Cynicism for the 21st Century

Career Change

2012-01-28T18:35:00.000-05:00

So, I've been thinking...

I haven't been able to secure a full-time teaching position
Parents can be unreasonable
The country hates teachers
I'm always thinking about what I'm doing in class tomorrow
I'm so very, very tired

Perhaps it's time for a career change!

What's out there for a former teacher? I tried a brief stint in publishing in my 20's, but I was terrible at that. I attempted to sit at the front desk of a failing magazine for a year, but I didn't have the personality for it. English teachers are a dime a dozen, so I'm certain I'm not getting anything for next year. I guess it's time to find a career adviser or visit a staffing agency.

What's out there?

2012-01-09T18:37:00.001-05:00

Just sharing one of my favorite YouTube videos. Reminds me of my own dog.

Good Thing, Wrong Time

2012-01-08T17:53:00.000-05:00

I have to gripe about good things happening at the wrong times.

After interviewing with six schools, performing three demonstration lessons, and having visitors come to observe me in my own classroom as a finalist candidate for an English position last June, I got nothing.

Zero.

I accepted a leave replacement, which bought me a year. In the same district. With people I already know.

The leave position is for a year, but I still interviewed at another school for a position that begins at the end of this month. I went on the interview mainly to keep my interviewing skills sharp, and apparently they're sharper than I anticipated--I am to go for a second interview this week. This place seems genuinely interested in me.

Problem is, I anticipate serious repercussions if I leave my position now. In the long run, and I really benefiting my family if I burn bridges? If I'm offered a probationary position, I could take it, but the consequences may not be worth it.

I might have to back off. Why couldn't this have happened last June or this coming April?

It has been a while....

2010-12-03T08:20:00.000-05:00

I promised I'd write, and I have admittedly been lax about that. Chances are that this blog reaches no one, but perhaps my loyal band of followers will take a peek.

Truthfully, I have been using blogs--for my classes. My English 9 classes have a blog that I've been trying to incorporate into the curriculum, and the students have been using it to compose original poems. Their poetry solely reflects their understanding of poetic devices; I suggested that since their peers will be reading and commenting on their poetry, they should exercise discretion when choosing to "bare their souls" online. So far, I'm happy with the poetry. You can view the blog (consisting of entries from two English 9 classes) here: english9cooper.blogspot.com

I have also set up a class blog for the Cambrige Pre-U Global Perspectives and Research course. Students blog weekly about current events of a global scale. These entries can be found here:
gprvalhalla.blogspot.com

Of course, the blogs are strictly protected; only members of the blog may post or comment on posts.

I plan to maintain this blog frequently. Next time, I'll present a book review on George Orwell's 1984.

My Portfolio

2010-08-14T09:40:00.001-04:00

I know I created this blog for 21st Century Literacy Online, but I am also taking another course, Merging Educational Goals and Interactive Media Projects. As part of my final assignment, I am asked to share an ePortfolio that I put together for the coruse. What better way to share it than on my 21st Century Literacy Blog?

So, if you feel like it, check out my ePortfolio at wikispaces.com.

Reflections on Learning: 21st Century Literacy

2010-08-13T12:12:00.000-04:00

So, what have I learned over the course of....this course?

For starters, I have a blog now. I've actually set up another blog for exclusive use with my English 9 classes this coming school year. I hope to have students post assignments, questions, and responses on the blog, and hopefully I'll get them started on their own class blogs.

I've also learned to use quite a few new digital tools. I had always thought that Google Documents was a "pain in the neck," but I've learned just how convenient it really is. No more storing files in multiple places--it's just easier to upload all of my new documents to Google Docs and work on them from multiple places. I also got to know Microsoft MovieMaker well. Thanks to creating a slideshow for my infant son, friends and family have been asking me to create slideshows for them. I think I'll start a business!

Most importantly, I'm learning more about using the tools of the 21st century and applying them in my own classroom. As a digital immigrant, I am often intimidated by these new tools; however, I've grown more comfortable witih these newly acquired skills and I think that I might be a bit more savvy than I was before. I look forward to implementing my newfound knowledge and "showing off" to my colleagues!

We Fear Change!

2010-08-10T11:12:00.000-04:00

Hello loyal followers!

So, I've been thinking a lot about implementing Voicethread in my Freshman English classes this year, and I'm very excited about it. I'm hoping to motivate students with something online to use as a collaborative tool. Of course, I'll "ramp them up" with individual voicethreads for their summer reading projects, but as time goes on, they will begin collaborating and commenting on Voicethread projects with other students. This could really be something to foster change in my classroom and possibly in my school! Here's a link to the K-12 Voicethread page, complete with a video that explains what Voicethread in the classroom is all about:

http://voicethread.com/about/k12/

However, I had some issues last year using Turnitin.com. A few parents didn't like the idea of their children's work posted on the internet. I anticipate some parental resistane to Voicethread. I worry that too many people out there fear what they don't understand, and I want to make sure that all students are able to particpate in a collaborative 21st Century environment. I could wait until open school night to prepare a presentation, but I'd like to begin soon. I'll send out a letter to parents about Voicethread of course, but I'd like your feedback. What should I include in the letter in order to alleviate any fears that parents might have about online digital tools?

