tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38433181002691812852024-02-20T01:12:52.920-08:00Metawriting by Deanna MascleThis blog reflects my interest in writing pedagogy, agency and efficacy, and teaching with technology -- as a rhetorician and researcher as well as writer, teacher of writers, and teacher of writing teachers.DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-1395098049918451442013-02-01T13:03:00.003-08:002013-02-01T13:03:27.346-08:00Metawriting Has MovedAfter three years of publishing here on Blogger I have decided to move my blog to my own web site. You can continue to follow Metawriting at http://metawriting.deannamascle.com/<br />
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Read more about my <a href="http://metawriting.deannamascle.com/?p=1" target="_blank">Grand Re-Opening</a> and my new post <a href="http://metawriting.deannamascle.com/?p=20" target="_blank">PLNs, Serendipity and Learning</a>.DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-31019729172750367672013-01-23T08:39:00.000-08:002013-01-23T08:59:58.813-08:00My blogging persona<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYKXyDwmBMXS7eKrUc-KMxKxBnZuq0TM8y13wPp9NWuUIqgE-sbfJ-isYLxcyaGbABzfZyzAsWzsa8OQhRQeAJlgk1lI99bskJ7CYBzn85plxL3_6eIXWGXulglTipBet5yswsYXeY_d0/s1600/Milestones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYKXyDwmBMXS7eKrUc-KMxKxBnZuq0TM8y13wPp9NWuUIqgE-sbfJ-isYLxcyaGbABzfZyzAsWzsa8OQhRQeAJlgk1lI99bskJ7CYBzn85plxL3_6eIXWGXulglTipBet5yswsYXeY_d0/s1600/Milestones.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am writing
my 100th blog post at the same time that many elementary school students are
marking their 100</span><sup style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> day of school. For many of those students the
100</span><sup style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> day brings with it an assignment to collect/display/share 100
items of some sort (buttons, paper clips, etc). I can still remember my son
agonizing over what he should collect. He wanted it to be something unique, but
it also needed to be readily available and portable. Now I can’t even remember
what he chose, but I suspect it was something we found in the kitchen. However,
my recent consternation about what to do with my 100</span><sup style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> blog post
combined with recent Facebook posts by parents and teachers of primary students
celebrating the 100</span><sup style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> day of school reminded me of that dilemma and
helped me put my own struggle into perspective. Yes, this is an exciting
milestone, but there will be many more blog posts to come.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">But what can
I, or should I, use this occasion to discuss? I started two different posts
(about alternate academic career tracks and my annual review) and considered a
host of teaching-related posts (my recent experiments with badges and Google+
communities, for example) but in the end decided that these posts can wait for
a less momentous occasion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Then I
contemplated whether this might be the best time to wrap up this blog – as a Blogger
blog that is. I have a professional web site and have been considering for
months the advantages and disadvantages of maintaining a separate blog and web
site as well as the issue of Blogger vs. Wordpress. But I’m pretty sure I’m
making the switch to a Wordpress blog on my own web site (the control and
aesthetic issues I’m having with Blogger are simply beginning to outweigh the
advantages of Blogger) so there goes that topic which many others have ably
discussed such as this post on <a href="http://thepaintedhive.net/2012/09/blogger-vs-wordpress/" target="_blank">The Painted Hive</a> and <a href="http://www.buildyourblogconference.com/2012/11/blogger-vs-wordpress.html" target="_blank">Build Your Own Blog</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55UZlWgFBgKhcpYejcLMypiXqew07vXVXIfiFO089AKzoRXLmyalyEjq3jOO-6GpfWeXcA9Mco04sSS5PXQ3aOhoD62Q7ZCUt-TLRnXhzV4OQ8H5FzOlMT9R95JkDglOrM2SbI3TXNZBV/s1600/tags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55UZlWgFBgKhcpYejcLMypiXqew07vXVXIfiFO089AKzoRXLmyalyEjq3jOO-6GpfWeXcA9Mco04sSS5PXQ3aOhoD62Q7ZCUt-TLRnXhzV4OQ8H5FzOlMT9R95JkDglOrM2SbI3TXNZBV/s1600/tags.jpg" width="161" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Then I
mulled over the idea of discussing my history and development as a blogger. This
blog is three years old so I have been able to maintain a fairly consistent
presence, but the fact that it took that long to arrive at the magical “100” is
a clear indication of my inability to post weekly and doesn’t tell us much
about me as a blogger. My tags are a little more telling, but also somewhat
problematic as I haven’t always been consistent (or smart) about their use. I’m
kind of interested in my Top 5 Posts (as indicated by readership) but that also
says more about my readers than about me. In the end, I concluded that a picture
was worth more than words and simply plugged my blog into a Wordle. This simple
graphic summarizes what my blog is all about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">My description of my blog is:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This blog reflects my interest in writing pedagogy, agency and efficacy, and teaching with technology -- as a rhetorician and researcher as well as writer, teacher of writers, and teacher of writing teachers.</span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YG25efqgdQXzUovadmNtU3NYn8cEnPHQP9js8c3OhaCM64j3rYDFowNY4LS64nkH8L3ZK_egngjOZc8zp2HQsofYulbP23l-AYQOGsAuRPd_noIysi7cSU-j431zGKSCROlUUv9iwmXJ/s1600/blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YG25efqgdQXzUovadmNtU3NYn8cEnPHQP9js8c3OhaCM64j3rYDFowNY4LS64nkH8L3ZK_egngjOZc8zp2HQsofYulbP23l-AYQOGsAuRPd_noIysi7cSU-j431zGKSCROlUUv9iwmXJ/s1600/blog.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Wordle clearly highlights the topics that I write about although some trends were a little surprise to me. Obviously as a teacher and National Writing Project site director issues surrounding students, classes, and education are of keen interest and I clearly write about them a lot. However, I tend to write from a more personal place about my own experiences and experiments in my classroom. As a social media proponent and online teacher/learner it is also not surprising to see that idea highlighted. Similarly, as I am interested in the idea of community as a teacher, administrator, and researcher I was not surprised to see that featured prominently. But I was rather surprised to see that writing was not among the most prominent topics I write about. Perhaps I need to consider that as I plan future blog posts. I think using Wordle as a reflective and analytical tool can help a blogger consider the past and plan for the future. It was certainly a worthwhile exercise for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Finally,
after reading Pat Thomson’s post about <a href="http://patthomson.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/a-blogging-identity/" target="_blank">blogging identity</a> I decided that this might be the perfect time to explore my own blogging
identity. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Like Thomson (and most other humans), I have multiple
private and professional identities and have written about this<a href="http://www.squidoo.com/whoisdeannamascle" target="_blank"> identity problem</a> before</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">.
However, I tend to keep this blog focused on my various professional identities
(although I have upon occasion discussed <a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-child-will-be-left-behind.html" target="_blank">more personal topics</a> that connected
with these professional interests</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">).
I do not do a good job separating the personal from the private when it comes
to social media, but that is another post for another day. Unlike Thomson, I did
not delete my <a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-child-will-be-left-behind.html" target="_blank">rant about education</a>, but then as someone who works (and writes
and researches about that work) with teachers I think my concerns about my son’s
education touch on (at least peripherally) what I write about in the normal
course of blogging.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFT5s9mK1Whk0lfpQ-bNOZfZQv7hKsgu4bDWMb307hS_GEch5kUGL5VAwMXUdHfzpXGsBBVmbiRP3GGAxy2I9AQaOXmo1FyoiD0A4XEOSaZoNm-Yq5xO03JdNOy7lblW5Gos_MqfNVQ54/s1600/reflection-boat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFT5s9mK1Whk0lfpQ-bNOZfZQv7hKsgu4bDWMb307hS_GEch5kUGL5VAwMXUdHfzpXGsBBVmbiRP3GGAxy2I9AQaOXmo1FyoiD0A4XEOSaZoNm-Yq5xO03JdNOy7lblW5Gos_MqfNVQ54/s1600/reflection-boat.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I really like two ideas that Thomson shares in her
post. I, too, blog in an effort to “de-privatize” my own thoughts and struggles
with teaching, learning, and researching. Yes, I sometimes worry that I overshare,
but as someone who advocates reflection for her own students how can I not
practice what I preach? I truly believe in the importance of reflection to
learning and growth and this blog plays a tremendous role in my own growth and
learning. Interconnected with this is the simple fact that I am a teacher and a
National Writing Project site director. As such it is my job, my duty, my
calling to make visible my struggles, failures, and successes in hopes that
these experiences will provide lessons for others as well as my entrée
into conversations about these issues. That is the power of blogging and social
media – that I can connect/communicate and learn/share with someone like <a href="http://twitter.com/ThomsonPat" target="_blank">PatThomson</a> who is not even on my continent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Also, blogging is a powerful tool for creating that
sense of “there” that Thomson discusses in her post. Face-to-face and real-time
connections can be powerful and have a long-term impact, but they are also
transitory. I have a terrible memory, especially when it comes to verbal
interactions, but blogging can live on and remains accessible. It can provide a
“just in time” spark or response -- at least I hope mine does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-58817892671310645452013-01-17T06:17:00.000-08:002013-01-17T06:17:23.450-08:00NOT The Trouble With Online Education<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXGFArnsX34JV75cNqAs_rc5gFDboorbIxh8Vh5XzE_H5FzxMuuTK91yjJFaVsOsFos6elwb19mZloZvVU5HVJS9FBmecW1rHa7QSWAIZL4IHhZGP6B4UTdm5efQZ9Ko9hAC8Rp1mo3MA/s1600/Giant.Head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXGFArnsX34JV75cNqAs_rc5gFDboorbIxh8Vh5XzE_H5FzxMuuTK91yjJFaVsOsFos6elwb19mZloZvVU5HVJS9FBmecW1rHa7QSWAIZL4IHhZGP6B4UTdm5efQZ9Ko9hAC8Rp1mo3MA/s1600/Giant.Head.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
My Ph.D program recently shared a link to a New York
Time’s Op-Ed piece about online education that still has my blood boiling. “<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/20/opinion/the-trouble-with-online-education.html?">The
Trouble With Online Education</a>” certainly does not
present any new ideas or arguments about (against?) online education (nor did it when the
piece came out in July), but I suppose the timing of reading the piece during
the first week of our semester – a semester when I am teaching two online
classes – sparked a need to respond. Whatever the reason, there are several points the
author makes that are really bothering me as an educator in general and online
teacher (as well as former/ongoing online student) in specific.<br />
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As an educator it really bothers me that Mark Edmundson
is offended by the notion that professors might learn from their students. Yes,
I am the content specialist in my classroom and as such usually know a lot more
about my subject than my students, but I would argue that if you are not
learning from your students then you are doing it wrong. Education is not just
about transferring chunks of information from one head (yours) to another (your
students). That is an outmoded and ineffective model and one of the things wrong
with education today. Education is about exploring ideas and if you are not
giving students the opportunity to explore, understand, apply, and share in
your class then you are missing out and, worse, you are cheating your students.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl020MStruOuoW708oihPfecpXyQ8hYU4cy_txctXh6pVONtPJRbGPjObLYGnrAmwI_qeCrZrDKCuOdyFp5CocxKP2vtd9nNlHRY-Rzwn8fAAIqoKHWRSvDU9qHYRuqJKGPfcjA76MLxZI/s1600/Lonely.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl020MStruOuoW708oihPfecpXyQ8hYU4cy_txctXh6pVONtPJRbGPjObLYGnrAmwI_qeCrZrDKCuOdyFp5CocxKP2vtd9nNlHRY-Rzwn8fAAIqoKHWRSvDU9qHYRuqJKGPfcjA76MLxZI/s1600/Lonely.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Edmundson then goes on to ask the question: Can online
education ever be education of the very best sort? This is a valid question and
one we should continue to ask, but what irks me is the assumption that a
lecture class is the gold standard by which education should be measured. Just
this week Cathy Davidson argued that “<a href="http://hastac.org/blogs/cathy-davidson/2013/01/13/if-we-profs-dont-reform-higher-ed-well-be-re-formed-and-we-wont-it-s#.UPaftyfC19A">If
we profs can be replaced by a computer screen, we should be</a>.” She makes
many excellent points about the need for education reform and how/why online
education will be a major player in that reform but she also points out that
lectures are an economic expedient but not good pedagogy. Davidson points out lectures may (if done well by the expert performers Edmundson lauds) be entertaining,
but research shows students do not retain information presented in this format
or understand how to apply it. Just yesterday Matt Reed agreed with Davidson
and noted that lecture has never been “<a href="http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean/turning-skid">a
particularly effective way to teach</a>.” Online classes can be and are
designed and taught in similarly ineffective ways all around the world, but as
Davidson and Reed point out there is also great potential for innovation in
both the traditional classroom and the online classroom if we adapt to new
circumstances and knowledge and employ new strategies and new tools. Whether we
like it or not, times are changing and <a href="http://hastac.org/blogs/cathy-davidson/2013/01/13/if-we-profs-dont-reform-higher-ed-well-be-re-formed-and-we-wont-it-s#.UPalwyfC19A">we
profs need to reform</a> and “<a href="http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean/turning-skid">turn
into the skid</a>” or the university will indeed be torn apart as Edmundson so
fears. The fault will not be with online education but will instead be with
profs (and institutions) that refuse to evolve and grow.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The idea that Edmundson presented which really made my
blood boil is that an online class cannot be a genuine intellectual community
because it is a monologue rather than a dialogue (ironic much?). He goes on to
describe online education as anonymous, sterile, abstract, and lonely. I
thought my head my spin off my shoulders after reading this opinion which was
apparently formed after watching a pre-filmed online class. Well, of course
that model of online education is not as rich as the live lecture (which is
already pretty ineffective) but apparently Edmundson is not aware of the
tremendously rich and varied pedagogy taking place around the world that
harnesses the power of technology to make online and blended classes exciting
and challenging places to learn. It makes me wonder how Edmundson would respond
if his students present such a poorly supported argument. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnR9u5nAhxslnSWHa0K7ZeKhvR3pIo6p2sSEPAwHQ2moyL4y37ixTq6OBuFZFw-dvajVXVihov-zzmF6AQm89AODHGI8kk1JoJRh7EL90Pztq0PhYvxpK80ci8uu0Q4pirhwl906PZa-IT/s1600/Community.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnR9u5nAhxslnSWHa0K7ZeKhvR3pIo6p2sSEPAwHQ2moyL4y37ixTq6OBuFZFw-dvajVXVihov-zzmF6AQm89AODHGI8kk1JoJRh7EL90Pztq0PhYvxpK80ci8uu0Q4pirhwl906PZa-IT/s1600/Community.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I would urge anyone who questions the exciting class
design possible in online and blended classes to visit such collectives as <a href="http://hastac.org/">HASTAC</a> and <a href="http://www.hybridpedagogy.com/">Hybrid Pedagogy</a> to find overwhelming
support to counter the idea that online education is anonymous, sterile,
abstract, and lonely. I strive to make my classes an interactive community with
dynamic, collaborative projects and my class activities and assignments are constantly
evolving inspired by the amazing work being done by my friends, peers, and
colleagues around the world. This is an exciting time to be an educator and I
believe our students are enriched by the experience. Sometimes my class
activities and assignments don’t work out as planned (or hoped) but then that
was true when I taught face-to-face. Often my online space is messy but then so
was my traditional class space – we were often loud too. But this week, our
first week of classes at my institution, we have begun building a community. I
shared personal tidbits about my hobbies, family, and dog and invited students
to share as well. As we interact as a group, we have talked about favorite
books, movies, TV shows, and video games as well as tattoos, crafts, and pets.
We are finding out who is creative, who is nervous about technology, and who is
incredibly busy. After only three days, 22 students have posted more than 150
messages to each other in our Community forum. Sure I have included some
prerecorded videos to explain assignments but there are no lectures. Instead we
will continue to share, discuss, challenge, and question – and I know that I
will learn from my students just as they learn from me and from each other. I
don’t know how Edmundson defines a “genuine intellectual community” but I’m
pretty sure we’ve got one going on and I know we are not alone.</div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-44017754066415365562013-01-08T11:14:00.000-08:002013-01-08T11:24:47.926-08:00A letter to my students<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I am excited to begin the
semester with you because I have big (and fun, I hope) plans in store for our
class, but before we embark on this adventure together I want to ask you some
very important questions. Your answers to these questions will determine your
success for the semester. I want you to succeed, but, ultimately, your success
and failure is up to you and your fit with online instruction, this class, and
this instructor, so please consider these issues carefully.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Is an online class right
for you?</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtJnZxgRbi-GS4J_ADJL_e_SVQtGXmgWT1aVPTm0gD4h4X24GYgSAm4J753fHoUWWb4eCHQOCD0Nz3SSXfCWshOsqRKyAlD4oBjfumjRd8hun_aEF_rp3p8SimVyFYHsN2t_06gua5hj1/s1600/Skills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtJnZxgRbi-GS4J_ADJL_e_SVQtGXmgWT1aVPTm0gD4h4X24GYgSAm4J753fHoUWWb4eCHQOCD0Nz3SSXfCWshOsqRKyAlD4oBjfumjRd8hun_aEF_rp3p8SimVyFYHsN2t_06gua5hj1/s1600/Skills.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you have never taken an
online class then you really need to consider your technology and ability to
use it. You will need consistent and reliable internet access and a backup plan
if you lose it. Lack of internet access is not a get-out-of-jail-free-card and
is, in fact, a one-way ticket to failure. You need internet access to
participate in class activities and submit your work. It is that simple.
