Monday, April 10, 2017
I'm Hooked
Class is complete and I just created QR codes for another student project, and I'm writing a short Blog about it. I must be hooked.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Update
I have not survived two trips home from school with my son at the wheel. Yesterday Daniel was impressed that I didn't reach for the door handle even once. Progress for us both.
Oh, my! what a difference one letter makes. I have now survived 2 trips . . . I'm sure all are happy to know I am not Blogging from the world beyond!
Oh, my! what a difference one letter makes. I have now survived 2 trips . . . I'm sure all are happy to know I am not Blogging from the world beyond!
Oops!
I have 2 Twitter accounts that I manage, one that I opened for this class and one that is for the school yearbook. Luckily, I only tweet professional things or things that are not overly personal or embarrassing to the account for class because I mixed the two up this weekend.
I posted a picture of the trail that my husband and I created when we kayaked through the ice on Round Lake. My students laughed at my "old person with technology" moment, and were not really impressed that we had created our own island that we ruled over until it melted the next day.
I posted a picture of the trail that my husband and I created when we kayaked through the ice on Round Lake. My students laughed at my "old person with technology" moment, and were not really impressed that we had created our own island that we ruled over until it melted the next day.
Book Chapter: Chris Tovani
Tovani chapter
Tovani, Cris. (2011). "Annotations: A Trustworthy Source of Data." So What Do They Really Know: Assessment That Informs Teaching and Learning. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
If you are interested in reading workshop at the high school level and haven't read Chris Tovani's work, you should. I have seen her speak twice, and I purchased her book when at the WSRA Convention. Her methods are things that I have incorporated to some extent, but I want to do more of it as we move into true reader's workshop.
In the chapter, Tovani provides concrete techniques about how to get kids to annotate, having them begin with asking questions of a text. As with most skills, one key is model, model, model. The other is feedback. She explains multiple ways to use this strategy, including teaching that not all questions have answers, that many questions will be answered if one continues reading, and that this can help them isolate their confusion.
She also explains her strategies for dealing with logistics like students not being about to write in books, and how to deal with all those sticky notes.
Because Tovani has and continues to be in the classroom, she can predict issues that may arise, like a student refusing to annotate and the most likely causes for it and her ways of addressing those issues.
The most important part of this article is how Tovani uses the annotations to assess students' comprehension, to plan mini-lessons, and to direct individual conferences.
In order for students to see the value in annotations, I believe they need to see their teacher valuing them. If we say they are important, but we never look at them, they won't believe us. Striving readers have probably been given lots of advice on how to read better, and for many of them, it hasn't worked, so they may not trust that this technique will either. If we use their annotations effectively as a way to see into their thinking process maybe they will buy in.
Tovani has used the annotations as a pretest, for immediate feedback, and to create mini-lessons. A goal of mine is to use annotations more effectively in my own classes with these ideas as a guide.
Tovani, Cris. (2011). "Annotations: A Trustworthy Source of Data." So What Do They Really Know: Assessment That Informs Teaching and Learning. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
If you are interested in reading workshop at the high school level and haven't read Chris Tovani's work, you should. I have seen her speak twice, and I purchased her book when at the WSRA Convention. Her methods are things that I have incorporated to some extent, but I want to do more of it as we move into true reader's workshop.
In the chapter, Tovani provides concrete techniques about how to get kids to annotate, having them begin with asking questions of a text. As with most skills, one key is model, model, model. The other is feedback. She explains multiple ways to use this strategy, including teaching that not all questions have answers, that many questions will be answered if one continues reading, and that this can help them isolate their confusion.
She also explains her strategies for dealing with logistics like students not being about to write in books, and how to deal with all those sticky notes.
Because Tovani has and continues to be in the classroom, she can predict issues that may arise, like a student refusing to annotate and the most likely causes for it and her ways of addressing those issues.
The most important part of this article is how Tovani uses the annotations to assess students' comprehension, to plan mini-lessons, and to direct individual conferences.
