tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62106485637082647262024-03-13T21:15:26.605-06:00Strzyz's Teaching and Learning BlogReflections from my classroom experience and my efforts to educate the students of the 21st centuryA.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-81685999140085499212009-11-04T20:17:00.002-07:002009-11-04T20:28:08.632-07:00Google DocsMy students are currently working on a research presentation assignment. My initial purpose behind the assignment was to have students research current governments that oppress their citizens. We finished reading Animal Farm, and discussed many themes related to the corruption of power and tyranny's distortion of language and history. I wanted my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">students</span> to realize that these <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">occurrences</span> did not just happen under Stalin's rule and in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">the</span> past. So, students were assigned various countries that have issues with human rights and were instructed to work in small groups (2-3 students) to create a PowerPoint presentation on their research. They became engaged with the research quickly as many are not aware of international news; <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">however</span>, I was most surprised when <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">students</span> became excited about collaborating via <a href="http://www.docs.google.com/">Google Docs</a>. They used the PowerPoint feature and were able to see immediate changes in slides of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">students</span> who were working in their groups. They also were able to work more easily at home without issues of saving or emailing the document. It was nice to see technology again increase investment in an assignment.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-2812081951409549022009-10-27T19:10:00.003-06:002009-10-27T19:15:22.469-06:00Great Online ResourceThis year I'm working as my building's Individual Literacy Plan (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">ILP</span>) and Response to Intervention (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">RtI</span>) coordinator. I have found the most challenging part of this is to have resources available to teachers, especially in terms of reading comprehension. I found this site from <a href="http://www.muskingum.edu/~cal/database/general/reading.html"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Muskingum</span> College's Center for Advancement and Learning</a>. There are some excellent resources for content area and language arts teachersA.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-71806412795667258982009-10-17T14:30:00.002-06:002009-10-17T14:34:43.545-06:00Creating Awareness through Literature CirclesI'm currently working on a unit based on middle eastern non-fiction to use with my 9<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> grade honors class. I was inspired by the books <em>Three Cups of Tea</em> and <em>Reading Lolita in Tehran.</em> My students have varying knowledge about this part of the world, and I feel it is part of my responsibility to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">acquaint</span> my students with issues in this region that go beyond the politics that many might see on the news. Any suggestions on titles would be appreciated. In addition to the books that inspired me, I'm currently looking at <em>The Bookseller of Kabul</em>, and <em>Baghdad Burning</em>. I would also like to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">utilize</span> the graphic novel <em>The Pride of Baghdad</em>.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-65602402661428635002009-10-15T16:37:00.001-06:002009-10-17T14:30:19.257-06:00Reviewing the 20 books in a yearAfter our first quarter, I have run into a few problems with my <a href="http://strzyz.blogspot.com/2009/08/planning-for-this-coming-school-year-20.html">20 books in a year</a> I have encountered a few joys and challenges. Several students still claim that this assignment is impossible; however, all have made an effort to read. It took about a month for some students to get over the fact that reading was their homework and that they would not have other nightly homework in exchange for this challenging assignment. I would hear students in the hallways stating that they didn't have any homework for English. It was funny when another student would reply with a sarcastic comment about that is why they didn't have more than one book read yet.<br /><br />The projects that go along with this assignment have gone well. I have allowed students to choose their project which is approved after they write a proposal to me. They enjoy the choice around the projects, and I have enjoyed the variety of assignments I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">receive</span>.<br /><br />The big change I am going to make in terms of this assignment is more of a weekly responsibility. I have checked in verbally with some students; however that does not seem to be adequate. I will start a simple 3-5 question survey each week based on some of the work that <a href="http://www.englishcompanion.com/">Jim Burke</a> has published. It is my hope that this weekly accountability will help motivate some students to not wait until the last week to read, but to keep a steady pace in their readings. In addition to this, I will work with peer conferences on books so that they can share their reading with each other more. I have been proud to see some students talking about the books that they have read with their peers, and I think this more frequent book talk will help promote some book to other students.