Similarly, you will need a reliable computer and a backup plan if yours dies or
is attacked by mutant viruses from outer space. Just like internet access you
will still need to participate in class and complete your assignments. Finally,
and most important, is your ability to negotiate the internet and use your
computer (and its programs). Do you know how to use Word (saving files in
various formats, add page numbers, etc.? Do you know how to attach documents?
Do you understand email and discussion board etiquette? Do you know how to
search databases (not just Google)? Do you know how to use advanced search
functions?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Even if you have
successfully completed another online class you may need to think not only
about the issues above, but your willingness and ability to use more Blackboard
tools than the discussion board and, in fact, to venture outside Blackboard to
use other communication tools and social media. Don’t assume that all online
classes are taught the same and that past success will predict future success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It is also important for
you to consider your self-discipline and learning style. Many students still
sign up for online classes because they believe they will be easier and less
work. The only thing that is easier about an online class is the flexibility.
You still need to do the work and complete it on time, but you have the option
to complete the work at 10 p.m. after the kids are in bed or at 10 a.m. before
you report for your afternoon shift at work. However, this flexibility or
freedom can be a real problem for students who need regular tasks and
reminders. If you are the kind of person that finds things that are out of
sight are then out of mind then you could have a real problem staying on task
and up-to-date with your assignments. I do employ pictures and audio, but
ultimately an online class tends to be rather text heavy. If you find it difficult
to plow through lots of reading and writing then you might want to reconsider
taking an online class. Remember, in an asynchronous online class your
participation will mean typing and reading your classmates’ contributions to
the class because we aren’t physically together to discuss our work verbally.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Is this class right for
you?</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQb0Lk_O1f-tfLB6co2iT3P8km09PkyiWAHepEJwrsoYB7ImqMSKV_VtG1momk-kdGHFV0QbhOF2Pb_685uf1TvIsDdguj_-vYumhFbsWHxekeJfk9U-aGLvBLuGGM_g1fW3r2UMHwz8Ul/s1600/Tools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQb0Lk_O1f-tfLB6co2iT3P8km09PkyiWAHepEJwrsoYB7ImqMSKV_VtG1momk-kdGHFV0QbhOF2Pb_685uf1TvIsDdguj_-vYumhFbsWHxekeJfk9U-aGLvBLuGGM_g1fW3r2UMHwz8Ul/s1600/Tools.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This is a writing class
and so there will be a lot of writing. This shouldn’t be a shock, but I assign
an above average amount of writing because I also believe strongly in the
importance of reflection. This means that not only will you write the
assignments you might expect, but you will also write weekly reflections. Plus,
as this is an online class your class participation activities will also
involve a lot of writing. So, that all adds up to lots and lots of writing! For
many students the problem isn’t so much the amount of writing, but the fact
that I also ask you to think about your writing, sometimes weeks before the due
date, and then write about that. This is going to be a challenge for many of
you as you haven’t done this type of activity before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This is a project-focused
class. This means we will have several smaller assignments that support one
major assignment due at the end of the class. This will give you a great deal
of freedom to interpret these assignments as you wish, but not everyone finds
this amount of freedom comfortable. In addition, this can often make these
assignments more challenging and time-consuming than more traditional assignments.
They can be more fun and more fulfilling as a result, but there are always
trade-offs in life and the time-energy trade might not work for you this
semester (or ever).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This class will be
technology-heavy. I am a technology addict. Ask anyone. I love learning new
tools and experimenting with them in my classes. If you do not feel comfortable
exploring and using new technology (using a variety of Blackboard tools as well
as social media, presentation tools, research tools, and more) then this is
definitely not the class for you.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Is this instructor right
for you?</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The first and most
challenging thing you need to know about me (well after the reflection and
technology points I’ve already made) is that I believe learning is rhizomatic
(read more about <a href="http://davecormier.com/edblog/2011/11/05/rhizomatic-learning-why-learn/" target="_blank">rhizomatic learning</a></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">) which means essentially that I see learning more
like a root-tree system than something that is linear or systematic. I also believe
it is highly personal and individual. This means that while I have created a
series of experiences for you that what you take away from this
class will be up to you and what you bring to and invest in those experiences. Some students, after a period of adjustment,
find this attitude invigorating and an exciting change from traditional
classes, but others do not feel comfortable in this type of environment. I
understand. It is not for everyone. Some chaos is guaranteed to result.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">You should also be warned
that laziness makes me snarly and snarky. I know life happens. Work, family,
school sometimes collide in a perfect storm and heaven forbid if you (or anyone
close to you) has health problems and then there are the wonderful weather
complications we get in winter and spring in Eastern Kentucky. When things get
rough let me know. If you are up front about your issues and propose a plan to
deal with those and still address your course work then I am happy to work with
you. I am less happy when you disappear for weeks and are too lazy to contact
me then expect me to devise a make-up plan. What really makes me crazy though are people who ask
questions because they are too lazy to do some thinking and/or research on
their own. I will happily confirm or check your answers if you take some
initiative, but I will not be happy if the answer to your question was easily
available and you did not even check. Don’t be that person!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqfzET6nPbT9mfsdAiDQYAUovIz9ysaeO1jHJqUrNG7d1v3E5EKbfBLKTbuYAT6MB38U6SaDi6WHeVOUun0rwUR6-ir3pj4UzNq4UoyYA3XF7n6yHwlcKJFXc9rsCVtDcWl9gXq2K9Gqt/s1600/Robot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqfzET6nPbT9mfsdAiDQYAUovIz9ysaeO1jHJqUrNG7d1v3E5EKbfBLKTbuYAT6MB38U6SaDi6WHeVOUun0rwUR6-ir3pj4UzNq4UoyYA3XF7n6yHwlcKJFXc9rsCVtDcWl9gXq2K9Gqt/s1600/Robot.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I am not a robot. I am
online and available a lot. I am also on campus a couple of days a week. I
check Blackboard and my email daily (usually) but that does not mean I always
have time to respond to you immediately. Sometimes I have limited time and have
to make a judgment call about which email to respond to and yours is not the
most urgent. Sometimes I cannot work in a face-to-face meeting as quickly as you
would like. This is because you are not my only class and, in fact, teaching is
only about 1/3 of my professional responsibilities. And, as I already
mentioned, I am not a robot. I am also a wife, mother, homeowner, dog mother,
friend, church member, youth leader, and PTO officer. I have a life and
responsibilities outside of MSU and Murphy’s Law happens to me, too. So, while
I will do my best to provide all the support you need in a timely fashion don’t
expect instant response or speedy grading all the time. I strive to be faster than molasses
in January and usually, but don’t always, succeed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Thanks for sticking this
out, it ended up much longer than I expected, sorry about that. I hope you will
carefully consider the questions of whether or not this online class taught in
this way by this instructor is really a good fit for you this semester. If so
then I will see you in Blackboard!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-68783802482263114792013-01-03T08:31:00.001-08:002013-01-03T08:44:04.801-08:00Community Building With Badges<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4IVtwzBOmTWwaPBJZ7Cj_pBWahtSBhyphenhyphengSuYmHbF5UpofJ_aVQH8jhuIDIaAoD1kBGDK4B2Wwi3YBK0MQVmzuT4pej06HZecuntmahFWh9n5ChDEZbkscp-8UvZTZWzkc4FB5oDo5DMcJ/s1600/stress.reduction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4IVtwzBOmTWwaPBJZ7Cj_pBWahtSBhyphenhyphengSuYmHbF5UpofJ_aVQH8jhuIDIaAoD1kBGDK4B2Wwi3YBK0MQVmzuT4pej06HZecuntmahFWh9n5ChDEZbkscp-8UvZTZWzkc4FB5oDo5DMcJ/s1600/stress.reduction.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4IVtwzBOmTWwaPBJZ7Cj_pBWahtSBhyphenhyphengSuYmHbF5UpofJ_aVQH8jhuIDIaAoD1kBGDK4B2Wwi3YBK0MQVmzuT4pej06HZecuntmahFWh9n5ChDEZbkscp-8UvZTZWzkc4FB5oDo5DMcJ/s1600/stress.reduction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><br />
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt;">I've been
thinking about community a lot lately - specifically class community or rather
creating a learning community in my online classes. I know from both my
experience and research that learning communities have many benefits for
students (my recent reading includes <a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/5043984" target="_blank">Dawson</a>, <a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/7925112" target="_blank">Kearns and Frey</a>, <a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/11863339" target="_blank">Sadera et al</a>). They foster learning and lead to
high-impact educational experiences. Just a quick review of my blog
shows that I have written about community a lot (too much? <a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/search/label/community" target="_blank">you be the judge</a>) so I won’t get into
all the reasons why I consider it important in this post and will instead focus on my current pedagogical thinking regarding community building.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
<br />
</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background: white;">While I consider community important, I also know from personal experience that creating
a learning community in your class - especially an online required general
education class - is no easy task. I've created successful online learning
communities at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, but those successes
have been in classes of willing, motivated students. So the real question is:
how do you create a successful learning community with students who aren't so
much?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
<br />
<span style="background: white;">I have been thinking about this question for weeks
- before the fall semester was even over. I knew that the community in my
online general education class was not as strong as I wanted and it seemed to
weaken as the semester progressed. I've been struggling to find a way to do
better this semester.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">My solution is to put my money where my mouth is -
or rather to give class credit for community building. I usually give credit
for participation activities such as class discussion (in the form of blogs and
journals etc), but now I am going to try breaking these out so it is clear that
I value community building and participating on the blog posts of others.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">I am only adding one new class activity to my usual introductory activities. I
traditionally open the class with ice breaker activities such as <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/6-word-memoirs" target="_blank">six-word memoirs</a> and <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/me-museums" target="_blank">me museums</a> (oops, is that my writing project showing?) and I expect
to do the same this semester. I have also used social media to give us a more informal space
to connect and share. This spring I will again use Google+ for that purpose.
However, I hope that by making “community building” an actual assignment with
points assigned that students will get the message that this is important (I tell
them but I think the fact that the points will underscore the idea). </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnjM-nG45wOO8PBI0OSkPGAw9B-ij307jloIpCMShg5YrhcVJ2RAkz52VYxXSPtuAHogDfRy7cN3ElduzmwE59PZwXzbzMw-PTuvX7zfQimT48AGpfBHa7KAVyv98pS3Dmxai9IamB1wQ/s1600/ClassClown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnjM-nG45wOO8PBI0OSkPGAw9B-ij307jloIpCMShg5YrhcVJ2RAkz52VYxXSPtuAHogDfRy7cN3ElduzmwE59PZwXzbzMw-PTuvX7zfQimT48AGpfBHa7KAVyv98pS3Dmxai9IamB1wQ/s1600/ClassClown.jpg" height="96" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background: white;">I am also
going to steal/borrow/adapt <a href="http://hastac.org/blogs/cathy-davidson/2012/12/29/how-do-you-encourage-peer-feedback-group-projects-heres-my-draft-bad" target="_blank">Cathy Davidson’s draft badging system</a> to support
the community building assignment. This is a new activity that I’m adding to
the first few class sessions. My idea is to have students create badges for
their community building work (frequent flier, cheerleader, class clown, social
butterfly etc.) and then strive to earn as many badges as possible. I think it
could be fun and spark a lot more activity and involvement. If it works I’ve
already got plans to use a similar system for discussion feedback and writing
workshop. Stay tuned!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4puUJ1fpgZKAq4apjqkE-TW_JdIvmAM5Uvwqkl86gQWRxL-Cm-mK8Y5hK9CcCeMLOpHI3Oj5CXCmMZwvu0CPcYxqZv8fjxvzT104-p5VQ7Gp2dnLRS6vO9ZCwXtIvy02mZ5QEHlh_xp6z/s1600/SocialButterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4puUJ1fpgZKAq4apjqkE-TW_JdIvmAM5Uvwqkl86gQWRxL-Cm-mK8Y5hK9CcCeMLOpHI3Oj5CXCmMZwvu0CPcYxqZv8fjxvzT104-p5VQ7Gp2dnLRS6vO9ZCwXtIvy02mZ5QEHlh_xp6z/s1600/SocialButterfly.jpg" height="95" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background: white;">How do you use badges in your classes? What community building activities do you use? Do you think my idea of community-building badges is a good idea or a disaster-in-the-making?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vxlFeYIyQS-hDh_D0kxxWiOSFgLeFZI8yjV7ogW1HMq19zTyA3v9_KiKSfEafFupn3lQ18rQcZ9ifSIsrSig9vSMEaXnD08nvo76YlFxbWi9IMOQNAN9E4huDWnA2vyeKHDu2ND0r1YD/s1600/bell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vxlFeYIyQS-hDh_D0kxxWiOSFgLeFZI8yjV7ogW1HMq19zTyA3v9_KiKSfEafFupn3lQ18rQcZ9ifSIsrSig9vSMEaXnD08nvo76YlFxbWi9IMOQNAN9E4huDWnA2vyeKHDu2ND0r1YD/s200/bell.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I have often reflected at
the end of the semester, in true <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/3x3/22904" target="_blank">Profhacker</a> fashion, by giving a 3x3 course
evaluation. This means sharing what worked, what didn’t, and what I plan to
change. This was easy to do when I was
essentially teaching the same class in multiple sections. However, now that I
am teaching composition and professional writing it is hard to make such comparisons
so this evaluation and reflection will likely not fall into such neat
categories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Overall, I feel pretty
good about how my professional writing class turned out. I taught this class
for the first time in the Spring and that was OK but as I had barely a week to
plan the class (for the first time) and I inherited a book it was a bit rough. This
time around I had the benefit of experience and time to plan so it was much
more thought out and I do not plan to make any major changes for the new Spring
Semester. Students report that they learned a lot and had fun. I feel the same
way so what’s not to like? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">My Writing II class
continues to be a work in progress and I plan to revamp it yet again for the
Spring Semester. I have high hopes for the new version as it is an idea that
excites me (see <a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-walking-dead-in-my-writing-classroom.html" target="_blank">The Walking Dead in my writing classroom</a>) and I had an
additional brainstorm about how to marry my new idea to my old practice of
focusing more on writing in the disciplines so it will be a course about
walking/writing dead in the disciplines.
I have spent a lot of my gym time thinking about this class and can’t
wait to see what comes of it!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujL7SYXRnLJk1H-3ubseHl2_7roeZ7m6KyCuvtr0NIEwyK05xoVrLS-L4Udq4R6uPOU7-k9kyGpoXDQPxhFpViHbABb3T0em71rZMoG7RAkf_Gtup5vNTimpqodRmkFt9zVXm_JBcr7OM/s1600/steps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujL7SYXRnLJk1H-3ubseHl2_7roeZ7m6KyCuvtr0NIEwyK05xoVrLS-L4Udq4R6uPOU7-k9kyGpoXDQPxhFpViHbABb3T0em71rZMoG7RAkf_Gtup5vNTimpqodRmkFt9zVXm_JBcr7OM/s200/steps.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What worked</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I borrowed/adapted a Group
Learning assignment from <a href="http://www.nowyouseeit.net/" target="_blank">Cathy Davidson</a> for my professional writing class and
this turned out to be a great assignment. Students really did an amazing job
with it and we all learned something from the process as well as the results.
For this assignment students had to teach the class about some technology/tool
that could be used to produce their final projects. Throughout the rest of the
semester students referred back to these tips/tools and used them for their PW
project as well as work in other classes and their professional lives.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Another success for the
Fall Semester was the use of Google Chat to support virtual office hours. While
overall my use of Google was a bit hit-and-miss (see <a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2012/12/google-vs-blackboard.html" target="_blank">Google vs. Blackboard</a>) in
terms of success, I can unequivocally say that Google Chat gave my students
quick and easy access to my help and advice. Although it was not always
convenient for me (having to interrupt my work or break a chain of thought), it
definitely helped create a connection with my online students that is always
difficult to forge in an online class. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally, the use of
interactive journals was something that worked well and I will continue to use.
