I just finished reading the rough drafts of my English 191 students' rhetorical analysis papers. I know the papers are rough drafts, but honestly can't my students at least run spelling check before they give me their papers? I dutifully circle or underline every grammar and spelling error; I will look at these rough drafts again when I grade the final drafts. And I will deduct points for laziness i.e. not bothering to fix the errors I pointed out. So annoying!
Someday a software program may be developed which can read papers for all proofreading errors. (Spell check and grammar check are not good enough to count). Even if that happens, I will still read my students' papers. I do not think technology can replace the human touch, the factor which separates human beings from machines.
I had conferences with my students last week. They appreciated the human being who cared enough to make a bunch of red ink marks on their papers. The conversation helped them understand that they had an audience. They realized they needed to clarify their writing. Most of them said that no one had ever read every single word that they wrote before. I wanted to make them realize that their writing counts. It matters what they put on the paper. They can contribute new ideas and give insight to issues. Technology cannot provide this kind of concern for their progress as writers.
I am not just a proofreader; I am a teacher, the human factor, who cares.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Twitter on CSpan
On Saturday I watched a question-answer discussion with Evan Williams on CSpan. Williams is one of the founders of Twitter.com. Originally they called it "twttr", but as Williams jokingly said, they bought the vowels to complete the word "twitter". Biz Stone, Williams' partner, named the technology twitter because there are short burst of conversations like birds chirping. Stone said that the phones receiving the messages make the high pitched sounds like birds.
Williams is not sure the future of Twitter, but he commented on its rapid growth. He is seeing how people are networking and forming groups around interests and work related events. He noted that the biggest Twitter event was Obama's election night.
The fact that people can send one message to a group and have that message saved on a website which others can search may be why people are attracted to Twitter. A person does not have to retype the message; they can send to many followers. I have seen groups of 20 or more people.
There is a record of the twitters so people can go back and retrieve the information sent. For example, if there is a new location or time for a church meeting, book club, or political rally, the organizer can quickly twitter the group.
Cody discussed one possible advantage of twittering in the classroom setting is that students would learn to write concisely since only 140 characters are available in a twitter. I think texting has the same advantage. Since this technology is a social networking tool, I am not certain that it can be transformed into a journal response format.
I am wondering if a twitter debate might be more effective. Having an instructor tweet a controversial question, the students could take sides and discuss via their cell phones. Their tweets would be recorded for review later. I am not sure this would be an effective method, however. When making debate points, one may need to refer to authorities.
Though Twitter has been around for 3 years, I do not think its use has been fully discovered yet. I would like to read more about it before I use it in a classroom setting.
Williams is not sure the future of Twitter, but he commented on its rapid growth. He is seeing how people are networking and forming groups around interests and work related events. He noted that the biggest Twitter event was Obama's election night.
The fact that people can send one message to a group and have that message saved on a website which others can search may be why people are attracted to Twitter. A person does not have to retype the message; they can send to many followers. I have seen groups of 20 or more people.
There is a record of the twitters so people can go back and retrieve the information sent. For example, if there is a new location or time for a church meeting, book club, or political rally, the organizer can quickly twitter the group.
Cody discussed one possible advantage of twittering in the classroom setting is that students would learn to write concisely since only 140 characters are available in a twitter. I think texting has the same advantage. Since this technology is a social networking tool, I am not certain that it can be transformed into a journal response format.
I am wondering if a twitter debate might be more effective. Having an instructor tweet a controversial question, the students could take sides and discuss via their cell phones. Their tweets would be recorded for review later. I am not sure this would be an effective method, however. When making debate points, one may need to refer to authorities.
Though Twitter has been around for 3 years, I do not think its use has been fully discovered yet. I would like to read more about it before I use it in a classroom setting.
Blogging Fatigue
I think I am suffering from blogging fatigue. I have this class blog to maintain. I am blogging with my 191 students once a week. I blog with three small groups of supplemental 191 students. I read and comment on one of my children's friend's blog; she is spending a year in South Africa doing missionary work. I search for interesting blogs to study. Blog, blog, blog...
