GPS and American Lit - Critical Thinking?

I looked at the GPS for American Literature for this week's blog... Because I am no longer in the classroom, I do not read these everyday anymore! I couldn't really remember the exact wording of the standards and how/if they fostered opportunities for critical thinking. Not surprisingly, each of the standards in the Reading & Literature section of the American Literature standards are well written and definitely provide for the development of critical thinking skills. Upon further investigation of one standard in particular, I was able to actually easily come up with a simple plan to teach the standard while engaging them in critical thinking skills through the use of technology.

ELAALRL2 The student identifies, analyzes, and applies knowledge of theme in a work of American literature and provides evidence from the work to support understanding. The student

1. Applies knowledge of the concept that the theme or meaning of a selection represents a universal view or comment on life or society and provides support from the text for the identified theme.
2. Evaluates the way an author’s choice of words advances the theme or purpose of the work.
3. Applies knowledge of the concept that a text can contain more than one theme. 
4. Analyzes and compares texts that express universal themes characteristic of American literature across time and genre (i.e., American individualism, the American dream, cultural diversity, and tolerance) and provides support from the texts for the identified themes.

The fact that they standard actually requires "analyzation" is definitely a clue that critical thinking is involved... It also asks the students to make connections between the text's theme and life in general. The standard also asks the students to effectually "prove" their theory about the book/literary work's theme. "Proving" something is the epitome of critical thinking skills.

If I were still teaching American Literature, I would definitely use this standard (along with several others) to create a large, overarching project for the students to complete throughout the semester. I would probably have them think about all of the huge themes that are pervasive throughout all of American literature. Throughout the semester, as we read different essays/ novels/ poems, they are to search for this theme within the texts. They should prove that it exists and be able to explain how they have interpreted the theme. Their project would include two big technological aspects- one a journal or blog- preferably using Penzu online journal or some blog site. The other would be a collaborative presentation made with students who chose the same them... They could use Google presentations to work together or they could create in Prezi or another web 2.0 collaborative presentation tool. Anyway, the presentation should cover all 4 aspects of the standard.

I think fostering critical thinking is easy in a literature course... Additionally, the GPS were written in order to engage students in the higher order skills on Bloom's Taxonomy. The Common Core standards are even better at providing guidelines for teachers to create instruction that focuses on critical thinking. It will be interesting to see how students respond once they are implemented in all Georgia classrooms.

Critical Thinking

I think the area of facilitating critical thinking is the most important aspect of a teacher's job.  As a parent of a 3 year old, my husband and I make it our mission to point out connections to our son and to ask him questions to which there is no real answer.  When I was a teacher, I tried to do the same with my students.  And, to be quite honest, it was easy for me as an English teacher.  

That being said, it was never easy for the students.  In fact, I often got a lot more push-back from them than I expected.  Part of that resistance was fueled by the fact that in other subject areas, taught by more traditional teachers, they always had black and white answers.  If I heard one of them say, "Can't you just give us the answer?" once, I heard it a million times!  Well, when you are reading something and asking the students what the author is saying through symbolic language, it is kind of impossible to "give them the right answer" because there really isn't one.  

As far as modeling this concept, some of my students (and now former students on Facebook) picked on me for what they called my motto- "Really?  Does that make sense to you?"  Whenever we would talk about the literature and they would give me a synopsis or a theory about a character's behavior, apparently- I always said, "Really?  Does that make sense to you?" and they had to explain themselves.  

The great thing about developing critical thinking skills when it comes to literature and language is that teachers in the field have a definite goal... To create citizens that can question their world- to not believe everything they hear or read- to figure how we are all connected and the responsibilities we have to one another.  In short, the goal is to create informed and discriminating citizens.  

I always thought that being an English teacher was so noble because of that....

Backtracking: E-Learning

I have to backtrack- 

I guess I read the weeks wrong and did the topic for this week's blog last week.  So, I need to go back and talk about last week's topic...e-Learning.  

