Untitled Document

The Potentials of Using Technology in the Secondary Classroom

I Introduction

What types of technology I use and why. See web page of that title.
World Wide Web sociology; the pros and cons of technology. What are some intellectual resources? What prevents teachers from moving forward or keeping up with technology?
Demonstrate how student web pages complement the academic and analytical writing assignments (unpublished on web for academic honesty issues) that are enriched by interdisciplinary and personal connections (published material).
Some of my future goals: my technology task force (student group that will make future suggestions this year. NB: technology instantly creates a natural step towards a student-centered classroom.
View and discuss a range of interdisciplinary resources on the web. This will help teachers contemplate what they want to do with their afternoon project: Library of Congress, American Memory: Historical Collections National Digital Library; Feminism/Literature: Scribbling Women; Literary Letters: Sarah Jewett Letters, see Cather letter, p. 144; Current News: Common Dreams; Field Trips: Preservation for the New England Society of Antiquities; Audio Resources: NPR News; American Literature: The Walden Woods Project; Great example of a teacher's web page: Mitsuharu Matsuoka, Associate Professor. Art Museums: Portland Museum of Art; New Britain Museum of Art, local context.
Let's build consensus on how to proceed with the rest of the morning and afternoon.

Searching the Web:

Discuss copyright issues; share a copyright chart that teachers can use in the afternoon and thereafter.
Share favorite search engines; evaluate engines; review and explore search tips. Show a range of web search sites: See Gateway for its filter effects. See http://www.searchability.com/academic.htm, http://www.virtualfreesites.com/search.education.html.
Discuss and create annotated links: show how evaluating a web page is similar to evaluating a text for a research project. Example: Click here for a student example. What do you know and think about Noodletools?
Have teachers search for their projects and record things in Microsoft word; convert later to html if necessary or transfer to future web page software.

III Explore Free Web Tools and Sites:

Explore several Internet sites that collate various web sites; these sites will allow Waynflete teachers to begin setting up projects in the afternoon: TrackStar: "TrackStar helps instructors organize and annotate Web sites (URLs) for use in lessons. The resource list remains visible allowing the user to easily stay on track;" RIBIT: "RIBIT is a tool designed to help teachers create inquiry-based learning curriculum using the Internet. RIBIT is easy to use, it stores the IBIs (Internet-based inquiries) that users create and it's free." New Curriculum web site and resource center.
Review search sites and discuss planning techniques for setting up an assignment on such preformatted web sites.
Contemplate various ways to have students take more ownership of this process: how can students find cultural and historical illuminations about the text? Discuss natural student centered dynamics that technology encourages. At what point can students be assigned to do the above inquiries?
How can a teacher evaluate technology projects.

IV Making a Web Page

V Writing Process

Inspirational Software: the traditional outline and the pictorial outline.
Also use it to show large plots and organize minor and major characters.
Use of email for pedagogy of writing; listservs v. individual email. We can discuss this and share experiences; I will give you a personal reaction (from my experience in the electronic trenches) to this three page article: How Email Can Give You Back Your Life; Barbara Moore, English Journal, Vol. 92, Num. 3, Jan. 2003. This will generate good discussion and help Waynflete teachers to evaluate what’s best for their culture.
Exploiting Microsoft Words Yellow Highlight and Insert Comment functions.

VI Audio Recorder

VII Electronic Portfolios:

When students post things on a web page, they are adding another step to the writing process; you can then share this published writing with peers for review and/or evaluate peer reactions as another step. Parents can also become involved here. Regardless, posting on the web instantly serves as a form of publishing.
Student collection of writing and multi media projects on meaningful topics; sophomore year’s spirit of place multi media project can become a college essay topic senior year.

VII Short Evaluation