microblogging with students

This is my eighth year to teach a writing class. Each year I thing I change something about my approach.

One of the things I love to include in my writing class is some kind of journal or reflection or discussion. I want them writing on a regular basis something that is not “academic” in addition to the academic essay they are working on drafting and revising.

A couple of times I did handwritten dialogue journals back and forth with my students. Another year I did an online discussion board where the students discussed topics among themselves. I’ve also tried giving a list of prompts and just having students write each week the answer to which ever question grabbed them.

But, this year, I think I’ve stumbled upon the jackpot. I had them all set up microblogs on typepad.

Each week I post a video from youtube, and their task is to summarize the video in less than three sentences and then respond to the video somehow.  Typeapad makes this really easy for them with their built-in “reblog” feature. I told them to aim for at least 150 words with each microblog.

I gave them a list of possible ways they could “respond”:

• How does the video make you feel?  Why?
• What do you think is the main message of the video?
• To what extent do you agree or disagree with the main message of the video?
• How can you apply the main message of the video to your own life?
• Think aloud about what the video makes you think about.
• Reflect on the video and what it means to you.
• Write a short story inspired by the video.
• If you were in the video, who would you want to be?
• If you can talk to someone in the video, what would you say or ask?
• If you could change something about the video, what would you change?
• Write a poem.
• Describe what the next video in this series would be.
• Write a song.
• Write an academic style paragraph.
• and MORE . . . . . .

So far, I’ve shown them:

• Piano Stairs–The Fun Theory
• The Black Hole
• The Death Crawl (a clip from Facing the Giants)
• I Love Living Life (recommended by a student)
• Where is Matt? (ok so that’s the title I gave it)

My goal is to show them videos that are either creative or thought-provoking or inspiring.  I have a few more in the reserves, and I’ve also required each student to recommend one video that they think their classmates would enjoy responding to. (If you have a suggestion of a video they might like writing about, I’ll gladly take it.)

So far, I’ve been so pleased with the depth of the responses I’ve been getting from my students, and the quality of their summaries (a skill they must have) has improved in just a few weeks.  And, a great part is that I think they are really enjoying this assignment.

I am really excited when students enjoy learning!

birthday cakes galore!

One of the benefits of having 8 hours of class on my birthday is that over 140 people sang happy birthday to me!

And . . . three of my classes surprised me with cakes!!

The first class actually used another student from another class to tell me they were in an assembly in another building, and our class would be canceled and I was free to go home.  I walked by their classroom before my class and it really was empty (little did I know they were hidding in the stairwell).  I debated for a moment whether to trust them or not.  I decided they were trustworthy.

I sent a text to one of the students and told her what I expected them to have completed by our next class.  But, about 5 min into class time the three guys in the class came into my office and told me the assembly was over and they were ready for class.  So, we all went back to the classroom.  I was thinking about how amazing these kids were since they were willing to have class even though they actually had a free pass for the final hour of the day. 

When we walked into the classroom, there was a party going on. :)  (Can you see the numbers on the cake?  That's right . . . 18!!!)



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They had transformed the chalkboard into a giant birthday card.



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Another class came back from the break during the second hour of class with a cake . . . and so we had a party too! :)



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Even though my last class wasn't over till 9:00 and I didn't get home till after 9:30, some special friends were waiting for at my neighbor's home with pizza and cake to celebrate with me.  I don't have picture of that cake, but here I am with my neighbor and her daughters. (I don't know if you can tell, but to me, I look SO TIRED.)



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Then the following day, 15 minutes into class, some of the "absent students" came in carrying a cake and singing "Happy Birthday!"  First thing one of them told me after singing was "you can't count me tardy" (apparently, I'm known for being strict about that.)



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Then later during the week of my birthday, a dear friend, Anna, stopped by with a beautiful little cake to help me celebrate my birthday.  She had seen my blog on Monday and thought I needed some cheering up--isn't that so sweet!!



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So, if I had to be in school all day on my birthday, it was nice being surprised so many times! :)  And, I also appreciate the others who through out the week made me feel special too. :)
 

winter camp is OVER!!

For the past 11 days, I've been teaching a winter English camp for my college.  It was exhausting!!  For an introvert, being around 150 students for 6 hours a day for 11 days kinda wears you down FAST.  I would be very content to just be a hermit for the next 11 days to recuperate. :)

But, since Chinese New Year is coming, that is impossible! :)

But, since Chinese New is coming, I do have the next two weeks OFF!!  Yay!!!  So, I will be spending the days with friends, so that is nice.