Side discussions, support, and practical advice were all a part of the peer
comments on student journals and I think contributed to a sense of class
community. I was pleased with this activity/assignment and will definitely use
it again.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What didn’t work</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">My attempt at a peer
leader assignment, during which students would take turns leading discussions
and track participation, was a dismal failure. They were supposed to work in
teams and that was always a problem as most of the teams did not work well
together at all. The evaluation part of the assignment was also problematic even
though it was really a matter of noting who had participated and who had not. I
wonder if this type of assignment is simply more problematic in an online class
as I’ve done similar things with traditional classes. I’m not going to use this
assignment until I’ve thought it through again so probably not for the Spring
Semester as I’m at a loss right now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Similarly, my class
reporter assignment was terrible. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of students
creating a wiki, blog, or some other record of the lessons they learned in a
class. However, the actual execution in both classes fell far short of my hope.
I think the idea is still a good one but it may not work for a writing class as
well as it does for a content-driven class and it may also be a problem for an
online vs. traditional class. Either way, it is going back on the shelf for now
while I mull it over. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LrztLCIveBgm-_yfFff8_2A7H-6uhw1arzckNqptn2nb1l8asXV6XLnJIG8_qIs31Jd9tikyRwUgdTxlk0i7HXl1mMpyeyjUGpQNr94TmihWUAFhxucJMe7m7_zPHVh309yMyDPUGa-a/s1600/scaffold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LrztLCIveBgm-_yfFff8_2A7H-6uhw1arzckNqptn2nb1l8asXV6XLnJIG8_qIs31Jd9tikyRwUgdTxlk0i7HXl1mMpyeyjUGpQNr94TmihWUAFhxucJMe7m7_zPHVh309yMyDPUGa-a/s200/scaffold.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">My last failure is the
scaffolding I prepared for my Writing II students as they worked on their final
papers. I thought it would help them to chunk the paper but most were resistant
to the idea and the final papers of those who did participate were often too
chunky. I have some ideas for working the scaffolding into our discussion and
reflection assignments that will make the support more subtle and allow
students more room to grow. I read a blog post a few weeks ago (<a href="http://www.samplereality.com/2012/12/18/intrusive-scaffolding-obstructed-learning-and-moocs/" target="_blank">Intrusive Scaffolding</a>) about how too much scaffolding is actually a disservice for
students and I think this process assignment is a good example.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What will change</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">While I will still have
students create Google accounts at the beginning of the semester, our early use
of Google will be for interaction (Google chat) and social media (Google+). As
I already noted (see Google vs. Blackboard), I used Google for journals,
discussion, and writing workshop in the Fall Semester but this met with mixed
results and I think sometimes the technology got in the way of the pedagogy
which is never a good thing. I plan to use Blackboard’s blog tool for
interactive journals and discussion but am reserving the option for using
Google for writing workshop at the end of the semester.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As noted above (and in <a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-walking-dead-in-my-writing-classroom.html" target="_blank">The Walking Dead in my writing classroom</a>), we will discuss the big ideas found in
our literary readings with those found in popular culture (specifically comic
books and their related media). We will then explore (in discussion and in writing)
the ways that those big ideas play out in the disciplines. Stay tuned for more
on this idea!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItO-E2mRWESHynHpOXN52js-r81q3xdVCjXtoR1gNtniZh_-Cx3ufmIS7iSfEyFDN57F7-ilRU0b1u_bvpzc8lbnxWC-UM1i5AL9lHwe8VQ-xozXapg5xWUI4-sf1uYuYNmlLK8h1rV1S/s1600/switch2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItO-E2mRWESHynHpOXN52js-r81q3xdVCjXtoR1gNtniZh_-Cx3ufmIS7iSfEyFDN57F7-ilRU0b1u_bvpzc8lbnxWC-UM1i5AL9lHwe8VQ-xozXapg5xWUI4-sf1uYuYNmlLK8h1rV1S/s200/switch2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This semester I am going
to try out a journal assignment focused on self-assessment and self-regulation.
One of the reasons I tried the peer leader assignment is that keeping track of
all the posting/discussion activities is a logistical nightmare for me. It is a
constant battle to find the right balance (not to mention the time) between
teaching and evaluating. My hope is that by making a place/time for students to
record (weekly) what they did to further their learning and meet the course
goals will make them more aware of their own responsibility for their growth
and grades. Plus, this will give me a private place to comment on their
activities as a student separate from their writing and thinking. I hope that
separating these enforcer activities from the writing coach/mentor activities
(made in comments on class reflection and discussion) will allow me to focus my
efforts as well. Or maybe I have just
devised another way to make my head spin. We’ll see!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">How did your Fall Semester
turn out? What are your plans for the Spring Semester? I always love to study
(steal/copy/adapt/adopt) the assignments and class activities of other
teachers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-67620157579688931972012-12-17T09:30:00.002-08:002012-12-17T09:44:22.981-08:00I have found balance and you can too<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvtXuvlktOHWuV39F_gEnr9E-aBwJsmah9M_HLqIYfH7umv3il2oXceJDVhY9dguyzjrzy_8M3wjEAYEOEmazsSwbNM7wySNSmavhGiepdijFSBLZXWgrGJuHDk7kLEWJ4SmZUe-iVpFo/s1600/balance2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvtXuvlktOHWuV39F_gEnr9E-aBwJsmah9M_HLqIYfH7umv3il2oXceJDVhY9dguyzjrzy_8M3wjEAYEOEmazsSwbNM7wySNSmavhGiepdijFSBLZXWgrGJuHDk7kLEWJ4SmZUe-iVpFo/s320/balance2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Those who spend time with
me enough to know how extremely uncoordinated I am are probably laughing out
loud, but it is true. I have found balance – or at least more balance than I
may have ever had before in my adult life – and it is awesome. I am still not
physically coordinated and I am often extremely busy but I have worked very
hard this semester to achieve some balance in my life and I am pretty happy
with what I have accomplished. Believe me, if I can do it then there is hope
for you as well. This is my hope that you will make finding balance one of your resolutions for the new year.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This time last year my job
was killing me. I was bone-tired and stressed to the limits of human endurance.
Then in May my body sent me an urgent message to change or else! In May and
June I wrote about the need to find more balance and my initial struggles with
it (see <a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2012/05/5-tips-for-rising-from-ashes.html" target="_blank">Rising From the Ashes</a> and <a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2012/06/have-you-got-balance.html" target="_blank">Have You Got Balance</a>). Six months later I can
report that I am doing great physically and emotionally. I must say that the
life changes I enacted this summer were the best decisions I ever made. Of
course it is one thing to make changes during the summer, but another to keep
them once the school year gets underway. The simple fact that I can report that
I am happy and healthy now tells me that I have kept on my path and that is
good news.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Drawing lines</span></h2>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Perhaps the most important
part of this new life plan was changing the way that I work. In the past my
flexible work schedule meant in reality that I was working seven days a week,
morning, noon, and night. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Now I rarely
work in the evening and while I still do some weekend work I try to restrict it
to a few hours. It isn’t always easy but I accomplish this by following two
strict rules:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">You can’t and
shouldn’t do everything<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Prioritize,
prioritize, prioritize<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">That first rule is a tough
one. It is so often easier (or so we think) to simply do something ourselves
rather than to let someone else do it. Worse, it is often easier to do
something ourselves than to find and convince someone else to take on a task (and then to provide the support they need to do it without micromanaging).
However, I have delegated and divided a number of tasks that have made my life
easier. Other jobs I eliminated altogether by reasoning that if no one else was
interested in taking on that program then it was time to let it go. Quite
simply it was about not doing anything just because I had always done it. I
reevaluate regularly before putting a job on my list. Is this something that
needs to be done? Really? If so then am I really the best, the only, person to
do it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I have always been the
Queen of the To Do List, but I have learned to readjust my thinking there as
well. I still use them to plan and manage my time, but now I make sure to spend
time not just writing down the millions of things I need to do but also sifting
and sorting. If this is a job that I need to do then I ask myself when it needs
to be done. Does it need to be done today? What happens it if doesn’t get done
until next week? Next month? Similarly, the tasks that don’t get done are not
simply moved from one day to the next without asking the question – why didn’t
this get done? It is about prioritizing every day and every week. The first
week of classes means that course planning and management are top priorities
just as last week was mostly about grading. However, there are other weeks when
program planning or report writing might be the priority and my students drop
to second place. Not everything can or should be top priority all the time. A
hard lesson but I think I have it now!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Putting Me First</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-WW89ZsjZRkaO7Ulo_PMBcvZnS4JnrHLsnBl4pAgoPgYkD2drZTeAcXAkWjS_gELQm4m87A8vtAU4zXRH0_p1wm5aLpLE4mwPC4KrcaWEupsaj_8e8u2vSQTRJo89ZygkeaXqE3o08y4i/s1600/balancingrocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-WW89ZsjZRkaO7Ulo_PMBcvZnS4JnrHLsnBl4pAgoPgYkD2drZTeAcXAkWjS_gELQm4m87A8vtAU4zXRH0_p1wm5aLpLE4mwPC4KrcaWEupsaj_8e8u2vSQTRJo89ZygkeaXqE3o08y4i/s200/balancingrocks.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Changing my life has meant
making a lot of hard decisions, and even more difficult, sticking with them.
Now my priority list includes doing things for myself. Every week I make time
to write because this is something I need and want to do. I make time to
exercise regularly not because I want to (still waiting for that promised
energy boost) but because it is important for my health and I have found I can
get some good thinking time in on the elliptical so that is a plus. I make time
to spend with my friends (although I still need to do better with this) because
I need to laugh and vent and celebrate life. These are things I need to do for
my mind, body, and soul. Carving time out of a busy schedule and putting off my
real work to attend to my writing, my health, and my relationships is not
selfish. OK, maybe it is, but being selfish is OK and even necessary when it
comes to a balanced life. After all, if I don’t look out for me then who will?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Another difficult
decision, especially after the fact that my job nearly killed me, was taking
myself off the market this fall. I knew that I could not afford to devote the time
and energy to an academic job search plus I knew from past experience how
time-consuming, stressful, and soul-destroying such a search can be. I wanted
to devote my time and energy to maintaining my new-found balance as well as the
development of new projects and possibilities. I knew I was sacrificing
opportunities and I still torture myself by reading the job ads and wondering
“what if” but as I end the semester tired but not empty I know that I made the
right decision. I am looking forward to the work currently on my list and I am
satisfied with the work I completed this fall. My current job is not perfect. I
am underpaid and under-recognized and under-appreciated. But I am doing
important work that makes a difference. I am teaching, I am supporting
practicing teachers on my campus as well as in my region, I am mentoring
pre-service teachers and new teachers, and I have the opportunity to influence
educational policy on my campus. That’s a pretty good gig so I’m not dwelling
on the “what ifs” too much. Instead, I am focusing on celebrating and focusing on the positives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">My life and career path choices
are not for everyone, but now I can look back over the past semester and know
that I made the right ones for me. I am excited about the changes that 2013 can
bring and happy that 2012 is wrapping up much better than I could have forseen
back in May. If there is one gift that I would give to you (well after world
peace) it would be for you to find more balance in your life. Happiness will
follow I promise. Now ask yourself: What can you do to find more balance and happiness in your life?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-49394186660320252632012-12-03T06:42:00.000-08:002012-12-03T06:48:44.885-08:00Google vs. Blackboard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0YMPa2xG2u79LSTtqtdPK2onJ14pcNHkex32X1xkzGkWzJba4jMib7dIamOOCM6861pVaWjvjeQS6kpiu6gKPk__8Ri_mso4eFLg5GcWvgM62JptbejVvvNy6hyphenhyphen8lCZpkvsZcjoEQlNrm/s1600/boxers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0YMPa2xG2u79LSTtqtdPK2onJ14pcNHkex32X1xkzGkWzJba4jMib7dIamOOCM6861pVaWjvjeQS6kpiu6gKPk__8Ri_mso4eFLg5GcWvgM62JptbejVvvNy6hyphenhyphen8lCZpkvsZcjoEQlNrm/s200/boxers.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
I use a lot of collaboration and interaction in my online
writing classrooms with assignments including reflection journals, class
discussion, and writing workshop. My institution’s course management system is
Blackboard (I know, right) and like many I have not been particularly satisfied
with the way Blackboard supports my pedagogy. The discussion forum in
Blackboard does not allow the conversation to flow and develop organically but
instead imposes a formal structure and makes it impossible to easily connect
entries due to the need to click in and out of posts. The journal tool does not
allow students to comment on the journals of their classmates. Writing workshop
in Blackboard tends to be a one-way street with little collaboration. Blackboard
does not offer any fun social media options or alternatives to support
community development. Navigation in blackboard is just clunky and
counterintuitive. None of my reasons for disliking Blackboard are unique to me
and probably are not news to any experienced user.<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This summer I abandoned Blackboard and taught an online graduate
class entirely using Google tools and Twitter. We built collaborative docs for
our discussion, posted journals that encouraged the free exchange of ideas,
and, best of all, created a robust and lively online writing workshop. While no
relationship is entirely free from challenges, I was in love with Google docs
and wanted everyone to know about it (read more in “<a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2012/07/teaching-with-google-docs-good-bad-and.html" target="_blank">Teaching With Google Docs</a>”).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Still caught up in the heady rush of a young love affair,
I leapt into using Google for my online writing classes in the fall semester
and abandoned my long-time practice of using Twitter for Google+. I knew there
would be challenges. I was now teaching much larger sections and working with
undergraduate rather than graduate students as well as all the baggage that
accompanies students who are taking a required class rather than an option or
elective. However, I was sure that the good would outweigh the bad and that we
could work through whatever ugliness Murphy’s Law threw in our path. Now in the
final days of the semester I can look back at such naiveté and laugh. It wasn’t
a complete disaster and certainly some good things happened this semester, but
in the spring semester I will move the bulk of my class activities back to
Blackboard. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Better Communication</h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgij87-cWfSOA6kVmZKQiQoX94GV8FgA76LIdhHWNDeoOym9S2kvwNZhbHH0coS9wrwNMFV5EKzvKyoIVAq_1tFTfJAt0Y1sokJZr9O1MWGH1f7mbgjKZrGTViSKR0j2NdBmrJB0-rtPXtH/s1600/tin-can-phone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgij87-cWfSOA6kVmZKQiQoX94GV8FgA76LIdhHWNDeoOym9S2kvwNZhbHH0coS9wrwNMFV5EKzvKyoIVAq_1tFTfJAt0Y1sokJZr9O1MWGH1f7mbgjKZrGTViSKR0j2NdBmrJB0-rtPXtH/s200/tin-can-phone.jpg" width="196" /></a>Using Google opened up an additional channel of
communication that Blackboard just can’t match and for that reason alone I will
continue to use Google in some way. The chat option cannot be matched for an
online class because I have my Gmail window open most of the day so students
can usually catch me for some quick help. I wanted to use Hangout as well but
it seemed most were just as comfortable using Chat and perhaps using the other
features in Google docs made Hangout extraneous for them. I do love having that
as an option though. I also like Google+. I love Twitter and continue to use it
outside the classroom but I like the ability to separate groups in Google+ and
I like the posting/commenting features better for the purposes of classroom
communication and community building. Right now I plan to continue requiring
students create a Google account (if they don’t already have one) and we will
use Google+ as our social media and community building tool.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<h3>
Messy and Distracted</h3>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I still love the idea of creating discussion documents
and journals in Google rather than Blackboard as they are much more
collaborative and organic than any options available in Blackboard but they are
also messy and because they are removed from Blackboard I think for many
students it seemed to be a case of out-of-sight then out-of-mind. I suspect
part of the problem is that it was just one more place to check in and so
students would simply forgot about it or put it off. It seemed to me that discussion
participation was down (which did solve one of my initial worries about the
number of people who could collaborate on a document without it spinning out of
control) as the semester progressed. Journal posts also seemed to drop off. We
can never know all the reasons why students don’t do their work for a class,
but I suspect that in this case another channel created more problems and
interference. Of course, it did not help that in the middle of the semester we
were all forced to switch to Drive and I really don’t like Drive as much as I
liked Docs (but that is another post). We had a number of problems with
disappearing posts and folders. I expected some of that but it certainly contributed
to student dissatisfaction and lack of engagement (understandably). Logistics
was also an issue for me. With a full undergraduate class (rather than a small
graduate seminar) it was often difficult to keep track of participation in
discussion and while it was easier with journals I still had to do a lot of
clicking. This was made even more complicated by the fact that some students
did not follow naming conventions and did not always properly use folders. Of
course these things happen in Blackboard too.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<h3>
My New Plan</h3>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46hZYPXbnks_VfW5y-w42D_6oi2Ne96GxoL5jtGjy_18gAwCdb1CVIzYajSsJ2szjotSkx9pWbrnK2vaKqXvQiRZrJ-CLR8Yqw9BKOJE8kk4AJS7FR6U3_m-A9JrvjIsxeQgnMwk-EIxM/s1600/attempts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46hZYPXbnks_VfW5y-w42D_6oi2Ne96GxoL5jtGjy_18gAwCdb1CVIzYajSsJ2szjotSkx9pWbrnK2vaKqXvQiRZrJ-CLR8Yqw9BKOJE8kk4AJS7FR6U3_m-A9JrvjIsxeQgnMwk-EIxM/s200/attempts.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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While I will continue to use Google for the chat and
social media features, I plan to move journals and discussion back to
Blackboard. However, this time around I am going to experiment with using the Blog
tool for our weekly topic discussions and reflections. While it may not be as
organic as a Google doc I think it will be more so than the discussion board
and it will be less messy (and therefore better for logistics) than Google. I
also hope that by keeping discussion and reflection in Blackboard so that
students are not switching back and forth between tools will remove one
obstacle to student participation.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I have not yet decided what to do about writing workshop.
