sometimes a shining moment

Twitter Reprise . . .

2010-05-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

I deactivated my first Twitter account--under the name ellyn32--for a couple of reasons. My new account is ellyn007--and I am now following fewer people, mostly educators and news people, but enjoying my reads much more than I did previously. There's an addictive tug in the Twittersphere; it's just so easy to grab my phone and spend a few minutes catching up with whatever is out there at the moment. But I do not take Twitter anywhere near as seriously as some people who post dozens and dozens of posts each day, even when they should be working. I am particularly puzzled by the teachers and administrators who have the time to lay on their re-tweet key.

We'll see how it goes this time around.

Essay #1 Assignment

2010-01-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

Eng. 105
Univ. of Miami
Margaret Haun, Ph.D.

Paper #1
1st draft due on 2/2; 2nd draft due on 2/4 for peer review/conferences
Final Paper due on 2/11

In 750-800 words, discuss what you think are the chief ideas/concepts/contributions in the Tannen article, “The Roots of Debate.” If you want to disagree with her, please do so—but your challenge, if you mount one, must be made explicit in your introductory paragraph. Note, though, that you are not required to disagree with Tannen; this prompt asks only that you explore her main points and make them clear to your audience—in this case, me, a reader familiar with Tannen’s essay. Do not simply rehash her main points. (For example, Tannen first says this; then she says this, and then she says . . .) I am looking for your understanding of her essay as you make that understanding apparent in your analysis/exploration of her ideas.

You may, of course, quote from the essay as you develop your response to the prompt, but please do so sparingly. Long quotes always give the impression that you have not fully understood the text and are relying on the primary source or focus essay/article to do your work for you.

Drafts and final paper must be typed. Follow the MLA format—see the handout at the end of the course syllabus. For additional information on the MLA format, including examples of how to quote, paraphrase and summarize the Tannen essay, please consult the Purdue OWL site listed on my blog (margarethaun.blogspot.com) or go to the website for the University of Miami Writing Center: www.as.miami.edu/writingcenter.

Eng. 105 Assignment #1: Introduction Narrative

2010-01-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

For Thursday, 1/21:

2 1/2 minute presentation on your class partner

Typed/MLA format (Use sample distributed in class--last page of the syllabus.) Bring 2 typed copies of your paper to class.

Do your best to include all of the information derived from your interview. Put into a form that is both logical and interesting. Try not to begin with "My partner's name is __________.

Look forward to seeing you tomorrow night!

MLA Online Formatting Source

2010-01-19T07:09:00.000-08:00

This is an excellent site:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Link to the OWL site appears below in Great Links--

Rally for Caroline Lewis: TERRIFIC TURNOUT!!

2010-01-16T09:25:00.000-08:00

We estimate that approximately 150 people showed this morning to rally for quality educational programs and Caroline Lewis, former Director of Education at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami. Signs were creative--and colorful: UNFAIR-Child, Honk for Caroline!, Greer Must Go!, New Board at Fairchild, Save the Fairchild Challenge!, Quality Must Mean Something!, etc. Let's see what the next step is. There is a Board meeting coming up at the Garden. We are trying to increase teacher membership so that we can present a stronger front. It seems to be all about dollars.

What Twitter Cannot Do

2009-10-31T19:54:00.000-07:00

Twitter is an amazing tool, no argument. I've been on the site for about a year now and, frankly, some days it feels addictive.

But Twitter is not the solution to teachers' professional development challenges--and it is not going to reform education. Some of the educators I "follow" are making the most outrageous claims about its transformative power and about the importance of what self-proclaimed educator-leaders post in 140 characters or less! "Everything you tweet is so memorable and important . . . keep doing what you're doing," one woman gushed about a school technologist in NC. He has apparently accepted the mantle of Messiah and recently dedicated post #10,000--yes, ten thousand!--to his followers (or . . . um, disciples, perhaps?). Another teacher said he has learned more on Twitter in the 2 months he's been on it than he did in two years of graduate school. Wonder where he went to school??

I suggest that we slow down, curb our enthusiasm, and begin to check the evidence. At MAST, there are 2 people out of 43 professional staff members on Twitter. Hmm . . . not even 10%, hardly a tidal wave. I have seen nothing to indicate that even 10% of the teachers in MDCPS--the 4th largest school district in the US-- are on Twitter. In fact, I have seen nothing that suggests that 10% of the educators of any district have joined the 140-character brigade. Change the face of teaching? Transform professional development?

For many of the educators on Twitter, RT blasts hold the promise of a radically changed educational landscape. I don't think so. It's a terrific tool and good fun, but meaningful changes to US schooling will require more than a mountain of RTs.

Good-bye, Chaucer!

