Week 2 - Practical Task (Oct 10-16, 2011)

Task Discussion

• 
  tbraught   Oct. 25, 2011, 11:05 p.m.

  I created a lesson for my students to post their thoughts and to comment on their classmates posts.  After Steve Jobs passed away, I had the students watch two videos.  The first was of Steve addressing his employees after he was appointed as interm CEO.  He said they had to get  back to their core values.  Their marketing campaign would center on their core values and ended with a commercial, 'Innovators."  The second video was a video playing off the "Innovators" commercial.  It was produced in April and was a tribute to Mr. Jobs as an innovator.  The students watched the video on their own time.

  I was curious if the students knew what our school's core values were.  I asked them to identify our core values from their experiences at CAL and to comment on at least two of the other students' posts.

  Because this was their third discussion lesson, they were told that I would be grading on their writing convention and their thoughtfulness in their answers and their comments.  What a big difference from the first discussion and this one.  The students put more thought into their posts and comments.

• 
  Anna   Oct. 30, 2011, 12:40 p.m.
  In Reply To:   tbraught   Oct. 25, 2011, 11:05 p.m.

  Thanks. What made the difference in the quality of discussion? Connecting with their/the school's values or the significance of Steve Jobs passing? Or, was it in how you articulated the grading of the assignment?

• 
  Harry B   Oct. 17, 2011, 2:36 p.m.

  I like this assignment and this is what will provide challenges to me, I am in the library and do not frequent the classes now as a regular classroom teacher.  So would anyof these options work:

   

  1)  Create a lesson where students (we have student cadets/aides) create a video on hw the library is using using a video camera, and we use a flip cam to do this to keep it basis, to show that a tutorial video can be made simply and not high tech to get the basic points across.  This also would be helpful to create other videos per groups, like one on how to check out laptops properly, the Dewey Decimal System, how to access online databases.  

   

  My question is - could I use this idea to create educational/informative videos that would educate the students socially?  This is where I see a slight disconnect.

   

  I want the Librara/Media Specialist position to be shocking and suprise people into informing them of things they did not know the library could do, but again, I am not in the classes day in and day out, but how do I make projects we could create attractive to have teachers want to have projects we create to use in their classroom?  :)   Thanks!

   

  Harry

   

  P.S.  I think I will begin intertwining projects - having cadets create blogs that impact students and faculty in the school - posting them on a facebook site we created just for the Upper School Library....:)

• 
  Anna   Oct. 21, 2011, 5:42 a.m.
  In Reply To:   Harry B   Oct. 17, 2011, 2:36 p.m.

  Hi Harry.

  Thanks for this and apologies for the delayed response. No excuse, but this week we have trainings going on in Dubai, Oman, Ras al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi. So, I've been training and supporting our new team of Arabic trainers... 

  As I understand your idea, you would like to have students create Flip videos on how to use various aspects of the library. Correct? Can you explain what you mean by creating videos that educate kids socially? For example, I think the process of creating a group video does educate kids socially because they have to learn how to plan, coordinate, cooperate, etc. Are you also trying to create videos whose subject matter educates kids socially? Both ideas are good, I guess I don't fully follow what you want to do and what the disconnect is? Can you clarify?

  I have a video storyboarding template and Flip camera how to guide that may be helpful to give your students. If you want copies, just shoot me an email.

  I look forward to seeing your students sample videos!

  Anna

• 
  Anna   Oct. 21, 2011, 5:46 a.m.
  In Reply To:   Harry B   Oct. 17, 2011, 2:36 p.m.

  PS As for creating projects that attract other teachers in your school. Why not do a bit of action research and ask them? How can our work in the library support what you do? Find out their expectations and dreams... Then surpass them! I bet your students would have lots of ideas. Ask them. I often consult vimeo and YouTube for examples of student film projects when looking for ideas too. 

• 
  Harry B   Oct. 21, 2011, 6:03 a.m.
  In Reply To:   Anna   Oct. 21, 2011, 5:42 a.m.

   

  As I understand your idea, you would like to have students create Flip videos on how to use various aspects of the library. Correct?    YES!  :)

   

  Can you explain what you mean by creating videos that educate kids socially?

  I was wondrng if we could have students create videos on social aspects that affect them, such as.....El Grito, or Day of the Dead, holidays maybe that are national but soically what do they mean to the students?  I was trying to brainstorm for some ideas that would be very good on behalf of the library?  I also was thinking doing a video would socially being them together since the steps that lead into it are social in nature.

  For example, I think the process of creating a group video does educate kids socially because they have to learn how to plan, coordinate, cooperate, etc. Are you also trying to create videos whose subject matter educates kids socially?

  I would like to do videos, after the library tutorials, that would educate students socially, yes.  Both ideas are good, I guess I don't fully follow what you want to do and what the disconnect is? Can you clarify?  I just was not sure a social aspect was coming through with these kind of videos coming from the Meda Center/Library and I wanted to se what you thought....but it sounds like we were thinking along the same lines?!  

