E2T2+Portfolio+Page+for+Deb+Lehr

=E2T2 Portfolio Page for //Deb Lehr//=

Summary
//This 8th grade novel-writing project was a team effort with my colleague, Jesslyn Hildred. The original idea stemmed from a presentation at the Colorado Young Writer's Conference in Denver in 2010, which introduced us to NANOWRIMO, the National Novel Writing Month website. This was the beginning of a year-long writing adventure with 94 GCMS 8th graders. Craft lessons and drafting began in October. From November 1st to November 30th, students were challenged to complete an entire novel. Students who met their word count goals were given a "winner's code" that gave the students access to a free proof copy of their novels through Createspace.com.// //Students designed their own covers, complete with author biographies, once they finished revising their stories.// //Students formatted their novels for publication, and received paperback copies of their novels within two weeks of submission to the publisher.//

Shared Lessons, Units, and Resources

 * ~ Daily Lessons ||~ Instructional Units ||~ Other Related Resources ||
 * [[file:TRI 2 lesson plan.docx]] || [file:Tri 3 Unit Project.docx || [[file:grade 8 RWC standards.docx]] ||
 * [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/editor/insert_table.gif]] || [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/editor/insert_table.gif]] || [|NaNoWriMo site] ||
 * ||  || [|publishing website] ||

Blog Entries
rss url="http://debralehr.edublogs.org/" link="true" number="10"


 * Student W****ork S****am****ples**[[image:Natalie.JPG width="237" height="183" align="left"]]



Summative Narrative

 * Section 2: Reflective Narrative**

Teachers can be classified into two groups- those who typed their college papers on typewriters and still have dot matrix lesson plans in their file cabinets, and those who grew up on video games and MP3 players. I am part of the first group, and entered this program somewhat anxiously. I was excited for the chance to explore the field of technology in the classroom, and intimidated by how easily all of these 21st century tools were being applied by those sitting around me. Shortly into the program, I began to notice a shift in my thinking and in the way I was approaching new technology. I was diving into new programs like my much-more-tech savvy colleagues. As I navigated new sites, I was no longer afraid that I would bring down the entire network with a single wrong click. I started to explore new programs the same way I observed the kids in my classroom doing it- they weren’t writing extensive notes of how they got from place to place, they simply surfed and remembered what they had done, and showed each other, and asked questions when they were stuck. Who said that today’s students do not have to memorize anymore, because everything can be googled? Students today-even very young ones- can find their way around websites after being shown applications only once. They are quick to collaborate with their classmates, to ask or answer questions, and to show others (even their teacher) how they got there. I was amazed to see what my Tier 2 partially proficient sixth grade readers were able to accomplish in Michelle Vasquez’s class, blogging their way through an extensive team research project in social studies. I am right there with my students now, unafraid to ask one of the kids if there’s something I don’t know, and increasingly confident to help them as my own tech skills grow. For me, this has been the epiphany of this E2T2 process. I can do this! And even when I can’t, it won’t keep me out of the computer lab, because my students will be the facilitators that help us succeed. The book //Reinventing Project-Based Learning// by S. Boss and J. Krauss (2007) is a great teacher resource, as is //Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other Powerful Tools for Classrooms// by W. Richardson (2006). I will definitely look to both of those resources as I begin to rewrite new reading and language arts curriculum this summer. I thought that the time to meet as a class and talk about projects was helpful in showing us new applications and tech tools, but overall, it felt a bit disjointed. I really think I did things backwards, as I worked through the year designing my new units of study before I finished the book. My fault, lack of time, whatever the reason, I feel that what I have applied at this point is marginal compared to where I envision things going next year. In reading about some of the project pitfalls I saw myself, and I wrote “Yes!” in the margins addressing the importance of authentic projects and research, knowing in many ways I’m on the right track. My next steps will be to begin to apply what I’ve learned as I plan out new curriculum maps using the new district outlines for units of study. I think this will be a lot of work, but I do feel fortunate to be able to bring my new tech resources to the planning stages of this process. I hope to work closely with my colleague and my eighth grade team in expanding the use of technology in innovative ways next year.