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-30060201502249516272009-08-04T14:10:00.004-06:002009-08-04T14:36:21.992-06:00Planning for this coming school year - 20 books in a yearAn <a href="http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/EJ/0982-nov08/EJ0982Twenty.pdf">English Journal article </a>by Amanda <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Stovall</span> (Nov 08 edition) accounts the step she took to increase the amount of reading students do and decrease the other homework that she assigned. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Stovall's</span> plan was to have students read 20 books in the year, create projects for each book. As a result, the students had no other homework.<br /><br /><br /><br />After a few years of struggling with how to ensure that my homework assignments were beneficial and yet challenging, I found this concept to be an exciting one. So, I am implementing it this school year with my 9th regular English class.<br /><br /><br /><br />I am excited about this because I find that reading benefits students in so many ways beyond just reading skills. Among other things, it helps students write better, think more critically, see points of view beyond their own, and connect with other readers. The creative project aspect is a bonus to this as it will allow my students a chance to share their books with others in class and beyond.<br /><br /><br /><br />My students will not be completely free of other homework as I will still assign tests and quizzes that they will need to study/practice for. However, I will be working on keeping writing assignments as in-class work. I have done this in most cases in previous years and have enjoyed being present to work with individual students during all stages of their writing.<br /><br /><br /><br />While I will still have books that I assign to the whole class (which will count in this total), students will have a choice of the other books. My biggest hope for doing this is to create students who enjoy reading. With their number of choice reading books increasing greatly this school year, I hope they find a few books, genres, authors, or topics that they connect with. I know my challenge will be to not only read 20 books with them, but to also be a better reference/reading embassador for students who are reluctant readers and think they will hate every book.<br /><br /><br /><br />I look forward to reading with my students, seeing what they love to read, and seeing what projects they develop to share books with their classmates and the world.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-81198130890112649782009-08-01T14:41:00.003-06:002009-08-01T15:22:27.981-06:00Back to bloggingIt'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 <a href="http://ncteinbox.blogspot.com/2009/07/writing-for-now-declaring-audience.html"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">NCTE's</span> Inbox blog paraphrases <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kathleen</span> Yancey </a>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.<br /><br />Some things that I plan to implement include:<br /><ul><li>students using blogs or Google applications to share personal writing - especially book reviews to help other students find interesting reads.</li><li>continuing my website to keep parents informed on what is happening in class.</li><li>encouraging students to view and respond to blogs from bloggers who are writing about their experiences in places across the globe.</li><li>working with students on their literacy skills in the areas of visual and technological literacy.</li><li>projects where students work together for authentic purposes of their choice</li></ul><p>I'm looking forward to an exciting year!</p>A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-20141887059291973402008-09-21T12:39:00.002-06:002008-09-21T12:47:51.705-06:00Google DocsI've heard recently that student (especially males) like to write more when it is on the computer. I decided to test this theory by going beyond just the standard word processing. A few weeks ago, I introduced my students to <a href="https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=writely&passive=true&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2F&ltmpl=WR_tmp_2_lfty&nui=1&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-google&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=google%20excel"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">google</span> docs</a>, a free website (part of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">google</span>.com) that allows users to create documents and share them with others to view, edit, or comment on. I was interested when my students jumped right on. Many even used the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">opportunity</span> to ask me for feedback prior to turning in a final draft. This was something that I had always encouraged, but rarely saw my offer utilized. And while it is too early to see if their writing skills (quality and quantity) increased, but I have enjoyed having a few less papers to carry back and forth.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-49351084364974935312008-03-07T20:39:00.003-07:002008-03-07T20:52:15.691-07:00Reflections -- 2008 CLAS conferenceThis year's conference theme is "Literacy Now" and, appropriately, the icons that are on the program and tickets feature rockets. Here are a few reflections on what ideas have "launched" me into inspiration for my classroom. I hope to expand on a few soon...