Reflection

=** Reflection: **= =** Lauren Ogden- **=

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When I began this experience, I felt that the focus would be on technology. Yet after working with Hayley, Kyle, and Nancy, I quickly discovered that technology wasn't the point- kids were the point. Through having consistent access to laptops and other technology, I had the opportunity to watch students grow through technology.=====

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At the beginning of this school year, all 8th grade students had to write an essay with pen and paper. The majority of the essays were one paragraph, and at most, the essays were maybe one page hand written front and back. After just a few weeks of using the computers, I saw student writing increase, and I also saw a new ownership over their work. They had their own space to post their writing, and they had the choice and ability to go back and edit. As an educator, this increased volume gave me an opportunity to more fully understand their thinking, and therefore, I was able to more directly teach new concepts and focus in their writing.===== This online community also created a new form of collaboration. Students could respond to one another on blogs and wikis, and they could collaborate on essays together. Many students submitted drafts or contributed to a group essay from their homes. This type of learning-learning that continues outside of the classroom- is the type of learning that I hope to bring into my classroom even more next year. I hope to widen the online audience next year. I hope not only other students will respond to their ideas about literature and life, but I also hope to have them corresponding with a world that's willing to listen. TLP has nothing to do with technology; instead, it has everything to do with creating a place or a reason for students to engage in their learning. With the world's technology growing at an exponential rate, I have found that not much has really changed in the desires of students. They want to be heard, want to communicate with others, and want to do something that matters. With technology, we as educators have all the power in the world to provide these opportunities in an authentic, powerful way.

= Hayley Post- =

What happens when you provide a teacher and her students exclusive use of twenty laptop computers for an entire school year? Never would I have imagined that I would be in such a fortunate position to find out. Over this past school year I have witnessed an increase in student enthusiasm when it comes to student writing. Equipped with newly acquired teaching strategies thanks to the Teachers' College Writing Project, I eagerly set out in September to infuse technology into the writing process. While the technology was the "hook" that initially grabbed my students' interest, what transpired once they began using it was thrilling. Students soon found themselves in an online world where they could easily save and retrieve their essays. Not only would students continually revise their essays, but they were able to read one another's work and provide feedback to their peers. Every now and then I would hear a student exclaim "I have a new comment," as they clicked onto their wiki page. As an educator, I was very moved by how positive students' comments were on one another's wiki pages. It was as if there was a mutual understanding that our online community was a safe haven where students would respect one another's work and build up each other's self esteem by leaving positive and constructive comments. In the beginning stages, I had trepidation that some students might abuse the wiki feature and tamper with one another's work. To my amazement, this never happened. I believe it is a testament to the respect students have for their online writing community.

To this day my heart still sings when I have a student ask me if he can work on his "wiki page." In particular, I am reminded of a special needs student who used his wiki page to write a series of interrelated stories. He was proud of his accomplishments and asked if he could share his work with the class. I projected his story on the SMART board and the student read it out loud. The very next day he asked if I could project his second story on the board so he could share it with the class. Clearly, he took a great deal of pride in his writing. The act of writing on one's wiki page is meaningful to students. I realize now that students take ownership in their writing because they have a small space online where their writing is "published." It is THEIR wiki page, not mine. Also, the fact that many students refer to their essays as "wikis" suggests that they don't view writing essays as a "chore." Instead, they are working on a "wiki," an ever evolving story that has personal meaning for each one of them.

Not only did technology allow my students to evolve as writers, but it allowed them to communicate with one another as readers. I found discussion boards to be most useful when it came to creating reading activities. Occasionally, in lieu of having traditional classroom discussions about a short story we had online discussions. Students would read questions I posted on the board and then answer them using details from the text to support their answers. I was impressed with how honest students were in commenting on one another's answers. Students often politely reminded each other to provide more details or pointed out that they hadn't truly answered the question. As a teacher, it was exciting to relinquish control at times like these and transfer power to my students who now had the responsibility of reading with a critical eye.

My foray into the world of Voice Thread taught me the power of allowing students to publish work in a medium that combines visual and auditory responses. I firmly believe that the quality of these projects was exceptional because students were able to see exemplar work produced by their peers. They also knew that their work was going to end up on a website and therefore took pride in their final products. If students know they have a "voice," their work automatically becomes more meaningful to them.

It has been such a treat to collaborate this year with Nancy, Kyle and Lauren. I look forward to continuing to work with them next year as I explore new forms of technology that will further empower my students to become enthusiastic readers and writers.