For winter camp, I do a lot of games like pictionary, charades, 20 questions, taboo, and more.  I also use songs in many, many ways with lots of different kinds of activities.   So, even though I am exhausted, I did get to have fun, and, hopefully, the students did too.

 

editing pictures online

Inspired by Jimmie's weblink wednesday . . . I thought I'd share my two favorite online photo editing tools.

1. Picnik is just awesome. 
It used to be 100% free, but now that it is out of beta, they will soon start to charge for their "premium  services" (but they are free this week). It interacts with flickr, facebook, photobucket, and picasa.  I don't know about the other sites, but I know it is a seemless, painless process with flickr--beautiful really.  You can crop, edit, fix, create, frame, add text and graphics, and more . . .  Too bad it won't continue to stay completely free.

2. My other favorite photo tool is bighuge labs--and it is 100% free. 
There are tons of fun things to do there.  Some are productive and worthwhile, while others are just creative time-killers.  I use their Mosaic Maker a lot!  My students loved making their very own magazine covers and CD inserts.  You can also add captions and/or bunny ears and santa hats to your photos.  You  can also make billboards, photo cubes, calanders, motivational posters, and more . . .

All of these work best with flickr api, but if you know the image's URL, you can use any photo online, or upload one from your local harddrive.

Here are some of the things my students have created using bighugelab's flickr toys:

These two online photo tools really work for me.

Happy Teachers Day!!

教師節快樂!!!

The only thing I am doing for Teacher's Day is going out with a colleague for lunch to eat Korean food.   And, really, that is just because we want to . . . doesn't really have anything to do with the holiday.

But, I wanted to make sure I wished all the teachers out there . . . Happy Teacher's Day!!

~*~*~*~*~
Here is a repost of what I wrote last year, explaining Teacher's Day:

Today is Teacher's Day in Taiwan.  And, like so many holidays in so
many cultures, Teacher's Day in Taiwan is a mix of both the religious
and secular.

To many Taiwanese, Teacher's Day is a day to show respect to their
teachers and to thank them for all their hard work (I like that). 

Nonetheless, as Wikipedia correctly points out, "This date was chosen to commemorate the birth of Confucius,
believed to be the model master educator in ancient China."  At the
crack of dawn in Confucian temples all over the island cermonies take
place in honor of Confucius.  These 祭孔大典 (or "Grand Ceremonies
Dedicated to Confucius") start with the beating of drums. "54 musicians
dress in robes with blue belts, 36 (or 64) dancers
dress in yellow with green belts. They are led and followed by
cermonial officers. Three animals--the cow, the goat, and the pig--are
sacrificed. The hair plucked from these sacrificed animals are
called the Hairs of Wisdom."

So, now you know some students simply give their teachers cards
which say "Happy Teacher's Day," but others go to temples and make
sacrifices to a dead man.

(Pictures above come from this and this photoset on flickr.)

teaching barefoot

I know I've told that in Taiwan we take off our shoes before we enter someone's home.  But, have I ever told you that I teach barefoot too?

All of my classes are in a language lab or computer lab; so, we must take off our shoes before entering the classrooms.  "Regular classrooms" do not require shoes be removed.

Why the floors of these rooms must be kept clean I will never know.  But, that is the school rule, so that is what we do.  And just for the record, the student's don't like it.

I love the fact that the school provides these nifty little shoe cases for the students to put their shoes, but that instead students just pile the shoes in front of the shoe case.

Outside of a computer classroom at my school:

a few quotes on learning

Each time I have graduated, my dad told me the same thing: "now your real education can begin."  He instilled in me from the beginning to use "formal education" as a way to learn how to learn.

In fact, learning is a natural part of my family.  My dad studies in order to prepare for his sermons; my mom is a teacher.  And all of us love learning a few good random facts.

In fact, I love learning.  Perhaps that is one reason I became a teacher and researcher.  As a teacher, I can pass on my love of learning others--giving them the tools to continue to learn on their own.  Being a researcher, gives me an excuse to continue learning so that I can become a better teacher.  And, like it has been said before, if you wanna learn, teach. 

As I prepare for the upcoming semesmter of courses, I want to share with you some of my favorite quotes on education and learning.

“He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.”  ~Chinese Proverb

"Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence." ~Abigail Adams

"Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration." ~Thomas A. Edison

“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” ~Chinese Proverb

"The important thing is not to stop questioning." ~Albert Einstein

"I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn."  ~Albert Einstein

"Tell me, I'll forget. Show me, I'll remember. Involve me, I'll understand." ~Chinese Proverb

"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."  ~Pablo Picasso

"The more you know, the more you know you don't know." ~Aristotle

"I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma." ~Eartha Kitt

"Learning how to learn is life's most important skill."  ~Tony Buzan

"Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers." ~Voltaire

"Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous." ~Confucius

“Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” ~Benjamin Franklin

This post was submitted to the Carnival of Beauty sponsored by Sallie at A Gracious Home.  This week the theme is The Beauty of Learning and is hosted by Blair at Scribblings by Blair.
 

it is nice when . . .