<br /><br /><ol><li><a href="http://www.tatteredcover.com/NASApp/store/Search?s=results&initiate=yes&fromauthor=yes&author=5662546">Ralph Fletcher</a> - His humorous presentation last night focused mostly on boys and writing and some of the little things that educators can do to help shrink the gap. Choice, humor, and violence (to a point) were the three main allowances that we can provide our male writers in our classroom</li><li><a href="http://www.tatteredcover.com/NASApp/store/Search?s=results&initiate=yes&fromauthor=yes&author=4522421">Dan and Dawn Kirby -</a> Their humorous presentation (it is so nice to laugh!) showed me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel if writer's workshop doesn't seem like the only "good" way to teach writing. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Their</span> discussion of memoir in a studio format was enlightening.</li><li><a href="http://books.google.com/books?as_auth=Nikki+Giovanni&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=author-navigational&hl=en">Nikki Giovanni</a> -inspired her packed audience with her humor (yep...lots of laughing there too), poetry, and the story of Rosa Parks</li><li>Technology - I focused two of my breakout sessions on technology and received great ideas on how to use web 2.0 in my class</li><li>writing - I learned about brain gyms and how some simple, short exercises could help students get over the fear of writing or the dreaded writer's block.</li></ol><p>Tomorrow...Leonard Pitts, Katie Wood Ray, and more inspiration.</p>A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-44263820409390499582008-03-01T20:30:00.002-07:002008-03-07T20:39:14.460-07:00My venture into podcasts in the classroomI am getting ready to assign my students a podcast for their project on the independent reading books that they are about to finish.<br /><br /><br /><br />This is a new frontier for me, but I have found a couple good sources:<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.learninginhand.com/podcasting/">http://www.learninginhand.com/podcasting/</a><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech238.shtml">http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech238.shtml</a><br /></p><br /><br />If there are more sources that anyone has used, please comment with a link. I'm needing as many options as possible.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-5379891400912718332008-02-27T20:22:00.003-07:002008-03-07T20:30:00.099-07:00February Slump and Spring ResolutionsI'm still wondering if there is a good reason why I hit a Feb. teaching slump each year. It is not too far after winter break to feel burnt out...but every year it hits. I'm out of it now with the help of thoughts of spring and all that means to me. In a short time, I'll be off to the annual spring conference of <a href="http://www.clas.us/">CLAS</a>. That always seems to lighten my spirits. Sharing and absorbing classroom ideas always makes me glad that I chose this career path.<br /><br />Since I feel like this is my new year...I think it is time to make resolutions. I do this at the beginning of every school year, but I have never done this mid-way through. Here are my goals for the remainder of the year.<br /><br /><ol><li>spend more time on my thesis...if I'm ever going to finish grad school, I have to get in gear</li><li>write more regularly on my blog...this may be a good venue for exploring my thoughts and questions for my thesis</li><li>conintue experiementing with technology in the classroom... I have the ideas of a blog for Romeo and Juliet and a podcast assignment for independent reading novels.</li><li>read blogs more regularly...there are so many ideas and exchanges that can keep me refreshed through the rest of the year</li></ol><p></p>A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-15615833544665559182007-11-15T16:53:00.001-07:002008-03-07T20:13:31.033-07:00Professional WritingOne of the most thought provoking session for <a href="http://www.nwp.org/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NWP's</span> annual meeting</a> involved looking at professional writing and publishing. It got me thinking about how <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">many</span> ideas teachers have that are not shared. Now that blogging has gained more popularity with educators, there is more publishing; however, few teachers (including me) feel confident enough to write professional articles for various publications just as the <a href="http://www.ncte.org/pubs/journals/ej">English Journal</a>. Imagine if more teachers went <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">beyond</span> thinking that their ideas were not worth sharing and began to write and submit their writing to publication. Blogging is still new to many teachers - maybe this is a good way to introduce yourself to taking another road to publishing.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-57766371472512426482007-11-14T15:26:00.000-07:002007-11-18T17:02:24.871-07:00Heading to NYC!I am looking forward to my trip to New York for the <a href="http://www.nwp.org/">National Writing Project's annual meeting </a>and the <a href="http://www.ncte.org/">National Council of Teachers of English </a>annual convention. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NWP's</span> conference will aid me and my fellow site members in further improving <a href="http://www.unco.edu/hss/rmwp/">our site </a>so that more teachers can benefit from the professional development, research, and programs we provide. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">NCTE's</span> focus is on <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">literacy's</span> of the 21st century. Since my goal for this school year is to provide my students with authentic writing activities that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">utilize</span> technology, I look forward to many new ideasA.