Culminating+Project



Culminating Project/Reflection Journal

I. Wordle A. Description: a body of text which has been rearranged into a visual pattern of words.

B. Tricks/Lessons Learned: Wordles work best when you use as much text as possible. I learned this trick first hand!

C. Classroom Applications: My Wordle includes all of the words on my study guide for the 7th grade final exam, including grammar, vocabulary and words associated with the novel //Nothing But the Truth//.

D. Timetable for Implementation: I will use this Wordle next year as a way of accessing prior knowledge, accompanying the written study guide, prior to the final exam. I will have the students talk about the content of the Wordle to study together in groups.

II. Tagxedo A. Description: A Tagxedo is another free tool for educators using word clouds, similar to Wordle. With Tagxedo, words are oriented into shapes, so themes may emerge.

B. Tricks/Lessons Learned: Find a shape which corresponds with the theme of the words as a "hook" for your students' understanding.

C. Classroom Applications: My Tagxedo, in the shape of a bird, includes all vocabulary to be defined for the novel //To Kill a Mockingbird//, eighth grade reading. The bird shape will tie in with the idea of a mockingbird and will serve as a spring-board for discussing why Harper Lee chose this title for her novel. Students will have fun identifying the terms within the shape of the bird.

D. Timetable for Implementation: This Tagxedo could be used prior to starting the novel, to introduce the vocabulary, and to brainstorm why the author may have chosen the title for her novel. The Tagxedo could be revisited at the end of the novel to show the students how well they did learning the vocabulary.

III. Wikis A. Description: Wikis are simple web pages that groups, friends, and families can edit together.

B. Tricks/Lessons Learned: I have learned that Wikis have countless applications in and out of the classroom. Our students are tech-savvy and want to be using technology as much as possible. Wiki can satisfy this need for them, and the collaboration will enhance their learning.

C. Classroom Applications: I plan to use Wiki to have my students collaborate on writing stories. I also plan to have a vocabulary page, one for each of my classes, so that students can brainstorm, ask questions, etc. to reinforce their learning. The same kind of page could be created for literature class, with a Wiki page for each novel, with interactive activities for the students. The possibilities are endless!

D. Timetable for Implementation: I plan to start using Wikis in the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year and not stop until next June!

IV. Diigo A. Description: Diigo is a social annotation and networking service.

B. Tricks/Lessons Learned: I learned that hours and hours can be taken up exploring all of the information available with this remarkable tool!

C. Classroom Applications: Since students cannot access their classroom computer work at home, Diigo allows students to bookmark important websites and access them from elsewhere. In class, students can bookmark, highlight and annotate websites for research. Other students can access this data and respond to it.

D. Timetable for Implementation: See Wiki’s, above. Diigo can be used from September to June, for pre-lesson, lesson and post-lesson activities.

V. YouTube A. Description: A very popular video sharing web site that lets anyone upload short videos for private or public viewing, founded in 2005. YouTube provides a venue for sharing videos among friends and family and serves as a showcase for new and experienced videographers.

B. Tricks/Lessons Learned: I learned about SafeShare, a filter to remove offensive or distracting elements from YouTube videos. I also learned how to download YouTube videos for later use with KeepVid, which can be added to your computer toolbar.

C. Classroom Applications: I used YouTube this year with the novel //To Kill a Mockingbird.// After pre-reading research was completed and student groups shared their research in oral presentations, I showed a YouTube video. The creator of the video used powerful background music and photographic images of the 1930s. This lesson gave the students real images of the Great Depression, the economic squalor of the time and racism (photos of “whites only” signs, for example) so that they could better form mental images of the characters and setting as they began to read the novel //To Kill a Mockingbird//. This is just one example of how I have used YouTube in my classroom. I intend to use it much more this year.

D. Timetable for Implementation: YouTube is suitable for pre-reading, or any pre-lesson activity, as well as during a lesson or to sum up a lesson.

VI. What I have learned in this class:

I have learned that one can learn a considerable amount about technology from an online course. Prior to the course, I wondered how I would learn about new technology outside a computer lab and how I would learn from others as I sat with my computer at the dining room table. Kudos to Carole Redline for her constant enthusiasm, her willingness to have daily conference calls, and for her professional expertise. Thank you to my colleagues who took the course with me. You were so helpful and your Wikis are amazing. It will take me all summer to get through them and to access a fraction of the information that is available through Diigo.

VII. What this learning will mean to me as a teacher/opportunities this learning will provide for my students:

This course has armed me with so many tools for my classroom. My students will appreciate the greater use of technology in the classroom. Since students will be able to access information from “the cloud” from outside the classroom, technology will actually create more time in the classroom. One colleague and I were discussing the use of literature circles using a Wiki. Students can have a discussion after school hours using a literature Wiki and be ready for a culminating discussion when they enter the classroom the next day!

Wordle and Tagxedo will be wonderful “tactile” tools for vocabulary class. So many students enjoy drawing during class, and for those who feel “art challenged,” Wordle and Tagxedo are fool-proof ways to create a digital image and reinforce vocabulary. Students learn best when they feel successful and when they believe that the teacher is affirming who they are. All of the tools I have learned to use this week will make me a better teacher and will make the learning more fun and productive for my students.

Thank you to everyone who made this week so productive for me and my students!

Best,

Mary Margaret Regan Middle School Language Arts St. Peter’s School Olney, MD mary.margaret.regan@stpetersolney.org