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."