Thursday, June 28, 2007
Addicting!
So, I have to admit that the whole BookSpace process has been very addicting. I never thought I would honestly say that about a project for school, but this has turned into so much more than just a project for school. Yes, it has been a ton of work, and it was very overwhelming in the beginning. But it has been so rewarding. It has been fun to share it with family and friends and to hear other people get excited about our ideas. I want to keep reading and creating. I feel kind of at a loss now that we have worked so hard and are on pause for a little bit. This really is a rewarding experience and will be even more rewarding as we continue to develop BookSpace and implement it into our classrooms next year. Well, I am rambling some, but I just can't get enough of BookSpace :) (LOL)
Student feedback!
So I showed a couple of my students the web site today. (I'm a dance team coach, and we have summer practices twice a week, hence the meeting with a few of my girls.) They really seemed impressed by it, though I think at first they looked at each other like, "What is this for?" I tried to explain.
"Imagine you were given ONE project to do for social studies, and the grade on that project was your grade for the entire year," I said. "That's kind of what this is."
"Whooooaa," they said. I think that put it in perspective.
I encouraged them to mess around on the site and to get back to me with their critiques next week. They asked if they could put stuff up on the site, (one of them has a project on BookSpace already--the Maximum Ride digital story), and I squealed "YES!" This is, after all, about them, not patting ourselves on the back for making a web page. I told them whatever they read this summer could be placed on the page, as long as they could come up with some technology and similar book suggestions for me to use, etc. They both encouraged me that they "would REALLY use this!", so I feel good. Really good. Like this might actually be useful and fun for 12- to 13-year-olds, not just teachers.
Phew. That's quite a load off.
"Imagine you were given ONE project to do for social studies, and the grade on that project was your grade for the entire year," I said. "That's kind of what this is."
"Whooooaa," they said. I think that put it in perspective.
I encouraged them to mess around on the site and to get back to me with their critiques next week. They asked if they could put stuff up on the site, (one of them has a project on BookSpace already--the Maximum Ride digital story), and I squealed "YES!" This is, after all, about them, not patting ourselves on the back for making a web page. I told them whatever they read this summer could be placed on the page, as long as they could come up with some technology and similar book suggestions for me to use, etc. They both encouraged me that they "would REALLY use this!", so I feel good. Really good. Like this might actually be useful and fun for 12- to 13-year-olds, not just teachers.
Phew. That's quite a load off.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Glorious books
I just finished my first four. Do you ever feel like grad classes get in the way of your reading time?? Despite my overloaded schedule (three classes) it really was a joy to do the work.
Holy crap, there was not a single book that I did not absolutely LOVE.
There was even this one book I did not want to love because I thought my school was forcing it on me, and I like to choose my own thing. I also thought I would not love it because I judged it by its' cover (I know, I know), but I loved it too.
Children's literature can be more satisfying than adult lit.
Holy crap, there was not a single book that I did not absolutely LOVE.
There was even this one book I did not want to love because I thought my school was forcing it on me, and I like to choose my own thing. I also thought I would not love it because I judged it by its' cover (I know, I know), but I loved it too.
Children's literature can be more satisfying than adult lit.
Possibilities
It is so refreshing to be around a group of people so excited about Language Arts. Our initial meetings were very high energy because we had all these great ideas about the different things we wanted to create but no real idea of how to make it happen. We wanted to create a space where we could have podcasts, book trailers, resources for students before they read a book, links to articles for further reading for after a student finishes a novel, opportunities for them to talk to one another about the books they are reading. And the best part was, rather than filter those ideas, we have decided on a project that will encompass all the ideas. We can also build upon it as future technologies and ways of using current technologies evolve.
While we originally wanted our website to be a space for kids to go to give them a boost in their independent reading, I can see this site as an invaluable teacher resource as well. The site itself reminds me of the basic ideas behind wikis and other such technology: more minds are better than one. I feel blessed to be working with such energetic and enthusiastic teachers as Dr. Kajder, Lauren, and Beth. I hope someday it may also be a sight where equally energetic students, teachers, and whoever else who happens to share our love of children's literature can come together in a community to talk about the books they love and explore the books they will love (they just haven't read them yet).
While we originally wanted our website to be a space for kids to go to give them a boost in their independent reading, I can see this site as an invaluable teacher resource as well. The site itself reminds me of the basic ideas behind wikis and other such technology: more minds are better than one. I feel blessed to be working with such energetic and enthusiastic teachers as Dr. Kajder, Lauren, and Beth. I hope someday it may also be a sight where equally energetic students, teachers, and whoever else who happens to share our love of children's literature can come together in a community to talk about the books they love and explore the books they will love (they just haven't read them yet).
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
From Our Minds to the Screen
Well, we had some pretty big ideas and visions in our heads. The first obstacle we encountered was how we could transfer these ideas from our heads onto paper or the computer. We started in our comfort zone, and also we were excited when Dr. Kajder told us to read, read, and read.
So, that is what we did. The three of us each chose four adolescent literature books, and we began to read. I really enjoyed exploring these new pieces of literature that my students had been hooked on. I felt very inadequate with my knowledge of the "in" new adolescent lit. I went through my four books in about four days :) I know I'm a book nerd :)
After we completed our books, we began working on our elements of technology. We created book trailers, think alouds, and podcasts. I was very moved after reading A Long Way Gone, so I was really into the book trailer. It was an emotional experience to step into the shoes of someone who had had such tough experiences.
Also, I did a think aloud for The Giver, which was also really neat for me to do because we read this in my classroom. I kept thinking about my students, and how they would have really enjoyed this.
