Shifting+Literacies--A+Learning+Conversation

[|Elluminate for Classroom Practice Track B]

Anne Smith and Kristin Leclaire http://www.lps.k12.co.us/schools/arapahoe/21c/ncte08shiftingliteracies.htm
According to the NCTE Executive Committee (http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/21stcentdefinition) twenty-first century readers and writers need to attain some new literacies. What exactly are those literacies and what might that look like in your classroom? Come join two high school English teachers as we explore these ideas together amid the new media landscape specifically focusing on blogs and wikis. Come prepared to participate and contribute to the conversation.

**Shifting Literacies: A Learning Conversation ** Kristin Kakos Leclaire has been a teacher for eight years and currently teaches American Literature and Sophomore English at [|Arapahoe High School] in Centennial, Colorado. She is a member of 21st Century Learners and invites you to join the conversation at her [|personal blog.] According to the NCTE Executive Committee, twenty-first century readers and writers need to attain some [|new literacies]. What exactly are those literacies and what might that look like in your classroom? > cross-culturally > purposes > information Anne's Presentation: What changes we have made in our classroom and why we have made those changes? **   ·  **21st century learners**: readings, pedagogy, learning theory, discussions, had to be a better way to teach and for kids to learn, same traditional teaching methods weren’t working the way we knew kids learn best Student empowerment with learning § Increased engagement § Increased motivation to learn § More meaningful and relevant § Authentic learning § Reflective about learning: think of this long term! § Students learning from students Shifting the role of teacher § Scaffolding: Not a free for all learning environment § Rubrics: class generated, everyone on the same page § Expectations: class set expectations not just teacher § Learning along with the students <span style="color: #dc1e1e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Constructivism o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Positive impact on students wanting to talk about change in their learning o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Students want a say in their learning o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">We are here for students, school doesn’t exist with out the kids <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">**Why are we excited about these changes?** o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Watch kids be passionate learners o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Enthusiasm and engagement o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Reinventing my role as a teacher · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">No limits to demonstrating their learning: Photostory, podcasts, blogging, Google tools, wikis, etc. · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Collaborative nature of technology: connected within classroom, outside of classroom walls, global connections · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Meets a variety of learning styles · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Shifted the learning to the students · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Personalized learning · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Producers of information: not just for the teacher, or for their peers but for the world · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Meet the 21st century learners needs and new literacies · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Sustainability · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Harder work to teach and learn this way · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Kids sometimes push back, parents sometimes push back **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Tools that have transformed our classrooms: **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> Photostory, wikis, podcasts, blogging, MovieMaker, polleverywhere, but we only have time to go over a couple Blogging: **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">**Why Blog?** o <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">**Extend classroom walls**: create learning communities outside of the school day, peer to peer, teacher to peer, global partnerships. Also, extends the learning: teacher doesn’t drive the discussion, students do o <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">**Help kids learn**: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. These have all been important in classrooms, but now with 21st century learning, reading, writing, speaking and listening can look differently. Meet every students needs. Creating authentic audiences with meaningful and relevant assignments. o <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">**Create digital footprints**: wider audience o <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">**Build a community of learners**: discuss problems, challenges, display successes o <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">**Synchronous and asynchronous learning** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">**Blogging examples:** o [|Blogging guidelines]   <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">**Fishbowl with live blogging: what is it?** § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|Period 2] § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|Period 5] § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|English Literature]
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Anne Smith **<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> has been a teacher for ten years and currently teaches Freshmen English and English World Literature at [|Arapahoe High School] in Centennial, Colorado. She is a member of the Curriculum Innovation Team and a participant in the first cohort of 21st Century Learners. She invites you to join the conversation at Learning and Laptops.
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Purpose and Overview **
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Develop proficiency with the tools of technology
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">
 * <span style="color: #e93535; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> What we have seen from freshman to sophomore years, juniors to senior year?   **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Why do we think this is working?  **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> How has technology transformed our classroom? **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> Things we struggle with: **

<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">**Reflective writing:** § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|Period 3: How is the rubric working] § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|Semester reflections] § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|Teacher directed] § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|Student directed] § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|9 Honors] § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|English Literature] § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|Fishbowl live blogging with educational bloggers] § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|Students helping each other learn] § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|Podcasting] § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|Class blog] § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|Personal blog] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Provoking questions: **
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Scribe posts: **
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Extending the classroom walls: **
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Display student work: **
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Personal Learning Network: **