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-37493133286490680622007-11-08T10:16:00.000-07:002007-11-18T17:01:16.538-07:00Audience awarenessI <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">just</span> read <a href="http://dhogue.edublogs.org/2007/10/24/why-blogs-are-good-tools-for-an-english-class/">this post</a> by Dawn <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Hogue</span> on <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">the</span> benefits of blogging in English class. I have heard many complaints about technology and how it is ruining literacy. I am sure that is the case in a few instances; however, the majority seem to be thriving. Dawn's class writing was described as "prolific" and I have seen this with students on their class wiki. While their wiki has been a bit disjointed, students are starting to link their comments to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">others</span> and rearrange <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">information</span> on the pages to make sense. So, not only have I seen an increase on the ideas and details in their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">writing</span>, but I am also starting to see a more attentive look at organization.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-20199803946879323762007-11-01T13:51:00.000-06:002007-11-18T17:02:05.420-07:00Multigenre Identity UnitMy ninth grade class is currently working on a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">multi genre</span> identity unit. They have been excited with all the choices involved and have produced some <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">inspiring</span> written work. One aspect is the literature circles with young adult novels. Their novel choices were: <a href="http://www.harcourtbooks.com/bookcatalogs/bookpages/9780152062651.asp">Buried Onions by Gary Soto,</a> <a href="http://www.benmikaelsen.com/books_touchingspiritbear.htm">Touching Spirit Bear by Ben <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Mikaelsen</span></a>, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=zB4zAAAACAAJ&dq=inauthor:Stanley+inauthor:Gordon+inauthor:West">Growing an Inch by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Stanely</span> Gordon West</a>, <a href="http://julieannepeters.com/files/JPYABooks.htm#YANormal">Define Normal by Julie Ann Peters</a>, and <a href="http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0060280778.asp">Monster by Walter Dean Myers</a>. Some students had experience with <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">literature</span> circles prior to this, but for many this is a new adventure. I'll be reflecting more on this as the unit continues. In addition to reading a novel, students are being exposed to a variety of written genre including poetry, news articles, a movie, and even a Dr Seuss book (they hadn't had story time in so long...it was great to see their excitement). Part of the unit is the creation of their own <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">multi genre</span> identity project. They have begun to write poems and dialogs, and in a week, we will venture online to add in a Google my map of places that are important to them. I am enjoying watching them view mentor texts and then apply <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">writing</span> skills to their own pieces. Their personalities are already showing...some poetry and dialog has been hysterical!A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-90541382317317432602007-10-29T12:21:00.000-06:002007-11-18T17:02:39.110-07:00So many wikis!Since my goal this school year is to incorporate much more technology into my classroom, I've been doing quite a bit of exploring online. I found <a href="http://ubdeducators.wikispaces.com/English">this site</a> which is a wiki full of great units from other English teachers. There is also other subjects included as we as many links. What else is out there?A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-61425989947723291222007-10-24T11:40:00.000-06:002007-11-18T17:02:51.031-07:00Schools and online collaboration<a href="http://louann-multiliteracies.blogspot.com/2007/09/major-mindset-shift-needed-in-schools.html">This post</a> by Louann Reid leads to <a href="http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7304">an article</a> that shows how many schools are still reluctant to utilize the online social networking in an educational venue. Since the vandalism on my wiki last week caused some strong reactions, I was concerned that I would not be able to utilize the wiki. However, my administration proved to be the exception to what the article states is the rule. My students are beginning their online collaboration journey again, and when I let them know about the<a href="http://strzyzgreatexpectations2007.pbwiki.com/"> new wiki</a> they were elated. They have ownership and investment and acted like cheerleaders to others about posting intelligent information and making their site amazing. I'm looking forward to the outcome of their work.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-68932164421217754782007-10-21T16:41:00.000-06:002007-11-18T17:03:06.953-07:00New LessonOn Thursday I introduced my students to their new wiki for the novel unit <em>Great Expectations</em>. The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">excitement</span> that was traveling through the computer lab was amazing and inspirational. I noticed a few students who had not engaged in the class much this year become filled with motivation. I left school that day thinking how it was one of my best days of teaching.