Mark's edtechblog

Ciara still has your 'My Country Road' artwork; fr...

2009-06-29T10:10:50.660-07:00

Ciara still has your 'My Country Road' artwork; framed & hanging in her bedroom!

Wow! I have never thought about allowing kids to ...

2009-06-27T21:48:45.641-07:00

Wow! I have never thought about allowing kids to read blogs during DEAR time. I love to read books, but it is not for everyone. Thanks for opening us up to a new way of thinking

Nick, I too went back to school when I was 30 to g...

2009-06-23T21:49:59.856-07:00

Nick,
I too went back to school when I was 30 to get my teaching certificate. I'm happy to hear you are looking to explore blogging in the classroom.

In terms of meeting standards and encouraging creativity... it is indeed a dance. If the kids are writing well, and in modes appropriate for their age - then standards will be met, no matter the medium...

BTW, my kids also use pencil and paper for writing.

I am a 30 year old who is going back to school to ...

2009-06-23T21:03:11.277-07:00

I am a 30 year old who is going back to school to get my teaching certificate. The pre req. for the course is a ed tech. course. We have spoken extensively as to how to use blogs and other technology in the classroom while still maintaining core learning principles. Other issues that have arisen are ones of ethics and proper etiquette while online. I am the only to be teacher in a class of 15 teachers. So far, none of them have reported using blogs like this, it is great! I am glad to know that all of the stuff that I am learning can be applied without the kids all becoming crazed with the internet. I was a little unclear as to how you are balancing teaching the standards while still leaving time for creative writing? are the blogs creative writing? do you feel that the kids are loosing something by not using a pen and paper? Once again, congratulations. Teacher to be. Nick

Getting some kids to sit and read is difficult. Wh...

2009-06-18T12:00:05.843-07:00

Getting some kids to sit and read is difficult. What a great idea! It only makes sense that kids are going to want to read what their peers have written. Whatever it takes to get them reading!

Thanks for the feedback, folks. To answer the qu...

2009-06-08T17:23:50.071-07:00

Thanks for the feedback, folks.

To answer the question of why neither writers workshop nor the traditional writing process work well preparing our kids to be effective 21st century writers anymore....

That's an awfully big one, isn't it?

Way too big and important a question to answer well in a single response, never mind a blog post - especially from this teacher, who is seriously sucking wind at this point in the school year.

For now I can only say this.

I have been taught how to implement the writing process. I've been trained in Writers Workshop.

I've read thoughts on new literacy from Don Leu, Clay Shirkey, Will Richardson, David Warlick, Clarence Fisher, and many other notable educators. I've written some myself on the topic.

Something has to give, because what those guys are preaching is not the traditional approach to literacy.

Writers Workshop and The Writing Process are simply antediluvian approaches. If we are responsibly preparing our kids to be successful as writers in the world they will inherit, we've got to throw out chunks of traditional methodology that we are comfortable with, and infuse school with something a little more, I don't know....

Something that actually embraces, changes, and grows with new technologies - instead of pretending they do not exist.

Yeah, you can't just leave that "writing process d...

2009-06-07T21:14:55.472-07:00

Yeah, you can't just leave that "writing process doesn't work anymore" hanging there without further explanation.

Congrats to you and your young bloggers. Along wit...

2009-06-07T20:27:41.595-07:00

Congrats to you and your young bloggers. Along with the great number of posts, they can probably count the number of page views and comments they've had. We used Google Forms to gather that data, and were really impressed with the results. Having an audience is such an important motivator.
Enjoy your summer.

You've got some prolific writers there! It's awes...

2009-06-07T18:56:41.789-07:00

You've got some prolific writers there! It's awesome that you've been able to develop a community of writers around their blogs. I began blogging with my own third grade class this year (inspired by your class!) with mixed results. Some kids blogged whenever they could, but others only blogged when it was assigned (which was rarely). But maybe that's typical in school.

I'm seriously considering working blogging into our writing workshop next year, so your comments on Writer's Workshop and the writing process piqued my interest. I see blogging possibly fitting in as either a "social writers notebook" or as a genre study. Why exactly doesn't a Writer's Workshop approach prepare kids for the 21st century? Do you teach a "writing process" at all?

Hey Mark, Having kids think like designers at an ...

2009-05-25T22:01:06.556-07:00

Hey Mark,

Having kids think like designers at an early age is so critical today. As they are faced with more and more decisions in a world with so many choices, it's easy for them to accept "default settings" of everything. Their ability to critically examine they way the world around them is designed is not only transformative as consumers but in a world where they are ever increasing in their ability to design themselves, it's an essential skill.

Hopefully we'll see more of their work next year.

Thanks for this idea. I also find that it is chal...