As someone who is paid out of e-Learning funds, I am definitely a fan. :)

I have to admit that growing up with an academic snob- my mother- I never cared too much for online classes or classes completed through correspondence.  By the time I finished college at UGA (in 2003), online universities were ramping up, churning out degree program after degree program.  As a teacher, I saw TONS of my friends enroll in these programs, do a very small amount of work, and receive a degree in record time (along with the pay raise).  My mom, who I consider the smartest woman in the world, constantly berated the online universities and the degrees they conferred.  She predicted the state would go belly-up paying teachers for all of these degrees from nationally accredited universities in fields that would never be used... Little did we know the PSC would also take that stance years later.  When I applied for my masters degree in Information Technology at Georgia College and State University, her first question was whether or not I would be taking any of the courses online.  I did- but the majority were face to face.  And, after that program, I started thinking she might be right about online classes.  The ones I took for my masters degree were not engaging, didn't showcase the wide variety of communication tools offered by technology at the time, and the instructors seemed to like teaching in the environment about as much as we enjoyed learning in the environment- not much at all.

I started this EdS program with lots of trepidation... I was excited that we would be in the studio for a large part of our instruction.  I was worried that the online courses would be like those for my other graduate program.  I was happily contradicted.  Although not all classes in this program have been wonderful, the majority have provided me with great examples of how e-Learning should work.  In fact, in my job as an online developer (and someone who teaches faculty how to develop for online), I am constantly using certain professors in this program as examples of what to do (and at times, what not to do). :)

Furthermore, I've learned more about the pedagogy of online learning through my work experience than I ever could have as a student.  There is definitely an art to developing e-Learning.  We tell our faculty developers that e-Learning is 80% upfront development and organization.  That is not always appealing to university faculty, but for k-12 teachers, it is just par for the course.  Most k-12 folks are so used to doing in depth planning, that developing for online and the time commitment it takes to organize, design, and develop is no great hardship.  That is probably why I like the job so much.

Finally, it helps for online developers to have some guidelines... At KSU, we use the Quality Matters program and Institutionally Peer Review courses that are taught online.  This means that development occurs with the help of a rubric and courses are scored with that rubric.  The ones that do not meet standards are revised until they do.  Faculty are coached on e-Learning pedagogy and certified to teach online before they submit the course for approval to QM.  

We do all of this because we recognize that just as all learners aren't right for courses taught in the virtual environment, not all teachers are right for that environment.  I believe that almost any course can be taught online- with the right amount of planning and creativity.  However, not everyone should teach online courses (or take them).  

Sorry I have so much to say about e-Learning- I am working very hard to become an expert in this field.  I am even developing (with colleagues) proposals to present about our approach to developing for online at several conferences in the coming months.  Exciting stuff....

Tele-what?

Weekly Question-
Search and share 1-3 telecommunication-based projects that you or the teachers you support could do.


