Law Assignment

I liked this assignment.  I found it very interesting.  The discussion was informative and lively.  I enjoyed it.  But it doesn't fit in this course.  If I had an Easy button, I would switch this assignment to another course.  As this is not an option... make it fit this course.  Students should read one of the court cases and present it through one of the tech options we have learned.  I think it is important to give students options on how they present.  The information could be shared through the blogs.  So if I chose to do a screencast or VoiceStream or Prezi, I would post it to my blog.  Although this would require students to spend quite a bit of time reviewing each other's work outside of class, this IS a graduate course (for most of us) and it is expected that we spend a considerable amount of time outside of class working on it.  Comments would be a way to check who read each post.  This would create a considerable amount of grading time, though. 
Though I offer an alternate, I actually like how we did it.  I like that we heard each others comments and could respond to them all together.  One of the drawbacks of on-line work is the loss of authentic real-time discussion.

Screencast- Labyrinths

Here is the link to my Screencast on Labyrinths.  I think it's pretty interesting.  Not the worst way to spend 5 minutes of your life...  Let me know what you think.  Excuse the background noise.  It's all of you busy at work in class.

Labyrinth Screencast

21st Century Framework

As I read this, my husband's job comes to mind.  He works for a major financial corporation.  He is on the computer constantly; communicating with others, reviewing documents, preparing training materials, presenting information, etc.  He sat in on a meeting last week and was asked to present information on a new program he is spearheading.  He had not been asked in advance to present and was not prepared for the presentation.  But he was familiar enough with the information and the technology he needed to share it effectively that he "winged it" successfully.  That is what our students need to be learning.  Not just content, but high-tech communication, creative and critical thinking, collaboration, "systems thinking", and innovation, among other skills.  We teachers are really good at disseminating content, but not so effective at empowering our students to be thinkers and innovators.  This HAS to change.  My husband's job is much more typical than my profession.  Contributing members of society today and in the future must be fluent in technology, collaboration and global awareness.  Currently, our schools are not preparing them for this. 


People in the world and workforce are exposed to so much information and so many media sources.  The ability to sift through this is imperative.  Those not fluent in modern media (read: typical teachers) are overwhelmed and become resistant.  But Millennial students are so much more comfortable with this whirlwind of information that they CAN filter.  We just need to help them figure out how.  Which means we need to become fluent ourselves.

To know me...

Conversations by Sarah Groves
I am attempting to embed a Youtube video of a song that describes me better than anything else I have ever heard.  So, the intention is two-fold: exploring and learning technology and allowing you into my personality...

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1QVykEC1VIs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Bloom's Where you are planted

I like Bloom's Taxonomy- it makes sense to me.  And of course, the challenge is always to move yourself and your students up the pyramid to higher level thinking.  As I looked through the digital version, I fell in love all over again.  I printed the chart on page 7 and the 2 page intros for each of the levels.  I am familiar enough with the concepts that just the charts and specific suggestions are all I need.  Though, I really like the specific websites and assignments that are mentioned, as well as the rubrics connected to them.  So often I find stuff that gives good general suggestions, but nothing specific enough to get me doing something with it.  This article does.  But back to the summaries.
With each new category, the author lists several assignments that address that level of thinking- and it got me thinking.  For instance, Evaluating.  Blogging and commenting on blogs is evaluation.  Students look at each other's work, consider it, and comment = evaluation.  Then he offers specific "Possible Activities" that fulfills each key term within that level of thinking.  I can use this!!!  Yes!!!

Again, we are back to that we teachers MUST be teaching in the ways the students are communicating with each other, and learning.  Textbook?  What's that?  And honestly I would much prefer to read, experience and grade/ assess digitized assignments.  For many years I have offered website creation as possible ways of fulfilling an assignment, but very few take me up on it.  If they and I don't already know web design well, it's not a realistic assignment to give.  But blogging is easy.  Screencasts are easy.  And some of my favorite assignments I have received are Facebook pages of people from Church History. 

Yes, they need to be able to write effectively and persuasively.  But they also need to be able to communicate in the modern (post-modern??) modes.  We need to learn from them and address them where they are.  And I love to learn this stuff, too.  The best way to learn it is to teach it, right?

Achievement Gap

Some notes to start:
3 design principles: personalization, real-world connections, common intellectual mission
- it's not about more and complex content, it's about deepening the quality of analysis
:Rigor is about being in the company of a thoughtful, passionate, reflective  adult who invites you into an adult conversation which is composed of the rigorous pursuit of inquiry."
Debbie Meier- Habits of mind: to think about significance- why it is important; perspective- what is the point of view; evidence- how do you know; connection- how does it apply; supposition- what if it were different.
Instead of rubrics, show examples of exemplary work and ask students to describe it- why it is good.  Once they identify those characteristics, they can do it.  I like this because often i show an example of "great work" and get copies of that work.  Identifying the characteristics shifts the focus off of "what" and onto "how" and "why."
I love the ideas brought up in this article.  The real-life connections makes so much more sense than what we ususally do.  I want to move to San Diego and train with them!  I want to try to find ways to integrate this thinking.  The challenge, though, is the whole community attitude.  When I assign projects that are multi faceted and challenge the students to process on a deep level, they are so not used to it that even if the assignment is structured to be effective, the results are lacking.  I just have to keep trying.

Questions, Comments Concerns...Curse Words

I am excited about the content, and glad you are teaching this... as opposed to... someone else.  But there is just SO MUCH!!! to learn.  I am amazed that Mariemont has so much tech available.  I am jealous.  McNick is starting with the Tablet PCs next year, so I have been learning a bit about that.  And I would like to learn more.  But I won't be at McNick next year.  : (  I have gotten started with OneNote and with DyKnow.  And I know nothing about SmartNotebook.  I have used other whiteboard systems.  I need to learn more about SmartNotebook- though I hate SmartBoards.  I prefer the Numonics, but I don't get to make those decisions, huh? 
My main concern is the same concern that we all have when it come to innovative teaching- it takes so darn much time to get it set up for the students!   I am tech saavy and definitely tech curious, but the time, I guess the "learning curve," is daunting.  So I guess it's all in the attitude, isn't it?