I still love the options that Google offers for this and as students will have
Google accounts I can reserve that option. Traditionally, we don’t start off
with workshop so I will have some weeks to ponder our options and perhaps by
the time it becomes an issue students will be ready to make the leap with me or
I will know that this specific group of students is not ready to use a new
tool.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Once again I am reinventing my online classroom. Is all this innovation a good thing? Some days I wonder. Which Blackboard and Google tools do you recommend for
fostering class discussion, reflection, interaction, and workshop?<o:p></o:p></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-57253343013702108632012-11-30T09:41:00.002-08:002012-11-30T09:50:45.533-08:00Writers as Reflective Practitioners<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZoLQel1DH4EToUgjhkO6xYjfN0yCspYomWbPS2DDn_2uK5AFiMDd0NZLmPKTpKxWyVDfRzK_822qq-__vavsrYyOt_jn8kG9Zg_Uc8iRysY7gAsI8Mafrzceq7_roAP1Hg_uzXosaMGGR/s1600/reflection2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZoLQel1DH4EToUgjhkO6xYjfN0yCspYomWbPS2DDn_2uK5AFiMDd0NZLmPKTpKxWyVDfRzK_822qq-__vavsrYyOt_jn8kG9Zg_Uc8iRysY7gAsI8Mafrzceq7_roAP1Hg_uzXosaMGGR/s1600/reflection2.jpg" height="312" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This week our Faculty
Learning Community focused on the Morehead Writing Project met and we talked
about our top priority for our writing classrooms and because many of us are
also engaged in mentoring instructors and tutors we also talked about our
primary goal for those writing instructors and tutors. It was a lively and
interesting conversation, but what really struck me is that ultimately all our
answers could be boiled down to one simple response: reflective practice.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The concept of reflective
practice is to engage in continuous learning. Engaging in reflective practice
requires an inherent belief that we are never done learning and growing.
Reflective practice requires that we learn from experience rather than teaching
or knowledge transfer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The teacher as reflective
practitioner is an important part of our work with the National Writing
Project. We encourage the teachers we work with to continually reflect on what
is happening in their classrooms to think about what is working and what is not
as well as why. It is that reflection upon the why that is key to this practice
of growth and development. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In recent years I have
incorporated reflective practice into my work with writers as well as teachers.
Writers learn and grow by writing but also by reflecting on their past
experience, both challenges and successes. What were their goals? What did they
do to achieve those goals? What worked? What did not? Understanding the answers
to these questions can help writers adapt their practice to future situations
and better position them to make better choices. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLmadvCK4wo9yycQnndCCXg7S-ZOaI7KQnYjt38SpbkH5OA-NUbWK9ZZ2Cpc-5TIm_ttxSOhWkyaOLPsWUESa1bwxJnxlBWFP415li_Rel121V8nFzOUKUr4sPf2Sl5Za6YkBw7ZxfpMm/s1600/reflection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLmadvCK4wo9yycQnndCCXg7S-ZOaI7KQnYjt38SpbkH5OA-NUbWK9ZZ2Cpc-5TIm_ttxSOhWkyaOLPsWUESa1bwxJnxlBWFP415li_Rel121V8nFzOUKUr4sPf2Sl5Za6YkBw7ZxfpMm/s1600/reflection.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">My goal is always to make
my students into writers, but more important, to make them into self-regulating
writers. Reflective practice is essential to this transformation into
self-regulating writer. With reflection, with a recognition and practice of
continually reflecting on the lessons offered by each experience, writers can
continue to learn and grow long after they leave the writing classroom and
hopefully throughout the rest of their lives. That is my goal for my students
and I am continually refining my pedagogical strategies to achieve this goal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This blog is my own
struggle to be a reflective practitioner. I hope that others benefit from my
posts, but ultimately I know I am the primary beneficiary as I record my
achievements, defeats, struggles, and progress. Do you engage in reflective
practice? Do your students?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-35175266393574415202012-11-28T07:23:00.001-08:002012-11-28T07:35:43.023-08:00The Walking Dead in my writing classroom<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArkv9Cz7TjYdcbTDj_ehW2agO1U0o-XevRTVS_rGkgBmuLK47i3B-8JVlsF927pLyfsimFZXTw5ccZEqERVu1NSbzR4MIukW7yg_t_iQHvdeIj7ypVvskv_qm2YyZcOr9RonzpyRWP6WC/s1600/funny-college-student-zombie.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="272" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://themetapicture.com/ways-to-become-a-zombie/">http://themetapicture.com/ways-to-become-a-zombie/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Or,<br />
<br />
<h2>
How to kill those zombie students before campus is overrun</h2>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Yes, I am talking about
the comic book and TV series, but in some ways this is also an apt description
of the level of engagement most of my students bring to Eng 200 or Writing II. We
have a two course general education writing sequence at my institution –
Writing I and Writing II. Writing I is the typical freshmen writing class that
has been around for decades and similar to offerings on other campuses around
the United States. Writing II is a different animal entirely. It is rather like
the platypus in that no one really knows what it is. Is it a bird or a reptile
or a mammal? I plagued my co-workers when I started at MSU to help me identify
the species of Writing II but much like the blind men describing the elephant I
could not get the big picture based on their individual responses. During my
decade at this institution, the course has gone through two revisions and yet
we still grapple with it. The other day I had a conversation with a new hire
that echoed my own struggle to come to terms with the class more than 10 years
ago. And much like colleagues then (and now) all I can do is share my own
interpretation of the class and wish him the best of luck.</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The most current version,
born of frustration, is a compromise and no one is entirely happy with it. The
concept itself is OK in that we explore humanity’s “big ideas” through reading
and writing, but the actual execution is somewhat lacking. While some
instructors are offering some interesting versions and some students are doing
some interesting work within the framework, the hallway conversations
frequently confess that overall the class is not accomplishing its primary goal
(improving student writing). Worse, faculty and student engagement in the class
is low. Many instructors dread teaching it and students dread taking it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81e2TmUDOvlLdXyDIJfa1I72arTFrecu4pzTjTOkKhPIAtjnXfp9qJQSaZo9RsbDFdvYsUgoEOphhpZxG6qBrCJ7zcMhLD7HBnamar03TT7V0pSO67LY06pyqbifgmH5nCHcS3RAw9D07/s1600/050412-the-avengers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81e2TmUDOvlLdXyDIJfa1I72arTFrecu4pzTjTOkKhPIAtjnXfp9qJQSaZo9RsbDFdvYsUgoEOphhpZxG6qBrCJ7zcMhLD7HBnamar03TT7V0pSO67LY06pyqbifgmH5nCHcS3RAw9D07/s1600/050412-the-avengers.jpg" height="120" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">However, this week after
engaging in an animated discussion about my current obsession with <a href="http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead" target="_blank">The WalkingDead</a> (shared by many of my friends and family and millions of others), I had a
bit of a brainstorm. What if I could have my students explore those “big ideas”
not just as they are found in these important cultural readings (mostly by long
dead people who are not going to reanimate) but also as they are explored in
popular culture – specifically comic books. Now, I am not a comic book scholar
but as the mother of an 11-year-old boy I have spent quite a bit of time in
recent years becoming conversant in comic book heroes and viewing my share of
comic book heroes brought to life (via the magic of movies not a zombie virus).
After all, our comic book heroes (and villains) are grappling with the same
issues that drive the philosophers we are studying in our reader – good vs.
evil, the needs of the individual vs. society, and defining/defending humanity
(literally and figuratively), and so on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I think this class can be
a lot of fun and I can’t wait to get started. I am sure there are many of you
out there who have are already doing something similar (in fact I can name some
friends that I’m almost sure are doing so). Probably that is where my idea came
from after percolating in my brain. I hope you’ll share your thoughts and
suggestions with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-18623416525534398652012-11-12T07:28:00.000-08:002012-11-12T07:37:28.857-08:00Measuring growth and change in our Writing Studio<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3k7MoZKZ3Qbiwz4qckO8xHaECkPB6-RYsY52N2wLd5xln6jNbnS700TsvL9pOdpU7Xf7e9xnmc95tE_rVfWRjXZErcDhwLVXlSQ6GTFPLl3q90iPvhSYx5fpL9IHEJVnmKxWmvHlMg8Eg/s1600/bud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3k7MoZKZ3Qbiwz4qckO8xHaECkPB6-RYsY52N2wLd5xln6jNbnS700TsvL9pOdpU7Xf7e9xnmc95tE_rVfWRjXZErcDhwLVXlSQ6GTFPLl3q90iPvhSYx5fpL9IHEJVnmKxWmvHlMg8Eg/s1600/bud.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This semester our National
Writing Project site, the <a href="http://moreheadwritingproject.org/" target="_blank">Morehead Writing Project</a>, embarked on a new
adventure. We created a Writing Studio by drafting five English Education
students to serve as Peer Writers, or writing tutors, and provided support in the
form of a learning community. In our pilot semester we worked with three
developmental writing classes. At our institution students who score between 14
and 17 on the ACT are placed in these classes. Morehead State University
offered 14 sections of this class during the Fall semester so we worked with
just over 20% of the developmental writing students enrolled in English 099.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While we will not be able
to determine the impact of our pilot program on retention and success until the
semester is over, I am giddy about the results we have already determined. I
know for the powers-that-be the ultimate success will be judged by how many
students stay in school to complete a degree, but we expect to see that our
three sections will have higher retention for the semester as well as a higher
degree of success (earning a C or better) than other sections both for this
semester and historically. How much higher we cannot know until December, but
the results of a recent survey administered to the developmental students working with the Writing Studio demonstrates to me that we have had an impact in important ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Change</b></span></h2>
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeh-73UlA2BeYDouapPIW1zvOqxjgXf_ei7M2iIUxjAKzr6Seo9MIXGWfK5neZy4U9UHU4O1UW-DqW4nihYusi5xoGjuonUAhGDOK5epj9uaDxXDYrTXQEO6vmnBNCp4qYZbK1Itc-cIB2/s1600/cocoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeh-73UlA2BeYDouapPIW1zvOqxjgXf_ei7M2iIUxjAKzr6Seo9MIXGWfK5neZy4U9UHU4O1UW-DqW4nihYusi5xoGjuonUAhGDOK5epj9uaDxXDYrTXQEO6vmnBNCp4qYZbK1Itc-cIB2/s1600/cocoon.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Many developmental writing
students come into the class with a negative attitude – toward writing in
general, their writing in specific, and the very idea of taking this writing
class. They do not want to take this class and resist the idea that they can
learn to be a better writer based on their previous experience. They also come
in lacking confidence in their ability to write. This trifecta of doom – a negative
attitude toward writing, low confidence, and lack of ability – creates a cycle
of failure that can prevent students from achieving success in college and
their profession. Our goal for the Writing Studio is to break that cycle of
failure.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We think we have succeeded
with a number of our students as 63% of the students in our pilot study
reported a change in one or more areas of attitude, confidence, or competence
and another 16% reported a small change in one or more areas. We are so excited
to see the students’ self-awareness increase and even more important to see
that they have grown as a result of our work together. We think this is a very
big deal because we know as experienced developmental writing teachers that
attitude has to change before anything else can change. If students don’t
believe in their own ability to change then they won’t change their behaviors
or thinking. However, discovering how they have grown is even more exciting for
us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">According to our survey
results, 55% percent of the students reported that they now like or love
writing and another 39% indicated they neither like nor dislike it. Overall,
94% do not dislike writing after working with the Writing Studio for 10 weeks.
It is human nature to spend less time on an activity that you dislike and so
this change in attitude will play an important role in the students’ future
success. We doubt that we can make every student love writing, but believe this
move away from the hate and dislike of writing is important.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Low confidence is
widespread in developmental writing. Most students were apprehensive during
their middle and high school careers and then placement into a developmental
writing class only confirmed their existing belief. However, at the end of the
Writing Studio, 37% of our students reported that they were confident about
their writing ability and 44% reported that they were neither confident nor
apprehensive with a total of 81% indicating that they were not apprehensive
about writing. Over and over again, students noted on their surveys that they
were “more confident” than at the beginning of the class. Studies have shown that
students with high writing apprehension are less likely to spend much time
writing and persevere through difficult writing assignments, so improving
student writing confidence can also be important to their future success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Previous experience has
taught these students that they are not good writers, but they also reported
that this changed as a result of their participation in the Writing Studio. When
asked to rate their ability to “</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">write a well-organized and
sequenced paper with good introduction, body, and conclusion,” 37% believed
they could write a good or great paper and another 53% indicated that they
could do OK which indicates that 91% of the students could demonstrate
competence. Our hope is that we have given these students tools that will help
them continue to develop their competence as well as confidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Growth</span></h2>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8JGIHEM4mY9wugaqcXJqH4TO_DE5XDmx7ZjQyRf7zjQ_21fJt-yGXyVwzozqBrZqCJ-yr8vqTdqEOepzMy9Q91hYXYWQVOAsJayiYPkwiOlcLD2sgj2QHmr_tjrOVn5aiH_COfGTBoqe/s1600/grass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8JGIHEM4mY9wugaqcXJqH4TO_DE5XDmx7ZjQyRf7zjQ_21fJt-yGXyVwzozqBrZqCJ-yr8vqTdqEOepzMy9Q91hYXYWQVOAsJayiYPkwiOlcLD2sgj2QHmr_tjrOVn5aiH_COfGTBoqe/s1600/grass.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We have seen evidence of many changes in behavior and thinking
that indicate our students are becoming writers and developing an understanding
of how writers think and act. Perhaps most telling is the simple fact that they
named extra feedback as the number one
benefit of the Writing Studio. Students reported enjoying the small group work
and peer feedback as well as feedback they received from the instructor and
peer writers. Several students indicated that this feedback was key to their
growth as writers and that writers need feedback to learn and improve. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Every studio participant who completed a survey said that we
should continue the program. Many simply argued that it was helpful, but those
who offered more specific explanations described the small groups and
opportunity for one-on-one feedback and support as key benefits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">We need to wait until the end of the semester before we determine
how many of our students succeeded this semester using the simple measuring
stick of grades, but for now I am more than satisfied with the results of our
work. The students who worked with our Writing Studio have described changes in
their attitude toward writing, their writing confidence, and their writing
ability. That is success in my book. Only time will tell if we have truly
broken the cycle of defeat that has plagued so many of these students in the
past, but I am full of hope.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-51114463340607917012012-11-05T08:05:00.002-08:002012-11-05T08:05:34.914-08:00Why doesn’t the teaching of writing matter?<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Or, How I would fix
education if I had any power</span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-1kcyoH-LJyMbG-Ivx95oXzEjOy1rM2avzmYHlQ0zljamq8cl4_C6s2JU4g_H81HLDDBRwe6sNBKIWouFbWFzC9P5KQgUo5YfBAMHVhHlCOj2M4S83eKInE92VizhEIrEt9UIiFXrIye/s1600/logo_blue_border.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-1kcyoH-LJyMbG-Ivx95oXzEjOy1rM2avzmYHlQ0zljamq8cl4_C6s2JU4g_H81HLDDBRwe6sNBKIWouFbWFzC9P5KQgUo5YfBAMHVhHlCOj2M4S83eKInE92VizhEIrEt9UIiFXrIye/s1600/logo_blue_border.png" height="171" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I spent Saturday
celebrating the very essence of the National Writing Project at the Morehead
Writing Project’s 2012 Writing Eastern Kentucky Conference. The NWP mission is
to foster the teaching of writing and central to that mission is the belief
that teachers who write are better writing teachers. Our annual conference
revels in both ideas: Teacher as Writer and Teacher as Reflective Practitioner.
