Trying to explain
As I have been reporting here, I have been working hard with my 7th and 8th grade students this year (for the first time) using blogs and podcasts. I plan on completing Will Richardson’s trinity by working with wikis in the next marking period.
My students have loved, loved, loved using blogs and creating podcasts, and their results with each have been extraordinary. Using the blog work as evidence, I can see that every single student’s writing has improved over the course of the year. Other teachers had told me to expect this, but it is nonetheless humbling.
By the way, I don’t think it is the “blog” that does it, I think it is the chance to do so much writing, and so much writing in public, and so much writing in public with a real audience that makes the difference.
The podcasts have opened up a different world in my classroom. While blogs are a community tool, we write alone. I have had my students author podcasts as a group project in order to review for an upcoming test. They decided on a topic and/or subtopic within this unit (Reproduction and Development this time), they worked as a group to decide on a format (lecture, skit, video). They then wrote the script, recorded, and edited their podcasts (with some help from me).
I devoted a few class periods for this work and marveled at the level of engagement I saw in the students. Each student was actively involved and invested in the outcome. And they really learned their material.
Given all this success, I have been asked to do some presentations to teacher and administration groups, which has caused me to wonder (and to try to explain) just what is happening. Since, I am a visual person, I had to put together a diagram:
I think that these tools (blogs, wiki, and podcasts) give unprecedented ability for students to author and collaborate on their work. And this collaboration can take place, easily, in or out of the classroom. And since this is happening in a public space, there is the opportunity for authentic interaction with people beyond the school walls.
I have come to believe it is the opportunity to author that matters to the students and to their learning, not the tools themselves. And since the the number of possible tools is expanding daily, I am very much looking forward to what kinds of student authoring we will see next.
April 17, 2007 @ 1:19 pm
Dear Gerald,
I think this is a great way to teach our children to learn and also I believe that it is more appealing to them then regular stand up teaching. We do become boring as well as teaching from ditto sheets, science books and so on. It also gives the individual a way to communicate with others especially if it difficult for him or her to do this face to face. It is also a great way to exchange new ideas with others doing the same research for school projects. Keep the ideas flowing.
Thanks for sharing, Gloria
April 20, 2007 @ 6:46 pm
Dear Gerald,
Your podcast presentation to our staff was so intriguing. The technology available to today’s students boggles the mind. It’s so exciting to learn about new ways to engage the students and turn them into active (not passive) learners. I can already envision a few 5th grade units which would lend themselves to podcast - Immigration Day, Government debates, our Stages of Learning Shakespeare play, testing our “Spaghetti Bridges” in Science Lab, or the presentation of our “Dream Houses” in Math/Science. I look forward to working with you and learning more about this technology.
Maryann Zabbia
April 26, 2007 @ 5:32 pm
Thanks for updating me on your new applications and success. The unfortunate thing for you in my stealing a few minutes to see what you’re up to is that now I’ll want you to teach me that diagramming software!
Keep up the fascinating work. I know the students appreciate your efforts (I did get worried about “Reproduction Podcasts” for a moment…) It’s also very interesting to see the other ideas teachers have for these applications. You’re an inspiration!
I’ll keep trying to get the bandwidth issues behind us- hang in there everyone! (Gerald- no word on Internet II yet…)
May 29, 2007 @ 11:49 am
Gerald,
How blessed your students are to have you as a teacher and mentor. I am so pleased to read about how writing in a science class in so successful. I would love to share your blog with my Summer I students, if you don’t mind. It is wonderful to see literacy so strongly represented in your classroom.
Regards,
Alicia