A public university recently banned a website, juicycampus.com, from its campus servers. This is similar to what public schools try to do with social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace. There are groups of people who want to cry "Free Speech" at the university and insist that it violates their Constitutional rights.
But where do our rights begin and end? What are our responsibilities as public institutions? The website in question is quite controversial. Students can basically write whatever they want, and they don't have to put their name on it. In fact, when you visit the site, here is the banner at the top of the page:
This is the place to spill the juice about all the crazy stuff going on at your campus. It's totally anonymous - no registration, login, or email verification required.
The posts range from the mild to the XXX. Some posts even have students' names as the subject line. Now I love a good story. I've been known to engage in a little tell-all. But, with verbal gossip, there's accountability there. When it comes out of your mouth, people can see your face. They can repeat it with your name attached. But when you log online, anonymously, it's out there for everyone and there is no accountability.
I think I applaud the Texas school for banning it from their servers. I think that young people need someone to lay down control once and a while for them--they often make decisions that aren't in the best interests for anyone. I'm all about free speech, but students and adults alike have to remember that with that right comes heavy responsibilities. And using this site to shirk those responsibilities is not good.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
You are what you type.
We all grew up knowing that you are what you eat. Everything that you put in your body makes up the magnificent, or otherwise, temple that it is. Likewise, if you are a teacher, you are what you type.
There are a group of North Carolina teachers who are in hot water right now over their Facebook status postings, pictures, and other comments. Basically, they are learning a very hard lesson--what you put out into the world will come back to you ten-fold. Did no one sit these children down and explain to them that you don't even talk about students in the check out line at the Publix, because there may be ears listening to you? Did no one sit them down and tell them to keep their mouths shut?
The answer is, apparently not. In this world of media, our personal thoughts are out there for everyone to see and read. Right now, anyone visiting my Facebook page knows that I'm contemplating the lit review that's hanging over my head. What they won't read is about the more adult activities I might wander into later on this weekend (all of which are perfectly legal, FYI--so stop imagining the worst!). Do I edit myself when I visit my page or even my friends' pages? Of course I do! I'm a public educator. The key word is public. We are public servants and we must set an example for children that is above reproach, for the most part. We do have private lives, but when you post those pictures on the Internet for everyone to see, those lives aren't private anymore.
These young people made some unfortunate decisions. They made their private lives public. They invited people to search for them and read their personal thoughts about their jobs and their lives. But the fact remains, they chose to put those things out there for all to see. I leave school frustrated every now and then (and sometimes more now than then), but I don't vent about my children on my networking sites. I don't call my school "ghetto" or the children I work with "chitlins" (as they chose to, in very poor taste). Nor do I think that these thoughts are anywhere near appropriate for public posting.
It is a hard lesson for young educators to learn. They have to leave the wide open world of college, where just about anything is okay, and come to a society that expects you to be perfect and chaste---or at the very least to not have a life outside of school at all. It is the sacrifice that we make. It isn't easy. It's why I choose to live in another town from where I teach. But it is what we must do.
There are a group of North Carolina teachers who are in hot water right now over their Facebook status postings, pictures, and other comments. Basically, they are learning a very hard lesson--what you put out into the world will come back to you ten-fold. Did no one sit these children down and explain to them that you don't even talk about students in the check out line at the Publix, because there may be ears listening to you? Did no one sit them down and tell them to keep their mouths shut?
The answer is, apparently not. In this world of media, our personal thoughts are out there for everyone to see and read. Right now, anyone visiting my Facebook page knows that I'm contemplating the lit review that's hanging over my head. What they won't read is about the more adult activities I might wander into later on this weekend (all of which are perfectly legal, FYI--so stop imagining the worst!). Do I edit myself when I visit my page or even my friends' pages? Of course I do! I'm a public educator. The key word is public. We are public servants and we must set an example for children that is above reproach, for the most part. We do have private lives, but when you post those pictures on the Internet for everyone to see, those lives aren't private anymore.
These young people made some unfortunate decisions. They made their private lives public. They invited people to search for them and read their personal thoughts about their jobs and their lives. But the fact remains, they chose to put those things out there for all to see. I leave school frustrated every now and then (and sometimes more now than then), but I don't vent about my children on my networking sites. I don't call my school "ghetto" or the children I work with "chitlins" (as they chose to, in very poor taste). Nor do I think that these thoughts are anywhere near appropriate for public posting.
It is a hard lesson for young educators to learn. They have to leave the wide open world of college, where just about anything is okay, and come to a society that expects you to be perfect and chaste---or at the very least to not have a life outside of school at all. It is the sacrifice that we make. It isn't easy. It's why I choose to live in another town from where I teach. But it is what we must do.
