Final Project

My final project for my EME 5050 class was to create a curriculum page.  The page contains the instructions and resources for my students to create a presentation on one of the traits of writing using a digital storytelling format.  It also contains the lesson plan for the assignment, an example presentation, and the rubric that will be used to score the projects.  You can view my curriculum page by clicking this link.  Enjoy!
http://mylovie.wikispaces.com/

Reflecting on Rubrics

For this week’s activity, I continued to add to and refine my curriculum page for the six traits of writing project my third grade students will be completing.  This week I created a rubric for assessing students’ learning.  I wanted to focus on whether or not they actually learned what their assigned trait is and if they could explain how their examples of the author’s writing display the trait.  If they can teach the class WHY the author’s writing is a perfect example of the trait, then I will know that they have a good understand of the trait.  I also am requiring pictures or graphics in a presentation format so I can see if my students understand how to use technology to create a presentation that includes pictures or graphics.

I created my rubric using a site I learned about in my class module called iRubric.  You can view my rubric from my curriculum page or at http://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?code=G49A7B&sp=yes.

I learned some valuable information when creating this rubric.  I had heard of creating rubrics online before.  Many of my colleagues have told me about rubistar.  They said it was great for creating rubrics and finding already made rubrics.  However, I never used a program to create a rubric before because I like my rubrics to be very specific.  I think an advantage of using a rubric is that it provides authentic assessment, rather than just giving a test or grading completely subjectively and just guessing a grade.  Because of this, I did not think that any premade rubrics would benefit me.  Since I was creating my rubric from scratch, I didn’t see any reason why creating it in a rubric program would be any better than creating it in Word, so I always just used a table in Word. 

What I did not realize all this time is that creating a rubric online has two major benefits… 1.  It is there for my students and I to access at any time so they can’t say they lost it. And 2.  It TOTALS the scores for you.  I had no idea that you could just click in the box you want, and the program would total the score for me.  You can even create a class list.  This is so much easier than having a bunch of papers and having to circle the box for each category and then going back later to total all the grades.  I could just click on the appropriate boxes as the students are giving their presentations, and they could learn their grade immediately after completion. The creation of the rubric in iRubric was also quicker than it is in Word because some of the boxes are filled in for you, such as the Superior, Excellent, Good, etc. or whatever you choose to label each column.

I think I did well with this activity.  My rubric was more detailed than usual, and I am actually going to use it with my class.  We are going to do a reading comprehension lesson on understanding the rubric and decoding the difficult vocabulary words.  I think it is beneficial to my students to expose them to all types of text structures, so this will be a perfect way to introduce them to a new type of reading.  The lesson will serve two purposes at once (reading comprehension of a rubric and understanding the rubric for their project). 

In conclusion, I am so glad that I learned about creating rubrics in programs online.  I think that this will benefit me greatly in the future as the rubrics make it easier for the students because they always have access and for me because I can just click, score, and give immediate feedback.     

Example Presentation

           For this week’s activity, I created an example of the presentation I am going to have my students create for the 6 Traits of writing.  I will be assigning each pair of students one of the six traits, so for my example presentation, I did the “plus 1” trait, which is presentation.  This way the students can get an idea of what they will be doing, but I did not give them any information that I want them to research and discover on their own.  I then added the example to my curriculum page http://mylovie.wikispaces.com/ so that my students can access it and use it as a model for their own presentations.  If you would like to see my example Prezi on presentation, click the following link. http://prezi.com/rjwvbwebglhm/presentation

            While completing this project, I learned three main things.  The first knowledge I acquired was that saving pictures and scanning is more complicated than I expected.  I ran into a few issues while trying to save pictures to include and while trying to upload my scans of the pages of text.  I was able to problem solve to resolve these difficulties, but my eight and nine year old students may need help if they have trouble.  This led me to the conclusion that if I am really going to do this project with my class, I should make sure it is a time when I can get a few parent volunteers to come to the computer lab and assist my students with the technology.

            The next thing that I learned is that I still need some practice with non-Microsoft programs like Prezi.  I made mistakes such as not italicizing the titles of the books, simply because when I pressed “control I,” the program did not automatically italicize for me.  I will try to continue to explore new technologies so that I can become familiar with a variety of programs.

            The third aspect I realized was that I am becoming skilled at creating examples for my students.  When I first started teaching, I would make examples to the best of my ability and ended up with examples that were way above a 3^rd grade level that would scare my students away from the project and would be too difficult to mimic.  Now I am better at creating examples that seem like intelligent slightly above grade level work.  My students see that they can achieve a product that is similar to mine, so they are excited to begin.  They are also able to comprehend the text and vocabulary so they know what they are doing.  I want to challenge my students, but I do not want to overwhelm them. 