Sometimes I think we can overuse a technology. My high school students became so used to PowerPoints that they tuned me out when I presented one to them. I had to create fill-in-the-blank worksheets so they would write something down and not fall asleep in the dark. When my children were in junior and high school, instant messaging was the rage. Now it appears people have switched over to Facebook.
Instructors are incorporating YouTube videos into their content. It's the hip, cool thing now. I am wondering how long it will take before these mini videos will become dull. Of course, some new technology will come along, and students will flock to try it out. Will it be virtual reality? Or maybe brain implants just feeding the knowledge in without having to read it?
Sometimes I think we can overuse a technology. My high school students became so used to PowerPoints that they tuned me out when I presented one to them. I had to create fill-in-the-blank worksheets so they would write something down and not fall asleep in the dark. When my children were in junior and high school, instant messaging was the rage. Now it appears people have switched over to Facebook.
Instructors are incorporating YouTube videos into their content. It's the hip, cool thing now. I am wondering how long it will take before these mini videos will become dull. Of course, some new technology will come along, and students will flock to try it out. Will it be virtual reality? Or maybe brain implants just feeding the knowledge in without having to read it?
Monday, February 9, 2009
Boundaries: privacy and public
I like boundaries. I do not mind that my students are avid users of Facebook and not D2L. Technology can be used for both private and public reasons, for social networking and scholarship. I do not want to hear all the cell phone calls my students make nor do I want to read their text messages to friends. I do not want to check their Facebook page to see who their friends are. Students have lives away from college, and I like to respect their privacy
However, I do want to read their rough drafts and ask them to revise them on a word-processing program. I do want to use a PowerPoint to enhance a lecture on parallelism or wordinesss. I like the doc cam so I can point to a specific text in the reading. I use email to remind them of assignments and communicate changes in the lesson plan.
Of course some technologies can be used for both public and private reasons. I just think there needs to be some boundaries or parameters to distinguish between the two functions. I use the email addresses students are given by SCSU unless they ask me to email them at a different, off-campus one. I will use technology to see if they have plagiarized or paid for a paper instead of writing their own paper. Luckily, it is not my job to check on their behavior outside of the classroom. I can just be their teacher and use technology to energize their learning. They can mature on their own time.
However, I do want to read their rough drafts and ask them to revise them on a word-processing program. I do want to use a PowerPoint to enhance a lecture on parallelism or wordinesss. I like the doc cam so I can point to a specific text in the reading. I use email to remind them of assignments and communicate changes in the lesson plan.
Of course some technologies can be used for both public and private reasons. I just think there needs to be some boundaries or parameters to distinguish between the two functions. I use the email addresses students are given by SCSU unless they ask me to email them at a different, off-campus one. I will use technology to see if they have plagiarized or paid for a paper instead of writing their own paper. Luckily, it is not my job to check on their behavior outside of the classroom. I can just be their teacher and use technology to energize their learning. They can mature on their own time.
Content as a Verb
In An absolutely riveting online course: Nine principles for excellence in web-based teaching by Jim Henry and Jeff Meadows, they discuss a second principle of content as a verb. Their idea is that students are not merely presented content for reading and review, but students can contribute to the content of the course. Students learn more effectively online when they are actively engaged in dialogues with the instructor and interact with fellow classmates. The instructor is encouraged to create tasks and assignments that fulfill the course objectives, but engage the students in the learning process.
For example, if one of my course objectives is for students to write clear and concise thesis statements for a position paper, I would present some poorly written thesis statements and ask the students to comment on what they thought the paper was about. Most likely they will comment that they do not know. Then I would have the students write and post their own proposed thesis statement (one sentence) on a D2L forum or a blog. I would also post some models of good thesis statements. The students would read each other's thesis statements and make comments like the statement is too broad, too narrow for the assignment's length, not parallel, or is clear. I would also make comments on the statements to facilitate the comments. Hopefully the students would receive some good feedback as to what they need to change to make their thesis clearer.
If one of my course objectives is for students to learn to research, then I would pose a question to them like why is it important to learn to read. They would have to find an article, summarize its contents, and explain why they agree (or disagree) with the article. These 500 word responses would then be posted in the class forum. Next I would ask each student to reply to another student's response. They could add more researched material if they needed to. The class could perhaps even write a lengthy paper together in a wiki if another class objective was to learn how to collaborate with other students.
