Week 6

The Project- We are nearing completion on our project! I finished the Web Quest. I have asked to people to test it for us. We have finished our Digital Story and were able to upload that as well as our instructional video to our website. We have all the lessons complete and uploaded. All of our documents are uploaded. Now we just need to go through and fix our links, fix colors, fix spelling, etc. So, basically we're in the final editing process. This is such a relief! I believe we'll finish that in class tomorrow and then be able to focus on finishing and editing our project report. It certainly is nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.

The Reading- Well, we finished all of our reading for the course so I have nothing to say about the reading. I do, however, have some other thoughts I'd like to share and questions to ask. This is really the "So what?" portion of this entry. Now that I've learned all of this technology... so what? Well, I'd like to use it in my class.

Digital Stories- I'm beginning my 10th grade classes with Native American Literature. We will be learning about storytelling and attend the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. I would like to have th students create digital stories as part of this unit. Luckily, I have a computer lab in my classroom!!! I think this will be a great project and I'm really excited about it.

Blogging- I want to incorporate blogs in my class this next year. I'm still not certain the best way to go about it, and I would like outside input. I know I have at least two options.

1. I can have each student create their own blog, privatize it, and then invite myself and their classmates to be readers. This will allow it to be "safe," but they will still have readers and can comment on their classmates writing. I worry that it will be confusing for me to try and stay up on all their blogs and it will be hard to monitor that they are, indeed, commenting on classmate's writing.
   
2. I can create a class blog and make the students all authors. I would still need to privatize the blog. I worry that this option might be cumbersome and confusing to read. It would be easier to grade because it's all in one place... but having 40 posts on the same day might be just as confusing as going to 40 different blogs. I'm not sure how commenting would work with this option.

So, if anyone has used blogging in the class I would really appreciate your input on the best way to use blogs. I want them to publish their writing, read each others writing, and comment on the writing of their peers.

Texting- My little sister will be going to high school this next year. My parents had the option to have texts sent to their phones with school information. I know the school can't possibly be using a cell phone to send all these texts... they have to be using some kind of program where they input all the phone numbers and then send out mass texts using the computer. I would like to be able to do something like this for my students and their parents. I'm in charge of Student Body Government this next year and I think it would be really helpful. Does anyone know of programs I could use that would be free? Is Twitter the best option?

Web Quests- I have some thoughts about units that I can use Web Quests in. I would really like to have my students complete a few Web Quests and then have them create their own. Maybe that's biting off more than they can chew, but I don't think so. I teach 10-12th grade students and I think they can handle it. I'm especially thinking of having my AP Literature students create Web Quests about either the short stories or poetry we read. Anyone have thoughts on this?

Well, I think that's it for this entry. I'm sure I'll have more to say next week!