Blog/Ning post: Treating your blog as a portfolio, review back over your blog posts and reflect on your own learning/changes in the course: what have you learned? how have you changed? what more do you still need to learn?
It has been quite a semester and I must say that I have learned a lot over the course of the semester. First, I think I came into the course viewing digital writing tools as a good thing that could be used here and there within the curriculum to support a particular concept. What I failed to recognize at that time, but do now, is that digital writing is the direction in which the teaching of writing is moving and that as language arts teachers, we must change with the times. That is not to say that everything should, or must become an online task. I believe that if there is still a more efficient way to complete something offline, I might still choose to do this. However, if using online tools can enhance a particular learning experience, or make more efficient the way in which I critique students' work, bring it on! As a learner I have been exposed to so many new tools like VoiceThread, iMovie, iPhoto, and podcasting not to mention Diigo, VoiceAnt and Flickr. Some of them I have loved, others I have not. Most of the time when I have not loved a particular program or tool, it is an accessibility issue for me. Some of the tools, while cool, are not the right things for me and my teaching, while others, like voicethread and creating and downloading videos to YouTube will become a part of my regular practices. I love Diigo (the version that does work with Safari). as well and that has become an invaluable way in which I keep track of things that I want to share with students, and things I come across that will help me complete my dissertation. Though not truly accessible, I work through the challenges. What I have learned, as someone sensitive to the diverse needs of students, is that these tools have amazing potential for the future of teaching writing,. What bothers me still is that teachers will want to jump in and adopt all of these tools without considering that some of these tools are not right for all students and, what can be something great, can become a giant barrier in the learning process for some students. What I'd like to learn more about are ways in which students with disabilities can participate in the use of these learning tools, without the frustration that I have felt this semester. I am sure there are ways that some of these programs can be made more accessible, or maybe there are alternative tools all together. We just need to figure that out.
If you were to have students create portfolios for one of your past or present classes (hypothetical class if you’re not teaching) what material would you ask students to include in this portfolio? How would you use the features of e-portfolios—for example a blog or wiki—to have students display and reflect on their work? What criteria would you use to evaluate students' portfolios? How might students use of the the Minnesota e-folio, for example, for high school seniors seeking work? What are some problems with the authenticity of student reflections?
If I were to have students use an e-portfolio, I would ask them to include weekly reflections of their teaching experiences (right now I work with practicum students) and perhaps videos of their own teaching. What I think would also be interesting for inclusion would be videos of students doing their teaching with VideoAnt used to then critique their own teaching experiences, highlighting what went well and what needed improvement. If students used a blog type atmosphere for hosting their portfolios, I would also like them to include links to sites that they find helpful in informing their teaching, finding lesson plans, professional organizations in their content areas or bookmarks to interesting articles related to teaching news around the nation. I am just getting my first experience with evaluation of practicum students as we approach the end of the semester but I would evaluate students using a combination of written feedback and a audio file most likely. I feel like, even with all of the technology that exists, there is still a need for that "paper trail" of what went on in a students' placement. On the other hand I know I'd give more thorough feedback in an audio file because I wouldn't have to write it all down and would be more likely to elaborate on my thoughts. I would certainly encourage students to use their online e portfolios for interviewing because then administrators could see an instantaneous display of a student's work and growth and even ability to reflect.
Given the nature of the course I teach right now, it would be challenging to incorporate the tools we've learned about in this course. My students are just getting into their classrooms so many of them are not yet teaching in the large group setting. This eliminates the ability to use videos yet. But perhaps in the coming semesters as I teach students further in their teaching experiences will these tools find a place in my teacher toolbox. Personally though, I have been sharing a lot more of our family with extended family and friends through posting of videos and pictures and creating slideshows/voicethreads to share. I am not so scared of trying to take on the technology. I used to leave the posting of videos and the uploading of photos to my graphic design/art educator husband because I saw that kind of stuff as stuff that he knew a lot about. Now I feel like I have a better understanding of how it works and don't need to wait for him to make and upload videos of our kids to our YouTube or Facebook pages. Additionally I have found that I am more apt to consider using a technology tool rather than just a paper pencil tool, especially as I prepare to design the curriculum for this summer school course that my husband and I are co-teaching. Middle school kids, and even elementary school kids are going to love this stuff!!! The class has been a great one for me!
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