Google Spreadsheet of Technologies for English Content Area
I felt that it was very much an individual event. There was initial interaction as to who was going to set up the spread sheet and how to input the data but after we set up the Google Spreadsheet it was very much an individual task. We did not split the research into any sections, we all did our own research. There was no set structure for inputting data, we did that at our leisure. It was easier to make the interactivity more individual because of time conflicts with class and work schedules.
I felt that it was very much an individual event. There was initial interaction as to who was going to set up the spread sheet and how to input the data but after we set up the Google Spreadsheet it was very much an individual task. We did not split the research into any sections, we all did our own research. There was no set structure for inputting data, we did that at our leisure. It was easier to make the interactivity more individual because of time conflicts with class and work schedules.
I think that we made a pretty decent list - there were certainly technologies that I had never thought of, so I think we tried thinking outside of the box. They would all relate well to the English content area. I particularly like the "Apps" section of our Spreadsheet. Being new to the iPhone it was really fun to research apps that would aid a student in an English class. The apps like the "Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms" would have been something I would have LOVED in high school to help me from confusing the literary terms.
We had a section called "Assessment" in our Spreadsheet and it gave examples of things such as online tests and online rubrics that students and teachers could use to assess themselves/the students throughout a lesson. That would be extremely helpful in the CURR314 class. The "turnitin" website is a useful tool for teachers since plagiarism is an unfortunate epidemic in classrooms. In regards to READ411, the column "Homework Tools and Test Prep" had 2 entries - "Analogy of the Day" would be an interesting "Do Now" for teachers to ask students to write about and "Vocabulary Enrichment" would help students in regards to test preparation as well as reinforcing the vocabulary of the lesson.
I agree with you Shelby on the fact that this was a very individual task and that its much easier to work as individuals during an online course. I've always preferred to work on my own especially since we are all so busy. I should have added an assessment section as well. Assessment for a foreign language is very difficult, especially assessing writing because the students are all on their own individual levels. I will definitely look into some more assessment tools now that our 314 class has started.
ReplyDeleteShelby, I agree with you when you say that many people try to think out side the box. I think that because we saw what other people wrote and we did not want to repeat it forced us to come up with new ideas which will help us in the long run. Having this spreadsheet is very beneficial because even though it was pretty much an individual task, in the end it is a collaborative outcome that will benefit us all as future teachers.
DeleteShelby, what do you think could have been done differently to make the process one of authentic collaboration?
ReplyDeleteKevin,
DeleteI think if we met up instead of doing everything online and communicating via email that would have been a collaboration...I suppose though, we did collaborate but not in a way I am used to - I am used to meeting up in group projects, having a face-to-face conversation. This interactivity made it less personal and more about the task at hand.
Shelby,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it was a very individualized task. I feel that although we all worked collectively on the spreadsheet, we did not communicate with one another or have a dialogue as to how we would organize it, who would research what technologies, or what types of technologies we wanted to incorporated. Since this was a task conducted solely through the internet and we did not have face-to-face interaction I feel that it did not feel as collaborative as it was intended to be. Do you feel that collaboration would have been possible if we had created an online chat to communicate with one another throughout the project or do you feel that true collaboration can only occur through face-to-face interaction?