Summer Smiles Live Broadcast

Hi, everyone!  I will be broadcasting Summer Smiles live on Thursday, August 1st, at 2:00 p.m.  Please click on the link below to join and enjoy some fun "musts" that will put a smile on your face before summer's end!  See you there!

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Poe and Edmodo

English 2 – Literary, Analysis, and Composition (LAC 2)
Grade 10
Mrs. Paula Stinson

 

 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:       

This week, students will:  

·         Familiarize themselves with Edgar Allan Poe’s life and death
·         Explore/utilize social networking site Edmodo
·         Read “The Cask of Amontillado”
·         Recognize the impact of Poe’s choice of setting, tone, language, and literary devices on this story’s mood and plot

Upon completion of this week, students will be able to:  

·         Participate in both an Edmodo poll and class discussion on Poe’s death and support their theories with evidence extracted from the website provided
·         Engage in live class discussion to interpret and analyze literary devices in “The Cask of Amontillado”
·         Complete student guide to showcase comprehension of “The Cask of Amontillado”

Evaluation and Assessment:

·         Checklist for Edmodo assignment posted at the end of lesson plan

LESSONS THIS WEEK:   

• Edgar Allan Poe
• “The Cask of Amontillado”

ASSIGNMENTS DUE (INSTRUCTIONS):
 o    Navigate the website Knowing Poe at http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/default_flash.asp. Under Poe the Person, explore “It’ll Be the Death of Me…”  After examining the theories of Poe’s death, visit Edmodo and complete the poll and post a response to the prompt.  Respond to at least two of your fellow classmates.  Please refer to the checklist below. 
o    Read “The Cask of Amontillado” and complete the student guide

FOR EXTRA RESOURCES:  

Class documents, PowerPoints, and supplemental materials are posted under Course Documents in Blackboard.

 

For additional information on Edgar Allan Poe and his various works, visit www.online-literature.com/poe/ (works are located on the left side of the page).

 

Edgar Allan Poe Glog – posted under Glogster tab in Blackboard 

 

 “It’ll Be the Death of Me…” Assignment (20 points) 

Initial Post – 5 points (Response must be relevant, on task, and evident that website provided was utilized)
Two responses to fellow classmates – 10 points (Responses must be meaningful and thoughtful…why you agree/disagree, additional thoughts.  No general responses (Good job, I agree/I disagree with you, Great response, etc.)
Completed poll – 5 points (Polling response must match your initial post)

 

 

   

 

I chose to integrate social networking into my high school lesson plan for the introduction of Edgar Allan Poe.  Poe’s works, life, and especially death always provoke a lively discussion among my students.  They also really enjoy navigating the interactive website provided.  The site covers many facets of Poe’s life as  a person and a writer, but his mysterious death is what really intrigues the students.  After the students explore Poe the Person:  “It’ll Be the Death of Me…,” they are presented with many theories of his death.  After examining these theories, the students are instructed to choose the mode of death they believe took Poe’s short tragic life.  Using Edmodo, the students can use the polling feature to choose Poe’s cause of death.  They will also need to defend their choices using the information presented in the website.  I have used this assignment as a class discussion in the past, and the discussions were always fantastic!  However, I think the integration of Edmodo would enhance this discussion with its easy-to-use functions and features. 

Photo a Day Challenge

Photo a Day Challenge


When I was reading over this week’s assignments, I was so excited to complete the Photo a Day assignment!  I love taking photographs of my daughters and my dog and just about anything really.  I have pictures everywhere…my walls, my desk, my computer, and my many, many photo albums and scrapbooks!  After reading the information on the 365 Day Photo Challenge, I was even more excited to begin!  What a great way to capture your life for a year….or in this case, a week!  I used both a cell phone and digital camera for this challenge.  At first, I was unsure how to house all of these photos on one URL, but after reading the 365 Day Photo Challenge information, I noticed a link for Flickr.  I have heard of Flickr before, but I really had no idea what it was.  After clicking on this website, it was very easy to sign up and upload my photos.  I can see how this would be a great site for both professional and personal lives! 

