Stop, Collaborate, And Listen!! (borrowed from Vanilla Ice!)

Since I've learned about awesome, new collaborating sites this summer, I would like to start using one this next school year with my 8th grade courses.  I'm a little worried about how to start this out, and would LOVE any feedback! Once I get it off on the right foot, I feel it will be absolutely beneficial for everyone involved in my classroom (the students, parents, me etc).

Currently, however, I've been researching a couple different options. What I'm looking for in a collaborating site, is something on which I can post assignments and announcements, but also where students can post discussion questions and responses, or find out what we did in class that day/get assignments if they were absent.  I would also like to possible have the site host a book discussion at some point.

So, here's where I'm at.  Since I'm going to be teaching primarily reading/English blocks, I would like the students to have their own blog, as more of a journal for reading responses. I love Edmodo, it seems very user friendly and a nice layout for middle school students. But, I've recently come across Collaborize Classroom (during PD investigations on live.classroom20.com).  Collaborize Classroom has similar features as Edmodo, but it allows the teacher to have the option to post four different question types and has a cool results tab, saving the teacher some grading time. 

Does anyone have any experience using Collaborize Classroom...it seems like a new program? I would love some feedback about what features you look for when beginning this sort of collaborating site. 

So, I guess my 3rd project is a work in progress...I hope everyone understands that I have ideas in mind and I will be starting up a site this fall...I'm just looking for a little feedback on both programs!

8th Grade Reading Projects

Project Update: I am continuing to learn about the ways of blogging so I can use it with my 8^th grade language arts class this coming fall.  I’ve found a couple TeacherTube videos to use as introductions to the blogging activity. General blogging formation:

http://www1.teachertube.com/members/viewVideo.php?title=Blogging_in_Plain_English&video_id=15427

Classroom Blogging Introduction (kind of boring, but I could easily make an xtranormal video out of the important information in it!):

http://www1.teachertube.com/members/viewVideo.php?video_id=17226&title=Blogging_for_Beginners

I would like to create blogging expectations with my students, so they take ownership and personal responsibility when working with their blog.  In addition to blogging, I plan to have students work on creating a bookshelf on GoodReads.com. I haven’t, but I will continue to work on updating my bookshelf along the way.

For my second project, I’ve recently received the updated reading competencies I will be working with this next year.  One, in particular is: Analyze characters and their motivation. Prior to assigning this project, the students would have had instruction and practice on identifying different types of characters, such as protagonist, stock, dynamic, etc.

After reading their chosen independent novel, students will be asked to create a presentation about the main character (or one of the main characters) using one of the following internet resources:

•  Xtranormal: virtual world video presentation

• Blabberize: take a picture and make it talk

• Voki: customize an avatar and make it talk

•  GoAnimate: another virtual world video presentation

• MyFakeWall: creating a fake Facebook account

•   Prezi: Presentation software; basically an enhanced powerpoint in which students can zoom in, out, and around the presentation

• Animoto: video slide show maker

• I’m open to other options; please share your ideas with me!

When providing instruction/directions for the project, I would also provide a checklist of questions/items that need to be addressed in the presentation that includes things like:

           

ü      Book Title, Author, and chosen character name

ü      Type of Character

ü      Background information: age, gender, location, etc

ü      What is the significance of the character in the book?

ü      What interior and exterior factors shape each character?

ü      What motivates the character to act the way they do?

ü      How does the character interact with other characters?

ü      How did the author make the character believable? How could a reader connect with the character?

Etc…this is just a start. I would have to re-evaluate my questions based on student prior knowledge and differentiate with different book choices and student readiness.

Any suggestions are welcome!

First Twitter Chat

Well, my first Twitter chat (#midleved) went alright, except for the fact that I had the time wrong and joined a half hour into the session! Oh well, I presented a few questions, met a few teachers that are at the same point as I am with Twitter Chat experience, and also another middle school language arts teacher.  I've created a TweetDeck, which should help my organization in future chats.  I love how welcoming all of the members are; I wish I would've joined sooner! I'm just wondering, are more people involved in the chats during the school year?? (I guess Friday nights at 7:00, after a long week of classes, might not be the most popular Twitter chat)

Failure

I graduated from college in the spring of 2007, and landed a job on my thirteenth interview as a 6th grade teacher at Waterloo Intermediate-Middle School.  The beginning of the school year started out a little rocky... The second day of new teacher inservice, I hit a pole in the school parking lot--busted my car's radiator, sending green fluid all over the parking space I had pulled into.  I had totaled the car I had just paid off three months prior! Luckily, my parents (who lived two hours away) had a car I could borrow until I, sadly on a new teacher salary, bought a new one.  I can't say that there is any "success" that can be learned or earned from this, but I can say that I am more aware of poles in parking lots! Oh yeah, Waterloo never let me forget about the incident. When I went into Waterloo this summer to resign (I took a position in a different district), I was reminded to watch out for poles in the new school parking lot!

The failure I learned from and probably made me the success I am today...I will fully admit, I was very laid back when I first began teaching; I honestly thought, how bad can 6th graders really be, there is nothing I can't handle! Guess again, Nicole! I spent many class periods retraining my students in December, wasting curriculum time to discipline, instead of setting my expectations at the beginning of the year. Many evenings wondering what kinds of things my students were going to pull on me the next day; many mornings sick to my stomach.  I learned so much the first year, mostly about classroom management and what I needed and wanted to expect from my students.  My second year was MUCH better! I found the balance between "being friends" and having relationships with my students, and my expectations. From my horrible classroom management experience, I feel I've become a teacher with strong connections with students because I learned the best balance; my students know there is mutual respect in my classroom!  

PS. Classroom Management was the issue I shared with my sister when she started her first year last year...she did much better with it than I did!