Response to Research Post #6 - 10 Things Teachers Should Know about GoogleDocs

I apologize for the late post. Yesterday was a doozy, and I plum forgot it was a Monday!

Today's research themed post centers on GoogleDocs. GoogleDocs first appeared in my orbit around 2010. I used it for my WRIT 350 course as a way to peer edit a paper. It was neat, but we basically used different colored fonts to write in comments and add our thoughts towards a peer's paper. I will say I garnered good feedback on my paper, and I did not feel like my group was going through the motions.

Obviously GoogleDocs has come a long way from just using colored font to add comments. Now you can create quizzes on GoogleDocs, surveys, tests, etc. and the best part? You can spy on your students! I will admit that I have not used GoogleDocs to its full advantage, but I have left assignments for my students to complete while I was out sick. For example, I found a neat web quest about Shakespeare online, so I uploaded it to GoogleDocs and left instructions for my sub. Students were to get in pairs and complete the web quest using Chromebooks. While I was home sick, I was able to log into my Google account and see if students were doing their work. It was great because I was able to go back the next day and praise those who worked diligently and then of course, take points off for those who did not complete the assignment.

The article linked below gives some handy insight into services offered through GoogleDocs. I've already mentioned some above (editing features, etc.) but some new ones I'm looking into are the research tools and the ability to leave vocal comments.

What are your experiences with GoogleDocs? Love it? Hate it? Don't know much about it? Let me know!

10 Things Every Teacher Should Know about GoogleDocs

Oh, and PS. The website where this article came from, Edudemic, is FANTASTIC. Dr. Spring has posted several articles from here on the Twitter page, and I've been using it for the past week to do some research for the annotated bib assignment. I especially enjoy the "How-To" section! 

Response to Research Post #4 - Flipped Classroom Tips

If you haven't already noticed, I'm 100% on board with this whole flipped classroom thing. I first heard of a "flipped" classroom when I attended a technology summit last summer. I possess a Flip camcorder, and I thought, "Dang, I'll get right on this."

They stopped making these little boogers and that sucks. RIP Flip. 

Then a whole school year went by with zero effort. It's hard to reinvent the wheel when things are going well and you're busy. Fellow teachers in this course, what are some tips to get my butt in gear? I like technology, and I'm fairly good at troubleshooting when left up to my own devices. I prefer the "tinker with it until it works" method of learning, but I know there are some other ways. This class has been a great start, but what are some other resources you suggest?

20 NEW Facts about Flipped Learning in High Ed

This little ditty was posted on Twitter via Dr. Spring, and it contains some shocking (in a good way!) and insightful tips about the "flipped classroom." Well, maybe tips isn't the best term-more like 20 factoids and statistics debunking the mystery behind flipped teaching. Below are some of my favorites.

5. On average, 8 out of 10 flipped teachers have more than 6 years of experience teaching; 42 percent of ‘flippers’ have been teaching for 16 years or more.

I've  only been teaching for 4 years, so I'd like to break this statistic this year by pledging to do something "flipped." Who's with me?

6. While math and science classes were still flipped the most, there was a significant increase in English classes. In 2014, flipped teachers also reported using the method for social studies (18 percent), technology and computer sciences (17 percent) and world languages (7 percent).

I can name five assignments right off the bat from my English classroom that would be great for the flipped environment. Book report assignments, small class notes, mini-online lectures, and extra credit opportunities to name a few! 

19. The most common concerns about Flipped Learning are: student access at home, needed instruction on how to make or find high-quality videos, how to best use additional classroom time, and the time required to develop a flipped course.

Here's the major bump in the road. What do we do about students who can't afford computer access at home and have no way to transport themselves to a public library? In my opinion, this is where the school steps in. I know that Rock Hill school district now has iPads for all 5th graders as long as their parents sign a waiver and attend one info session. Also, despite massive budget cuts, schools are getting access to new technology now more than ever. Teaching is all about being able to monitor and adjust at the drop of hat, and I feel like the concern on "how to best use additional classroom time" is over the top. I know what I would do if I could cut out 20 minutes everyday spent on explaining things five times: party! Just kidding, I would actually build in times for more meaningful activities and possibly cross-curricular stuff. 

What are your thoughts on this facts and statistics? And furthermore, are you proud that I stepped out of my comfort zone and used a photo this post? Baby steps! 