 * Kristin's Presentation:**

Personal Philosophy Statements and Wikispaces <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">
 * Why ask our students to develop their own personal philosophy statements?**
 * What's wrong with the way I used to teach?
 * Until my students started developing personal philosophies (about 3 years ago), here's how learning used to be organized in my classroom:
 * Units revolved around questions designed by...me.
 * Sample unit question for //The Crucible//: Does society need scapegoats in order to function smoothly?
 * The problem?
 * As brilliant as the question may be, it captured about 25% of the class.
 * So how could I capture 100% of every class, every unit, every semester?
 * The answer?
 * Let individual student passions drive the learning...hence, the personal philosophy statement.
 * What is a personal philosophy statement?
 * A personal philosophy statement is an idea that an individual student //truly// believes in. It has to be something that he or she feels truly passionate about. It can be written by the student, or it can be a quotation that the student highly respects.
 * The idea behind it: Every student has a belief system, or a passion. Maybe the only reason why they haven't used it to drive their learning is because we haven't invited them to.
 * Learning is most authentic when tied inextricably to an individual student's beliefs, passions, and needs.
 * Here are some examples of philosophy statements:
 * Life exists in shades of gray; definite right and wrong is almost nonexistant. --Helen P., sophomore
 * Those who ignore the truth and stay in the dark will find that darkness will swallow them. --Leslie L., sophomore
 * "Fear...we yield to it or we fight it, but we cannot meet it halfway." --Shirley Jackson (American author), quoted by Jose D., sophomore
 * "To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." --quoted by Alex F, sophomore
 * The things that we cannot control end up controlling us. --Delaney N., sophomore
 * What does a personal philosophy based classroom look like?
 * Students use their personal philosophies as lenses into each text that we read.
 * At the end of the semester, students develop a project in which they use their personal philosophies to explore how the texts we've read have shaped their view of the world.
 * The benefit? The doors that quiet and disinterested students had previously closed are suddenly kicked open. Instead of having 25% of the class engaged, you have almost 100% engagement.
 * Samples: HannahJ, Meghan~


 * Why use a wikispace for this project?**
 * What did the personal philosophy project used to look like?
 * It was pretty much in a 3-ring binder. Students would present it, pass it around, have everyone clap, turn it into me, get it back, and if it was good, give it back to me to use an example.
 * The problem?
 * These binders now spend most of their days sitting in a closet somewhere, collecting dust.
 * Materials are limited to a 2-dimensional universe.
 * How does the wikispace address those problems?
 * The best way to figure this out is to take the time to look at a few examples:
 * Hannah L.
 * Meghan
 * Christa
 * Brian
 * Kristen
 * These are living, breathing, multi-dimensional documents; students can embed video, audio, hyperlinks, photographs, they can receive feedback from peers on the discussion tabs...this is the binder of the 21st century.
 * What does the classroom look and sound like when students work on their wikipsaces?
 * Students barely remember to blink; they cannot take their eyes off of their wikispaces. They break away only to look at their friends' wikispaces. The bell rings to signifiy the end of class and they are still in their seats.
 * There are exclamations like, "I love this project!" And "I can't believe how much time I've put into this!" If you teach sophomores or juniors, you understand that this level of enthusiasm is rare, to say the least.
 * Why do students like wikispaces?
 * We are finally tapping into //their// literacy--21st century literacy--and they feel that what they are doing is important in the real world.
 * These projects will not sit in closets; they leave digital footprints--true and lasting imprints that contribute to the rapidly changing design of the 21st century world. Shouldn't the classroom be a part of this world?
 * Why do teachers like wikispaces?
 * Well, first and foremost, because my students like them.
 * Secondly, I like the emphasis on the synthesis of an entire semester or year; not only are they synthesizing multiple texts with their own experience, but they are synthesizing multiple literacies as well.
 * Lastly, you get unsolicited feedback like this:
 * From Meghan'sWiki
 * **//What you see here, Reader, is hardly the extent of what first semester American Literature Honors has taught me. When I wrote my philosophy statement so long ago, I at first just thought it was just words, something I vaguely agreed with, something easy to support and explain. I was wrong. My philosophy statement is a reflection of me, as a person on the brink of growing up, as a human, as a soul. American Lit, above all, has taught me who I am. The values I have always believed in have become internalized for me now; what I believe is no longer simply words on paper. I hope to know better from now that choice really is what makes a person who they are, and I have faith that love is the guiding force in all choices. I always knew this, but I see it before me now as though someone had cleaned off the windows of my heart and opened the doors of my mind. Every light in my head is turned on, and if I open my eyes I'm worried the sunbeams might shine out. Seeing the love in life, loving the world around me, has become a vital part of my being. I could no more stop seeing love as the connecting thread of life than I could stop breathing..now, I realize at last, that this statement instead is trying to live through me. I hope I can do it justice, and with love I have faith that I will succeed!//**
 * Further examples of personal philosophy wikis:
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|4th hour] and [|6th hour] (all wikis linked in the left margin of the blog)

Anne's use of wikispaces: o <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Living document: embed audio, video, hyperlink, paper of the 21st century § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">AWNM papers · <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|Cate M] · <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Alex F <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> o <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Collaborative nature of wiki § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Small groups working together asynchronously and synchronously · <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Study guides: [|Inherit The Wind], Peace like a River § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Discussion tab § <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Peer review of work <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> · <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Wiki examples o <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">AWNM papers (period 2, period 3, period 4, and period 5) o <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">AWNM organization o <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">TIB organization

<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Sustainability <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Harder work to teach and learn this way <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Kids sometimes push back, parents sometimes push back <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">What we have seen from freshman to sophomore years, juniors to senior year? <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"> o  <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Positive impact on students wanting to talk about change in their learning <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"> o  <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Students want a say in their learning <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"> o  <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">We are here for students, school doesn’t exist with out the kids <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"> o  <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Watch kids be passionate learners <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"> o  <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Enthusiasm and engagement <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"> o  <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Reinventing my role as a teacher <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Transformational Difference though…shifting learning to kids, to meet kids needs so that they learn best! They become producers of information, creating their digital footprints, and collaborating in the world as a participant not just as a recipient of information. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Closing **
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Things we struggle with: **
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Why do we think this is working? **
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Why are we excited about these changes? **