My Web 2.0

Ning seems to be a valuable resource and web tool for those who are ready to use it. I’m not there yet.

Nancy Willard’s article is a good overview for anyone new to the concept of social networking. Even if social networking is not available in the classroom, students should be educated in how to create safe connections in a social networking environment.

I think that Ning is a great way for group members to stay in touch. These groups could be family members, alumni of a particular school, special interest groups, or travel groups.

I did enjoy searching for members I know in the Classroom 2.0.

It’s always nice when research documents something that a non-researcher, like me, had observed. This week my Google Reader introduced me to an article from the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology entitled, “Age-related Decline of ADHD Symptoms Disrupted by Middle School”. Most Transition students enter the Middle School from their Transition classes in the Lower School and Woodward North. I think that students in these classes have two or three core teachers at the most. Also, I believe that the Transition classrooms are in close proximity to each other. When Transition students enter the Middle School, they suddenly experience at least five core teachers whose classrooms are on three different floors. This adjustment is stressful for any new 7th grader, but more so for a student with ADHD. I have observed that after a couple of months, most of our 7th grade Transition students have made the adjustment, but it often comes at a price. Students (and parents) often feel lost, confused, and neglected. Now that the problem has been documented, what can we do about it?

I thought I would play around with creating a pageflake for my 7th grade reading classes and one for my 8th grade reading classes, similar to Miss Tyler’s 3rd Grade pageflake. However, as I worked, the page evolved into a template that my students could use on their laptops and would become their homepage. The template could include -

1. RSS feed to Middle School Calendar which includes lunch menu
2. RSS feed to Middle School Messenger
3. Grade Tracker
4. Current local weather
5. Middle School photos – like the ones displayed on the screens in the hallways
6. Class Schedule
7. Dictionary
8. Calculator
9. Links to Edline, Quia, Quizlet, Reading Plus, and their online textbooks.
10. Notepad
11. To Do List

I have begun making this pageflake, but it is not yet ready for the public!

The collaborative feature of Google Docs seems to be one of its best features. In my initial search, I viewed various templates. (I love not having to create from scratch.) I will probably use / modify the following templates this year: Course Syllabus, Lesson Plan, and Basic Meeting Notes.

Four ways I would like to use Google Docs next fall are as follows:

1. To record minutes from parent conferences – Frequently in a group conference led by the Transition director, each Transition teacher speaks to parents and then leaves the meeting if he or she has other duties. If, after the meeting, each teacher recorded his or her conversation in the meeting, then all of the student’s teachers would know what was said and what plans had been made.
2. To record laptop issues – I think that Jessica Parsons is already keeping records of each Transition student’s laptop; however, if this were a Google document, then all of the teachers could quickly see the status of a student’s laptop. ie: Is it really being repaired or has it been stashed in the study hall room? Hasn’t this laptop been sent out once before for the same problem?
3. To record lesson plans and / or homework assignments - I would love to be able to know quickly what other Transition teachers are teaching and what their homework assignments are on any given day. ie: If Mr. Mousadis is teaching a unit on Russia, I can teach a short story set in Russia. If Ms. Bandrowski’s class has just studied adjective phrases, then I can ask my students (who also have her) to include some adjective phrases in their vocabulary sentences.
4. To keep records on each Transition student – I envision two different types of records for each student in the Transition program:
   1. Records which would be accessible every year by any teacher who worked him / her. These “formal” records would include standardized test scores, accommodations, grades, and anecdotal information that would be helpful for teachers each year. Presently, this information is found in a number of locations and sharing it is a nightmare. I want to know from day one that Susan needs to wear her glasses, or that Mary has been tutored in a Lindamood Bell program, or that Johnny is artistic. Are there any confidentiality issues here?
   2. I would like to come up with a way to record my thoughts and observations on each child throughout the year. Perhaps I could have a Google document on each student….a place where I can review what I said to parents in the past, what parents have said to me, and what I am presently observing. I welcome any and all suggestions!

I really enjoyed exploring YouTube. The number of videos is mind-boggling.

Three videos related to the teaching of reading:

1. Power Teaching Critical Thinking by Chris Biffle – Using modeling, peer teaching, and memory gestures, this enthusiastic teacher creates an attentive and enthusiastic class. I am impressed with his ability to engage all of his students, and there are a lot of them!
2. Mike Bollivant interviews Tony Buzan – This BBC interview gives a good explanation of visual tracking. I thought about showing this video to my students until I noticed Tony’s nose hair…it might be too distracting on the Smartboard!
3. What is Your Reading Speed?

