February 26

Well, yesterday was my birthday. It was not monumental. Got a great run in which means I had time to think. Did you know that my AP Literature applications were only at 35 this year? They have been going down each year, but this is ridiculous. Let's look at what I think is happening. My class is hard. Look at the recent blog assignments from my students examining critical theory. First they researched the theories, blogged on them then applied that theory to five passages from Heart of Darkness. This was all based on resources I had compiled for them on my Learnist. This all involved a heavy use of technology. But the real beauty, I think, in this lesson, was the use of creatively looking at the passages as if they were someone else. Understanding a critical theory and attempting to apply it. Beat me with a stick but I think it is valuable. Being able to look at something through someone else's eyes. Do you do that in Math and Science? I certainly wouldn't bash those valuable subjects, but many parents feel that those subjects are much more valuable than English. Hmmm, I don't think you should count the Humanities out folks. As a colleague of mine states:"Ultimately, too, male students(I only had 6 apply) (and their parents) are deluded if they think a myopic focus on math and science will result in long-term career success. Those are the blue-collar jobs of the new economy. And a lot of them are already being moved to countries where programming and engineering labor is cheap and abundant. It's the social and emotional skills and abstract, critical thought that will pay off in the long run." He suggested these articles, which I then tweeted out. I think all parents and students should know this, but how do we get that info out? The business case for novels and Reading makes us smarter and nicer. This last one is a report from a study, ohhh math was involved!

February 11 Reflection

Last year I had put together a Learnist on Shakespeare and King Lear for students to read, watch and then blog. This year I used the Learnist but I made separate notes on Edmodo for students to comment on. I was stunned at the level of insight from their responses. I had just completed grading a formal essay on "The Dead". Although I had some brilliant ones, it was clear that several students headed straight to Spark Notes for analysis. Even though it wasn't direct plagiarism, it was making their brains lazy. And really, the essays boring. In contrast, the writing where they reflected on the resources was authentic and analytical, very insightful. Harold Bloom lectures, harvard lectures and different writers on Shakespeare joined our class and my students responded not only on the resources but also to each other. Making the assignments in Edmodo as notes rather than an assignment allows them to read each others responses. I am continually impressed with how much Edmodo has helped improve my instruction. Yes, there is a learning curve, especially when it comes to going through forty-fifty posts at a time. But if I continue to see such results it is obviously worth it. I am eagerly awaiting my kids to take the AP test and see if that success is reflected there. Regardless, it is amazing to me to really observe the learning through the tech tools I have been using this year. On Jodi Samsinak's blog she states, "Every student has the right to ask, 'Why are we doing this?'Technology should be used to enhance our understanding and not merely for the sake of using technology."

February 4, 2014

Simply marvelous, that's what I'll say! remember how students zone out while watching film? Even in AP, even after they've read it, Shakespeare can be, arduous? but using today's meet today to backchannel while watching let my quiet voices be heard-we really could multitask and their comments were very insightful. The loudest voice could not take over here and they enjoyed reading each other's comments. For an assessment tool, it was really fantastic to help me see if they were getting it. It was simple to set up and all participated. Although you do have to walk around and check that they are actually on the site they're supposed to be on, even in AP. Really they are teenagers and it is Shakespeare. Overall though the lesson was marvelous!