Response to Warnock #4: Chapters 11-12

Warnock begins chapter 11 with a pitch for online grading and feedback. He writes, "When you teach writing online, your methods of responding to students are forced to change, often for the better. In many cases, the change is mild: you begin typing in-text comments on a word processor instead of writing them hurriedly-and sometimes illegibly-in the margins. Similarly, you type a brief (but possibly longer than handwritten) end comment" (121). Warnock's thoughts on feedback mirror my own. If I could type everything, I would definitely give better constructive feedback while spending less amount of time. Warnock's comment about "illegible margin notes" fits me to a tee, and it put into perspective things I could be utilizing as a teacher.

I cannot tell you how nice it would be to have my students turn in major assignments electronically. Just this past year, I have played around with GoogleDocs a little bit. I've managed to create a class quiz and give one assignment entirely online. It was a book report assignment, and and I modeled to students how to access the assignment and turn it in via GoogleDocs. It worked well for the most part, and I was able to give feedback in a more personal light. However, the assignment was problematic for students who do not have computer access at home. I discussed this obstacle in an earlier blog post, and my suggestion for this is to build in time for students to work in class. I realize this defeats the purpose of an all-electronic assignment, but baby steps are necessary in order for larger change to occur.

Warnock's ideas towards voice comments and podcasts are great, although the software Warnock mentions seems a bit convoluted. Vocaroo is a fantastic little tool you can use to record your voice and download to make a podcast. It isn't very fancy, which is exactly the way I like it. I've used this in a previous online course with great results.

As for the chapter on grading, I really don't have much to say about this except that Warnock is absolutely.postively.insanely.correct. Holistic is the way to go for grading writing assignments, and I like the fact that Warnock pushes for everything to be graded. Even if it's for a small grade, effort counts and should be rewarded. 

Response to Warnock #3: Chapters 7-10

I specifically want to focus on chapter ten for this response post to Warnock's text. Chapter ten is Warnock's proponent for peer reviewing assignments. I have not had the best relationship with peer editing assignments, nor have I received the best response. Partially because I think peer review activities are the opposite of objective. Usually a teacher or professor gives you certain guidelines which then leads to students going though the motions just to get through with the assignment. Warnock offers a different approach to peer reviewing and editing that I think may actually work. Below I have described some points Warnock makes in chapter ten and my response to them.

Like many other teachers, Warnock stresses giving succinct rules and expectations for a peer review assignment. His rules and expectations differ fro ones I've encountered from past professors, and I think they are valuable.

"Make it clear you want a critic, not a cheerleader." Amen, Warnock. This was a huge pet peeve of mine during my undergraduate career. There is a definitive line between being polite and helpful and just being too nice. When I am working on a serious assignment, I expect serious feedback. Now, don't ream be and make me feel two inches tall, but do please offer helpful criticism with appropriate actions to fix an issue.

"Grade the reviews." Warnock really means "give feedback" when he says grade the reviews, but I like his belief that an instructor should be able to insert himself into a progressing review and offer feedback when it looks like the activity is going astray.

"Peer Review Software" Warnock essentially describes software that can do what GoogleDocs does now. Since this book was published in 2009, it lacks information about the mega mogul search engine's peer editing software. I would very much like to see Warnock's input about GoogleDocs, and I assume that an updated edition of this text will contain this.

Peer editing is the only amount of collaborative work I would be comfortable assigning in an online class. I believe Melissa pointed at the appeal of online courses for those with busy schedules. To me, an online class loses its value when students are forced to meet on a regular basis. If you are going to do this, then there should just be a designated class time to meet f2f. 

Response to Research Post #3-Online Learning and Low Income Students

Online Learning and Low Income Students

Yes, it's me again. With an article about teaching-ha, go figure! While I told myself I would take a break from posting about teaching and focus more in writing instruction, I couldn't help but use this paper in my blog. The link above will take you to an abstract from a paper-different from actual media articles I posted in the past. Once again, Dr. Spring shared this on her Twitter page, and I scooped it up for further reading. It is quite dense, so I'm just going to cover the highlights on this blog post. I plan to use this in my annotated bibliography since it matches quite nicely with my interests: Online teaching and low level students. I feel like Krista and Melissa would especially enjoy this academic paper because it may support some of the things they've been writing in their blogs.