In order for students to see the value in annotations, I believe they need to see their teacher valuing them. If we say they are important, but we never look at them, they won't believe us. Striving readers have probably been given lots of advice on how to read better, and for many of them, it hasn't worked, so they may not trust that this technique will either. If we use their annotations effectively as a way to see into their thinking process maybe they will buy in.
Tovani has used the annotations as a pretest, for immediate feedback, and to create mini-lessons. A goal of mine is to use annotations more effectively in my own classes with these ideas as a guide.
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Bittersweet
Today my 15-year-old will get his temporary driver's permit. While it's satisfying to see every accomplishment, it's difficult to know where the time has gone. Those round cheeks have lengthened and his tiny voice has deepened. He's long been taller than I am. I feel like if I turn around I'll find myself at his graduation.
I'll try to remember this feeling when he's driving me crazy and I find myself wishing for adolescence to come to an end. Every stage has its beauty . . . when looked at through nostalgic hindsight.
I'll try to remember this feeling when he's driving me crazy and I find myself wishing for adolescence to come to an end. Every stage has its beauty . . . when looked at through nostalgic hindsight.
Friday, March 31, 2017
It's done!!!
104 pages of yearbook are submitted. I have to figure out how to get students to actually do the things they showed they were capable of on formative assessments, but right now I'm going to R-E-L-A-X!
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Article Response: Building Transformative Communities
There is a group of teachers at CHS working to develop a school-within-a-school for students who are not successful in our traditional school structure, so I thought this article might be helpful in determining how to effectively create a transformative community. They have identified the importance of parent and community involvement, and I was hoping to meet with some concrete examples.
While the article provided a description of the key characteristics needed for transformative communities, it did not share a lot of concrete examples of how the schools demonstrated these qualities. I think it would have been helpful to be able to "see" these qualities in action.
One interesting point that was made caused me to think about the family visits our district has been doing for the past 2 years. The statements about "forcing doesn't work" ring true. (See excerpt below.) I think we should have continued with the program being voluntary after the pilot year rather than making it mandatory for all faculty. If it was beneficial to those parents and students, it would have expanded through the endorsement of those involved. As it is now, there is a lot of resentment on both sides and I don't see more connection between the school and parents than I did prior to this program's implementation. At this point, I think we need to bring teachers and parents together to discuss whether there is a way to make this program more authentic and to clearly define its on-going goals so that it is not a "one and done" connection with families. It would have been interesting to see the ways in which the sample schools from the article created their family connections.
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Article: Is It Still Considered Reading? Using Digital Video Storytelling to Engage Adolescent Readers by GINGER MALIN
I read an intriguing article that seemed to fit perfectly with this class. In it, the author looks at one way to help engage struggling readers by using video storytelling. The problem is that I can't access the video on which her article is based to see exactly what was or wasn't done.
Despite this, I have some ideas about how a teacher might implement her ideas.
She begins with some interesting research that probably does not surprise anyone:
Benton (1983) argues that in order to engage with a text, a reader must create a “secondary world” in which he or she imagines, experiences, and elaborates on the story from within it. In this way, the engaged reader is a participant in the drama of the story rather than simply a spectator. Enciso adds that a reader is engaged when he or she enters into the world of the story and can vividly “imagine and interpret the characters, setting, events, and thematic possibilities of literary texts. [This state] includes a complex interplay of imaginative and intellectual processes that are typically private and elusive, yet critical to comprehension and pleasure in reading” (1992, 1). Without taking interest in the action of the story—that is, without being able to visualize particular settings or scenes or enact various character roles—a reader will not connect the story to his or her life and subsequently will not engage with the text or construct meaning from it. Therefore, students who are not engaged in the experience see reading as a passive transmission of information that does not evoke any sort of thoughtful ideas or feelings and thus serves little, if any, meaningful purpose in their lives (Enciso 1992; Hynds 1997; Wilhelm 1995).
She goes on to argue that read alouds help struggling students to visualize and take this important step toward engagement. From the description of the digital read aloud, I wonder if a teacher could use Screencastify to create a video with appropriate visuals to help students "enter the world of the story." S/he could upload that video to Edpuzzle so that the teacher could add annotations to aid comprehension further. This way students could pause or rewind the reading as necessary.