     So, our readings lately have been about communication and e-learning... In my last blog, I discussed the importance of good communication and face-to-face interaction when one of the goals of public education is proper socialization.  E-learning provides some challenges, especially in terms of effectively communicating and imparting the everyday nuances of face-to-face communication over a broadband connection.  
     If we ask teachers and students to embrace e-learning, we have to start examining forms of telecommunication and how we can learn through telecommunication projects.  Although I am not sure if this site is what our instructor envisioned when she asked us to find projects, I was drawn to this one-
http://www.ani.org/programs/our-history/narod-armenian-childrens-cultural-institute/narod-network-project/ , and I'll share why.
     From their website- a brief description, "The Narod Network Project provided students and educators in Armenia with the means to share their rich cultural heritage and gain the perspective of their peers in other parts of the world."  And, "With the training and assistance of the Narod Network Project staff, students and teachers across the globe logged on to the Project once a week through the bilingual Narod Institute website at www.narod.org. Once logged on, a series of programmatic activities with varied educational themes would link them to a wealth of information and resources. The flow of activities naturally immersed the students in a collaborative learning environment where they developed communication, teamwork, and problem solving skills."
     I think this is an awesome example of telecommunication projects and how they can involve children and teachers in projects/experiences that would otherwise prove impossible.
     Kennesaw State University places an emphasis on international relationships- last year was the year of Romania.  Many of our faculty and students traveled to Romania and participated in a variety of exchange programs with their counterparts at universities over there.  This year, we are doing the year of Peru.  We will be engaging in similar projects with students and faculty at institutions of higher learning in that country this year.  If someone were to create a telecommunication project like the one I linked above (the Narod project focuses on Armenia), the international experience wouldn't be limited to those who could participate in the exchange.  More of our students and faculty and theirs could get to know each other in meaningful ways through a telecommunication project.  It would be pretty awesome... With technology offering so many programs like Google+ Hangouts and FaceTime, there is no reason why speaking face to face through a webcam couldn't be just as valuable as meeting in person. 
     I do think that the actual experience is lost (of traveling)... But in today's world (with our economic and political situations) teleconferencing seems to be a viable solution to learning about each other without taking the risks of actually going somewhere.... Think about how these types of projects could influence the thinking of our children when it comes to the Middle East?  How valuable would a project like this be if we were able to connect our children with those in Palestine or Libya?  Oh, the possibilities....

The Word on the Street...

Sorry- My three year old and I love quoting Sesame Street- "The Word on the Street is COMMUNICATION!"

Communication in Education

Because we are now teaching digital natives, communication is not what it was when we were children.  I remember sitting in my undergraduate English Education cohort at UGA and hearing my fabulous professor (Dr. Sally Hudson-Ross) tell us over and over again- "You are not teaching younger versions of yourselves..." That couldn't be more true in today's world.  When we compare & contrast who we were in middle and high school and who we are teaching now, the differences are staggering, and most of them revolve around the way communication works in today's world.  

With today's students, everything is instantaneous.  They have access to information 24-7.  They can text, email or call any friend, family member, or teacher at any time.  Questions can be answered in a matter of seconds- not minutes or hours.  Technology has made information accessible all the time... Which, for someone like me, is wonderful and scary all at once.

Because of this, our duties (as educators) have changed dramatically.  We still need to be experts in our field.  Nothing compares to someone sitting down with his/her students face to face and explaining a concept or just chatting about the course content/ideas.  As instruction moves to online formats, finding avenues to do this electronically while still preserving the authenticity of face to face meetings is essential.  We are coming close as products like Apple's Facetime and Google+ Hangouts improve the quality of free digital video meeting spaces.  

I personally hope that one of the key goals of public education is not lost in the digital shuffle- socialization.  Studies have shown (and many of us can give anecdotal evidence) that social skills are being lost in the age of texting and Twitter.  If education is completely caught up in the technology craze, I worry that our kids won't know what it means to have social grace or charm.  If they only ever speak to each other in clipped text messages, how will they function in a business world where a handshake is still (and hopefully, always will be) the most powerful tool?  

As a parent, these issues are important to me - I hope we think about them as educators as well.

More Technology

So, our question for this week:

What small change might I make to my project to increase creativity/innovation? Is that an important enough goal to attend to in this lesson, or is it best saved for another opportunity? 

In light of the constraints (as far as actually teaching my lesson goes), I decided to change my project topic this weekend.  And, I appreciate the leniency and flexibility given to us to choose our topics and modify them as needed.  I know that this means I have to go back and change all of my web examples, etc... Oh well.  

I have decided to change my topic to choosing a web 2.0 tool(s) to use in a fully online course.  I have to introduce the faculty members in my course to a wide array of web 2.0 tools, let them evaluate their courses under development (looking for ways to include tools that foster student engagement), and choose how to integrate those tools into their course.  Their final step would be the actual development- create an HTML page or PDF and upload it to GVV in the course's modules.

