Transliteracy is the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks. --www.transliteracy.com I felt a rush of adrenaline when I learned that a requirement of my capstone project was building a website. I envisioned pages and pages of inspiring and highly educating verbosity. Pages and pages of sweet, glorious verbiage. All in ten point Times New Roman.
Thank goodness that did not see the light of day. I'm very fortunate to have been introduced to the idea of transliteracy. I strongly believe that a project of this caliber cannot be designed without it in mind. In order to reach my readers, I have to use a variety of mediums besides my illuminating text. I believe that a website that is too text heavy will soon loose the interest of the viewer. This is very hard for me to admit because I am a unrepentant logophile. However, the use of videos, infographics, and images relaxes not only the eye, but the mind. I am terribly near-sighted. I can only see a few inches in front of my face. I find text, especially on the screen, hard on my eyes. As my eyes strain, my head aches. This will cause me to lose focus on the content. The designer of the website failed. I move on to the next website that doesn't cause me physical pain. Whatever the author wanted to share is lost. I did not want that to happen to my website. I wanted to keep my reader's interest until the very end. The same principle can be applied to the classroom. As teachers we should consider using a variety of mediums to keep our students engaged. I've known some teachers who continually use the same yellowed ditto sheets year after year because back in 1999 they accidentally made 200 copies. I challenge myself and my peers to think outside of the file cabinet. Transliteracy doesn't mean more computer use. It asks teachers to think globally. It asks teachers to think of varieties of ways to reach their students. It is not a secret that the longer you keep your students' attention, the more they learn. Why is this so important? Our world has changed since 1999. Domestic and International business is conducted under the umbrella of transliteracy. Education is no longer limited to a book, a stack of note cards and an erasable pen. We are in the business of educating children beyond the classroom. Please read my blog 703 Session 2 Blog: Transliteracy for more information on transliteracy.
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It's Been One Heck Of A Ride!On my 37th birthday, my friends took me to Six Flags to celebrate. Since I had never been on a mega-roller coaster in my life, they thought it was a great idea. I, on the other hand, wasn't so sure. I'm prone to puking on merry-go-rounds and passing out on anything higher than the second floor of JCPenny's.
But I went along with their plans. Not because I enjoy puking and passing out, but because I wanted the challenge. I wanted to find out if I had the stomach for it--pun intended. The ride up the roller coaster was fine, but as we headed around the bend, and I could see the slope, I started to get really nervous. My life started to flash before my eyes. There was my dad in his fishing gear. Over there was my seventh grade boyfriend, What's-his-name. And way in the back was the book I never wrote. Down the slope we went! Fear kept my eyes shut the entire 90 seconds. I could feel the cold wind burn against my face. I'm not sure, but I swear I tasted the bitter guts of moths. My hands hurt from gripping the grab bar with every drop of adrenaline my adrenal glands could pump out. My arms and legs ached, and my head felt like it was going to burst open. When the ride finally stopped, I felt exhilarated and exhausted. That's how I feel right now, right in this moment. Exhilarated and exhausted. I am at the end of my master's program. I have two days left before everything is submitted and ready for review. For several weeks now, I've been pulling what I call all-day-ers. I've been working on homework, blogs, videos, posters, and the website for my capstone project. I feel exhausted...and exhilarated! This year has been a roller coaster ride. There were events that I never anticipated when I signed on as a Touro graduate student. 1. The rat infestation. For the first three months of school, I literally taught in a storage room because the EPA quarantined my classroom. 2. I lost my students. It was like musical chairs. Groups of kids came and went. I spent too much time searching for my experimental and control group of kids. I needed the data. What else could I do? 3. I was laid off. Smack in the middle of my master's program, I find myself without a job. 4. I'm hospitalized. I was hospitalized FOUR times due to a mysterious respiratory infection. Probably from the rats. 5. My dogs are hospitalized. First Ellie, then Chloe, then Bailey, and then Teddy. At different points in my master's program one of my furry babies was in critical care. I was forced into a dilemma no fur mama wants to be in: my degree or my dog. $7700 later, everybody seems okay. 6. Poison ivy. At the beginning of the summer, when I should be focused on finishing my master's program, I decide to pull out that strange plant growing out of my hedge. An hour later, I have stinging blisters all over my fingers, hands and arms. What gives? I need those to write my capstone. 7. Blindness. Seriously, I start to lose even more of my eyesight. What the heck? I need my eyes to write my capstone! 8. Hives. I've developed an allergy to some mystery allergen. Usually when I'm working on my capstone, I'll suddenly break out in hives. I'm exhausted, but exhilarated. Despite the obstacles and stress, I am so proud of myself. I have worked very hard throughout this program. I learned more this year than I ever have. My passion for writing has been rekindled. Most importantly, I feel hope. Hope for a better future for myself and my doggies. Hope for my struggling school district. And hope for the hundreds of kids that will pass through my classroom door. I don't know what will come out of this journey, but I do know what I will never go back to. It is impossible for me to revert back to my old teaching ways. Why would I? That would be insane. This has been a cyclone roller coaster ride. I'm glad I got on. Once Upon A Time in HollyWood...I had a vision. Setting: a 19th Century Feed Store/Schoolhouse transforms into a progressive 21st Century school community. Why a feed store? I wanted to demonstrate through my art how education took a backseat to industry in the 19th century. Clever, huh? Characters: An old