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New or Returning to Youth Voices? What's exciting, worrying, delighting, or frustrating you?


Please use this task to talk about your teaching and your students. Where is the fit between your students' learning and Youth Voices?

  • What have you noticed?
  • What are you dreaming to make happen?
  • What connections do you see you and your students making with other people and information?
  • What are you doing that is awesome?

Task Discussion


  • joans35   April 6, 2013, 10:22 a.m.

    Students are excited about sharing their viewpoints with other students outside the school.  It gives authenticity to their writing experience.  It is not just about completing an assignment or receiving a grade, it is more about dialoguing with one another.  Students have begun to explore the site independently and have begun to see the breadth and depth of what Youth Voices has to offer.  I think it would be great to bring other teachers, other classes aboard so that more students can share the richness of resources that are available.  I too, would like to expand my usage of the site in ways that I have not yet attempted.  I believe that this will become easier to do as I become more comfortable with navigating the site.

  • Tricia Clarke   March 2, 2013, 11:10 a.m.

    Comment on Student Prompts:  I am always inspired (so far) by my students comments on Youth Voices.  I am looking forward to more postings by my freshmen students.  Elizabeth's post (a junior) demonstrates her love of writing and paranormal activity--a topic that she never ceases to talk about.  This post represents Elizabeth's two main literary loves, as well as the fact that she's come a long way.  Initially, she was hesitant about being a presence on Youth Voices, but has since recovered from her initial fears.  What's more is her classmates follow-up comment.  Narely shared how much she enjoyed Elizabeth's story line, and looked forward to her finished work.  As a teacher, it is these kinds of interactions that infuse the learning environment--one that is a safe space for students to discover their strengths, be encouraged by each other, and reach their unique potential.

  • Christina Cantrill   March 2, 2013, 11:08 a.m.

    Excited to be here, in person, at the Youth Voices study group today ... We started with a prompt asking us to process what we have done so far, finding one posting that impressed or excited us and another that concerned us or that we had questions about.

    Since I don't have students in this forum, I spent time reading the three featured posts current on the website and thought I'd respond to the more generic prompts above. The pieces that I read through included; Muslim countries need to get this right; Down These Mean Streets, My Initial Response; and, Students' attitudes make a difference in how well they do on tests.

    • What have you noticed?

    Noticed that the students are posting small blog posts around a topic. Reading one leads me to the others. Also noticed that one of these posts  -- the response to "Mean Streets" is by a teacher (I'm pretty sure). 

    • What are you dreaming to make happen?

    • What connections do you see you and your students making with other people and information?

    • What are you doing that is awesome?

     

  • Jimnordlinger   March 2, 2013, 11:05 a.m.

    Ever since being able to have a sufficient number of actually working, new, computers in my classroom each and every day, almost, I have discovered that, with a certain glacial quality, there is a distinct and noticeable movement of more and more students to writing more and more stuff.  Therefore, I am very proud of many of the posts: Alondrad has made several wornder, and passionate arguments, and she is developing an abiilty to accept reflection and comment.  Anahif is also remakrable in her posting, as is Alaina r (she created the space between her last name and her first in her user name.)  

    But the one post that seemed to grab my soul was Josephs.  He is a District 75 student, but he has shown a knack for writing catchy and meaningful stories.  I gave an assignment to write a story, in which a theme is clearly jumping out and organizing much of the story.  I said this could be in any genre--fiction or nonfiction--so long as it seemed to suggest an idea.  I gave them an example of an Aesop's fable, about bulls who are eaten by a lion only when they don't cooperate with each other, and so lose the force of group strength.  

    Joseph wrote a tale of a goat and a lion, but with a very surprising ending, which seemed to me to double back on the opening of the tale and actually exact a large punishment against the bully.  But it also seemed to show the long-term detriment of abusive behavior.  I was very happy to see this expressed so well, especially as motivated by posing on Youth Voices.

    The most disturbing post is one by Edwardr, with whom I have had a world of trouble all term.  He rarely seems able to tolerate listening to me, even if I am just giving simple directions.  No matter how much I try to give room, yet provide structue, Joseph couldn't take it. His behavior in the class had been difficult from day one, in many odd and dramatic ways.  When he at last posted, which should seem like an advance, I nonetheless felt he had put little of himself in the argumnet.  He had simply taken no position.  I felt he was still mixing me into the equation in a way that I could not step out of his head, as anything but unfair authority guy, with whom he is in an eternal battle.  

