Friday, December 09, 2005
Life As A Student Blogger: Enjoying an Enlightening Experience
Now that the semester has come to an end, I am able to say "goodbye" and "good riddance" to my classes this semester; however, I must admit that I will miss this blogging experience. The blog has been a significant contributor to my growth as a student. Thanks to the blog, I was able to establish closer ties with my classmates and mentor as well as augment my technological skills and confidence. Sure there were times when I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown, especially when I couldn't upload a picture or get my post to look right, but I was able to persevere and partake in a life-enhancing experience. During this activity, I looked forward to checking my blog and reading the comments of other students. After checking my e-mail, it was the next thing I did when I turned my computer on. This experience allowed me to develop a genuine appreciation for technology, and I would highly recommend blogs for every teacher. No matter what grade, all students can benefit from the high level of interactivity provided by weblogs. As a matter of fact, my love for blogs runs so deep that I have agreed to assist Dr. Baylen with his students' blogs next semester! (What am I getting myself into?) I would like to thank everyone for enabling this wonderful experience to take place, and I wish everyone the best for years to come. 
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Bad to the Bone
"A. Fraid came to live with my family five years ago in the summer. When we welcomed him to our household, it took some time for him to adjust. Throughout his childhood, he lived on the streets, and he associated with a bad crowd. To accommodate him to our household, we bought him new clothes and toys. After all, he was just a pup. Eventually, he settled into his new home, taking long naps in his cushy bed and enjoying fattening meals of French fries and chicken nuggets. He became a part of the family and was carefree and unconcerned of the hardships he left behind. For quite some time, he lived in peace, that is, until the bad boy and his girl arrived."Click here to find out what happens next...
Above is a passage from my Electronic Book assignment in Dr. Baylen's class. Prior to conducting this activity, Dr. Baylen taught the class how to create quizzes in Microsoft PowerPoint using hyperlinks. We then had the option of either reading a short book, writing a short story, or utilizing a "Jeopardy" PowerPoint template. Following this, we were to create the PowerPoint quiz as Dr. Baylen had instructed us. Those who had chosen the "Jeopardy" template were to create a quiz similar to the game show; however, the questions would be based on the technology articles we read in class. I was so excited when we received this assignment. I knew that I just had to write my own story. The only obstacle, however, was that I had to create my own illustrations. At first I was unsure of how to create vivid pictures that would show up on PowerPoint, but then I thought of my three Chihuahuas, Jackal, Chaos, and Tia. These dogs are pretty popular around the house. I literally went through hundreds of dog pictures, choosing the most memorable photographs I could find. In a way, the daily episodes of these crazy dogs' lives were what inspired this story. Jackal really does love Tia, but she only has eyes for Chaos. I had a great time writing this story, and I hope you enjoy it!
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Internet Interaction: Connecting Students with Pen Pals Across the World
Here is the final draft of my classroom activity. I welcome all suggestions or experiences you would like to share to improve this project. A million thanks to everyone who has helped me come this far.Objective:
The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to develop skills in writing and reading as well as more information and respect for other cultures in the world. Studies have shown that students are likely to hone their reading and writing skills while corresponding with their peers. Students look forward to communicating with their diverse peers, being careful to check and edit their work. This activity will also develop proficiency with computer skills, particularly typing and e-mail.
Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills:
Prior to conducting this activity, students should be able to express themselves in writing, be able to read for content, and have some knowledge of computers (particularly typing and sending e-mails). Your students' reading abilities will be tested with this project as their foreign peers may write with broken English and unique colloquialisms.
Materials and/or Tools:
Students will need computers with Internet access, computer time in the classroom, a printer and paper to print their letters, and a folder to keep their letters.
Set Up/Context:
This activity is designed for middle school students (grades 6 - 8), but it could certainly be revised to account for any grade level. Cultural awareness should be made apparent to any age group, but the process can be adapted so that it is more challenging for higher-level students and easier for younger children. While this activity can span any length, I would encourage teachers to continue their pen pal interaction throughout the year. Once a week, teachers could devote time for Internet correspondence, having their students use the classroom computer to write their emails. This activity should only take place in the classroom so that teachers can monitor their students.
Process/Instructions:
1) Teachers need to create an account with ePALS (this was the server I used to experiment with this activity). Their website is http://www.epals.com. Click on the link "Become a Member." Following this, you have the option of signing up with "ePALS School Mail" or "ePALS Global Network." The Global Network is free, and I found it to be suitable for this activity. From there, select the "Teacher Channel," which will require you to fill out some personal information, but don't worry, ePALS offers a safe, secure privacy policy. Be aware that it may take a day or two for your account to be activated.
2) Once your account has been activated (you will be notified by your ePALS e-mail account), you can then begin searching for other classrooms around the world. On the left hand bar of the welcoming page, there is a link to "Find Classrooms." Once you begin your search, you can narrow your selection to classroom size, age, and country by clicking on "Refine your search." A list of candidates will appear, allowing you to contact the teacher of each class through e-mail. Be sure to pay attention to how long your prospective pen pals have been members of ePALS. If their profile has not been updated for quite sometime, I suggest you look for someone more recent.