schoolmarm, chickens, goats, pigs and a classroom of bored children. A wise-beyond-her-years modern teacher with a flare for fashion and implementing digital writing tools. Crisis: Old Schoolmarm is stuck in her old habits, thus her unmotivated, whiny students don't want to take out their Big Chief writing tablets and work. Resolution: Fashionable teacher comes in and saves the day with digital tool infographics and TPACK expertise. Months ago, when it was revealed that a requirement of our capstone project was to produce a 90 second video, I literally could not contain my excitement. For you see, not long ago, I, Teresa Eleanor Giner, was an award winning actress. Yes, it's very true. I treaded the boards on many a community theater stage. But, like Angelina Jolie, as much as I am a phenomenal actress, my real passion is directing. So, I got right down to it. Wrote a magnificent script. Built all the sets (how else was I going to shoot a 19th century school house and feed store.) Sewed all the costumes. Turned my dining room into a studio because the lighting was p-e-r-f-e-c-t! My initial plan was to shoot a stop-motion video, but since I have poor vision and arthritic hands, that was a bust. After all the footage was spliced, I cast my friends for their voice over talents. Despite some complaints of nepotism, my very best friend Carla was cast as the schoolmarm. She has a schoolmarm voice, after all. Despite the fact that Rosie, Yolanda and Randy are senior citizens, I cast them as the school children. The girls could pull off little kid voices, but Randy? Oh my goodness, his character sure had a deep voice for a seven year old. After wrapping up, we celebrated with root beer floats and Mylanta. At this point, you must be thinking, "Wow! This is an amazing behind the scenes expose'." AND, just like the twist at the end of every Dateline episode, there is a shocking conclusion. There was no market for it. Where did I go wrong? Unfortunately, my vision was too big for my $24.97 Walmart gift card budget. The 19th century feed store and school house were unavailable. I literally don't know any children outside of school. Literally. Skywriting TPACK and filming it before the wind blew it away was impossible. And! Like every Steven Seagal movie ever made, poor casting was an issue. I used my extensive Calico Critters collection to represent the transformation of sad, uninspired writing instruction into the optimistic modern world of digital writing. It turns out my video was too damn cute. My critics applauded my final cut, but, like Jennifer Lopez's The Cell back in 2000, it didn't have a place...yet. So, like Joel Schumacher after Batman and Robin (1997), I picked myself off the floor where I had cried like that infantile Steven Seagal for three whole days, and eventually got up and moved on to the next project. Lessons Learned from the Academy's Next Power Director My advice to anyone who has been kicked in the stomach after putting their heart and soul into something they believe in, only to watch it fail: Try again. Don't Give Up. Every experience is taking you closer to greatness. My advice to other teachers: Let your students see you fail, and get up, and try again. Through your glorious mistakes, you will teach them how to persevere. Technology is not easy. Writing is not easy. Giving up should not be easy. For Your Viewing Pleasure I present to you both of my 90 second videos. (Only 5 star comments will be posted.) version 1 version 2
"Touro University California is a university under Jewish auspices founded upon the universal values of commitment to social justice, intellectual pursuit, and service to humanity. As such, Touro University California is dedicated to the following:
Consider how the work you have done during this program fits within Touro’s values and how you are going to take what you have done into the world to make a change. Will you share your work with your principal or colleagues? Will you post about it on twitter? Or will your focus be making a change within your classroom or something else? What practical thing will you do to be of service?" Touro University is special to because it has strong ties to Chabad. I call the Chabad of Solano County my spiritual home. My rabbi and his wife have been an amazing source of encouragement as I traveled on this journey to expand my own education and strengthen my skills as an educator. I don't have enough words to express how much I appreciate their friendship and support. I am committed to adhering to the Jewish values set so long ago by Touro not out of obligation but because, if you read them carefully, you realize that the values are the framework for an ethical and conscientious attitude toward teaching. Educators should "respect the value and dignity" of all students, teachers, parents, staff and administrators. In the melting pots that our classrooms have become, we should "accept and appreciate diversity." We should put our students first, since they are the future. We should strive for authentic collaboration with other educators; learning and sharing with each other in the pursuit of fulfilling goals that benefit all students. Will I share what I've learned with my colleagues? Of course! Like Ms. Jona Sandau has exclaimed for the world to hear, "It does take a village!" There is no such thing as an individual Superteacher. One link does not hold up the bridge. It takes all of us, working together, to tackle any challenge that rears its intimidating legs up at us. I don't plan to stop reiterating the importance of explicit writing instruction. People may label me "The Crazy Writing Lady," but I will continue to educate myself and teach others what I learn. You will find me in conferences, classrooms, online and on panels advocating for better writing instruction in schools. I'll start my mission within my own classroom. Ironically, during my research, I found several articles claiming that the art of writing was dying. Soon emojis and gifs would eliminate the need for text-rich compositions. I plan to prove them indisputably wrong. Honestly, I'm very, very tired. I've been working long hours on my website and this video. I start working around 8 in the morning, and don't stop until I my eyes literally can't focus any more. This is EXTREMELY important to me. My grades are EXTREMELY important to me. I need an average no less than an 98 to qualify for the UC Irvine Writing Program, so I've thrown myself completely into this Master's Program. I put my entire life on hold so that I could fully focus on the work needed for this program.