 * Works Cited:**

Boss, S. and Krauss, J. (2007). //Reinventing project-based learning//, Eugene, OR:International Society for Technology in Education.

Richardson, W. (2006). //Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms//. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Literature Review

 * Section 1: Literature Review of //Reinventing Project-Based Learning//**

I returned to eighth grade this year after a decade teaching sixth and seventh grades. For much of the year I just tried to keep one step ahead of the kids, as I worked to plan and develop new units in both reading and language arts. It has been a very reflective time, as I finish every unit wondering how to improve things next year. //Reinventing Project-Based Learning// will be a go-to text for me in the next year, as I work to bring the district’s new curricula to my classroom. This book is full of useful resources and information for teachers, but I think the sections that will prove most helpful to me in the coming weeks and months are the planning pieces. With our new curriculum being adopted, this is a perfect time to purge the old files, and redesign my units of study to align with 21st century technology standards. I plan to reread chapters 3 through 5 as I plan my first units for next fall. I find myself returning to appendices A and B, to review the essential learning functions and the NETS-S (National Educational Technology Standards for Students) while developing unit plans. The focus on collaboration really appealed to me, as I am fortunate to work with a colleague who also believes in project-based learning. I tagged many passages to share with her when we get together to plan over the summer. I don’t think the book really changed my educational philosophy, as I have always been a believer in project-based learning. What I do think has changed is my view of how I can implement changes to improve on my delivery of instruction. One passage really stood out to me:

//As you shift away from the role of dispenser-of-information and become a true facilitator of student-driven learning, you need to practice new ways of interacting in the classroom//. //Students are growing into new roles, too, and they may need help taking on more responsibility for their own learning.// (Boss and Krauss, 2007, p.114)

This is not a new idea! I have believed this for 30 years, and it shows me that the foundations of educational philosophy do not change, even as we try to navigate through the volume of constantly evolving technological tools whirling around us. My students are much more tech savvy and comfortable with this brave new world than I’ll ever be, but they are still kids who need help learning in the new ways their world requires. It’s not about hoping I can keep up with it all, but how can I take what I know is sound educational pedagogy and bring it to my students in this new format. I think this text helped me see that. With that said, I do feel there are a couple of areas where I could have used more. I felt that there was an underlying assumption that the audience has a strong technology background. For example, on the subject of screencasting, the author suggests:

//To make your screencast accessible to most viewers, publish to Flash. If you primarily show a screen capture, publish to .sws format. If the screencast contains video, publish to .flv format. To minimize file size, publish at 10 frames per second (fps) and a simple sound setting at 11. 025 mono.// (Bono and Krauss, 2007, p. 106)

This is just the type of tech talk that sends a teacher like me running for her poster board and glue. That said the book does address the importance of finding the necessary tech support within one’s school. While I agree this is critical, such support systems are not always available. My own experience has been that it is a weak link in our system. I would have liked have seen models for certain procedures and strategies included. The section on assessment, for example, spoke in rather general terms, lacking specificity as far as direct instruction and project management. To be fair, there were many on-line links for models included, which I have not yet reviewed. As a rule, while interesting to share, I don’t find anecdotes of other teachers’ classroom achievements particularly helpful for planning and teaching in my classroom. I think teachers can become discouraged when they read about a great project, try to replicate it in their classrooms, and it isn’t successful. The authors do stress the importance of remaining flexible and being able to change directions as needed during the project, and I think that’s good advice. I hope that what I have learned will have a positive impact on my students’ learning next year. I have definitely considered what I taught this past year in the context of E2T2 and this text, and have considered what I need to change in the coming year. Specific areas that stood out to me were the discussion of project pitfalls (p. 60-62), asset mapping (p.70-73), and both teacher and student collaboration. As we move forward as a district and adapt new curricula, I think this book will be a much-used resource for me while unit and project planning in both reading and language arts.


 * Works Cited:**

Boss, S. and Krauss, J. (2007). //Reinventing project-based learning//, Eugene, OR:International Society for Technology in Education.

Richardson, W. (2006). //Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms//. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.