  I would definitely want those ideas you have for the storyboard, etc, YES!  Can you send them to brakeh@asf.edu.mx?   Thanks so much!

   

  Harry

   

• 
  Anna   Oct. 21, 2011, 6:22 a.m.
  In Reply To:   Harry B   Oct. 21, 2011, 6:03 a.m.

  Hi Harry.

  Will email you the documents. Perhaps the library can create an online TV channel (blog) that highlights student videos related to specific monthly themes (holidays, history month, etc.)?

  Here is a school newspaper coordinated by an educator that attended one of my workshops last spring. You could do a similar concept, but instead of text being the primary means of communication, perhaps videos could be?

  You could create a finding Dulcinea type publication for your school :-).

  I recommend publishing your videos on vimeo (higher quality) or YouTube and then embedding them in your WordPress blog :-). There are several WordPress blog templates that look more like a newspaper or video stream.

  Perhaps you can ask your students for ideas? I suspect they will have some awesome ones!

  Hope this helps. 

• 
  Harry B   Oct. 21, 2011, 10:32 a.m.
  In Reply To:   Anna   Oct. 21, 2011, 5:46 a.m.

  I just asked to have this info. placed into the weekly notes for all the teachers to see, but I think (fingers crossed) that they will get some responses back?   Thanks so much for the materials from the storyboard, etc... Thanks!

   

  Harry

• 
  Anna   Oct. 21, 2011, 12:04 p.m.
  In Reply To:   Harry B   Oct. 21, 2011, 10:32 a.m.

  Sure! Keep us posted on developments. Also, let us know how your structure the project as to encourage deeper learning. Any feedback or ideas on methologies/strategies for this would be great!

• 
  Alex   Oct. 17, 2011, 7:35 a.m.

  Hi Anna and everyone else,

  I’m actually planning on using social media and web2.0 to run a professional development day based on Australia and Australia’s engagement with Asia. I will with a team of three others be teaching the staff about a new aspect of the new Australian Curriculum and we have decided to use a range of web2.0 tools to assist with the process of giving information, and engaging a staff of approx. 100 teachers with a range of technology skills. I have set up a Google site, and also plan on using wall wisher, todays meet and qr codes to name a few tools to show teachers different ways they can engage students in their classes. The day will be running from 9-3 on this Friday. If there are any teachers out there who are in Asia and would like to join in during the day I can share the todays meet and also the Google site (this would really blow away the staff at my school showing how easy it is to collaborate across the globe.

  From Alex

• 
  Harry B   Oct. 17, 2011, 2:39 p.m.
  In Reply To:   Alex   Oct. 17, 2011, 7:35 a.m.

  I would like to get some feedback on the material you come up with?  I had to dig hard to fnd a curriculum on Australia to teach my World Lit Class, but with an Aussie I worked with, we came up with previously unheard films like Rabbit Proof Fence that connected with aspects of the Holocaust, and compared it to the modern day film Australia with Nicole Kidman, etc.  Then we just found random topics (like the Lost Generations) from the internet that made up part of Australia's culture, that most had never heard of!  

   

  I can imagine what we could do now with the advent of technology and the 2.0 tools!  

• 
  Anna   Oct. 21, 2011, 5:34 a.m.
  In Reply To:   Alex   Oct. 17, 2011, 7:35 a.m.

  Thanks Alex.

  I am getting ready to head out, so I will miss your session. Can you share the Google site and major take-aways from your session? I am particularly interested to learn how you use QR codes. I can post comments on your site after the fact if that would be helpful. Just email me what you need and I am happy to "check in" from Dubai :-). 

  Have you done much with "check in" applications? Nora (a member of the Bon Education team), just blogged about how such tools can be used in education. But, I'd love to see additional examples. See post, "Mohammed and Five of Your Friends Just Checked into... School?"

  -Anna

• 
  Anna   Oct. 15, 2011, 4:54 a.m.

  I am curious what lessons you plan to teach next week? What topics/tools will be used?

  This semester I am facilitating/teacing 3 courses (21st Century Leadership for Principals, Technology Facilitated Action Research for School Supervisors, this course) and a number of workshops (digital storytelling, digital video, etc.).

  The one course where I've had to do a lot of reworking of my original planned curriculum has been the Action Research course. Because many of the participants haven't done research in the past, I've had to go back and scaffold instruction around using the Internet to effectively search for research articles/best practices and survey methodology (writing effective survey questions, using online survey tools like Google forms, how to interpret results).

  Next week the adult research groups are going to start using the data they've collected thus far to design solutions to their research problems. Because each reseach group is made up of adults from different schools, next week's lesson is going to focus on a) project planning and b) using online collaborative documents, calendars, etc. to coordinate group thinking and work. We will be focusing a lot on effective virtual communication and collaboration. 

  If any of you have tips, tools or frameworks for effective virtual collaboration in an academic setting, I'd love to hear your thoughts. One strategy we've used in the past is to get group members to create a "designed alliance" around how they will virutally collaborate (see Week 2 project task). Do you have any other ideas?

  Looking forward to hearing how the lessons go during week 3!