Like all good school girls, I measure what I learn by success....errrr....or lack of success in this week's case!
I learned this week that:
(1) Technology is tricky, and sometimes it can be more of a headache than it is helpful. It can also make students curse you under their breath. I wasn't terribly insulted by their profane muttering, because I know just how truly frustrating technology can be. Case in point, technology can and will make make your students your enemy at times, especially if you try to help them and are unsuccessful.
(2) Scaffolding is your friend. However, my scaffolding friend was nonexistent this week. Case in point, it's never a good idea to get way too excited about an idea (ie, blogging) and literally toss a seven page assignment in your students face and move on. What was I thinking? I know better than this!
Ok, I need to be honest: these are lessons I have already learned. So why did I make two past mistakes? Time was an issue. Excitement was an issue. And thinking I was 100% knowledgeable when I wasn't was an issue. I guess you could say, I was human. As teachers, we will make mistakes- all the time. It's identifying when you have made a mistake and rectifying the situation that really counts.
Let me back up. Some of you may know from a prior post, I have been in the works of creating a blogging assignment for my AP students to complete weekly. (I completed the assignment, and I will post it sometime soon- just as soon as I iron out all the wrinkles in it) As soon as I finished my assignment, I was overtaken by a whirlwind of excitement. I literally couldn't wait to present it to my AP students the very next day. Forget what I originally had planned! I needed to present this project to them like now! So, I halted discussion and spent a period reviewing the assignment. That night, everyone was to create their own blog so that we could post their URLs to our class wiki space. Everything sounds good, right? Wrong. I didn't have a small discussion on what a blog is or why I feel they are super important. I didn't review what I deem to be stellar blogs with my students so that they have a model. Instead, I just said, "Hey, we're doing this. Now set it up!" Why, why, why didn't I scaffold!?!?!?! Looking back, I know what I did was so very wrong. Because I know I did wrong by my students in not really explaining blogging, I decided to have a blog work day in class, for which I first described what a blog is and why they are important. Students weren't really listening. I blew it. I missed my shot. At this point, they were too worried about their blog and what they were going to post. What's even equally worse is half my students were unsuccessful in creating a blog, and I had a heck of a time helping them because our school computers were so erratic!
After a long week of trials and tribulations, I will be reviewing my students' first blog post Monday morning. I think the dust has settled; the huge gaping wound that I had created has begun to heal....but time will tell- actually, Monday morning will tell me!
Here's a quick list of what to do should you choose to use my blogging assignment with your students:
(1) Spend a day just introducing the idea of blogging- probe your students minds, and have a discussion. Share with them valuable research that highlights the positive effects of blogging.
(2) Have a pretend blogging day with paper. Have students write a blog post on paper; "post" them all over the room. Then, teach students about the value of good comments, and give students sticky notes so that they can post comments on the posts throughout the room. Review with your students successful vs. unsuccessful posts and comments so that students know what is really expected of them. Visuals help.
(3) Definitely have a blog work day in class so that students can begin to write their first post with you; however, make sure every student has their blog established before this work day.
I hope this post has been helpful. I decided it was of value to go out on a limb and reveal my worst week of teaching this year- so far- with all of you. You know what they say: learn from others so that you don't make the same mistake. And they also say, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again!
Stay tuned for more updates on my students' progress with my blogging assignment.
Laura, don't be discouraged! These are moments we all have, though we often don't like to publicize them. I've been considering embarking on a similar project with my Honors students using a Ning, which the district would have to pay for, because I teach at a private school and our privacy rules are very strict... for which reason this experience has been caught up in red tape for weeks already! However, I've learned what you have the hard way, and even though I know scaffolding and modeling is such an important technique, I too have been caught up in the moment and tossed out a not-yet-ready project for students. Don't look at this as a failure; you now have a very important data point that helps you to see exactly what students need to be successful with this project. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI have often found excitement to lead me to error when it comes to teaching. But how can we help it?! I often get so excited about the concept of an idea that I spend hours and hours trying to bring it to fruition only to find despite the great personal expense I have paid there is nothing usable. Other times however I produced some of my best work ever. I can remember sitting at my computer one evening trying to figure how to best use a temporary double period I had with each of my classes because of testing. We were in the middle of the Outsiders, and right at the point where the boys have run away and are hiding at the church. I had the brilliant idea to create a survival game of sorts where the students had choices to makes and things to buy just like the boys in the story. I spent 7 pm to 3 am writing it up and then dragged myself to school the next morning, 4 hours later, to teach it. Despite my expense it was a total hit and 2 months later the day before thanksgiving break the kids begged me to let then play it again. Which I did.
ReplyDeleteSo roll with that excitement. If you never take leaps, you'll never reach the next step!