Reeder's Writings

Gold Nuggets from Pro-d Day: Think Big and Start Small

2011-10-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

I attended an inspiring and energetic presentation today in my school district titled "Show What You Know" The focus of the presentation was on how to provide students opportunities to both learn new information and show their knowledge in ways in addition to traditional reading and writing and how to properly assess these opportunities. In other words, it was a great reminder of what good teaching practice looks like.

Here are some of the big ideas that were discussed:

1. Think big and start small.
I'm an idea person and I have no shortage of things I want to accomplish in my role as a DL teacher. One slide "Think big and start small", resonated with me. I need to list and outline my projects, prioritize and then take one action, however small, towards reaching my goals.

2. Create communities.
Students need to feel a part of a community to feel comfortable to take risks, to be part of something that would be less without them. Despite my students being primarily online, creating a sense of community is vital yet obviously a challenge for a number of reasons.

3. Get students out of their comfort zone but not into a fear zone.
Too often in the distributed learning world, we start with trying to give the students what they want, but not necessarily what they need. In a DL course student can be in the fear zone because of the computer technology itself. Good design should take away that fear and make way for learning to occur.

4. Bring attention to learning outcomes and assess based on those outcomes.
This is an example of good practice that can be overlooked. In an online course, Ministry standards dictate that the learning outcomes be visible. Many of the older courses can have up to fifteen objectives for one lesson! This is overkill for the students for sure. In addition the criteria for assessment is often based not on the learning objectives but vague things like effort and creativity. I like the example given "The poster title" where a student can work for hours on a beautiful poster but not actually include the necessary content and therefore not earn a good mark. A good point was made that a different rubric does not have to be made for every choice in a project assignment if the assessment reflects the required content. In an age of limitless online free tools, I think we need to be careful that we are still assessing what we want our students to know.

5. Choice that doesn't overwhelm.

While the learning outcomes should be the same, the way a student can show their learning can be in different ways. Singing, drawing on windows, filming, modelling and movement are all choices. I have incorporated some assignments in my online course where there is more choice. Ironically, I have seen where too many choices can be overwhelming. Especially for students working online and mostly independantly, I need to provide exemplars, and clear criteria for these choices.

So thank you to Judith, Erica, Anita, Jeff and Naryn for providing focus to my ongoing goal of providing quality online learning as a choice for students in our district.

A Call for Bonus Assignment Ideas

2011-08-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a problem I bet every teacher wishes they had: A friend of mine (a math teacher) is continually getting asked by his students for bonus assignments so they can get extra marks. He recently put out a request on Facebook for help with some ideas about revamping his bonus assignments so that the assignments would contribute to his students becoming well-rounded citizens rather than just high achieving math students (thanks to his brilliant teaching I'm sure ;)).

So in response to his "contest" (who can't resist that?) here are my ideas for his prompts:

from www.claus.com

1. "Read a thought provoking inspiring book"
The Little Prince, The Alchemist, Jonathon Livingstone Seagull, The Phantom Tollbooth are all "quirky" yet thought provoking reads. Here's a great list of books I just came across, many of which I've read and have found inspiring and many I see that I'd like to still read (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for one).

2. "A movie that illicts thought, reflection or emotion" The Green Mile, Life is Beautiful, Gran Torino and Amelie are a few that come to mind.

For 3. "Attend a Cultural Event" and 4. "Learn or demonstrate a life lesson" maybe add "....that is out of your comfort zone".

While these bonus assignments I'm assuming are to give students a chance to bring their mark up as much as possible (most likely to fulfill the expectations of parents and future educational instutitions), I love the idea that along the way they might just stumble upon an experience that is rewarding in itself. Good luck with that Mr. W!

...and if anyone else has some good ideas, let me know and I'll pass them along.

Grammar Instruction Within the Writing Process in a Moodle Course

2011-08-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

I have been struggling for awhile to work toward implementing grammar instruction that is differentiated for individual students and is incorporated into the writing process. The following is what I plan to implement this year rather than including a comprehensive grammar workbook that is completed without any connection to the rest of the course.

Background: It is important to note that this is an online teaching environment and therefore limits and defines certain "best" practices.