The article also said that part of the video watched for this study included discussion of the story that students could watch before taking part in a similar discussion of their own. Struggling readers cited this as very helpful for their comprehension and their confidence in talking about the reading themselves.
I'm not sure where one would find the time to create all of this, but perhaps it could be a project for advanced readers that could be used in other classes. So many ideas, so little time.
Malin, G. (2010). Is It Still Considered Reading? Using Digital Video Storytelling to Engage Adolescent Readers. Clearing House, 83(4), 121-125. doi:10.1080/00098651003774802
http://www.remote.uwosh.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=aph&AN=51141416&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Despite this, I have some ideas about how a teacher might implement her ideas.
She begins with some interesting research that probably does not surprise anyone:
Benton (1983) argues that in order to engage with a text, a reader must create a “secondary world” in which he or she imagines, experiences, and elaborates on the story from within it. In this way, the engaged reader is a participant in the drama of the story rather than simply a spectator. Enciso adds that a reader is engaged when he or she enters into the world of the story and can vividly “imagine and interpret the characters, setting, events, and thematic possibilities of literary texts. [This state] includes a complex interplay of imaginative and intellectual processes that are typically private and elusive, yet critical to comprehension and pleasure in reading” (1992, 1). Without taking interest in the action of the story—that is, without being able to visualize particular settings or scenes or enact various character roles—a reader will not connect the story to his or her life and subsequently will not engage with the text or construct meaning from it. Therefore, students who are not engaged in the experience see reading as a passive transmission of information that does not evoke any sort of thoughtful ideas or feelings and thus serves little, if any, meaningful purpose in their lives (Enciso 1992; Hynds 1997; Wilhelm 1995).
She goes on to argue that read alouds help struggling students to visualize and take this important step toward engagement. From the description of the digital read aloud, I wonder if a teacher could use Screencastify to create a video with appropriate visuals to help students "enter the world of the story." S/he could upload that video to Edpuzzle so that the teacher could add annotations to aid comprehension further. This way students could pause or rewind the reading as necessary.
The article also said that part of the video watched for this study included discussion of the story that students could watch before taking part in a similar discussion of their own. Struggling readers cited this as very helpful for their comprehension and their confidence in talking about the reading themselves.
I'm not sure where one would find the time to create all of this, but perhaps it could be a project for advanced readers that could be used in other classes. So many ideas, so little time.
Malin, G. (2010). Is It Still Considered Reading? Using Digital Video Storytelling to Engage Adolescent Readers. Clearing House, 83(4), 121-125. doi:10.1080/00098651003774802
http://www.remote.uwosh.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=aph&AN=51141416&site=ehost-live&scope=site
A Little Behind
I wish that title reflected progress in my never-ending goal to get tone before summer, but (sigh) it isn't. I am behind in my Blogs, my students are WAY behind in meeting their deadlines for the yearbook, and my house is a mess. I started the morning helping to plan a church fundraiser only to find out it's on the same day as my niece's first communion, so that day will be fun.
Since then, I've been sitting in front of the computer trying to get my life organized. I have all my hours entered into My Learning Plan to satisfy our district's floating hour requirement. I finalized a few things for Educator Effectiveness, and I assessed where I need to be in each of the classes we are taking.
Despite being able to check a few things off the to-do list, my house is still a mess, there are may yearbook pages that need editing, and I still haven't showered today. On top of that, it's still bare and grey outside and my mood isn't much brighter.
Since then, I've been sitting in front of the computer trying to get my life organized. I have all my hours entered into My Learning Plan to satisfy our district's floating hour requirement. I finalized a few things for Educator Effectiveness, and I assessed where I need to be in each of the classes we are taking.
Despite being able to check a few things off the to-do list, my house is still a mess, there are may yearbook pages that need editing, and I still haven't showered today. On top of that, it's still bare and grey outside and my mood isn't much brighter.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Standards-based Grading
I read an interesting blog post about a parent's reaction to standards-based grading. She was upset that standards-based grading made her "A" child "just average" rather than "above average." This made me wonder what kind of push back we would get at my high school if we would make a complete change to a standards grading system. It would be important to inform parents and educate them on how to read the new grades well before making the switch. We would also need to have clear information about how colleges use this information for admission.
