In which I plan a lesson with google drive

Lesson plan for implementing some google drive tools into a language arts classroom

1. Target students
1. 11th grade
2. English & language arts
3. Creative short writing
2. The two tools I’m using will be google docs and slides.
1. Docs will serve as a collaborative word processor and aggregator. Students will be split into groups and choose a theme for their work to revolve around, using one document for all their writing. One of the major advantages of using google docs compared to other word processors is that peers can make suggestions in real time with the comments feature. By 11th grade students should be able to give basic substantive feedback, even if it’s as simple as asking a question about how such a story relates to a theme, or to say that thus and such a turn of phrase is handy. Things like poetry, flash fiction, and short nonfiction will all be acceptable. The idea is to express a facet of a theme.
2. Slides will be used for pictures to go along with a voiced-over screencast of the short pieces. Each student takes or finds a photo to go along with their piece, and then make a screencast wherein they read with the photo as backdrop. Ideally the photo is something that serves as a complement to the theme, though perhaps not obviously.
3. The idea is that students will compose a collection of very short fiction stories based around a theme chosen by the group.  Work will be composed in google docs so that they can be peer-edited with suggestions for things like grammar and content and relevance to the theme. Then the students will arrange the pieces in a manner to be determined by the group members. Then the students will find or take photos that somehow illustrate or complement the story. By writing the piece first but then reading it with an illustrative backdrop, students will be engaging more of the senses of the audience.
4. Grading will be done on a participation basis. I find that grading creative writing projects is probably a terrible thing to anyone, especially if they have any insecurity about their stuff.

Presentation technology

Strategies that tended to work for teachers and professors who integrated technology into class were pretty simple. First, there were no struggles with the tech that they were using. Whether this was simply because of their overall competence or because they tested the tech before class, I can't be sure. But they did not struggle. Second, they used technology either as a way to expand a conversation that could happen in class, or to do something new altogether.

For me the best use of technology is one that expands the conversation in class. So often I've had things to say that I thought of outside of class, and something like a class blog or wiki enables students to continue the conversation outside of class hours. It is not demanding in terms of time commitment, and allows students as long as they want to formulate their thoughts. It also allows for linking to outside materials like readings or videos that supplement their thoughts.

The worst practitioner of technology I've ever had was a professor on this campus last year, who did things like repeatedly clink broken links thinking they'd work. For him technology was a crutch. Instead of using old-fashioned lecture notes and talking with us, he'd read off of his powerpoint slides directly. In all it was a distraction and we'd have been much better served by him simply lecturing or conducting a seminar.

Making the PBJ

Making the pbj from escioe

Booing

listen to ‘In which I tentatively and foolishly defend the so-called canon’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘In which we cultivate critical thinking’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘In which I interview a teacher’ on Audioboo

Works & audiences

One idea I'm particularly interested in is a conversational examination. I think an oral approach can allow for more flexibility for both parties involved. With a recorder the audience could grow from just the teacher to any number of other realms. At its simplest such a conversation could be uploaded to a student blog, where their parents and peers would be invited to check in.

At a higher level two students from widely different backgrounds could converse about it, whether in real time or not. Here the most exciting thing is technology facilitating a multicultural, multiviewpoint approach in a classroom in ways not previously possible.

A small idea that I think could improve reading comprehension and retention would be to take quick audio notes while reading a text. Students could ask short questions or share quick comments on a portable device as they're reading and they could be used to foster class discussion the next day. I know that when I'm reading something I'll often have thoughts in a moment that are gone by the end of the chapter. Having an audio record of unedited thoughts could be very useful for whole text comprehension. In this case the audience would be the whole class, and students could refer back to those audio notes while completing other assignments on the same work. 

Some audio

In which I admit my crippling self doubt.

listen to ‘The fantods’ on Audioboo

 In which I plagiarize Hemingway for self gain.

listen to ‘Flash fiction’ on Audioboo

Things about books

Here's the inimitable DFW talking about Infinite Jest, which you ought to go read immediately.



Here is a collection of his stories.

Wallace, David Foster- Oblivion- Stories by Cho Pan

And here's one smarmy BS-ish attempt at miming his style.

David Foster Wallace Writing from nstearns