Ruth’s Ruckus2

This is a VETC09 session. Live Blogging…

Sharon McGlone, TRT at Booker T in Norfolk, is presenting.

Things that help:

• TRT gives overview to students
• TRT creates samples when planning with the teacher
• TRT co-teaches
• students practiced in diads
• Rubrics given to students before they were assessed
• Teacher training is key
• refer to podcasts as “audio files” to increase teacher comfort
• Students in groups worked best
• be careful about identifying students when putting their projects on the web
• sometimes you may need to use a file converter depending on your intended application

Using recordings to improve student oral language – Oral assessments every 4 weeks

Students were able to listen to themselves and classmates while creating their projects once files were posted on the web.  Students self selected conversational topics.

Students work is posted on the web as part of a student portfolio and for comparison of student fluency.  After students learned to record themselves – they did extensions.  Research a topic and then record themselves talking about it.  Students got excited.  Shy students were more apt to participate.  Additional project extensions include creating a slideshow (PPT, moviemaker, photo story) and using the student audio files with pictures.  Students can make wordles out of their speeches out of their topics.  Students wanted to reread or recreate their readings to help with the timing when using the file for projects.

Teachers were able to create files for students to listen to and practice and put them on the web.  Files are posted on their websites (linked from NPS site    http://ww2.nps.k12.va.us/education/components/sectionlist/default.php?sectiondetailid=34&category=168&).  Teachers can show students how to download the files to MP3 players (PPS kids could practice this in class if the teacher has borrowed the class set of MP3 players from OITMS).

Students could peer review each others work…

Today we had our first round of presentations on the VSTE conference.  I’m always a little apprehensive when the TRTs are supposed to give presentations.  I never know if my “stuff” will actually make a meaningful contribution for these folks. For example, my first ever blog in-service was for the TRTs.  I was new at blogging myself, but I wanted to do the best that I could.  I spent hours getting ready; had folders with handouts but judging from the results about half of the TRTs didn’t find the information valuable.  In fact, some of those in my audience left the handouts behind. The TRTs are one of the hardest audiences…So today, I was glad that I wasn’t first.  I am having a little difficulty with my presentation, but I’ll get it all worked out before the 25^th.

We are supposed to share what we learned at the conference. One of the presentations was rather short. It may be that with our push to present at the conference (I think our team did 7 presentations) we may not have been able to see a whole lot of what other divisions brought to the table.  We might keep that in mind when we receive the request for proposals for the 2009 conference. We had a delightful presentation today by Al in which he showed us stop animation and the K-12 Voicethread site.  It was his first presentation to the group and he really did well.

Kudos to Al who is doing a great job in his first year as a TRT!!