The next phase, Lauren and I were playing around one day on the Internet looking at how to make websites, and we found Google's free web design. Suddenly, what we had envisioned in our heads began to unfold on the screen. Forty-eight hours later, after working long hours with a few naps, we had designed BookSpace.
I can't believe we really made this happen. It seemed like something unreachable and that our ideas would never become tangible. I am so excited about BookSpace and the future of BookSpace. Hopefully, we will be able to open a whole new world of reading for our students!!!
So, that is what we did. The three of us each chose four adolescent literature books, and we began to read. I really enjoyed exploring these new pieces of literature that my students had been hooked on. I felt very inadequate with my knowledge of the "in" new adolescent lit. I went through my four books in about four days :) I know I'm a book nerd :)
After we completed our books, we began working on our elements of technology. We created book trailers, think alouds, and podcasts. I was very moved after reading A Long Way Gone, so I was really into the book trailer. It was an emotional experience to step into the shoes of someone who had had such tough experiences.
Also, I did a think aloud for The Giver, which was also really neat for me to do because we read this in my classroom. I kept thinking about my students, and how they would have really enjoyed this.
The next phase, Lauren and I were playing around one day on the Internet looking at how to make websites, and we found Google's free web design. Suddenly, what we had envisioned in our heads began to unfold on the screen. Forty-eight hours later, after working long hours with a few naps, we had designed BookSpace.
I can't believe we really made this happen. It seemed like something unreachable and that our ideas would never become tangible. I am so excited about BookSpace and the future of BookSpace. Hopefully, we will be able to open a whole new world of reading for our students!!!
The beginning
Well, as many of you have already noticed, Beth, Alison, and I are no longer sitting and sharing with you in EDTP 620. Dr. Kajder sat down with the three of us last week to discuss alternative study options for her coursework, as we had basically already taken this class, though it was a little more language arts-centered. She recognized as much, and the three of us discussed ways to come up with a project that utilizes all the elements you all are talking about, but to focus a little more on our language arts content.
The task: to read as much young adult literature as possible and create a literacy-based project with real-world, classroom potential--basically, something we could all use for the 2007-08 school year. We each squealed with delight at the idea of reading more young adult books; I know, for my own part, that I want to have a firmer grasp on a wide variety of literature, so when my students say, "Mrs. LeBlanc, is this a good book?" I can answer them with enthusiasm and true knowledge of the plotline. I really couldn't do that to my satisfaction this past year.
Each of us wanted to find a way to utilize our relatively newfound knowledge of emerging technologies, and we also wanted it to be student-friendly and useable. What we centered on was a kind-of pre-reading, during reading, post-reading web site where students could turn to not only find out what books to check out from the library, but also what other students think of those books. For example, if they think The Wish List by Eoin Colfer sounds kinda cool, but they know nothing about it, they can come to the web site to watch a digital story from a part of the book or read what other students think about the story. Then, when they're through with it, they can post comments or questions for other Wish List readers, get recommendations for similar books, or find supplemental articles that help them learn more about the book's topic or author.
Phew. Make sense?
In a nutshell, our project is a setup of teacher exemplars, which we will then take back to the classroom so that students can use it, read it, and then ADD to it and MANIPULATE it as they see fit. This is really a project for THEM, not to show off how many books we can read in one summer.Then there was the matter of the name. Because we each teach middle school, and many middle schoolers are obsessed with MySpace and all things virtual networking, "BookSpace" seemed like a natural fit: it fits what we need, it's accurate to our core idea, and it's kinda catchy.So that's what we're up to. I know Beth's already finished three books, I'm working on a third, and Alison's plugging through several as well.If you don't see us around, rest assured: Our noses are plugged up in a book somewhere. We ARE language arts teachers, after all.
The task: to read as much young adult literature as possible and create a literacy-based project with real-world, classroom potential--basically, something we could all use for the 2007-08 school year. We each squealed with delight at the idea of reading more young adult books; I know, for my own part, that I want to have a firmer grasp on a wide variety of literature, so when my students say, "Mrs. LeBlanc, is this a good book?" I can answer them with enthusiasm and true knowledge of the plotline. I really couldn't do that to my satisfaction this past year.
Each of us wanted to find a way to utilize our relatively newfound knowledge of emerging technologies, and we also wanted it to be student-friendly and useable. What we centered on was a kind-of pre-reading, during reading, post-reading web site where students could turn to not only find out what books to check out from the library, but also what other students think of those books. For example, if they think The Wish List by Eoin Colfer sounds kinda cool, but they know nothing about it, they can come to the web site to watch a digital story from a part of the book or read what other students think about the story. Then, when they're through with it, they can post comments or questions for other Wish List readers, get recommendations for similar books, or find supplemental articles that help them learn more about the book's topic or author.
Phew. Make sense?
In a nutshell, our project is a setup of teacher exemplars, which we will then take back to the classroom so that students can use it, read it, and then ADD to it and MANIPULATE it as they see fit. This is really a project for THEM, not to show off how many books we can read in one summer.Then there was the matter of the name. Because we each teach middle school, and many middle schoolers are obsessed with MySpace and all things virtual networking, "BookSpace" seemed like a natural fit: it fits what we need, it's accurate to our core idea, and it's kinda catchy.So that's what we're up to. I know Beth's already finished three books, I'm working on a third, and Alison's plugging through several as well.If you don't see us around, rest assured: Our noses are plugged up in a book somewhere. We ARE language arts teachers, after all.
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