Friday, September 27, 2013

EDU 720 Discussion Director Reflection - Joan Robinson



This week the topic of study and discussion was "Instructional Models".  I will provide a quick synopsis of the points that came up in our discussions as well as reflect on the process involved in the discussions.

Here is the assignment:
Dear Colleagues,

This week we will have recorded Hangouts on air as the discussion format.  
  • I will schedule one hangout at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, and another one on Friday at 7:00pm. 
  • I will invite all to join each time so just accept the call on the night you wish to participate. 
  • If you are unable to attend the hangout please post a written response in this discussion thread.  No need to let me know which option you choose.
You may want to refer to the discussion rubric which we agreed to use which can be found in your google drive, IT &DML Program Folder called Rubrics for the online discussion (we will use the 2nd one).

Here are a few of questions I will pose to begin our discussions..

# 1 from McVerry, Zawlinski & O’ Byrne (2009)
  • This article discussed ways to teach online reading and research skills.  What new things did you learn from reading this article?  Which aspects of the C’s of change will take time to implement and and which ideas can you implement tomorrow?  

#2  From Leu, Coiro, Castek, Hartman, Henry, & Reinking (2008)

  • IRT or Internet Reciprocal Teaching is an instructional model used to teach online reading comprehension.  This chapter covers online reading comprehension, instruction and assessment.  What key points “jumped out at you” from this article?


After the hangout I will post the video to you tube and your final task is to post a brief comment on either of the two ideas..
  • What could have been done differently during the discussion to help us dig deeper into the question?
                                                                                or
  • What is one question you wish we would have addressed in our conversation?
Please don't hesitate to ask any clarifying questions.  I look forward to the discussions.

Sincerely,
Joni


                                                       Quick Reflection
  • The discussion began with a review of some Hangout protocol, such as muting the microphone.  I tried to use the question and answer feature on hangouts but was unsuccessful.. I needed to turn it on before initiating the invitations to the hangout.
  •  We dove right into Elizabeth sharing how the articles moved her to engage in some substantial discussions with fellow teachers.  She was able to share the Phase 1 and 2 check lists with teachers and discuss how to use them.  I  shared the checklist with a committee of district level people who are looking at improving student achievement by more fully utilizing technology.  We all discussed how so much of the talk around technology these days is happening because of SBAC.
  • Joe shared how he does technology "think alouds" with his students as a modeling strategy.
  • Beth and Roisin shared about some of the  the obstacles of limited access to hardware
  • All participants seemed fully engaged in the conversation and there was learning and teaching happening.
  • The second discussion ended up being just Nancy and I and we had a very productive discussion, sharing many successes and obstacles in implementing the Internet Reciprocal Teaching model.
  • Some people who were not able to attend the hangout posted very insightful responses to the guiding questions.
Overall the process was smooth.  I feel that all participants were actively engaged in a dialog where learning took place.  I enjoyed the role as discussion director and it was so very enjoyable because the participants were responsible and reflective.  Thank you all.

EUD 718 Critical Literacy Praxis - Reflection # 4


Joan Robinson
EUD 718 Critical Literacy Praxis
Professor Susanne Murphy
September 23, 2013



In reflecting on my own responses to the aspects of appearance I think about a gradual change which has occurred in me over the past 30 years.  As a new, young teacher I was very concerned with “looking the role”. For ten or so years I wore high heel shoes, which were extremely uncomfortable.  I shopped at high end clothing stores and paid high prices for designer brand clothing.  I had the hairstyles and accessory styles which many other teachers had.  I worked very hard at looking like to typical school teacher of the day.  

Over time I became more comfortable with who I am as an individual and as a teacher.  I suppose one could say that I have discovered the me-ness of my appearance and embrace it comfortably.  As a person who has had several opportunities to live and travel abroad I have learned to love appearance differences.  I would even say that I thrive on cultural differences and am attracted to appearances which are distinctly different from the norm.  When someone looks different I am intrigued and want to learn more about them.

As I viewed the two videos of the gentlemen teaching I definitely noticed the difference in their appearances.  I watched Rick first and primarily noticed the gentleness of his interactions with the students.  I felt a genuine concern from him as he guided students through reading workshop.  The impression I had was that he was a knowledgeable, supportive teacher.  I immediately thought about sharing the video clip with our Literacy Coach to utilize for professional development.  I wondered, though, if staff members would miss the brilliance of his teaching because they might be distracted by his appearance.  It is unfortunate but true that most of us do “judge a book by it’s cover”.  

The reality is that visual profiling is a reality in all settings in life.  Measures to change the negative aspects of visual profiling can come from my own modeling and discussing it with others as it happens.  I can continuously check in with myself and make sure I am not judging the lesson before I hear it simply by appearances.  We all have some “baggage” or experiences which make us favor one appearance over another.  It is a wise person who looks into their own baggage before judging and thus missing an important message.

Chapters 7 and 8 in the Gee book analyzed many fascinating stories to help us gain insight into Discourse, language, context, meaning, and political perceptions and power.  Each example that he presented helped me to see the connection between personal language and political meaning and positioning.  The Ted talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was very powerful.  It made me reflect on some of the perceptions that people had about me when I lived in Kenya for 9 months.  People assumed that I was a doctor when visiting a local hospital based on the fact that I was  “muzungu” or a white person.  I was afforded all types of privileges during that time, all based on my appearance.  

Many people say that one important purpose of public schooling in this country is to enculturate children into what it means to be an American.   What does it mean to be American?  I have a some difficulty answering this question because I also think it is the job of an educator to educate our children to be world citizens.  That being said, I am proud to live in a place where we have so many rights and that we can explore different identities, histories, perspectives, religions, and opportunities to learn.  To be an American is to understand that we have so very many rights and responsibilities which are protected under the law.  To be an American is quite a privilege based on the hard work and struggles of those who came before us.  To be an American is a gift that I am blessed to have!