2009-10-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

Long time since the last post. Guess the summer teaching gig fatigued me more than I was aware. We are about to end the first quarter. It's been good, but not great. Haven't found the right place to be in the English course. Reworking the course now so that it includes fewer older writers. I am also moving away from the chronological survey. I am organizing the course into thematic modules: Literature of Initiation, the Immigrant Experience (not trying to suggest that there is one experience), Literature of War, Conversion Narratives. This last one is what excites me most--because it gives me a great excuse to teach Tolstoi!

Change and challenge are good. We'll be fine. Thanks for visiting!

Note from the Island Paradise

2009-07-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

Science teacher no more. Back in the saddle again and headed toward more comfortable terrain of literature and film.

Still see this summer of heavy duty teaching as a very mixed bag--enjoyed the kids, my colleagues, and meeting new parents. But the schedule was debilitating, and diminishing returns kicked in early on for all of us. No planning day up front, no planning time during the school day (not a single hour), no time at the end to prepare Pass/Fail report, little support (and sometimes hostility) from support people--and all of this for 1/2 daily rate.

Most of us who taught this summer say we will not do it again.

Final Week, and then . . . Science Teacher No More

2009-07-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

Looking ahead, there's is much to do this week. But, first, where have we been?

So far, the kids have set up their blogs, thrown seine nets to collect marine life from Biscayne Bay (identifications came afterwards), written about the flora and fauna of Virginia Key, completed a daunting APA formatting challenge, read and discussed Plato's anti-empirical argument in The Allegory of the Cave, Stephen J. Gould on Darwin, Thomas Kuhn on paradigm shifts in the sciences, and taken about a third of a practice PSAT.

We will wrap up this week by finishing what we started with the PSAT (with a focus on why particular responses are better than others). We will attend a presentation on "technology on the cutting edge," watch and cheer as the engineering classes launch their team-made vessels, and dance until we can dance no more at Friday's cotillion.

Math and engineering teachers have exposed students to a great deal as well. If you consider what has gone on in all three areas, you cannot help but be impressed by the rigor and variety of the summer program at MAST Academy.

We have put in place the kind of summer program for which private schools charge thousands of dollars. This is indeed quality public education.

Week Two (in which the kids hit the water and wrestle with APA!)

2009-07-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

Good day today with my students in the science course. We spent most of the time trying to get their blogs set up correctly. A few of them had time to begin an APA assignment that requires them to format 15 citations, from non-standard software to photos found online. they will use this info in PowerPoint presentations created for their Engineering and Design course.

I am out of the building at a meeting on a new teacher evaluation system for the next three days. A bit nervous about that as I feel that we have begun to hit a stride.

One Week Down . . . or Up, Perhaps?

2009-07-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

Week One bumped to a close yesterday. Still think the kids are terrific, although because I am not accustomed to teaching the younger students, I am still adjusting to how many times I have to repeat myself--and how many times I have to quiet them down. As a whole, they are talented--and very funny!

One of the unexpected dividends of the structure of our summer program is working in such close proximity to Dr. Hood--a REAL science teacher. (I am the interloper.) We've known each other for years but have never had the opportunity to watch one another teach. She is extremely knowledgeable but has no need to posture as way to convince our kids how much she knows. Julie is not looking for a "following," but she already has one. She just knows her "stuff" and the kids know she knows it. She's sincere, mellow, funny, and interested in the well-being of the kids, who are learning a great deal. So am I!

Darwin via Stephen Jay Gould

2009-07-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Reading and discussing Gould's essay, Darwin's Middle Road, tomorrow. Gould, who was an evolutionary biologist, is a powerful writer whose arguments seem to form quite effortlessly. His point in this piece is that Darwin combined inductivism and "eureka-ism" to great effect--the theory of evolution. To read this essay from The Panda's Thumb is to understand one of the greatest ironies in modern science: Darwin's great contribution to science was the result of close observation, yes--but also wide reading in economics, theology, and moral philosophy.

Tomorrow's Only Day Three?

2009-07-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

Good Gawd. How fatiguing!

Fish Out of Water: Looking Toward Day 2

2009-07-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well, Day One went better than I expected, although I fell into lecture without intending to do so. Gotta watch that.

The kids are terrific and many showed some genuine interest in Plato's anti-empiricist rant in the Allegory. They will read the piece tonight, generate questions on it tomorrow, and discuss it in a Harkness circle. The kids will also write their first journal entry tomorrow when they reflect on Plato's positioning vis-a-vis The Truth. Then it is on to Jacob Bronowski Wednesday.

Teaching for four hours straight in the summer is . . . challenging. I imagine that from the perspective of the students it is even more of a trial.

Onward!