            In conclusion, creating this example presentation helped me learn that my students are going to require assistance, my own skills in Prezi need work, and my example making skills are improving.

Curriculum Page Creation

For this week’s activity for my Master’s class, I began creating a curriculum page on my Wiki.  It is not a finished curriculum page, but if you would like to view it, you can click the following link:  http://mylovie.wikispaces.com/  

            Surprisingly, making this curriculum page was not very difficult, though it did take a fairly long time to do.  My curriculum page is going to be for my third graders to use to learn about one of the six traits of writing in more depth, research an author who is an exemplary model for the trait, and finally create a digital storytelling presentation using Prezi or PowerPoint.  I followed a web quest template provided in one of the lessons in my class to begin my curriculum page.

            The first thing I learned while completing this activity is that a curriculum page can be extremely useful.  Coincidentally, my third grade team all had substitute teachers today so that we could meet to have a “curriculum day.”  We focused on our reading and math curriculum and made sure that all the benchmarks of the Sunshine State Standards are covered in our textbooks.  Then we decided which benchmarks could use some supplemental material to make sure we are teaching them in enough depth and with enough frequency.  We printed copies of most the additional activities we are going to use, which became tedious and was difficult to organize.  Then I came home and created my curriculum page for this assignment.  As I was making it, I realized how useful it could have been for our team to just have created a curriculum page as we went along today and created links to the different activities, rather than printing them all out.  We could have created one page for ourselves to use as a reference and another that our students could use to complete the activities.  Now that I know how easy they are to make, I will suggest that we make one or a few in the future.

            Another fact that I discovered through this activity is that a quality curriculum page is not too complicated to make, but it is time consuming.  I only did a few parts of my curriculum page, and it took a very long time.  If I would have created a complete page, there is no way I would have been able to complete it in one day.  Additionally, if my team had made a curriculum page for reading and math today, I think we would have needed to divide up the additional work and finish it outside of school.  The benefit of the curriculum page is that once you have completed it, everything the students need is right there.  You do not need to be scrambling for different resources, websites, rubrics, etc.  It is much more organized, and the students can’t lose anything because it is all online.  This definitely takes time to do thoroughly.

            A final aspect I discovered while creating this curriculum page is that I need to become more familiar with the specific Benchmarks of the Sunshine State Standards.  Other teachers on my team have them memorized down to the exact wording.  Since I had just gone over them today, I figured it would be easy for me to list the SSS that my curriculum page would address on my Wiki; however, I was not able to remember any of them.  Since I didn’t know them off the top of my head, I just left them out of my curriculum page.  I will look them up and add them in later, and I will hopefully have time to study them too.  I know what I need to be teaching in general as I have taught third grade for four years, but I need to work on being able to write specific benchmarks in my own words without looking them up.  This will help me teach them if I know what they are at all times, not just when I’m in front of my computer or binder.

            In conclusion, I hope that my curriculum page is the start to something I will truly use in the future.  In making it, I learned that curriculum pages are useful and fairly easy to create, but take a lot of time to make properly.  I also learned that I need to study my Benchmarks and Sunshine State Standards so that I do not have to look them up every time I am writing a lesson plan or making something like this curriculum page.  I look forward to finishing my curriculum page in the weeks to come.

Writing, Reading, & Technology in One

For this week’s post, I will be describing a lesson I plan on implementing in my classroom now that I have learned about the benefits of digital storytelling and technology integration.

The digital storytelling project I would like to have my third grade students complete is a digital storytelling project for Reading and Writing integration using Prezi that will focus on a specific author that excels in one of the Six Traits of Writing.  Students would work in pairs and each be assigned one of the six traits to create a presentation on.  Then they would choose one author whose work is an exemplary model of the trait.  Each group will work together on a computer in the computer lab to create their Prezi describing the trait and showing examples of why the author they chose is good at that trait.  This project will fit well with the writing curriculum of six traits as well as with the reading integration of an author study and utilization of mentor texts.

Before my students can produce their digital storytelling presentations, they will need to utilize some web resources.  On the first day of this lesson, I will have them visit and view the tutorial on Prezi about how to make a Prezi.  Then we will make a short class Prezi so that students can practice using the features.  Finally, I will show them an example of the “Plus One” trait, which is presentation, in the Prezi format.  Since I will not be assigning the presentation trait to any pair, it will be good for them to see it for an example and to learn about it.

 On the second day, I will have my students utilize other Web resources to research for their presentations.  The first site that I will have all my students visit is the Online Writing Lab at http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/sixtraits.html. Each of the six traits is explained in a manner that third graders can easily comprehend on this site. Each trait has an “Activity” that takes about 15 - 20 minutes to complete.  I will have them complete the “Activity” for the trait that they were assigned.  This will give them good understanding of their assigned trait.

