Reflection on Authentic Writing

A group in my EIT class presented to us about authentic writing. They asked us to reflect as they presented their project to us.

Question 1: How would I use voice thread in my classroom.
One of the writing assignments the students are required to write are family stories. II could also use voice thread for this project. Students could post a picture and then tell a story about that picture. They would need to include a beginning, middle, and end in their voice thread story. Other students could then go in and comment on other student's stories. This would give the author feedback without the whole class having to listen to the student mumble and then give comments. Often, having students share stories and give each other comments, takes a long time. Because it takes so long, other students often become disengaged. By using voice thread, the same goal would be accomplished in a more engaging way.

Question 2: Reflect on 21Classes.com
This would be wonderful to use as an alternative to student daily journals. I have a few students that hate writing because of their handwriting. These students often benefit from having an electronic journal. This would be a great way for the teacher to post comments and to help ensure the privacy of the student.

Podcasting

Well I am actually going to do one more post today. Boy my mind has been busy today!

I want to talk a little about some of the new to me technologies we learned today.

First, a couple of classmates demonstrated VoiceThread. This was one of the first technologies that I thought immediately I could use with my students. I thought about using it with the third grade trip we take every year to learn about the history of Waterloo. The students could comment on the pictures we take. I could then show this to the next class as a preview. Wow! I also thought it would be a neat center. Students could comment on writing that was done by other students.

The other technology we learned about was podcasting. I'd never heard of podcasting before this week. This is great for the auditory learners. I am more of a visual person so I find it hard to learn using a podcast, but for many of my students it would be a new way to learn. I also thought it would be a neat way for them to record themselves reading. They could then listen to themselves back to help increase their fluency.

I have to admit, I have never used iTunes. From the conversations around me I have gathered it is an online store to download music and podcasts. I am hoping that the podcasts are free, because I would like to try it later tonight.

Today I felt I was a little out of my league. Several classmates seemed to have a better handle on this new technology than I do. It is one of the first times that I can see how some of my students must feel. I also know that being able to collaborate with my classmates and having them helped me made my learning experience more positive. I need to remember this next fall and allow my students more time just to help each other. After all, they are more the experts on many things!

Well I think I am going to go try iTunes now.
-Angi