Digital Writing in a Collaborative Learning Environment

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Digital Writing in a Collaborative Learning
Environment

• Brian Kayser
• Special Education Teacher at Walton Middle School
  in
• Charlottesville, VA
• bkayser_at_k12albemarle.org

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The Physical Space

• As a special education teacher, I have mostly
  taught collaborative classes, which meant I was
  always the guest in another teachers classroom.
• When I was given space this year, I wanted to
  redesign it so the kids could feel as though they
  had their own space.

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Steps I took...

• There were three teacher desks in the space over
  the summer. I got rid of all three.
• Got rid of all desks and replaced them with round
  tables. Theyve been much easier for the students
  to use for collaboration.
• Took down all posters on wall. The only things
  that go on the wall are student-created work and
  materials and our map to show where weve
  connected this year.

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Steps I took...

• Added comfort furniture to the class. There are
  beanbags, pillows, empty five gallon buckets, and
  a couch.
• Most students sit in different places each day.
  This simple decision means they enter the class
  already thinking.
• Students can sit where they want as long as they
  are on task.

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What it looks like...

• To view panorama, please visit
  http//360.io/KJgU4p

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Student Blogging

• Each student has their own EduBlog.org blog
  (total cost for 50 students is 40)
• Students choose their theme and color layout
• Students learn to post only the work they are
  truly proud of
• All student blogs are posted on the language arts
  website for easy access
• Students are given time to comment on each
  others blogs

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Some examples
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One more example
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The Short Story Project
- students are currently working on this -
students first write a story and share it on
Google Docs for feedback - once their story is
written, students will tell the story in a
different way (movie, puppet show, picture book,
animation (goanimate.com) dramatic reading,
etc) - students will then reflect how different
mediums changed/enhanced/limited their story
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The Short Story Project cont.

• in this process, weve already had discussions
  about why certain mediums were better than others
  depending on the story
• key element for students is telling a compelling
  story...theyre very interested to learn new
  technologies to get the best product possible

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The Short Story Project cont.

• Currently most students are on Part 2 of their
  project
• Some are planning a movie, others are adapting
  their story into a childrens book, one student
  is producing a puppet show, and one student is
  retelling the story through Twitter conversations
  using FakeTweetBuilder (faketweetbuilder.com)
• The biggest challenge is being able to help kids
  with a variety of problems and keeping an idea of
  where they are in their project

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Comics
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StripGenerator

• An example from StripGenerator (stripgenerator.com
  )
• What I like about StripGenerator
• - its free
• - very easy interface
• multiple students can be logged into the same
  account at the same time

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StripGenerator cont.
What I dont like about StripGenerator - strips
can not be edited...once theyre submitted, its
final - no color - limited characters and objects
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BitStrips
bitstrips.com
- For examples, please visit https//sites.google.
com/a/k12albemarle.org/kayser/history-ii-1865-to-p
resent/civil-rights-movement BitStrips costs
money, but they give a one month free trial. The
comics are easy to make, very customizable, and
give students a ton of options. This is my
favorite comic creating site. ToonDoo.com is a
free site with similar options, but it is more
difficult to use and takes a very long time to
load.
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VoiceThread

• Students have used VoiceThread (voicethread.com)
  for a variety of projects, such as telling about
  their favorite holiday memory, history projects,
  and as a digital story for elementary students
• Please visit https//sites.google.com/site/ccgloba
  l2012holidayproject/gw-kayser-charlottesville-va-6
  th-grade for examples

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SoundCloud

• SoundCloud (soundcloud.com, great iPod app) is a
  free site that allows students to record or post
  recordings of their work to be shared
• Students have used this to tell about their
  favorite holiday memory after they wrote it.
• Weve also experimented with podcasting using
  AudioBoo (audioboo.com, great iPod app)

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SoundCloud cont.

• SoundCloud (soundcloud.com, great iPod app) is a
  free site that allows students to record or post
  recordings of their work to be shared
• Students have used this to tell about their
  favorite holiday memory after they wrote it.
• Weve also experimented with podcasting using
  AudioBoo (audioboo.com, great iPod app)

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Global Fiction Readings
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Global Fiction Readings

• Students write, edit, and rewrite
• When students have a final draft, they practice
  reading with a partner
• Students then read their writing to their
  classmates on a scheduled day
• The reading is also broadcast through Ustream, a
  video streaming service (free), to family and
  other classes that can tune in

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Global Fiction Reading Cont.

• Students receive immediate feedback from their
  classmates and teachers
• Through Twitter and Ustream, students also
  receive feedback

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Some Feedback...
Thanks, Rebecca, Tyler, et al. Now I know from
whence many of you come, your backgrounds and
bios. I enjoyed hearing y'all read. Not only was
it interesting to hear your views about important
topics such as bullying, but I enjoyed the
fiction and poems, too. Flying dogs, magic bears,
ghosts, and dragons (lots of them)? Thieves
dressed in flags? Foods flavored with rosemary?
And there was a lot more, too. Some of these
things reminded me of what I think is called
"magical reality." The writing I heard was very
impressive. There were many excellent sentences
the clear sentences made it easy for me to
understand the ideas you were presenting. I also
heard many writers using sophisticated and strong
vocabulary. colorful words helped to paint a
picture for me about what was happening in a
parking lot, and action verbs helped to describe
the movements of characters. Congratulations. Jo
hnL
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More Uses for Ustream...

• Ive also used Ustream to broadcast our band
  concerts, talent show, and graduation.
• By sharing the Ustream link with families and
  other classrooms, it gives our kids a wider,
  authentic audience.
• Link http//www.ustream.tv/channel/walton-wildcat
  s

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More feedback from our Ustream events...
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More feedback from our Ustream events...
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Google Docs

• Google Docs allows for collaboration during the
  writing process.
• Students can view each others work from their
  own computer and leave comments and ideas for
  each other.
• Students can collaborate on one document at the
  same time from different computers, or from one
  and they all automatically have the updated
  document as long as it is shared with them.

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Pen Pals

• Students have pen pals from Ireland and
  Australia.
• They have the opportunity to describe
  Charlottesville to their pen pals and to learn
  about other cultures.
• Students share letters through email and Google
  Docs

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Skyping

• My students have Skyped with other middle school
  classes to share work and listen to others work.
• Weve Skyped with our pen pals in Ireland.
• Weve Skyped with elementary classes to listen to
  their work and teach them new material.
• Weve Skyped with a 9/11 survivor.
• Weve Skyped with a variety of classes for Dot
  Day, Digital Learning Day, and Read Across
  America Day.

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Contact

• Brian Kayser
• Email bkayser_at_k12albemarle.org
• Twitter _at_bkayser11
• Blog bkayser11.wordpress.com