  • Carla Cherry   Feb. 16, 2013, 10:36 a.m.

    In lieu of my usual literary study, I chose to create a writing class for my twelfth grade English class for this trimester, "Writing for the Real World". We only have about three weeks left in the trimester, and I am going to have to skip a couple of the essays I planned to have students write so that they have enough time for our final project--a research paper.

    What I am excited about is that my class is about to use the Youth Voices platform for the first time. They will write their bios, post their "Passion Questions", and create a blog to discuss their daily progress with their research and writing.

    I am slightly worried about feeling pressed for time. I am hoping that students will view Youth Voices as an empowering " thinking space" which will provide them with a forum for their curiosity and passions and validation from their peers and teachers. 

    I have to find a way to structure the class periods so that my students can both do their research process in class and do their daily postings in their blogs. 

    Good teaching is about taking risks, and this project is one worth taking!

  • Griffina   Feb. 16, 2013, 10:34 a.m.

    In my classes I am pushing students to develop a more meaningful look at the literature that we read in class. I am also centering our discussions on how the themes of the literature that we read is also connected to the major issues happening in society today. 

    I am noticing that my students are beginning to develop the inter-textual connections to the material that they are reading in class, which is making them stronger readers of their world.

    My next step is to be able to promote their writings on Youth Voices to open up a new view of the world for them by providing them a connection to other voices similiar to theirs. i beleive that this will push their interlectual growth further.and make them simply think.

  • Jimnordlinger   Feb. 16, 2013, 10:34 a.m.

    As I press forward with Youth Voices, now having access to more computers every day, I have found that I can be more patient and let students discover the site, each other, other places and more writing. 

    The first "Issue" essay they wrote back in November, attracted new students to more extensive writing and rewriting and adding documents.  In between I added creative writing assignments--write a story in pairs, try to write a Villanelle, write brief biography-- and then, more recently, I let students create their own debate questions to be carried out on Youth Voices and prepared using Google documents.  More students are coming on board, little by little.  And the writing for those who had already contributed is growing richer.  I find that students are thrilled and encouraged by being featured, but also by getting comments back.  

    But, I now find myself in the position of trying to choose the next assignment, while still getting out of the way.  And, I want to, somehow, get into deeper research on topics they may still resist.  We have a interdiscinplanary medieval period project coming up, shared among four nice (and I emphasize the great pleasure in dealing with nice teachers), and I want to provided Youth Voices as a platform for expression, but also for research.  

    I find myself more fully convinced that the mix of Youth Voices, and its developed writing with built-in audience, with the added existance of live teacher input is a very special thing, indeed.   

  • Grace Raffaele   Feb. 16, 2013, 10:33 a.m.

    I would like to create a mission related to the upcoming Mayoral election. Remembering how successful the "Letters to the Next President" project was, what if we had a space for "Letters to the Next Mayor"? Students could address and research a particular topic of concern to them and post their work in process leading up to a research-based letter to the next mayor.

    Topics might include:

    • parks and green spac
    • garbage and/or recycling
    • homelessness and shelters
    • what else? - students could generate the lists themselves of course...

    I wonder who or how teachers could buy into this?

    How might we can multiple school sinvolved and have students comment on each others' issues and letters?

    How might we provide resources;

    • for teachers to guide students in the research and letter writing process
    • for students to get information about the election process and the candidates' platforms

    I would love to get started now so momentum is built up and letters are posted before the end of this school year. And then we can go viral in September!

  • joans35   Feb. 16, 2013, 10:22 a.m.

    What I am doing?    

                                                                                                                                                                                    I am beginning the steps to incorporating Youth Voices as a learning tool into my classroom environment.

     

    What am I noticing?

    Students are excited about the opportunity to connect with other students outrside of their school community and yes, are excited about the opportunity to write and yes, voice their opinion about the work they are doing.

    What connections am I making?

  • joans35   March 2, 2013, 11:01 a.m.
    In Reply To:   joans35   Feb. 16, 2013, 10:22 a.m.

    Wanda Cano said "Americans are more vulnerable to becoming obese because there are fast food restaurants everywhere. You see fast foods restaurants like McDonald's, Burger King, and Popeye's almost on every block or every other block. Its usually packed in the fast food restaurants on a regular basis. They use the same oils to deep fry which is unhealthy. Americans eat big proportions. For example if you go in McDonald's and watch someone making a order, they'll order something like a big mac, large coke, large fries, and a side order. Sometimes restaurants have coupons or sales like buy 1 burger get one free or buy an order of $10.00 or more and get any shake of your choice which attracts more customers. Other countries usually have different diets and different eating habits. For example in China, they eat very healthy and most Chinese people are slim. "

    I am excited and impressed by this post by Wanda because I can see that she is not only engaging in the text by making text to self connections, she is also looking outside herself and her community and making text to world connections by thinking about global problems and dilemmas in terms of eating and comparing and contrasting other cultures with her own. 