The courses I teach include online asynchronous high-school English courses 8-12 using Moodle. A wide range of students are enrolled in the program for various reasons (eg. At-risk, traditional “homeschoolers”, gifted and students travelling, or in a dedicated sport). Enrollment is small for each class and students are usually at different points in the course so group activities and collaboration is difficult.

Course: My English 8 and 9 courses are contributed to a consortium of districts,where a DL teacher in a small program often has a large number of courses to manage.

Goal: Personalize each student’s writing goals using a system that is realistic for a DL teacher of many students and many courses to manage.

Plan:

Create a repository of grammar and mechanics mini-lessons in a moodle book module. Each concept would include a definition and an opportunity to practice the concept (eventually in a choice of modes like printable worksheet, interactive game, audio etc.)

Have students complete a pre-assessment of grammar skills (moodle quiz) and do a writing sample and survey questions (assignment) at the beginning.

Using a Personal Editing and Revision Template (PERT), create individual checklists and revision criteria based on pre-assessments and writing samples. This would be added to throughout the course. Each student would have roughly the same number of items to focus on, although each student’s list would be personalized for that student.

Process: (Moodle Instructions in grey)

Student submits draft of a writing assignment after referring to rubric which includes specific grammar and usage outcomes.

(label file to be uploaded as draft+assignment title)

Teacher gives feedback on assignment and updates and attaches PERT

(attach to assignment)

Student revises and edits based on checklist.
Resubmits assignment

(label finalcopy+assignmentname)

Final mark assigned based on:

Evidence of revision based on outcome of assignment
Evidence of editing checklist being used.
Summative assessment based on rubric

(put in mark and attach completed rubric)

As a final writing “exam” in the course the student incorporates all items on checklist.

Although I know grammar instruction can be approached many different ways, I would love some feedback as to how well my plan outlined above would meet my objective of differentiated instruction within the writing process WITHOUT this being too complicated and onerous for the teacher.

My Top Ten "Tears of Laughter" Resources for Destressing

2011-06-15T23:32:00.000-07:00

The Canucks lost. There is rioting in Vancouver. My report cards are barely started. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. For various reasons professionally and personally, everything seems to be coming to a head at once. I am in need of some good old-fashioned humor to get those endorphins going and remind me of what is most important: Sometimes you just have to laugh.

So in the spirit of extreme procrastination for getting my report cards doen, here's my collection of top ten feel good video clips:

The first was emailed to me today by a colleague. Thanks C. :)

When you need to remember that it's all relative:
Ultimate Dog Tease

When your job is just frustrating. (Only funny for BCESIS users probably)
Hitler tries to use BCESIS

When your spouse is driving you crazy:
Man Cold

How to turn something so negative into something positive:
Ching Chong Song

When you just need to dance:
Dancing Through the Ages

...so what should I put for the next five?

Delivering Content Through Critical Thinking

2011-05-17T20:47:00.000-07:00

Today I had the opportunity to attend an online session titled, "Embedding Critical Thinking In Online Courses", by Roland Case, Ph.D.

This session resonated with me mostly because the presenter did a marvelous job of using the very method he was teaching us about. How refreshing and effective for me this was! From the first slide that we were asked to read (and then found out it was scrambled and were asked to reorder it), to the concept examples that we were asked to categorize and then create our own, we were continually asked to evaluate and assess the content.

As a result, I found that my attention was focused on the tasks required, having to solve problems by practicing some of the same strategies that might be given to students. This led to a much better understanding, which I internalized immediately. And here's the kicker. The critical thinking activities did not come with flashy video clips or interactive games or require pretty flashcards (although all of these could be used). Further, these were not huge, culminating project type lessons but smaller activities and strategies that could be required in response to a reading for example.

Here's a summary of what I learned:
Almost every topic can use a critical thinking approach to delivering content.
If the content is "problemized", then student will more readily remember the content.
Critical thinking in this context is meant to enhance the curriculum, not add to it.