One “How To” video of interest! - How To Cheat on Any Test

The most helpful videos I have seen recently have been those made by Shelley Paul and David Widener showing me how to perform a certain task on my computer or a student’s laptop.  I plan on using David’s videos with my students early in the year, and I need to place these videos in a location where students can see them at school as well as at home.

Once I was able to open my Evoca page, creating the podcast was rather painless, thanks to Shelley’s great videos! I was frustrated that I was unable to open Evoca two days ago; however, it worked this morning… so, here is my first podcast.

For some unknown reason, podcasts are out of my comfort zone; however, they shouldn’t be…isn’t it kind of like having radio on demand? I think the real reason for my hesitancy is that I am a visual learner. I do not enjoy listening without a visual component. I am poor at auditory processing and my hearing is below par, but that’s another story….

My initial exploration of podcasts began with the one minute “how-to”s. After listening to how to clean out a junk drawer, I decided that maybe I will be able to make one of these recordings.

I then moved on to meet Grammar Girl who provides tips on using proper grammar and punctuation. I wondered here, “Who is this gal and how do I know she is an expert?” Well, guess who’s coming to town? The AJC tells me this morning that I can meet Grammar Girl Wednesday at a local book store. I may go…then I would have the visual I need to listen to future podcasts!

After subscribing to “Authors on Tour”, I stumbled upon a quick and simple book talk about George Ella Lyon’s new book. George Ella and I went to college together nearly 40 years ago. Although I was delighted to see her name, the book talk was disappointing. It really IS quick and simple and gives very little information. http://www.nancykeane.com/booktalks/mp3/lyon_my.mp3

After listening to snatches of various book reviews, I found the Princeton Review Vocabulary Minute which I will be able to use with my students. Each podcast teaches four related vocabulary words in a one minute song. If my students enjoy this format, perhaps my musically gifted ones can write their own vocabulary songs.

Finally, I know that Claudia Baldowski did something with podcasts last year in her reading classes. I certainly plan to ask her about how she used podcasts in her curriculum. Perhaps I can learn to be comfortable with podcasting!

On my desk and in my purse, I have had random scraps of paper with recommended book titles. Now these random scraps have a home: LibraryThing! I am delighted to learn about this social book club! I have joined the thousands of users and listed the books I have read and am currently reading in 2008. I also joined the group entitled “Women of Mystery.” The personal benefits of this website are obvious. Professionally, I hope that I will be able to communicate with others who have read or can recommend current books for my middle school students. Finally, now I know why there were so many photos of book titles when I searched pictures for my earlier slide show on Flickr! Thank you, thank you for introducing me to this site!

Photo by bibliona

Since I already have a del.icio.us account, I merely changed my email address. After reading all the wonderful help pages, I was able to add a delicious toobar, delete tags, add tags, and bundle tags. I realized that some tags I had were stupid, such as the word “the”! I also learned how to connect two or more words to form one tag. I would like to see all of the Transition teachers use del.icio.us so that we can share websites without emailing each other. I plan to spend more time bundling to organize my sites.

http://del.icio.us/linda.freeman

Photo by C. Wess Daniels

Photo by Douglas_ westbound

I continue to be impressed with news and resources from Dyslexia Tutor. This week I read an article from the Boston Globe entitled “Attention: There’s Evidence That It’s Teachable.” How many times in the past 35+ years of teaching have I said to a student, “pay attention”? Way too many. Here are some quotations from the article to pique your interest:

• “After decades of research powered by fresh advances in neuroimaging and genetics, many scientists are drawing a much clearer picture of attention, which they have come to see as an organ system like circulation or digestion, with its own anatomy, circuitry, and chemistry.”
• “…attention is viewed as a complex system comprising three networks, or types of attention: focus, awareness, and ‘executive’ attention, which governs planning and higher-order decision-making.”
• “In one study, Zylowska and colleagues reported that eight weeks of mindfulness meditation – a technique designed to improve attention and well-being largely by focusing on breathing – boosted both powers of focus and self-control in 24 adults and eight teens with ADHD.”

I hope to learn more by looking at the research cited in the article.