Keeping in mind that content is a verb, an action or an activity, when teaching an online course would help me stayed focused on creating tasks that engage the students rather than just spoonfeeding them the writing process.
For example, if one of my course objectives is for students to write clear and concise thesis statements for a position paper, I would present some poorly written thesis statements and ask the students to comment on what they thought the paper was about. Most likely they will comment that they do not know. Then I would have the students write and post their own proposed thesis statement (one sentence) on a D2L forum or a blog. I would also post some models of good thesis statements. The students would read each other's thesis statements and make comments like the statement is too broad, too narrow for the assignment's length, not parallel, or is clear. I would also make comments on the statements to facilitate the comments. Hopefully the students would receive some good feedback as to what they need to change to make their thesis clearer.
If one of my course objectives is for students to learn to research, then I would pose a question to them like why is it important to learn to read. They would have to find an article, summarize its contents, and explain why they agree (or disagree) with the article. These 500 word responses would then be posted in the class forum. Next I would ask each student to reply to another student's response. They could add more researched material if they needed to. The class could perhaps even write a lengthy paper together in a wiki if another class objective was to learn how to collaborate with other students.
Keeping in mind that content is a verb, an action or an activity, when teaching an online course would help me stayed focused on creating tasks that engage the students rather than just spoonfeeding them the writing process.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Email Conversations
Email technology is a great way to communicate with students, friends, and far away relatives. I only teach two days a week this semester; I have noticed an increase in emails from my students, especially when a paper is due. I feel like I am looking over their shoulder helping them tweak their papers. A friend of my son's is trying to make a living by playing professional golf. His brother emails me when and where Brett is playing so I can follow the tournaments. My second cousin just had a baby girl named Josie. I watched a video of her father playing with her. He is so in love with his new daughter.
All of these conversations are possible because of email. I can be engaged in conversations with many different types of people. Even though I have met all of these people in IRL, I feel more comfortable emailing them a quick note than picking up the phone and talking to them.
Email feels less intrusive; they can read and response when they have time and energy. When I get a phone call, I am annoyed sometimes because I am watching the end of a long movie on television and I want to see how the mystery or conflict is (re)solved. I have to run and pick up the phone before it stops ringing; sometimes I do miss it, but I feel like I have to call the person right back. Email is more leisurely; I get to set the pace.
I like having email conversations. How about you?
All of these conversations are possible because of email. I can be engaged in conversations with many different types of people. Even though I have met all of these people in IRL, I feel more comfortable emailing them a quick note than picking up the phone and talking to them.
Email feels less intrusive; they can read and response when they have time and energy. When I get a phone call, I am annoyed sometimes because I am watching the end of a long movie on television and I want to see how the mystery or conflict is (re)solved. I have to run and pick up the phone before it stops ringing; sometimes I do miss it, but I feel like I have to call the person right back. Email is more leisurely; I get to set the pace.
I like having email conversations. How about you?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
New Perspective on PPT
When PowerPoint first came out, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. What a wonderful program to use for my lectures to my students! Instead of paper outline notes for them to fill in and transparencies of pictures, I could create a slideshow which could make the text dance and swirl and the pictures fade in and out. I wasn't tied to my overhead; I could walk around the classroom and give my special needs students a non-verbal cue to pay attention.
Of course, now most of us are sick of PPT; the newest has worn off. Now we want youtubes. We want sounds, voices and movement in our presentations. But videos take hours to create and I do not have the hours to spend on a 2-3 minute video.
In Dr. Barton's class, he encouraged us to just use pictures without text when we presented using PowerPoint. My first experience with this method annoyed me; I spend the whole time trying to figure out why Dr. Barton used the picture he did instead of listening to his words. When I presented my reading, I used some text and pictures explaining that I was a visual learner and needed to see the words in order to remember the content.
Last semester I created a PPT explaining the concepts of logos, ethos, and pathos - all text, no images. My students took notes and listened, but many of them did not use the concepts when they wrote their rhetorical analysis. So this semester I added some images to the PPT and broke large chunks of text into small chunks. I used an image of building blocks to illustrate deductive logic and a trivial pursuit pie playing piece to explain inductive logic. My students still took notes, but I think the concepts "clicked" in their brains better. Now they have an image to remember with the text. Perhaps I could find a song to go with this presentation. If only some clever instructor will soon post a youtube on logos, ethos, and pathosthen I can steal it :) or create a link to it.