Examples of questions or activities that might be in included in a lesson were categorized as
(1) factual, regurgitation "Where's Waldo" type questions
(2) personal response, opinion questions where there is no wrong answer
(3) questions that require analysis and judgement based on clear criteria (Critical Thinking)
I admit that I had previously thought of those column two type questions as being critical thinking type questions but I now see the difference, for the most part. I can see that what I learned today is the tip of the iceburg, especially after I visited the website of the Consortium of Critical Thinking that Roland is a part of.

This session has also caused me to think about activities that I have in my courses that I would consider "higher level" thinking but upon reflection, I see that many don't require much rigour in the responses as they are simply requiring an opinion with no "right answer". Moreover, if I do require a response that involves a judgement or analysis there is often not a clear criteria upon which to base an assessment of a situation, reading etc.

For educators, I think there is no doubt that critical-thinking should be taught and practiced in school, but without a clear understanding of what that should look like and perhaps the perception that this is another add-on to the curriculum it doesn't seem to be happening as prolifically as it should.

Creating My Hub Without Reinventing the Wheel

2010-10-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

Before I left the classroom (the bricks and mortar one that is), I was feeling excited and competent in creating a writer's workshop environment in my classroom. Now I want to do that online but before I start I want to think through how I want that to look and what the best tool(s) are for doing that.

Basically (hah) I want to provide students with a site that contains all my resources for each step of the writing process, and the six traits of writing without an exhausting maze of links. As well I would like to provide each student with a page or place to publish their work within our online school walls. I teach grades 8-12 English in Moodle. The classes are generally small and so my thought is to have an outside source to provide the same resources to several grades of students.

Whether in a lesson in Moodle, in direct feedback to the student or a general email, I could link to these sources when needed. I would like to post current events as lists of possible writing topics, student writing samples, and links to web 2.0 tools.

So....keeping in mind that I currently present writing tasks in assignments within my Moodle courses, but would like to incorporate at least one block of true writer-centered writing, how would this all be best organized?
Website? Wikispace? Blog? A combination? Pageflakes?

PLNs....not just for teachers.

2010-09-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

To state the obvious, Web 2.0 has paved the way for more professional development than I could have ever imagined back when I was starting out as an educator. (Did I just date myself or what?) I'm self-motivated, I'm applying and synthesizing my knowledge, and I have complete control of how my involvement is progressing and in what direction I want to take. I don't get any of the traditional rewards (cold hard cash, pretty grade letters near the beginning o the alphabet), yet that isn't a consideration at all. I have numerous opportunities for self-reflection and collaboration. Meanwhile, I'm writing more than ever before, I'm feeling more comfortable about sharing my writing, and I've learned how to use a heap of web 2.0 tools.

After that jargon filled, cliche ridden, Bloom's taxonomy flavored introduction, you must see where I'm going with this.
Illustration : Anna Borska, « Woman Computer Scientist/Kobieta Informatyk », 18.7.2009, Flickr (licence Creative Commons).

Note all words that make a student cringe are identified in quotations.
What if my highschool English students were given the opportunity to pursue a passion of theirs as a "unit" of study? What if the "assignment" were simply to pursue their passion? Take a topic and research it, compile information about it, reflect on it, create on it, share it, act on it. What would the "criteria" be. How would it be "assessed"?

Would this cause them, as I am now, to write a blog post on a Saturday night and peruse their RSS feed for hours while simultaneously taking part in a free online course instead of watching the movie they'd rented earlier?

Okay...now I'm getting silly, but you get my drift (and for the record, I don't do this every Saturday night).

Bathwater and the baby? Not again!

2010-04-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

As a distributed learning teacher I continue to see at least two or three new students a week. I'm getting students who are too anxious to go to school or even leave their homes. Others have burned bridges with a teacher but still need to get credits to graduate. Then there are those who are busy training for nationals, or modelling in Paris, or doing missionary work in Mexico (all true examples). I'm excited that with technology we can offer flexible programs that students can work at anywhere at anytime. Here it comes.....BUT.....

...what about the teacher I talked to today who couldn't get his students to verbalize their learning until he asked them all to text him about it?

...what about my husband's comment at dinner about how important socials skills are in negotiating a contract is in his line of work? You know, ones like reading peoples' expressions and body language, articulating clearly your thoughts on the spot, and knowing when to listen and when to interject in an appropriate way?