Also, in true NWP fashion, we bring together educators from K-16 in a variety
of content areas and roles. We cross boundaries and make connections in ways
that celebrate and facilitate learning – our own learning as well as for our
students. Words cannot express how proud I am of the teachers I work with from
the Peer Writers who run our Writing Studio to the 2012 Summer Institute
Fellows to the Morehead State University faculty who led sessions and
participated in every sense of the word. It was an amazing day filled with
wonderful words and people.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But now that my feet have
recovered (mostly) from running up and down three flights of stairs many times
every hour and my Saturday buzz has faded, I have to wonder. Why don’t more
educators get involved in the writing project? Why don’t more educators attend
writing project events? Why don’t educators want to be better teachers of
writers?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16K8ce4UWbuI1JQcV9oML91C985OtP6xhKe2txTvLN0tky7qUi5r7VMGYzZsk7stxUXxu5yqA9MLrT6_aI4tZnGX1sf66EK-rD0PCwJscyxKQAjloOa_y81N-EvdI3y_oJcmR3aAg96BT/s1600/Because-Writing-Matters-9780787980672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16K8ce4UWbuI1JQcV9oML91C985OtP6xhKe2txTvLN0tky7qUi5r7VMGYzZsk7stxUXxu5yqA9MLrT6_aI4tZnGX1sf66EK-rD0PCwJscyxKQAjloOa_y81N-EvdI3y_oJcmR3aAg96BT/s1600/Because-Writing-Matters-9780787980672.jpg" height="200" width="151" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Don’t give me the “too
busy” excuse. We are all busy. Every one of the educators at our conference on
Saturday is too busy. We make time for the things that matter. I suppose that
makes the real question – why doesn’t the teaching of writing matter? We all
know it does. We know that writing (and the interconnected ideas of reading and
thinking) is the most important subject we teach. Without writing (and reading
and thinking) our students will not be able to demonstrate what they have
learned (filling in bubbles does not demonstrate learning) or effectively
communicate in school, on the job, or in the world. Writing can and does change
the world every day and if we do not adequately prepare our students to be
effective writers then we have damaged, if not destroyed, not only their future
but our own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Sure our leaders pay lip
service to the idea that writing is important. Surveys of government,
corporate, and education leadership always give writing top billing and yet… One of my colleagues recently pointed out a
fact that I had heard before but hadn’t really understood. If you want to know
what is important just follow the money. In K-12 we see the emphasis given to
on-demand writing (short essays). Our writing project site receives a continual
stream of requests for quick fix professional development sessions on this
topic. We never receive requests for help transforming their students into
writers. K-12 teachers with writing project training often find it an uphill
battle to implement writing workshop and assign writing that does not have a
direct correlation to test preparation even though <a href="http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3208">research shows that the
students of writing project participants show more writing gains</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And do not even get me
started regarding the financial support for my beloved National Writing
Project. For 20 years we were a national program with bipartisan support but
that all changed in 2011 when <a href="http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3507">we lost our direct
federal funding</a>. Here in Kentucky we are fortunate because we continue to
receive support from the Kentucky Department of Education but in recent years
even that funding has shrunk by 1/3.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In higher education, there
is lip service again to the importance of writing. Most campuses require some
introductory writing classes and many also emphasize writing across the
curriculum or writing-intensive classes as well. Yet, the actual administrative
support for the teaching of writing is minimal. The majority of introductory
writing classes, or first-year writing, are taught by ill-paid adjunct faculty
and graduate students with no job security and often no benefits. Similarly,
these programs and their support systems, such as writing centers, are often administered
by faculty living on the edge (in terms of respect, remuneration, recognition,
tenure, etc.).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRj5I8cfN8S66sxK_kOUOiu19BvbBwo_dpVHuUjEI9-dcFgX_Ndh-lmNqSGadzp6XhB2knxWWvAXyXjkHpGTsUv1GA3K-mnMF1iix1jwikJZ6CmTvX502ik0FCmA9rERnddZJglFbN7pQ_/s1600/time.money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRj5I8cfN8S66sxK_kOUOiu19BvbBwo_dpVHuUjEI9-dcFgX_Ndh-lmNqSGadzp6XhB2knxWWvAXyXjkHpGTsUv1GA3K-mnMF1iix1jwikJZ6CmTvX502ik0FCmA9rERnddZJglFbN7pQ_/s1600/time.money.jpg" height="143" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In the end, despite the
wonderful afterglow of our amazing conference, I continue to despair regarding
the future of education and especially the teaching of writing – in Eastern
Kentucky and in the United States. We need to put our money and our time on the
line if we really want to make our students and teachers into writers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Wonder what our conference
looked like? Check out the <a href="http://storify.com/MoreheadWP/writing-eastern-kentucky-conference">2012
Writing Eastern Kentucky Conference</a> on Storify. Wonder what topics we
covered? Check out our <a href="http://moreheadwritingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/WEKY-2012-Schedule.pdf">conference
schedule</a>. Not only did our sessions cover a wide variety of topics
specifically designed to support the teaching of writing, but we also featured
sessions to help writers and brought in four guest writers to further promote
writing including <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/R._D._Hall">R.D. Hall</a>, <a href="http://www.accents-publishing.com/">Katerina Stoykova-Klemer</a>, <a href="http://dearhelenhartman.blogspot.com/">Annie Jones</a>, and <a href="http://www.moreheadstate.edu/content_template.aspx?id=1025">George Eklund</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-9710749529283487972012-10-29T05:32:00.003-07:002012-10-29T05:36:09.558-07:00Make Time To Refresh and Refill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgYYr3dvyXiexsXeDhBCWWRvSPEvHpGGVCCQ4BCUXOmp3UAvjjyiiA58uGzHGNV3OJtLSR8nts5ppZrZ0j7ibJOTQ2Fr0w8f1QPB3qTSzIiN0mnOgNDC_cRXBTFP44zThmn5nh4DNB1Vt/s1600/overwhelmed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgYYr3dvyXiexsXeDhBCWWRvSPEvHpGGVCCQ4BCUXOmp3UAvjjyiiA58uGzHGNV3OJtLSR8nts5ppZrZ0j7ibJOTQ2Fr0w8f1QPB3qTSzIiN0mnOgNDC_cRXBTFP44zThmn5nh4DNB1Vt/s1600/overwhelmed.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I wasn’t going to blog this week. It is a perfect storm
of professional and personal responsibilities. I have an article revision due,
a conference to host on Saturday, a slew of student assignments to grade, and
it is Halloween. But, if I am honest, every week is filled with similar if
different challenges. If I wait until I have the time to blog then I never
would and this is true for other choices I make as well.<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The Morehead Writing Project is hosting a conference on
Saturday (Nov. 3). <a href="http://moreheadwritingproject.org/?page_id=21" target="_blank">Writing Eastern Kentucky</a> is a small regional conference but
we bring together the best of the writing project for one pretty terrific day.
We will celebrate writing and writers by bringing in published authors of
poetry, novels, and graphic narratives and we celebrate teaching and teachers
by showcasing some of our rock star teacher-leaders and their outstanding
classroom practice.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It is going to be a great day full of writing and learning
and connecting with ideas and people and it is the perfect antidote to the
mid-semester blues. I am hopeful it will give me the energy and excitement I need to power through the rest of the semester and the marathon of grading and feedback that is finals week. I love teaching and working with teachers, but sometimes I
get caught up in the daily grind and feel more than a little overwhelmed by the
size of my “To Do” list. No matter how much you love your job it is easy to
lose the joy when the grading piles up and your email box overflows. It is too
easy then to cross nonessential items off your list. That grading has to get
done but attending a conference is a luxury we simply can’t afford, we think.
How can we spend half our weekend just writing and hanging out with other
teachers when we have lessons and lectures to plan? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVPSLKH16sE0NGQD3uGD_HR3N5YO4nq3sQaWdhV5RCzL5xeaYwtMa3eQT2jYNPag5yBrmCAW9CF5e_tJTfSa2Jw2pfH2gtHUMFYxhL_I7673Wsuj9ammQ20GWvsVVbAyNjtGwvWA1mnsP/s1600/well.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVPSLKH16sE0NGQD3uGD_HR3N5YO4nq3sQaWdhV5RCzL5xeaYwtMa3eQT2jYNPag5yBrmCAW9CF5e_tJTfSa2Jw2pfH2gtHUMFYxhL_I7673Wsuj9ammQ20GWvsVVbAyNjtGwvWA1mnsP/s1600/well.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Now that’s where we are wrong. Spending a day celebrating
the work that we love with others who get “it” is not a luxury – especially
when the job gets demanding. That is the best time to step off the treadmill to
refresh and refill your teaching spirit. As a rule, teachers are givers and
rarely feel comfortable taking time for themselves, but if you do not take time
to refill your spirit and your energy and your creativity then you might find
the well has gone dry. Taking time to refresh and refill yourself as a teacher,
as a writer, as a person, is never a waste of time and your students and
colleagues will be the better for your renewal as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Remember, just like anything else, if you do not make the
time to refresh and renew then you will never find it. If you are within
driving distance of Eastern Kentucky on Saturday then we hope you choose to
join us at <a href="http://moreheadwritingproject.org/?page_id=21" target="_blank">Writing Eastern Kentucky</a>. Don’t even worry about finding your writing
journal, we’ll provide one for you! Come write with us and come learn with us.
You will be the better for it. I promise.<o:p></o:p></div>
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DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-41076798410115215532012-10-21T13:53:00.002-07:002012-10-21T13:55:32.929-07:00Writing Workshop and the rule of Garbage In, Garbage Out<h2>
A letter to my students: </h2>
<h2>
How can you benefit from our writing workshop?</h2>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_R-RM5lfKjd6xoTkGCUIdZHodM4wTkHFbvirQ0YEMjUtLMIElIHtiMSdJzl6Xrf_lQOB79lj__8x8_WXnCOGLp0cViDop2P3lD87QkyPVbwp_0fZgcEZ9jv4uhSb_O9kyZbzmbq7XWKo/s1600/garbage-in-garbage-out.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_R-RM5lfKjd6xoTkGCUIdZHodM4wTkHFbvirQ0YEMjUtLMIElIHtiMSdJzl6Xrf_lQOB79lj__8x8_WXnCOGLp0cViDop2P3lD87QkyPVbwp_0fZgcEZ9jv4uhSb_O9kyZbzmbq7XWKo/s200/garbage-in-garbage-out.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I know most of you would
rather visit the dentist than participate in writing workshop. I understand
that you have had painful and often time-wasting experiences with peer review
in the past and I cannot promise this won’t be equally awful or worse in different
ways. In fact, if you let those past experiences drive the way you participate
in this workshop then I can actually promise you this workshop will be awful
and useless. That is because the benefits of writing workshop participation are
based entirely on one simple rule -- garbage in, garbage out. I am not talking
about your actual writing here, but rather the effort and time and energy you
put into asking for help and offering it others.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Writers are people too<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This is one of the reasons
I spent so much time and effort on building community at the beginning of our
class. The better you know the others in your writing group then the easier it
is to ask for and offer help. It is never an easy thing to share a part of
yourself with strangers so try to get to know your classmates and understand
the talents and knowledge and skills as well as unique challenges they bring to
the group. Also remember, that as humans we are inclined to be lazy. By default
we will want to expend the least amount of time and energy possible. Call each
other out on this when you spot it. Don’t just let unexplained comments and
criticisms hang in the ether. Push for explanations and more details. Question!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Give us some direction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pfCrva2e-W-YC2DDIzVUWmb6-PqvfEUAw6EI3zQuC4LllX-lRz4H-v5pbQWE6j7uHVD0d44-rjw1G0ZbanKkAawfl9QEnRemswmb_61I_bWJPvsipsvrC8EJaHoxQiLkWK6EAJEsU6UL/s1600/Signs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pfCrva2e-W-YC2DDIzVUWmb6-PqvfEUAw6EI3zQuC4LllX-lRz4H-v5pbQWE6j7uHVD0d44-rjw1G0ZbanKkAawfl9QEnRemswmb_61I_bWJPvsipsvrC8EJaHoxQiLkWK6EAJEsU6UL/s200/Signs.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As you know, one of my
biggest pet peeves is the plaintive cry for help without asking for anything
specific. Simply posting your writing to the workshop and asking for help to
make it better does not put us in a position to help you. Help us help you by
telling us: What are you still struggling with the most? What do you see as the
strengths and weaknesses of this piece of writing? What do you want to know from a reader? This
is your chance to get individually-tailored advice to improve your writing –
grab it with both hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Provide an audience not a
proofreader<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Perhaps the biggest
mistake that many people make during workshop is approaching peer review as a
writer. This is especially fatal if you lack confidence in your own writing
ability. Your job here is to provide an audience for your fellow writers and
give your honest feedback. Whenever you get lost or confused; whenever you are
jarred by the text by the writing, ideas, or presentation; and especially
whenever you are interested and pleased by the message and/or writing make a
note on the text. After your initial reading, provide a gut reaction to the
piece on an emotional and intellectual level then provide more detailed
explanations regarding the notes you marked throughout the piece. Finally, go
back through and offer as much advice and support as possible to offer
solutions to the problems and challenges you identify.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmy69i7YM1raI6e2rvev7MtovzCSL1Yijt5JgBH1xZhH4ZOnpe-eGbeM-1vgBl8Xwz15B7h5PAMaWpF7yVWFbl0HGMCWB-TgdDRuosrBmKlLXEDHXsAo3wo2-RMDXKZiARalYzmi5vv8QB/s1600/Goal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmy69i7YM1raI6e2rvev7MtovzCSL1Yijt5JgBH1xZhH4ZOnpe-eGbeM-1vgBl8Xwz15B7h5PAMaWpF7yVWFbl0HGMCWB-TgdDRuosrBmKlLXEDHXsAo3wo2-RMDXKZiARalYzmi5vv8QB/s200/Goal.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I believe strongly in the
power of writing workshop. You can learn from real readers and you can learn by
being a real reader, but you have to come fully suited up and ready to play.
You have to get in the game before you can score. You have to get a little
sweaty and play through the pain and discomfort. Do you want to be a better
writer? Then do writing workshop like you mean it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-84408032099431254182012-10-17T07:09:00.000-07:002012-10-17T07:29:16.686-07:00Scared and Scarred No More<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Last week I made the
argument in “<a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2012/10/breaking-cycle-of-defeat-transforming.html" target="_blank">Breaking the Cycle of Defeat</a>” that we need to spend more time in
our classrooms attending to the self-beliefs of our students as well as the
specific writing lessons we want/need to impart. I contended that if we want to
break the cycle of despair and defeat then we must help our students become
confident writers so they take more from our classes than scar tissue and a
lifelong aversion to writing. This week I want to address the ways that we can
help those scared and scarred students become writers.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5orQzI9TYzaYc0G-LYShPahy49mN0-N9To42d7Wq-esBuj3N-vNA4RZi3wqN7d8M0Lq4tIl-q4GrCB-pcWxA6ZKvXwbnjMOCh4PGvg9be_Q20dewfWiDJKVSzAuIgtLv9FQbd9v1RFouv/s1600/writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5orQzI9TYzaYc0G-LYShPahy49mN0-N9To42d7Wq-esBuj3N-vNA4RZi3wqN7d8M0Lq4tIl-q4GrCB-pcWxA6ZKvXwbnjMOCh4PGvg9be_Q20dewfWiDJKVSzAuIgtLv9FQbd9v1RFouv/s200/writing.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We must begin by making
our classrooms a safe place to try and to fail. If students are given the
chance to participate in low-stakes writing that is offered an audience but not
assessment then they are more likely to write – both more often and at greater
length. In addition, they will be more willing to experiment and take risks
with their writing once they learn that the writing will be not be assessed.