Right now, I feel overwhelmed. I finished my 90 second video a few days ago, but I have been stressing over it to the point that I am covered in hives. I actually have a prescription for the hives because I have such a bad case. All I really want is honest feedback. I don't want to know that I'm okay. Okay will not get me into UC Irvine. I want to know now if I have to change things so that I can get the highest possible final grade. I'm tired. I'm overwhelmed. And I don't know where I stand. I decided to make a stop motion film for my capstone message. This idea has been rolling around in my head for months. With summer break finally here, I finally have time to put it all together.
I have all the ingredients, now I have to put it all together. All year long, I've been collecting the miniatures I need for the set. For as long as I can remember, I've been sneaking minutes here and there creating buildings, trees, walls, bails of hay and fences out of felt, sand, nylon plants and a bird house or two. I've sewn teeny-tiny costumes for my teeny tiny cast, and have snared my best friends with Mocha Frappuccinos to do the voice over work for these teeny tiny characters. This weekend, I will have around 360 stills ready for Monday night's video class. I don't know how to post my stills onto the homework log from my iPad. The script is in its final stages, but I'm not happy with it. Like Neil Patel advised in his blog "Nine Insider Tips for a Killer Explainer Video," it's all about the script. I have 90 seconds to wow my audience, and honestly, it's stressing me out. No joke, I've been logging in about 12 hours a day on my capstone website this week. Except for a two hour doctor's appointment, I was on my computer from 7:30 am to 1:00 am yesterday. Afterwards, I was so tired, I couldn't sleep. But with the deadline hovering over me like a famished vulture, I have to put these hours in. I have taken this master's program very seriously. I want my very best work showcased. It is very important for me to have every detail well planned before execution. I will not throw something together just to get it done. I reread and rewrite every word I type. I believe that since my name will forever be attached to this work, it has to be of the highest quality. Am I neurotic? Yes... Very. Am I stressed? Yes, very. Am I having fun? Yes! Very! As I gradually introduced more technology into my writing program, I quickly discovered that many, too many, students were not buying into it. They ABSOLUTELY love browsing through Youtube videos looking for the latest "challenges" and pranks, but beyond that, they didn't see much use for their Chromebooks. A bulky, expensive pencil.
I needed to come up with a strategy that would not only grasp my kids attention, but hold onto it for the duration of the semester. The online writing tools I chose were researched thoroughly before I introduced them to my class. I used myself as a guinea pig since I have the attention span and tech skills of a moth. I like my technology easy to handle and bright and colorful. If the app was too clunky or confusing to navigate through, I tossed it. When I plan my writing lessons, I think of several aspects: the content, the style, the genre and the success criteria (previously known as the rubric). The online writing platform I use must meld smoothly with my objectives. I learned through my exploration that some apps are perfect for some writing projects (e.g. Storybird > fictional picture books, Pixton> graphic novels) while others are a bit of a stretch (e.g. Storybird > nonfiction research paper). I can't see my teaching practice reverting back to the pre-TPACK era. Technology plays a vital role in today's evolving writing operations. More than ever, it is extremely important to teach students how to maneuver through written communication on and off the internet. Our world is constantly changing; so should our teaching practice. I don't know how this physically happens, but I feel both dread and enchantment every time I discover these three little words embedded somewhere in the homework directions: create a video. Like swimming in the open ocean, I both love it and fear it. e
I love the whole idea of being creative and thinking right out of the figurative box! Yet, as much as I could never ever live without my iPad, my laptop, my computer, my digital home security, my cable, and (Heaven forbid!) my phone, I don't really understand the technology. When I think I do, I double click on something and $299.99 later, somebody who does understand The Technology has to fix it. Rob at Verizon and I are on each other's Christmas card lists. I already know that I won't be using Adobe Spark to create my video. During the creation of previous videos on Adobe Spark, I continuously received WebGL Error messages. Sometimes the images were flipped around or missing altogether. The sound quality can best be described as my neighbor's 13 year old son trying his hand at scratching on a turntable. I've consulted my personal IT Guy. We've tried all the trouble-shooting suggestions Adobe Spark and the rest of the internet have to offer, but unfortunately, we have not found a permanent solution. But there is HOPE! I installed iMovie on my iPad awhile back, and I've been chomping at the bit waiting to play with it. I read that Apple has made some changes to iMovie, added some really cool effects, so I can't wait. At the moment, I have one great big fear (besides open water). I fear that my capstone project will not be