Return-Path: <nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id f4HDxEf15570; Thu, 17 May 2001 09:59:14 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 09:59:14 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <E809F4A8C0B98B4C9F24041B8B7F4E2E2BE368@CRECMAIL.learningcorridor.org> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Ajit Gopalakrishnan <AGopalak@crec.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-TECHNOLOGY:1795] Re: Web Publishing Mini-grant Projects X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Status: O Content-Length: 6729 Lines: 162 Jeff, Emily, and others, Jeff said: "One of the things I'd like to explore....... is to find out how the expereince of building a Web site has had an impact on the programs involved, and on the individual teacher's overall practice, especially with regards to using technology." I agree.... this is an important question. In the project I am involved in, I am hoping that this question will be answered by the teacher and published on the web site. I am also hoping that the students can reflect on their experiences at the end of the project, write about it, and that we can publish the whole thing on the web site as well. Jeff said with respect to students being motivated by seeing their writing typed: "What difference does it make that students are mroe motivated? If I am a teacher, am I being evaluated according to how motivated my students are in and of itself? And if you respond, well, motivation tends to lead to other, more measurable results, do we have the data that shows that -- and are we doing an adequate job communicating that to teachers and programs?" I agree with this point as well.... We need to speak of student motivation in terms of demonstrated student performance, and not rely solely on feedback of student opinions of their own skills. One thing that is evident in the projects I am involved in are that students simply wrote a lot more than they had in the past. So just the volume of writing is one piece of data. Additionally, in the inquiry project, teachers started portfolios of student writing and are documenting student writing over the project to show not only the quantity, but also the quality of writing. Finally, with regard to teachers/students being involved in web site development, I concur with both Jeff and Emily said on this issue. Steve Linberg's abstract that was part of Emily's posting was pretty interesting. Cheers, Ajit Ajit Gopalakrishnan Capitol Region Education Council 111 Charter Oak Avenue Hartford, CT 06106 Phone: (860) 524-4036 Fax: (860) 246-3304 Email: agopalak@crec.org Web Site: http://www.crec.org/atdn/ > -----Original Message----- > From: Jeff Carter [SMTP:jeff_carter@jsi.com] > Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2001 11:57 AM > To: Multiple recipients of list > Subject: [NIFL-TECHNOLOGY:1788] Re: Web Publishing Mini-grant > Projects > > On 5/10/01 5:36 PM, Ajit Gopalakrishnan wrote: > > >Here are some of my thoughts regarding your question: > >Is helping individual students/teachers/programs build their own > Web > >presence a useful and valued activity -- as compared to the other > >kinds of > >ways in which Internet technology might be used by programs and > >teachers? > > > >I am not sure what exactly you mean by "Web presence" in the above > >question. > >I will take it to mean all of the following: > >- Setting up an administrative/program web site > >- Creating a web site as part of a class project (like the Queens > Bees > >web > >site) which encourages student writing, reading, learning about > >technology, > >etc. > >- Teachers creating curriculum web sites for other teachers > > Yes. I think that there may be other categories -- such as, for > example, teachers creating on-line materials for other students, in > addition to their own -- but what you've outlined above covers most of > the kinds of projects we've seen. > > >Each of > >the three approaches I listed above could be structured and > >accomplished in > >a way that results in students enhancing their basic skills, > teachers > >learning more about their practice, and programs increasing their > >efficiency/image. Conversely, they could be structured wherein such > >breadth > >of learning does not occur. > > I agree. What about, in addition, teachers becoming more comfortable > with technology and thus integrating it more effectively in their > practice? One of the things I'd like to explore as part of a > much-needed, more detailed assessment for this work (work which we've > been doing for three years or so), is to find out how the expereince > of building a Web site has had an impact on the programs involved, and > on the individual teacher's overall practice, especially with regards > to using technology. > > All of which reminds me that one of the things that we'd like to > improve in terms of our own work managing these initiatives is with > regard to assessing and documenting the impact of this stuff. Not that > we haven't doen this to some extent (our mini-grant recipients are > dcumenting their process and writing up final reports, for example), > but we didn't have room for a broad, overall assessment process in our > budget this year. We _know_ this stuff has a positive impact, but we > need to scrutinize it more carefully, I think. And I need to find a > way to get that done as part of any future projects like this. > > >I am currently involved in two > >projects > >where the idea of creating a class web site, or simply seeing your > >personal > >writing typed, is motivating to students. > > Great! Yes, I hear that all the time. But then I can imagine that the > next question might be (playing devil's advocate here): so what? What > difference does it make that students are mroe motivated? If I am a > teacher, am I being evaluated according to how motivated my students > are in and of itself? > > And if you respond, well, motivation tends to lead to other, more > measurable results, do we have the data that shows that -- and are we > doing an adequate job communicating that to teachers and programs? > > >In any of these approaches, I am not sure how important it is for > >teachers/learners to actually master the technical-nuts-and-bolts > of > >web > >page design (unless they are really interested and want to learn > >it)..... I > >think they should know how it works. > >Also, I do think it is absolutely > >essential that teachers/learners be involved in every other step of > >the > >creation of the web presence (visioning, storyboarding, content > >creation, > >etc) > > I think so -- I think those are the most transferable skills, for one > thing. A lot of the skills required to work with the Web as a medium > are also the kinds of things I think we'd hope that everyone could do > anyway (the visioning, storyboarding, content creation, etc. that you > mentioned). > > And, in fact, while we don't live in a world where it is required > that everyone knows how to write HTML, (nor would we want to, I > think), I do think we live in a society (in the U.S. anyway), where > being comfortable with evaluating, understanding, and exchanging > information via the Web is important. > > Jeff > > Jeff Carter > NELRC/World Education > (617) 482-9485 > jcarter@worlded.org
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