Examples of the types of low-stakes writing assignments I use in my own classes
include brainstorming activities, reflection journals, and discussion board
posts. These writings are shared with the class and receive comments which are
focused on the content and not the form of the message.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpncs39ATEkgCDhY9QztGkOEtusdQ2thhkEB1OzpvYOwaSEPzw3_0q5A3S2WT-6nB0pBwooBUi4cwD4wVzsxtwrDs0GT4DJOng0pQzBZnt222d8CN-YA6gyenZyLKtlCNvu_h9LsXnXrGE/s1600/reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpncs39ATEkgCDhY9QztGkOEtusdQ2thhkEB1OzpvYOwaSEPzw3_0q5A3S2WT-6nB0pBwooBUi4cwD4wVzsxtwrDs0GT4DJOng0pQzBZnt222d8CN-YA6gyenZyLKtlCNvu_h9LsXnXrGE/s200/reading.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Writers also need to read.
They need to read to inspire and spark new ideas as well as to find models and
mentors. Student writers should definitely read professional, polished writing,
but they should also read the work of peers – especially pieces not yet
polished and still in process. Even better, developing writers should see the early
drafts and unpolished pieces of their mentors and teachers. Too often,
struggling writers believe they are the only writers who struggle – and worse,
they believe that good writing arrives fully formed and polished to other
writers. They do not understand the time and work that goes into writing – and telling
them is not enough. They need to see it happen and they need to experience it.
They need to be led through the process before they will attempt it on their
own. In my classes I use writing workshop to guide students through this
process. We brainstorm and plan writing together, students share writing in
various stages so everyone can see their process and progress, and then we
revise and edit their writing together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOvEQK1iz4EwFJUwIdwZdW0UvPVerXfhnzANCko2AIQqm1xLd2fGQIpSEHgpgqWNY6C3kfCXedxfVaoo8U8AMn0kOhl3CqAQeFkcMsAIkQId0s1GwbNQv9zIfXiIFv0tpgZnyU4hUbE4q/s1600/group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOvEQK1iz4EwFJUwIdwZdW0UvPVerXfhnzANCko2AIQqm1xLd2fGQIpSEHgpgqWNY6C3kfCXedxfVaoo8U8AMn0kOhl3CqAQeFkcMsAIkQId0s1GwbNQv9zIfXiIFv0tpgZnyU4hUbE4q/s200/group.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">However, the most crucial
aspect of writing workshop is feedback. Students should receive various types
and levels of feedback from a variety of sources. Most important, that feedback
should be focused on providing useful, supportive information – not simply
negative assessment. During workshop, the idea is to provide feedback to help
develop and shape a piece of writing. In addition, student writers should
provide feedback to others. Engaging in discussions of writing as writers and
with other writers can not only help student writers improve the specific piece
they bring to the workshop, but also teach them how writers work and
collaborate. My hope is that providing this type of guided feedback will help
them learn and grow as writers as well as develop their own writing process
which will support that continued growth and development long after they leave
my class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While I hope these steps
will help my students become less scared and more hopeful about their progress
as writers, I also like to have conversations about the struggles and fears
that all writers face no matter how much writing success they may have
achieved. In this way, our writing workshop offers support for the improvement
of the writer as well as the writing. I understand well, as a result of my own research
focused on <a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2010/09/writing-self-efficacy-is-not-same-thing.html" target="_blank">writing apprehension and writing self-efficacy</a>, how the past can so
dominate a writer emotionally that there are actual physical manifestations of
that fear. How can we expect a struggling writer to work through something that
causes physical and emotional stress without addressing it? That is why we need
to have real conversations and share real stories – our own as well as those of
our students plus a judicious sprinkling of the stories of more famous writers.
I cannot promise that working through these four steps will erase the scars
that our student writers bear, but I know thanks to my own research as well as
that of <a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/488953" target="_blank">Albert Bandura</a> and others that we can reduce writing apprehension and
increase writing confidence by attending more closely to our students
self-beliefs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-74594904501711278402012-10-11T12:55:00.000-07:002012-10-11T13:00:03.736-07:00Breaking the cycle of defeat: Transforming students into writers<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I teach
writing for a living and I direct a <a href="http://moreheadwritingproject.org/" target="_blank">National Writing Project</a> site which means I
work with both pre-service teachers and practicing teachers to improve their
writing pedagogy. As a result I reflect and study a great deal of research and
theory concerning the teaching of writing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">But what
does it mean to teach writing or, as I like to think of it, to teach writers?
<a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/author/Schneider%3aP" target="_blank">Pat Schneider</a> defines a writer as someone who writes and I won’t argue with
that definition. I typically begin my semester with a discussion about what it
means to be a writer and this is ultimately where we end up. However, even
though they accept this definition, many of my students do not really believe
they are writers even though they write. How do we make our students believe
they </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 16px;">are writers</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 16px;">or</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">can be? I know most of my students come to me believing
that they are not writers and they cannot become writers. Can we change those
beliefs? Is it important to change those beliefs?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYvd_C1JJLKFR4_bH4-S4zeiSAgKwhM9j7p_Jir2rNcYYYU8iBUe9Drhoi2wTqY-ja_bgx40RjjKrD4-YwKyc9i1lygTxAy4vPHOwadBIHR663aEPnPkn5otRoqPeOodij9Mbxaolb1KW/s1600/despair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYvd_C1JJLKFR4_bH4-S4zeiSAgKwhM9j7p_Jir2rNcYYYU8iBUe9Drhoi2wTqY-ja_bgx40RjjKrD4-YwKyc9i1lygTxAy4vPHOwadBIHR663aEPnPkn5otRoqPeOodij9Mbxaolb1KW/s200/despair.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Schneider
describes “not being able to write” as a “learned disability” which is the result
of “scar tissue” or a lack of confidence developed in reaction to unhelpful
responses to your writing in school and at home. This rings true with the
stories that my students tell about their previous experiences with writing. These
students have been told through verbal and written comments as well as grades
that they are not writers. It seems quite natural to me that they would take
that feedback one step further to believe that they cannot become writers. Why
does this matter?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Research
shows that students with high writing apprehension or the scar tissue that
Schneider describes are much less likely to engage in writing activities, are
much more likely to give up when faced with writing challenges, and simply do
not work at writing and learning to write to the same degree as their more
confident peers. <a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/11437732" target="_blank">Blythe et al</a> argue that for many at-risk students writing
failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as students do not work as hard
because they already believe they are doomed to failure. It is also possible
that this sense of doom and failure has much broader impact as well. <a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/11437683" target="_blank">Patrick Sullivan</a> writes “Is it possible that the most lasting and significant learning
outcome many students take away from English classes is a lifelong aversion to
writing?” He argues that at least part of our national education challenges,
namely our “college readiness crisis” and “remediation problem,” stem directly
from this aversion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQTApeGCyLNdlEuQAbBhbBr0P0dYDP2yyJZMuIQ3CzIps7n3BNeb_bJ83_ve6XlEtG3EqB2X-3cZ3-kfUFpeH2rcQXDiSh73mZ1K59S3bT9iwdLtAgEkEp19fkS7QXZ6Owcyi1Oq4W1-0/s1600/fail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQTApeGCyLNdlEuQAbBhbBr0P0dYDP2yyJZMuIQ3CzIps7n3BNeb_bJ83_ve6XlEtG3EqB2X-3cZ3-kfUFpeH2rcQXDiSh73mZ1K59S3bT9iwdLtAgEkEp19fkS7QXZ6Owcyi1Oq4W1-0/s200/fail.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Sullivan’s
argument struck a chord that reverberated to the core of my teacher soul and
resonates strongly with my own belief that we focus too much on forms and
failures in our writing classrooms. I am not arguing that grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and proper format are not important – they are – but too many
teachers and hence too many students see these as the only measures of good
writing. It is possible to master these skills but only through practice –
which those scarred and scared students will not even attempt unless we can
find a way to break the cycle of defeat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Among the
arguments that Blythe et al make about teaching writing is that more writing
instruction is not always the answer for these students – at least not until we
have addressed their low <a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2010/09/writing-self-efficacy-is-not-same-thing.html" target="_blank">self-efficacy</a>. If we do not attend to their
self-beliefs and break that cycle of defeat then writing instruction will
likely be for naught. <a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/11437837" target="_blank">White and Bruning</a> posit that without considering beliefs,
teachers may view dimensions of writing quality too simply. The authors argue
that explicitly addressing beliefs improves opportunities for students who may
not have been taught adequate writing skills and lack positive beliefs to
support their positive engagement in the writing process. We must spend more
time in our classrooms attending to the self-beliefs of our students as well as
attending to specific writing lessons if we want to break the cycle of despair
and defeat. We must help our students become confident writers or it may well
be that the only things they take away from our writing classes are scar tissue
and a lifelong aversion to writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-24563535520426797102012-10-05T07:57:00.000-07:002012-10-05T08:02:30.399-07:00Are you spending enough time thinking about writing?<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">My
students don’t spend enough time thinking about writing – and probably yours
don’t either. I understand why. After all, they have lots of other things on
their mind. And to be honest, I sometimes don’t think about writing as much as
I should and this is my field of interest, my passion, and the driving force
behind my paycheck.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrGoQVLha1-LUt0Xn2dH2rIX_Egs7KzstsYwGSCfiuoVpuYlNcLQIWzzqp4tKfPG8d5Q_FZMlkd9TdpG8Ljwl3FLq89POlTPHNCiIZ-zd1BjUMGuP7jLWE0nV3CIKA8NzAfM1J0MO7Jhs/s1600/rabbit_hole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrGoQVLha1-LUt0Xn2dH2rIX_Egs7KzstsYwGSCfiuoVpuYlNcLQIWzzqp4tKfPG8d5Q_FZMlkd9TdpG8Ljwl3FLq89POlTPHNCiIZ-zd1BjUMGuP7jLWE0nV3CIKA8NzAfM1J0MO7Jhs/s200/rabbit_hole.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
a writer who spends a lot of time with other writers, I also know that too much
thinking about writing can be a bad thing – a dangerous thing. It often leads
to the two primary dangers facing writers (well the two leading dangers after
avoiding the siren call of Words With Friends) -- spending so much time
thinking about what to write or how to write it you actually forget to write.
Either rabbit hole can lead to madness and put an immediate end to
productivity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The truth is that for most of our students too
much thinking is not a problem. I want to blame our current education system
for this lack of thinking. After all, our obsession with assessment and
interminable pushing to teach to the test has created a monstrous education
system which offers very little time for simple thinking and reflection. Even
worse, there are only penalties and no rewards for encouraging thought and
inquiry in the typical K-12 setting. But that is another blog post. I must
confess that even though I grew up in a kinder, gentler era of education where
there was time and energy devoted to reading, writing, and creativity, and my
teachers were not worried about how test scores would impact their job, I did
not spend a lot of time thinking about the art and craft of writing. And I KNEW
that I wanted to be a writer, so I can only imagine that my classmates spent
even less time on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwk7SZQVc3qWuWjnVs7jSrRj30Fum-IF7MnoR3M6EYFmEtEr6kqujfUDrKvsESy6_R630DWW_EspGwv610M6OU6uuYSp9qg-P5zop5Zs75Vv4Lmcflv6MpBkk2061SM_Rt9ptkYOj1RIP3/s1600/thinking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwk7SZQVc3qWuWjnVs7jSrRj30Fum-IF7MnoR3M6EYFmEtEr6kqujfUDrKvsESy6_R630DWW_EspGwv610M6OU6uuYSp9qg-P5zop5Zs75Vv4Lmcflv6MpBkk2061SM_Rt9ptkYOj1RIP3/s200/thinking.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
believe that this is a problem, this lack of thinking about writing, we should
worry about as writing teachers. Many of my peers want to spend a great deal of
time obsessing about the two dangers I mentioned above – the what and the how
of writing. In fact, that is what my students obsess about the most as well
(hmmm, perhaps there is a relationship there). We spend meetings debating
whether to assign a persuasive essay or an analytical essay and, of course,
students’ punctuation choices often provoke hilarity, but is that where we
should be spending our time and our students’ time?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
don’t want to dismiss the importance of grammatical knowledge or genre
awareness, but I believe we will not solve the challenges of either without
helping our student writers develop a deeper awareness of writing. Writing is not
WHAT we write and it is much more than following formatting, grammar, and
spelling rules. We need to help our students think like writers before they can
become writers. This concern is one of the primary motivations behind the “<a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2011/03/argument-for-fyc-waw.html" target="_blank">writing about writing</a>” movement in composition studies. In WAW-based classes, students
read theory and research about writing studies, think and discuss their reading,
and then write about these ideas as well as study writing on their own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqqA_yDaEdl73KqqzDxlHcKH6JiciBK-W3YQb6OrOP7vgZ6We_GMYS3yGqSL86yyigKlCZSrdcw0ezq11d0VfF5MXfF9fZL57y-cMjg4yN6sJfg2prG33Jw2CYvZSOrul5ZPTrw9095Ng/s1600/writing.with.pen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqqA_yDaEdl73KqqzDxlHcKH6JiciBK-W3YQb6OrOP7vgZ6We_GMYS3yGqSL86yyigKlCZSrdcw0ezq11d0VfF5MXfF9fZL57y-cMjg4yN6sJfg2prG33Jw2CYvZSOrul5ZPTrw9095Ng/s200/writing.with.pen.jpg" width="142" /></a><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">While
I have moved my own teaching away from a WAW-focus, I still focus a great deal
of class time and energy on reflection and discussion about writing because I
believe that writers do obsess about what and how as well as why. Writers write but they also think about writing -- and, in particular, they think about their writing. I want my
students to become writers and I believe an essential part of that
transformation must involve learning to think like a writer which means we must
think about writing and how writers think and behave. I do this by leading
weekly class discussions on these issues and requiring students spend
reflective time each week on these issues as well. Not only do I hope to use
these tools to transform my students into writers, but this process also helps
me spend more time thinking about writing. Win-Win. Do you spend enough time
thinking about writing? Do you spend enough time encouraging your students to
think about writing?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-75596493601268307132012-10-01T09:48:00.001-07:002012-10-01T09:57:26.097-07:00Community building with Google+ and Twitter<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfxiVdITfiaOf8xYpY6rWFASh2tR9hvLCjOwgBM6oZNYW0EXLeQd0HaCF6z5zT7-cpxaJZj7VjnAgJdYwNPmMAK6qkH1wOoFtvA0Nt5P5NdY_la5IKrLlZlXvH82wujSDLUnzWLT6iUHn/s1600/community.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfxiVdITfiaOf8xYpY6rWFASh2tR9hvLCjOwgBM6oZNYW0EXLeQd0HaCF6z5zT7-cpxaJZj7VjnAgJdYwNPmMAK6qkH1wOoFtvA0Nt5P5NdY_la5IKrLlZlXvH82wujSDLUnzWLT6iUHn/s200/community.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I have always worked to
build community in my writing classes. I believe that community helps improve
learning in general, but it is essential when working with writers (see </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2012/06/writing-networks-or-creating-community.html">Writing
Networks or Creating a Community of Writers</a>)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">However, as I
teach online, building community in my writing classes is often fraught with
challenges. As we are not physically together we do not gain all the typical
visual clues that help us get to know each other. As we do not gather on a specific
schedule there is not the usual casual chatter during breaks about weekend activities
or physical well-being. I try to combat these problems with a two-pronged
approach.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I
begin the semester with activities designed to help us get to know each other.
Specifically, I use <a href="http://mascle100.blogspot.com/2012/01/introduce-yourself-to-classin-just-six.html">six-word
memoirs</a> and <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/me-museums">Me Museums</a>. These
activities help us get to know each a little better as well as help me provide more
targeted support and direction for future assignments and projects as I now know
something about my students’ program of study and interests. In addition, I
have tried to provide a channel for the sort of informal conversation you have
in a typical class where conversations take place before and after class as
well as during breaks or group activities. For several semesters, that back
channel was Twitter (see <a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2012/02/tweeting-semester-away.html">Tweeting
the Semester Away</a>). However, this semester I decided to teach using Google
docs as my primary content management system and I didn’t want to overwhelm my
students by using too many new tools, so I opted to use Google+ instead of
Twitter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbNqLD2lw0oeM7rTOj6dHNrAtt_VBjDfpN0olQvO2ZUdsjE0WnlTw4YkSqIB9Dg7m90lkP-0x-0ho7CW4QRhQkMgywgqz-4S66Eb-8bVaYulPKgSVR51gJ3pjwkxgWWDijd_X1Qk2vHNB/s1600/Max.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbNqLD2lw0oeM7rTOj6dHNrAtt_VBjDfpN0olQvO2ZUdsjE0WnlTw4YkSqIB9Dg7m90lkP-0x-0ho7CW4QRhQkMgywgqz-4S66Eb-8bVaYulPKgSVR51gJ3pjwkxgWWDijd_X1Qk2vHNB/s200/Max.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I
have grown to love using Twitter personally and as a teaching tool. I have my
Twitter feed running in the background much of the day so I can drop in on
conversations whenever I need a break or get a little lonely (teaching online
is sometimes lonely, my dog Max is an awesome listener but not much of a
conversationalist). In addition, Twitter allows me to connect my conversations
with those of others around the world through the use of hashtags. Much of my
daily professional reading comes to me via Twitter. As a teaching tool, I also
find Twitter useful. Not just for creating community but I believe the limited
character count also makes students think more about their word choice and the
open channel requires them to think more about their message than they might in
a closed forum. I also think connecting their writing to a larger community
gives them an authentic audience for their writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Of
course, there are disadvantages to Twitter as a teaching tool. Some students
are resistant and only go through the motions to meet the assignment criteria
and never really engage. I have tried any number of combinations (hashtags,
separate accounts, lists, etc.) to separate my personal/professional Twitter
account from my student account but there always tends to be a messy overlap.
