D2L versus Web 2.0

I know it's early but i like the D2L discussion board better. More compact. It's all right there. I "hear" everyone. With three classes, I don't think I can work through everyone's blog. Many seperate conversations not a whole clas discussion. I don't know if that is better or worse. Still learning.

Readers and blogs

Still workng through the blogging process. Having trouble navigating. I think I set up a dashboard. Am following five people right now, will add more. Hard to easily see new comments. Linked through the Google reader. That happened by itself. I like the Google reader the best so far. RSS feed thing, right?

Web Tools

So I've tried some web tools and I want to find something I can incorporate in my classes.

Glogster: It makes a poster. Yes, you can embed media. Maybe could be used for lab reports. The examples I look at had a middle school feel, no offense. Don't know how it would play in high school. I don't do much with presentations. Does it rplace powerpoint? Is it something new in a new way, not sure.

Webspiration: Makes a flow chart. Brainstorming. A handful a students sitting around a poster sheet of paper with markers except virtual. looked at a couple of chem examples--acid & bases and atomic theory. Looks like two slide, tranparncy or LCD. Seems more for language arts.

TED: Loke TED. Seems like a useful resource. But ulimately it is an old thing in a new way. Feed not VHS/CD. But better than old way. Updates, more recent and more variety, access.

Science & Literacy and the "new" Common Core"

I'm going to talk about the the Science & Literacy article and the science Common Core together. The literacy article reall y resonated with me. I've always preferred the term & outlook of performance expectations rather than objectives. Somehow I feel "performance expectations" puts more of the ownership on the students. Do this rather than get here.

I used many explicit reading strategies at my first school then I do now. I think that was becasue the reading level was so much more of an issue. The problem for me me was "they can't read and they won'y read." Now I'm in more of a "they can read but they won't read." Does explicit translate into assigned-homework-graded?

Metacognition: Get teenagers to become aware of their own thinking & learning. Working on that.

The age old question: Are we science teachers or reading teachers? The vast majority of my students are not going to remember any abbreciable amount of chemistry after a few months/years. They just won't. Most are gonig to have to continue reading. And most are not very good at it.

I can live with the Common Core. Lots of process and analysis. I like the way they maintain the threads and just pump up the verbs-compare & contrast becomes synthesize, translate becomes integrate.

I think there has to be much more reading beyond the text (which they read of course).

Guiding Principles

I don't have list of guiding principles. That is partially why I am taking this class.

The readings have given me a start.

DRAFT THOUGHTS

1. The technology has to be low threshold, high ceiling.
2. It has to provide a way to do new things in new ways.
3. It should support best practice & pedagogical strategy.
4. It should help teach the 21st-century skills outlined in "A New Challenge." I think it's a solid list.
5. It would be nice if helped support student participation and interest.

That's all that have so far.
They are not in any particular order.

Setting the Stage

I am learning that when it comes to web 2.0 there is a range of responses from "early adopter" to Luddite. I don't blog, tweet, facebook/myspace. I barely text. I'm do not social network online. Nor would I call myself a Luddite. Having said that, I'm still not convinced that my students need a graphing calculator in my chemisty class, nor do they need a N-spire calculator/compuer with its magical "solve" button. I have however enjoyed the progression from chalk to overhead to LCD. I do occasionally miss simple pleasure of washing and drying 200 transparencies.

Looking back on the readings, I will try to summarizes my thoughts. I do believe that the technology & pedagological strategy must support the content. I have seen a lot of technology for technology sake. At school I do use WebAssign, Moodle, and LabQuest. Ultimately, as one of the readings said, we're doing old things in new ways. I suppose I am still looking for "New Things in New Ways' that will make sense in my chemistry classroom.

I firmly believe that there is a new set 21st-century skills that we must seek to teach. I think the "New Challenge" article did a very nice job with its list of five: Adaptability, complex communications/social skills, nonroutine problem solving, self-management/self-development, and systems thinking. I especially appreciate how those skills fit in a science framework.

But I come back to the issue of low threshold, high ceiling. We have, for the most part, stopped using LabQuests and probes with our regular students because the learning curve was just to high and we spend more time on the tool than on the concept.

I'm taking this class, in part, to learn what the Web 2.0 classroom looks and see if I can implement some of these tools and practices because I do beleive firmly in the need to address those 21st-century skills.

Introduction

My name is Jim Glynn. I teach at Glenbrook South High School in Glenview which is just outside Chicago. I have been there for four years and was at a Chicago public high school for nine years before that. My primary teaching responsible is a course called ChemPhys. It is an accelerated honors program in which freshmen take both chemistry and physics simultaneously for two years. I see those students every other day. After they finish ChemPhys they go directly to AP Bio. I also teach regular chemistry. In addition to teaching, I am also the sponsor of our environmental club, Project Earth, and head coach of the Scholastic Bowl team.

This is my first blog experience.