Technology That Works in the Language Arts Classroom Brenda Coulter Robinette Lausanne Collegiate Memphis, Tennessee

Lausanne Collegiate 1:1 Technology in the Classroom  File Storage on Laptops and Server  s for Parent Communication  Conferences for Literature Blogs/Chats  School Web Page for Events, Projects  PowerPoints  PhotoStory or iMovie

Things That Don’t Work  PowerPoint projects assigned to individual students (unless you are looking for a way to spend two weeks of class time listening to students read each slide aloud)  Solution: Students create Group PowerPoint projects or PowerPoint projects with no words, just images.  Solution: Students create Group PowerPoint projects with limited number of words per slide.

Things That Don’t Work  Notetaking by every student on laptops during class (unless you like a class that does not respond to your questions or discuss the topics you present)  Solution: Have one student take notes and them to everyone else or place notes on class wiki or homework page.

Things That Don’t Work  Believing that all students will keep copies of their old essays for later when you need them for revision or for essay contests  Solution: Have students essays to class forum.

Things That Don’t Work  Believing that technology will solve all problems in the classroom and magically make your students fabulous readers and writers  Solution: Use technology when it works. Drop it when it doesn’t.

Today’s Topics: Things That Work  Homework Page for Parents/Students  This I Believe Podcasts  The Class Wiki  Discussing Essays with LCD Projector  Class Conferences for Handing in Writing Assignments  Markin’ Editing Program

Homework Page Resources

PodCasts  Listen to essays on NPR  This I Believe  Radio Juventud  StoryCorps  Record This I Believe essays free online at gabcast.com

Record on gabcast.com  Open an account on gabcast.com (free).  Find your country phone number and your channel number on gabcast web page.  Call that number and record your essay from your phone. Give phone number and channel number to students and they can call on their own time to record.

Post Link on Homework Page or on School Web Pages  sodes&query=&b=play&id=13446&cast= 41490&castPage=&autoplay=true sodes&query=&b=play&id=13446&cast= 41490&castPage=&autoplay=true sodes&query=&b=play&id=13446&cast= 41490&castPage=&autoplay=true  Now, anyone with access to your homework page or the school web site can access the podcasts!

The voices of youth on being the youngest child,

on running cross country,

on the lessons learned from younger brothers.

Class Wiki

Wiki Frontpage

Essay Discussions Project and Compose as a Group

Class Conferences for Handing in Writing Assignments

Creating a Conference

Drag Old Essays into Folders

Markin’

-- Import Document -- Bring Up Buttons

Edit Using Standard Buttons and Comments

Create Your Own Buttons  Do not erase old button set!!! It will not reappear. Simply add button to the standard set.

Create Your Own Buttons

Make a New Button

End of Essay Comments

Markin’ Annotation Key

One more piece of advice:  Have students save their essays as such:  Posey PreTest Essay  Douglas This I Believe Essay  Kadien Antigone Essay  This allows you to drag the essays into folders for Markin’ and then return essays with ease.  I also parents the marked essays so they can see how the students are progressing.

Technology I Can Use Now New Teaching Practices for New Literacies  Create or join Teacher Chats online or on your own internal system (Teachers Without Walls).  Use your librarian to evaluate databases, online catalogs, digital information services.  Access free software offered online.

Get Your Students to Help!

Cool Free Stuff  Wet Paint for web page  YouTube  tumblr.com - free home page on web (go here to see presentation)  Project Gutenberg  del.icio.us - bookmarks  portaportal.com - limited use bookmarks  myblog  classblogmeister - very secure; comment on blogs before publication; comments sent via (bad idea) or new approval tool; great way to have classes commumicate with each other about texts  blogger.com  Audicity - podcasts  google – podcasts

Even More Cool Stuff  iPods can convert PowerPoints to text files for flash cards for studying!  Use your iPod to listen to texts while reading (download classics free from public domain internet - librivox.com)

Free Music Sources  Freeplay Music - a good collection of royalty-free music  Soundzabound - short clips free, reasonably-priced CDs available  MagnaTune  download.com  Partners in Rhyme

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