     

     

  • Harry B   June 19, 2012, 9:33 p.m.

     

    • What have you noticed?

    I have noticed the power of reaching out internationally and gathering art in the form of photographs, writing, scultpure, painting, and my students as ASF are startng to nptice too!  Putting out their first magazine, the are seeing the potential an international magzine has!

     

    • What are you dreaming to make happen?

    Build a netowrk of international writers as connections that will begin to create friends of writing around the world, and my stuents will have an even more connected, in depth look at what international writing is about in the 21st Century!

    • What connections do you see you and your students making with other people and information?

    So many!  Personal in writing and reading at literary nights, what helps create art in their minds, as well as how to get the word out on expressing yourself through outlets like our magazine, as well as encourage other magazines, Nano, P2PU, NWP, and more

    • What are you doing that is awesome?

    Seeing students empowered to change the way others see art thorugh many outlets! 

  • Jimnordlinger   June 7, 2012, 3:41 a.m.

     

    By the time we presented at Teacher 2 Teacher, I felt I had found a home in Youth Voices.  In being part of the presentation, I found myself looking at YV more objectively, or maybe like a proud uncle showing off this gifted relative.  Presenting seemed to drive home the site’s inherent strength, while also opening up in its potent developmental possibilities.  As Paul discussed Quests, I started to feel YV could be used in so many ways to drive and create context and content.

    After teaching seniors this year, I believe I will be teaching a ninth grade writing course next year. This idea feels like a relief.  I am looking forward to using YV with them.    They could begin with it and carry their work forward.  And I began to see so many possible video manifestations.  YV could be a great motivator in the exploration of content.     

    My questions about the work always seem to center on how to get more context into student work.  How does a rich exploration of history, cultural and social, literature enter the whole thing?  How does one meet students where they are and yet enrich the context of their explorations.  The students at our school come in with such an array of deficits, and I have seen how journaling  and other forms of student generated exploration motivates.  This year I found, especially with resistant seniors, getting pulled into a survival mode.  It was only YV that slowed down the descent.  I want to feel purposeful.  I want to feel more patient.  Youth Voices was helping me be more of that.   

    Our work in the Youth Voices Saturday study group was like finding a new yet familiar home.  As we began the work, I was very happy, maybe even rejuvenated, to find unanimously stimulating and supportive colleagues, when I had forgotten just how nice, and vital, such a thing is.  Then as we started work on exploring the site, I was learning the technology, the steps and procedures, getting used to being new at something, but the philosophy felt so excitingly familiar.  I was reminded strongly of the my first experiences with the Writing Project.  In being asked to write a profile, make a design, communicate with colleagues, or make a Detox, I was reminded how joining the students in the writing process is such an invigorating means of exploration.  

    The battle for equipment was difficult.  When I first began journaling with ninth grade students, after taking my first NYCWP course, it was easy to get them spiral notebooks.  Getting computers into the class, this year, was difficult.  Nonetheless, in using YV in the class more people began to move closer to expressing themselves, and I could use the YV environment to explore that and more.  

    Paul and Grace made the atmosphere wonderfully inclusive, and I am very much looking forward to, and hoping to have, a group with which to explore further what seems a very productive landscape in YV.  I want to explore how to use it now that I have become more part of it.  The Saturday study group served as a progressive getting to know the place, and the T2T presentation felt like it deepened the bonds of my attachment to the group as well as the place we were living.  
  • kimarlee   June 6, 2012, 8:06 p.m.

    Hey guys. I'm going to post up bits and pieces of my Loop Writing, the final assignment done in the study group, as a jumping off point for my reflection. So here goes --- my high school, Bushwick Leaders High School got a grant for SIFE learners through another generous organization that always seems to ignore the general education population. So now the ELL teachers, all three of them, have a cart of 20 shiny, brand new, state of the art HP computers which are to be used exclusively for just ELL classes. The other teachers in my building are still scrambling to get online through a bunch of old, inadequate computers that freeze, don’t start up, lose battery life and/or don’t turn on. And then you add the teacher hierarchy that is present in just about every school -- ie “why do freshmen need the computers when MY seniors have to write a college admissions essay?” or “MY class needs computers to do Regents Prep. Your class aren’t taking the Regents until next year” or “How can MY students research for their research papers if they can’t get online because your freshmen are too busy going online to blog?” -- and I haven’t been able to get my students online nearly long enough to complete the first few missions on YouthVoices let alone become active “participants” in the online world.