As I was contemplating possible subjects to photograph, I was unsure if I wanted to share photos of my teenage daughters since Flickr stated that they could be seen by everyone, but I found my way around that (the backs of them)!  I found myself capturing things that were important to me, almost like telling a photo story of my life for the week.  Not only did I try to concentrate on the “big” things in my life (my daughters and my dog), I found myself focusing on the “small” things (raindrops on a flower petal, rings made by the rain in a puddle, etc.) that are also important and often go unnoticed.  At the end of this week, it was interesting to go back and see what I had photographed.  From the “big” things to the “small” things, this challenge was definitely a fun way to journal the things around me that mean the most.  I am actually going to continue this assignment to see where it leads me, and I am going to encourage my daughters to do the same! 

Cell Phone Digital Story

 

I had so much fine creating this cell phone video, and I must admit I shed a tear (or two...or thirty) watching the videos of my daughters as we sang, danced, read, and learned new things every day!  As I stated in my video, I always wanted to be a teacher, but when I had my girls and watched them light up with each new learning experience, I just knew I had to fulfill my dream of becoming an educator.  Although we are no longer learning about colors, shapes, numbers, and letters, it is still extremely satisying helping them learn about symbolism, conflict, imagery, and irony. 

Mobiles in the Classroom Interview

For this assignment regarding mobiles in the classroom, I decided to interview a High School Technology Teacher.  As I was discussing Unit 4, he expressed concern that phones are often excluded because of procedural/distraction issues.  “There is no way to regulate their usage.”  He stated that mobile feedback units are a great alternative if cell phones are not permitted in the classroom.  See:  http://smarttech.com/response.  When it came to parental feedback, when he did use the response system in the classroom, he stated that the parents were “nonresponsive…to most anything.”  He was teaching in a low socio-economic school.  Cell phones were “taboo.”  If they came out, they were confiscated. 

When asked the pros of mobile device usage in the classroom, he proclaimed, “instant feedback, on the spot grading, and confidentiality for students.”  There is “adaptability into other activities/custom classroom tech initiatives based on the tech skill level of the teacher.”   The challenges he faced included “cost, implementation skills, and student acceptance.  If you are using phones, you must address regulation of approved apps/uses vs. distractors.” 

At his current school, which is online, he mentioned that he tried Twitter, but “it was too new, and they didn’t have the API out then, so it was a no-go.”  He added that you could do a discussion board type of activity with Twitter and hashtags, and “aggregate it all live in the class on your projector if you want.”

He concluded our interview by saying that he “loved the response system because it provided all of the pros to using phones/social media/text without the perils faced in a classroom.”  After further researching the response systems, I believe that the various devices would be beneficial in the classroom.  These devices would be available to all students… same brand, same features.  It could also be a stepping stone to utilizing cell phones in the classroom.  Of course, cost would have to be addressed, but these devices could be shared among teachers.  As far as parental feedback, I think parents would be accepting of these devices and their implementation in the classroom.  In addition, school policy must be followed whether it allows cell phone usage or bans it.  If they are permitted, students should be educated on proper usage, just as with the response system devices.  If cell phones are not permitted in the classroom, these response systems and other Web 2.0 tools would be wonderful learning tools in an educational setting.    

Discovering Something New

     From the Directory List, I chose Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything to discover something new.  Although there were many appealing titles from which to choose, I decided to explore bubbl.us, SurveyMonkey, and Creaza.  I believe all three websites would be fun and engaging to implement in the classroom.  Because bubbl.us is a brainstorming and mind mapping website, I think it would be beneficial to students for the brainstorming step of the writing process.  It is a great, interactive way students can visually organize their thoughts and ideas.  The easy to manipulate features allow students to be creative.  The arrows make the navigation easy to follow.  I really liked the fact that your map could be saved, printed, exported, or imported.  You can even save it so that it could be edited by others in your contacts; this makes for a wonderful collaboration activity.  This website definitely shows potential for teacher and student use because brainstorming and mapping are very important processes for many activities and events, and to do it using an innovative tool would motivate the user.  Not only can this website be used professionally with students and fellow teachers, it can be used personally.  While I was playing with the website, I created a beach bag checklist!  As I was doing this, there was a pop-up on the side regarding signing up for an account.  This was very easy, and I completed it within seconds.  The easy manipulation of this website makes it a desirable website to use in the classroom.  I did not encounter any challenges as I worked through a mind map.  There are no ads, inappropriate content or images, and it is free of additional links and distracting videos, just open space for students to create!