Podcasts in Education
I worked with a new tool recently. Podcasts. Sure, I'd heard of them and even subscribed to Robin Meade's for a while--though I never really listened/watched. So I was intrigued at how Podcasts could be used in education.
Basically, a podcast is a series of audio or video digital media files, distributed over the Internet through syndicated download. Students can use programs such as Audacity to create their own audio file, upload it to the internet, and then send it out for public sharing.
What a great way to do book talks! Students can prepare their book talks, and since teens so often don't want to get in front of their classmates, they can get on a computer and create their own podcast to be downloaded. Also, what a great way to record book club conversations. Students can plan out the skeleton of their conversation and then record the meat of the talk. It's a great way to increase accountability.
Podcasts are easy to use. If they're easy for adults, then no doubt students will be able to figure them out with little to no guidance. This is just one more thing for students to run with and showcase their learning.
Basically, a podcast is a series of audio or video digital media files, distributed over the Internet through syndicated download. Students can use programs such as Audacity to create their own audio file, upload it to the internet, and then send it out for public sharing.
What a great way to do book talks! Students can prepare their book talks, and since teens so often don't want to get in front of their classmates, they can get on a computer and create their own podcast to be downloaded. Also, what a great way to record book club conversations. Students can plan out the skeleton of their conversation and then record the meat of the talk. It's a great way to increase accountability.
Podcasts are easy to use. If they're easy for adults, then no doubt students will be able to figure them out with little to no guidance. This is just one more thing for students to run with and showcase their learning.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Creating a Culture of Literacy
What happens to a school when it becomes so immersed in literacy that reading is a part of every child’s every day? What does that school look like?
Studies show that those schools find success in test scores—exit exams, end of course exams, college entrance exams. Studies show that those schools have higher graduation rates. And studies show that those students, those that become lifelong learners and readers, have
more success in their lives and become beneficial contributors to our democratic society.
Creating a culture of literacy is something that we have worked on here at Newberry High School. We have implemented sustained silent reading into our daily schedule. We have used book clubs, not only in English classes, but in human growth and development classes as well.
Teachers are using read-alouds to help students anticipate subject matter and build background knowledge. And the library has become a happening place to be. So what are you doing to help promote this culture we are striving to create? What more can you do?
It’s quite simple. You can promote literacy by using read-alouds in your classroom daily. Use picture books, newspaper articles, essays, or even primary documents to engage students in your lessons before you begin. Offer students time to reflect on reading and learning through a learning log, a journal, or an exit slip. Move away from your text book and make learning more authentic by offering authentic texts for students to sample from. And, lastly, show students what an adult reader looks like. You may be the only one he/she knows.
Studies show that those schools find success in test scores—exit exams, end of course exams, college entrance exams. Studies show that those schools have higher graduation rates. And studies show that those students, those that become lifelong learners and readers, have
more success in their lives and become beneficial contributors to our democratic society.
Creating a culture of literacy is something that we have worked on here at Newberry High School. We have implemented sustained silent reading into our daily schedule. We have used book clubs, not only in English classes, but in human growth and development classes as well.
Teachers are using read-alouds to help students anticipate subject matter and build background knowledge. And the library has become a happening place to be. So what are you doing to help promote this culture we are striving to create? What more can you do?
It’s quite simple. You can promote literacy by using read-alouds in your classroom daily. Use picture books, newspaper articles, essays, or even primary documents to engage students in your lessons before you begin. Offer students time to reflect on reading and learning through a learning log, a journal, or an exit slip. Move away from your text book and make learning more authentic by offering authentic texts for students to sample from. And, lastly, show students what an adult reader looks like. You may be the only one he/she knows.
Book Club Fever
I've caught it. It's highly contagious. And I've got the fever. Book club fever, that is.
Everything that I read and breathe these days deals with book clubs. I'm in the middle of a major review of literature for a grad class, and I am proud to say that I chose something that I can truly enjoy. And I chose something that has widespread ramifications for the high school English class.
Good books demand good talk. Marginalized readers often do not understand how to find a book and a library, even a small classroom library, can seem very daunting. But get kids talking about the last book that they enjoyed and someone will surely step up and say, "I'll give that a try!" Book clubs engage student in that necessary talk.
The more I read and the more I see, the more powerful I realize book clubs are. And I've got the test scores to prove it. Students engaged in authentic book clubs are more likely to have significant gains on Measures of Academic Progress tests. Students grouped by like levels and then given a high-interest appropriate leveled book are even more likely to have significant gains. This shows great promise for our lower-level students. If structured correctly, I believe that they could improve grade levels over the course of just one school year. And that improvement is invaluable.