Shanna Smith Jaggars, the author, gives valid points when explaining obstacles low income students can face when taking hybrid or all online courses. The first section of the paper is an in-depth view of research available on online courses and success rates. It also breaks down what type of courses are taken online by a certain student demographics, and the overall outcomes of these courses. The statistics for some of these studies were shocking. For example, Jaggars describes a study that reports, "Online courses, like other forms of distance learning, clearly have higher mid-semester withdrawal rates than do face-to-face courses. This difference may be particularly pronounced among under prepared students" (8). So what constitutes an under prepared student? According to Jaggars, an under prepared student is a student that is not adequately ready to take on traditional college work (i.e. writing papers, using critical reading skills, or conducting solid research). The remaining first half of this paper presents several case studies that further support Jaggers' claim. She doesn't necessarily slam online teaching, in fact, she explains that under prepared students are more likely not to return to an online course after failing, or performing poorly.

Jaggars also hits on a concept I also have thought about. Technological access for low income students. This is the major drawback for me for using a flipped classroom assignment. Many of my Bridges students do not possess a computer at home, so it would be hard for them to view an assignment outside of class. That is why, if I were to do a flipped assignment, I would have them use iPads in the classroom and then come to me with questions.

The last fourth of this paper presents strategies that can be put in place to help these students. Some of the strategies Jaggers suggest are: reduce student costs for community college, revise financial aid, offer more routine online courses, and teach online learning skills. Obviously, I haven't gone into extreme detail with explaining this paper, but I feel like it is a good resource to back an argument for online teaching. At first I though the paper would be solely against online courses for the underprivileged, but instead, Jaggars gives good insight into what can be done to fix these issues. 

Response to Research Post #2 - Tweeting in the Classroom

Twitter: Best Practices for Educators

The link above will take you to an article that explains different ways Twitter can be used in the classroom. Dr. Spring actually tweeted this article early this week, and I though it fit right in with my interests as a teacher. It has been a personal goal of mine to incorporate more "social media" into my classroom. I am a social media fiend with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Vine. However, I am not a pro at Twitter, which is somewhat disappointing. I pride myself on being on the "up-and-up" with new teenage fads, etc. since this is key to building meaningful relationships with my high schoolers. I was happy that Dr. Spring decided to incorporate Twitter into this class because it forced me to reacquaint myself with Twitter. I created a profile back in college, but never really explored the site. I think I'm now making headway which is awesome!

The author of this article, Vicki Davis, is also the author if a new book, Reinventing Writing. While I have not thoroughly checked this book out, it looks to be something I could possibly use for my profession. In the article, Ms. Davis goes through a variety of helpful apps, tools, and hashtags to get a Twitter account for the classroom up and running. Below are my thoughts on some of the tools Ms. Davis mentioned.

Hootsuite: This is a social media management website that lets a user easily see what is going on with favorite hashtags and followers. This would be ideal for a teacher who is teaching a large class and needs to keep up with a large amount of students. I haven't signed up for this yet, but I like the fact that is micromanages your class Twitter page, and it's FREE!

Canva a.ka. InDesign for dummies: This is a online service/app that allows a user to add graphic designs to photos, webpages, fliers, etc. It is free from what I can tell, and seems to be idiot proof. (Meaning, I can use it since I know ZIP about graphic design.) Davis suggests this to be used in conjunction with photographs. She explains that studies have shown that tweets with photos are ten times more likely to be retweeted than just plain text.

Various statistics and tips: Davis ends her article with tips and tricks on how to successfully tweet to a broader audience. She advises teachers to use less words in their tweets and more interactive media such as links, photos, and videos. She also gives a FANTASTIC tip about mentioning to celebrities that you are a teacher or are teaching a class pertaining to their work. Apparently, famous people are more likely to respond to teachers than random peons in the Twitterverse. Can we say, "Tom Hiddleston," anyone? Finally, Ms. Davis gives three handy hashtags for the classroom: #mysteryskype, #comments4kids, and a hashtag of your creation. Dr. Spring has already done this with our class, and I am excited to create one for my own! #mysteryskype helps teachers find other classroom teachers via Twitter, and #comments4kids is apparent Twitter code for "Hey, I teach cool kids, so you should check out our stuff and we'll check out yours!" What are some other handy hashtags that you know that can be used for teaching? Or English? Or writing? Or all of the above?

Response #1 to Warnock: Chapters 1-4

First off, I would like to comment on Warnock's voice in this "textbook." I put textbook in quotes because it does not resemble nor reads like a typical textbook. It is slim and light, and the structure is easy to follow. I appreciate Warnock's candid voice. I found myself chuckling at times to certain comments he would make about otherwise mundane topics. If anything, I always admire dry wit.