 

      The next site that I chose to explore was SurveyMonkey.  I never used a survey in my classroom before, but I have received them from other teachers.  After opening this website, I was prompted to sign up.  Again, it was a very easy process.  I was then directed to the main page to begin designing a survey.  I was able to type up a few questions and choose from the various question types from multiple choice to essay box to image.  I liked that a preview feature was available, so I could view exactly what my survey would look like before I shared it with my students, parents, or teachers.  This would be a great tool to receive feedback on a course or an assignment or use as an exit ticket to check for attendance and comprehension of the day’s lesson.  You can then collect your responses and analyze them which would be beneficial in guiding instruction.  Students can also use this website if they want to share an assignment with their fellow students and receive feedback on their product or performance.  This could also be used in a personal setting if you wanted feedback on an event you planned or any type of writing or product that you created.  They can be personalized for your needs!  I did not face any challenges while previewing this website, and I believe that it is desirable because it steers clear of inappropriate content and images, ads, and distracting links and videos.  This online survey maker certainly has potential for teachers and students where the creators can collect information that can transform their learning!

     Lastly, I decided to explore Creaza because many students like to create their own cartoons or use cartoons to show their favorite part of a story or to identify different literary elements.  After easily signing up for this website, I clicked on Tools to begin my cartooning.  This website offered different backgrounds, characters, props, cartoonist effects, my images, and my audio clips.  Most of these categories housed a variety of options from which to choose.  I liked how you could create a story with the images provided.  You could also use your own images and your own voice to narrate the slide.  The toolbar offered even more ways to make these cartoons your own from adding text and audio to manipulating the size of the slide to changing the characters’ expressions depending on their moods.  This website definitely has potential for teachers and students.  Teachers are able to create a storyboard for students or vice versa.  New stories can be created using the features or stories already read can come to life.  No challenges were encountered from start to finish with this tool.  The cartoons can be printed or saved on your computer to share with others.  This website is free of ads, inappropriate text and images, and no links or distracting videos are present.  Although this website is desirable in those respects, I believe it is less desirable for older students.  I believe additional categories and more complex concepts and features would appeal to secondary students, such as conflict, symbolism, irony, etc.  I have reached out to the developers through the website to inquire about how they address and engage secondary students. 

 

 

Filling Up My Toolbox

     I have to admit, I was intimidated when I was previewing this assignment.  I have heard of some of these websites, but I had no idea how to maneuver through them or just how easy they would be to create once I logged onto the sites.  Not only is this assignment beneficial to an educator, I believe students would benefit from learning these tools as well to enhance their learning and sharing in the classroom.

     I decided to use the Tinyurl.com website as my tool for URL shortening.  I have attended virtual meetings with these addresses and was always curious about how they arrived at these names.  After clicking on the website, I could not believe how easy it was to convert a lengthy URL into a shortened one!  I just copied and pasted my original blog address, which was 33 characters, and it shortened it to 26 characters.  I had initially used a longer address (82 characters), but when I clicked on my new Tiny URL address, it just took me to my blog sign in page.  However, I realized just how easy it was to utilize this tool.  I added this website as a bookmarklet to my browser because I think it would come in very handy when verbalizing to fellow teachers and students web addresses that are lengthy, especially meeting or classroom links.  I could also add these addresses to my lessons plans and my Blackboard pages for students and parents.  This is definitely a tool I would share with my students because many of them create their own products over the web, and it would be helpful for them to have a shortened URL to share with others, especially when mistakes can be made if typed or written manually.  This website could also be used on a personal level because many people like to share interesting and helpful websites (how-to videos, recipes, shopping) verbally, manually, or virtually.  It is much easier to share a shortened web address as opposed to an address that could be over 100 characters long!

     I have seen QR codes everywhere, especially in my magazines.  I was clueless about their meaning and use.  After reading this week’s material, I had learned of their popularity and purpose.   Again, Delivr.com was extremely easy to use.  I had no idea how easy it was to create and share these QR codes!  I entered the web address of an Edgar Allan Poe website that I like to use with my students to introduce Poe the person and Poe the writer.  It is very engaging and interactive, and the students love it!   Students are encouraged to print out their weekly lesson plans, so I could add this QR code so they can access the website before class from their plans.  I would still add the web address (even the tiny URL if lengthier) for students who do not possess a smart phone.  This tool could be used on a personal level as well because people like to share information they find on the web.  If they are creating anything for their business (map, agenda, articles, cards) or for anything fun (invitations, cards, letters, pictures), they can quickly create a QR code to add to their products for an innovative twist. 