...what about the student with anxiety? Is enabling her to work at home going to help with her coping skills?

What is going to happen if in our eagerness to provide students with all these wonderful tools and give them all that flexibility and choice they miss out on learning some valuable skills that they get in a face-to-face setting?

Hopefully in this shift we are experiencing in education, we as teachers won't throw out those skills and know to maintain a balance.

Just thinking out loud here.

Using Diigo With Students

2010-02-17T23:18:00.000-08:00

I've recently signed up with Diigo, a bookmarking site that is much more as it allows one to highlight parts of a webpage, attach public sticky notes to send comments back and forth, create lists to easily share, and even create groups where members can contribute bookmarks.

After reading this post over at Bright Ideas and reflecting on a conversation I had with a colleague today, here's some thoughts on using Diigo with students.

Ideas for Activities:

Create a booklist to share with your students when suggesting titles for reading fiction. Booklists could be tagged by genre also to be more specific.

Better yet use the group feature and have the students create a booklist of their most recommended books. The highlight feature could be used to highlight a favourite passage and the sticky note feature would allow students to comment on each others selections.

During a topic of study, students could add to a group list whenever there is a useful resource found. They could be asked to annotate the site to practice summarizing.

Students could be shown a list of websites that they could evaluate by using the sticky note feature to comment right on the site.

A "Toolbox" list could be compiled for repeating tasks throughout the year. Research tools, Writing poetry, Study skills, Math manipulatives are a few I think of right off the bat. This could be made available to parents too!

Educators Accounts are available for educators that allow students to be set up quickly with their own accounts and special privacy settings. This would be necessary to ensure student's bookmarks would only be shown to other classmembers. There is a suggestion that a teacher might set up two accounts one for personal and one for work.

Things to Consider:

I am still figuring out how the public and private options work in Diigo. When I imported all my bookmarks I made them all public in order to create lists to share with others. I figured all my bookmarks were mostly educational or of an "ordinary" nature. What I found interesting was when all my tags were listed together, one could actually find out quite a bit about my private life. For example, it would be easy to figure out where I lived from the tags with place names in them, and it would be obvious that I had two children and I even had their names as tags (which I quickly changed). I randomly selected another profile of a user who had shared a list. It had a number of specific legal tags that led one to assume this person was having legal difficulties. Awkward!

I see that there are different ways to both share tags, lists, comments and ways to make them private. Part of the beauty of this website is collaborating with others to create groups and lists of bookmarks but is important to be aware of all the different options for doing so.

Here a Ning, There a Wiki...Information Overload!

2010-02-14T15:15:00.000-08:00

(To the tune of Old Macdonald)
Here a Ning, there a wiki, everywhere a blog, blog, blog OMG too much info! EIEIO.

So I've discovered the wonderful world of the edublogosphere. So many ideas, so many conversations. So many apps. So exciting. Yet so overwhelming. Is it just me that feels compelled to sort and organize every bit of information that I encounter?

Here's a great quote I found "That in spacious knowledge there is much contristation, and that he that increaseth knowledge increaseth anxiety." Bacon

It all starts with my Google Reader account that I visit more often than I should. For me this has become a form of relaxation and entertainment. At the same time I want to keep track of every good quote, every link to a useful web tool, every new book mentioned I might read someday. So yes, I have lists (I use Todoist for that), and I have a notebook (I just switched from Google Notebook to Zoho Notebook), and I bookmark (Google bookmarks and just created a Diigo account).

However, I'm coming to the conclusion that I don't need to collect EVERYTHING. So I've tried to come up with a few simple rules to help manage my new addiction.

Jodie's Rules for Managing Information Overload:

Set PRIORITIES: One of those practices that are so important, yet so often overlooked. Take time to sort out what is important in your life, those big overall values and goals that should direct how you choose to spend your time. Post those priorities somewhere where you will revisit them often. ...remember BABY STEPS.

Set a TIME LIMIT: It is so easy to lose track of time and space when using the computer. Use an actual timer (I bet there's an app for that) and set a predetermined amount of time that is to be spent.

