Inspired Work- mentors, classrooms and final projects

After hearing all the testimonies of teachers and educators with all their internet savvy and ideas I have decided that the World Wide Web in classroom is not impractical and labour intensive but in the end can save hours of work and mounds of paper.

Having seen the projects completed by my mentoring classrooms I have witnessed first hand how computer technology can inspire and spark the creativity of students of any age. Many of the projects that my mentors did with their students were things that are not typically taught in school but will give students valuable life skills outside the classroom. However, even thought the projects were practical in nature they still involved students utilizing and practicing skills like researching, writing, observing and problem solving. In the one class taught by Michael K. the students learned basic principles of landscaping while exercising their artistic and research skills in the creation of their very own stepping stones. In addition those students learned practical skills like landscaping that will undoubtedly come in handy in a side job or in home ownership. They now can say they have experience and some education in the area of landscaping.

 

The testimonies and classroom examples I have heard and seen in ECOMP355 has encouraged me to create a final project that I will one day use in my own classroom. The project was inspired by many of the tools we have learned to use in this class.

 

For my final project I am designing a wiki space that is based on novel studies. I have chosen a novel called Zlata’s Diary to showcase the assignments that could be used in the classroom on a wiki space. My wiki space is called 20thcenturybooktalks, and in hindsight I should of thought out the name more carefully because I realized after that we are living in the 21^st century but I am not about to erase all the hours of work the wiki represents.

 

 I started out focusing on the Google map tool but soon discovered that all alone the Google map seemed incomplete and ungrounded in a understandable context. Therefore I decided to surround the Google map with a wiki space. This wiki space can now showcase several assignments that will be appropriate for a classroom novel study on a whole novel. I think that by containing the novel into a wiki the students will have a well rounded understanding of the novel and in a space that can showcase their work. Too often students are asked to complete presentations and assignments for novel studies but after they are completed the assignments are forgotten or trashed. However, in a wiki space the assignments have a coherency and flow that is preserved in a way that more than just the teacher can view. My hope is that students will be able to make the connection between assignments and therefore gain a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the book being studied.

 

In conclusion I know that the wiki space will never be complete I find that I am always coming up with new ideas for the space and will hopefully continue to alter and change the wiki to accommodate the different grades I will be teaching. For the purposes of this class I tried to give the viewer some examples of the types of assignment one could assign students with a wiki for a novel study. I really wish I had more time to enhance and add to what I have done thus far but I know I am quickly running out of time and patience to achieve the lofty ideals I have for this wiki space. Since the due date is quickly approaching for this assignment I think I will spend the next two days journaling my journey with this wiki space on the actual pages in my wiki space. I will explain the process with which I completed the assignments I did do and explain what I intended for the pages I was unable to finish. If anyone has any suggestions for the wiki space feel free to go to 20thcenturybooktalks and have a look at what I have done so far and leave comment on my blog or in the wiki itself.