     I have added and used bookmarks in my browser before, but I have never heard of bookmarklets.  I decided to try Quietube because I use YouTube in my classroom quite often.  I added it to my browser which was just a click and a drag!  I then opened up a YouTube video that I use for Macbeth.  I then clicked on Quietube and could not believe that the comments and additional videos had disappeared; I loved it!  I will definitely be using that in the future in my classroom and at home with my daughters when viewing videos.  As my second bookmarklet, I decided to add Printliminator because I like to print out information to file, for both school and home.  This tool can be used on a personal level to remove unwanted information that you would like to print to keep for yourself or share with others, as with the graphics or unwanted ads when you want to share or print an important article or story.  After clicking on a department store website, then clicking the bookmarklet, it gave me some options from which to choose regarding what I wanted to eliminate from the page.  After manipulating the page, I was happy to see that there was an “Undo” button for the times where you may have made hasty decisions and removed something that you actually needed.  This would also be helpful for students who need to print out their assignments or resources (websites) and keep a record of them.  It eliminates distractions, as well as saves on ink! 

      It just goes to show you that you do not know how easy something can be (for the most part) until you try it!  As previously stated, I was unaware of some of these websites, as well as how to even arrive at the finished product, such as the Tiny URL, QR codes, and placing useful bookmarklets on your browser.  Taking the time to explore these user-friendly tools allows you to learn helpful information, as well as pass it along to your students to simplify their lives as well, both in the classroom and out. 

Using New Technologies

For this particular assignment, I chose to interview a High School Science teacher.  Although she did not speak of specific Web 2.0 websites, she did answer the questions regarding the sites she uses in her classroom.  After being posed the question about how she decides which tools to use with her students, she responded that she first considers if she is going to show the tool or have them explore it on their own.  She stated that it depended on her expected learning outcomes.  If she wanted to share a movie, she would show it herself.  If she wanted them to create something, she would let them explore the available tools.  If she has certain websites in mind for the students to use, she will navigate them herself and look for ads and links of questionable material.  She stated that, “As common as something like The Weather Channel is, they have some iffy ads and some distracting video.”  She also rules out anything that requires a login.  “If I can’t control the situation, or make the username/password myself, it’s not safe.  Even if the site is free, I don’t want students’ names, information, etc. being logged into a site.” 

When posed the question regarding the obstacles needed to be overcome to obtain permission to do a project, she responded that “sometimes teaching the student how to use the site is half the battle.  I liken it to PowerPoint; a student might have wonderful ideas, but if they can’t figure out how to insert a picture, his or her presentation won’t come out the same.   Same for a website; if they cannot effectively navigate to find links, citations, searches, etc., it will be a frustrating experience.”  She also mentioned technical glitches.  There is always going to be some error, the site down, incompatible patches, etc.  “I think you can plan for a website-project not working at all, but you can’t plan for every error.  So I just jump into things hoping that they work, and troubleshoot any tech glitches as they come.”

Lastly, when asked to give advice to a teacher seeking to replicate her efforts, she claims, “Just go for it.  If it goes horribly wrong, learn from it.”  She notes that if students hated it, as them why; ask them if they know of a better site.  For example, “I use a lot of websites to compare sizes of things on a logarithmic scale.  One day the site was being glitchy for all, so we as a class did a Google search for a new site and found lots of new ways to see the same material be compared for size.”  This was a great learning experience for all and a great way to model how to react when things do not go as planned.

I believe this teacher showcased many of the proper actions that I have been observing in the discussion board regarding evaluating new websites.  She also mentioned a great point that I overlooked concerning login information.  It is very important that students not divulge personal information when logging into an unknown website.  I also agree on first determining the purpose of the assignment.  If you want your students to create something, it is a great idea to provide them with tools to use (after previewing), so they can explore and choose for themselves.  She also did a great job with modeling what to do if there is a glitch in technology.  It is important for teachers as well as students to know how to proceed if there are technological difficulties so crucial instructional time is not lost.