First Time for Everything

2009-07-05T20:01:00.001-07:00

I will enter the science classroom tomorrow to begin a 3-week stint discussing the scientific method, reading essays on the history of science, teaching the APA style sheet as a way to document sources in science writing, and working with about 60 students on a field guide to the flora and fauna of Virginia Key. It all sounds a bit daunting to me (particularly this last component) . . . but, hey, I am game! Remains to be seen how this literature and film teacher of 31 years is going to do in a foreign sphere. More later.

A Turning Point for U.S. Education?

2009-07-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

I highly recommend this short article by Newsweek's Jonathan Alter:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/200896. He makes the point--and a good one it is, in my view--that we have a critical choice to make in teacher training and evaluation and the spending of stimulus dollars. Do we continue with the status quo, funding public education evenly in spite of spotty or highly unreliable data on teacher quality, or do we venture into unchartered terrain, challenge the tired curricula of schools of education and focus on TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS?

Twitter to Blog, Blog to Twitter

2009-07-02T05:42:00.001-07:00

Posting URL to the blog on Twitter today. Will be interesting to read comments, if any result!

Education and Social Media

2009-04-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

We are living through an epistemological revolution as the various social media provide new and exciting avenues to learning and sharing knowledge. College and university course syllabi reflect this seismic shift in education. Twitter, Facebook, Diigo, and the full arsenal of Web2.0 tools have become far more than learning peripherals. It remains to be seen, though, how the public schools will respond to the opportunities and challenges of these new online tools. Who will carry the day? Will it be the directionless IT divisions that continue to block social media tools in the interests of adolescent safety and network security--or will it be the more inventive districts that promote online resources in a way that encourages both experimentation and protects the interests of young people?

test from iPhone

2009-04-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

Module Six: Planning for Student Success

2008-11-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

This module has helped me to think about self-directed learners and the role of differentiation in the following ways:

I need to be more inclusive both in terms of self-direction opportunities and accommodating a wider range of approaches to learning.

Module Five: Assessing Student Progress

2008-10-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

This module has prompted me to think about student-centered assessment in the following ways:

Involving students in the assessment process--from the creation of rubrics to peer reviews--will add weeks to my initial estimate of three weeks . . .

And if I involve them in creating rubrics, I must involve them in creating the unit--and if I involve them in creating the unit, I must give them the latitude to decide the configuration of the unit, and ultimately let them decide what we study. I see, ultimately, a non-directivist classroom.

Wow . . . I've come a long way baby.

Module Four Reflection

2008-10-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

Technology most effectively supports student learning when it provides an opportunity for learners to showcase both their technical expertise and their knowledge of subject--in this case, Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice as text and film. Finding the balance between technical skill and a deeper knowledge of subject is not always easy. We have all seen situations develop in a classroom or professional setting where technical skill far outstrips content knowledge. The products that result from this imbalance may look terrific but they are most often lacking in any kind of depth or analytical sophistication. When the skewing is in the direction of knowledge of subject over technical skill, the product often shows little understanding of design principles. In my own work and in that of my students I want to see that necessary balance.

Module Three Reflection

2008-10-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

Monitoring group work is always a challenge. Working with my colleagues to identify ways to keep students focused and on task was both a lot of fun and useful.

I am also more aware of the some of the organizational challenges my students face as they attempt to organize their online resources for class projects in both Film Studies and English. These activities have also made me more aware of appropriate online use constraints.

I really do look forward to developing my Merchant of Venice unit plan.

2008-10-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

Second Day: Intel

2008-09-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

This module has helped me think about using standards and formative assessments in the following ways:

Focusing my teaching to give students a chance to reflect on less content

Using more formative assessments as a way to give students a better range of ways to foreground their understanding of the task at hand

First Day: Intel

2008-09-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

A hectic but productive day that has required me to stretch a bit on a new platform. It will get easier . . .

This module has made me think about my role as an instructional designer in the following ways:

I have technology challenges that I thought I left behind years ago--

It is much easier to think about my students' learning and my course components in increments shorter than an entire unit plan!

My teaching is digressive and I have to leave room for this in the unit plan on Shakespeare.

The First Day of Summer School 2008

2008-07-01T06:42:00.000-07:00

So, I am sitting here as Tom talks about how to set up a blog. Some of the internship kids are already posting--and it has been a fascinating read. What is happening with a number of these students is that they are finding themselves being taken seriously in the outside world for the first time. One student who is interning at The Miami Herald has discovered that people "hop to" when she phones and identifies herself as a reporter for a big city paper. Another student is finding reservoirs of energy and physical strength as she tackles the challenges of boot camp. Other students will write from locations throughout the world. This promises to be an amazing summer in terms of my access to the kids' reflections on their learning.