I have been a member of several online professional communities for several years now, but don't think that I've truly tapped into their potential yet! I am hopeful that this project will force me (in a good way!) to use more of the professional resources that are literally at my fingertips.
I like to use Facebook to follow education pages because it allows me to view information all in one spot and to seek out more details if I want or need to. On Facebook, I follow Edutopia and Edmodo, and I just signed up to follow ReadWriteThink.org (one of my favorite teacher websites!) I also subscribed to an RSS feed from ReadWriteThink for 7th and 8th grade Language Arts Materials, and I will be streaming the RSS feed through Google reader.
The project I intend to create is for my students. Every year, I teach a unit on persuasive techniques. In past years, we have used mostly printed advertisements and speeches to evaluate persuasive devices. I would like to create an website that houses all of the unit materials - including .pdf files, video, audio, and pictures - to use in the classroom. I am hopeful that this website can be both informational and interactive for the students to understand and evaluate persuasive techniques.
The online communities I have joined will help to provide a strong foundation for the design and content of the website. I know that teachers have created content/unit specific sites before, so I am hopeful that I can use their tools and tips to create my own. The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) has issues a position statement on multimodal communications, and I feel strongly that I am responsible for modifying my instructional practices to meet 21st Century Skills requirements. I am hopeful that my membership in the online communities and my goal of creating a unit-based website will help to fulfill at least part of that responsibility.
Hi Ellen- I agree with you that I have not taken full advantage of my online communities. I am hoping this course will help me as well! I like the idea of creating a website for student use in the classroom. It will be great for them to have access to this resource from anywhere (one of the many benefits!) if they have questions or need a refresher. Danielle
ReplyDeleteHello Ellen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your suggestion to add the video to reference on my Detroit ad post. Unfortunately, I switched blogs and I lost your post. We share some of the same views on education. I plan to try Edmodo as a safe social network for students. I have used Edutopia and I love the site. The "Big Thinkers" videos are insightful on education.
Like you, I'm in the process of transitioning from paper to digital. I have had enough of stubbing my little toe on my binders. I have a student blog, an ePortfolio, and a Voice Thread, but I want to create a combined resource for my colleagues, students, and families; education and a social communique. I'm still in the process of working it out. Thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Ellen,
ReplyDeleteI agree that we have seen some of these websites or are members but don't utilize all they have to offer and through these projects will be able to use these sites more fully. Your website idea seems extremely useful to both you and your students.
Jeri
Hi Ellen,
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to your opening lines about not having had the time to truly tap into the potential of online communities. Sometimes I wish we were permitted on “professional days” at work to just spend time online exploring resources.
Creating a website that houses all unit materials sounds like an efficient use of resources that both you and your students are going to benefit from. Although it takes a lot of time upfront to put together, I’ve found that once I get my “ducks in a row,” the following year so much time has been saved from resources being digitized and organized, that I have more time to explore other meaningful ventures for enriching classes.
The NCTE position statement helped reinforce what we covered in class this week. Thank you for the link!
Christine
Hi Ellen!
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see that you've belonged to online communities for some time now. As I commented to Danielle, having experience with an assignment certainly helps! Now it's all about how to apply the knowledge gained from these communities to assist the development of your MMP assignment.
I think creating a website focused on a unit you're already familiar with is an excellent idea. This way, you're already familiar with the content, so you can spend the majority of your time focusing on the DESIGN aspect of the assignment -- wonderful!
Readwritethink.org is an excellent resource (and clearly Thinkfinity approved!). Between the community sites you've selected, in addition to the NCTE, you're certainly on your way to building a support network that will assist you with the development of your website.
I'm looking forward to seeing your progress with it throughout the semester!