High School English goes High Tech

1. High School Englishgoes High Tech Tanya Chiasson St. Thomas More High School English Dept. Diocese of Lafayette English In-Service March 12, 2007

2. Today’s Agenda • Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0 • Web 2.0 in the English classroom • Web 2.0 in the English classroom (without Web 2.0 accessibility) • Reasons to use this technology • Emerging technologies • Where to learn what to do next

3. Web 1.0 • HTML knowledge and/or web authoring software needed • Read only • Very few published content • Information gathering/ research • Online Encyclopedias • The Library of Congress: American Memory • Lesson plans

4. Web 2.0 • No computer science degree required • Read/write • Anyone can publish, content • Video, audio, blogs, wikis, etc. • Social collaboration – can edit material and make it relevant and meaningful

5. Go2Web2.0.net a sampling of web 2.0 technologies

6. Web 2.0 in the English classroom • Flickr images = use as writing prompts • “The Orphan Boy and His Dog” • Story adapted from a T'boli tale by Laura Simms • http://www.flickr.com/photos/beija-flor/415525246/in/set-72157594575104506/ • Preview site or choose pictures ahead of time

7. Web 2.0 in the English classroom • YouTube = create video tutorials; collaborative projects; post to your school website or blog • Ex. of MS Word 2007 tutorial by students in a blog • http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/ • Preview site or choose videos ahead of time

8. Web 2.0 in the English classroom • Podcasts • Video podcasts = create online lectures; weekly school-wide news program; tutorials • Audio podcasts = create studycasts; audio of lectures and tests; class-created synopsis of novels, field trips, and interviews • Grammar Girl’s Quick & Dirty Tips for Better Writinghttp://grammar.qdnow.com/ • Eric Langhorst’s Speaking of History podcast and blog http://www.speakingofhistory.blogspot.com/

9. Web 2.0 ideas in/out the classroom • Debate • Record a student class debate and send to a professional in the field being debated • Feedback makes the project real – community connection • Ex. Have a debate/trial assessed by a Lawyer’s Association • Novel Discussions/Blogs • Post discussion questions for students or have a school-wide exchange of ideas, possibly nation-wide • Conversation vs. lecture...I have a mind...I have an opinion. It counts. Just like yours. • Ex. http://www.noveldiscussions.blogspot.com/ • Ex. http://www.guerrillaseason.blogspot.com/

10. Web 2.0 ideas in/out the classroom • Blogs or Wikis to teach self/others • http://anne.teachesme.com/ • Student created study aids/review – you host, they post • Discussion Boards • Pose questions to students; teach appropriate formal replies; teach valuable college skills (Blackboard, Moodle, WebCT) • Ex. Emily Dickinson literary criticism discussion thread using Turnitin.com

11. Screenshot of discussion thread within Turnitin.com

12. Meet them where they are without leaving the classroom • Social Networking profiles (Facebook or MySpace) = analyze a character by creating a profile for him/her • Teach appropriate behaviors, even morals with this lesson • Ex. Holden Personal Profile

13. Instant or Text Messaging = created conversations with/between literary characters, authors, or people in history Ex. Romantic Instant Messaging – students created conversations between Romantic/ Transcendentalist authors about a current topic Ex. Text Message format: What would __ say to __? Submitted topics: Corruption of Poetry: Rap Evils of Asian Magic: Drugs Emily Dickinson IM conversation between PoetryFan and EnglishNerd Drugs and Poe’s Nervousness A Woman as President? Meet them where they are without leaving the classroom