Of course, it has made me be much more deliberate about the things I Tweet
which is not a bad thing but still a bit messy personally. Of course, an
advantage of this is that I have stayed connected with some students long after
a class is over. It is also a challenge to monitor participation and some
students like to set privacy settings which hinder the collaboration and
communication I intend. However, I still believe the advantages of using
Twitter in the classroom outweigh the disadvantages and I continue to be an
advocate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0Nqq7x8wNbtryp8fMWuxVxEqi920gZm3L52EuaKwcaHNy27EBfTaZ2kb9X9yVunhsJMEKhW77GfVgESXzAStZjySOi4UDvi7TMlADsE87RfpT8wmyc65NT6C3ZA22gdlCXaLgfKNiSka/s1600/switch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0Nqq7x8wNbtryp8fMWuxVxEqi920gZm3L52EuaKwcaHNy27EBfTaZ2kb9X9yVunhsJMEKhW77GfVgESXzAStZjySOi4UDvi7TMlADsE87RfpT8wmyc65NT6C3ZA22gdlCXaLgfKNiSka/s200/switch.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
switch to Google+ was not as easy as I expected it to be. I was experienced with using social media in the classroom and they
already had Google accounts so how hard could it be? I was so naïve… Well, for
those new users (and that was the majority) it was confusing to use both Google
docs and Google+ and they didn’t always understand the difference between the
two. And of course, using Google chat for individual conversations with me
(while handy) sometimes added another layer of complications (just how many
channels are there?). Simply navigating between Gmail to Docs to Google+ was
just confusing to some students. In the future I will need to break this into
separate steps – introducing each tool separately with more scaffolding and
clear separation about the ways we will use each. Of course, there was always a
learning curve with Twitter as well and I do not think learning Google+ was any
more of challenge just perhaps a tad more complicated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I
like the use of Circles to clearly group my classes and I prefer that to the
Twitter options of lists or separate accounts. It is easy to send a message
directly to one or two groups rather than my entire audience and I have not had
a problem with interlopers or hijackers like I have had with Twitter. It is
also nice to have the ability to easily share photos and links. You can do this
with Twitter but the limited character count often restricts the message you
want to send with the link and it requires an extra step to view the photo.
Personally, because I have always tended to use Google+ for professional
purposes rather than personal (plus the use of Circles), it seems as if there
is less messy overlap between my personal and teaching lives on Google+. Of
course, it could also be that I’ve learned from my Twitter experiences and am
more comfortable with it now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWwAKCk3amVjSXn_az_12d1T6K4FZiNQBy9HnDUYuepa2rSIkYHB5vVWIPWENLGidHWAModiHvrm4L-RpfSJSJZCdpbBJ3t_ap7X1yeslFyE4fUHSVGrCK35jaGRdqma5Cam4azNlIjj0/s1600/learning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWwAKCk3amVjSXn_az_12d1T6K4FZiNQBy9HnDUYuepa2rSIkYHB5vVWIPWENLGidHWAModiHvrm4L-RpfSJSJZCdpbBJ3t_ap7X1yeslFyE4fUHSVGrCK35jaGRdqma5Cam4azNlIjj0/s200/learning.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">However,
I am still not entirely happy about the switch from Twitter to Google+. It does
not appear that students are as active on Google+ as they were on Twitter. This
might be my fault as I am not as active on Google+ as I am on Twitter so I am
not modeling/prompting enough. I post much more frequently to Twitter than I do
on Google+ so that could be the simple answer. Maybe it is not too late to
jumpstart more Google+ activity now that I have identified one problem area. I
also think I need to be more deliberate about how I use Google+ in supporting
our coursework as well as our community. I think there are more opportunities
to engage in discussion and the exchange of ideas using Google+ than on
Twitter. There is a definite learning curve for me as well as my students. I
have to remind myself that my use of Twitter as a teaching tool evolved over
several semesters and this is only my first attempt with Google+. As I remind
my students, I am learning too and that is clear as I struggle with using a new
tool (for teaching).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I
know many others who teach with Twitter but would love to learn more about the
ways folks are using Google+ as a teaching tool! I plan to continue using
Google+ in the Spring semester and hope I can learn from both my mistakes this
semester and others in order to make it a better experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-82822072761251412942012-09-26T08:45:00.002-07:002012-09-26T08:54:54.137-07:00Beginning with the writer<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Within the past week we have witnessed
something exciting in our Writing Studio program. We are seeing our basic
writers begin to talk and act like writers. While their first writing assignments
were not a dramatic improvement from their initial offerings, what has changed
is the way that they prepare to write, the way that they talk about writing,
and the way that they support each other as they work on their writing. Even
though none of these students is yet prepared to give themselves the title of “writer,”
those of us working in the Writing Studio know that by making these moves they
have indeed become writers.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuddvjvXhphyWscRhyphenhyphenZW8EX_LOGZaLejI0Os9SFc3zgj3gqPll9551_cTzwhx7M82fMa7IpaUEo27ryRwmi5PTdr3Zq5YhTzLs7CzdoFweqIHRKCVsJYGQ0dpq4YHEdLyNVF6l8FcLSr5C/s1600/gap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuddvjvXhphyWscRhyphenhyphenZW8EX_LOGZaLejI0Os9SFc3zgj3gqPll9551_cTzwhx7M82fMa7IpaUEo27ryRwmi5PTdr3Zq5YhTzLs7CzdoFweqIHRKCVsJYGQ0dpq4YHEdLyNVF6l8FcLSr5C/s320/gap.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mina Shaughnessy writes in “<a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/3125009">Errors and
Expectations</a>” that the determination of academic inferiority often becomes
a self-fulfilling prophecy which only increases the gap between that that
student and success until it “begins to seem vast and permanent.” This gaping
void is typically what basic writers see before them by the time they enter
college. They have experienced repeated failure and received so much negative
feedback regarding their writing ability it is no wonder that they fear and
dread writing and writing classes. It is precisely this fear and dread that
concerns me the most – far more than the writing errors they make. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">My study of <a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2010/09/writing-self-efficacy-is-not-same-thing.html">writing
self-efficacy</a>, or a writer’s belief in his or her ability to perform the
writing task at hand, has shown that those writers with low writing
self-efficacy have no expectation that any attempt will meet with success and
so they are more likely to give up at the first sign of difficulty and less
likely to work through those challenges. Just as Shaughnessy describes, these
writers expect to fail and so they fail – again and again. Because they do not continue working they do not learn and grow as writers and the cycle of failure continues. The challenge for
basic writing teachers is to break that cycle of repeated failure which only
reinforces the writer’s lack of confidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Our pilot Writing Studio program is designed
to break that cycle by leading our basic writers through the writing process,
modeling the conversations that writers have about writing as they develop and
revise, and providing practical support and positive reinforcement along the
way. These ideas and practices are not new to basic writing classrooms. For
decades, most basic writing teachers have known that they must be a combination
of coach, cheerleader, and referee to provide a delicate balance of education,
encouragement, and rule enforcement. However, the numbers are never in a basic
writing teacher’s favor. Even if the basic writing class is small, typically
the teacher is teaching multiple sections and simply does not have the time or
energy to provide enough individual support. But more than that, due to their
low writing self-efficacy and negative past experiences, these students often
do not work well in writing groups (the efficient writing teacher’s answer to
the numbers problem).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwXpSZnkbEa7SoouBIEuT1lqVNEEllS-qV0_FXWFdmVk9tZElJoyOOoGR5PFqr3LdZ7t6pZ6C24migydy6-HG-kuTFluXytlnZXPfonT_sQGuvQcmTs0tnN1fFG46UlOo1Z69gPkDYNeuy/s1600/scaffold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwXpSZnkbEa7SoouBIEuT1lqVNEEllS-qV0_FXWFdmVk9tZElJoyOOoGR5PFqr3LdZ7t6pZ6C24migydy6-HG-kuTFluXytlnZXPfonT_sQGuvQcmTs0tnN1fFG46UlOo1Z69gPkDYNeuy/s320/scaffold.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Our solution was to assign peer writers (upper
level undergraduates) to each writing group. The peer writers serve as both leader
and mentor for the basic writers. The peer writers lead discussions and ask
questions to help develop and shape the writing as well as guide the revision
process. Our hope was that providing an extra scaffold of support for our basic
writers in the form of peer writers who are closer in age and expertise than
the instructor would help the basic writers grow and develop as writers. After
all, for many basic writers the writing teacher is seen as representing some
unattainable goal of expertise. However, a fellow student is not so different
from the basic writer and can be seen as offering a more accessible version of
writing success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If we can help these basic writers develop an
understanding of the writing process and how successful writers think and work
then we believe we have given them the tools to break the cycle of writing
failure. Shaughnessy points out that “[w]riting is something writers are always
learning to do” and that no writers are ever done learning<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">.
There is a limit to how much we can teach any set of writers in just 17 weeks, but
if we can change the writer then there is no limit to how much they can learn
and grow after they leave our classrooms. We can help them become writers, but
that is where we need to begin – with the writer and not the writing.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-31168601959715164502012-09-21T12:14:00.000-07:002012-09-21T12:14:37.325-07:00Staying Put (off the tenure track), For Now<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I just made a really big
decision. A momentous decision that could potentially destroy my future (if you
follow recent cyber discussions regarding the </span><a href="http://philosophysmoker.blogspot.com/2012/09/is-your-phd-nearing-its-expiration-date.html" style="font-size: 12pt;">expiration
date on new Ph.Ds</a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">) – I am not going on the job market this Fall.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCjFKKqWP6ZBJpktd6uYOYY4BxTqL6mkXcPc1CBT1Q8gR7J-7ffBF1ZQr47LZg_e8swn1tt-7MXm0ndFq4tGXh7Er9waw2Tzq1d8ECSiLI-CJ3y4MPSD4kHOntV2qbdefuaiieCXhGMlK/s1600/broken.bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCjFKKqWP6ZBJpktd6uYOYY4BxTqL6mkXcPc1CBT1Q8gR7J-7ffBF1ZQr47LZg_e8swn1tt-7MXm0ndFq4tGXh7Er9waw2Tzq1d8ECSiLI-CJ3y4MPSD4kHOntV2qbdefuaiieCXhGMlK/s200/broken.bridge.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I have decided to stay put
– for now – at my current institution even though I do not have tenure or even
the promise of it dangling from a stick. I have made this decision for a number
of personal and professional reasons. I know (from the reactions of my friends)
that not everyone will support my decision and to be honest I have had second
and third thoughts myself. As a champion second-guesser (I gave up my amateur
status in grade school), I am sure that I will continue to be plagued by doubts
– especially over the next month or so when job postings continue to pop up. It
is easy to be seduced by the dream of greener pastures, especially when you are
an underpaid, underappreciated, and overworked adjunct (my <a href="http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/college-ready-writing/more-economic-myth-%E2%80%9Cchoice%E2%80%9D">colleague</a>
has blogged extensively about our work situation as well so you can judge the
good, the bad, and the ugly of our institutional home for yourself). I admit, when
you look at my current job title and pay and weigh those against my credentials
(11 years teaching full-time at college level, Ph.D. in Technical Communication
and Rhetoric from Texas Tech, publications, administrative and grant experience
with National Writing Project) as well as the fact that I am teaching
upper-level undergraduate and graduate classes that are not in my contract (I
was hired and continue to be hired to teach composition), you have to admit it
is crazy to stay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsT-DH2fRZJbAKj0mlJaHZQZBVecMXtYwwbOhbh2aY-LhC9NdmUGE6seHMKUNcKih07meHbc0bYx6xdHOs2U9j084yyv3lr_RnwmK7tEcYdHx0aSwIwkdBJXsSjD_XZ1sei1xfythj-dn/s1600/flower.bud.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsT-DH2fRZJbAKj0mlJaHZQZBVecMXtYwwbOhbh2aY-LhC9NdmUGE6seHMKUNcKih07meHbc0bYx6xdHOs2U9j084yyv3lr_RnwmK7tEcYdHx0aSwIwkdBJXsSjD_XZ1sei1xfythj-dn/s200/flower.bud.2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And yet…this fall I
started a <a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2012/08/creating-writing-studio-program.html">new
program</a> that I am enjoying immensely. It is so much fun and so rewarding
and has such tremendous potential that I don’t want to leave it yet. I want to
see how its future unfolds. I need to give it more than a year to grow. I want
to let it leaf out and blossom before I stop tending it. In addition, I have
the opportunity to move out of my current position into something that offers
better pay and a better title. But the catch is that this new position does not
include tenure any more than my current one does. This is worrisome for many
reasons. First, of course, is that my position is vulnerable. I am subject to
the vagaries of budgets and administrative whims, but then this is nothing new
for me. After all, I have been a full-time adjunct for 11 years. But another
major worry, especially since the whole Ph.D. expiration firestorm, is that
such a move will damage my potential to move onto the tenure track in the
future. I have decided to take the risk for personal as well as professional
reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Professionally, as I noted
above, I have the opportunity to create something with my <a href="http://moreheadwritingproject.org/?p=474">Writing Studio</a> program. In
addition, the new opportunity will involve continuing this work as well as
reinventing a job and working with some new (but really terrific) people. This
is exciting stuff. This is the stuff of which dreams are made. Why should I
trade in these exciting new opportunities to audition for a job (with the odds
against me even landing it) with duties and opportunities decided by others?
Plus, instead of spending hours crafting my job materials and digital presence
not to mention researching institutions, programs, etc., I can instead focus on
developing new programs and publishing about those programs and the work they
accomplish. I refuse to believe that work will not reap benefits for me
professionally but maybe I am just naïve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Personally, my family has
put our lives on hold for years and we have been living in that limbo land that
academic families know so well. We constantly frame decisions (from vacations
to home renovations) around the academic job market. Do we expect to move this
year or next? Should we make that long-term investment in our house when we may
not be here much longer? Can we plan that vacation for next summer when we
might be in the middle of a move? Quite frankly, we all deserve a break from
that stress and upheaval. And, perhaps most important of all, after supporting
me while I earned my Ph.D. as well as through last year’s fruitless job search,
my family deserves a happier and (relatively) stress-free me for a while. Heck,
we all deserve it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">For the next year or so I
intend to focus on <a href="http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/college-ready-writing/sustainable-parenting">sustainable
parenting</a>, sustainable spousehood, and sustainable personhood. Wish me luck
and don’t judge me too harshly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-78947354983384336852012-09-07T11:55:00.000-07:002012-09-07T12:03:02.415-07:00What does our writing studio program look like?<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Last week I wrote about
why the Morehead Writing Project is </span><a href="http://masclemetawriting.blogspot.com/2012/08/creating-writing-studio-program.html"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">creating a writing studio</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and this week I want to explain how our studio looks
during its pilot. Of course, we do not know what will come of this pilot so the
final version could look very different. The Morehead Writing Project Studio is
affiliated with the English Department at Morehead State University, but it is
a separate program offered by the Morehead Writing Project which makes it
different from most other writing studios. Our pilot program focuses on MSU
students, but we hope the final version will grow to include K-12 students as
well. While most studio programs grow out of a need to serve a student
population, ours came from our mission to provide support to teachers of
writing. We wanted to create a vehicle that demonstrated the best methods for
teaching writing – methods in keeping with the beliefs of the National Writing Project.
Ultimately, we end up in the same place as other studio programs – helping student
writers; however, I believe this difference in orientation sets us apart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The pilot studio groups
are embedded within three developmental writing classes taught by two MWP
teacher-consultants. The class instructors divided their classes (which cap at
17) into three small groups which meet once each week for an hour. These
teachers have coordinated their syllabi and assignments as well as class
preparation so the classes (which total 45+ students) are very similar in
content and approach. Of course, we are able to do this for our pilot project,
but may not be able to do so as the program grows. The studio work is
considered part of the required work and attendance for the class so there is
no separate or extra credit awarded as a result. Many other models offer Studio
as an elective or required 1-credit class as an adjunct to freshman composition.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Our pilot studio groups
are led by Peer Writers who are junior/senior English Education majors at MSU.