Set a PURPOSE: Pretty shiny things are at every turn on the Internet, so unless your purpose is to entertain yourself by surfing aimlessly (and that's okay sometimes), literally write down on a sticky note in big words your task or a focus word to remind you of what you are trying to accomplish (hmmm, I wonder if there is an app for that?)Hopefully your eye will wander to it when you find yourself signing up for another Ning and joining an online podcast when you are supposed to be paying your bills.

Set up a SYSTEM: For the information that you come across that you really do want to remember, put it somewhere where you can find it again. Ironically I've found the same technology that is causing me stress, is also very useful to alleviate it, if I use it properly. So I'll continue to use online tools like Diigo and Zoho Notebook and Todoist...just with a timer. :) I've found David Allen's book and well known "system", GTD, very helpful in creating a feeling of control in my life. One of GTD's main ideas is that to keep the mind free to be creative and calm there needs to be a safe place to collect everything and got it off your mind.

Is there anything I should add or does anyone have some general tips and/or tools for managing information overload?

...and should I admit how much time I spent writing this post? ;)

The Story So Far

2010-01-22T20:32:00.000-08:00

I work in a small distributed learning program in B.C. I work part time and teach grades 8-12 English and Socials online using Moodle. I have been in the program for several years and have seen the world of DL in B.C. and elsewhere change drastically. What keeps me in this program despite the many challenges presented daily are the possibilities that a program such as ours could offer.

Our Curriculum
I am in the process of improving the online courses I have access to. Our district is part of a consortium of DL schools (BCLN) whose purpose is to collaborate to improve the existing courses. I want to make them less like working out of the textbook and incorporate tools to create curriculum that will provide choice, interest and success for our students.
The challenge?
Part time teacher + 14online courses+various paper based courses=...well, you do the math. And I know there are many teachers in DL programs in the same situation.
The solution? My goal is to help promote collaboration within our district and the BCLN to pool our resources and time to create courses that take advantage of some of the wonderful technology that is available to create rich learning environments.

Our Students:
We are increasingly getting students who haven't succeeded in the "regular" schools and we are a last resort as it were. These are not independant students with stable homes to support their learning, exactly the opposite in fact. We are also seeing students starting to come to us that want to upgrade, that want to take a course outside of the timetable, or for whatever reason are realizing that there is a choice out there. So we have built it, and they are coming, but we need to makes sure that when they arrive, the courses they are given meet their needs. Oh, did I mention that these students arrive at our doorstep every week so our courses need to be asychronous and self-directed.
The challenge?
At best, I would love to create a course that:
a. is differentiated for all learners
b. self-paced yet interactive with other learners
c. offers choice without overwhelming the students
d. is suitable to be done mostly independantly of a "live" teacher

Our teachers
I am aware of a number of small programs (alternate ed., hospital homebound, etc.) in our district that are run by hard-working teachers that must deal with many behaviour and social issues and still provide, mark and track curriculum in a number of subjects and grades. We are experimenting with a model where a student might have an online curriculum teacher who is a specialist in that subject (what a novel idea!) that can be accessed from any computer, while at the same time the student would still have a classroom teacher who would then be able to concentrate on a behaviour plan, case management, work skills etc.

Like I said the possibilities are there, but so are the challenges. For a teacher who works full-time in a classroom, those possibilites may seem too out of the box and the logistics alone are huge. It is only recently that personnel in our district have become aware that we even exist and only recently that some have started to see how we might all work together to provide better services to our students. ...and that's the story so far.

There's Always Tomorrow.

2010-01-22T15:17:00.000-08:00

I am both excited and somewhat nervous to have joined a group called Blogger's Alliance. Thanks to Kelly Tenkely for starting this group. I joined to jumpstart my writing on this blog and to meet and talk with other educators. I keep reading about PLNs (personal learning networks) and want to explore this more.

But what have I gotten myself into? I have spent the last two hours reading some recent posts from members while simultaneously making a roast dinner, preventing my 3 yr old from breaking down his older sister's door, and finishing the laundry. I feel like I have walked into a class where I must have missed the first two weeks because EVERYBODY's blog seems so polished, so pretty, so perceptive. What I am doing wasting everyone's time here? Where are the other beginners?