Unfortunately, I think a lot of parents look at grades as a way to rank and compare their child with others rather than using them to understand their child's strengths and weaknesses. I guess this is one of those instances where teachers must act as change agents if we believe that the change is in the best interest of kids and learning.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Visual Literacy
Gilbert, Chris. (2013). Changing the Lens: The Necessity of Visual Literacy in the ELA Classroom. English Journal, 102(4), 89-94.
After our discussion of visual literacy, I decided to read some articles about it. This particular article presents visual literacy as I am most familiar with it. It promotes the necessity of teaching students how to "read" images and uncover the narratives of economics and class that they present. It emphasizes the tendency for students to unconsciously and uncritically take in these stories without question.
I the past I did a unit on advertising I which we would go into great detail about color, positioning, copy, etc. we also started to notice patterns and tends in ads. The students would also watch the video Killing Us Softly, an insightful discussion of the repeated messages conveyed by ads. Teens are aware of messages about body image for girls, but they hadn't thought about how commonly women of other races have been portrayed as exotic and aligned with animals. As Gilbert's article points out, the students start to analyze the images the way an anthropologist would.
After this reminder, I think that I will show students the illustrations from the original printing of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and ask them how they affect their impression and analysis of Jim. We will also discuss whether the images would enhance or contradict Twain's satirical purpose.
After our discussion of visual literacy, I decided to read some articles about it. This particular article presents visual literacy as I am most familiar with it. It promotes the necessity of teaching students how to "read" images and uncover the narratives of economics and class that they present. It emphasizes the tendency for students to unconsciously and uncritically take in these stories without question.
I the past I did a unit on advertising I which we would go into great detail about color, positioning, copy, etc. we also started to notice patterns and tends in ads. The students would also watch the video Killing Us Softly, an insightful discussion of the repeated messages conveyed by ads. Teens are aware of messages about body image for girls, but they hadn't thought about how commonly women of other races have been portrayed as exotic and aligned with animals. As Gilbert's article points out, the students start to analyze the images the way an anthropologist would.
After this reminder, I think that I will show students the illustrations from the original printing of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and ask them how they affect their impression and analysis of Jim. We will also discuss whether the images would enhance or contradict Twain's satirical purpose.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Don't Stop Believing
Yesterday our school had a brief assembly that was put together rather quickly. The students asked that staff take part in a lip sync contest. With all of our coaching, advising, IEP's, family, and other obligations, it was difficult to find a time that we could all meet and practice. But through email and lunch conversations, we planned and then practiced as a group for the first time about 3 hours before the assembly. I don't think we are ready to take our show on the road quite yet, but the kids enjoyed it.
In school and in my personal life, I often get so caught up in what I have to teach, whether I'm incorporating enough technology, who needs more help, how am I going to provide that, am I meeting the standards, what meeting do I have today, how can I better assist other teaches, etc, etc, etc, that I forget to have fun. It was refreshing to really laugh and to share the experience with colleagues and the student body. I think the most common comment was "we need to do this more often', and I couldn't agree more.
In school and in my personal life, I often get so caught up in what I have to teach, whether I'm incorporating enough technology, who needs more help, how am I going to provide that, am I meeting the standards, what meeting do I have today, how can I better assist other teaches, etc, etc, etc, that I forget to have fun. It was refreshing to really laugh and to share the experience with colleagues and the student body. I think the most common comment was "we need to do this more often', and I couldn't agree more.
Sunday, March 5, 2017
The Edge of Seventeen
My husband, 15-year-old son, and I watched this movie together last night. I had heard that it followed the tradition of John Hughes' movies of the 80's. Having grown up on The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and Say Anything (I'm not sure if that last one is from Hughes or not), I thought I'd see how this one compared.
As one reviewer noted, it is a bit more vulgar than most of Hughes work, though not beyond what a typical high schooler has likely already heard, and not too far beyond The Breakfast Club.