3) Once you have an idea of which countries your students would like to converse with, contact your candidates one by one. I suggest you start this activity at the beginning of the year, so that you can give your candidates time to respond. If you do not receive a response within a few weeks, I would suggest you move on.
4) Once you have made contact with a teacher from another country, tell your students which country they will be conversing with. Have your students use the Internet or the library to research the country they will be studying (if some of your students do not have Internet access at home, allow them to use the library or class computer sometime in school). It will help if your students have some knowledge of the country they will be communicating with. Have them answer the following questions (or similar ones):
- What is your impression of this country? What do you know or what have you heard about this country?
- Where is this country located?
- What is the geographical terrain and typical weather of this country?
- What nationality are the people in this country, and what language(s) do they speak?
- How many people live in this country?
- Name something that has occurred in this country's past.
- Name something that is currently happening in this country.
5) Before initiating the pen pal interaction, provide your students with a detailed lecture on Internet safety tips. Your students may not know how to protect their privacy on the Internet. Tell your students that they must never share their full name, birthday, phone number, or address with their pen pal. Also, if their pen pal says something mean or asks for personal information, tell them to ignore it and notify an adult. Your students also need to know that they must never arrange to meet someone they have met on the Internet in person.
6) Once your students have been introduced to their country and learned how to stay safe on the Internet, you may begin the pen pal process. You will need to contact your teacher to determine how you would like your students to correspond (chat, video, audio, postal, but if you conduct a postal interaction make sure you use the school's address, not your own), and you will also need to retain e-mail addresses. Make sure you inform your teacher what you will be doing with your class, and set up a schedule for correspondence - perhaps an e-mail exchange every week or so. Also determine when the both of you would like to end the project. Allow your students to develop a natural friendship with their diverse peers, but try to incorporate topics your students could discuss with their peers. Have your students ask their peers questions, such as "What are you learning about in school," or cultural questions, such as "What is your favorite food?" Since there are probably a limited number of computers in your class, have your students write their e-mails on paper before typing them in class. This way, you can read what they have written, checking for errors or inappropriate language, before they type their letter. For every day of the week, have a handful of students type their e-mails in class. Be sure to check their messages before they submit them, and be with them when they send their e-mails. Your students should maintain correspondence with their peers, even if they have not received a response.
7) Print every e-mail your students receive from their peers and place them in a folder. This way, your students will have a record of every interaction, as well as the information they have gathered from this activity.
8) Finally, at the end of the pen pal interaction, put together a "culture package" filled with American souvenirs and pictures. If you can afford to do this, ship the "culture package" to your friends in the other country.
Outcome:
After this activity, your students should have more information and knowledge about their country of correspondence. This cultural interaction will allow your students to develop more respect for their diverse peers, and hopefully, this will be replicated in their behavior. At the end of this assignment, your students should have a keepsake folder depicting their pen pal interaction composed of their letters as well as those written by their peers.
Evaluation and Feedback:
During correspondence, grade your students based on how involved they were in this assignment. Take a look at their letters. Do they seem interested in their peers? Are they trying to learn more about the culture? At the end of this activity, after reading through the e-mails, try to uncover what your students have learned from this assignment. Using the responses of their peers and the information your students collected at the beginning of this activity, create a test to measure what your students have retained. How well your students perform on this test will indicate what they have gained from their interaction.
Follow Up:
The most appropriate follow up for this assignment would be a student reflection, but prior to having your students write their reflections, arrange time in class so that they can discuss their pen pal experience. Ask your students what they have learned from their peer interaction. What did they enjoy most? What did they enjoy least? What could have been done to make their interaction more enjoyable? How has their interaction changed their first impression of this country? This discussion will prepare your students to write their reflections. You can use the same or similar questions as prompts for their reflections. The reflection will enable you to see how your students have grown in their acceptance of diversity.
7) Print every e-mail your students receive from their peers and place them in a folder. This way, your students will have a record of every interaction, as well as the information they have gathered from this activity.
8) Finally, at the end of the pen pal interaction, put together a "culture package" filled with American souvenirs and pictures. If you can afford to do this, ship the "culture package" to your friends in the other country.
Outcome:
After this activity, your students should have more information and knowledge about their country of correspondence. This cultural interaction will allow your students to develop more respect for their diverse peers, and hopefully, this will be replicated in their behavior. At the end of this assignment, your students should have a keepsake folder depicting their pen pal interaction composed of their letters as well as those written by their peers.
Evaluation and Feedback:
During correspondence, grade your students based on how involved they were in this assignment. Take a look at their letters. Do they seem interested in their peers? Are they trying to learn more about the culture? At the end of this activity, after reading through the e-mails, try to uncover what your students have learned from this assignment. Using the responses of their peers and the information your students collected at the beginning of this activity, create a test to measure what your students have retained. How well your students perform on this test will indicate what they have gained from their interaction.
Follow Up:
The most appropriate follow up for this assignment would be a student reflection, but prior to having your students write their reflections, arrange time in class so that they can discuss their pen pal experience. Ask your students what they have learned from their peer interaction. What did they enjoy most? What did they enjoy least? What could have been done to make their interaction more enjoyable? How has their interaction changed their first impression of this country? This discussion will prepare your students to write their reflections. You can use the same or similar questions as prompts for their reflections. The reflection will enable you to see how your students have grown in their acceptance of diversity.