Part of me wants to quietly slip out the back door, head to admissions and see if I can still enroll in "Tetris Revisited", but I'm going to stick around and see what happens. I know that since I have started reading blogs on education I have learned more and been more inspired than most of the traditional pro-d sessions I have attended. And from the posts I've read so far, I've stumbled upon not a group of beginning bloggers and tentative technologists like myself, but some very dedicated and talented teachers. I feel a bit like a kid in a candy store with a stomachache from trying to many new things, but can't wait to come back next week and do it all over again.

I see the purpose of this blog to clarify my thinking and progress on projects I am working on (online writing workshop, using voicethead, creating class blogs) and the role of our DL program with our district. If I'm going to ask my students to blog and be part of an active online community, I want to have experienced that personally. Not to mention having an immediate audience will get me off my procrastinator's duff. A theory I'm hoping will work with my students also.

On Disrupted Learning

2009-05-25T21:39:00.000-07:00

Points and thoughts on Disrupting Class by Clayton M. Christensen

Chapter Three:
Despite all the money put into buying computers for school, they have just been "crammed" into the existing model. Delivering lessons and structuring the classroom has not really changed much.

Distruptive Innovation model: Example of Apple computers moving away from the established market of mainframe computer to personal computers (toys for kids). This was success because it targeted a market of nonconsumption rather than trying to improve on the existing established model. Originally p.c.'s weren't great but they were accessible to more people and then eventually improved.

"Computers have made almost on dent in the important challenge that they have to crack: allowing students to learn in ways that correspond with how their brains are wired to learn, thereby migrating to a student-centric classroom."

2009-05-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my colleague Claire (who has been a constant inspiration and source of information) used the Voicethread tool in her weekly math class for intermediate students at our distributed learning school. I have had on my to do list for a good while now that I want to use this tool in my online English courses as a way to facilitate communicating and composing orally. Well, after seeing the students use voicethread for the first time to orally identify types of angles while drawing them on a photo, I'm even more convinced that it is imperative to take advantage of technologies such as this. The students I observed were completely on task, and obviously enjoying themselves. The activity quickly became important to them as one girl ran out to the other classroom to check her notes to make sure she was using the right term. Another girl, was obviously distressed that her recording might be accidently deleted. So different than worksheets of the same outcome often carelessly left behind never to be thought of again.Each person took a turn identifying the angles and so experienced examples over and over again. And talk about immediate assessment and feedback! The class watched on the big screen their recordings and noticed both mistakes and different examples that others had found. The students eagerly put up their hands when asked if they would like access to the site at home. There's no doubt that mom and dads got to see what had gone on that day. No need for the "I dunno" response to, " What do you learn today?" at dinner that night I bet.

As teachers we all know that ideally we want to engage and empower our students in learning activities that are meaningful and effective. Voicethread is something I definitely want to pursue using. My mind is whirling with ideas for publishing writing and responding to literature.

...and I'm pretty sure I won't have to bug Claire too much to figure out how to use it myself.

2008-11-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

Like hundreds of other eager teachers out there, I have finally taken the leap and created my own blog in order to pursue my own professional development. In any new setting (including this one) I am always the quiet one at the back of the room taking everything in for awhile until I feel comfortable enough to take part. Creating a personal blog that is public is intimidating, but I now realize that moving out of my comfort zone is valuable, and that being part of a network of likeminded individuals is even more valuable. In addition this space seems like a good place to amalgamate all my lists and notes and reflections and clippings I am constantly creating that often become buried in the bottom of a drawer somewhere. It's like telling everyone you are going on a diet, you are more likely to stick to that diet if everyone knows about it and can offer help or suggestions for their fantastic recipe for sugarless chocolate chip cookies. But I digress...and now I'm hungry.

So...to summarize:

My primary audience is going to be myself but I'm looking forward to meeting new people and getting new perspectives.

This will be a place to process and develop. Period. Just like my lists and clippings, my posts may be somewhat disjointed and not always polished.

My more tangible goals for this year are:
to start a class wiki
create an effective, safe "student lounge" online
create an online writing workshop environment to use next school year(If anyone has any great examples, I'd love to hear from you!)
to incorporate more oral language activities in an asychronous online classroom environment for grades 8-11