Since I was 14 the first time I saw Breakfast Club, it is tough for me to be objective in comparing the movies. I don't think my son is going to rewatch this movie as many times as I have rewatched Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald, but that may also be a gender thing. I will say that the predictable ending sends positive messages to kids in a way that is palatable to them. They can relate to the adolescent angst without feeling preached at. All in all, it was a movie we all enjoyed, which is gotten increasingly more rare as Daniel has gotten older.
As one reviewer noted, it is a bit more vulgar than most of Hughes work, though not beyond what a typical high schooler has likely already heard, and not too far beyond The Breakfast Club.
Since I was 14 the first time I saw Breakfast Club, it is tough for me to be objective in comparing the movies. I don't think my son is going to rewatch this movie as many times as I have rewatched Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald, but that may also be a gender thing. I will say that the predictable ending sends positive messages to kids in a way that is palatable to them. They can relate to the adolescent angst without feeling preached at. All in all, it was a movie we all enjoyed, which is gotten increasingly more rare as Daniel has gotten older.
My love-hate relationship with running
Yesterday I ran 5 miles in Stevens Point. I was worried about it because since January 1 when I registered, I had not run more than 3.5 miles, and that was one slow and painful run. I thought about just not doing it, but the organization hosting the event limits the number of participants, and they sold out in 1 hour 45 minutes. I didn't want to waste a spot that someone else could have had. So I decided that as long as I kept moving forward and finished, I'd be satisfied.
The first 2 miles felt really good, the third wasn't bad, even after making the turn and getting the wind in my face. I made it 4 miles before taking a brief walk break to catch my breath. I was happy to see the finish line when I turned the last corner, and though my legs were getting tired, I felt great for the rest of the day just as I knew I would.
I wish I were one of those people who could say that I love running and I can't wait to get out there each day. I'm not. I know how good I feel after it's all over, but I have to talk myself into it every time. My husband does not understand the phenomenon of paying to run (even after I show him the t-shirts I've collected), but I need the pressure of possible public humiliation to motivate me to train. I need to know that I will have wasted money if I don't try to meet or improve my past times. And I need to know there is a fun reward at the end.
Do you think that is the way many of our students feel about the work we assign them? Do they feel a personal investment? Are there enough fun rewards along the way to motivate them? What will it take for more students to talk themselves into getting out there?
The first 2 miles felt really good, the third wasn't bad, even after making the turn and getting the wind in my face. I made it 4 miles before taking a brief walk break to catch my breath. I was happy to see the finish line when I turned the last corner, and though my legs were getting tired, I felt great for the rest of the day just as I knew I would.
I wish I were one of those people who could say that I love running and I can't wait to get out there each day. I'm not. I know how good I feel after it's all over, but I have to talk myself into it every time. My husband does not understand the phenomenon of paying to run (even after I show him the t-shirts I've collected), but I need the pressure of possible public humiliation to motivate me to train. I need to know that I will have wasted money if I don't try to meet or improve my past times. And I need to know there is a fun reward at the end.
Do you think that is the way many of our students feel about the work we assign them? Do they feel a personal investment? Are there enough fun rewards along the way to motivate them? What will it take for more students to talk themselves into getting out there?
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Beautiful, but . . .
This is my first winter in this house. I have enjoyed watching the change of seasons over our little lake, and the snow today is beautiful. It's easy to get lost in thought while staring at the gently falling flakes that swirl past the window. The white blanket weighs down the evergreen boughs but looks warm and smooths out the jagged edges of the maples' bare branches.
But it's March, and I'm getting restless. I'm ready to be rid of the calm smoothness of a new snow. Bring on the slush and mud that come with warmer temperatures. Bring on the ugly, half-melted snow on the road sides. Bring on those in between days when the ice is too thin to walk on, but too thick to boat on. Bring it all, so that spring (with summer not far behind) can arrive.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
ACT
Today is the day, the one day when we give the one test to the one grade level that will determine the public's perception of our school, our staff, and each individual teacher. Ok, maybe some people in the public will realize that there is more to a high school that its report card grade, but many won't.
