Master Class Project 3 (Animoto)

Here is the link to an overview of an Animoto project I completed with my Creative Writing students: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ucrV9stdjQ-7ktPg6K24lGqRSc_DJXwBfqYKpAHoZ6w/edit?hl=en&authkey=CJfjwZoG

Master Class Thing 3: Diigo

Here are my two links to my Diigo websites/articles: http://diigo.com/0ec5l and http://diigo.com/0ec5s.

Like Alicia, I have mixed feelings about this tool. I feel that it is useful for people who already understand the research process and simply need an internet tool to take notes or highlight key information. Personally, though, I still prefer to print out my articles and highlight on the actual paper. Reading on the computer is difficult for me, and it is much harder for me to concentrate. Also, I found the annotating process to be quite cumbersome. I felt like I could write my notes by hand faster than I could click and type.

One feature I really liked was the ability to send highlights and annotations to others. As a teacher, I think this would make the grading process much easier during major research projects. It would save paper and time (students would not have to transfer their work on the internet to a piece that could be physically turned in). I also think that using a site like this might make the research process more interesting for students ... at least until the novelty of Diigo wore off.

I don't think Diigo is the way to go for students just learning the research process. However, I do believe that the tool might be useful for our seniors. In most college English classes today, few professors require students to turn in all of their research and the steps they took to create the actual research paper (working bib cards, note cards, etc.). Instead, professors just want to see the final product. Teaching our seniors this tool could help them learn how to do research for a college-level course and help them internalize the research process. By this, I mean seniors could start to realize that writing a research paper can be done in multiple ways. For example, most of us teachers have written so many papers by this point that we are able to just look up information on our topic, read the research, and then write the paper.

I might possibly use this tool with my Debate classes when they have mini-debates. The purpose of these debates is to provide students with a brief amount of time (usually less than 25 minutes) to read assigned articles about a certain topic and then present a case about that topic. I could see myself taking students into the lab, allowing them to read and highlight for half the period, and then taking them back into the classroom to begin the debates.

All in all, a very intriguing tool. I'm interested to see what others have to say about it.

Master Class Project 2 (Blogspot)

My Creative Writing students all created blogs to share their poetry with others. Here is the link to the description of my project: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x6kQAoJW7dRx0sCeYstSs9aGQQKHJv7FbyG70QGHqlg/edit?hl=en&authkey=COmez7YC

Master Class Thing 2: Prezi

Here is the link to a presentation I created in Prezi: http://prezi.com/josmbvzkf-7r/speech-outlines/. The Prezi is about how to correctly format/outline a speech.

I've never used this program before and found it to be an interesting addition to the presentation software that I currently use. As the kind of person who prefers to just jump right in and get hands-on with a program, I didn't watch any of the basic lesson videos. However, I did follow the step-by-step written instructions to create my Prezi.

I found the program fairly easy to use. One issue I had, however, was figuring out how to change the size of the font. The dial tool - even after working with the program and completing the presentation - seemed difficult.

I could see myself using this with a class; I think the students would have fun with it. However (and this could be because I haven't fully explored the site or looked at other presentations), I feel that most of the presentations I or my students create are better suited to a PowerPoint. Even the Prezi I created was still organized in a linear fashion. So, all in all, I'll probably stick with PowerPoint.

Note: As of this point, I can't find any other Prezi projects from 17 Things participants, but I'll keep checking throughout the year.

Master Class Project 1 (Weebly)

For this project, all of my Creative Writing students created Weebly websites. Here is the link to the unit plan (which also includes links to some of the students' sites).

http://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1Sc1IMHi9xG9rmBJSWpD3s6LENPhvG2dbmmFD5KNCvF4&hl=en&authkey=COvRltAC

Master Class: Thing 1 (Email publishing)

First, here is the link to my Tumblr account: wilmot17things.tumblr.com.

When I first began working with this site, I didn't quite grasp the concept. I was just using the computer to post text, links, and photos. The experience left me underwhelmed. After exploring a bit more, however, I realized that I could email my post and even call in and record my post. The site suddenly became much more interesting and useful; in particular, I am amazed at how quickly the website updates posts.

I love traditional blogging and find it easy to do, so I'll probably stick with using blogspot when I want to write entries. However, if someone has a smart phone and/or doesn't have immediate access to a computer, this is an alternate option for posting. Personally, I could see myself frequently using the telephone feature for posting. Not many blogging sites have this ability, so this is a unique feature.

I could see myself using email blogging for speech assignments. I particularly like the idea of having students call in and leave their speeches on a blog. This would give them some practice, and it would record the speech if I wanted to go back and hear a version when grading.

I also like the idea of keeping this blog for classroom assignments. I could use the voice feature to explain difficult parts of an assignment in more detail, and I also could call in and provide some type of homework hotline.

Final Post

This experience has been one of the most positive things that has happened this year. I was introduced to multiple tools that I had never heard of, as well as ones that I had always wanted to explore.

These tools have affected my personal and professional life. For example, I use Google Reader every morning, I check Twitter every afternoon, and instead of writing down lists of websites that I want to check "someday," I've saved the URLs in my Delicious account. I also used Weebly to complete my Alternate Evaluation Project: I designed a website about how/where students can publish their creative writing.

The tools also have changed my teaching. In my Creative Writing classes, students used Weebly to design personal websites for their writing, and they then shared these with the class. This was a quick and easy way to make their writing feel more authentic and be more accessible. In my Journalism class, the students created their own Google Reader accounts. These accounts enable them to remain updated on current news events. I also plan to use Animoto in my classes, where students will create videos that reflect the content we have studied.

After completing the 17 Things program, I am inspired to find new ways to reach out to my students, and I am also interested in exploring some of the tools in the future (for example, I'd like to use Flickr to publish personalized photo albums, and I'd like to upload family interviews to Animoto). I feel more confident in using new technology, and I feel like I have a better grasp on what is available in such a vast pool of information.

I have recommended this program to all of my colleagues, and I would love to complete this program again, with new tools or the same ones (I feel like there is still much to explore). I appreciate all of the hard work that Alicia and my colleagues did as we completed this project. I learned so much. Thank you for the experience!

Finally, here are some of my words to describe this program: Cutting-edge; Stimulating; Inspiring; and Innovative.