    Which is a shame. Cause believe me when I tell you, my kids are the product of the times. My freshmen may take thirty minutes to handwrite 2 paragraphs on loose-leaf but give them a laptop or a computer and my students are posting up pictures and making powerpoints and generally working with renewed interest
    and the type of engagement that almost all teachers dreams about.  Due to the limited resources of my school, I am sad to report that my students have not been able to access YouthVoices. I haven’t really gotten my students online. And no, I’m not saying this to be humble. Actually I’m sort of embarrassed to have not gotten any of my students online and enrolled on YouthVoices. That’s right, number of my students who are joyfully exploring the online world as a means of becoming active participants of this phenomena called online learning: zero, nada, zilch.

    So I guess I can tell you my experience with YouthVoices though my own personal experience with it. And I promise you all, next year when my principal might, maybe, strong possibility if there’s enough in the budget allows me to teach a literacy course with daily access to the computer lab, I will have more to say about the joys, difficulties, triumphs and frustrations of getting a group of 20+ kids online, posting and blogging weekly with respect and courtesy (NO CURSING!) with a sense of excitement and interest....

    Woah. That last thing I said sounds nearly impossible. But I’ll much rather be challenged than just observing other teachers describe their experiences about online learning. The best part about YouthVoices, the reason why I think this might work with my students is that for far too long, my students are the type to be ignored, whether socially or academically. I think what YouthVoices allows is for a sense of agency to be developed due to an easily accessible format -- online forums allow for a sense of anonymousness that allows my students to lose their "facades" and become the type of writer that they really are. By using a place like YouthVoices where their writing can be accessed and commented on by teenagers of different social and economic backgrounds, perhaps my students will learn that their opinions do not vary as much as a teenager across the country which in turn allows them to understand a sense of community.  It would be great, beyond imaginable if I can actually have a school that has the resources that allows my students to engage in such an online learning community

  • Tricia Clarke   June 1, 2012, 8:30 p.m.

     

    Now that I am at the end of Introduction to Youth Voices, I can go back to the beginning and reflect on what first attracted me, what I experienced along the way, and how I plan to incorporate Youth Voices into my curriculum during the next school year.  

    I remember that while reviewing the invitation to join the Youth Voices Study Group, the icon of the young boy on a stage, with microphone in hand, evidently wooing the crowd, whose arms were waving and voices seemingly cheering on their peer, stood out to me, and I immediately wanted in. My teaching eyes viewed the icon as a representation of student-centered, engaged learning.  It depicted, for me, educational success, because of the enjoyment, confidence, and engagement I saw on the young people's faces. I envisioned that by participating in Youth Voices, I could create a 21st century classroom community of learners, students who would utilize technology to further develop their educational lives in an authentic, purposeful and engaging manner. 

    During my initial interactions with YV, I was awed by the layout, structure, and resources available with one click.  However, although I was excited about the possibilities, I had a simultaneous feeling of apprehension. Would my students be able to participate in this arena? Will my students take this seriously? With further exploration of the site, my concerns were quickly allayed as I noticed the authenticity of the conversations had by teens, the seriousness with which the site's community engaged each other, and the respect with which matters regarding personal lives and/or global issues were explored and discussed. Also, because newcomers to the site (including teachers) first create a biography and questions about self and the world, the potential for community can be fostered, since as soon as biographies and questions are posted, interaction with others can occur—either with peers in the same class or with participants from around the country. 

    During the process of becoming acclimated with Youth Voices, I have been stretched, faced some of my professional insecurities, and fought the urge to remain in my comfort zone.  I was initially uncomfortable with working on a site that would be public, where whatever I wrote could be read by my students, other students that I did not know and teachers whom I had not met.  It is not that my writing has never been made public, but this felt different, somehow.  Now that the Study Group period is over, many of my professional (and personal) limitations have been transcended, and I have been transformed into a teacher who is more in the world--of technology, of education, of collaborating with teachers and students alike; a teacher who is not only consumed with my own process of teaching and what I am doing wrong or right, but a teacher who could invite students into this process of learning, of inquiry, of interrogating the world with each other.