Of course, now most of us are sick of PPT; the newest has worn off. Now we want youtubes. We want sounds, voices and movement in our presentations. But videos take hours to create and I do not have the hours to spend on a 2-3 minute video.
In Dr. Barton's class, he encouraged us to just use pictures without text when we presented using PowerPoint. My first experience with this method annoyed me; I spend the whole time trying to figure out why Dr. Barton used the picture he did instead of listening to his words. When I presented my reading, I used some text and pictures explaining that I was a visual learner and needed to see the words in order to remember the content.
Last semester I created a PPT explaining the concepts of logos, ethos, and pathos - all text, no images. My students took notes and listened, but many of them did not use the concepts when they wrote their rhetorical analysis. So this semester I added some images to the PPT and broke large chunks of text into small chunks. I used an image of building blocks to illustrate deductive logic and a trivial pursuit pie playing piece to explain inductive logic. My students still took notes, but I think the concepts "clicked" in their brains better. Now they have an image to remember with the text. Perhaps I could find a song to go with this presentation. If only some clever instructor will soon post a youtube on logos, ethos, and pathosthen I can steal it :) or create a link to it.
The Knol - experts blogging?
Since I have spent so much time on Google lately, I clicked on the words The Knol and read the following description:
The Knol site has one goal: to help you share what you know.
The Knol project is a site that hosts many knols — units of knowledge — written about various subjects. The authors of the knols can take credit for their writing, provide credentials, and elicit reviews and comments. Users can provide feedback, comments, and related information. So the Knol project is a platform for sharing information, with multiple cues that help you evaluate the quality and veracity of information.Knols are indexed by the big search engines, of course. And well-written knols become popular the same as regular web pages. The Knol site allows anyone to write and manage knols through a browser on any computer.
So what subjects can I write on?
(Almost) anything you like. You pick the subject and write it the way you see fit. We don't edit knols nor do we try to enforce any particular viewpoint – your knol should be written as you want it to be written. Of course, knols are subject to Terms of Service and Content Policy to ensure a good experience for all users and compliance with applicable laws.
Here is the link where I copied this info from: http://knol.google.com/k
The knol sounds like a blog entry rather than a wiki entry. Alleged experts write about a topic they know, but their readers can only make comments and links to their entry, and not make changes to the original text like people on wikis can do.
I am not certain the purpose for the knol. Is the desired goal to have a searchable encyclopedia written by supposed experts? Is the knol competition for wikipedia? Does the knol appeal to legitimate authors because they are given credit for their writing? I am wondering if the knol will become the next 8 track tape - a new technology that does not have sustainability.
The Knol site has one goal: to help you share what you know.
The Knol project is a site that hosts many knols — units of knowledge — written about various subjects. The authors of the knols can take credit for their writing, provide credentials, and elicit reviews and comments. Users can provide feedback, comments, and related information. So the Knol project is a platform for sharing information, with multiple cues that help you evaluate the quality and veracity of information.Knols are indexed by the big search engines, of course. And well-written knols become popular the same as regular web pages. The Knol site allows anyone to write and manage knols through a browser on any computer.
So what subjects can I write on?
(Almost) anything you like. You pick the subject and write it the way you see fit. We don't edit knols nor do we try to enforce any particular viewpoint – your knol should be written as you want it to be written. Of course, knols are subject to Terms of Service and Content Policy to ensure a good experience for all users and compliance with applicable laws.
Here is the link where I copied this info from: http://knol.google.com/k
The knol sounds like a blog entry rather than a wiki entry. Alleged experts write about a topic they know, but their readers can only make comments and links to their entry, and not make changes to the original text like people on wikis can do.
I am not certain the purpose for the knol. Is the desired goal to have a searchable encyclopedia written by supposed experts? Is the knol competition for wikipedia? Does the knol appeal to legitimate authors because they are given credit for their writing? I am wondering if the knol will become the next 8 track tape - a new technology that does not have sustainability.
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