's try to stretch beyond CNN reports, which most often are quick and superficial.

This online-community-sourced interview with Sir Ken Robinson (British education adviser, author, and speaker) followed his TED talk about creativity in education. He makes some good points about the need to cultivate creativity in students in all areas of education (not just those traditionally associated with creativity, like music or painting). This is closely tied to the struggle to create motivation in the classroom and addresses an attitude more than a specific set of strategies.  He tends to talk more about math and science than language, but most of what he says can be applied to our field as well. He connects the idea of "teaching creativity" to "teaching literacy", but I would argue to achieve true literacy, you need those creative elements that are so often lost in the language classroom.

Digital Discourse: Composing with media in the writing classroom Karen Gocsik This article, posted under the writing and rhetoric section of the Dartmouth University website, discusses the potential multi-media assignments and teaching methods can have on new-age students. Gocsik feels that the literacy of the screen should become a third type of literacy behind oral and print. The nuances in composing a webpage or video reveal similar elements to that of constructing an essay. Gocsik makes the point that making a video project teaches students how to: come up with explicit vs. implied theses, structure according to the expectations of the audience and conventions of a particular medium or genre, and how to craft arguments out of a polophony of voices while creating a multimedia voice of one's own (Gocsik). Multimedia devices such as blogs or webpage's can be used to assist in the bigger project of a video collaboration.

Thinking of invention in chapter two of our text lead me to think about the ways in which we write to express self. This article discusses how the world of texting, instant messaging, blogging and other such types of writing help to open our minds to our inner thoughts. We are free from the rules and regulations of a stereotypical classroom and are also allowed to share and respond to others writing. The internet and cell phones have opened up a huge new space for writing. Some think it's hindering and destroying language, while others believe its radically changing it for the better. I want to start my journey here and reach my own personal conclusion through further research and discussions.

I found this video actually looking for an informative video about students liking writing ---- goes to show that most students "hate" writing for multiple reasons. Many of the reasons in the control of educators. Teachers have the power to change the negative connotation students interpret writing to be - just an assignment, no further significance to, no interest to write ---- students should enjoy writing <<< school stems from learning through writing and reading ---- students want to write on things that interest them not pedagogical theories and research assignments. Students like to learn through their own eyes - students enjoy different genres of writing. Teachers have the power to enable their students in finding their interest in the writing realm. However, students should know the general rules and process of writing whether it be a narrative or research assignment, etc. Also, (as a teacher comments within the movie) - students don't always take blogs or social-media oriented writing forums with interest since self-representation is then transmitted into a educational institution. The video also covers the public's views on possible preventing of "writing hatred." This video also reflects the concept in the Casanava article in our class packet - teachers need to work on getting students immersed in writing through allowing their personal knowledge be combined with the values and lessons deemed by the institution they are writing for.

This website deals with the idea of conferring with students. The author states that individual conversations with students are important on accessing the students and determining what they need at the time to improve their writing. The author shares a wonderful video that demonstrates how one on one mentoring and conferring can truly build the confidence of a student. The author states that it is critical to support students without taking over their ideas specially if the the student is struggling. I truly enjoyed the video as it truly illustrated the authors suggestions. I found this website interesting because sometimes we must show someone how to be a writer before criticizing their papers and assuming that they are bad writers.

Compared to my other sources, which thus far have had a solely focused on Gamification and all ties to education were stated by myself, this article takes a greater initiative in connecting Gamifaction and education, by discussing potential uses for Gamification in a classroom setting. It also refers to a psychology study conducted on implementing Gamification at the University level.