New Homework Plan

Over the past few weeks, I have really been trying to help you (my kids) succeed in school.  I am realizing that many of you have a very hard time completing your homework.  It seems that you just don’t have routines.  I had a routine in high school and want to help inspire you to create routines of your own.  

When I was in high school, I was very busy with sports, ASB, and a social life.  However, I was pretty successful at completing my work.  I used a little paper planner that the school issued to all of the students.  In my planner, I recorded all upcoming events, such as basketball games.  I also used it throughout the day to write down all of my homework assignments.  I carried it in my backpack.  In each class, I would put it on my desk, write down the nightly homework assignment, and make notes about things such as when tests were coming up.  It looked like this:

Monday, October 10, 1997

·         Per 1 – Read Ch. 6-7 of Moby Dick

·         Per 2 – Type Lab Notes

·         Per 4 – Ch. 6 (1-31 odd)

·         Per 5 – Study Verbs for Test

·         Basketball Game at Lutheran (leave 12:35)

As I completed each assignment, I would draw a line through it to mark it off my list.  I would also add notes, like the scores of my games.  Normally, I would complete most of my work after sports practice, and sometimes I worked at my neighbor’s house since we had the same classes.  However, I honestly was a bit of a procrastinator, so I would also complete my work during slow classes, on the sports bus on game days, and even at lunch if necessary.  My friends and I all helped each other.  By the time we were sophomores, we were pretty good at sharing notes and helping each other study between classes for upcoming tests. 

Even though I was fortunate to live with my parents, they really did not bug me about my work because they both worked and were busy tending to my younger siblings. I did my homework because I wanted to earn good grades to go to college and because most of my friends earned good grades.  I wanted to be one of the smart kids.  Yes, I know I am a bit of a nerd---but nerds tend to make it in life. 

This is the way I managed my assignments, but it is not the only way.  I remember that my friends all had their own systems.  For example, one of my guy friends just wrote his assignments on a little index card every day and kept it in his back pocket.  When I begin to think about all of you, my students, I wonder about your routines.  Maybe you just don’t have them yet.

Well, when I was in high school, I also used to swear to myself that I would never forget what it is like to be a teenager when I became an adult.  Unfortunately, time and maturity have made that a little difficult. I have spent a lot of time this weekend thinking of how I can help all of you to complete your homework, but I just can’t think of exactly what taught me to write down, complete, and check off my assignments.  Instead, I began to focus on what I can do to hopefully inspire you.  I do remember that I hated completing homework on the weekends, so I used that to inspire my new plan.  Here’s what I came up with:

If a student completes all four nightly homework assignments on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights before coming to class, I will automatically give him/her a pass for Friday’s homework assignment.  That pass will give the student a score equal to At Grade Level in the gradebook.  All the student will have to do is complete the form to remind Raquel and I that he/she earned the pass. 

So, what do you think? I will test this plan this week and reevaluate to see how it works out.  I am really looking forward to hearing your feedback. 

Dragons Den: ABC's About Me

Attended a women's college, Mount St. Mary's College
Born in San Diego in 1980
Carries my iPad almost everywhere I go
Drives forty minutes to and from work every day because I live in Santee
Earned a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology this year
Figures out how to do things on my own instead of reading directions
Gets migraine headaches from chocolate and a few other foods
Has three siblings: Nathan, Noland, and Nycole
Indulges in queso dip when dining out
Joins students for lunch when possible
Keeps old notes, emails, and letters from loved ones
Loves teaching at San Pasqual Academy
Meets friends after work to socialize
Notices more things about my students than they realize
Owns three brown dogs, a black cat, and a gray hamster
Played volleyball, basketball, and softball in high school
Quit using paper in my classroom last August
Rarely arrives on time, but I'm working on it 

Sells vintage items on eBay and Etsy 

Taught at my alma mater, Mountain Empire Jr/Sr High
Used to work at Girl Scout Summer Camps, Whispering Oaks and Winacka
Volunteers to do more than I have time to complete
Wears clothes and accessories that are older than I am whenever possible
X-ercises by walking and jogging with my dogs
Yells with excitement at Chargers and Dragons games
Zooms in on a few people instead of having a ton of superficial friends 

Eerrt! U-Turn!

I changed my mind. This blog is no longer inteneded to share my edtech learning. I tried that. I avoided my blog. It was not me. From now on, my posts will be written to my hard-working freshmen and sophomore students. Feel free to unsubscribe or keep reading.

Glogster Mini Portfolio for Ashford

Well, I officially labeled myself "old" today.  I had to make a Glogster Glog as one of my final assignments for Ashford.  Now, I expect my students to produce these often, but I had a sudden urge to scream to them for help as I began it.  Fortunately, I figured it out but I know my students could have produced a much better Glog.  Humble pie is always nice.  It's also a strong reminder to not take my little tech rockstars for granted.   

