Teaching with Technology

Curriculum-Based Tellecollaboration by Harris

Description

Interpersonal exchange is where individuals or groups ?talk? electronically though e-mail, large-group discussion tools, or real-time text or audio- and video- conferencing tools.

Article Findings

There are six activity structures in the interpersonal exchange process; keypals, global classrooms, electronic appearances, telementoring, question-and-answer activities and impersonations.

Keypals is an electronic penpal activity where students communicate with each other normally in pairs. An example activity is where students help each other understand each other?s cultures and everyday lives by sharing messages, photos, and artwork.

Global Classrooms is a group exchange that focus on specific content and collaborative explorations. Two or more classes from different locations study a topic together via online.

Electronic appearances are a visit from a subject-matter expert who communicates with students in real ?time or videoconferencing programs. Most times it is an inquiry-based dialogue and relatively short periods of communication.

Telementoring is when communication with subject-matter experts becomes more extended. They become electronic mentors to students studying a specific topic.

Question-and-Answer Activities are the shortest contacts with subject-matter experts yet. Students who cannot find information they need or don?t fully understand information can use an ?ask-the-expert? service located online and receive an answer to their question.

Impersonations are where at least one participant in an online group communicates as a character. This can involve students, teachers or an expert in the topic as impersonators. This provides a motivating force for students to explore topics.

Reflection

Many of the interpersonal exchange tools would be motivating in a second grade classroom. One of the second grade goals is for students to analyze how individuals, families, and communities are alike and different. Rather than telling a student or having a student read about different communities and families, why not have students become keypals with other students from different countries? I did a Google search for keypals and teachers and found a site called Intercultural E-mail classroom connections at http://www.iecc.org/ . This site offers a place for classroom teachers to post their needs or find a classroom that matches their classes? needs or interests. I would start here to find a classroom in a different country with a similar age of kids who spoke English and whose teacher was looking for a class to exchange ideas about everyday life and culture. Then I would e-mail the teacher personally and if they were interested, we would set up communication between our classrooms. We would post questions as a class based on what my students wanted to know and wait for responses and questions from the other class.

Another way I would incorporate an interpersonal exchange tool is through impersonations. Every year the second graders at my school do a Wax Museum project. This is where the students research a famous American from history and write a script telling about the person?s life. They then dress up as the character and we have the kindergarten classes visit them on the day they dress up. They are still like they are at a wax museum and the kindergarteners put a penny on their desk if they want them to ?come to life? and talk about their life as the famous American. I think it would be neat to partner with one of the kindergarten classes and pair each second grader with a kindergartener. The kindergartener?s can e-mail their partner a question and they can respond in the voice of the famous American they studied.

The Educators Guide to the Read Write Web by Will Richardson

Description

Weblogs are similar to a website except the publishing option is open to many users. The user can add to a website without altering another?s work and without having to learn hypertext.

Article Findings

 Most blogs incorporate online conversations where users make comments about what is on the site. Youth may use these as a diary however; teachers and students can use blogs to elicit higher order thinking skills.  Teachers can use blogs to build resource portals and to help create learning communities. Some uses the article mentions are collaborating with authors of books, contacting mentors, and communicating with other students in a different part of the world. Blogs engage students to be more interactive and collaborative learners. They must be taught to evaluate the sources of information rather than simply accepting it as truth. For example, they need to consider the source of information. If the source is an expert in the field, their information should weigh more than a student. There may be scientists, writers, or researchers who are more knowledgeable about a topic than a teacher, willing to guide students learning. Also, students can collaborate with each other by conversing on a topic. What one student finds important may cause another student to look critically at what they find important about a topic.

Reflection

I most recently taught second grade and I believe weblogs would be very useful for engaging students in conversations about a book. I believe weblogs would be best used in small groups because a second grader may loose interest if they have to read through 20 people?s responses. I would probably assign groups initially based on student?s reading level since they already read the same books in their guided reading groups.

In order to get students to think more critically about a book, I would pose a question such as ?Do you think Charlotte or Wilbur was more special in the book Charlotte?s Web? Discuss why using examples from the book.? Once students got used to adding their opinion, I would require more from them by asking them to respond to at least one group member?s posting. I would also make sure that their postings are anonymous. Those students who are nervous about speaking up in front of their peers because they are afraid of being embarrassed may feel more comfortable if their opinions are anonymous.

I would manage the blogs by making the computer available during center time. Each student should have a chance to visit the computers at least once during the week to post. I believe students would also be motivated to sign up to visit the computer during morning work or snack time. I would also model the use of good blogs and use student?s anonymous postings to discuss strengths and weaknesses.