However, I am going to try to look at multiple perspectives. Is it fair to be judged on one test on one particular day? Well, if you ask the Atlanta Falcons, they will probably tell us that they will be judged on one-half of one game, as will the Patriots. No one really cares how well the Falcons played in the first half, or how poorly the Patriots played in the second half. If a surgeon has done well his entire career but botches my surgery, I don't much care about all those other successes. This is even true with repairs on my car; you've been a great mechanic, but if you mess up my car, I'll likely take my business elsewhere.
Before everyone starts to think I am a traitor to my students and to public education, I'll point out why those are not effective analogies and could instead be used to teach logical fallacies. A surgeon is trained to do surgery. S/he practices surgery before doing it for real. These are the skills we want him/her to develop and implement. The same is true for the football player or the mechanic. However, when students take the ACT, some skills we want them to have are embedded in the test, but a good portion of their success is learning to take this particular test. How do I time myself, how do I skim and scan, how do I eliminate answers to take my best guess? And each section has its own set of tips and skills to learn and apply. Some of our students, those who are college-bound and are happy to take the test free-of-charge, practice all of these test-taking skills and become quite skillful at taking the ACT. But is this really what we want them to be learning?
However, I am going to try to look at multiple perspectives. Is it fair to be judged on one test on one particular day? Well, if you ask the Atlanta Falcons, they will probably tell us that they will be judged on one-half of one game, as will the Patriots. No one really cares how well the Falcons played in the first half, or how poorly the Patriots played in the second half. If a surgeon has done well his entire career but botches my surgery, I don't much care about all those other successes. This is even true with repairs on my car; you've been a great mechanic, but if you mess up my car, I'll likely take my business elsewhere.
Before everyone starts to think I am a traitor to my students and to public education, I'll point out why those are not effective analogies and could instead be used to teach logical fallacies. A surgeon is trained to do surgery. S/he practices surgery before doing it for real. These are the skills we want him/her to develop and implement. The same is true for the football player or the mechanic. However, when students take the ACT, some skills we want them to have are embedded in the test, but a good portion of their success is learning to take this particular test. How do I time myself, how do I skim and scan, how do I eliminate answers to take my best guess? And each section has its own set of tips and skills to learn and apply. Some of our students, those who are college-bound and are happy to take the test free-of-charge, practice all of these test-taking skills and become quite skillful at taking the ACT. But is this really what we want them to be learning?
Friday, February 24, 2017
Increased Challenges
Today I spent a couple hours of my snow day looking up articles and resources to use for the upcoming satire unit that I teach in conjunction with the reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. As I was sifting through materials that will help my students distinguish between political satire and fake news, I realized how much more difficult it must be for our students to navigate through their world than it was for me to navigate through my high school world.
When I was a teen, I had access to six television channels at my house -- NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, PBS, and an independent network. There were three tv's, but one was not hooked into an exterior antenna, so we had to adjust the "rabbit ears" to get reception. My family watched the evening news together because that is what my parents were watching on the good tv. A daily newspaper was delivered to our house. Besides my teachers and classes at school, those were my sources of information. While the media always had the power to determine what issues were considered important by deciding how much air time to give to an issue, the coverage was much more balanced than cable news networks of today, and intentionally fake news stories were not being promoted except in The National Enquirer, and very few people believed more than a sentence or two from it.
Now, before we can even talk about the current social issues that connect with literature, we need to determine whether the topic of an article is even real, and that is getting trickier. Even Andy Borowitz has changed the heading on his column to make it less likely that a person will interpret his satire as straight news. Some fake sites, like the Enquirer make it quite obvious that their stories are fake, but others mix facts, half-truths, and outright lies together so skillfully that it can be difficult to filter through. Add to the mix that a fake story is shared on social media by a trusted adult in a teen's life, and the confusion grows.
Last year, for this unit I focused on Charlie Hebdo and asked the students how to distinguish satire from materials that shock or provoke simply for the sake of shocking or provoking. Now we also need to ask whether a fake news site can defend itself by saying they are producing satire. While this will be an interesting intellectual exercise, the fact that these questions are getting more difficult to answer and the lines between entertainment, news, personal opinion, political statement, and deceit are blurring more each day worries me. Adolescence and finding one's place in the world has never been easy; however, when the identity of the world seems just as uncertain as the teen's, it seems to be even more complicated.
