Mary Howe 20% Project Part II

I have been overwhelmed with papers and electronic files all over the place.  I teach in multiple classrooms in multiple buildings, and I have computers in different places as well as my laptop at home.  Some of this mess was created because the curriculum has changed, but also I have been revising how I approach different chapters over the past several years.  As a result, I have various copies and versions of different worksheets, notesheets, powerpoints, tests, etc.  My goal was to organize both paper and electronic files and consolidate everything.  It has been a monumental task, and I cannot claim victory yet, but I have accomplished a great deal!  At least one building is completely organized and I have only a few chapters left at the other building.  As for electronic files, I have made sure to add all my worksheets, notesheet, powerpoints, etc. to my google page, so even though I still have some work to finish up on the H drive and R drive, I do at least have one place where all my files are organized and up to date.  I have also been organizing things on my laptop at home, adding things to the google page from home, deleting files, and saving things to a flashdrive.  After a few scares about the S drive and the R drive being accidentally deleted, I will sleep more soundly knowing I have copies of everything saved, stored, and organized!  It will also be helpful in sharing materials with the new teacher next year. 

I have been struggling this year with how much I can expect students to be responsible for their own materials.  I teach 6th through 9th grade, so I cannot expect the same level of independence across all these grades.  I have wondered, though, given how comfortable students are with technology, and how much they are expected to use technology for all their classes, how much I can expect them to access what they missed when they were absent, print off copies of lost or forgotten papers, etc.  Organizing all of my files has made it much easier for me to share with students electronically all the classroom resources.  I hope that creating the google page and making available to students all the resources we have used in class and for homework has encouraged them to take a more active role in their education.  I have also found it easier to share with them websites for projects and research.  Since everything is in one place, they seem to be more willing to go to the google page, and they know where to look to find information. 

NETS*T standard 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning:  "model and facilitate effective use of current emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support and research and learning"
NETS*T standard 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments: "develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress"

My project was mostly a housekeeping project, but now that I am organized and have a better idea of how to store my files for easier access, I have been more willing to explore other avenues for students to submit work, like the Z drive.  I have several projects from this year now saved so I can show examples of projects to students next year, or even just have students look at, evaluate, translate, or expand on past projects. 

Mary Howe's 20% Project

I have been searching for a way to support my students when they are at home trying to review or study.  Over the years, I have asked students to write notes in their notebooks in their own words, made copies of power point presentations and encouraged students to email me with questions.  All of these methods have been effective, but I still believed that some students were at home staring at a piece of paper and trying to recall or recreate my explanation of a grammar concept they understood in class but have forgotten since they got home. I was looking for a resource students could refer to, to refresh their memories and help them reorient themselves.  Often, when students come to me in the morning for extra help, I can review the material in a few minutes, give them a few examples, and their grasp of the concept is firm once again, and they feel confident again.  They just needed to see it and hear it one more time, in a way that a printed piece of paper cannont convey.  I have spoken to other teachers who have used Jing for screencasting, but it seemed too complicated for me to take the time to figure out and use effectively.  In the past few months, though, I have downloaded Jing onto all of my computers, fought with the hardware for different machines, and created a stock of quick grammar reviews for most of the chapters I teach.  I have uploaded the recordings onto my Google page and taught my students how to access the videos.  I have also included some of the videos in my Moodle page for independent learners.  I have also used the still picture recording in Jing to create documents and activities for students.  Not only have I created materials for students, but having used both Screencast-o-matic and Jing, I feel competent to use either program, and willing to try other formats in the future, which is certainly personal progress compared to how I felt about using screencasting before our class! 

There are many concepts involved in Latin grammar, but to be successful, a student must understand how to apply many of these individual concepts together, how they affect and interact with one another to create meaning.  Students must also do maintenance on their vocabulary and grammar understanding.  Of course we review in class, but I encourage students to be responsible for their own learning and to review on their own.  I remind them periodically throughout the year that everyone needs to do maintenance studying.  Creating the Jing videos and making them available for students to use for review purposes either during the unit or as maintenance later allows students to “become active participants in . . . managing their own learning and assessing their own progress.”  The burden is largely on the student to use the resource, but a video would seem to be much more appealing than a worksheet (review materials I also make available).  In each video there are examples to do with the student and a few examples for students to do on their own to check their understanding of the material. 

Throughout this process, I have shared my experience with students and sought their feedback in an effort to “exhibit knowledge, skills and work processes representative of an innovative professional in global and digital society.”  I have shared with students my frustrations and accomplishments and asked some of them to be involved in this project.  Granted, my “innovations” in using screencasting might not be cutting edge, but considering where I felt I was starting, I have gained confidence, felt the support of my students, and derived determination from their enthusiasm for the project.  I have also shared my experiences with some of the other teaches in my  department.  True, I have not led a workshop teaching others how to use Jing or screencasting, but I have offered myself as a resource and feel I have something to offer others. 

Working with screencasting and the opportunites it provides has led me down several tangential paths during this project.  I found new software to use with my textbook, joined an online discussion room for Latin teachers, explored using Youtube videos in my classroom and how to save them and link them to my Google page for reference by me or by students later, and perhaps most important, I have made or strengthened some personal connections with the technology specialist and the media specialist, relationships which will certainly prove invaluable as I “engage in professional growth and leadership, continuously improve . . . professional practice, model lifelong learning and . . . demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.”