<br /><br />Then, at nine that night, my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">principal</span> called. He had just received a phone call from a parent who said that someone had put some racial and sexual comments on the wiki and signed her son's name to it. I closed off the site to public viewing and changed the password right away. I was crushed. I had taken all kinds of precautions to protect the safety of my students, and then someone in my class (or who someone who got the password from someone in my class) caused another student harm.<br /><br />The next day in school students were talking in halls and many were as upset as I was. I spent the day working with my administrative staff looking at the histories of editing and listening to some students who had information on who might have committed the act.<br /><br />I was upset all day and thought how I had learned a tough lesson about trusting my students. Then I started thinking more. By the time I had gotten to the website after my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">principal's</span> call the night before, a few students had already "cleaned up" the site. As my students were talking about the vandalism they were demonstrating ownership of the site and let me know that they still wanted work with it.<br /><br />I will have the site up again as soon as we upgrade to add more access control. One thing that my students were excited about was that their wiki could be read by many people around the world - I do not want one or two students to ruin that authentic writing opportunity for the rest.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-39037572869836106612007-10-15T14:35:00.000-06:002007-11-18T17:03:21.085-07:00A classroom experimentTomorrow I will venture into the world of using a wiki in my classroom. I've been excited as I set up my wiki and thought of assignments to incorporate. My students will be introduced to this tomorrow as we start <em>Great Expectations</em>. With patience and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">perseverance</span>, we will figure this new frontier together. I hope that students enjoy the authentic writing that is involved and that they utilize the wiki as a study guide and a resource for their analysis of the novel. Please have a look <a href="http://strzyzgreatexpectations.pbwiki.com/">at our site </a>. I wanted to extend a special thanks to Dana Huff, whose <a href="http://www.huffenglish.com/?p=312">blog post</a> insipred this. Also another thanks to <a href="http://britishromanticism.wikispaces.com/#tochome4">Mr. Bariexca's class wiki</a>A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-40328205234670075082007-10-12T14:42:00.001-06:002007-11-18T17:03:50.719-07:00student teacherThis semester I have had the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">privilege</span> of working with a student teacher from Colorado State University. I have been filled with admiration for this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pre</span>-service teacher whose enthusiasm and work ethic is incredible.<br /><br />I remember my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">pre-service</span> work with various teachers and have been thinking a lot lately about their influence. So...here's a special thanks to a few teachers who <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">inspired</span> me to be the best teacher I can be! Thanks to Carol Hill, Gretchen Payne, and Shawnee <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Cowan</span> - you have helped more students than you will ever know!<br /><br />Without my mentors, I don't know how I could have survived the early years of teaching. Most important, though, was their willingness to always grow and learn. Those lessons are the ones that I remember. They taught me that there is never a perfect teacher - there is always more to learn and more ways to challenge myself and my students. I hope this is a lesson my student teacher will learn.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-89850087223697498542007-06-22T22:37:00.000-06:002007-06-22T22:40:05.965-06:00Summertime!I've been taking a break from blogging but have still been reading other teacher blogs. I'm impressed that so many teachers keep up their blogs during the summer. I am starting my plans for next school, specifically how to incorporate more modes of literacy/literature into my classroom. I hope to continue to use this blog for my reflections. I look forward to reading more blogs and getting many more ideas on how to improve my practice.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-50641078097119249622007-04-21T11:27:00.000-06:002007-04-23T18:24:28.358-06:00Media, Technology, and TeachingI was listening to NPR last week and was intrigued with a story on blogging - so much so that I have to blog on it. As someone who has found blogging (especially reading other teacher blogs) to be beneficial and as a student in <a href="http://www.louann-multiliteracies.blogspot.com/">Louann's Visual Texts Class </a>I am curious about news stories focusing on new technologies and the integration of old and new. <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9612074">This story</a> shows that it isn't always the old means of distributing information going to the new. An Icelandic based publication is piloting a newspaper in Boston that uses bloggers for some of thier news. <br /><br />I am most interested in teaching implications. Take the idea of publishing student writing... Is blogging considered publishing? If so, why does a blogger in this story who focuses on her life's attempt to get publish comment on wanting to see her name in print? (Money is not a factor as the newspaper is not currently providing financial compensation) This lead me to thinking about the value of various media forms and how educators place value on a genre or writing form based on habit or history. Blogging may be a great step in a student's writing path, or, if the blogging newspaper catches on, maybe a step into a career.