    Next year, I plan to introduce my new group of students to the world of Youth Voices; to have them interact with their peers in a safe, accessible environment that feeds their curiosity about topics that interest them, while at the same time fulfill my concurrent goal of improving students’ literacy skills.  My hope is that by participating in this educational online community, readers and writers of all abilities can flex their literary muscles and join in on the “authentic conversations” facilitated by others, along with creating their own avenues for exploration. 

  • Carla Cherry   May 12, 2012, 1:38 a.m.

    I love to write, and because I want to share this passion with my students, I seek unique forays into doing so. Youth Voices has been one of them.

    What was exciting to me was getting my students to look at the work of their peers in my school and in other schools across the country.

    What was delighting me is that, slowly but surely, my students' work is appearing on the website. A number of them have completed their bios, and posted a couple of discussions and/or blog posts.

    I was frustrated by the technical glitches I've experienced. A number of my students couldn't find their pages after they'd been registered, and I had to register them several times. A few had lost the bios and other work they'd begun working on, and as most of my students are reluctant writers, any inconveniences lend credence to their desire to opt out of anything that requires work and patience.

    Another difficulty I encountered is that I made the mistake of asking my students to generate their own user names and passwords, hoping that that responsibility would instill a sense of ownership. Many forgot them, so I created a spreadsheet to begin to keep track. However, as I attempted to record them, I had to keep stopping to help students whose pages were lost. I know that next time, I'll simply assign user names and passwords in the first place. 

    Another frustration was that I haven't been able to assist my students with proofreading their work before they post, as I've had to help the students who experience technical difficulties. However, I see this as an opportunity to get my students to see the importance of editing, and I will find a way to create mini-lessons about the grammatical/spelling issues that I am seeing and have my students go back to prior postings and self-correct.

    As the school year winds down, my students will be posting blog entries about their I-Search projects. They'll be discussing their hypotheses, research questions, and discoveries. I can't wait to read them.

    As I think about next year, I am hoping to get the entire English department to participate in the Youth Voices website throughout the school year so that students can write about their independent reading books, comment on current events, create and post videos, and then reflect upon their growth as writers at the end of each year.  I want my colleagues to read and comment on their work as a way to further solidify our sense of community at my school.

  • Tricia Clarke   March 17, 2012, 11:01 a.m.
    Studying how to incorporate Youth Voices into my curriculum has been both challenging and exhilirating.  Initially, I was impatient with getting all the administrative aspects up and running, but once I made students members, I was excited about what we were able to accomplish in a short amount of time.  However, I noticed that I had my own concerns in the beginning about how students would use the site as a learning tool as well as a place to post their writing.  I also noticed that not all students wanted to engage with other students online or write about themselves--something that I thought would be second-nature to them.  
     
    Once we began working on Youth Voices as a class, however, my students were excited about what they saw, they'd critiqued students' writing, as well as the "professionalism" or lack thereof, of some of the posts and Detox entries.  That was interesting...The time constraints were challenging as we wanted to do so much with it in so little time. I am working on having students complete assignments at home, as well.
     
    Students are making connections with each other in a way that I had not seen before.  I find their comments on, say, a peer's independent project description to be encouraging, and positive.  It is as if they understand each other's reservations with the newness of this and want to be cheerleaders.  
     
    My dream is to have students utilize the site as a safe-space to share their thoughts on happenings in the world.  For example, Kony 2012 piqued their interest and having this posted as a discussion could allow students to jump in with both feet and have their voices heard.  I would like them to use Youth Voices as much as they use other popular social networking sites.  On this site they can directly engage with other students.
     
    I continue to be excited about the possibilities of Youth Voices for my students, my teaching, my curriculum and learning!
  • Grace Raffaele   March 20, 2012, 9:45 a.m.
    In Reply To:   Tricia Clarke   March 17, 2012, 11:01 a.m.

    Tricia,

    Your comment "Once we began working on Youth Voices as a class, however, my students were excited about what they saw..." made me think about how this is another community they are entering into and that, once they saw their peers "in" the community, they started to feel more a part of it. Your thoughts about how teachers also bring their own preconceived notions to such new spaces, is a sensitive one.I think just your awareness of that difference will contribute to the increased comfort level everyone will have in this new community. Thank you for your thoughts and for your studets' contributions to this community!

    Grace

  • Jimnordlinger   March 17, 2012, 11:01 a.m.

