Two-way journals with 7th graders

    This year I’ve introduced my 7th graders to Moodle (used already with 8th graders for two previous years).  As always, the 7th graders demonstrate how very different they are from 8th graders.  For example, more and more of my students are choosing the online/ Moodle option for their two-way journals; in my blended classroom, students read a book both have picked, and then write back and forth about it.  For more about these journals, see:  http://adventuresonlineteaching.blogspot.com/2011/02/two-way-journals-students-writing-to.html  While only about a third of 8th graders choose Moodle, with their second two-way journal project, only a few 7th graders are still writing on paper.  (Some students still prefer cool-looking diaries, or spiral notebooks.) 

   Three big differences.  First, the already-mentioned 7th grade enthusiasm for using online / Moodle for communications (even though they see each other daily).  Boys and girls used Moodle discussions at about the same rates.

    Second difference, 7th grade students are reading faster.  In the past, I’ve given students about 2 ½ to 3 weeks to read their books, and many have needed every single day.   Lately, I’ve been hearing, “Can we get a new book?  We finished ours already,” from the 7th grade.  The 8th graders enjoy the project, but take a more blasé attitude.  They finish the book and write reflections after they’ve finished.  The 7th graders seem to prefer to keep on reading.  On the other hand, I’ve had quite a number of “non-reader” 8th graders who have begged for us to do more two-way journals, “so we can read the next book in that series.”   And 8th graders don’t have time set aside for reaching, while 7th graders still do.

    Third difference, students are writing more, and writing in more depth. In most cases, I’m seeing deeper thinking.  This is only the second two-way journal  that the 7th graders have done.  But boy do they get it.  And are they into it!  They’re even referring to things they learned in other classes.  I’m seeing this across the spectrum of reading ability; with 8th graders, I see more of what I can only call “dancing on the surface.”  8th grade is more about being cool; 7th graders can’t manage that yet.

    Two 7th grade pairs selected a book they decided they hated  after just a few days of reading – Canned.  Could they please, please change?  Of course!  I want them to find a book they’d rather read because then they’ll read.  One pair selected New Boy.  The other chose One Fat Summer.  And they’re off and running.  (The 8th graders when they didn’t particularly like the book, persevered.  Too much trouble to find a new book?)  It does help to have hundreds of books for them to choose from. 

    I’m curious to see how these 7th graders will use two-way journals next year when they are in 8th grade.  Will they take a step back?  Be less enthusiastic?  I’ll need to find a way to  make two-way journals become fresh for them – maybe require them to add images to their words, something the 7th graders occasionally do already without prompting.

Professional development in your jammies

    Recently I’ve “attended” conferences without ever leaving my LaZBoy.  Many of us have taken online classes this way, but online conferences are a bit different.  And online conferences frequently offer ways to participate in real-time (synchronous) or at a time more convenient for you (asynchronous).

    Last month, I went to TCC (Technology, Colleges, and Community), http://tcc.kcc.hawaii.edu, a great annual conference for college/university online teachers, but it also includes K12 online teachers.  While presentations spanned the day and well into the night, I couldn’t possibly attend them all (time zones I saw included Japan). 

    Some I was able to attend in real time, via Elluminate. Similar to GoToMeeting and Adobe Connect, Elluminate offers a whiteboard/slide space, sound, written chat for backchannel conversations or questions for presenter, ability for presenters to show their desktop, and many features for attendees (polls, hand-raise, asking question via microphone).  I really enjoy taking part in the backchannel and being able to ask the speaker questions.

    Right now, I’m participating in  iMoot, http://2011.imoot.org, an international Moodle conference based in Australia.  There are attendees from throughout the world Moodle community, including K12 teachers, college instructors, and developers.

    These conferences seem to cover about 18 hours in the day.  But if I can’t attend a particular session because either I’m teaching or I’m asleep, no problem.  Sessions are recorded as they occur, and can then be watched later.  The conferences makes the recordings available shortly after the conference ends, or even within 24 hours of the session.  And often these are available for months afterwards. 

    TCC provides the slides afterwards as well, so it’s possible to look at the slides to both refer to later, or to see if this is a session that I want to watch.  The slides usually include contact information for the speaker, so if I want to get in touch, it’s not hard. 

    Besides savings on travel costs and time, I can attend all the sessions, even those that are scheduled simultaneously.  And when my brain has fried, I can stop for awhile without missing out. 

    What do you need to attend?  A computer with a decent Internet connection.  Dial up simply will not do.  Elluminate and similar also need software to be installed on your computer, so if you’re going to participate in a conference from work, you might need to get this installed ahead of time (if, like me, your employer limits who can install software on your computer).  Also, all the capabilities use a lot of computer resources, so it’s worthwhile to close other programs and reboot so your memory isn’t tied up. 

    These conferences not only provide food for thought in their content, but provide ideas about presenting material, too. And each costs less than $100.