My thoughts on chapter one are pretty straightforward. I liked the list of personalities that Warnock advises against using when conducting an online course. The same goes when teaching a live course, for the most part. Also, I liked his suggestions for ice-breakers. I have only taken one other online course, and we did a large introductory post. While these are great, I prefer short, original introductions. His fill in the blank type questions are to the point and would leave a lasting impression. I feel like this is important in getting to know people in the online environment. For example, I prefer to know the people who will be commenting on my posts at least once a week.

The online vs. hybrid course debate covered in chapter two was somewhat confusing for me. I have never participated in true hybrid course...at least, I don't think. I have taken one or two courses where certain activities are completed via Blackboard while other stuff is turned in during class time. Does this constitute a hybrid course? Those of you with a stronger background in this could possibly help me out?

Chapters three and four move towards an in depth explanation about activities and strategies that can be used in to improve communication online, etc. Dr. Spring mentioned the possibility of using Google Hangout at the beginning of this course. I have never used Google Hangout before, but I am open to the idea. My biggest hindrance in the course so far is time. I have a packed summer schedule (despite being "off") and I feel like this has kept me from exploring other options. Warnock mentions using a "stripped down" method for communicating day to day in the online class environment. So far, I have made a better effort in re-activating my Twitter account and checking my Winthrop email regularly. These are small steps that I hope will lead to bigger ones. Right now, I am content with doing the majority of course work independently. This is only because I am afraid to commit to group work etc. without giving a 100% effort. I don't want to be that person who doesn't do her share of the work. Part of this stems from fear of the unknown in relation to online class. But as Warnock says, "At some point, you need to jump in."

Final thought: the glossary found at the back of this book is extremely helpful. Just FYI in case some of you haven't noticed it yet. (I just noticed it tonight, so yeah.) 

Response to Research #1: "Education’s war on millennials: Why everyone is failing the 'digital generation'"

Education’s war on millennials: Why everyone is failing the “digital generation”

The link to the article above will take you to a post Dr. Spring tweeted earlier this week. I have ran across the issue of "high-tech" cheating this year during End of Course testing. I teach predominantly English I, which is a ninth grade, skills-based English course. In South Carolina, all ninth graders who take English I must take a state-mandated final exam (called the EOC) at the end of each semester. Let me reiterate: this is for English I students ONLY. During my bi-yearly test administrator training, we were warned about the different types of cheating covered in this article. For the first time ever, students were not allowed to have water bottles in the testing site. This derived from the fear that students will custom create labels with pertinent information pertaining to the test. However, I don't want to focus my blog post on the evils of students cheating. In stead, I want to focus on the counter-argument presented in this article: technology can be used for good. Specifically, I want to point out and respond to certain statements the writer made.

In response to the effort made to cheat: "Many of the educators argued that in the age of ubiquitous computing, depriving students of reference materials does little to test them on their ability to apply concepts in real-world situations. Several provided testimonials to the value of allowing them to bring their own study aids, such as note cards, to examinations." I agree with this statement. There have been many occasions where a professor allowed me and fellow students in a class to create an old-fashioned, one page "cheat sheet." By taking advantage of the opportunity, I reviewed my notes, categorized them in a way that I could read easily, and re-familiarized myself with the information. Nine times out of ten, I a barely needed the cheat sheet by the time test day came around because I knew all the material! While I have never used this concept in my own classroom, I am definitely considering the idea. 

In response to the war against technology: "On one side, we—the faculty—seem to control course management systems, online quizzes, wireless clickers, Internet access to PowerPoint slides and podcasts, and plagiarism-detection software. On the student side, they are armed with smart phones, laptops, music players, digital cameras, and social network sites." Once again, I agree. I have attended umpteen professional development days where technology is the focal point. Whenever I attend one of these "mini-conferences," I make a conscientious effort to implement at least two new things I learned, whether that be using a new website or creating a new SmartBoard document. Sadly, not all teachers do this. It's baffling. I have access to many outlets for digital learning, and I do not utilize them to their fullest potential. Students are constantly plugged in, and I need to implement ways that can blend their favorite things with educational standards. 

In response to "learning the old fashioned way": "Promoters of gadget-oriented instructional technology argue that students in the digital generation need to be connected to a technical device in order for there to be any hope of engagement with formal education." Sometimes I feel like I am being a traitor towards my classic training in literature. I am a firm believer in teaching the canon, but I support and PUSH for teaching the canon in different ways. Just as technology has evolved, so should teachers and the method to teach. 

Losh, Elizabeth. "Education's war on millennials: Why everyone is failing the 'digital generation'." Salon. 14      June 2014. Web. 16 June 2014.