I liked having the small group discussions and getting to know a few people who have been in class with me for the past couple of months. It's interesting to hear what different people found useful and what people are actually using in the classroom.
I'm returning next semester....see you then!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Homework Due 11/11
On the day that the students had to nail down the status-quo of their controversial issues I really learned what a hard time they were having with the project. To research facts to support the affirmative and negative sides was relatively easy, but when they had to actually find facts the students had a rough time. Since they had to verify the information, most of them ended up getting the correct information; however, it took many of them a long time. The day after this was due I had students meet with the opposing teams to make sure everyone had the same status-quo, and for the most part they did.
Another thing I taught the students that many of them used was googledocs. It was fun for them to be able to create a document with their partner and, I think, helpful for many of the students. Several groups used it for the bibliographical information, cutting and pasting the source citations to a single, shared page. This saved a lot of time for the person who had to put the whole thing together.
The project has been going well. I think that I have more confidence teaching the researching component now that I feel a bit more comfortable.
Another thing I taught the students that many of them used was googledocs. It was fun for them to be able to create a document with their partner and, I think, helpful for many of the students. Several groups used it for the bibliographical information, cutting and pasting the source citations to a single, shared page. This saved a lot of time for the person who had to put the whole thing together.
The project has been going well. I think that I have more confidence teaching the researching component now that I feel a bit more comfortable.
Homework Due 11/04
I know this is late...sorry. I didn't realize I had to write about my plan before doing it.
Lucky for me I had a research project planned before even knowing that I would be needing to create a lesson for this class. My junior CP class is currently doing a debate unit and that includes researching both sides of a controversial issue. Before even going to the library, we talked a lot about how to determine a reliable website, and what to do and look for if the site is questionable.
First I spent a lot of time showing students how to use the library data-bases, accessing them both through our school library and the public library. I also showed them how to limit their search by using the advanced search of google. This was especially helpful when students needed very specific data; I showed them how to limit the domain search and use, for example, only the .gov domain when looking for specific laws and information.
Second, we talked about verifying information. Because students are looking at controversial issues, websites can be very one-sided. This made even finding the status quo difficult because sometimes two websites would have completely different information. Students had to find the same information in two websites before using it.
Third, I showed them some of the things I learned in class. For example, I showed them the wonder wheel, and taught them how they can use "minus" infomation to limit their searches.
Fourth, I taught them how to site all of the information they get--and that was a real chore.
Overall the lessons went well and I'm looking forward to hearing all of the debates.
Lucky for me I had a research project planned before even knowing that I would be needing to create a lesson for this class. My junior CP class is currently doing a debate unit and that includes researching both sides of a controversial issue. Before even going to the library, we talked a lot about how to determine a reliable website, and what to do and look for if the site is questionable.
First I spent a lot of time showing students how to use the library data-bases, accessing them both through our school library and the public library. I also showed them how to limit their search by using the advanced search of google. This was especially helpful when students needed very specific data; I showed them how to limit the domain search and use, for example, only the .gov domain when looking for specific laws and information.
Second, we talked about verifying information. Because students are looking at controversial issues, websites can be very one-sided. This made even finding the status quo difficult because sometimes two websites would have completely different information. Students had to find the same information in two websites before using it.
Third, I showed them some of the things I learned in class. For example, I showed them the wonder wheel, and taught them how they can use "minus" infomation to limit their searches.
Fourth, I taught them how to site all of the information they get--and that was a real chore.
Overall the lessons went well and I'm looking forward to hearing all of the debates.
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