I guess you could say that I have modified my original course plan to include more opportunities for creativity or innovation.  I hope it works out for the best.

Also, this is such an important aspect of the course development process (for online higher education).  The market demands high quality courses that meet the needs of 21st Century Learners.  First of all, I think KSU is actually way ahead of even UGA in ensuring quality in online courses through our Quality Matters certification program.  I've taken a couple of courses at UGA that were horrendously design and facilitated.  One of the major aspects of QM is fostering a sense of community with the students and developing strategies to engage them in the online environment.  Web 2.0 tools play a major roles in that.... So, with the changes I've made to my project, I hope I am able to increase creativity and innovation.

PBL and Assessment...

High school English is not an easy subject to teach and assess...  In fact, one of the main reasons why I am no longer in the classroom is the time commitment to grading.  After 10 days of being up past 12:00 midnight, my husband made me promise to find a new way of grading essays, etc... I did.  I started using rubrics and had students create portfolios, but no one else in the department was doing it, and I caught a lot of slack for it.  In fact, my department chair wanted me to grade traditionally, so I had to go back to grading essays the way she and others did.

That was eight years ago... They probably all use rubrics now and grading is much less time consuming and laborious.  I am a huge proponent of using rubrics properly (giving them to students before they start the creative process) and having them self-assess, peer-assess, and work with the instructor on final assessments using the rubrics.  If done properly, the actual grading takes half the time and the product is much better. 

When assessing PBL, I would image using rubrics is essential.  In essence, the creation of a project is an alternate form of assessment and therefore lends itself to creative grading practices.  I would imagine the ideal assessment process with PBL would be much like a portfolio assessment is done... It is probably graded along the way- incrementally and collegially so that the product can be improved.  If it were a project I needed to assess, I would be sure to include several opportunities for articulation and reflection.

Finally, inviting an outside audience to assess the projects is key to their success.  Students don't always perform at their best for their teachers, especially when they see no real life application of the work.  PBL's purpose is to provide an authentic application and audience for knowledge.  So, incorporating stakeholders who can motivate and inspire the students is very important.  Making sure that they fully understand the syllabus (and perhaps work with the students and facilitator to develop it) is also imperative. 

I think if all of these things can be accomplished, the projects can be assessed with little pain for the students or the instructors.

Project Based Learning...

I tried to be a great teacher- in a lot of ways, I thought I was.  I know that I could have been better, though.  Although I tried to embrace and implement the ideas of constructivism in my classroom, I wasn't always successful because most of my methods were still traditional.  I wish I had known more about PBL when I was in the classroom- I would have enjoyed teaching more- and I'm sure my students would have enjoyed the class more.

Since our move to Cobb County, I've done a lot of research on the schools to figure out where we want to live- the schools I want my son to go to, etc... A couple of the high schools here do a senior project that all of their classes scaffold.  When they are freshmen, the students choose their own project to work toward for the next 3 years.  They take classes to help with the project.  Within their required classes, teachers differentiate the lessons to help the students use what they are learning to inform their project work.  They actually use the first three years of high school to learn about the project.  Their junior year is spent doing the lion's share of the work on the project, and the senior year is the time to go public with the project.  There are tons of categories for the projects and some of them are judged. 

For example, one kid made- by hand- a classical guitar with a variation on the design that amplified the sound.  As a freshman, his math teacher let him find lessons on the geometry of sound (and I didn't actually understand all of this, but he did).  As a sophomore, he took an apprenticehip class and worked for a local craftsman who made musical instruments.  Junior year, he actually made the guitar.  Senior year, he showcased it, won a contest with it, and visited several local businesses interested in selling it.  Throughout this experience, the high schooler learned that he definitely wanted to pursue a career in this advanced craftmanship/musicianship.  I talked to other students who said their project made them change their ideas about what they planned to major in when they go to college.