It is nice when . . . I announce "see you next week" and everyone looks at their watches amazed at the time. Class passed so fast, they can't believe it is time to go.

It is nice when . . . we are playing a "board game" and a student calls me over to say "I know exactly why we are playing this." It wasn't a secret--to learn! How tricky I am!

It is nice when . . . I hear my students using things or talking about things we learned in class outside of class--and even better when the context is different.  It is even nice if they are joking or making fun of it too--means they remember!

(Above picture is of some of my business English students working in class.)

learning styles

In one of my courses, in addition to talking about preference to using the left or right sides of our brains, we dicuss learning styles. 

I have my students take this survey to find out what learning style they prefer.

Taking the survey myself only confirms what I knew to be true.  I am a very visual learner.  I wanna see it in black and white--and color.  Sometimes even just writing something down and throwing the paper away improves my ability to remember it. 

Below is my chart from taking the survey.

 

whole brain?

Originally uploaded by jaycross.

In one of my classes (that is for future teachers), we start by looking at "who" is our student. We look at multiple intelligences, learning styles, and learning strategies our students might posess.

In preparing for class, I found a blogthings for right brain, left brain dominerance. It seems, like many times before, I still tend to be pretty much down the middle with a stronger leaning to the left.

Amanda is 55% Left Brained, 45% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

back to school

Our spring semester started this Wednesday.  Our semester goes from the beginning of March to the first week of July.

This semester I am teaching:

• Writing 4 (which is about the academic essay),



• Business English Conversation 2 and 4 (two different 3 hour courses),



• Public Speaking 2,



• Songs, Chants, & Rhymes for English Teaching, and



• Advanced English Conversation with American Movies. 

That makes a total of 16 teaching hours.  I then have a few office hours and other "at school" responsibilities.  But all in all, I can't complain.  I get paid to do what I love and it doesn't demand my every waking minute. :)

Below are some pictures of me and one of my classes taken last semester (when I was being observed by all the teachers in the department--in some pics you can see the other teachers in the back).

www.flickr.com

the blessings of using a timer

Heather from Mom 2 Mom Connection wrote for the Carnival of Beauty this week about seeing "the boundaries of time as a blessing in order to keep [her] balanced."

I too have learned to love a timer recently.  I use them both at home and at school. 

My students got used to me using them in the classroom, but they think it is funny that I also use them at home.  I have three in my house--one on my fridge, one by my computer, and one in a central location in my home--and thanks to flylady.net they are all set to 15 minutes.

But, using a timer has been such a blessing for me.  Here is why:

--a timer lets me feel successful.  It tells me "yea! you did it! you can stop now."  otherwise, as a perfectionist, I can't stop till it is perfect.

--it lets me focus completely on my task.  I don't have to keep looking at the clock to see how much time has passed. (In class this means, I can say 20 min to finish this and then spend all my energy helping students without worrying about really using 30 or 40 min on the task--allowing me to follow my lesson plans for successfully.)

--it lets me do things I never would do otherwise.  I often think things take longer than they really do.  But doing it for 15 min is do-able--I am always surprised just how much really can be done in 15 min.

--helps me manage my day.  There are times--like today--when I have "15 min days."  I have a list of things that need to be done and take 15 min to spend on each task; after 15 min, I switch and do something else. 

When I first found flylady, I ignored her advice about a timer.  Now, I wish I had not--it is the best thing I have  found for manging my time and being productive.  Like Heather, my timer and setting time boundaries have truly been a blessing. 

The one I use at school is really cool--it is like a stoplight (the pic for this blog).  It lets us visually see how much more time we have left.  I got it from a company called Learning Resources.

end of the school year

Originally uploaded by amanda47.

It is the end of the school year for me right now (we get a month off for Chinese New Year), and my piles of things to grade--term papers, essays, and finals--as grown by leaps and bounds.

However, I will find 15 min later today to post the next episode in my "Taiwan or Bust" series. :) But for now I am off to my own ErHu Lesson!!

This picture is of me with two of my former students, Rachel and Joan, on the eve of New Year's Eve.

my erhu lessons

One thing experts advice language teachers to do is to take a language course every so often in order to remember what it feels like to be a language student.

