Saturday, August 1, 2009

Back to blogging

It's been awhile for me between finishing my thesis for my Master's program and other life events; however, I'm ready to begin again. My goal for this school year is to incorporate authentic 21st century literacy into all my classes. I know that this involves more than just using technology, so I am working on my plans for the school year with the intention of helping my students utilize technology to demonstrate their learning and to connect with others. I like how NCTE's Inbox blog paraphrases Kathleen Yancey stating "21st century writers write in order to take action, to make a connection." I look forward to challenging myself to make education more relevant to my students and to help them build skills they will use both in and out of school.

Some things that I plan to implement include:
  • students using blogs or Google applications to share personal writing - especially book reviews to help other students find interesting reads.
  • continuing my website to keep parents informed on what is happening in class.
  • encouraging students to view and respond to blogs from bloggers who are writing about their experiences in places across the globe.
  • working with students on their literacy skills in the areas of visual and technological literacy.
  • projects where students work together for authentic purposes of their choice

I'm looking forward to an exciting year!

1 comment:

Jack said...

Hi A.M.,

I run a website called Brainyflix. We host Vocab Contests sponsored by MIT & Salesforce as a public service project to build a free & fun resource to help teens prep for the SAT & ACT. I am trying to get the word out any way I can and am hoping this is something your readers would be interested in.

We are currently running our Brainypics flashcard contest, in which students create interesting sentences and pair them up with memorable pictures as a visual cue. Between now and Dec. 7, we'll be selecting 5 Brainypics each week which will qualify for our Grand Prize of $200. We are also giving out iTunes songs for every 5 Brainypics created and gift cards to the runner ups of the finale. Full details here: http://brainyflix.com/main/contest_rules.

I can send you something pre-written if you would like. Please let me know either way at jack@brainyflix.com.

Thanks,
Jack