No More Bird Reports!!!

I think every single person can look back and name a time they had to research some topic, write a report on it, and hand it in to the teacher for marking. Numerous times I wrote these types of reports - the Blue Footed Boobie, the planet Jupiter, Pierre Trudeau - they were so boring. The teacher was usually my only audience. On rare occasion we shared our reports with the class. What did I really learn from doing this? I learned to look up my topic in the encyclopedia, find a few books, and later use search the internet. Then, you write everything you found in those few sources, just regurgitate the information. Really, very little thought was required to complete the assignment. Today, we are saying "No more bird reports!"
When you are learning about a new topic and studying it there are numerous ways to show people what you have learned. Students should not be limited to writing a report that regurgitates what they have heard and read. Why not create a skit and video tape it to show to your class? The students will learn to create a story line or script, how to create and edit video, they will collaborate, and they can explore the topic that they are working with. This expands the learning that is taking place. Plus, why should every student have to do the same thing to show their progress? Rather than all students writing a report, one might create a Power Point show, another a comic strip, maybe a website, or write a song/rap in Garage Band. All of these will help the student continue to explore the topic or lesson, demonstrate their learning, and with choice they can choose to work in a way that is suited to their learning style. Rather than having a few students write good reports while the others write average reports, you can have all students succeed using a program or method that they enjoy. Since I began university I have been exposed to many ways to present my work. Personally, I find that I get better marks, feel more confident and proud in my work, and learn more in the process when I use other methods than writing an essay. One of my most successful projects was a Power Point presentation that included pictures, video, and other information. Since I have become comfortable in public speaking, I presented my information to my class by speaking about my Power Point I had put together. Not only did I learn about the topic I was expected to learn about, I improved my technological skills, public speaking skills, and researching skills. I want to expose my students to a variety of ways to demonstrate their learning. Not all students learn the same, so why should they all do the exact same assignments?

Skils For Our Students

I was reading a blog of David Warlick's about 21st Century skills. I have discussed before the need to teach students how to learn, how to teach themselves, not simply subjects. This blog made me even more aware of that fact. Not only is technology advancing so quick, and our world is based on information, but we also have an unpredictable future. The world is moving so fast. Globalization has made our world smaller and we are gaining information at rapid speed from other countries and societies. We don't know what tomorrow will bring, let alone 5, 10, or 20 years down the road. If our students only know how to do math, understand basic science, and have learned reading and writing, how will they be able to contribute to our future as a province, country, or world? They need to understand how to think critically, assess information, determine its value, figure out how to apply the information to their own life, and problem solve. They must understand how to communicate and collaborate. Our society is no longer a place of "you do your work and I'll do mine". Rather, it is a place of sharing information and working together.
Warlick also discussed a presentation that he saw that was very interactive. Warlick said:
It’s about interaction with content.
This is something I really need to keep in mind in my teaching. Today students live in an interactive world of video-games, on-line virtual worlds, etc. What child who is so interactive outside of school wants to come sit in a desk and listen to a teacher all day? Not a single one! If I can make my classroom, my lessons, and my content interactive there is a higher chance that they will get involved in their learning and take an interest in what I am teaching. Technology, of course, is a major way to do this. Creating a Jeopardy game of science questions, having the kids make a video or comic of a scene from a book . . . there are many ways to make learning more interesting, more interactive, and allow the students to problem solve and collaborate. Education is finally beginning to catch up to the rest of the world, and I think classrooms are finally becoming exciting places to be!

Information Literacy

Since we are using technology in the classroom more and more, and using the Internet as a source of information, it is critical that we teach our students how to evaluate websites and be critical of the information they find on the web. I have found MAPing to be very useful for myself, and will be useful for my future students. By evaluating the Meta-web, Author, and Purpose we can determine how appropriate or valuable the information we are viewing is. To introduce this to my middle years class I would discuss M, A, and P with them. Together we could go through a few websites and I could have them guide me in finding information to help us determine how high of quality the sites are. At the beginning of a computer lab class I could have them work in pairs or small groups to evaluate websites I give them. This allows them to apply their skills, collaborate, and learn from each other. However, I know that such information can be easily forgotten when you are wanting to do some quick research. I myself am bad for getting excited that I find what I want, but don't evaluate the material. Therefore, MAPing is an activity I would have the students do once a week, or maybe every other week. Another option would be to have an information literacy page on a class wiki. Once a week, the students would be expected to go the page, go to one of the links provided, evaluate the page, and write in a journal what they found. The journal could be used in the evaluation for a computer or ELA class.
I also believe that as a teacher, I need to pay close attention to websites in my students bibliographies when they submit essays or other writing. I can use websites submitted in bibliographies as examples in the MAPing section of the class wiki. This way, students are evaluating sites that they have actually looked at and used. They will see more value in the skill.