Quality Quinn is an author, international literacy consultant, and educational aggregator whose company serves school districts, state departments of education, foundations, educational publishers and high-tech companies.
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Web 2.0 Wisdom
During my eight years of middle-school teaching, my students had regular opportunities to write about the mathematics they were learning. These writing opportunities included daily journals where students reflected upon the day's lesson, in-class writing prompts about the day's lesson, and short answer/essay questions on assessments. The purposes of these writing assignments were generally two-fold: to allow students to reflect upon their own thinking, and to give me an insight into their thinking. When students reflect upon not only their own writing, but also the writing of fellow classmates, the results can be even more powerful. Technology, specifically a blog, can be used to make this process more interactive for the students. For example, a class is given a "problem of the week" to consider. On Monday, the teacher posts the problem on the blog, which would most likely be related to a concept the students are currently studying. Students are given a day to think about how they would solve that problem. Then, on Tuesday, students would begin posting their responses. Their responses would include answers to the following questions: What strategies did I use to solve the problem? Was there more than one way to solve the problem? What did I learn as I solved the problem? (Note that this is not simply an exercise in solving a problem and then telling how it was solved.) Then, over the next two days, students would have the opportunity to read their fellow classmates' responses. Students would be encouraged to respond to their classmates' work, with the understanding that constructive criticism has already been established as part of the classroom culture. Students would also have the chance to revise their responses by posting a new response, not simply deleting an old one. On Friday, the teacher would share some of the problem-solving strategies and reflections in class.
There are many benefits to the model I propose. First, there is a permanent record of students' reflection and thought. Since no one wold be able to delete a posting, all ideas would be available to both students and teacher for further reflection. Second, students, especially at the middle-school level, are more likely to be motivated to write if they are using a blog or other technology tool than if they are simply writing on paper. Third, students would have the opportunity to share their writing with other students in a nonthreatening environment, thereby allowing the "shy" students, the ones who don't speak up in class, to participate to the same degree as any other student. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, students are engaged in an ongoing meta cognitive process in which they are reflecting upon their thinking and strategies.
Written by: Christopher Johnson a doctoral candidate in mathematics education and leadership at George Mason University
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Google Tools
Earth science....Students use Google Earth to view tectonic plate-shift evidence by examining whole continents, mountain ranges, and areas of volcanic activity; they also study impact craters, dry lake beds, and other major land forms. Then what better way to engage digital kids/digital learners than to have them blog their findings!