Gee, James Paul. Social Linguistics and Literacies. 4th ed. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.

Kleine, Rick . "Rick's Reading Workshop: Complete Lesson." Teaching Channel.  Web. 22 Sept. 2013.


"Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story." YouTube.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg.




Sunday, September 22, 2013

The Power of Language - EDU 718 Reflection # 3

This past week we have read and heard, several pieces about the powerful impact which language has in our lives.  both Dr. Keith Stanovich and Dr. Todd Risley point to research and data that support the idea that the types of language exchanges which happen at home early in life have a direct correlation to a child’s academic achievement.  This is referred to as the “Matthew Effect”.  Their research asserts that there is a relationship between socioeconomic status and student achievement. My teaching experiences in a lower economic school district support his theory.  The NPR interview detailing how synthetic speech gave Samantha Grimaldo a more comfortable voice was moving and powerful.  It filled my heart with warmth.

So much in chapters Chapter 5 and 6 Gee (Gee, James Paul. Social Linguistics and Literacies. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print) on meaning was fascinating to me.  After reading these two chapters I began to notice how we all use different language around various people and groups of people.  I can use distinctly different language around my children, colleagues, students, and friends from high school.  The practice of heteroglossia is a very interesting concept to observe. I have been paying attention to the language I use and how it correlates to both the meaning I am trying to convey as well as the position I am trying to establish in my environment.  On a larger scale I have been observing sociopolitical implications of the types of language used by various groups of people around me.

For this assignment I decided to “have fun” by recording some conversations at my school and then analyzing some of the meanings I noticed in each of them.

In this first situation I am working with three teachers on the grade 2 team.  We are discussing.  a model for lesson structure in our new math program.  Listen and notice how teachers are positioning themselves and the meaning of their conversation. (click on the link below to download the audio clip-I hope it works!)


My observations…
Positioning:
  • one discussion leader emerges
  • the conversation starts out more casual and becomes more formal as they work together
  • the people are comfortable challenging each other
  • there is collaboration
  • one individual wants to please the presenter, even says”I think that is right”
Meaning:
  • all three people want to “figure out” the correct lesson flow/structure
  • They have 3 distinctly different levels of experience with the content
  • some of the program elements are clearly familiar in meaning and some are not
By watching this group interact and analyzing their language I could easily assess what I need to do to support deeper understanding of of the instructional model of this math program.



In this next audio clip I am asking a group of eighth graders to express their feelings about our school.  At lunch I asked for volunteers to come chat with me.  After we checked for media release forms we had a brief conversation.  Listen and jot down some reflections about what you hear.


My observations…
  • My tone of voice is very casual
  • students start our responding in a formal tone
  • students are saying things they feel but also things that they know “sound good”
  • as soon as I asked about social aspects of school they tone changed, becoming much more casual

The last audio clip is between just the students when I purposely stepped  went to a part of the room where I could not hear the conversation.  


My observations...
  • In this clip one student clearly established his position in the conversation.  The “chat” became his forum for sharing his ideas about friends.
  • the giggles at the end of the monolog indicate an agreement with the idea that TH has many friends



Response to the question, is it the “job of the teacher to allow students to grow beyond both the cultural models of their home cultures and those of the mainstream and school culture”  Should it be required of teachers?

Is see my job as a teacher as demonstrating the power of language by modeling it in various forms.  I can see myself role playing and reflecting with students about how they come across in all contexts.  This primarily happens with middle schoolers.  My own children will do what we model at home.  They have been given a model of how to present themselves in formal settings and they have been exposed to playful, casual language which is fun and loving.

I don’t see it as my responsibility to “allow students to grow beyond their cultural models of their home or mainstream environment”.  I see my role as one of nurturing where someone comes from and exposing them to the world of meaning and language that may be different from what they know.  As students get older I feel a responsibility to discuss how our language can play an important role in how we fit into the power structure of our society.  There are huge implications here. I am careful to walk that fine line between judging/not judging my experience/culture and judging/not judging the experience/culture of others.  

The more aware I am of all these points made by Gee, the more careful I am about the language I use.  I get in trouble when I “relax” sometimes and speak more casually at school.  For example, at lunch a few weeks ago I was talking to a group of students.  I mentioned that I had been up working the night before and was so tired.  I then proceeded to say “I am sorry I misunderstood you , I am just so spaced out today”.  The table of 7th graders burst out into laughs and were acting embarrassed by my comment.  When I asked why they were laughing they informed me that I just told them I was stoned on drugs!  The terms we use change meaning over time.  I am glad I have they type of relationship with these students so that I could further explain my statement.  I learned that I need to be more careful when I use more casual language.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Technology and "Climbing the Financial Ladder" - Interesting points in 5 minute piece on NPR


This NPR bit made me feel better about borrowing $20K to be in the UNH IT&DML program, from a personal, selfish perspective.  From an ethical perspective hmmm I have different thoughts.  Technology is key to so much opportunity in our future.

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=221425582&m=221637238

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

How do other countries train their teachers to be digitally literate?

This is my question for today...How do other countries train their teachers to be digitally literate?

If anyone knows of countries that have exemplar models for professional development in terms of IT& DML please share with me.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

What does my dream web site entail? EDU 720

This week I worked on drawing a picture with the Google drawing tool to show what I am thinking about as I dream about creating my own digital learning hub.  This is definitely a picture that will change over time and incorporates lofty goals.  I am a firm believer in dreaming big!  Here is what I have come up with so far...

To Be Continued

After I spend some more time exploring design options for web sites I may refine this or change some categories.  I look forward to this endeavor.