<br /><br />Another thought that I've had with teaching and blogging is in the areana of cooperative learning. This is a new medium of encouraging cooperative learning. I'm wondering how blogging might level the playing field for students who are too shy to speak up in class or in small groups. Also, are there different leaders that emerge as a result of this type of discussion? I've been reading other blogs and perusing student blogs, but I'd like to know what changes, if any, teachers have noticed when adding blogs to the class discussion.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-62530006265316665932007-04-16T17:40:00.000-06:002007-04-16T17:47:19.856-06:00Wiki Help!?I'm moving through the stages of fear in terms of incorporating more and more technology into my classroom this <a href="http://www.huffenglish.com/?p=312#comment-10152">post</a> by Dana Huff has inspired me to learn more about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">wikis</span>. I like the classroom examples and ideas that she provided, and plan to use some of those in the future. What I need first is some <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">guidance</span>. I have found <a href="http://pbwiki.com/">this site</a> (PBWiki). Are there any other suggestions?A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-90566364169110335582007-04-14T14:01:00.000-06:002007-04-14T14:07:54.746-06:00View of the future?Many state that with all the new technology, we are always connected whether it is by phone, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">IM</span>, email, blogging, etc. There are many who state the dangers involved in this. I read an interesting book last summer about the downfalls of this prospect. It is called <a href="http://www.tatteredcover.com/NASApp/store/Product?s=showproduct&isbn=9780763622596">Feed by M.T. Anderson</a>. In his <a href="http://hickstro.org/2007/04/04/reposting-on-a-%e2%80%9cfeed%e2%80%9ding-frenzy/">post</a>, Troy Hicks gives an excellent summary and raises some questions. While I'm an advocate for the benefits of technology that we have, it is important to think about the downfalls. This book (hopefully) exaggerates the future of our society. While it was not an uplifting book, I felt better about only having to contend with cell phones and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">texting</span> while I am teaching.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-2240333577609275472007-03-29T19:21:00.000-06:002007-03-29T19:30:53.863-06:00The Internet and IraqIn my <a href="http://strzyz.blogspot.com/2007/03/poetic-inspiration.html">previous post</a>, I mused on the use of the Internet to authentically explore cultures. As I was driving home from work today, I heard this <a href="http://http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9213711">NPR story</a>.<br /><br />Her<a href="http://hometownbaghdad.com">e's a link</a> (that you can get to through the story) that I found particularly interesting.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210648563708264726.post-38758481074965756052007-03-28T19:07:00.000-06:002007-03-29T19:21:12.384-06:00Poetic InspirationIt's been awhile since I've posted last...but the topic of this post has been calling to me for a few weeks now....<br /><br />I say the poet <a href="http://www.poets.org/nsnye/">Naomi Shihab Nye</a> at the recent Colorado Language Arts Society Spring Conference. She was an inspiration - a humble one, which made her even more inspiring. Her poems were intriguing, heartbreaking, and amusing. And, while they were an important part of her presentation, I was more struck with her commentary on human beings. We are at the point in our lives where many cultures are being "forced" to get to know each other. However, we often get acquainted via news reports or word of mouth stereotypes. Poetry is one way, Nye suggested, that we get to really know our fellow humans. Many poems she read were about issues that were universal, even though they were based on people in the Middle East. With each poem, she inspired me to continue to promote beauty and creativity in the classroom. It is what we do as teachers, no matter the content area or age that we teach. Beauty and creativity are universal languages. She urged us, through her poems, to let our students know this.<br /><br />It got me thinking as I left the reading, and much since then, about what I can do in my classroom. Technology has gifted us with a miraculous tool - the Internet. Nye mentioned how high schools in Australia are requiring their seniors to read and reflect on a blog from an Iraqi in order to graduate. I hear the debate about graduation requirements often, some of which include the requirement to perform some amount of volunteer work. But this idea has consumed me since I heard Nye speak three weeks ago. What a wonderful way to bring technology into the classroom, but to also spark some thought within the generation that we are educating. Knowledge is power - a cliche, I know, but a true one. Giving the gift of cultural knowledge is a powerful thing.<br /><br />I'd like to hear about suggestions on blogs or other ideas so that I may begin to incorporate this into my own classroom.A.M. Strzyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611148059253355204noreply@blogger.com0