This was such a great way for me to view project based learning in a K-12 setting... I got so many ideas from it.  I hope, if I am ever able to go back to the K-12 classroom, that I can plan curriculum that spans the academic subject areas to reach students on this same level.  I'm not sure how many other approaches to instruction reach students in such a dramatic and real way.  The articles linked on the Google Site mention all the reasons why teachers should consider the implementation of PBL... But, seeing it in action was far more convincing than any of the articles!  If you get a chance to visit a school or judge these types of projects- do it!

LoTi and PBL

After completing the LoTi quiz for last week's class, I was a little surprised about my LoTi level (the personal computer use level and current instructional practices level was fine- both were 7). I guess I can attribute the 4a LoTi level to being out of the actual K-12 classroom (and I have been for 6 years now). But, I thought I was answering the questions as I would have when I was teaching high school. It made me wonder- Do most teachers THINK they integrate technology to a much greater degree than they actually DO integrate technology? Once I looked at the LoTi site more thoroughly, I realized that they probably do. As a teacher 6 years ago, I had never heard of LoTi levels. I would venture to guess that most teachers have not (unless they are getting a degree in instructional technology). So, if knowledge is power, administrators need to ask their faculty to be more aware of their actual practices- not just what they think they are doing. Administrators should ask their faculty to complete this type of survey- in lieu of some other type of meaningless professional learning. I think it would open a lot of eyes.

On a similar note, pushing PBL would not be a bad move either. It would be much easier for teachers to make that transition from a LoTi level 3 teacher to a level 5 teacher if they were to implement PBL into their curriculum. We all know that students learn from real world, problem based learning... So much of PBL can be technology based- it really seems to be a no-brainer- implement PBL in your classroom and the integration of technology level should go up!

Integration Project Website Examples

When I was an English teacher, I used the web often to find lesson plans or ideas. Now, as someone who works with faculty, I very often have to come up with all of my own plans and materials for workshops or classes I am teaching. At Dr. Kim's suggestion, I am going to work on a plan for teaching about copyright issues in higher ed to KSU BCOE faculty (this is the plan right now).

I've had a hard time finding any lesson plans for working with folks in high ed (I'm sure they are out there-). Right now, I am having to look at generic lesson plans on copyright (even very elementary ones used to teach middle schoolers). Most of what I have found so far doesn't integrate technology at the level that is required in this course. Most of them only use the internet as a resource... One that I've found requires a simulator. I guess any of the lesson plans that I will find will definitely have to be tweaked.... especially since most faculty members know a good bit of copyright already. My workshop will be more about raising awareness and finding resources on campus that they can turn to if they have questions about copyright and how it pertains to what they are doing.

The page of 10 example websites will be difficult for me because of who my audience is... I hope it won't mind that I am going to use sites geared toward high school kids or college students.

Ideas for Integration Project

So, how will I do this Integration Project....

This is somewhat of a mystery for me because I am currently not a part of the k-12 community. However, I do work with teacher preparation at a university in Georgia, so I do have some ideas.

I think I'd like to go back to my roots as a high school English teacher and explore the possibilities of creating a lesson that could be used in an American Literature course... I could design the plan so that students read Miller's The Crucible, do research and relate the panic/hysteria to modern events, and create podcasts over the course of 2 weeks relating the information in the play to what they are observing about modern life and the lessons learned by reading Miller's brilliant work. If I were still in the classroom, this is the kind of project I would LOVE to assign.

Also, I could create a model plan- I am currently teaching a course to faculty members here at KSU. The semester-long class is about developing courses for online. I could create a project that models the integration of technology. Which, when you consider it, would be very helpful. Sometimes, the teaching faculty at larger universities don't employ the use of technology the way they should. As a result, some of our first year teachers, who should be the leaders in technology integration on their respective k-12 campuses, are often unprepared to do what needs to be done as it relates to technology integration.

Just some thoughts...