I haven't been taking language classes, but I am studying something that is brand new to me--music. And, as I have been learning to play the 二胡, a traditional Chinese musical instrument, I have learned some things about being a student that should help me as a language teacher.

fundamental basics are necessary.
   --they are not fun; but they are necessary for future success.

feedback is crucial and a balance (between negative and positive) is necessary.
   --if all I hear is how good I am, I can get overconfident.
   --if all I hear is how poor I am doing, I can get discouraged.
   --hearing my teacher say "good job" makes me happy to continue practicing.
   --hearing my teacher say "hold it this way insead" also makes me happy to continue.

review is nice.
   --it lets me refreash what I should know.
   --it lets me feel successful.

there are times when I need a challenge and times when I don't.
   --if everything is challenging, it makes me want to quit.   
   --if everything is too easy, it makes me want to quit.
   --if there is a balance between challenging and easy, I feel much more willing to try.

practicing must be a little every day.
   --15 min for 7 days is much better than 1 hour for 2 days.

the teacher is not always right. :)
   --sometimes she makes mistakes too.

the teacher knows best.
   --the things she does to help me learn are worth it even though at that time they don't make sense to me.

my fifth year students

I still remember my first class at Fortune.  It was writing class on a Friday afternoon . . . only half of the students showed up.  I didn't feel like a teacher at all.  I was clueless in more ways than one. 

A tall guy named Charlie (later to be known as Jermaine) came and asked me where class was going to be.  Huh?  I got to decide?  Well, the classroom of course! (I didn't know that the class was a "split class" and that some of the students would be in the "class's classroom" and the others would be in the "writing classroom."  No one told me.)  It was in that way that I choose the "chien ban" for my writing students; and "ho ban" for my business English students.  How little I knew then!

Since then, I have learned a lot.  You see my students think that they are the students, and I am the teacher.  But the reverse is also true.

They taught me lots of words.  I now know the meaning of "dong diao" (fail), "chow ke" (skip class), "ko fun" (take away points), "ho ban" (back half of a split class), "chien ban" (front half of a split class), "jia ban" (Class A), "yi ban" (Class B), "chee jong kao" (midterm exam), "chee mou kao" (final exam), "bu ke" (make up class because teacher or school needs to rearrange the class meeting time), "di ke" (class with subsitute teacher), "shou kao" (take a class again because you failed in the past) and more! 

They taught me how to be a teacher.  I learned that the most important thing I can give my students is the ability to believe in themselves, to have confidence.  I do not have a single student that does not have the potential to be excellent.  Each one has incredible strengths and talents.  These students allowed me to experiment with them.  I was able to try new things and explore new ways of teaching.  And in return they told me what worked and what didn't work and how I could make it better the next time I tried.  For this I am forever grateful.  They also taught me how to  s l o w  d o w n;  now granted, a few of them will tell you I still go too fast.  But, hello, I am a heck of a lot slower now!

They taught me to accept help. I like to be needed, but I don't like to need.  My students taught me that it perfectly ok to ask for help.  Perhaps from my western upbringing, I used to think that asking for help was a sign of weakness; thus I didn't ask.  And, thus, I lacked.  I have learned to ask for everything for help in running simple errands such as "please go back to my desk and get me the xxx that I forgot" to "I have strange red bumps on my leg, can you take me to the doctor."  Now, I have to admit, I am still taking this class, but I am learning and will continue to improve.

They taught me how to have fun.  Believe it or not, I am a very uptight girl.  I like things to be in order, and I like for things to be done right, and I like for them to be done now.  My students taught me how to loosen up a little, to enjoy life more.  They also taught that it is ok to not be perfect, to learn to laugh at my own mistakes.  In doing so, life become more fun.

In the last two years, I have poured my heart and soul into an incredible group of kids (young men and women) who could actually be my younger brothers and sisters.  In fact, that is what they have become.  I will forever cherish in my heart the memories I have made with them from countless hours of time in classes to the countless times we laughed and played. 

It has been my joy and my honor to watch these students, my students, grow.  I remember when I first met them they had difficulty uttering more than a sentence in English to me at a time.  Now, they can give 20 mintute speeches alone, write several pages of creative text, have multi-hour long conversations in English.  How delighted this makes my teacher's heart!  However, not only have they grown academically, they have also grown in other ways too.  I have seen them mature into young men and women.  I have seen them develop self-confidence.  How delighted this makes my friendship's heart!

As they leave my school, I am both sad and happy at the same time.  I am sad because I am going to miss them a lot!  They are so very, very special to me.  I am happy because they are pursuing their dreams, their futures, which of course are going to be bright. 

I love you guys. 你對我來說很重要. 請和我保持連絡.

yours forever,
amanda

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

originally posted on msn spaces.

photos of these last two years