14. Example of IM student work Corruption of Poetry: Rap • Emerson (C): Greetings, colleagues. I have invited you all to this meeting via the new “IM,” also known as instant messaging to discuss the destruction and corruption of poetry in the new pop culture known as “rap.” I would like to hear your arguments on this topic at hand. • Thoreau (T): Kewl deal, I have only heard a select few different rap songs, but I believe the rap music industry has totally destroyed the art of poetry. As you know, I believe in simplicity and living with only bare necessities and these “rappers” live lives of detail and unnecessary excess. Some of these unnecessary things include “bling,” extreme car details with huge rims and big lifts, and houses some of them probably could not afford. • Hawthorne (W): I personally am fascinated with the dark nature of the rap songs that I have heard. Many rap songs discuss the evil things in the present day society such as murder, theft, and thug life. These evils truly fascinate me. • Poe (K): Ralph, I am going to have to side with Nathaniel on this issue. As you can tell from my writings, I am unhealthily enthralled by the dark nature of the world. The fact that this “rap” music powerfully brings out sin and evil in so many ways will of course turn some people away. I, on the other hand, am looking forward to the evolution of rap music and disagree with you that it is “corruption” to poetry. • Emerson (C): Well I personally believe that the whole rap community has lost itself from the great natural pleasures of life. The extensive use of drugs and violence used as primary themes so commonly in rap music that it is sickening to me; thus, my interpretation as rap corrupting our so beloved poetry.

15. Example of IM student work A Woman as President? • Poe: Such bleak news have I heard. • Thoreau: “What hearest ear of ear?” (Let Such Pure Hate Still Underprop) • Poe: The mysterious people of this United States are pondering a woman as president of this dark country. • Thoreau: My dear friend, this news is like a burst of wind rustling in the trees. • Poe: Thou cannot be serious. This news has “filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before.” (Raven) • Thoreau: Why would a woman president give you such fret? • Poe: I implore you to consider the disaster this would cause. Have you ever seen a wrench with any sense? They are the weaker sex, good only for cooking and rearing children. • Thoreau: I have seen women as sturdy oaks that can withstand any storm. Tis true they have a way with children, but this will only help. You know many of the politicians are but children who have not bloomed.

16. Why use these technologies? • Learning can happen anywhere at any time (absent students) • Multiple learning styles are addressed and met (auditory, visual, kinesthetic) • Fosters • creation of content • connection with community (experts) and with each other • discussion and collaboration • “real life” relevancy and meaning • Focus is on outcome not technology

17. Emerging Technologies • Open source textbooks • MIT OpenCourseWare • http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/index.htm • CA Open Source Textbook Project • http://www.opensourcetext.org/index.htm • WikiBooks – Rhetoric and Composition • http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Rhetoric_and_Composition

18. Emerging Technologies • Slideshare • A place to share & discover slideshows • Can imbed in wikis, blogs, etc. • http://www.slideshare.net/ • Skype • A place to begin conversations • https://skypecasts.skype.com/skypecasts/home • Access these sites at home first as content is not appropriate for all

19. Audio files for all – especially auditory learners • Librivox • http://librivox.org/ • Gutenberg • http://www.gutenberg.org • LiteralSystems • http://literalsystems.org/abooks/index.php • LoudLit • http://www.loudlit.org

20. What do I do now? • Start small – I start with one new project per year or semester • Share, share, share • Don’t give up! • Talk to your Technology Coordinator for tips and ask for equipment…then ask again and again…or borrow it from your students!

21. Create your own free blog at Blogger or wiki at Wikispaces http://www.blogger.com/start http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers100K Learn the steps of podcasting: http://www.castwiki.com/index.php/Podcast_for_free Sign up for popular RSS feeds from blogs, wikis, podcasts, or zines you find and like Read technology magazines like Edutopia and Technology & Learning http://www.edutopia.org/ http://www.techlearning.com/ Use the NCTE listserv Places to go...

22. You can do this! Thank you for attending this session

23. Contact information • Tanya Chiasson • St. Thomas More • tanyachiasson@stmcougars.com • tanya_chiasson@hotmail.com • 337-988-3700 ext. 274 (STM) • You can find this presentation on my newest blog: http://www.speakingofliterature.blogspot.com/

24. Farewell in my student’s words • Hawthorne (Be): Well, I g2g fix my scaffold before the sun rises. • Poe (M): Ttyl, me2. The Raven just flew in and wants to chillax before the fated hour. • Thoreau (W): G2g, Big Brother is monitoring my actions. You know, the Patriot Act.