ready in time because I've messed up the digital part of the project. For example, I have already messed up my Home Page by deleting something I should not have deleted, and I have no idea how to fix it. I've emailed the right people, but I have to wait. I often think about my quiet students. I don't want them to be like me, struggling to navigate websites, calling on friends to help them out of pickle barrels, or waiting for IT to call back, losing precious minutes they can't afford to lose. I've said this 5 billion times before, we need to explicitly teach our kids how to use the technology we want them to use. We can't assume that they all know how. That's the number one reason why I am grateful for the Innovative Learning program. Introducing kids to the educational side of technology at a young age will help them be life-long learners with technology. They won't be playing catch-up like me. "Our goal is to provide access and opportunity for every student to learn 21st century skills and to eliminate the achievement and opportunity gaps among students so that all students will become educated citizens and lifelong learners who contribute to their community and the world in which they live.
Twenty-first century skills needed by our students include proficiency in core academic subjects; learning and innovation skills; communication and technology literacy; interpersonal, life and career skills. Our goal is to provide an instructional program that will provide and support every student in learning these skills." District Mission Statement, 2019 ************************************************************************************************ I believe that the current administration is striving toward the realization of the district's mission statement. The district as a whole truly wants to eliminate the achievement gap among its diverse population of students. However, the lack of adequate funds for technology widens the gap between the financially stable schools and the low-income schools. I taught at an elementary school where the technology could best be defined as abysmal. Third and fourth generation hand-me-down Chromebooks from the middle school and iPads that could no longer be updated are the only devices available to our students. I watched as students struggled to read off of glitching screens during the CAASPP test. I was there when students unexpectedly lost access to the test because the Chromebook suddenly died midway through the CAASPP session. How does this effect student performance on standardized tests? Immensely. The test already causes frustration, anxiety and low self-esteem among our struggling students. Add technology that doesn't cooperate, you have a kid who quickly gives up. Our teachers are praying that somehow their overheating ELMOS with fading light bulbs will work for the next lesson. Teachers can't rely on the out-dated, repeated overhauled technological equipment. If we truly are a 21st Century school district that has made it a goal to eliminate the achievement gap, we need to focus on the bare bones of our organization: the materials we use to eliminate the gap. We need to invest in providing up-to-date hardware for all students. What can a small team of concerned teachers do? As Learning Innovators, we hold the data that shows the benefits of better tech tools in the classroom. We have the knowledge and skills on how to best use modern software. We set the example for innovative learning through technology in the classroom. LogoMaker: The Bait and Switch
Pros: At first glance, it seems like all your logo-making dreams will be fulfilled. This website hosts an extensive collection of beautiful, professional looking logos. It is very easy to use, and follows most of WSINYE's guidelines for perfect logos. Cons: However, after you've created said perfect logo, you're slapped with a bill for $39.99 plus tax. Why is this such a let down? Well, throughout your happy logo-making experience, you're bombarded with lie after lie: Free! Free! Free! Hmmm. It's a bit like Kellogg's claiming free sugar in the Cocoa Puffs. Final thought: It might be worth the $39.99 plus. LogoMakr: Elementary, my dear. Pros: It's a free and easy to use web tool, if a bit clunky. You do have complete control of color, shape and text placement. Cons: The logos are very amateur in nature. Most remind me of the logos used for highway road signs and public restrooms. In my opinion, you probably could produce something very good if you worked at it. Final thought: It's worth a try. Freelogodesign.org: Nope Pros: It's free. And that's about it. Cons: I was very disappointed with this logo maker. I typed in the name of my logo and the category of my web page. I was expecting a hit on something relating to technology, writing, education, pencils, anything but what I got. Puppies and kittens and yoga. Not only could I not find anything related to my subject, the words of my text (Writing and Technology) were superimposed onto each other. It also very slow in loading new images. It could be my computer that caused these bizarre problems. AVG has been sending me messages that my computer is cluttered, but I still can't say it was one of my favorites. Final thought: It's still a nope. |
Tess Giner
This is my 25th year as a public school teacher. I've taught every grade between Kindergarten and 12th grade. I hope to encourage my students to love writing and reading as much as I do. Archives
July 2019
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