On the third day, I will have my students search for books that are good examples of their particular trait.  I will tell them that they can use the suggested books from the list on the OWL website or choose their own.  They can search my classroom library or the media center for the books.  Then they will choose one author of one of the books to research for their presentation.  The next day they can research their author on the computer to find any additional information needed and any other books by their author that demonstrate the trait.

I do not think I will need to create any additional resources for the students, and I will have them create their Prezi for their trait on the sixth day.  After they create their presentation, they will show it to the class and “teach” the other students about their trait using the author they chose for examples.  The presentations will be a resource for the class to use in the future.  They will be able to use the presentations as a reference for what each trait means, as well as use the author’s examples as a model for their own writing.  This project will give the students experience in creating their own resources.

Basically, this project will provide students the opportunity to work with technology while learning about a trait of writing and researching an author who demonstrates that trait.  In Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, the authors state that technology integration “is the combination of all technology parts, such as hardware and software, together with each subject-related area of curriculum to enhance learning.”  (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly, 2010, p. 327)  I think that this digital story telling project will provide students with integration of reading, writing, and technology to enhance their learning.

Resources

Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E., & Shelly, G.B. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6^th ed.). United States: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.

EDINA Public Schools.  Online Writing Lab.  http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/sixtraits.html.

Presenting with Prezi

For this week’s activity, I would like to share my experiences with digital storytelling.  Before reading about digital storytelling in my Master’s class, I had never even heard of such a thing.  After reading about what digital storytelling really is, I realized that I have been using a form of digital storytelling with my many PowerPoints I have created for my classroom.  I incorporate text, pictures, photos, video, wavs, music, and more into my interactive creations.  I knew my perspicacious PowerPoint skills benefitted my students, but what I did not know is that I could be using additional programs made for digital storytelling to help me present my information.  One of these programs is called, “Prezi.”  This week I used Prezi.com to create a brief presentation on digital storytelling. You can view my Prezi by clicking the following link:

http://prezi.com/cvltvdcgopvi/digital-storytelling/

In preparing to make my presentation, I did some additional research on digital storytelling.  One interesting fact I discovered is that digital storytelling resembles the storytelling of our ancestors.  Before paper of readily available, storytellers (which was actually a job) told stories using lots of movement, acting, voice inflections, etc. to help their learners remember the information being told since they couldn’t write it down.  Now we have, in a sense, reverted back to that old practice using the latest and greatest technologies because we realized that people learn best when fully engaged.  Leslie Rule of the Digital Storytelling Association describes this with the following: “Digital Storytelling is the modern expression of the ancient art of storytelling. Digital stories derive their power by weaving images, music, narrative and voice together, thereby giving deep dimension and vivid color to characters, situations, experiences, and insights.” (Barrett, 2009)

While making my Prezi, one thing that I learned is that I am not used to formats other than Microsoft.  I felt like it took me an extremely long time to make a short little presentation.  If I had been creating that presentation in PowerPoint, I most likely could have made it twice as long with more visuals and music in that same amount of time.  Although it was annoying that I kept having to look around for everything (I even couldn’t find the “Save” button at first), I do think that practicing in another program was beneficial.  I think if I just use it a few more times, I will become more comfortable with it and will be able to create presentation a lot more quickly.

Another aspect that I learned from completing this activity is that I should not be satisfied with the same programs I’ve been using for years.  I really enjoyed the different format of the Prezi, and I think my students will welcome the change.  I am going to make some Prezis to teach concepts in my class.  After I become more comfortable with it, I am going to have my students create Prezis as well.  (I want to know more so I can help them more efficiently first.)  If I hadn’t tried this program, I would never use it in my classroom.  I’m sure there are other programs out there that I don’t know about that could benefit my students as well.  I am going to make sure that I don’t settle for the same old, same old and continue to try to learn new programs.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this week’s topic of digital storytelling.  I learned what digital storytelling is and that I was already incorporating it into my classroom.  I also discovered that digital storytelling is the 21^st century version of ancient storytelling practices.  In addition, I learned that I am not skilled in non-Microsoft programs and should continue to gain experience in new areas.  Finally, I realized that there are many programs that could be valuable, but I need to look for them and try them out.

Resources

Prezi.  http://prezi.com/.

Barrett, Helen.  2009.  Digital storytelling.  Retrieved on October 21, 2010 from http://electronicportfolios.com/digistory/.

