Visual Thinking Strategies

As I've discussed in earlier posts, I'm a strong believer in the importance of visuals in the classroom to supplement learning. I wanted to do a little research on the web to find some information to support my arguments and I came across an article discussing Visual Thinking Strategies. From what I can tell, the premise behind VTS is that students are expected to look at images and come up with meaning, just as they would look at words in a textbook or novel and develop meaning. As their skills build, students are able to come up with meaning from more complicated and advanced images. 

Much of the discussion of VTS centers around using artistic images and teaching students in an art class. I think the techniques behind this idea can easily be implemented in an English classroom. Let's say I was teaching Hamlet for example. There are literally millions of artistic renderings from this play that can be used in the classroom. In undergrad, I spent a whole month one semester discussing various portraits of Ophelia's drowning. These images can be shown to students in two ways: 

1. In conjunction with their reading, to provide visual enhancement for the text. This might make things easier for some students to understand. 

2. As foreshadowing for what is about to occur in their reading. For example, if the following image is shown before the students read about Ophelia's suicide the students can be asked who they think this woman is, why she is floating, what caused this, etc. 

The students can then read Hamlet to find out what happened to Ophelia. 

I think there is a very important place for visuals in the classroom and the techniques and methods of VTS can assist teachers to find the best way to incorporate these ideas into their teaching. 

Twitter in the Classroom

The Huffington Post had an interesting article this morning about the use of Twitter in the classroom. The article talks about ways that Twitter can be used in a large lecture based classroom, which is different than the classrooms I will be teaching in but there are still some interesting ideas for teachers to read. Maybe I'll tweet this article too, in keeping with the theme...

EdReach

On EdReach, I chose to listen to The Google Educast episode regarding the Research Tool in Google docs (Episode #49). I'm also taking a research course this semester so I thought that learning more about this tool would prove helpful in that class. Supposedly while searching in Google Scholar, there is a function to make citations within different formats. Honestly, I don't feel like this podcast helped me understand this function at all. (If you're reading Professor Knight, perhaps a lesson in Google Scholar one class?) The podcast was set up like a talk show and instead of using visuals to show computer screenshots of the Google scholar process, the video only showed the persons speaking. Seeing the person talk was a little easier to follow than blindly listening to the radio, but I feel like an enhanced podcast with visuals would have been much more helpful in this scenario. I did a bit more exploring on the EdReach website and it seems like all of their podcasts are basic podcasts and not enhanced. 

As I've previously stated, I have a hard time paying attention to basic podcasts. Therefore I don't think this type of podcast (including the ones on EdReach) is something I would heavily rely on in my classroom. The case for enhanced podcasts is strong and I would definitely like to incorporate these into my classroom, both as learning tools and as something for students to create. 

Podcasts in the Classroom

When I first read that we would be looking into podcasts as a tool to use in our classroom, I mentally wrote it off. I've downloaded podcasts to listen to before at the gym and when I'm walking around the city, but I've never been able to really focus on what the podcasts are saying. I find that someone speaking without corresponding visuals presents a really easy way for me to tune out and I imagine that many students feel the same way. 

Once I read the article on enhanced podcasting, my views changed. I think that incorporating visuals, such as pictures and charts, into a podcast makes it tremendously more effective as a learning tool. It will appeal to many styles of learners and kids will have a much easier time staying on task. I wanted to see an example of an enhanced podcast so I found this sample on the web. Despite having little knowledge or desire to learn about the Pacific Northwest, I found that I was able to maintain focus on this podcast and that I received a fair bit of information. 

A podcast such as the one I referenced above would be a valuable tool to use in the classroom. I think enhanced podcasts will reinforce the idea of cooperative learning between the teacher and the students. Because these podcasts are relatively easy to create, it would be possible for students to create their own podcasts to teach their teacher and classmates about something. Short podcasts could be a fun way for the students to get to know each other at the beginning of the year and for the teacher to get to know his or her students as well. 

The only barriers I can really see from using enhanced podcasts are equipment and skill barriers. The article states that only Macintosh computers have the capability to create enhanced podcasts in PowerPoint and many schools do not have Macs. I looked at the website voicethread.com that was recommended in the article and it seems pretty straightforward to create a movie. As long as the student have access to computers, it shouldn't be a problem to create enhanced podcasts in the classroom.

Nuts & Bolts

This post is in response to "The Nuts & Bolts of 21st Century Teaching" article, found here: http://plpnetwork.com/2011/03/22/the-nuts-bolts-of-21st-century-teaching/. I read this article and then reread it a couple of times and I have to say that my initial instinct hasn't changed. I simply love everything about this article and teacher Shelley Wright's collaborative classroom. In one of my classes last semester, we spent a lot of time discussing the power of choice for students and how much more likely students are to be engaged in their studies if they were able to chose the what or how of their lesson. I think giving students the power of choice is especially powerful in a classroom that incorporates technology. In almost every case, students are much more talented than their teachers at navigating the Internet and the thousands of educational tools available to them on their computers and phones. By giving students choice in their lessons and assessments, they can utilize these tools and create an assignment that appeals to them and motivates them. As an added plus, students can often bring new ideas to the teacher's attention! The idea of the teacher being a co-learner with the students is another powerful idea that I liked about Shelley Wright's article. As Bloom's Taxonomy and other educational theories show, being able to teach a concept or idea to someone else represents the highest level of understanding. A classroom in which both the teacher and the students are active participants in learning is the type of classroom that I would like to create in the future.

21st Century Learners

21st century learners are students that have grown up in a time of great technological change and have become accustomed to technology making their lives easier and more convenient. In my classroom, I plan to incorporate enough technology to make students feel comfortable, but I also plan on relying on some low-tech techniques as well to make sure that students receive a welcome break from their high-tech lives. Students can expect to experience a variety of technological mediums such as videos, music and interactions with Smartboards, tablets and computers. I'd also like to find a way to incorporate students' cell phones into the classroom. However, I want to be mindful of students that may not have access to these technologies or may not have a level of familiarity and comfort. As a high school English teacher, many items we read and discuss in class will be poems and pieces of literature from many centuries ago. During the discussion and activities for these pieces would be an excellent time to remove high-tech devices and have the students take a break and get back to basics. For example, in Hamlet, there are a few scenes when letters are sent and the time it takes to communicate is important to the story. The teacher could have students leave all computers, phones, etc. at the door and lead a discussion about the ways that technology has made communication faster and what the effects of a slower communication system were in Hamlet's time.