"What have you taken away from this course that will permanently change the way you teach in your classroom?"
I have been teaching for 24 years, mostly in middle school language arts. I have prided myself on keeping up with new trends in education and being a life-long learner, but EDG 693 and Dr. Wirtz have pushed me to my limit this summer.
At the end of last school year, to prepare for a professional development I had to lead on tne new standards, I was making a creating a powerpoint. I walked into the media center where our awesome media specialist, Heather Warrell, was talking to students. I overheard her say to these students, "Powerpoint is so yesterday! You all need to try Prezi!" I was convicted. I went back to work and played with Prezi all weekend, putting together a presentation about the Kentucky Core Academic Standards. You can view it here:
Heather also challenged me to participate in the school blog. (That can be seen at http://okhms.nelson.kyschools.us/index.htm ) I didn't realize how hopelessly outdated I was in technology, however, until I took EDG 693 this summer. This class required me to deal with technology in ways I never have before, and it also encouraged me to try new things.
At first I kept my 13-year-old duaghter right by my side so she could help me troubleshoot, but after I got my confidence, I was doing things by myself, like registering for the educator's Skype collaborative site and contacting people to participate in a collaborativce project with my class. Even starting my own blog was a challenge, and I rejoiced every time I figured something out, like the time I was able to figure out how to edit a previously posted entry.
What this class has done is encourage me to use the technology that students are comfortable with and integrate it into my classroom instruction. I would not have done this without being thrown into the pool and forced to swim on my own.
I hope I am an inspiration to others--if a 46-year-old teacher can use the newest technology, so can you! I have already talked to a few teachers about the projects I created in this class, and I am excited to implement these plans next year. It feels great to know that I already have teachers willing to collaborate with me, and I know they will keep challenging me to try new things. I really feel like once you stop learning yourself, it's time for you to get out of teaching. This class helped challenge me to learn even more, proving to myself that I am still in the game, still enjoying what I do, and still willing and able to keep on learning along with my students!
zip line
zip line
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Instructional Plan: Interviewing the Elderly
Communication via technology is the area of language arts that has changed the most in the last decade. Through the social networking site Facebook and the free services of Skype, my middle school daughter has kept in touch with exchange students from Australia, Germany, and Japan. When I was her age this would have required a postage stamp and several day’s wait or an expensive long-distance phone call.
Another significant change of the past few years is the number of grandparents raising grandchildren. Most recent census data shows that “Grandparents are raising nearly 3 million children in the United States… That's up 8 percent over the past decade, largely because of the recession” (Robertson, 2011 January 27). The fastest growing demographic group in the United States is that of adults 85 years of age and older. “Most children view the later years as a time of decline and loss, rather than wellness and personal growth, and a time of isolation and loneliness rather than healthy involvement in the community….At very early ages, children have internalized ideas that serve as a breeding ground for ageism (age prejudice) and gerontophobia (fear of aging), that cloud a healthier view” (“UT Health Science,” 2011). The “Interviewing the Elderly” unit will attempt to increase communication between youth and the elderly in hopes that students’ understanding of and attitudes toward the elderly will improve.
I will be completing this unit with an 8th grade group in collaboration with a language arts teacher, social studies teacher, and media specialist.
Learning targets for the unit:
1. I can construct interview questions and conduct and interview in order to discover personal, historical information. (W.8.7.)
2. I can use technology in order to edit recorded information and form a cohesive, clear narrative or story and keep the audience engaged. (W.8.7)
3. I can use integrate media technology into a presentation to add interest to a piece. (SL.8.5)
4. I can organize a video presentation in a way that engages my audience initially and provides them with a satisfying conclusion. (W.H/SS.2a, W.H/SS.2f)
5. I can compile documents, artifact, and information received in an interview to develop one narrative or story about a person. (W.H/SS.2b)
6. I can use editing technology to make logical transitions in a video presentation. (W.H/SS.2c)
7. I can create a video presentation that has an appropriate tone and acceptable vocabulary. (W.H/SS.2d, W.H/SS.2e)
During the three-week unit, 8th graders will be paired with an elderly citizen at a local nursing home. By the close of the unit, they will have interviewed this person, taped and edited the interview, and created a human interest piece.
Learning movie editing software and the basics of photography and videotaping will be an integral part of instruction, as well as interviewing techniques and formulating questions that elicit information. Activities that increase awareness of the challenges of elderly citizens will be conducted, and students will read The Graduation of Jake Moon, a novel by Barbara Park that describes how life changes for a boy after his grandfather with Alzheimer’s comes to live with him.
The culminating activity for this unit will be a red carpet screening at the nursing home one evening to show all video stories and pay homage to the interviewees. Parents and family members of students, caregivers of elderly citizens, community members, and the local television news station will be invited to attend. Planning this celebration will be the responsibility of the learners—informing community members, contacting local media, sending invitations to caregivers, etc. The red-carpet evening will showcase not only the talent and creativity of our middle school students, but also positive cross-generational relationships.
The complete unit can be viewed at the following link.
Another significant change of the past few years is the number of grandparents raising grandchildren. Most recent census data shows that “Grandparents are raising nearly 3 million children in the United States… That's up 8 percent over the past decade, largely because of the recession” (Robertson, 2011 January 27). The fastest growing demographic group in the United States is that of adults 85 years of age and older. “Most children view the later years as a time of decline and loss, rather than wellness and personal growth, and a time of isolation and loneliness rather than healthy involvement in the community….At very early ages, children have internalized ideas that serve as a breeding ground for ageism (age prejudice) and gerontophobia (fear of aging), that cloud a healthier view” (“UT Health Science,” 2011). The “Interviewing the Elderly” unit will attempt to increase communication between youth and the elderly in hopes that students’ understanding of and attitudes toward the elderly will improve.
I will be completing this unit with an 8th grade group in collaboration with a language arts teacher, social studies teacher, and media specialist.
Learning targets for the unit:
1. I can construct interview questions and conduct and interview in order to discover personal, historical information. (W.8.7.)
2. I can use technology in order to edit recorded information and form a cohesive, clear narrative or story and keep the audience engaged. (W.8.7)
3. I can use integrate media technology into a presentation to add interest to a piece. (SL.8.5)
4. I can organize a video presentation in a way that engages my audience initially and provides them with a satisfying conclusion. (W.H/SS.2a, W.H/SS.2f)
5. I can compile documents, artifact, and information received in an interview to develop one narrative or story about a person. (W.H/SS.2b)
6. I can use editing technology to make logical transitions in a video presentation. (W.H/SS.2c)
7. I can create a video presentation that has an appropriate tone and acceptable vocabulary. (W.H/SS.2d, W.H/SS.2e)
During the three-week unit, 8th graders will be paired with an elderly citizen at a local nursing home. By the close of the unit, they will have interviewed this person, taped and edited the interview, and created a human interest piece.
Learning movie editing software and the basics of photography and videotaping will be an integral part of instruction, as well as interviewing techniques and formulating questions that elicit information. Activities that increase awareness of the challenges of elderly citizens will be conducted, and students will read The Graduation of Jake Moon, a novel by Barbara Park that describes how life changes for a boy after his grandfather with Alzheimer’s comes to live with him.
The culminating activity for this unit will be a red carpet screening at the nursing home one evening to show all video stories and pay homage to the interviewees. Parents and family members of students, caregivers of elderly citizens, community members, and the local television news station will be invited to attend. Planning this celebration will be the responsibility of the learners—informing community members, contacting local media, sending invitations to caregivers, etc. The red-carpet evening will showcase not only the talent and creativity of our middle school students, but also positive cross-generational relationships.
The complete unit can be viewed at the following link.
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