Everything that I read and breathe these days deals with book clubs. I'm in the middle of a major review of literature for a grad class, and I am proud to say that I chose something that I can truly enjoy. And I chose something that has widespread ramifications for the high school English class.
Good books demand good talk. Marginalized readers often do not understand how to find a book and a library, even a small classroom library, can seem very daunting. But get kids talking about the last book that they enjoyed and someone will surely step up and say, "I'll give that a try!" Book clubs engage student in that necessary talk.
The more I read and the more I see, the more powerful I realize book clubs are. And I've got the test scores to prove it. Students engaged in authentic book clubs are more likely to have significant gains on Measures of Academic Progress tests. Students grouped by like levels and then given a high-interest appropriate leveled book are even more likely to have significant gains. This shows great promise for our lower-level students. If structured correctly, I believe that they could improve grade levels over the course of just one school year. And that improvement is invaluable.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Working Translation Magic
Students who work their way to the higher levels of foreign language classes will find themselves faced with a translation nightmare. They are often handed packets of papers with the expectation that they will walk away with an understanding of the main ideas of the packet.
Many students attack this challenge the best way that they know how--word by word. They read and understand each word as they come to it, but they don't look at the piece as a whole. Each word has it's own meaning, but doesn't necessarily contribute to the overall meaning of the piece. The task is to understand the words first, and put meaning to them later.
I imagine this is not so different from the way that a struggling reader attacks a difficult piece of literature. Or that some of our AP students go about reading their AP assignments. They all become struggling readers at some point, no matter their age or reading ability level. We have to remind them to use context clues, connotations, and the basic vocabulary that they do know in order to figure out the rest.
This was my task in an advanced Spanish class. Filled with honors level students, they weren't used to struggling with reading and I heard more than one willingly give up the fight. The Spanish teacher came to me after a recent assessment and wanted my help figuring it all out. I took an old reading strategy that I'd had some success with, and revamped it to guide the students through the piece. And it worked. It worked well. The students used for boxes to organize their knowledge: 1) what they know for sure; 2) what they are still unsure of; 3) what assumptions or inferences they can make based on their knowledge; and 4) what words they have figured out by piecing the puzzle together. Of course this new strategy was heavily scaffolded. We did several paragraphs together--filling in the boxes and then writing a 2-3 sentence translation of the paragraph. Then I let them go just a little bit. They did the boxes on their own and we shared. Then they wrote their translations based on the combined knowledge. Finally, they were on their own to do the last two paragraphs. The teacher was thrilled at the results and the kids really understood the art of skipping words you don't know and using context clues to create meaning from the piece.
I imagine that this could be used with any "translating" that students are being asked to do. Remember, we ask our marginalized learners to translate every day that they enter our classrooms. We ask them to internalize our particular vocabulary and be able to use it effectively. And we forget that there are 7 other teachers doing the exact same thing.
Click here to visit my literacy page and see a copy of "Say Something" for the translation exercise.
Many students attack this challenge the best way that they know how--word by word. They read and understand each word as they come to it, but they don't look at the piece as a whole. Each word has it's own meaning, but doesn't necessarily contribute to the overall meaning of the piece. The task is to understand the words first, and put meaning to them later.
I imagine this is not so different from the way that a struggling reader attacks a difficult piece of literature. Or that some of our AP students go about reading their AP assignments. They all become struggling readers at some point, no matter their age or reading ability level. We have to remind them to use context clues, connotations, and the basic vocabulary that they do know in order to figure out the rest.
This was my task in an advanced Spanish class. Filled with honors level students, they weren't used to struggling with reading and I heard more than one willingly give up the fight. The Spanish teacher came to me after a recent assessment and wanted my help figuring it all out. I took an old reading strategy that I'd had some success with, and revamped it to guide the students through the piece. And it worked. It worked well. The students used for boxes to organize their knowledge: 1) what they know for sure; 2) what they are still unsure of; 3) what assumptions or inferences they can make based on their knowledge; and 4) what words they have figured out by piecing the puzzle together. Of course this new strategy was heavily scaffolded. We did several paragraphs together--filling in the boxes and then writing a 2-3 sentence translation of the paragraph. Then I let them go just a little bit. They did the boxes on their own and we shared. Then they wrote their translations based on the combined knowledge. Finally, they were on their own to do the last two paragraphs. The teacher was thrilled at the results and the kids really understood the art of skipping words you don't know and using context clues to create meaning from the piece.
I imagine that this could be used with any "translating" that students are being asked to do. Remember, we ask our marginalized learners to translate every day that they enter our classrooms. We ask them to internalize our particular vocabulary and be able to use it effectively. And we forget that there are 7 other teachers doing the exact same thing.
Click here to visit my literacy page and see a copy of "Say Something" for the translation exercise.
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