<div class="prezi-player"><style type="text/css" media="screen">.prezi-player { width: 550px; } .prezi-player-links { text-align: center; }</style><object id="prezi_cvltvdcgopvi" name="prezi_cvltvdcgopvi" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="550" height="400"><param name="movie" value="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf"/><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"/><param name="flashvars" value="prezi_id=cvltvdcgopvi&amp;lock_to_path=0&amp;color=ffffff&amp;autoplay=no&amp;autohide_ctrls=0"/><embed id="preziEmbed_cvltvdcgopvi" name="preziEmbed_cvltvdcgopvi" src="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="550" height="400" bgcolor="#ffffff" flashvars="prezi_id=cvltvdcgopvi&amp;lock_to_path=0&amp;color=ffffff&amp;autoplay=no&amp;autohide_ctrls=0"></embed></object><div class="prezi-player-links"><p><a title="" href="http://prezi.com/cvltvdcgopvi/digital-storytelling/">Digital Storytelling</a> on <a href="http://prezi.com">Prezi</a></p></div></div>

Hardware

Setting the Scene-

The following is a fake scenario used to identify knowledge of hardware and software.

My principal has just come in and told me that I can choose one, and only one, software program for my classroom computer.  I went to http://www.k12software.com/ to make my software selection.  I chose a program called, “50 Quick and Easy Math Computer Activities,” by Visions Technology.  I thought it would be an appropriate fit for my 3^rd grade classroom as the math activities are aligned to the NCTM standards so it would be easy for me to demonstrate my students’ growth from using the program.  The first thing I have to check is the specifications of my school computer.  They are as follows:

Operating System- Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit

Processor- AMD Athlon™ II Dual-Core Processor for Notebook PCs M300, 2.00 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, Up to 3.2 GT/s system bus running at AC/DC mode 35 watt

Memory- 3072 MB

Screen resolution- 1600 X 1200 pixels

Graphic Subsystem- ATI Radeon HD 4200 Graphics

Video RAM- 128 MB Display Cache Memory AMD M880G with 128B GDDR2 (sideport memory)

Pre-installed software- HP DVD Play, Cyberlink DVD Suite, Adobe® Acrobat Reader, HP Games Powered by Wild Tangent

Disc drive- CD/DVD

Memory card device- 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards

Then I needed to see if the software I chose would run on my computer.  The software requirements said that you must be able to play a CD-ROM to access the CD portion of the program.  The system requirements for Windows were 4 MB RAM and Windows 98 or higher.  It also requires Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Inspiration, and Kidspiration to play all components of the program.

I did not have any trouble installing this program on my school computer because my RAM and operating system were compatible and the CD plays automatically when I put it in, and since my computer has the Internet, I can use all the web-based portions of the program.  However, my school computer did not have Inspiration or Kidspiration.  I could not access 4 activities on the program, “Category Corners, Patterns, Venn Diagram, or What Shape Am I?”  To troubleshoot this problem I would have to pay $69 to download Kidspiration from the Inspiration website or see if my school had access to it already for me to install.

My Reading Reaction-

This week I read Chapter 4 of Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom to learn more about hardware.  The text defines hardware as the “electronic and mechanical equipment that makes up a computer.” (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly, 2010, p. 560) The chapter describes specific “hardware components used for input, processing, output, and storage.”  (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly, 2010, p. 201)  After reading through the chapter, module, and completing the scenario, I realized that I did not really know very much about hardware.  Most of the time, I do not even think about the components of my computer.  I just expect everything to work on my computer, and if something doesn’t work, most of the time a program will tell me why.  For example, in my scenario, some programs did not work because I did not have Kidspiration or Inspiration installed on my computer.  If I have I problem like that with software, I can usually just download the appropriate program, but I do not often have issues with hardware so I rarely even think about it.

In addition to learning that it is a good idea to know your hardware, I also learned what many of the acronyms I use everyday actually stand for.  For example, I did not know that RAM stood for random access memory or USB stood for universal serial bus port.  (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly) I think it is important as teachers to make sure we pay attention to words like this that we are using everyday and make sure we know what they mean.  It is good for us to model to our students that we care enough to learn more about technology and are not just ok with not knowing.  Hopefully this will motivate them to want to learn more and not just think that what they already know is good enough.  I am in complete agreement with the book’s statement that teachers need to emphasize “the importance of being able to transfer current knowledge when learning new technologies.” (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly, 2010, p. 239)  I hope to encourage my students to use what they already know to help them learn even more.

Resources

Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E., & Shelly, G.B. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6^th ed.). United States: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.

HP Specifications. Retrieved October 9, 2010, from http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ca/en/ho/WF06b/321957-321957-3329743-3848802-3848802-3999415-4041455.html.

Inspiration Software Inc. Retrieved October 9, 2010, from  http://store.inspiration.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=39.

K12 Software- 50 Quick & Easy Math Computer Activities.  Retrieved October 9, 2010, from  http://www.k12software.com/view_details.php?PHPSESSID=aa726d87c2d3b17e2bf9d90d264fc249&ID=3104.