Click here to view my Glog in Glogster.

Student Reviews of "Switch" by Playwrights Project

Click here to take the blog jog!

My Research Project Brainstorm

Romeo & Juliet with Google 4 Video - Who’s in?

During CUE, Valentin and I attended a Google 4 Video session by Jim Sill. We agreed that we would both like to have our students create videos using the strategies Sill introduced. What if we create one project/assignment and have all of our students, in our different classrooms, complete it?

In the past, my students have created videos, puppet shows, and performed plays summarizing Romeo and Juliet. Each small group of students adapted the play to a different style, such as western or modern New York. Since the text is extremely challenging due to the kids’ reading levels, I normally have them watch and discuss the 1970’s video in small segments. They also read and reenact the most important scenes in class.

Currently, I imagine us creating a collaborative lesson plan using a Google Site sometime within the next few weeks. I plan to teach the entire unit—watching the movie and creating the videos—during April 11-29. This falls within the testing window, but in years past it was easy for the kids to work on the performances during testing since they normally need more work time than structured lessons. However, I can be flexible.

So, are you interested in joining me to collaboratively create a Romeo and Juliet video lesson plan?

Adult Proofread from Germany

When I ask my students to get an adult to proofread their writing, the adults are never mom or dad. I work on a residential campus for foster youth. Translation: my students have all been taken away from their families or abandoned, so they now live at a group home/boarding school. Since transitioning to a paperless classroom, I have modified my writing process to include an online adult proofread. Before I could even suggest it, one of my sophomores exceeded my expectations by having a family member edit her writing online.

Normally, my students ask their house parents, tutors, staff, or other teachers to proofread their work. Before I changed the paper proofreading handout to a Google form, I required my students to get an adult signature. Now, the adults can view the paper in a shared Google Doc or on a house computer, follow a Google form guide, and verify their work by providing the time and location of the proofread.

Chanda took it one step further. Since her supportive older sister’s husband is stationed in Germany, Chanda publishes her writing on her blog, adds her sister as a writer, and allows her to make corrections. She figured this out on her own. I am impressed and can’t wait to see what will happen when Chanda teacher her sister to use a shared Google Doc. (Please read and comment on Chanda's essay on her blog.)

My classroom walls are falling down.
My students are one-step ahead of me.
It’s working.

Second Quarter Staff-Teacher Conferences

I enjoyed speaking with my students’ houseparents, social workers, and CASAs at staff-teacher conferences this week. Even though I had to break from my paperless system to distributed paper handouts containing my contact information, study tips, and screen shots explaining how to comment on students’ blog posts, I still incorporated technology into the conferences. I had everyone sign-in using a Google Form. It was amusing to see their reactions when their submissions instantly appeared in my spreadsheet.

To share their work during the conferences, each student selected his/her favorite blog post from the last few months. I linked these posts together creating a blog jog. I hoped adults would have time to view their students’ blogs, but we did not have time. However, I am emailing the blog jog to campus adults with the intention of gaining a few comments.  You may view the blog jog here.

SPAENG- Conference Handout b

Saved by a Freshman

While using Voxopop in class for the first time, I hit a glitch. I couldn’t figure out how to approve students’ requests to join my talkgroup. I fumbled around for a few minutes searching my account, exploring the FAQ’s, and Googling solutions while my freshmen began to fidget. As I was about to give up and just open the entire talkgroup to the public, one of my girls raised her hand, “Ms. Priester, if you just go to your profile and click admin, you can accept us all from there.” It worked. I don’t know how she figured it out, but she took the initiative to voluntarily solve a problem so we could continue learning. And, she out-teched me. Success.

Homeroom Reform Essays Blog Jog

Homeroom Reform Essays

Last week, my students wrote essays to submit to KNSD’s Homeroom Reform Essay Contest. The main prompt asked the students to explain what they would do to improve their education with a $5,000 grant. Instead answering the prompt following a full writing process, the students collaboratively wrote and revised with partners and minimal adult interventions. Reading over their completed papers, I find it rather interesting that many of their requests ask for support of their basic needs instead of developing innovative reforms.

If you have time, please comment on at least one of the blog posts. I also welcome comments to this post.

"Yo, Teach!"

I'm looking for a few words to describe the role of teachers in the future.  Ideas?

Help Students Embed Link Rolls of Classmates’ Blogs

I want all of my students to keep links to all of their classmates’ blogs on their blog. But, it’s been a challenge; manually adding thirty students to a link list sidebar is very time consuming, and it’s annoying to have everyone stop to add new students’ URLs to their lists. Well, I finally fixed the problem today.