The Power and Pain of Rubrics

2010-08-04T10:42:00.000-04:00

I remember when I first started teaching at Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School in Brooklyn; I knew I wanted to teach, but I had not taken one educational class, so I didn't know how to teach. I got my feet wet during the two years I spent there, and after that I learned that keeping lesson plans is a vital part of teaching. It wasn't until my third year teaching (my first year at James Madison High School in Brooklyn) that I realized just how valuable rubrics could be. The first time my direct supervisor asked me, "let me see the rubric," my heart leaped into my throat. Rubric? What is that?

Thus began my rubric creation. I can honestly say that on more than one occasion, a rubric has saved my butt. When I create a rubric for any assignment, I provide my students with a copy before they begin. I stick to those rules, and the rubrics provide me with a formulaic tool for assessment. If a student (or, more frequently, a parent) complains about a grade, I can point to the rubric. On more than one occasion, a general homework rubric, which I always distribute in the beginning of the school year, has provided sufficient argument to support grades I have given and to set standards.

Of course, there's the down side to the rubric. First, rubrics must be constantly updated. My rubrics often change to meet unforeseen demands or to correct errors in assessment. I've also heard the phrase, "it's not on the rubric" many, many times; I can't reward or penalize for something if it's not on the rubric because I'd be breaking a written promise to "stick to the standards" when grading an assignment. God forbid I ever do that!

Still, I tend to favor the positive side of the rubric. It certainly allows me to set the standards, and it does make grading assignments a heck of a lot easier!

If you'd like a quick, easy wat to create rubrics, try Rubistar. It allows you to create a rubric for almost anything, then download it to your computer or share it on the web.

I also found this video on YouTube in which an author discusses her book about writing rubrics.

Commentary on the Commentary

2010-08-03T17:58:00.000-04:00

So, it's nice to see that I have followers--albeit you're required to follow me! The same goes for the comments on my posts. I do appreciate the feedback, required or not--don't get me wrong. It fosters communication and provides me with some helpful feedback. Furthermore, commenting on other blogs gets me in the mood to read more. I've begun to follow truly insightful blogs about 21st century literacy, which I don't know that I would have done had this not been an assignment for a class.

That being said, I'm grateful for this blogging assignment. It's connecting me to the educational world outside of my own school building, and it's making me a better teacher. I might even start blogging for social purposes, or to polish my writing skills.

Anyway, here are some links to comments I made on other posts. Enjoy!

http://21stcentliteracy.edublogs.org/2010/07/28/video-tips-from-edutopia-bloggers/comment-page-1/#comment-79

http://langwitches.org/blog/2010/07/31/links-for-2010-07-31/comment-page-1/#comment-38223

What Teacher's Don't (or Won't) Know

2010-07-28T17:39:00.000-04:00

Greetings!

I spent the past three days at Westchester BOCES for some professional development; I'll be pioneering the Cambridge Pre-U GPR course in New York, so we've been hard at work learning the do's and don't's of the course. Anway, Cambridge requires the students to do a multimedia project pon a global issue as part of the assessment. The question arose about whether or not it's fair to criticize a student on his or her use of multimedia. If a student is unfamiliar with the use of digital tools, should it affect his or her grade?

Before I began to delve into the world of 21st Century Literacy, I thought that learning a "new tool" would be difficult. However, I have come to learn that digital tools are quite easy. When another teacher commented that he couldn't hold a student accountable for technology because he "couldn't even upload a picture from a camera," I tried to explain the ease of learning these "difficult tasks." It's scary to me that we, as educators, often dismiss digital technology as "too new" or "scary." If we're afraid new ways of thinking, then how can we implement new courses like Cambridge Pre-U?

Thoughts? Comments?

FYI: A link to the FAQ concerning Cambridge Pre-U for those who want to know more. http://www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/academic/uppersec/preu/faqs

A New Blogging Adventure

2010-07-27T17:33:00.000-04:00

This is a first for me--I've avoided the blogger's realm for far too long, mainly because I have no idea what to do with it. First and foremost, I'd like to figure out how to use a blog for my English classes this coming school year. However, since I'm new at this, I'm sure that my students will have had more experience with blogging than I have.

QUESTION: How can I incorporate a blog into an English class? Let me know what ideas you might have, and if you can, give me some instructions on how to set it up!