2009-05-23T10:58:15.746-07:00

Thanks for this idea. I also find that it is challenging for kids to sit down and read. Children love the computer and this incorporates both. Do you have any ideas for children that are younger than your students?

Mark, I've always thought this was a cool project....

2009-05-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

Mark, I've always thought this was a cool project. Please let me know how I can help you keep this going. I'm happy to volunteer some time. E-mail me at jessicablanchard (at) gmail.com.

Doug and Clarence, Thanks for your notes. As for t...

2009-05-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

Doug and Clarence,
Thanks for your notes. As for the situation in Seattle, I close my eyes and try to visualize the tunes hummed around my union HQ water coolers to be Woody Guthrie classics. I really do.

My contact info was cut off on that last comment.

2009-05-10T06:15:00.001-07:00

My contact info was cut off on that last comment.

Mark; Events like this, wherever they occur around...

2009-05-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

Mark; Events like this, wherever they occur around the world, continue to amaze me. We hear so much about the importance of education and creativity, and yet people involved in the process of education continue to be treated poorly. I am amazed at the disconnect in this thinking. The process absolutely needs to succeed in order for nations to be function, yet those who are the linchpin in the process are ignored. Stay well.

Clarence

The questions about what the stimulus money is goi...

2009-05-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

The questions about what the stimulus money is going to do are important to ask. We'll soon see. Our unions need to get actively involved - as your situation clearly indicates.

Tim, Oregon has it SO over Washington in the testi...

2009-05-02T22:42:00.000-07:00

Tim,
Oregon has it SO over Washington in the testing game. I am continually flabbergasted at the test we give - content, design, scoring, reliability, and on and on...

For the tech part of testing, we are at least 5 years behind where we should be. Online testing is a pipe dream right now in WA...

I end up thinking just give us the old ITBS or CAT - and let's move on - like get back to teaching, and not test-prepping.

Very out of fashion to say that these days, but at least those tests are normed and reliable.

Hey Mark, In Oregon we have students take an onlin...

2009-05-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hey Mark, In Oregon we have students take an online test that in most cases does not take more than 45 minutes. Our testing window is from October to the end of May. Students can actually take the exam up to three times. Results are immediately available to students and teachers. While not the best, I do think the way that Oregon does it allows you to provide feedback to students and also helps up see where students may need additional instruction. Don't understand why you can't let a student know about a procedural mistake like skipping page. It should be an assessment of subject matter knowledge, not test taking skills.

Happy Earth Day, Mark! I hope you have a great da...

2009-04-22T04:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day, Mark! I hope you have a great day and that this year you can feel some hope although the earth's situation is really serious. To me it seems like there is general consensus this year that we need to change and some good ideas about how. I don't know if it is enough though.

Janice

Ah...the WASL. Man how the year flies and I always...

2009-04-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

Ah...the WASL. Man how the year flies and I always remember marking the near end of school with the test. Love your WASL Doodle wall.

Good luck with the test.

Well not bank tellers, how about middle managers? ...

2009-04-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

Well not bank tellers, how about middle managers? But your cause is understood. I am working on my Sixth Year in Instructional Technology at UConn and have been using technology since the Apple IIe, but there is so much more. Yes, the standards and requirements are the limiting factor. Many teachers do need to get the exposure however.

There are many using the ICT's just fine out there.

My third graders finished their state test (MAP) a...

2009-04-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

My third graders finished their state test (MAP) about a week ago. It's funny (or maybe not) how classes across the country go through many of the same testing routines (i.e. prep, doodles, snacks).

HuskyDev, Yeah, it was really exciting to see your...

2009-04-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

HuskyDev,
Yeah, it was really exciting to see your program running again! Not wanting to get too excited though....

I brought that USB stuck to my classroom today:
- on a Dell GX 270, it booted fine, saw the Internet, but the mouse would not appear (so I'm thinking, try it on a laptop, 'cause I booted it on a Thinkpad at home, maybe it had to do with the pointing device...)
- on a Dell Latitude laptop, it booted fine, HAD a mouse, but could not make the network connection...

Aaargh, this is far from a done deal...

This is an awesome experiment! I'm glad to see tha...

2009-04-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome experiment! I'm glad to see that our little classroom presenter program runs in this way. I think it may be time to dust off the project and finally make the last few improvements necessary for us to make our final release. Thanks Mark! =)

Tada! Yes, 177 should be black. Amazing to think t...

2009-04-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

Tada! Yes, 177 should be black.

Amazing to think this went through design, edit, production, distribution, implementation, and evaluation stages.

I'm going to ask my kids to find the error on the timeline before I take it down. Bets on whether a group of third graders can spot the problem?