In Delicious, I created an embed code for each class. I distributed the embed code to my students. Then, each student created a new page on their blog and entered the code. Now, whenever I add a new student’s blog to my Delicious account, it will automatically appear in each student’s list.

How To:

1. Create a class list in Delicious. (I use my students’ graduation year to tag each group of kids. For example, my freshmen are tagged “2014” and my sophomores are tagged “2013.”)

2. In Delicious, create a link roll: Delicious>Settings>Link Rolls.

3. On the Link Rolls page, title the list, add the desired tag, and adjust other options.

4. From the top of the page, copy the embed code.

5. Using email or an embedded text section from Google Docs, distribute the embed code to students.

6. In Blogger, have students create a new page and paste the code into the page.

Virtual Reality: SketchUp, PhotoSynth, Google Earth, & Google Lit Trips

When I was little, I loved watching movies with special effects that took me into worlds I could never really visit, such as a man’s blood vessel in Innerspace or a bowl of Cheerios in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.  Now, I can explore infinite locations through virtual reality while just playing around on my laptop. 

In a classroom, virtual reality enables students to virtually visit and explore locations from the past, present, and future; examine all parts of large and small items; understand processes; and participate in imaginary worlds.  Though it may seem simple to just explore Quick Time’s virtual reality cubes, there are many more virtual reality resources available outside of “the cube.”  By using free virtual reality resources and tools in classrooms, the challenge of economic access are decreased.   Additionally, students are able to create, share, and view projects using common technology tools, free downloads, and user-friendly interfaces.        

Free Virtual Reality Web 2.0 Tools
Tool	Description	Links	English Classroom Use
SketchUp by Google	A 3D modeling program which allows users to easily create and share models.	Download: http://sketchup.google.com ·         Educator Resource: http://sitescontent.google.com/google-sketchup-for-educators/	Construct a model of a setting to express a particular mood.
PhotoSynth by Microsoft	A photo program which allows users to create 3D models and modelpoint clouds from digital photographs.	Download: http://photosynth.net/create.aspx Educator Resource: http://www.microsoft.com/education/products/student/photosynth/default.aspx#overview	Write a detailed description of a location, person, animal, or item.
Google Earth by Google	A 3D globe which allows users to zoom in to specific locations and create customized trips.	Download: http://www.google.com/earth/ Educator Resource: http://sitescontent.google.com/google-earth-for-educators/	Take a “lit trip” to visit real places locations referenced in literature.

In my classroom, I have used virtual reality in Google Earth to create Google Lit Trips.  I learned to create these trips through a training facilitated by Google Certified Teacher Jerome Burg a few years ago.  While creating a Google Lit Trip, the teacher identifies a series of locations relevant to a piece of literature, such as cities a character traveled through.  Then, the teacher adds relevant details to each location: descriptions, photos, videos, and links.  After saving the Lit Trip, the teacher can take students on a virtual exploratory journey which flies through a predetermined path in Google Earth.  Constructing the trips is time-consuming, but a collection of teacher-made trips is available at Jerome Burg’s Google Lit Trips website (http://www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleLit). 

Use JogtheWeb to Jog Through Student Blogs

SPA Theme Songs Jog

I just figured out an easy way to distribute a set of my students' blog posts!  In JogtheWeb I created a "jog," or web tour, by labeling and pasting URLs into a list. Now, a viewer can flip through my students blogs by just opening one page.  I distributed the web tour by emailing a link to the "jog" to campus adults, many of whom are novice technology users.

Google Docs Templates

I use Google Docs templates to distribute customizable copies of documents to my students and share with coworkers.  I discovered this feature while trying to figure out how to create online vocabulary cards to correspond with a year-round, district-wide vocabulary program.  Now, all of my freshmen keep their vocabulary cards on their blogs instead of clinging to a metal ring in their backpacks.  My JCCS Academic Vocabulary Card template is available at: http://bit.ly/jccsvocabslides.  

	How to Use a Google Docs Presentation Template with Students
	Step	Tips
1.	Teacher builds blank template Google Docs.	·         Add a place for the student to insert his/her name. ·         Add instructions of how to duplicate additional blank slides.
2.	Teacher publishes template to Google Docs Template Gallery.	·         Place template in Students and Teachers category. ·         Write a purpose and/or instructions in the description. ·         Use identifying words in the title and description.
3.	Teacher shares link to template with students.	·         Post a link on the classroom blog or wiki. ·         Use a URL shortener, such as http://bit.ly/.
4.	Student downloads and customizes the template.	·         Remind students to rename the document with an appropriate title.
5.	Student adds content during lessons.	·         Teach students to add images, use spell check, and adjust font sizes.
6.	Student publishes personalized presentation with embed code.	·         If the presentation will be added to over time, place it in stagnant location on his/her blog or website.