When I was a teen, I had access to six television channels at my house -- NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, PBS, and an independent network. There were three tv's, but one was not hooked into an exterior antenna, so we had to adjust the "rabbit ears" to get reception. My family watched the evening news together because that is what my parents were watching on the good tv. A daily newspaper was delivered to our house. Besides my teachers and classes at school, those were my sources of information. While the media always had the power to determine what issues were considered important by deciding how much air time to give to an issue, the coverage was much more balanced than cable news networks of today, and intentionally fake news stories were not being promoted except in The National Enquirer, and very few people believed more than a sentence or two from it.
Now, before we can even talk about the current social issues that connect with literature, we need to determine whether the topic of an article is even real, and that is getting trickier. Even Andy Borowitz has changed the heading on his column to make it less likely that a person will interpret his satire as straight news. Some fake sites, like the Enquirer make it quite obvious that their stories are fake, but others mix facts, half-truths, and outright lies together so skillfully that it can be difficult to filter through. Add to the mix that a fake story is shared on social media by a trusted adult in a teen's life, and the confusion grows.
Last year, for this unit I focused on Charlie Hebdo and asked the students how to distinguish satire from materials that shock or provoke simply for the sake of shocking or provoking. Now we also need to ask whether a fake news site can defend itself by saying they are producing satire. While this will be an interesting intellectual exercise, the fact that these questions are getting more difficult to answer and the lines between entertainment, news, personal opinion, political statement, and deceit are blurring more each day worries me. Adolescence and finding one's place in the world has never been easy; however, when the identity of the world seems just as uncertain as the teen's, it seems to be even more complicated.
Monday, February 20, 2017
A typical day
I am in my 12th hour in this building. It's not that I have been doing school work for 12 hours, but it seems that too many aspects of my life take place here. I started the day at the rec center, went into my 8-hour day of teaching, led a student book club, and am now at my son's intramural basketball game.
At times I love how convenient it is to go from one activity to the next without ever having to drive across town. At other times, I think that I need more of a change of scenery in order to feel like I am getting a break from my work life.
Either way, the score is 37-33 with only 7:00 minutes left, so I need to cheer.
At times I love how convenient it is to go from one activity to the next without ever having to drive across town. At other times, I think that I need more of a change of scenery in order to feel like I am getting a break from my work life.
Either way, the score is 37-33 with only 7:00 minutes left, so I need to cheer.
Collaboration
On Friday four Clintonville teachers and one administrator traveled to Hartford Union High School to observe cross-curricular project-based learning. It was so refreshing to see another school's approach to instruction. I wish that it was easier to be out of one's classroom because the value of collaboration time can not be overestimated. We collaborate a lot within our own district, but as most of us teach in small districts, it is easy to get stuck in one way of thinking, not because we don't want to break out, but because the number of people to collaborate with is limited.
I do read a lot from blogs and articles, but seeing something in action and being able to ask questions in real-time is so much more helpful. I'm so glad the teachers at HUHS were so accommodating in allowing us to wonder through their classes and bounce ideas around with them.
I do read a lot from blogs and articles, but seeing something in action and being able to ask questions in real-time is so much more helpful. I'm so glad the teachers at HUHS were so accommodating in allowing us to wonder through their classes and bounce ideas around with them.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Blogger Frustrations
I have been trying to comment on others' blog posts. I have tried multiple times without success. Elly, Deanna, Becky, and I are working together on our assignments and they are trying to help me figure this out, but still no success.
I went into the settings and changed from a Google Plus to a Blogger account. I thought that was the secret, but I still am not able to comment. If I get time, I will google some tutorials and see if I can find the answers. Until then, I just wanted to let everyone know that I have been reading your posts and am trying to give you some feedback.
I went into the settings and changed from a Google Plus to a Blogger account. I thought that was the secret, but I still am not able to comment. If I get time, I will google some tutorials and see if I can find the answers. Until then, I just wanted to let everyone know that I have been reading your posts and am trying to give you some feedback.
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