    Once past the challenges presented by the struggle to get the technology into my classroom, I was enormously pleased by what appeared to be slow awakening of interest and independence among my seniors.   Students who had seemed exceedingly reluctant to join any assignment, no matter how closed or open, whether self-generated or offered by me, seemed to be warming to the idea of writing on Youthvoices.  With help from a technology aid, I was handing out the iPads, and watching students grow more interested.  Then when they saw where the personal statement actually was placed, many more began to join in.

    My frustrations thus far are more tied to the wrestling match with having these highly valued pieces of technology taken into and out of the classroom.  I feel as though I am the guardian of some invaluable substance, that I cannot actually use myself,  but that I wll be grotesquely punished for if one ounce of this substance were to disappear.  I feel I cannot pay enough attention to the substance itself. 

    I am also frustrated with my own lack of knowledge, or lack of familarity, with Youthvoices and how the site works.  I am trying to guide students into this place where I am a novice also.  So, I am trying to be hands off and and discovering at the same time.  

    I see great potential in the seniors exploring important things they are facing and thinking about.  I just hope I can get there soon enough. 

  • Grace Raffaele   March 20, 2012, 10:03 a.m.
    In Reply To:   Jimnordlinger   March 17, 2012, 11:01 a.m.

    Jim,

    In your comments "Students ..... seemed to be warming to the idea of writing on Youthvoices" and "when they saw where the personal statement actually was placed, many more began to join in" I sense that things are actually moving in the direction you want - and that it is just taking time. This is like any community-building effort so you should feel good about it! I am wondering if your being "hands off" and "discovering" alongside them might actually contribute to their confidence and willingness to take ownership of their participation. It's feel like their space so to speak. I have no suggesstions for overcoming the "overzealous overseers" of the equipment - though maybe if they were to see what studnets were writing on the site, they might relax a bit. You and they are doing great things!

    Grace

  • Jinnette   March 17, 2012, 11 a.m.

    I'm new to Youth Voices as a participant in a study group of educators led by Paul and Grace. Thus far I've part of Youth Voices as an observer more than a commentator.

    • I've noticed that the element of publicity engages students in a way that traditional classroom inquiry and dialogue has not. I can see that student participants try hard to manage a professional voice because their opinions may be countered. I think this is great. 
    • I am hoping/dreaming about getting my students in Youth Voices. We are currently reading the "Hunger Games' and students have a lot of questions stemmed from the book. It'd be great to channel this into inquiry-based research through Youth Voices. 
  • Grace Raffaele   March 20, 2012, 10:21 a.m.
    In Reply To:   Jinnette   March 17, 2012, 11 a.m.

    Jinnette,

    You are already more than an observer as your comments, questions and thoughts for how you might use this help all of us in this community! Youth Voices is a great place to explore topics related to a shared reading like The Hunger Games. It could be a place for them to explore the ideas and issues and then move into meaningful reearch related to those issues. You might take a look at some of the Missions already on the site and check out Literature and Inquiry in Channels. Let's talk some more about your ideas. In the meantime, you might want to start by making your students members, so when you are ready to go, the administrative stuff will be ready too.Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for getting us thinking about another way to engage students in this community!

    Grace

  • Carla Cherry   March 17, 2012, 10:57 a.m.

    I am excited about having my students create a profile and a blog as well as posting questions, discussion topics, and videos about their independent reading, in-class reading, research projects, and their own work.  I think Youth Voices offers a platform that allows students to do something intellectual, engaging, and fun.

    I am a little worried about effectively managing their work on Youth Voices. I do have some questions:

    1. How can I create a public checklist to track the work that they do?
    2. How can I create a rubric that details my expectations in a student-friendly manner?
  • Grace Raffaele   March 20, 2012, 10:39 a.m.
    In Reply To:   Carla Cherry   March 17, 2012, 10:57 a.m.

    Carla,

    I like how these 3 words come together in your view of Youth Voices: "intellectual, engaging, and fun." It is so true!

    You pose some important questions for teachers and you should probably talk more in depth with Paul and look at some things in his classroom. In the meantime, to get an idea of what is possible, you can see what he helped Amal set up by going to the Schools tab, then going to Green Dot Charter School to see a list of her studnets and details about their participation. When I clicked on one studnet I could see that he had not posted anything but that he had commented quite extensively to 3 different people. If my rubric distinguished between posts and comments, I could easily record and assess his participation.

    Thank you for your questions as they remind us of what is important to show people.

    Grace