How to Integrate a Wiki into a Training - Just an Idea

I created this for an assignment, but I figure it could be useful to someone considering incorporate a wiki into a training.  If I ever get a chance to facilitate a training, I'll try it out myself. :) 

How to Integrate a Wiki into a Training

Before:
1.    Use a wiki with the staff planning the training.  After briefly helping the team to understand the concept of a wiki, help each person create an account.  Then, plan the agenda for the training on a wiki.

During:
2.    On an overhead projector, share the agenda page of the wiki with the attendees.  Provide the web address of the wiki to all attendees and encourage them to access it through laptops and smartphones throughout the training. 
3.    As content is being presented and discussed, have at least two members of the training team record notes on the wiki.  By viewing this on the screen, the participants will be able to observe the editing process.
4.    Later in the training, distribute laptops.  Quickly teach participants to create a wiki account and join the training wiki as editors; use training team as roaming tutors.
5.    Break the participants into small groups.  Assign each group to collaboratively edit a pre-scaffolded wiki page focused on a topic relevant to the training, such as plans, ideas, goals, resources, etc. 
6.    When all pages are complete, allow all participants to explore and contribute to the entire wiki.
7.    Encourage participants to continue using the wiki after the training.

After
8.    In a week, send an email to all participants encouraging them to visit and edit the wiki.
9.    At later trainings, provide time to edit old content and repeat the same collaborative contribution routine as new ideas are discussed.

Students:  How could you use a wiki for a club or team meeting?

Adults: Have you ever used a wiki with a training?  Do participants really use it outside of the meeting?

"Nycole's Little Kitten" Plot Assessment

This is a sample project I made for my students.  To view the entire project's expectations, visit this page.Nycole's Little Kitten on Storybird

Grading Online Dicussions

 I just responded to an online classmates’ discussion board post about the challenge of grading online assignments, such as discussion board and blog posts.  I’ve also found that it can be challenging, but I have developed two systems which require honesty and responsible behavior from my students.

For discussion boards, I do not respond to each student.  Instead, I expect them to respond to one another and submit their work using a Google form. Then, I just skim the posts—I see it as they were having an in-class discussion and I was observing.

For blog posts, I use another Google form and Google Reader.  The students submit their work using the Google form, which contains instructions, a simple rubric, and a place to paste links to their posts.  This form collects all of the assignments in a spreadsheet, but I normally just use it to see which students completed the assignment and the grade they expect to earn.  My TA also checks these forms and comments on posts throughout the week.  In Google Reader, I have organized my students’ blogs into folders, English 9 and English 10.  Every weekend, I tackle one folder.  I read each student’s posts in Reader and comment on one post in Blogger.  So far, this system is working.     

My Forms:
·         Sample Discussion Board Form
·         Sample Blog Assignment Form
·         Sample Student Blog Comments Form

Students: What are your thoughts about the forms we use?  Do you mind that I only respond to your posts every two weeks?

Adults: What strategies do you use to grade online discussions?

Loving the Jing at the Top of My Screen

During one of my recent courses, a classmate emailed me asking how I posted links to my students’ blogs on my classroom blog. Instead of typing out the instructions or creating a slideshow of screenshots, I created a Jing video tutorial. Since I already had Jing installed on my laptop, I just plugged in my microphone headset, asked my study hall students to work silently for a few minutes, recorded the video, uploaded it to Screencast, and emailed the link to my classmate. The entire process took less than five minutes. The video may be viewed here. Using screencapture tools, such as Jing, enable me to quickly record and share editable images and video with audio.

I’ve experimented with free screencasting tools for around a year. Before I began my master's program, I had made a few video screencapture tutorials for my students. But through course texts, my students’ feedback, and my own observations, I’ve learned that video tutorials are not an effective delivery method for multiple-step instructions. Now if I am introducing a new process, such as creating an account in a Web 2.0 tool, I have developed two effective strategies. My students prefer that I drive them through the process: I demonstrate the process step-by-step on my SMART Board while walking around the room to troubleshoot and encouraging them to help one another. However, I also like to create screenshot slideshow tutorials when possible. When following slideshows using a split screen, they practice working independently—this also creates archives of the lessons to be used by absent students.

This week, I used screencasts and screenshots within a digital storytelling lesson. First, I showed my students a screencast video created by the producers of Storybird, a free digital storytelling Web 2.0 tool. Then, I instructed them to create accounts by following my specific instructions posted in PhotoPeach, a free Web 2.0 slideshow tool. I used Jing’s screenshot and photo editing tools to create the slides within my PhotoPeach. If I had opted to create a screencast from scratch, I could have used Jing.

Students: How would you use Jing if it was installed on your laptops?

Adults:  Is Jing the best free screencapture tool?


Photo Credit:Jing Pro – Record HD-quality Videos for YouTube Originally uploaded by Ivan Walsh