The five Peer Writers involved with the pilot project have all worked with MWP
before as well as had a number of education classes and/or tutoring
experiences. Typically, studio groups are led by faculty members and graduate
students although there are some programs which also use advanced
undergraduates. We know there is a larger pool of English Ed majors we could
use at MSU as well as a number of Middle Ed majors. We are cautiously
considering how many Ed students we can work with at a time to maintain the
same level of quality. At our pilot stage, all of our Peer Writers were
carefully selected and we can easily stay in contact to provide the support and
guidance they need to lead studio sessions. Of course, experienced Peer Writers
won’t need that level of support but how many novice Peer Writers can we work
with at a time?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The first assignment for
the classes we are working with is a literacy narrative. The instructors have
provided writing prompts to guide the initial development of this narrative and
the Peer Writers are familiar with both the assignment and the prompt so they
can support their studio groups as they continue the work they began in class
by writing, sharing, and talking through their challenges. We are finding this
assignment to be an useful vehicle for the conversations we want to take place
in both the studio groups as well as our learning community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We have created a learning
community which includes the five Peer Writers and the two writing instructors
as well as two representatives of the Morehead Writing Project. During weekly
meetings, our learning community shares stories about working with students,
brainstorms solutions to challenges, and coordinates plans for the next round
of studio meetings. We are finding this learning community to be a tremendous
resource for supporting our pilot project, but as the program grows it will be
increasingly challenging to gather all the instructors and Peer Writers
together every week. Our task as we grow will be to find ways to provide the
necessary support for our Peer Writers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Although our pilot is
still in its early stages, we are already seeing a number of benefits. Of
course, the developing writers benefit from working in a writing group led by a
skilled mentor who can model both good writing habits and good writing group
participation. In addition, the discussions focused on the students’ previous
literacy experiences help students unpack some of the issues blocking their
progress and better position them to learn and grow as writers. It is also not
surprising that the Peer Writers are finding the studio a great learning experience
as both teachers and writers. However, both the faculty members and pre-service
teachers have found working within a supportive community both more helpful and
invigorating than expected. We are all energized and engaged by this
collaborative teaching experience. Our excitement for this project continues to
grow as we wrap up our third week and we cannot wait to see what happens next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-44701045509256553682012-08-29T08:07:00.000-07:002012-08-29T08:16:10.507-07:00Creating a Writing Studio Program<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6m51yQoEqY9Ist-jXrmmnFMcjy3QQsjKTD9bp_ntsu26X7yNAyy1SpmjWE2XPmw4rpk1X4VrX0RhBXZdbuRNqF8kSH7Ytd3poJkm4dU0qaswVSYJenmvUBnggQjykyZbVIndcofwpbpO/s1600/studio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6m51yQoEqY9Ist-jXrmmnFMcjy3QQsjKTD9bp_ntsu26X7yNAyy1SpmjWE2XPmw4rpk1X4VrX0RhBXZdbuRNqF8kSH7Ytd3poJkm4dU0qaswVSYJenmvUBnggQjykyZbVIndcofwpbpO/s320/studio.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This year the Morehead
Writing Project has started a new program. The Morehead Writing Project Writing
Studio Program provides peer writers to lead groups of student writers in
developmental writing classes (now) and early college writing classes (coming).
Why? The mission of the National Writing Project is to improve the teaching of
writing and we believe this project can do so on three fronts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">First, we believe our
program can help the students of our host institution. We know there is a need
to support our developmental writing students. More than 50% of incoming
college students must take one or more remedial courses (in writing, math, and
reading). First-year attrition among all college students is high (<a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/11151953" target="_blank">25% nationally</a>) and the three main reasons that students struggle (and often leave)
is that they are underprepared academically, lack the necessary student and
life skills, and possess low confidence in their academic skills. We believe a
<a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/10664413" target="_blank">studio approach</a> is more compatible with the approaches to teaching writing
endorsed by the National Writing Project than a writing center or lab. We
believe working within a supportive community of writers will help our
developmental writing students learn and grow as writers as well as students.
We hope providing peer writers to serve as mentors and advisers will help our
developmental writing students attain the knowledge and skills they need to not
only stay in school but succeed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In addition, a writing
studio program supports the growth and development of the writing instructors
and the peer writers (English Education majors who will be writing teachers in
a few years). We have created a learning community to support our studio
program. The learning community includes me (as MWP Site Director and the peer writer
mentor), the two developmental writing instructors (also MWP site leaders) whose
classes are piloting the studio program, and five peer writers (upper level
English Ed majors who have worked with MWP in the past). We are meeting weekly
to discuss practical issues ranging from current assignments and discussion
topics to cover the theoretical and pedagogical challenges the peer writers
encounter in their studio group sessions. In addition, we all regularly reflect
about our experiences with the studio project to help us document the process.
I look forward to these meetings and love the give-and-take of our discussions.
We are all learning and growing as teachers as a result and I know my
enthusiasm about the project and teaching has only grown since we began meeting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally, as a result of
both the hands-on experience teaching writing and working with writers as well
as participation in our learning community, we believe our peer writers will be
better prepared to teach writing when they graduate and enter their own high
school classrooms as teachers. Our five peer writers are learning strategies
they can employ in their own classrooms in the future and developing their own
teaching style, but perhaps most important of all they are learning how to
shape and direct their own professional development through a network of peers.
I am so proud and excited to watch these pre-service teachers work through the
challenges they face and can’t wait to see what happens next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Stay tuned as I share the
progress of our new program in the months to come! Soon I hope to share a
description of what our writing studio program looks like and how it works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-71008770441534913922012-08-24T07:43:00.004-07:002012-08-24T07:43:51.603-07:00What do I want to be when I grow up?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZPv01uEEjlYnr82ppusCA9me79tVWt50q2FgcqR24hrnoqyQIpgg4Y4bezLyp1cUydK_Ec0g3Kqzi7Ytrj3ytiOKf9cRx68QIptyPyCKg2JgNKyf3hhKHrHCezdEkJqDxaKXK07BSn8i3/s1600/alphabet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZPv01uEEjlYnr82ppusCA9me79tVWt50q2FgcqR24hrnoqyQIpgg4Y4bezLyp1cUydK_Ec0g3Kqzi7Ytrj3ytiOKf9cRx68QIptyPyCKg2JgNKyf3hhKHrHCezdEkJqDxaKXK07BSn8i3/s200/alphabet.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I have always known
what I wanted to do. I wanted to work with words. I wanted to write and work
with writers and I wanted to use my words to teach others. I am one of the
fortunate people who knew from an early age what I wanted and I am even more
fortunate that most of my adult life has meant doing just that. I have been
lucky enough to have a long and varied love affair with the written word which
has also allowed me to earn a living. I have been a newspaper reporter and
editor, magazine writer and editor, and I been a published novelist. I have
been a freelance writer for both print and web publications and worked as a
technical writer. I ran a successful web publication company with a number of
ezines, blogs, and web sites. Then I moved into academia and have had the dual
joy and burden of teaching writing to both undergraduate, and graduate writing
classes. I have taught everything from developmental to professional writing
and after more than a decade I still believe I have one of the most important
jobs on campus – even if my status and paycheck do not reflect that belief.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd04CVvBNq0bQgvr01vTUVV_J1F8z7BK52eOqL9gXSmNgrJ-bSZS7_wOe12lGEaJ1pXbPSTBA0OW64DWF4AwiDbBm-hUEmamNf6GV4nJCRYvHjvgvOB8TXzM7Zis_oyh-mI2iwhHYfV-p7/s1600/typecase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd04CVvBNq0bQgvr01vTUVV_J1F8z7BK52eOqL9gXSmNgrJ-bSZS7_wOe12lGEaJ1pXbPSTBA0OW64DWF4AwiDbBm-hUEmamNf6GV4nJCRYvHjvgvOB8TXzM7Zis_oyh-mI2iwhHYfV-p7/s200/typecase.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While I consider myself
very lucky to have a job that includes important work that I love, I also know
how difficult it is to work somewhere that work is not valued. I owe it to
myself as well as all those who have contributed to the professional I am today
to find that dream job. Of course, the real challenge is sorting through my
dreams to uncover the true specifications for that dream job. This is hard.
Very hard. Academia wants to sort people into neat little boxes. And I am not a
neat little box kind of person. I have a lot of skills and a
lot of interests and I do not want to abandon one skill set in favor of another
– and I don’t think I should have to do so when I believe there are academic
programs out there that are looking for people just like me. Am I fooling
myself?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xK-fc_NYUTKlrCfndM14mOPIJm6YW7_ZQ2NW1AbS1fwyEXX-FwKzKLecXTNfwhTNAES9KoSzSQInbpzdrsEzN_9ZsBzofxZqhciOKw8tUqGytGlSI5E-Zor0-bweACsi-nNqe_2dYG95/s1600/hands.keyboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xK-fc_NYUTKlrCfndM14mOPIJm6YW7_ZQ2NW1AbS1fwyEXX-FwKzKLecXTNfwhTNAES9KoSzSQInbpzdrsEzN_9ZsBzofxZqhciOKw8tUqGytGlSI5E-Zor0-bweACsi-nNqe_2dYG95/s200/hands.keyboard.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The Modern Language
Association Job Information List is coming out soon and I need to be ready. I
need to think about what I really want and where my needs and wants fit in with
the needs and wants of academic programs. My current institution hired me to
teach general education writing. At the beginning my course schedule was filled
with developmental writing and the two-course composition sequence, Writing I
and Writing II. Then I developed and piloted online versions of the composition
classes which have become a mainstay of our general education program. As time
passed I was also offered the opportunity to teach introductory creative
writing and technical composition (an alternative to Writing II). Then shortly
after entering my Ph.D. program I became the Site Director for our National
Writing Project site which led to teaching graduate classes that covered a
spectrum of topics from teaching writing to research and theory to creative
writing. After earning my Ph.D. in Technical Communication and Rhetoric I have
added professional writing to my list of course offerings. I like teaching all these things. I like working with developing writers to help them find
their voice and confidence. I like working with more experienced writers to
help them grow and develop as professionals. I like sharing my experience as a
working professional writer with others who want to pursue a career with words.
I like working with educators to improve the teaching of writing. I want to do
all those things. Am I fooling myself?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In addition, my position
as a National Writing Project site leader has given me administrative
experience. I manage a budget with a variety of funding streams as well as
writing the grants and reports that support those streams, a staff of students
and professionals serving in a variety of roles, and oversee a number of
community and professional development programs. This is important work and
tremendously rewarding work. I love this work and the people I work with as a
result. I know that I may not end up working in a program with a National
Writing Project site, but I hope to work in program that fosters this kind of
work – this synergy between writing and teaching writing</span>
<span style="font-size: 16px;">–</span> <span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">and I want to
work in a program that is large enough to share this work and vision with others.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pQ6SoDItyLk_t9dXmeqkzscBCWpMBxrtH02HjK4MkFeSCTDAdMm-97XYmih1CZ4hRTZ4IGZCcZfgKPuLPulCqFhw0Xz1L5NCiYIXBhf_UY8G6o5ZToGOv-HjMA3dnew0E08Vi5VJV04T/s1600/multi-tool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pQ6SoDItyLk_t9dXmeqkzscBCWpMBxrtH02HjK4MkFeSCTDAdMm-97XYmih1CZ4hRTZ4IGZCcZfgKPuLPulCqFhw0Xz1L5NCiYIXBhf_UY8G6o5ZToGOv-HjMA3dnew0E08Vi5VJV04T/s200/multi-tool.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And so, the question
remains. Am I fooling myself? Does such a dream position exist? Will I be able
to find just the right program (not too big and not too small) that needs a
multitool like me? And how do I position myself for that job? I anticipate that this is the type of job that will value teaching and service over research, but I still want to research, write, publishing and present -- but where and which focus? However, now I need to stop
dreaming and focus on the job I have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-62153513072633878802012-07-25T06:04:00.001-07:002012-07-25T06:04:37.500-07:00Social Capital as Core Competency<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;">I came to my interest in organizational
communication by studying the idea of community as a teacher and writing groups
as both a writer and teacher of writers. I have always believed very strongly
in using writing groups to support the growth and development of writers and my
work with the National Writing Project has only intensified that belief.
However, my NWP work has also taught me the importance of community to the
growth and development of all learners. And since I also believe that all
successful organizations are learning organizations it seemed a natural
progression to look at how organizations function as a community and learn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">An aspect of organizational communication that
particularly fascinates me is the idea of social capital. <span style="background: white; color: #222222;">Social capital is essentially the
investment of your time, energy, and knowledge in a specific community and the
benefits you derive from that investment.<span class="apple-converted-space"> The
organization’s purpose binds the community and focuses its energy, but it is
social capital that fuels it. Social capital provides advantages to the
individuals who possess it, but it also provides advantages to the
organizations comprised of members with social capital.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I see social capital as a multiplier. If an organization is a
sum of its component parts – or members – then an organization including
members possessing social capital is so much more. Social capital gives
leverage to do more than a single person could do alone. It is efficiently
harnessing the power (time, energy, knowledge, skills) of others for a common
purpose. People are willing to give of themselves, to either pay it forward or
pay it back, because they can trust they will receive just as they give.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The human capital of an organization is the knowledge and
skills that individual members possess, but it is the social capital that
connects the human capital and amplifies it. In our information society it no
longer holds true that knowledge is power as everyone has access to knowledge –
in fact so much access and so much knowledge it is overwhelming, paralyzing.
The organization with the most power knows how to manage the constant flow of
information and leverage it to the organization’s best advantage. That leverage
takes human capital and social capital. And that is why I believe social
capital is a core competency for today’s professional in any field.</span></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843318100269181285.post-79609429549151537642012-07-16T08:29:00.000-07:002012-07-16T08:33:53.096-07:00What Is Organizational Communication Anyway?<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve spent a lot of time
this summer reading about organizational communication research, theory, and
trends in preparation for beginning work on my study of the National Writing Project
and the Morehead Writing Project in particular. I am interested in the ways
that the Morehead Writing Project reinvented its organization and transformed
from an organization in crisis to a successful enterprise. However, the recent
changes in national education funding have also forced the National Writing
Project to reinvent itself and reorganize. I believe this is an area of
research that could be very interesting to pursue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">As I lay the groundwork
for this study and plan my future projects, I do want to carefully think about
a number of key terms and one of those is organizational communication. What
exactly is organizational communication and why do I want to study it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Organizational
communication focuses on the role of communication in organizational life.
Communication is essential to all organizations whatever their purpose, size,
or goals. Social constructionists believe that communication creates the form
and shape of an organization. Certainly communication serves to maintain and
sustain relationships within and with the organization and its members and
constituencies, but it is complex and in order for organizations and members to
survive and succeed it is important to understand the communication process of
the organization and that is where organizational communication enters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Communication helps
organize people to effectively live and/or work together. Organizational
communication can identify and remove barriers to communication through formal
exchange of information as well as more informal interactions. According to </span><a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/10873727"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Jones</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">,
organizations, or groups of individuals working together in a coordinated way
in pursuit of specific goals, require communication to plan, communicate, and
pursue these goals. Jones argues that organizations do not exist without
communication. </span><a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/10676605"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Te’eni</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
describes organizations as entities engaged in social and economic exchange and
agrees that communication is the foundation for organizational action. Te’eni
relies on Habermas for the purposes of that communication: reaching
understanding, coordinating action, building relationships, and Influencing
others. </span><a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/10676509"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Deetz</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
maintains that </span>communication
practices can be used to help coordinate and control the activities of
organizational members and relations with external constituencies. <a href="http://www.citeulike.org/user/deannamascle/article/10861897"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Richmond et al</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
describe organizational communication as a dynamic process by which individuals
generate, cultivate and/or shape the minds of others in a formal organization.
They argue that there are six functions of organizational communication: to
inform, regulate, integrate, manage, persuade, and socialize.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Traditionally, organizational
communication focused more on business and ways to improve production, but in
more recent decades the focus has shifted to study aspects of organizational
life that can improve the lives of organizational members as well as the
organization. In addition, the types of organizations under study are much more
varied. Organizational communication can include the study of how individuals
use communication to work out the tension between working within the
constraints of pre-existing organizational structures and promoting change
within that organization. This is exactly the place where my research interests
lie and I can’t wait to embark on my journey of discovery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881752611180884741noreply@blogger.com1